Chapter 288
Chapter 288
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 288
Chapter Title: 116. Goal (2)
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VIVA_BOT014: Last night, one of our headquarters' data centers in Arizona was seized by an unidentified armed group. It's mainly a backup facility, so it won't immediately disrupt our community operations, but the situation is extremely serious right now.
VIVA_BOT014: These are dark times. I hope everyone holds onto their own convictions and hopes to endure this cold, long winter.
This is the notice posted by Viva Bot.
But that alone won't satisfy anyone.
Though I'm still just an ordinary user on the boards, behind the scenes, I'm a hidden moderator sharing significant secrets with Viva Bot.
Tap tap.
Call it a moderator's privilege.
Not long after, Viva Bot replied to me.
Europe, which claimed to be America's ancestor, was swiftly swallowed by fully open rifts and vanished. China, which boasted of being America's rival, also perished from rifts and wars.
Japan, America's ally, is under such tight information control that we can't know the exact internal situation, but from the rumors floating around, they're just buying time without any real countermeasures, on the brink of total collapse.
Korea? Well, we know all about that.
The tiny remnant government on Jeju Island survives, but the people left behind have to fend for themselves in their own territories.
In contrast, even as its downfall progressed, America maintained its national framework for a long time and managed the rifts popping up across its vast lands appropriately.
The fact that they were operating their prized nuclear-powered carrier fleets until just last year shows plainly how powerful a nation they were.
But even that giant has reached its limit amid the collapse of international trade networks and the endless waves of monsters.
The tensions already creaking between state governments, the diverse ethnic groups that never truly fused despite claims of being a "melting pot," historical regional grudges, and the hatred and conflicts that had shown glimpses even before the war.
All of that has now driven America into full-blown civil war.
Of course, the root cause is the monsters.
The monster invasions shattered the human systems that were barely hanging on.
And now that fire has pushed into the heart of our Viva! Apocalypse!
The central facilities of Viva! Apocalypse! are in Arizona and Florida—far apart but in mild climate zones—and the Arizona side is in extremely dire straits.
In short, they're offering me a stronger moderator band.
"Hm..."
But everything has its timing.
Even hats are like that.
Being mayor of a city with money, population, and great companies? That'd be a hat worth wearing.
The city grows on its own, young people flock from everywhere, and taxes let you pretty it up more.
But what about leading a local area full of only old folks, mountains, fields, and no companies?
It'd surely be boring, full of hardship, and you'd get way more flak than credit for your efforts.
That's exactly our board right now.
"Model users" like me are dwindling fast, weirdos are multiplying, and the remaining normal users are fleeing elsewhere—borrowing Dajeong's words, we're heading down the path of a "doomed community."
"Ah~ This is boring. Regen is rock bottom too. Why does that uncle keep posting his face? My take: I think it's because our board uses that big, power-hungry Obelisk gear. Among the new inflows, there are some good kids, but most are folks who stole gear from others or bought from thieves, right? So quality's bound to suck. Basically, a bunch of likely murderers are sharing our boards!"
To be honest, Dajeong has no right to say that.
Strictly speaking, both Defender and Dajeong killed original owners to get their satellite gear.
But everyone agrees our board's condition is serious—Defender and Dajeong included.
"No position as hollow as moderator of a dying community. You'll just be a punching bag, handling scraps until it vanishes. Sure, there's no alternative, but if things stay like this, maybe it'd be better to just shut down."
Dajeong views me taking a stronger moderator role negatively.
It's a valid judgment.
But even if I pass, I should at least hear what concrete powers that band would give me.
The ball's back to Viva Bot.
To be frank, I have no idea.
In a bustling board, sure—but in a dying one, what's the point of deleting posts and banning?
Just ban those three News-Triple Evils messing things up, and done.
Yeah, let's say it.
This much worry should be fine to voice.
Short and punchy.
Viva Bot went silent for over a minute after seeing that message.
After that brief yet ample time passed, she replied.
She's right.
I won't deny it.
But.
At least there's a way to extend our board's lifespan.
My role model, John_nenon, proved it.
"..."
Both my words and hers ring true.
To me, hers sound more persuasive.
The board being boring is just my subjective view.
Others might still find fun in it.
How much insult and mockery us doomers endured before the war? It's a story repeated so often it needs no retelling.
Just as the talk seemed to fizzle lukewarmly, another message from Viva Bot.
I didn't know.
That Viva Bot had such issues.
Viva Bot sent me a photo.
A vast blue plain, open and clear.
At first glance, an exotic foreign backdrop, but zooming in reveals the chilling message hidden within.
Beyond the green hills, the distant land is shrouded in grayish-white.
The erosion has crept right up to the heart of Viva! Apocalypse!
"..."
Doom comes impartially.
To superpowers ruling the world or insignificant nations unknown by name.
Rifts slowly erode our world, exterminating all life upon it.
Research showing not a single microorganism in the otherworld's atmosphere might foreshadow Earth's imminent future.
Stepping out of the bunker, the low-hanging sunset clawed into my eyes like a hook.
Squinting slightly, hands behind my back, I surveyed the bunker surroundings.
People busy everywhere.
Muddy water gushed from the deep central pipe, hunters dismantled cat mutation corpses on long benches in the open space between bunkers without pause.
In a corner, solar panels absorbed the last fading sunlight, and beside them, a middle-aged woman hoed diligently over a freshly ridged small garden, preparing nests for new life.
Two drones flew toward us from the west, fleeing the sunset.
And on the gentle slope to the highest ridge, Bang Jae-hyeok—with leg braces—trudged upward slowly, clutching a large gun against the incline.
Everyone at their tasks, in their places.
Maybe overly optimistic, but I don't think our community will crumble easily.
Right after forming it, I diligently poached top talents.
Small-scale, but few foes could crush us militarily.
We have enemies, sure, but solid allies too—and at least my turf isn't a battleground over interests.
We can surely last at least a year.
But even that year now feels far too long to me.
How many will remain in this world a year from now?
"Viva Apocalypse..."
My second spiritual homeland might vanish completely.
That's the ominous reality.
"..."
I want to find what I can do.
"Huh? Who made Necropolis?"
"Contacting them might give some hint, don't you think?"
I want to save our board.
Bring back more users, recreate that boisterous past vibe.
I don't want a fully free, equal world without anon/anon distinctions, but I crave that old atmosphere where good users outnumbered the bad.
"Who's the Necropolis creator is a huge topic even inside Necropolis. I've searched frozen archives too. All I found is their nickname: Death_Lord98."
"Tacky nickname sense."
"...They won't show easily. Super secretive figure, and right now, they wield more influence than even Melon Mask."
Valentine sighed and added,
"Won't even respond unless you're a big shot."
"Twelvesquare."
My other self, a mythic persona utterly separate from me.
It's a personality not mine.
At least on our boards.
"Yes?"
"Have Twelvesquare himself say he's looking for them."
But I am Skeleton—and also Twelvesquare.
No clue if the call will work.
But I'll try everything I can.
I'm a responsible user of Viva! Apocalypse!
I have a goal now.