Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Outside the Core (1)
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I inhaled the cool air drifting in through the car window, and before long, the train station came into view.
We had left the city center behind, heading to the outskirts—and even then, it felt like the outskirts of the outskirts—before finally coming to a stop.
A desolate station sat amid the bluish darkness. The rundown building in a desert-like landscape created an eerie atmosphere. I got out of the car and walked toward the station in a daze.
The dry scent of sand tickled my nose.
Streetlights stood sporadically, their lights flickering on.
And there on the tracks was a train.
"Get in the front car."
Screech, squeak! Two cars pulled up and stopped behind Yoon's vehicle. Familiar faces spilled out from the abruptly halted vehicles.
Even amid the commotion, the Master didn't turn his head as he picked up the duffel bag he'd tossed in the back seat.
"First car. And go into any empty cabin. It'll be vacant anyway."
"There are cabins?"
"The front is a regular passenger train."
I asked while eyeing what looked like a freight train, and Yoon explained.
I followed the Master's instructions. I walked across the empty station toward the front of the train. Trudging over the gravel-covered platform, passenger cars that looked just like regular ones started to appear, as Yoon had said.
I kept going forward and stopped at the only open door. Darkness lay beyond it.
It was a little scary stepping alone into the pitch-black train.
"What are you doing."
Yoon appeared beside me like a ghost, without a sound.
"Not getting on?"
Yoon scared me more than the dark train.
I hurried inside. Darkness enveloped me, but I didn't hesitate and kept walking down the corridor. After stumbling through the pitch-black hallway, I grabbed the handle of a cabin door that my hand touched.
It was a sliding door.
Pushing it open lit up the interior.
Walls paneled in natural wood. A bed and a window. A brass coat hanger on the wall. A small cabinet with tissues, wet wipes, cotton swabs, and the like.
What is this. Why is it so nice.
I dazedly stepped inside and set my duffel bag on the bed. Yoon stopped at the threshold of the cabin I'd chosen.
He looked straight into my eyes and said.
"Go to sleep quick."
"Yes?"
"It's a six-hour ride."
Six hours?
Hessy and Cal Dow passed behind the standing Yoon.
"Six hours?"
"You'll wake up outside the Core."
Yoon replied curtly.
This guy had a habit of dropping bombs casually. He'd done the same when shoving me in front of the mushroom. If he'd at least hurried me along or shown some panic, he might have seemed a bit more human.
Tom and Angela passed by. I heard Hessy and Cal unpacking in their cabins.
Yoon observed my stunned self and said.
"What did I tell you was the reason Black Badgers go outside the Core?"
For a brief moment, an emotion I couldn't put into words welled up and faded. I'd felt this strange sensation last time Yoon talked about this too.
Once again, I failed to pin down what it was.
No point overthinking it.
"To reclaim the lost land."
"Right. And in that process, what do you think is the most crucial part."
"Uh...."
It was a question I'd never even considered, leaving me flustered.
"Picking the spot that's easiest to reclaim but offers the most gain?"
"That's for Ye-hyeon to worry about."
Yoon continued smoothly.
"The key is supplies."
The train jolted.
What the— I flinched in surprise. I heard flustered voices from Hessy and Tom in the nearby cabin. But Yoon didn't blink.
I could feel the engine revving up for departure. The train vibrated subtly, not unpleasantly.
"We got a report that supplies at the primary depot in this zone have gone missing. When we arrive, we'll restock from the cargo hold. And while we're at it, figure out why they went missing."
"Oh, do you usually supply by train?"
"Tracks run all the way to F Zone. From D Zone on, we use other methods, but you don't need to know that yet."
Clunk. The train, having started up, began to move. I turned my head slightly to watch the scenery outside the window start to shift. The Center Core, visible only as a silhouette in the darkness. Parched earth began whipping by faster and faster.
Yoon glanced out the window, then opened the duffel bag slung over his left shoulder.
"This is your uniform."
