Chapter 233
Chapter 233
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 233
Chapter Title: 98. Spirit Mausoleum (6)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Chijijik—
The fact that the main reconnaissance drone was complete didn't mean all preparations were done.
True to his expertise as a drone specialist, Ha Tae-hoon also fine-tuned the support drones that would assist the main drone—Super Skeleton.
Chijik—
Thanks to him, my garage slowly filled with the peculiar scent of soldering and occasional flashes of sparks.
"I've loved building things since I was a kid."
Ha Tae-hoon said as he adjusted the drone.
"Blocks, plastic models, circuit boards—I didn't discriminate. But my damn mom pushed me toward school."
"Your mom?"
"Yeah. She knew the score. Hunter life is dangerous, but it has a bright future. Wasn't it the same for you? There were always one or two kids from connected families in class, right?"
His question brought Lee Sang-hoon's face to mind immediately, and I nodded.
"Yeah, a few like that."
Cheon Young-jae, listening from the side, chimed in.
"We didn't have any like that."
Cheon Young-jae was attaching armor plates to the main recon drone, "Super Skeleton Ho."
"Kang Han-min showed up before we even enrolled."
Jijijik—
The name Kang Han-min dropped, and a silence fell over the garage like we'd rehearsed it.
To us old-school hunters, that name carried that much weight.
He changed the world.
There might have been awakenings before him, but no one matched the dramatic, unprecedented shock of Kang Han-min and Na Hye-in's awakenings—and they're still unmatched today.
He heralded the end of an era and proclaimed the dawn of a new one.
The nickname "Savior" was too simplistic, leaving out far too much.
We didn't speak again until quite some time later.
After I'd brought out late-night snacks made from veggies I'd grown myself and canned ham.
"What is this? You call this kimchi?"
Cheon Young-jae asked, lifting the salty fermented greens I'd made with his chopsticks.
"You need fermented seafood to make proper kimchi."
"With all these supplies, why didn't you grab any?"
"Yeah, good question. I'm curious too."
Unlike Cheon Young-jae griping about kimchi in the apocalypse, Ha Tae-hoon silently wolfed down the ham and greens, emptying his rice bowl.
"Sometimes I crave my mom's kimchi."
Whether he sensed my gaze or just felt like talking, Ha Tae-hoon spoke up right as I looked at him.
"She was a real nag."
"Well-off, huh?"
Cheon Young-jae asked slyly, shoveling greens into his mouth.
Ha Tae-hoon nodded at him.
"Yeah, pretty well-off."
"Figured as much. You never said it outright, but you could tell you were from money."
"Because I look classy?"
"Nah, not that. Just your mannerisms, speech, habits—they screamed rich kid. Totally different from a dirt-poor kid like Bang Jae-hyuk."
"Doesn't matter. We're all new money now."
Ha Tae-hoon gave a wry smile and finished his bowl with some grilled luncheon meat.
"Rice is a bit old."
I shot back at his rice complaint.
"I'm growing fresh now."
"Farming? Rice farming too?"
"Trying all sorts."
"Got it."
Ha Tae-hoon set down his spoon.
I stared at him and asked.
"Lost your family in the war?"
"Yeah. Chinese bastards got 'em."
He said it casually.
"You know about the chemical strike on Gangnam?"
"Heard about it."
"I can never forgive the Chinese."
Ha Tae-hoon muttered flatly.
"That's why I kill as many as I can whenever I see them."
"Hold back on this op."
Ha Tae-hoon's work dragged on not just from support drone tweaks, but mainly from arming the main drone.
He installed a 5.56mm rifle and auto-feeder on Super Skeleton Ho.
He called it insurance for emergencies, but he'd already heard my op plan.
My plan didn't assume combat at all.
Like I'd told the two hunters upfront, Super Skeleton Ho was a thief, not a warrior—sneaking past Chinese defenses using info only I knew to snag data hidden in a desk.
Entering combat meant the op had failed.
Even after hearing the full plan, he insisted on arming it. Probably his hatred for the Chinese.
Truth be told, no one in Korea hates the Chinese less than me.
I see this apocalypse as humanity's collective fate.
Most Koreans harbor deep-rooted hatred toward them.
I'd heard about early-war terror and massacres against ethnic Koreans in China.
True or not—and with the government still around, my info network can't confirm—after that, no one in Korea claimed dual Chinese-Korean citizenship openly.
Even the gang boss who tried claiming my bunker might've sensed the ethnic backlash coming.
Ha Tae-hoon clearly holds that indelible hatred strong.
"Blade-type suicide drone. 100% domestic."
He'd been reluctant about the op at first, but now eagerly pulling out his hidden killer toys. Sure, greed for my bunker played a part, but I figured his China hate was bigger.
"Only if things go really south. For now, just pack it."
Of course, I didn't deny his hatred.
I have something similar.
I just keep it in check.
"Hurting a few Chinese matters less than us grabbing what they're desperately hunting. Like I said before, they're frantic. Look at how they gave up Manchuria."
Recon continued while we tweaked and modded drones.
There was a brief scramble when AA fire hit one, but Ha Tae-hoon's high-altitude recon drones steadily fed us useful intel.
Hard to judge from a few photos and clips, but the Chinese seemed clueless about John_nenon's mausoleum location.
They had five bipedal drones identical to Super Skeleton Ho, but they were rummaging a random building next to the mausoleum, not it.
