Chapter 491
Chapter 491
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 491
Chapter Title: Gedroits's Heir, Deul (6)
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“But why is this place so quiet?”
Surprisingly, this question wasn’t about the result but the cause. It really was quiet.
Unlike its name, BDSM—Big Dream Small Margin—a name bursting with merchant spirit, BDSM had now become something like a mercenary office, thriving in places rife with armed conflicts.
‘Mercenary office,’ my foot. In a wasteland where 99.9% of survivors were mentally unhinged, this was a gathering spot for those uninterested in settling down, accustomed to violence, and prepared for a life where violence would reign supreme. It should’ve been noisier than GG’s mercenary office, if anything—never a place for silence.
Right now, the only sounds were three kinds.
Clack, clack.
Thud, thud.
Rabbit’s high heels clicking and our footsteps.
Our voices, lowered unconsciously in the quiet corridor.
Clang—clang—clang—
And the metallic echo circling the entire building.
“Our kids are probably off somewhere. Say Ian or Bex got fed up and holed up in some bar. Shouldn’t there be tons of those guys who were camping out front swarming around BDSM too? Just check the boards—posts like ‘Let me into BDSM! I want to lead the way for humanity’s future!’ full of flowery delusions everywhere.”
“Hmm? Professor, are you really asking because you don’t know? I figured you’d know. It happened just a few days ago.”
“Uh... I’ve been kinda busy lately.”
It might’ve been just a few days for you all, but for me, it was around thirty years ago based on my personal memories alone.
“You seemed like the type who keeps track of everything around you in those play videos...”
“W-Well, just a b-bit, when it’s j-just us, I’m a l-little clueless...”
“Hmm... Interesting? Anyway, there’s only one reason this is the quietest spot around the Dome.”
Rabbit, who’d been clacking along in her high heels, swiftly grabbed Bex’s hesitating hand beside her and grinned.
“Thousand Stream Emperor. That guy’s been staying here since he came to the Dome, right?”
“Thousand Stream Emperor?”
Rabbit’s answer was as unexpected as the look on her face—like a woman truly smitten.
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I vaguely remembered.
Ian and his crew had run into Thousand Stream Emperor on a mission far out, and the guy had single-handedly made fools of two armed trucks’ worth and a tank crew of combatants. Then he’d tagged along to Sector 47 just to check out this BDSM thing.
He’d spouted weird stuff like ‘the value of goodwill must be preserved’ or ‘rare factors like Professor must be protected.’ The eyes I saw on him, though... They were the all-too-common wasteland gaze, searching others for traces of the dead. I’d overheard him mutter ‘Han Seo-ho’ a few times.
Anyway! The quiet guy’s daily routine was half blacksmithing (he’s a smith, apparently) and half beating up our kids in the gym. What did that have to do with BDSM’s changed atmosphere?
“Thousand Stream Emperor prefers a quiet vibe.”
“A guy who lives in the sound of people getting pummeled and earsplitting metal hammering—except when he’s sleeping?”
“Hmm, mental quiet? He hates disruptions to his routine.”
“Oh, that kind of thing.”
Come to think of it, they said he was like an ascetic monk.
Thousand Stream Emperor didn’t like the crowds gathering in front of BDSM, so he handled it his usual way.
“120? 130 people?”
“124. Two dead, 122 injured.”
“Thanks, honey~♥ Anyway, that’s what happened. While you, Dana, Metaljaw, and Bex were all out of here for a week joyriding in the wasteland. It wasn’t just scaring them off—he memorized every face there and hunted them down one by one, turning them into vegetables.”
“Whoa... That should’ve gotten the Dome involved, right? That level of violence in Dome territory—they’d have to respond.”
“Yeah. They did. But instead of sending armed agents or exosuit squads, they issued an official statement and decree.”
The general manager’s response to the near-Type 3 mutant superhuman residing in the BDSM building was both utterly pragmatic and absurd.
[Dome Sector 47 Administrator General Alexander Young hereby declares, effective immediately, the BDSM headquarters in Sector 47 C-24 as a zone under ‘Public Safety Decree No. 13.’]
