Wasteland Checkpoint Raid
The moment we arrived on the Tower 2nd Floor wasteland, we were greeted by a sandstorm.
Whiiish!
"Ah, damn..."
"Everyone, put on your masks."
Not the gas masks from the 3rd floor poison zone, but way more comfortable ones.
These were KF94s, by the way.
Thanks to that pandemic a few years back, mask quality got a serious upgrade across the board.
"My eyes are bugging out too... Should we try the night vision goggles? We could just keep 'em off."
I had them mounted on my helmet, but I'd never really used them properly in the Tower.
I had my Perfect Sense skill anyway.
"Turn 'em off and you won't see shit."
"Oh, really?"
Luckily, the sandstorm died down quick.
We'd spawned on a wrecked road.
Pretty far from the direct exit.
"We'll pass the checkpoint, hit the motel district, then head to the exit."
The military checkpoint was one of the 2nd floor's prime farming spots, but...
Shouldn't be any big issues.
We started marching along briskly.
The 2nd floor was wide open in every direction, which felt seriously exposed.
At least this road had plenty of abandoned vehicles for cover.
The monsters here were sand scorpions...
They ate up a ton of ammo, but they didn't show up often.
We chatted casually as we went.
Sound carried less here—you had to trust your eyes more.
And the light sand gusts would muffle our voices anyway.
"Oh yeah, back on 5F, those bullets just bounced off the bulletproof vest. Full auto eventually punched through, though."
"Yeah? Probably the latest ceramic model. Russian class 5, I'd bet."
"There's class 5 vests? Mine's class 4 and they said it was top-tier."
"Russian vests grade different from American ones. Armor standards are all over the place anyway."
Go Ji-ho, our team leader, pondered seriously.
"Maybe it's time to ditch 5.56mm for 6.8..."
"Whoa, I just got comfy with this rifle."
"Don't sweat it. There's a 6.8mm version of yours too."
He'd planned for everything from the start.
"Then why not use it from the get-go?"
"Ammo's a pain to find, plus the rounds are bigger and heavier. Rifle's gotta be tougher and heavier too."
Meaning less ammo you could carry.
"Stick with what we've got for now. We'll sort the rest outside."
We'd been yakking and walking for a while when we reached the checkpoint.
A cluster of big and small buildings...
One of the better spots for decent loot on 2F.
Sang Ha-jun checked the rooftops first.
"Rooftops clear."
"Moving in."
We needed lunch soon anyway, so we headed inside.
That's when I heard a faint noise from within.
Clink.
Scrape.
I raised my right fist like I'd been taught.
Everyone froze.
"Three inside. Just farming, looks like."
"Surround 'em."
Exits were limited anyway.
Kim Yu-na blocked the back door; I watched the windows.
Once we were set, Go Ji-ho bellowed.
"Hunters inside! Drop your weapons and come out! You're surrounded!"
"Eek!"
"Don't shoot! Coming out now!"
The spooked hunters dropped their farming and emerged with hands up.
Surrendered without a second's hesitation.
They took one look at Go Ji-ho and cowered.
With that massive shield and full vest, who wouldn't?
'Not criminal hunters, at least.'
Their gear was trash-tier.
Crap vest, rusted guns, dented little packs.
They did have military-style uniforms, though.
Go Ji-ho didn't bother stripping their loot.
Obviously nothing worth it... and forcing it would just start a fight.
Instead, he pumped them for info.
"The direct exit on 2F... ever been near the tunnel?"
"Oh, that? Yeah."
Here came the real problem.
If we got lucky, nothing much around there.
Even with all the criminal hunters on 2F.
Those guys never stuck together well.
To threaten geared-up legit hunters, they'd need something extra.
Lucky survival loot.
Or a leader with real charisma.
The Tower wasn't letting us off easy this time either.
"Criminal hunters built a massive camp right in front."
"...Who's the boss?"
"Don't know the name. But they were charging tolls from hunters. Five thousand gold per team?"
You could argue criminals had no use for gold...
But they could spend it at inter-floor shops.