He tossed a bundle of clothes wrapped in plastic onto the bed.
"This is a communicator you won't take out of your ear once you arrive. And this is the Creature codex."
"Creature codex?"
"You're not Pokémon?"
Surprisingly, the memory surfaced.
Who knew that game from earlier would come in handy. A clear game screen popped into my fragmented memories.
I widened my eyes, then nodded emphatically.
"Yes. I remember."
"It's like that. Think of it as a Pokémon codex. I don't carry one since I don't need it, but it'll be somewhat useful for you."
The device Yoon tossed onto the bed even resembled the Pokémon codex from my memory.
Not red, though. The notebook-shaped gadget was sleek black, with a classy "B" embossed in the top right corner.
Opening it sideways revealed a blue screen and a small keypad. A camera lens was mounted in the top left corner.
"By the way, that's an early version, so if you want a new one, come to the research building later."
"There are different versions?"
"I don't know much, but those guys made a bunch of pointless versions, each a 'Pokémon codex edition' or whatever."
"...The creators must have been thrilled."
Yoon shrugged indifferently at my bemused expression.
Then he turned to leave. I set down the codex I was holding and gave him a quick bow.
The others had already closed their cabin doors and started settling in for sleep. A cool silence lingered in the train corridor.
"Sleep. We work the moment you open your eyes."
"Yes, sir. Oh, but Yoon."
As I urgently called his name, Yoon, who'd started walking away, turned with a raised eyebrow.
I fell briefly silent, then mustered my courage.
"Is it okay for me to go outside the Core?"
The one that attracts Creatures.
The Master looked at me with unreadable eyes, as if appraising me.
The man answered slowly, only after a long pause.
"We'll see when we get there."
***
Outside the Core.
The territory where Creatures hold dominion, not humans. Humanity's lost land they seek to reclaim. F Zone, where rookies begin their first missions. Land with no civilians.
I opened my eyes to find the train stopped. After washing up and changing into my uniform, I stepped into the corridor and ran into Tom and his Master. Angela nodded at my greeting.
She pointed her thumb toward the interior of the train and said.
"Let's eat breakfast first."
Following her led to the dining car.
Hessy and his senior were already eating breakfast there. No sign of Yoon. I sat at the same table as the others without much surprise and ate.
Warmed croissants, bagels, cheese, sausage, salad packs, milk or coffee. After breakfast, we tidied the dining car neatly and prepared to head out.
Combat uniform on. Communicator in my ear. Codex packed....
Got everything.
As I blankly looked myself over, someone approached.
"Kid."
It was Cal Dow.
"Weapon?"
Weapon?
Weapon? Like a gun or sword? I didn't get one? I stared at the senior in front of me, unable to hide my panic.
He had much deeper blue eyes than Tom's. Jet-black hair and a firm jawline. A black balaclava pulled down below his chin.
I dazedly gazed at the man, who gave off a quiet yet solid impression.
"Uh...."
"Your weapon is a sword."
A familiar voice came from behind.
I jolted silently. Damn, this is driving me crazy. Please just make some noise when you walk.
I turned my head.
There stood the man, right behind me.
Yoon thrust a sheathed sword at me.
"Take it. Wear it on your belt."
"Ah, yes, sir."
"A sword?"
Cal raised his gravelly voice slightly in surprise.
"Not a gun, a sword?"
"She'll probably handle a sword better than a gun."
"I heard her recovery is low."
"Yeah. So we'll give her a gun too, but."
Yoon now thrust a gun at me.
He stared piercingly at me as I carefully took it and said.
"If something happens, draw the sword first. Got it?"
"Yes."
I meekly accepted the weapons.
Now we just go out?
Then Yoon's words reminded me of something I'd forgotten.
"Before we head out, let me check your wound."
Right. I'd injured my arm.
I obediently held out my injured arm. I rolled up the black combat uniform to reveal the neatly wrapped bandage. Ami had changed it properly on the day the cabin was destroyed. She'd applied pain-relief meds that day, and it hadn't hurt since.