John_nenon's mausoleum was easy to spot from afar with all the comms gear on the roof, yet they chased false leads. Probably the Legion faction fed them half-assed intel.
Not total bullshit, but just misleading enough to fuck with them.
Our odds just improved.
"Shall we start?"
*
Even with drones, we needed to get close to the op zone.
It wouldn't fly like a long-range recon drone; Super Skeleton Ho walked at 2.4 km/h average.
In emergencies, it could hit nearly 8 km/h, but knockoffs like this had high odds of balance issues.
Our Chinese forces camped southeast of John_nenon's mausoleum.
Closest route from Legion turf.
About 2km from the mausoleum, but confirmed a forward camp 400m out.
We'd set camp farthest from them, northwest of the mausoleum.
We plotted routes and hideouts comparing pre-war maps and aerial shots.
Coincidentally, our truck hide was in a half-eroded zone.
Probably claimed by an infiltrator monster. Outer edge had a suitable building to stash the vehicle.
"Looks like monster turf. You sure?"
Cheon Young-jae eyed the map skeptically.
"Not everything gray is infiltrator territory. They only manage the central maze-nest. Everywhere else, they ignore."
"If the professor says so."
"Problem is what's inside."
"Worst type?"
"Necromancer, in this setup."
"Yeah, figures."
Aerials showed scattered zombies.
No big hordes.
Just small packs wandering.
No caterpillar types spotted, but we'd likely meet some inside.
We left the bunker past noon.
Moving vehicles by day was risky, but no choice.
Night meant fumbling blind through obstacles, hostile zombies, and monsters.
Low speed, fights with zombies or caterpillars en route.
Per Ha Tae-hoon, Chinese ran high-alt high-alti recon drones twice daily over 10km radius, but they sucked at night.
Could spot lights, but not dark-blended objects.
To evade that, night travel it was.
But road trips aren't safe anymore.
Tang! Tang! Tang!
Ambushed outside Seoul.
Tatatang!
Tang! Tang!
Not sporadic—one ambush by at least three.
Ting! Tititing!
Bullets ricocheted off the truck's engine armor and cab door.
"Keep steady speed, no stopping."
I ordered Ha Tae-hoon and signaled Cheon Young-jae in back.
Tang! Tang! Tang!
Two rifles barked.
No casualties, but a sharp scream meant close shave.
"Ah, fuck!"
Firing dropped right after the curse.
Getting shot at 8km out—not Seoul proper—felt ominous.
No other incidents after that brief scare.
Sun dipped, darkness fell.
Near-full moon was bad luck, but no time to wait for it to set.
Cheolkeok—
Cheon Young-jae and I dismounted for forward recon.
"Okay. Advance."
Not driving straight—people scout, vehicle follows.
Tedious, time-consuming, tiring, but secure.
Can't let Chinese spot us.
"Zombies. At least ten. Maybe more."
"Cold weapons."
"Joking, right?"
"No confidence? Level 18."
"Not that. Just a hassle."
Jjeok!
Peok!
Small zombie group handled with Cheon Young-jae's hammer and my axe.
He's seriously skilled.
Melee and shooting both top-tier.
If old-school hunters hadn't faded, he might've gotten a Golden Fleece.
But Golden Fleece needs achievements, not just power.
Like me, Park Gyu.
"Good. Almost there."
After moonlit hike, we reached a reinforced concrete skeleton 1.2km from John_nenon's mausoleum.
Just frame, but good spot, solid state.
Best: rebar everywhere beyond structure.
Proper build, materials intact.
"No sign of that monster?"
Cheon Young-jae meant caterpillars.
"Probably headed Chinese side."
We crossed the ridgeline.
Set basic camp on third floor, then unloaded the near-45kg steel-plastic-semiconductor humanoid war machine from the truck.
Wheeeeng—
Tablet boot showed Chinese text—annoying, but Ha Tae-hoon said it's domestic.
"Perfect."
He reached for other drones, especially suicide ones.
"No combat. Ha-sunbae."
I warned, staring hard.
He showed resistance but masked it, replying coolly.
"Insurance."
"......"
Pre-major op, no bruising team morale. Let it slide.
Turned out smart.
Real issue came next.
"Damn balls!"
Ha Tae-hoon cursed unlike him.
He was flying night recon drone.
Against the grain to John_nenon's mausoleum.
Screen showed impassable blocks.
Tang! Tang! Tang!
Tatatang!
Enemy combat drones on path—from primitive wheeled to fixed turrets.
Clueless on exact spot, Chinese blanketed wide area with defenses.
"Not easy."
Ha Tae-hoon wiped sweat, turned darkly to me.
"Truth? I'm weak at piloting."
Cheon Young-jae added.
"Drone illiterate here."
Same for me.
Own drones, but no combat or acrobatics skill.
Issue: Super Skeleton Ho needed to scrap at least three automated drones to reach.
"......"
Any way around?
One builder, one illiterate, one newbie.
This trio's control seemed iffy.
Then a face brought a faint smile.
"Hey."
I asked Ha Tae-hoon.
"Can our Super Skeleton Ho do remote control?"
"Remote? Yeah, but."
"From Chuncheon?"
"Tight. Response might lag."
He tilted head.
"Why? Got a good pilot?"
"Yeah."
I grinned, nodded.
"The best pilot."