Going from 2F to 1F...
Or back up from 1F to 2F.
There were paths up from lower floors, just like the descent exits.
They weren't called exits since they took you away from escape.
Five thousand gold per team.
Sounded reasonable at first glance.
But you couldn't trust criminal scum.
If they thought they could squeeze us for ten thousand, they'd jack the price without blinking.
If they figured they could kill us, they would.
"Fortified? How many?"
"High walls... At least twenty, lowballing it."
A lot.
Could they sustain that many on 2F food and water?
Go Ji-ho had the same thought.
"They'd be short on rations."
"Some are basically slaves. They patrol everywhere food spawns."
If they'd pulled off even one good raid, they'd have food to spare.
Inter-floor merchants sold it cheap.
But consumption was insane.
"Got it. Steer clear for a day or two. We'll shoot on sight."
"Yes, sir!"
They grabbed their loot and bolted the other way.
We had a quick lunch and passed the motel district.
Prime spot for food and water...
Recently ransacked.
"Not total bullshit, then."
"Sunset and we'll hit the direct exit."
We could take the descent exit to 1F...
But it didn't appeal.
1F was swamps and forests.
Perfect for ambushes.
And crawling with randos like 2F.
We trudged on, sipping water now and then.
Finally, we spotted the base at the road's end, tunnel ahead.
Sunset at our backs—low chance of being spotted.
"There. Everyone down. Whaddya think?"
"Walls are just plywood. Bullets'll shred 'em."
Still, multiple watchtowers screamed military background.
Few visible guards...
But plenty of living containers inside.
Couldn't trust those checkpoint hunters 100%.
But no way these guys built walls out of the goodness of their hearts.
Consensus: assault and breach.
"Kang Hyun, draw up a plan. How we doing this?"
Deputy training already?
I mulled Go Ji-ho's order.
"Wait for nightfall. Even with food and water, no power setup."
Big searchlights on the base...
Probably decorative.
Our night vision gave us the edge.
"Yu-na and I infiltrate first, main force hits from outside simultaneously... Sound good?"
"Kang Hyun, you sure you're not ex-military?"
Passed on the first try.
Night fell completely...
Yu-na and I stashed our packs, went light.
"Kang Hyun-ssi, using skills?"
"Eh, was gonna... but..."
Seeing their half-assed watch, I lost the urge.
Like insulting my skills by even bothering.
Criminal hunters weren't gonna patrol diligently anyway.
Boss probably didn't expect much.
Just cannon fodder to eat bullets first.
"Saving it for now."
"Roger."
We crept forward, using sand gusts and cover.
They should've cleared this junk long ago...
No manpower or will, apparently.
Flipped on night vision—world turned green.
"Whoa, these NVGs are crisp."
"Top-shelf model. Thermal too, but battery hog."
Still good for hours.
Plywood walls offered zero defense, but one upside: wasteland rust meant they screamed at a touch.
Kim Yu-na's teleport fixed that.
"Can you hop that side?"
"Yeah. Stay close."
Her space move needed line of sight or recent visits.
Holes everywhere in the plywood—perfect view across.
Flash!
I cleared the wall, pistol out quick.
Way quieter than rifle.
Criminal hunters inside were slacking, yapping aimlessly.
"Water rationing's brutal lately..."
"Better when we had that girl. Might as well bail."
"Crazy bastard, back to prison?"
"You like this?"
"Prisons vary... Third-world shithole like mine? Starvation cells too small to stretch."
"Ha... They say one thousand gold gets you pardoned. Word spread, hunters avoid us... Patrols yield zilch."
"Pardoned? You buy that crap? Pathetic."
"Yeah, a third-world punk like you might not..."
They were straight-up fighting among themselves.
I fixed that with quick pistol shots.
Pfft, pfft!
Presences in the containers.
Too risky yet.
Ting!
Yu-na sniped the trickiest spotter; main force moved.
Rifle bark nearly blew our cover...
"What was that?"
"E-enemies outside!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Han Ju-won and Go Ji-ho stormed in.
MG and sniper swept the walls clean.
