Chapter 229
Chapter 229
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 229
Chapter Title: 98. Hero's Tomb (2)
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I'm not particularly interested in Jeju Island.
From all the information I've heard so far, I know full well it's not a place fit for humans to live.
But in a world as uncertain as this one these days, the more cards you have up your sleeve, the better.
The phrase "a spot prepared just for you" did pique my interest, that's true.
Above all, I have plenty of time on my hands.
For someone like me, having something to immerse myself in could very well give me the will to keep living in this world.
So, it was only natural that I, Park Gyu, would draw up a plan to explore John_nenon's Hero's Tomb.
John_nenon's Hero's Tomb is located in southeastern Seoul, an area Kim Byung-chul hasn't reclaimed yet.
I've heard plenty about the dangers there from m9, and I've confirmed them with my own eyes.
During the previous monster outbreak, the Legion faction managed to wipe out most of the mid-sized monsters, but killing monsters spreads otherworldly substances they carry—including mutation particles—in a different sense.
The fact that erosion appears more frequently in areas where lots of monsters have been wiped out isn't a coincidence.
Which means the parts of Seoul humans haven't taken back have probably seen even more erosion than before.
That translates to more hostile monsters and mutations.
We can't rule out the possibility of fanatics who have a grudge against the Legion faction lurking everywhere.
Rumors say the Legion faction has been persecuting believers in every territory they've seized, massacring most of them.
The problem is there are just so many believers, and they've built hidden lairs in unknown places, so despite Kim Byung-chul's crackdowns, they haven't been wiped out—instead, they've gone underground and turned into even more annoying rebels.
It's like Korea has to deal with both monsters and fanatics, just like China.
And right in the heart of this horrific gray zone sits John_nenon's Hero's Tomb.
That's enough to make it top difficulty on its own, but to top it off, the place itself is a radioactive death trap blanketed in radiation.
As for the tomb's current state, let's borrow the words of his successor, Ballantine.
In short, it's practically an impossible mission.
But Ballantine mentioned that a ton of data from some unidentified user had been uploaded to Failnet.
The data exists.
An unidentified Chinese scientist uploaded data that both Korea and China want to Failnet.
But just because the data exists doesn't mean I can reach John_nenon's Hero's Tomb and extract it with my current tech and manpower.
Slipping into a hazmat suit won't magically let me haul the whole server out or pluck its contents clean.
If it were copied to a single disk, maybe, but this vast data scattered across the entire server? No way I can handle that realistically.
So, I need another approach.
Back when I was team leader, my go-to in cases where a direct assault was impossible was to find a workaround.
I learned from experience that searching for a detour—even if it turns up empty—beats grinding away at minuscule odds with repetitive, resource-draining ops. It preserves combat strength and might actually solve the case.
Of course, the key is finding the right workaround.
How to go around it.
I focused not on John_nenon's Hero's Tomb itself, but on the Chinese scientist who uploaded massive data to his servers.
No one mentions where that Chinese guy is now, but he's probably dead.
His own people never let traitors live.
But he's the biggest key to this whole incident.
I asked Unicorn about him briefly.
Unicorn probably isn't handling this case personally.
He's just passing on what he heard from higher-ups or colleagues.
For the details, I have to lean on my own network.
Someone like John_nenon, noticing a massive file dump on his own server—wouldn't he have reached out personally?
The John_nenon I know is just as curious as I am.
He might've even cracked open that data dump at a time Ballantine didn't know about.
Even if he didn't grasp its meaning, he'd have sensed it was no ordinary stuff and left a casual question for the Chinese intruder in his kingdom.
I reminded Ballantine just how critical this incident is.
Truth is, in this "workaround," he's the only backup I can trust right now.
Whether a solution emerges depends on how much hell he goes through.
"What? Jamsil?"
I didn't slack on securing backup combat support for my trip either.
"That place has been a shithole since the Legion's National Assembly faction days. Sure, no people now, but it's cursed. Radiation levels are weirdly high too."
I convinced the reluctant Cheon Young-jae and got him to promise he'd tag along if we head to John_nenon's Hero's Tomb.
No choice.
