Episode 27
Episode 27
"What is this?"
It was something I felt as I watched.
It just looked like a zombie.
Its skin was faded to a grayish hue, and its eyes lacked focus.
The joints of its limbs were bent in an awkward way, and rusty iron pins were embedded all over its surface.
It was a strange and unpleasant combination of flesh and metal.
However.
"Go over there."
As I gave the command.
Syusyuk!
The Iron Cavalry moved at high speed.
It was a speed not typical of a zombie.
Every time its feet kicked off the ground, a heavy impact sound rang out, and it moved to the designated location so quickly that it left an afterimage before stopping.
"What the f*ck... what is this?"
Furthermore.
"Take care of those things."
The zombies remaining inside the rest area.
When I told it to deal with them,
Uung——.
A low, heavy mechanical sound rang out.
Just like an engine igniting.
The Iron Cavalry paused for a moment, then immediately rushed toward the zombie horde.
Peoeok!
When it hit one, it just flew away.
A dull thud echoed as it slammed into the wall.
The impacted zombie slid down while stuck to the wall.
A second zombie lunged, but the Iron Cavalry didn't even dodge.
It just caught it with its arm and slammed it into the floor.
Third, fourth.
It was almost one-sided.
"Wow!"
If I had to compare.
It was much stronger than a Variant.
I think it would be strong enough to win if it fought a Variant.
No, maybe even more than that.
Looking at that speed and destructive power.
But the bigger advantage is,
"It's smart, huh?"
Golem core.
Of course, it's a lower-tier core, but basically, it's a system that resonates with the mind of its master, me.
It doesn't just execute commands; it judges the situation and moves organically.
It was on a different level from a normal golem.
Besides.
"Try fixing that."
Perhaps because it's linked to my chip, it was receiving and understanding the AI's commands in real-time.
The Iron Cavalry went to a broken desk, tinkered with it, and even temporarily fixed it.
"This is insane."
Iron Cavalry.
Shortened to Iron.
At that moment,
"What are you doing? Why aren't you coming?"
Lee Su-ah calls out from outside.
There was a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"Ah, I had something to test."
"It's already been 20 minutes. Let's go quickly."
"Oh, really?"
I didn't even realize time was passing.
That must mean the Iron Cavalry was that interesting.
I put the Iron Cavalry into the Dark Room and started driving again.
A few hours passed.
Finally, I arrived in Incheon.
The roads were a mess, as expected.
Abandoned vehicles were tangled up here and there, and some were overturned or left to burn.
Driving through the gaps, I Etherized the noticeable vehicles one by one.
At the same time, I checked the results of Etherizing the vehicles on the way here.
-Ether held: 18 billion Ether.
"Wow!"
As a result of selling the scrapped cars to the shop on the way here, I gained 6 billion Ether.
The number was so big that it didn't feel real.
Lately, it felt like my concept of money was disappearing.
It feels like money just piles up with a click?
If the road from the provinces to Incheon was like this, I was looking forward to seeing how much it would be in the metropolitan area.
Anyway.
"With 6 billion... what would be good for a leg implant?"
I was having a happy dilemma.
"What are you going to do now?"
"That's right. It doesn't look like there are any people here, either?"
On both sides, Lee Su-ah and Han Min-ah, riding their bikes, asked casually.
I also looked around.
As expected.
"It really is just zombies."
Like an apocalypse, the streets were full of zombies.
The density seems higher than in the provinces.
Since there was a large population, it's natural that there are many zombies.
But I'm not scared like I used to be.
Because I can easily handle hundreds of them now.
If it were the old me, I would have been trembling at this sight alone.
"Where would be good..."
I scanned the surroundings.
Abandoned buildings were lined up everywhere.
The signs had all fallen off, and the windows were all broken.
"How about there?"
Han Min-ah pointed with her finger.
Looking that way, there was an abandoned factory.
And a pretty big one at that.
The outer walls had cement falling off in places, but the overall structure looked intact.
The roof was intact, and the entrance was wide.
"Oh?"
It was pretty good.
Besides, there were only low buildings around.
'Having an open view means there's a low chance of being ambushed.'
It was large enough to be used as a base.
"Nice."
But first, it's better to clear it out.
"Let's go in."
"Okay."
We entered the abandoned factory.
A musty smell hit my nose first.
The smell of old oil, mold, and an unknown powder mixed together, making my nose tingle.
Every time I took a step, dust puffed up.
"What did they make here that there's so much powder?"
It just felt like powder was filling my lungs every time I breathed.
I covered my nose and mouth with my clothes and caught my breath.
Even my eyes started to sting.
Furthermore.
"Kiaaaa!"
There was even a Variant zombie.
It was twice the size of a normal zombie, and its limbs were abnormally long.
It grabbed the ceiling structure and lunged at us.
Of course.
Wiiiing!
I fired the wire and cut its neck in one go.
Blood scattered into the air, and its body went limp and fell to the floor.
Dust puffed up again.
"Achoo!"
