Chapter 43
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Retrieving Hani No. 1
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The first thing that caught my eye upon entering the admin room was the machines and wires crammed throughout the interior. Hani No. 1. It was the supercomputer that had been used for climate prediction before the world turned into apocalypse.
In the game, supplying it with power actually allowed you to predict the weather.
Though its accuracy was a measly 30% due to pointless hyper-realism, it would still be useful for planning ahead or farming.
Now, how the hell was I supposed to transport this thing? Hani No. 1 was massive. I'd anticipated it would take up a lot of space, but it was even bigger than I'd imagined.
In the game, you could just hit a "retrieve" button and have it in about an hour, but of course, things weren't that simple in this world.
It was similar to the game, but at the same time, starkly different reality.
How do you get something that would fill a large truck bed from the 120th floor down to the first? Even with my strength over 30, carrying the whole thing intact was absolutely impossible.
On top of that, Sky Tower had no power, so the elevators were dead.
Even if I decomposed it with Metal Decomposition and carried the parts one by one, it would probably take at least half a day. It'd be great if someone could help... I turned my head to look at the male survivor.
"Um, sorry to ask, but could you help me out?"
"Yes?"
"I want to take that with me, but I don't have enough hands on my own."
His eyes went wide.
"You mean the entire computer?"
Even if every survivor pitched in, transporting this thing downstairs would be impossible. If they lacked the strength, they might even damage Hani No. 1.
Instead of answering, I used Metal Decomposition on one of the computer mainframes. It instantly broke down into parts. Only then did the man nod as if he understood.
"I'll tell the other survivors and help out."
He was quick on the uptake.
"Thanks."
As I prepared to use Metal Decomposition on another mainframe, the man spoke up in a troubled tone.
"I don't know what to call you... Could I get your name, benefactor? I'm Jason. Before this damned zombie virus spread, I was a detective."
Jason. I'd never heard the name. Since even a veteran like me didn't know it, he was probably labeled something like Shelter Survivor 1, 2, or 3 in the game.
He extended his hand. I shook it and introduced myself.
"I'm Park Si-hyun. I have Shelter Apocalypse as my base."
"Shelter Apocalypse, Shelter Apoca—"
"It's a recently built shelter, so you probably haven't heard of it."
It was newly made, and there was no reason for rumors to spread, so it was natural that Jason, an ordinary survivor from Shelter C, didn't know about our shelter. But that would change soon.
Before long, Shelter Apocalypse's reputation would spread through the industrial district and eventually the entire city. Especially the abilities of the Healer and Mechanic stood out.
Whether we intended it or not, we'd make it happen.
"Ah, I see... But earlier, didn't you say Team Apocalypse?"
He must have remembered my introduction.
"It's Shelter Apocalypse, but we're also part of Team Apocalypse."
"Then what the hell is that Team Apocalypse?"
"Esper team born from the lab."
A normal person would just accept it and move on. I found it odd that Jason kept asking.
The reason he'd keep probing like this had to be...
"Have you seen Team Apocalypse besides me?"
That he'd seen Team Apocalypse without me. As I suspected, he nodded.
"Well, you see..."
Jason looked at me with hesitant eyes, then started spilling the full story once I nodded.
"The reason Salvation Church captured us was because of that Team Apocalypse."
To sum up Jason's story simply:
Salvation Church ambushed them. Despite being outnumbered, they fought to the end, but when a man who introduced himself as Team Apocalypse appeared, their resistance crumbled.
"That guy's esper ability was insane. The concrete wall we were hiding behind just floated up..."
I realized the esper Jason met was a Psycho—short for Psychokinesis.
It couldn't have been Shelter A's Psycho, so that left...
'Goyle.'
It had to be Goyle. Goyle, the American who'd been relentlessly aggressive toward me in Shelter A.
In the end, he tried to kill me with his esper ability and got himself banished from Shelter A in self-inflicted defeat.
I'd assumed he was dead. I hadn't expected a lone newbie to survive. Surprisingly, he was alive. And siding with Salvation Church.
Goyle joining Salvation Church fit him perfectly...
"That's why I hesitated to tell you. I wondered what your connection was to that esper..."
"I have a rough idea who it is, but no need to worry. That esper and I are on extremely bad terms."