Public Safety Decree No. 13. This was the old law the Dome had issued to use a Type 3 mutant called ‘Old Picture’ that wandered around back then as a city defense monster. Don’t provoke the mutant, recreate pre-war streets to match its tendencies, make passersby wear pre-war clothes, cater to its tastes to turn it into a ‘safe monster’ guarding the city—an insane idea.
“Thousand Stream Emperor’s feats were fully recorded on body cams from the BDSM squad that encountered him. Of course, the general saw it. Now, let’s think from Old Man Young’s perspective.”
“General Young’s perspective.”
Let’s see.
Thousand Stream Emperor was crazier than your average wastelander, possessed enough power to take on an elite armed group including Metaljaw solo, and unleashed violence without hesitation on anyone crossing his personal code. Peaceful monk in daily life, but flips to superhuman violence machine at the slightest annoyance—definitely resembled Old Picture.
Why Thousand Stream Emperor stayed in Sector 47... I still didn’t get it, but it was for ‘protecting the valuable Professor.’ I was a key Dome collaborator, already hyped as their hero in the media, so ‘protecting Professor’ was a big deal for the Dome too.
As strong as a Type 3 mutant, harmless normally, does the Dome’s job if you accommodate its quirks. Plus, unlike Old Picture, capable of communication, prior cooperation with the Dome, classifiable as ‘human.’ A powerful lone wolf unaffiliated anywhere—huge win if you can keep him on side.
.
.
.
.
“Eerily like the Old Picture days, huh?”
“Right? That’s why BDSM HQ’s so deserted now. The clueless fans stirring up noise with ‘I’m a fan! Accept me into BDSM!’ got turned into veggies and dumped by Thousand Stream Emperor, and the Dome hit the survivors with massive fines, saying, ‘We officially designated Thousand Stream Emperor and his habitat as a Type 3 mutant zone; you got what you deserved for carelessly provoking him.’ So that’s why it’s so quiet around BDSM.”
Huh. That must’ve happened while I was out with Dana for a week. Went straight into 4th World play when I got back, so I missed it.
BDSM’s rowdies got spooked by Thousand Stream Emperor knocking over 100-200 crowds like bowling pins and naturally huddled in the bar behind HQ, chattering away. The Dome’s hidden bugs and cams? Thousand Stream Emperor ripped them all out because they annoyed him.
Thus—BDSM HQ became ‘the quietest spot in Sector 47, free from prying eyes.’
Clang—clang—
Rabbit led us to a small break room in BDSM HQ where the metallic sounds faintly echoed. As Bex, Rabbit, and I sat, T.C.A.T-3000, which had followed unnoticed, flew to one side and prepared tea.
“Top administrator and second-in-command. Elevated heart rates from urgent external activity, heavy fine dust inhalation. Have some tea. Small care prevents big illness.”
“Oh, thanks. Professor, you’ve got a good kid here? You selling this one too?”
“Ah, T.Cat’s not for sale.”
“Oh~ Too bad. I wanted one for home. Corduro too—you’ve got all the good ones.”
Slurp—
Rabbit took a elegant sip worthy of a magazine spread, exhaled a steamy little sigh, and continued.
“Alright, shall we get started? Your agenda... It’s about the war with the Raptors, right? Word is you’ve secured a way to track their perfectly hidden nest...?”
“Yeah. Tell General Young, and our brief peace ends—straight back to war prep.”
“Right, right. Definitely worth agonizing over. Anyone who lived through that damn World War III would. Hmm... Need to think on it.”
Rabbit propped her chin cutely, nodded, then her eyes sparkled.
“My side’s lighter by comparison. First, obviously, GG stuff. GG service shutdown, board operations—Rabbit Entertainment matters. You have no idea how shocked I was seeing your post on the boards? Not just ‘top moderator,’ but ‘upper admin’! What the hell did you do in GG to snag that kind of broad authority?!”
Ah, that. Yeah, needed addressing. Must’ve rattled Rabbit. She cleared it, got her authority, then some rando pops up wielding the tier just below.
“And the other thing—about this person here.”
I’d sorted my thoughts on GG, but the follow-up blindsided me.
Rabbit, face shyly flushed, pointed at Bex—who hadn’t even touched his still-hot tea, fidgeting beside her.