"Enemies! Everyone out!"
"Raaah!"
Nearby container doors flew open, hunters spilling out.
Pfft!
I dropped the first two, lobbed a frag inside, slammed the door.
Unlike these animals, we had manners.
"Wh-what?!"
BOOM!
Three inside wiped instantly.
Infiltration made it easy.
"Why inside too..."
"That shield guy! Bullets ain't sticking!"
"Eeeeek... I'm out!"
"Wait, together!"
Plenty broke and ran.
Direct exit right behind—makes sense.
Rat-tat-tat!
Ju-won's ghost bullets shredded thin metal doors.
They fled in total rout.
I hesitated shooting their backs, then let it go.
Complicated feelings; I mumbled an excuse.
"Ammo's precious."
"Smart call."
Yu-na lowered her gun.
Frag container was a mess.
Loot from them? Meh.
Still, we grabbed valuables...
Ju-won on watch yelled.
"Incoming! Five-man hunter team!"
"What?"
We rushed out: fully geared five-man team approaching slow and chill.
No fight vibe.
Flag patches on vests...
Stars and Stripes.
"American hunters?"
"...Don't look fake."
Gear was our level or better—latest stuff.
Go Ji-ho scowled on sight.
"They... waited for us to clear it."
"Oh yeah?"
"No way it's coincidence."
He braced the breached entrance.
"American friends, you're late. This is Korea's Alpha Team."
"Oh, Koreans? Been a while since we met any in the Tower. You the Alpha Team? We're US Association's Sierra Squad."
"Some maniacs rocketed 3F. Auto-repair'll take a week?"
They sauntered in, playing dumb.
Charge toll and we're no better than criminals?
Bit confusing.
Go Ji-ho had a plan.
"Just walking in? Pay up for our trouble."
"Trouble? We're allies, dude. That cheap?"
"You only pull the ally card when it suits."
Atmosphere stayed chill enough.
They'd looted everything worth taking down to 2F...
Now it was about getting out intact.
Our forces matched—no winners in a scrap.
Then Yu-na and I stepped out; one American pointed at my pistol.
"Hold up, that's an MK.23? You guys give museum pieces to rookies?"
"...I'm no rookie."
No one bought my protest.
The guy who'd spoken beamed proudly.
"Family does custom firearms. Try this instead of that relic. Special gift."
"Huh?"
He handed over a silenced pistol.
Felt perfect in hand.
"Whoa..."
"Fits your Eastern grip, right? .45s have fat grips... Go 9mm from now. 2011 base, custom grip, suppressor-tuned, reinforced for it."
Grip was unreal.
Lighter than my old one too.
Yet higher capacity.
Go Ji-ho grumbled aside.
"9mm in the Tower?"
"Backup weapon anyway. 9 or .45, neither pierces good armor. Capacity crushes with 9."
Click, click.
"Ooh! So smooth."
I racked the slide, impressed.
Go Ji-ho whispered, ego bruised.
"Pocket it. Custom like that? Seven grand USD minimum."
"Uh... seven grand's what?"
"Current rate? Ten million won-ish?"
"...Huh?"
Ten million won as a gift?
Tower parts inside probably jacked the real price higher.
Nah.
This was their toll payoff.
Clever—no face lost.
Gift for giver and taker.
"Advertise it right. Vid of a foreigner using it? Sales boom."
"US-style patriotism bait... I'll review the hell outta it."
Yu-na chimed confidently.
I remembered manners.
"Thanks! I'll put it to good use!"
Family custom gun biz, and he shills while hunting.
First time meeting this type.
Never crossed paths outside the Tower.
Good call entering.
I checked my old pistol.
"This one's got a safety, right?"
"...What?"
Americans stared like I was a caveman, turning to Go Ji-ho.
They piled on.
"What garbage did you give the rookie for him to ask that?"
"Korean War surplus? That's abuse!"
"N-no! He just skipped pistol training!"
Go Ji-ho defended, super aggrieved.
Soon after, we packed up and headed to the fixed exit.
Flash!
My second return from the Tower.