Han Min-ah sneezed.
We looked around the entire factory like that.
"The scale is bigger than I thought."
The interior was divided into two large sections; one side had huge machines lined up, and the other side had sacks piled up like mountains.
"This place... seems to be a place that makes some kind of strange powder?"
"Right. But it also smells a bit sweet... and it kind of smells like chocolate."
Hearing their words, I suddenly realized.
"That looks like the company logo here."
"A muscular arm?"
A muscular man flexing his arm.
"Ah, I guess this was a company that makes protein powder?"
"Ah! So that's why it smells like this?"
"That's it."
Everyone is convinced.
However.
Suddenly.
"Oh?"
A brilliant idea popped into my head.
There was a gallery I had forgotten about.
It was the Valkar Gallery.
I went in for the first time in a while.
└[Stand Up with Fists] : Hey, you brain-dead idiots. How do you get protein besides meat?
└[Musclemon] : It's possible. You can eat bugs. It's delicious.
└[Big Sister Will Beat You] : There is protein that comes from men.
└[Eldest Son of the Sword Family] : Tsk tsk... servants bring the meat on their own.
They were in the middle of a heated debate.
These people are the same whenever I see them.
No matter how the world turns, it's always this topic inside the gallery.
In a way, it was kind of amazing.
I was curious.
So I jumped in.
[Gallery Owner] : What were you guys talking about?
└[Stand Up with Fists] : Gallery Owner. I can't take it. Please get rid of these idiots.
└[Musclemon] : Protein! Protein!
└[Big Sister Will Beat You] : Gallery Owner! Give me some protein!
└[Eldest Son of the Sword Family] : It's been a while.
The Eldest Son of the Sword Family, who seems to be the most rational.
I sent him a whisper.
[Gallery Owner] : What is it? Why are you fighting like this?
└[Eldest Son of the Sword Family] : Hmm... it seems someone made a joke. The topic is that muscles need protein, and that protein can only be obtained from meat.
'What. Is that it?'
But looking closely,
└[Eldest Son of the Sword Family] : Recently, the supply of meat hasn't been smooth. The livestock all died due to an epidemic. The remaining stock is also hitting rock bottom.
[Gallery Owner] : Oh my...
└[Eldest Son of the Sword Family] : So, Gallery Owner. Is it possible to get some help?
It seems quite serious.
They are, by my classification, gym rats.
They were crazy about working out.
Beings whose bodies are themselves, and who are their bodies.
People for whom every single muscle fiber is pride, and exercise is religion.
That's why the protein supply issue was no different from the issue of survival itself to them.
"Help, huh..."
Me being helpful to the gallery for the first time.
'It's kind of exciting.'
Helping others is a pretty good feeling.
Besides, helping them might return to me tenfold later.
The Valkar Gallery isn't just a playground for gym rats.
The information and resources they possess could never be ignored.
I answered readily.
[Gallery Owner] : Alright. What do you need help with?
└[Eldest Son of the Sword Family] : Hmm... I would like some meat, but that wouldn't be common in your world either. Do you perhaps have a substitute?
At that moment, a thrill ran through me.
'Crazy!'
The timing couldn't be more perfect.
'I just happened to get a protein factory!'
The stock I see right now is thousands of tons.
Just mix it with water and you're done.
Most of the sacks still had plenty of shelf life left.
It also means the factory hasn't been stopped for long.
└[Eldest Son of the Sword Family] : It would probably be difficult... such things are very hard to find...
[Gallery Owner] : It's possible.
└[Eldest Son of the Sword Family] : What!
To think that even the surprise can be felt through the message.
They must have been quite shocked.
[Gallery Owner] : How much do you need?
└[Eldest Son of the Sword Family] : About 10,000 people need to survive for about 6 months... Is it really possible? Are you not joking?
It's not a joke.
I did a rough calculation.
'There's about 280 tons.'
Calculating the quantity the Eldest Son of the Sword Family mentioned.
'180 tons should be enough.'
It's actually left over. Plenty left over.
[Gallery Owner] : Alright. Open the trade window.
└[Eldest Son of the Sword Family] : Are you serious...? Gallery Owner! You really are an amazing person! This Eldest Son of the Sword Family will never forget this for the rest of my life!
Following that, the gallery exploded.
Because the Eldest Son of the Sword Family posted.
└[Stand Up with Fists] : Gallery Owner is a real legend.
└[Musclemon] : Protein!!!!!!
└[Big Sister Will Beat You] : Don't you want to meet a big sister?
The trade window opened.
The piles of protein powder sacks that were stacked up in front of my eyes disappeared in an instant.
The things that were piled up like mountains evaporated and crossed over to the Valkar Trading Gallery. The factory looked even emptier.
Looking at the empty space.
'Not a bad start.'
However.
At that moment.
-Trade occurred.
-System intervention required.
-The benefit gained by the trading party, Choi Han, is significantly low.
-Calculating....
-11 billion Ether worth of value must be transferred to Choi Han.