“I-I’m thinking of marrying this guy. No family, just you and Ian as closest things to family, right? Want your official permission.”
Pffft!
Eek!
I spat my tea; Bex made a sound like a knife to the heart.
“Oh, I know it’s just courtesy, right? If you say no, I’ll kidnap him anyway!”
Her eyes burned with a strange fervor.
****
“Hmm... War, huh. Personally, I’m a bit against it? As you know, Sector 47 Dome’s just leaping to ‘nation’ status reclaiming past glory. Internal affairs still recovering from purging the entire executive branch.”
“Ah, yes...”
“Finances are shaky too. Game currency Sealings as base money, but just yesterday someone goes ‘GG’s shutting down~’ No GG, no new Sealings. Plenty circulating now, but they’ll dwindle. Wasteland deaths are daily; dead folks’ Sealings vanish with their accounts. Time for currency reform.”
“Ah, yes...”
“Of course, I get it’s a must-do war. Enemy’s got stealth, mobility, firepower in spades, and hiding that hard means prepping something big. War’s always best before they finish... Listening?”
“Ah, yes... Yes? Oh, yeah. Of course. Listening fine.”
“Professor, why so spaced out? This is your dilemma we’re discussing.”
Right. Consulting on launching a potential full-scale Dome vs. Raptor war—super important.
But you dropped a bomb first.
[I’m thinking of marrying this guy.]
The elegant sip-and-drop’s aftermath was dramatic.
[W-W-Waaaahhhhh!!!!]
Bex, hearing ‘marriage’ here first, finally snapped and bolted.
[Awww~ So cute!]
Rabbit watched his retreating back with love-filled eyes.
[H-Huh, whaa...]
Sandwiched in their pink storm, I’d been speechless, flailing.
‘Bex and Rabbit, marriage?’
I knew they got along. Knew things had progressed, Bex was a dazed mess.
But never thought Rabbit was this serious.
Sorry, but Bex wasn’t some mega-catch for women.
Short stature, slouched posture making him shorter.
Stuttery, mumbling speech; raspy, grating voice. Plus, a weary face not screaming twenty-four.
Rabbit? Wasteland’s top beauty, consensus. Great personality, rich, vast connections—calls the general ‘Uncle Young.’
Prime as a woman and wasteland partner: GG clear record holder, top combat skills—ally not burden in crisis. Bubbly personality warms hearts. In a wasteland where depression tops death causes, a beauty like that’s treasure just existing.
“Phew. Was I too abrupt? Seeing great Professor flail like a scrawny scavenger. Oh, you’ve always been weak to this stuff?”
“No, kinda... Yeah. Sudden.”
Rabbit, who’d been jotting ‘war now profits vs. delay profits,’ frowned smoothly and set down her pen.
“...Well, since you’re too hooked on my news to focus. Let’s wrap my side first.”
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap....
Drumming the table sharply with her pen, Rabbit stabbed at me like jabbing my eyes.
“You think I approached Bex on purpose, right?”
“...Sorry if not.”
“No, no. A woman as stunning, popular, perfect forward and backward aggressively chasing a flawed guy like Bex? Bound to seem fishy. Plus, our Professor’s no slouch.”
“...”
Spot on. Bex was my irreplaceable friend, pinnacle of human beauty—but no knockout charm to snag a Rabbit.
First met Rabbit post-3rd World clear. As completer candidate with save/load, board admin rights, natural she’d eye my rewards; rival for other clears.
Figured she used Bex to get to me, up to something...
“Was it real?”
“Of course. I’m going all-in to make Mr. Bex mine. Has to be him.”
Rabbit nodded without hesitation, face of a lovestruck girl.
“No one else. He’s the one perfect match filling my sole flaw.”
It was obsession beyond love.
Seen it somewhere. Recently.
“So, I’m taking him. Kill any bitches or bastards in the way if needed. He’s my ‘pleasure.’”
“Cough!”
Ah, right. The system. That damn ‘World’ looking at me—exact face.
“So, story from when I was a kid...”
Ignoring me on my second tea refill, Rabbit’s tale flowed to the past.
Everyone knew it. Her childhood as the ‘Wild Rabbit Dismantler Girl’ that made her name.
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