Chapter 41
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Chapter 41
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Armored Train Assault (1)
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The bloody stench that had settled over Twin Rocks had faded faintly over the span of three months.
The despair of the past was gone.
Filling the village was a cautious but unmistakable vitality.
And a vague anticipation for tomorrow.
The village's changes were first felt in the evening tavern.
No longer were there shouts from the Cobra Gang.
Instead, the rowdy clamor of miners fresh from grueling labor—bumping shoulders and trading rough jokes—filled the space.
"Hey, Mr. Kellogg! Have a drink on us!"
"Haha, thanks, but I'll pass. I'm on patrol."
In the center of the tavern, Kellogg—now the village's de facto security chief—was patrolling alongside his deputy, Batu.
A mystical magic rifle embedded with a blue magic stone hung heavily at his waist.
"Captain, the village has changed so much."
Batu whispered in admiration.
Kellogg nodded.
It had been three months since they entered Twin Rocks.
As per Ghost's orders, they had filled the void left by the Cobra Gang.
But their way was different. Order and protection instead of exploitation and violence.
The residents had been wary at first.
But seeing their sincerity in guarding the village and fairly distributing the seized crystal mine profits, they gradually opened their hearts.
Of course, none of these changes had escaped the Trade Federation's notice.
"Still, it's a relief the Federation bastards have stayed quiet."
"It's not quiet, Batu. They're just underestimating us."
Kellogg's voice lowered.
The Trade Federation wasn't staffed by fools.
They would have noticed the regular tribute collections suddenly stopping.
The transport wagons that should have arrived loaded with crystals had vanished.
Rumors of unrest within Twin Rocks had reached them.
The Federation had dispatched investigators.
Fortunately, they had a prearranged message for such times.
Kellogg and the rebels recalled Ghost's advice.
[Now is the time to bow your head.]
Kellogg agreed.
"From here on, we're the new Cobra Gang... no, the security force. Got it?"
"Yes, Captain!"
The rebels had disguised themselves as a new faction that staged an internal revolt within the Cobra Gang.
"It's fortunate they bought that we chased out Barrett and took over. Of course, we promised to pay the tribute on time going forward."
Of course, Kellogg and the residents had no intention of handing over the crystals nicely.
"What the hell? Why are there so few crystals?"
"Oh, sir... the mines are crawling with spiders these days..."
"And why so little money? Don't you want our support?"
"No, that's not it! Heh heh... but lately, bandits have been swarming the area..."
As the tributes dwindled, the Federation did what it had to.
"You know what the Federation said? 'Tribute is delinquent. Protection and weapon support suspended until overdue payments and crystals are delivered.' That was the message, word for word."
Batu nodded as if he understood.
"That means..."
"Yeah. The Federation still sees us as bugs they can squash. They think without their protection, we'll get devoured by surrounding bandit hordes or come crawling back with cash begging to be saved."
The Federation had no inkling that this new security force was the same mysterious armed group that had wrecked one of their transport trains.
Their arrogance was buying the rebels precious time to grow.
"But that time won't last much longer."
Kellogg's gaze turned toward the dark wasteland beyond the tavern.
The rebels needed to grow stronger.
Before the Federation recognized them not as bugs, but as beasts worth hunting.
Watching the troops training with weapons outside, Kellogg muttered.
"We need to cultivate the strength to rip out the Federation's throat first!"
At that moment, the tavern door burst open, and a scout who had been out on reconnaissance rushed in breathlessly.
His face was a mix of excitement and tension.
"Captain! It's... it's here!"
"What is? Catch your breath and speak slowly."
"The signal... the signal's come!"
Kellogg and Batu's eyes lit up simultaneously.
The signal. It was code known only to the rebel troops.
It meant Ghost had issued a new order.
Meanwhile, Jinwoo stood before a bulletin board in a remote village battered by desolate winds.
'The end's finally in sight.'
Sharp eyes gleamed from beneath the hood covering over half his face.
Jinwoo thoroughly scanned the weathered papers pinned to the board.
'Feels like I left Twin Rocks just yesterday, but three months have already passed...'
Jinwoo had wandered the wasteland for a while.
This time, it was a massive main quest that couldn't be tackled head-on.
The desired conditions could only be met by clearing the surrounding situation.
'What a ridiculous mission! To rob the train, I have to help make sure it departs on time.'
In both the game and reality, the Trade Federation's armored train was beset by a temporary issue.
Because of that, its departure was delayed from the original schedule.
Jinwoo felt the irony of helping the Trade Federation just to screw them over.
In any case, he had been steadily fulfilling the conditions by knocking out the scattered minor subquests around the Crimson Mountains and its vicinity.
'The train will depart now. Just one last condition left.'
His gaze fixed on the most tattered, dust-covered wanted poster in the corner of the board.
[Wanted: Exterminate the Deathclaw Pack, "Deathclaws"]
[Details: Massive bounty for the one who exterminates the vicious Deathclaw pack terrorizing merchants and miners around the Crimson Mountains area.]
[Client: Crimson Mountains Mining Union]
Jinwoo clicked his tongue inwardly.
On the surface, it looked like a standard monster extermination quest.
But Jinwoo knew its true purpose.
'Damn bastards. So many ways to exploit people.'
The Crimson Mountains Mining Union was a subsidiary of the Trade Federation.
Recently, the Federation had discovered large placer gold deposits in the Crimson Mountains area.