Hessy's Master standing beside me stared fixedly at my arm.
"Huh?"
The sound came from Hessy, who had approached.
"What happened to your arm?"
"Kitchen knife got stuck in it two days ago."
"But it should be healing."
Mid-sentence, he realized and widened his eyes.
"I heard your recovery was low—is this it?"
"Is it okay to send her out in the field like this?"
Cal asked Yoon. Angela and Tom approached. They too widened their eyes, staring at the wound on my arm.
Amid their gazes, I gave an awkward smile.
Yoon grabbed my arm and walked toward the table.
"It's healed quite a bit."
The Master pulled out a box of medical supplies from under the table as he diagnosed.
"Way better than a regular human's. Not quite Black Badger level, though."
"Is there no way to boost her recovery?"
Angela frowned at the wound.
She clearly didn't like sending me out like this. Her face said she hadn't expected this degree. It made me gauge just how angry Ricardo must have been back then.
Yoon narrowed his eyes, inspecting the wound.
"We'll have to talk more with Samuel. First case like this."
"But is this even possible?"
Tom asked in a voice full of surprise.
Then, realizing it could be misinterpreted, he added a small "ah" and explained in detail.
"We can endure Enhanced Bodies thanks to superior recovery and young cells, as I understand it."
"That's why she's research material."
Yoon replied indifferently, then began rebandaging my arm.
Applying ointment, placing gauze, wrapping the bandage—the process was clean and efficient, without waste. Ami had treated me just as skillfully.
He finished in seconds and released my arm.
"But right now, focus on the job."
Yoon turned to Cal.
"The Command Staff, who know the full story, had no special objections."
"Using a close-range weapon with low recovery seems too risky...."
"We judged based on seeing her use a sword."
The Master jerked his chin toward the door on the dining car wall.
The door leading outside the Core.
"Let's go for now."
There was no room to argue in his tone.
"If there's a problem, I'll take full responsibility."
The others didn't challenge the Master's words.
They quietly followed behind him as he headed for the door. I checked that the scabbard was securely on my belt and trailed after him.
Creak. The Master opened the door and stepped out of sight, outside the Core. Wind seeped in through the open door.
I followed Tom out.
Outside the Core.
Vast land stretched out. Unobstructed view. The scent of cool air. Wind brushing past my hair.
Grass sprouted from cracks in the asphalt here and there. Traces of the once-thriving city remained to greet us. Plants overtaking half-destroyed buildings. Abandoned cars. Nonfunctional train signals. Roads devoid of any sign of life.
The gray of decayed city mingled with the green of new growth.
Tom and Hessy let out small sighs.
I too stood entranced, taking in the scene before me.
"I'll explain the basic rules."
Angela's voice pulled us back to reality.
She used polite speech even with us three much-junior rookies. Tom's Master, without looking, chambered a round in the rifle slung diagonally across his body and warned.
"First. Do not enter subways. Second. Do not enter tunnels."
"Are there subways and tunnels nearby?"
"You'll see subway entrances if you walk a bit from here. But no matter how urgent, do not go in."
Something in there?
I listened quietly to her words. Only the sound of wind rustling grass. The surroundings were eerily quiet.
"It's because we don't know what's inside, and collapse risk is high. No matter our recovery, we can't beat nature. Get buried, and survival odds plummet."
"We're just moving supplies now, so probably fine."
Hessy's Master added in his gravelly voice.
"F Zone has almost no Creatures. But no matter the zone, never approach subways or tunnels."
"Are the stations sealed?"
"No. There are Black Badgers who go into subways."
The blue-eyed man pulled his balaclava up over his nose as he explained.
"Only those with exceptional stealth or abilities to survive enclosed spaces go below. But not all who go come back alive. Even veteran Black Badgers who survive long outside the Core drop dead down there, so don't even dream of it for at least ten years."