Chapter 126

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Translator: Ace

Chapter: 125

Chapter Title: How to Live in Fusion Punk

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Late at night.

Someone was pacing in front of a darkened warehouse.

"What should I do? Is this really the right thing...?"

A small voice scattered like a breeze on the wind─

And footsteps circling the same spot, eventually tracing a figure-eight on the ground.

"......"

Finally, a figure cautiously peered over the threshold, groping through the darkness one careful step at a time.

Then came the naturally rhythmic sound of breathing.

Krrrng...Phewww─

Guided by the unmistakable snoring of someone deep in slumber, stealthy footsteps crept forward, weaving past haphazardly stacked crates of supplies.

The next moment.

Click.

A belatedly switched-on flashlight beamed straight upward.

"Ah."

Startled by the unexpectedly intense light, perhaps.

Click─, and the light went out again.

Adjusting the brightness and flicking the switch once more, the flashlight now cast a gentler—but still bright—glow that illuminated the warehouse ceiling in a wide circle.

Naturally, the surrounding scenery came into fuzzy outline, like shadows around a campfire.

The first thing visible was a beautiful woman.

She was the one holding the flashlight, her pale green eyes bobbing up and down as if gauging the brightness, until they suddenly fixed straight ahead.

There sat a single-person cot.

Someone was sprawled atop the flimsy bed.

Perhaps because the bed was too small for him, his knees stuck out, legs dangling to touch the floor.

A thin blanket over his face rose and fell like a balloon with each rumbling snore, followed by a long exhale.

Dead to the world.

Confirming this, the woman tiptoed closer.

And as she reached out a slender hand to pull back the blanket covering the sleeper's face─

"What is it?"

A gruff voice pierced her ear.

"......!"

Her head whipped around in shock, face like a thief caught red-handed. Wide eyes locked onto a face of steel.

A dwarf.

More precisely, a mechanical dwarf.

He twitched his eyebrows in clear displeasure, an expression that instinctively unsettled the viewer.

An expression, indeed.

Especially alien after the brutal battles in the heart of Apophis's royal castle, now crashed irretrievably to the ground.

How many mechanical dwarves just like this one had he felled, over and over?

Troops that revived endlessly upon death, even evolving.

The chilling memory briefly stole her words.

"Bagmar, right...?"

Bagmar slowly nodded at the follow-up.

"That's me. And you?"

"I'm Elina."

After the curt introductions, Elina's eyes flicked upward slightly. At the border of light and shadow from the flashlight, a bronze mask-like woman's face peeked out briefly before vanishing like a lie.

Something straight out of a horror flick.

Anyone faint of heart would have screamed on the spot.

But Elina knew it wasn't a ghost—it was 'Chloe,' the combat doll guarding Bagmar.

Of course, its silent appearance and disappearance still sent chills down her spine.

"So, what's this about?"

Bagmar asked.

He still hadn't fully let his guard down.

And who could blame him?

Isolated here ever since arriving on the surface.

A life controlled by others.

Elina knew that feeling better than most.

So she looked at Bagmar and slowly opened her mouth.

"I have a message for Jin. And..."

"And?"

"It's for you too, Mr. Bagmar."

"For me."

Bagmar twitched his eyebrows again.

Then, glancing at Jin—who showed no sign of stirring—he continued.

"This guy's hopeless at waking up. Says he's just exhausted, anyway. Claims a few days of solid rest will fix him."

"...I see."

"Should I wake him?"

With her "Yes," Bagmar—still shirtless, comically rolling up nonexistent sleeves—opened his mouth.

"Finally... the time has come."

He yanked back the blanket and swung his palm down hard.

Or tried to. He hadn't accounted for the fabric bunching like cheesecloth, nor the wide-eyed face staring back.

"Gah!"

Bagmar yelped and fell flat on his ass, steadied by Chloe who appeared out of nowhere behind him. Naturally, Elina's gaze shifted to Jin, propping himself up with a bleary face.

"......What's with all the noise? Morning already? Nah, can't be."

He scratched his cheek, surveying the flashlight-lit surroundings with bloodshot eyes—the mark of poor sleep.

"...Elina? What's up."

"Jin. Take this first."

"Hm?"

Jin took the bag Elina thrust at him and peered inside.

A massive military pack, stuffed to bursting.

The problem? It was all combat rations.

"Ugh. Tsk─"

Like Pavlov's dog, Jin smacked his lips, zipped it up, and looked up.

"What's this about?"

"Jin. Listen carefully. Enforcers from the city government will arrive at the outpost soon. We need to leave before then."

"......Enforcers?"

Jin tilted his head quizzically.

To his baffled expression, Elina added:

"Yes, enforcers. I heard there's an extremely low chance Apophis awakened, so they're launching an investigation. If you stay, it'll definitely spell trouble."

"Trouble? For who?"

Elina silently stared at Bagmar. He stared back at Jin. Their eyes blinked in unison.

They'd barely survived and landed on the surface less than a day ago—what now?

But aside from the confusion, Elina's words made sense.

From the city government's view, their long-monitored aerial fortress had not only awakened but been destroyed.

They wouldn't overlook the sole survivor tied to Apophis—or the awakened mechanical dwarf.

Get captured?

This is straight-up Area 51 vibes.

