Chapter 306
Chapter 306
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 306
Chapter Title: 123. Message from the Dead (2)
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It's said throughout the world that no one knows who the creator of Necropolis is, nor can anyone find out.
The only clue is that he uses the ID Death_Lord98 within Necropolis itself, but even there, opinions are divided on whether that's genuine.
The figure presumed to be that veiled operator had now appeared before me.
Did he use some kind of magic?
They say the creator of Necropolis possesses skills so formidable that even the genius entrepreneur known as Melon Mask would feel despair.
And just now, for a split second, he had turned my screen black.
I asked.
What kind of magic had he used?
Deadman responded nonchalantly.
The screen turned blue.
This time, green.
Then purple.
It returned to normal.
Now we're getting to the point.
I straightened up in my seat and waited for his next message.
That was the reason.
I'd half-expected some omnipotent hacker from the movies who scours all of Viva! Apocalypse!'s records and tosses a message my way.
But peeling back the lid revealed a reason of his own.
He wasn't approaching me as an all-knowing god.
Still, this guy knew enough to detect that the signals Valentina and I sent to Necropolis originated from Korea.
Even if he wasn't the creator himself, he definitely had admin privileges.
On Necropolis, if you post from anywhere outside the US or Europe,
it shows as "???" for the region.
Whereas for US or European users, it's like this:
...
...
As you can see, no region tag for places like the US or Europe.
There's no way to do that on an individual level.
Necropolis is a community built with minimal resources, so beyond posting, it offers zero features for participation—no private messaging or user info lookup.
Thus, only admin-level access can interpret regions marked as "???"
Of course, that alone doesn't confirm Deadman_working is an admin, but I want the creator of Necropolis.
I have a favor to ask him.
I told the truth.
But truth doesn't always carry conviction.
And sure enough.
Immediate suspicion.
Fair enough.
The me from that broadcast and the me now have different accounts, nicknames, and location data.
Besides, I couldn't post from that old account in my current state.
That satellite gear is sitting abandoned in a remote outpost halfway up Hallasan, where no one goes.
Only one thing I could do here.
Prove myself.
Not easy, either.
As expected.
I pleaded once more.
Silence.
No reply.
"......"
I kept waiting.
Realistically, the only one we could consult on networks and comms was Necropolis's creator.
Building a second Failnet was romantic, but bogged down by too many physical hurdles.
Too much for a group our size, at least. Unless it was King.
In the endless wait, a new message arrived.
"!!"
The moment I saw that message, I clenched my fist without realizing it.
Why bring up m9 all of a sudden?
"?"
I tilted my head.
How long had it been since a post left me baffled?
Deadman's message to me was light-years from my usual way of thinking.
I replied instantly.
A thought hit me.
This Deadman_working guy.
Might be more broken than I'd imagined.
"No way."
I typed the same into the chat.
Then asked.
It reeked of the same vibe I'd gotten from Defender before.
A scent I'd never fully grasp, let alone understand forever.
"......"
Unsettlingly, Deadman shared thoughts eerily similar to mine.
No denying it.
My view on humanity's future didn't differ much from his.
Humanity will lose.
We can't win this fight.
Even godlike figures like Kang Strongmin and Na Hyein can't close a single small rift on Jeju.
"......"
I'd finally found it.
The difference between me and this guy.
They say thoughts are universal despite language barriers.
Language is just a tool to express them.
Borrowing Melon Mask's wisdom, I conveyed my thoughts to this distant stranger.
He countered.
I let out a shallow sigh and tapped the keyboard.
No hesitation.
This is my will.
My firm resolve.
A brief silence stretched across the monitor, LAN cable, and satellite link.
Ding~
A notification popped up.
Another message.
Not from Deadman.
It was from Rebecca, or Suu.
A connection I cherished had miraculously messaged me right when I needed it most.
Despite its sudden arrival, it filled me with overwhelming emotion.
Tap tap tap.
It made me react with uncharacteristic fuss.
This was the small miracle between people I'd learned after the war.
Even if we're all doomed to die, do we need to shatter bonds like this with our own hands?
I stared at the monitor, awaiting Rebecca and her daughter's reply over Deadman's.
Soon, another message arrived.
I tilted my head at the message.
Things progressed abruptly.
I'd done nothing to make it happen.
No persuasion, no evidence presented.
One side had suddenly agreed out of nowhere.
I scrolled up.
Right.
He had said that.
"......"
Deadman still spouted incomprehensible things.
But he'd extended his hand first.
He had ways and knowledge I couldn't match.
No need to refuse out of hand.
Judging by character, few deals like this would ever happen in this world.
"......"
I hated to admit it, but he seemed to share a dream similar to mine.
Despite the similarities, we could never mix.
All I sensed in his words was denial of humanity and self-consolation bordering on delusion.
Ding~
Because I'd once thought similarly, I could tell.
He was surely a lonely soul.
A faint smile crept onto my lips—proof of it.
I replied.