It's a sort of tax for living in my territory.
Of course, I know I'm using Cheon Young-jae for free.
I agreed to take in a new face like he wanted.
Crackle—
Cheon Young-jae and the 18th class crew are stronger with radio waves than internet, and they handle it well.
Lately, Cheon Young-jae tracked down a contact from Hunter Street.
"Remember Ha Tae-hoon sunbae?"
"The one who hates the sunbae title?"
"Yeah. Guy's still in Incheon."
"Incheon?"
"Looks like he went back to the ghost town Hunter Street and lives self-sufficiently. Told him he should come here if he's up for it."
"What's his specialty?"
Asking an old-school hunter—who's always flirting with death—what his specialty is might sound off, but us old-school types each have our niches.
My love-hate junior Kim Daram was killer at sniping and acrobatics, and Cheon Young-jae excels in close quarters.
Bottom line: even old-school hunters are unique individuals.
"Ha Tae-hoon sunbae's a drone wizard."
"Drones?"
Speaking of drones, a face comes to mind.
Da-jeong, probably in surgery right now.
"Good at piloting?"
"Piloting? Eh. He just handles and tweaks them like a pro. Even junk ones come out like new in his hands. Says he learned FM-style from the Chinese back in China."
"Hmm."
Drone maintenance, huh.
Pretty solid skill.
Drones are crucial in individual vs. group fights, let alone group vs. group—you can't overstate it.
As Cheon Young-jae says, a capable old-school hunter like that is a top-tier asset for building a community.
"So, is he coming?"
"Wooing him, but he's hung up on Incheon. Stubbornly refuses."
"Incheon native?"
"Nah. Had a girlfriend there. Promised to marry her."
Cheon Young-jae gave a wry smile, lit up a handmade cigarette, and stuck it in his mouth.
"Dead?"
"Yeah. Got nabbed by thugs the day they fought and she stormed out. Didn't end well."
"The thugs?"
"Wiped 'em all out. Me and this guy Jeong Ho-wook—who's dead now—went and slaughtered them. But killing them doesn't bring her back, right?"
"So that's why he stayed in Incheon."
"It was ages ago—should be over it—but the guy's mentally fragile. Strong arm him, and he'll cave."
Cheon Young-jae exhaled smoke and stood up.
"If we hit Jamsil, Ha-sunbae'd be a huge help. Way better than just us two bare-assed in a fanatic-infested zone. Recon drones beat that any day, yeah?"
"...Yeah, can't argue that."
Ha Tae-hoon, huh.
Definitely useful.
Wrapped up with Cheon Young-jae and headed back to the bunker—Ballantine had messaged me.
This is from when our John_nenon was still alive.
His once-mighty muscles and health ravaged by radiation, handed a death sentence with days numbered—yet his eyes stayed sharp, his heart beat strong. He poured himself into running his ideal kingdom: Failnet.
For the millions of capital region citizens abandoned without a place to go or a voice, he built a forum. To him, every day was a miracle packed with endless wonder and self-affirmation.
He was still hiding the truth on his home turf, the Viva! Apocalypse! Korean board, but someday he'd come out blazing about his greatness. Then, one day, a bizarre incident came knocking.
It started with a system alert: massive data uploading to Failnet.
According to Ballantine, John_nenon left diaries up to his death.
For some reason, he stuck to his trademark subject lines even there. I was deeply moved—and shocked—by his consistency.
Slurp—
Sipping corn silk tea I brewed myself, my heart raced faster than ever as I delved into my role model's records.
"?"
John_nenon mentioned my handle.
I spent a good while analyzing why.
Deep, cautious reflection led me to conclude there was no malice. On to the next.
But my role model still rambles a ton.
After skipping several ramblings, I finally found the lost episode between John_nenon and the Chinese guy.
It was tucked haphazardly in an unnamed folder—probably memoirs, not the diary collection.
I carefully opened John_nenon's records from back then.
"......"
The data exists.
And John_nenon left a way to grab it all at once.
Back to square one.
John_nenon's Hero's Tomb.
I have to go there.
If I can just breach that lead-sealed radioactive hell, snagging the forbidden records doesn't seem impossible.