Jin recalled the infamous U.S. secret base once rife with alien/UFO conspiracy theories.

Of course, recent declassifications revealed it was just for testing advanced Air Force tech like stealth aircraft, debunking the conspiracies.

But Bagmar ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was different.

A fragment detached from Apophis, the collective of dwarven souls.

Its historical and technological value was beyond imagination.

They'll crack his skull open, right?

Something feels off—way off!

Thus, Jin hauled his battered body upright amid the wreckage.

"Hold on. Is running away like this even okay?"

Elina replied to his sudden frown.

"Probably."

"What do you mean, 'probably'? What if you get in hot water?"

"Well..."

Trailing off, Elina continued haltingly. Jin's head tilted with a puzzled "Huuuh?"

"So the Colonel dropped enforcer hints right in front of you, over and over?"

"...Yeah, awkwardly so. It felt like he wanted me to act on it."

Jin had noticed the Colonel's uncharacteristic phrasing too.

Like dangling snacks in a drawer in front of a kid dying for a treat, muttering, "Oh no, expiration date's tomorrow—gonna have to toss them all."

And Q beside him just silent.

He'd even casually told Elina—slipping away—to check the rations' stock.

Yeah, it looked like a nudge.

Elina didn't seem to mind, though.

"He didn't have to hint so obviously—I was gonna do this anyway... Ow!"

Jin flicked her forehead. Clutching her head with an "Ayayaya," she listened as he said:

"The Colonel didn't report Bagmar to his superiors?"

"No. Nothing like that in the report. Your involvement wasn't even in the op plan."

"...Really?"

"Yeah. Just said it was a personal hire, as far as I recall."

Definitely telling us to bolt.

Jin muttered inwardly.

No idea what favors the boozehound wanted later, but no time to overthink.

Grabbing Elina's pack, Jin shouldered out of the makeshift warehouse, heavy-laden.

The outpost was dim save for scattered lights, eerily quiet.

Humans are creatures who can't help but match the mood.

Jin found himself stepping lightly without realizing.

Even if the Colonel was turning a blind eye, strutting out boldly would just make him look clueless.

Gesturing "here?" "there?" to Elina trailing behind, they crept along briefly.

Soon reaching the wasteland's edge beyond the outpost, Jin's eyes widened at the vehicle waiting.

"Oh?"

A two-seater motorcycle with sidecar.

More modernized than classic—sleek, futuristic, with driver and passenger side by side in an open setup.

Basically a two-wheeled open-top car.

Whatever the details, wheels were what mattered.

Jin checked fuel first.

Flashback to that highway heart-stopper when gas ran dry.

Thankfully, the Law Enforcers weren't that sloppy.

Gauge at full F, spare cans in the trunk—Jin nodded. Nice.

He beckoned Bagmar and Chloe.

"Hop on."

The two machines climbed aboard side by side, Bagmar plopping onto Chloe's thigh, waiting.

Thud.

Sudden nearby footsteps. Jin glanced back casually.

Not startled—he'd sensed them approaching from afar.

"Whole crew suddenly?"

"Eh. It turned out that way."

The Colonel smirked.

Behind him, Law Enforcers stood in a loose line.

Thirteen total: the twelve survivors plus Chandler from comms.

Funny thing—Jin still didn't know most of them.

Only Q, Chandler, and J by chance.

Yet seeing them gathered felt oddly heartwarming.

They'd fought tooth and nail together, after all.

Honorary Enforcer status? Nah, that's why they're here.

With that thought, Jin spoke.

"If you're gonna see us off, why bother hinting through Elina?"

"No idea what you mean. Just said hi to a passing acquaintance."

"Ah, gotcha. That style."

As he spoke, Jin added to Q eyeing Bagmar in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the passenger seat:

"Not regretting just letting us go? Like, 'Gotta hand him to the city gov' or whatever."

"We wouldn't have found him without you. No interest in ownership claims now—especially since you both helped us. So go, before I change my mind."

Words aside, Q didn't rush Jin chatting with the agents. Just shook his head with a hollow chuckle.

Thus, after brief words with everyone, Jin shared a light hug with Elina.

"I'm off."

"I'll contact you again."

"Yeah. Uh, hey..."

"...? Yes?"

To her puzzled look, Jin shelved the drug lord talk for later.

Not the time.

"Don't stray off course. You're outside city limits. Unless you wanna get lost forever, stick to the nav."

"Got it."

Ignoring the Colonel's nagging in his ear, Jin mounted up.

Revving expertly, he eased the throttle forward.

No looking back.

Their story there was done; he'd said his piece.

And so.

Jin headed into the distant wasteland horizon.

Apophis's mountain-like wreckage framed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an surreal backdrop beside him. The Law Enforcers watched silently.

Until the engine faded away.

It was about time for an epilogue-ish tale.

So, Jin returns to Downtown, and─

Maybe not.

If someone hadn't stopped him cruising the wasteland at a steady clip.

"A moment. Could you stop, please."

"Wahk!"

The voice from the darkness made Jin and Bagmar jolt upright in unison.

Who the hell?

Swallowing his shock, Jin fumbled for Elina's flashlight and shone it.

There loomed a familiar 'something.'

Iron Maiden.

"Oh man..." slipped from Jin's lips unwittingly.

The android gripping the cart's handle spoke again.

"I require assistance."