Bad terms didn't even cover it—we'd pull guns the moment we saw each other. Jason finally nodded, relieved.
'But if Goyle's joined Salvation Church...'
I sighed. An unexpected variable had arisen. If Goyle revealed his esper ability and cooperated actively with Salvation Church, he'd get all the support they could offer.
That's what Salvation Church was like.
A Salvation Church bishop who could control zombies. An esper who levels up by killing zombies. I couldn't even predict the synergy from those two meeting.
Sure, they'd still be noobs... but the difficulty had spiked compared to the game.
Even with eight relatively able-bodied survivors, including Jason, out of the twelve inside helping me, it still took quite a while to move Hani No. 1.
Checking the time, it had taken about six hours.
But after that, things went smoothly. I scrounged up a Wt truck nearby, used Metal Transformation to hotwire it, and parked it in the underground garage.
Then loaded Hani No. 1. I didn't miss a single small part. A supercomputer was high-tech I couldn't recreate without every component, even now.
"You're heading back to Shelter C?"
"Yeah. My wife and kids are waiting. Though they won't be thrilled seeing me like this..."
His ring finger was bare. For a moment, I thought about taking them to Shelter Apocalypse for treatment.
But I let the thought pass. It wasn't time for Shelter Apocalypse's fame to spread yet. Instead, I gave them advice.
"Go to Shelter A."
Shelter A.
I told them there was a good doctor there for treatment.
Johnson's group probably hadn't left yet, and Olivia could heal their wounds sufficiently, even if not as well as Zixuan.
"Thank you."
They accepted my advice readily.
"And... you might have heard already, but Salvation Church is planning to invade Shelter C."
"We know. We're sick of dealing with them. I'll tell the leader the moment I get back, so don't worry."
I nodded. I soon pulled out Diablo RX, loaded it onto the large truck, and bid them farewell. They stayed there until they vanished into the distance on their white blur.
If chance allowed, we'd meet again someday.
On the way back, I worried about running into Salvation Church followers, but luckily, I didn't, and I made it safely back to Shelter Apocalypse.
Zombies littered the electric barbed wire fence out front. They must have attacked in a group while I was gone. Fortunately, they hadn't breached the fence or walls.
Thinking that, I touched the fence. Using Metal Transformation, it parted to make way for the large truck. The wall behind did the same.
And so, I returned to Shelter Apocalypse.
* * *
Countless hordes of zombies surged toward the man. But the man facing them wore an expression of eager excitement.
The man knew full well those zombies couldn't harm him. They weren't ordinary zombies—they were puppets controlled by the bishops.
The man—Goyle—focused his mind. He unleashed his new esper ability, Psychokinetic Shells. Massive projectiles formed from psychokinetic energy floated in the air.
They almost looked like will-o'-the-wisps at a glance.
With his will, the shells fired all at once. The dense green projectiles assaulted the defenseless zombies. The zombies couldn't resist and were literally shredded by the shells.
Even for zombies, getting pulverized whole was gruesome. But Goyle, watching it all, just grinned.
"Leveling up like this is fucking easy."
He didn't even have to move; they brought the prey right to him. Salvation Church was the perfect shelter for him—and the ideal hunting ground.
「Your class level has risen to 25.」
Just regular zombies, but their sheer numbers bumped him up in one go.
Goyle stretched with his newly strengthened body.
Watchers observed Goyle: the bishops supplying him with zombies. They peered at him from behind the second-floor glass wall.
"Every time I see it, that ability is truly impressive."
Said one bishop, a man with thick eyebrows. If it had been a concrete wall in front instead of regular zombies, what then? It would've been obliterated entirely.
"But that asshole's shitty personality is the problem."
A female bishop, her face veiled in muslin, spoke up. The others nodded.
Truth be told, their own personalities weren't great either. Rising to bishop in Salvation Church, the epitome of unethical groups, was proof they weren't normal.
Even so, Goyle's temperament was so shitty even they called it "asshole" level. Catering to it stressed them out no end.
The male bishop who'd spoken first cleared his throat.
"It's the cult leader's orders."
No room to argue against the cult leader's command. In Salvation Church, it was absolute. The bishops fell silent, but their dissatisfied expressions remained.
Apocalypse All-Purpose Machine