To monopolize it, they had declared the entire mountain range a controlled zone, barring outsiders without permits.
No one could enter without their authorization—that was the current state.
Just then, Jinwoo spotted a group of people being dragged away by soldiers.
"Daring to infiltrate Trade Federation land! You're under arrest for illegal entry and theft!"
"This mountain isn't yours! Aaaagh!"
They were local residents eking out a living by hunting and miners who had come to pan for gold.
But deep within the mountains lurked a pack of monstrous lizards called Deathclaws.
The Federation was tearing its hair out over these beasts disrupting mining operations.
Deploying regular troops would mean heavy losses.
Leaving them be meant rising worker casualties.
'So this bounty is their clever ploy.'
A cheap reward to eliminate the threat without dirtying their own hands.
And this quest was the only key to legally enter the Crimson Mountains, through which the armored train Ares would pass.
The moment Jinwoo plucked the wanted poster.
Pierce the Heart of the Steel Serpent (1/3)
Stage 1: Head to the 'Crimson Mountains' and secure a foothold to exploit the armored train 'Ares' weakness.
📍 Linked Condition: Accept the Deathclaw extermination quest to secure legitimate pretext for entering the operational area.
'It finally begins.'
Without hesitation, Jinwoo tore off the wanted poster and headed to the nearby Trade Federation temporary outpost.
"Here to hunt."
The Federation soldier guarding the outpost eyed his hooded figure up and down with suspicion.
But upon seeing the wanted poster Jinwoo proffered, his attitude shifted.
Of course, it was more precisely the power of the gold coin subtly placed on the table alongside it.
"Deathclaws? Alone? You're suicidal."
The soldier sneered but stamped the paperwork and issued an entry permit.
"Whatever happens in the mountains, we're not responsible. Consider it lucky if we even find your corpse."
Jinwoo ignored their mockery and pocketed the permit.
'Now I have legitimate grounds for entry.'
He tugged Falcon's reins and headed toward the Crimson Mountains entrance as darkness began to fall.
'Time to proceed to the next stage.'
That night, cold winds whistled through the rocks of the Crimson Mountains like a flute.
In pitch-black darkness where even moonlight was shrouded by clouds,
Kellogg and his elite troops held their breath, waiting at the appointed spot for someone.
They had arrived after spotting the signal Ghost left nearby.
Over the past three months, their numbers and quality had steadily grown through funds and experience.
'We swept the surrounding bandits, recruited volunteers, expanded our ranks. Won't repeat last time's mistakes.'
Kellogg had left most forces under Deputy Batu to defend Twin Rocks.
Around him were only his most trusted, skilled operatives.
It was all due to Ghost's new directive.
[Crimson Mountains. Disguise as Deathclaw hunters and enter. A new hunt begins.]
They had accepted the Deathclaw extermination commission at the Federation outpost and entered legally, as instructed.
But what exactly they were hunting.
Why they were here.
Their heads were full of questions.
They could only wait for Ghost to appear and give the next orders.
"Captain, will he really come?"
A young trooper asked uneasily.
Kellogg nodded silently.
"Ghost always comes."
At that instant, a voice echoed from the shadow of the tallest rock behind them.
"You arrived faster than expected."
A familiar low timbre.
As if he'd been there from the start.
Kellogg and the troops whipped around in shock to see Ghost—black cloak and mask concealing his face—looking down at them.
A flawless entrance with no presence or sound.
"Ghost!"
Kellogg called his name with reverence.
Jinwoo ignored their greeting and pointed with a finger to a massive canyon cutting across the distant mountains.
"That's your next prey."
Kellogg and the troops peered where he indicated.
"I don't see anything."
"You will soon."
Jinwoo began laying out all the information in his head.
"Exactly two days from now, when the sun is at its zenith, a massive armored train will pass through that canyon. Its name... you're familiar enough with it."
"No way?"
"Ares. The Trade Federation's artery connecting heart and limbs."
Kellogg and the troops swallowed hard at his words.
"Armored train Ares!"
"That fortress on rails?"
An order to attack the infamous mobile fortress.
It seemed impossible.
Kellogg asked cautiously.
"Ghost. With the forces and weapons we have here, we can't pierce Ares' armor. All we've got are basic explosives..."
Jinwoo turned to face him.
His eyes gleamed coldly as ice through the mask.
"I gave you power to turn the impossible possible."
His finger pointed to an old, rickety iron bridge reinforcing the weak ground between the canyon walls.
The bridge itself was lower than expected.
Only a few meters high.
But enough to halt the train and flip it.
"That's its sole weakness."
"Blow that bridge, bind its feet. Then pierce the heart and drain all its blood. That's your mission."
He followed with a detailed briefing.
Jinwoo described the bridge's structure and Ares' layout as if they were right before his eyes.
Steel-clad outer walls.
Automated turrets.
And even the most vulnerable connection points!
"Why here of all places?"
When another question arose, Jinwoo explained.
"Other spots can be repaired quickly, but this area's rugged terrain makes it hard. Federation reinforcements nearby are few."
Of course, he couldn't say it was because the specified it.
"I've given you the method. Just execute it. In two days, I'll send another signal. Have everything ready by then. The details are all on this paper."
With that, Jinwoo melted back into the shadows.
All that remained was a bundle of papers densely covered in writing and diagrams.
By the time Kellogg and the troops collected themselves, he had vanished without a trace.
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