Into the Fog (1)
The next morning, after leaving Ansan and waking up, I sat in front of the control panel in car 1, lost in serious thought.
The urgent fires were all out. I'd shaken off the Yeouido bastards' pursuit, and I'd safely brought the gallery owner aboard. Now it was time to upgrade the external turret, which had unlocked after achieving satisfaction by transporting survivors.
My expression darkened as I stared at the panel.
"Hmm..."
Perhaps due to the aftereffects of the production-type evolution, the newly unlocked modifications weren't the simple spec-boosting kinds from before. Most took the form of high-risk, high-return gambles.
Manual Turret
Replaces all existing automatic turrets with a single manual turret.
Shell destructive power and range increase by 300% compared to before. Loses automatic function; engineer must manually operate and fire from the cockpit.
Drops from monsters killed by the manual turret are automatically stored in the designated car. (Current: Car 2 Warehouse)
"Tripling the destructive power sounds great, but I lose the auto-hunting..."
It was tempting enough, even if worrisome. The drones and spikes handled auto-hunting just fine anyway, and I'd personally felt the turrets' range was lacking.
I checked the other options too.
Lightweight
Train's top speed greatly increases, but external armor durability decreases by 20%.
Extended Cabin
Expands interior space in car 3 passenger compartment, doubling transport capacity, but train speed decreases by 15%.
Most mods now followed a "gain something, lose something" structure. Still, they seemed worth considering.
"On hold for now."
As I scratched my head and closed the window, a rustling came from behind the curtain in car 1. Haseon emerged cautiously.
"Ah... good morning. Did I wake up too late?"
Her white hair was a bit mussed, and she blushed embarrassedly as she greeted me. She'd stayed up late blocking problematic users and managing the exchange.
"No, no. Sleep well, Haseon?"
"Yes. It's been forever since I slept so soundly and peacefully."
We exchanged awkward, polite morning greetings, still a bit guarded.
After a light breakfast, I swiveled the control chair to face her on the sofa. She held a mug of hot chocolate I'd saved instead of selling—warm drinks and sugar soothe the mind, my little prep for a good talk.
"Now that it'll be just us traveling together, we should plan ahead."
Haseon nodded, fiddling with her mug.
"I... don't have big personal goals or ambitions. I just want to keep running the gallery with my skill, so people can share info, trade, and chat nonsense sometimes. So, going forward... I'd like to maintain the gallery while helping with whatever you're doing, Sowon."
"Me?"
"Yes. Unlike me, you're out there directly helping people."
She'd read about my exploits while managing the gallery: ferrying survivors to safe zones, trading essentials cheaply on the exchange. Her eyes shone with respect.
I averted my gaze, embarrassed, and shared my immediate goals.
"For now, keep reinforcing this train... and transporting people to safe zones. Stock up on credits too..."
"Credits?"
"Uh? Yeah."
Haseon's eyes sparkled oddly at my answer. She leaned forward, resolute.
"Sowon, if credits are your goal, I have a great idea."
"A great idea?"
She smiled faintly and brought up that heavy, annoying role she'd once suggested via smartphone message.
"Won't you become my sub-manager?"
"Sub-manager... you mean the blue one..."
"Yes."
At my flustered reaction, she smiled softly and explained calmly.
"The perks would really help you."
She ticked off benefits on her pale fingers.
"First, like me, you get real-time authority to permanently ban malicious accounts in the gallery."
Not appealing. Banning meant dealing with drama and reading posts—maybe even the landmine threads I'd luckily avoided.
"A portion of the credits I earn from the exchange and gallery will auto-pay to you daily."
"Credits?"
"Yes. I'd give it all if I could, but upgrading gallery features costs a lot..."
That tempted me. More credits, the better.
"Third, as sub-manager, we can check each other's locations anytime. Whether I'm on the train or you're in danger outside..."
She added the clincher.
"Most importantly... my gallery skill needs at least two admins, including me, to level up to the next stage. You're the only one I'd trust with this."
"Ah..."
I sighed and nodded. Authority, credits, location sharing, skill evolution condition. No refusing.
And honestly, I'd worry giving it to anyone else under those terms.
"Guess I have no choice."
I feigned grim resolve, like shouldering a heavy burden.
"It's all... for the gallery's growth and peace."
"Sowon! Thank you so much!"
Inside, I thought it sounded pretty good, but she was touched. Score.
She tapped her laptop a few times, and something appeared next to my gallery nick: a blue sub-manager badge.
Users who practically lived on the gallery noticed instantly. It became fodder, lighting up the feed.
"Haa... already drawing aggro..."
I gave a wry smile at the vivid blue badge icon next to my ID, ChooChooBangBang.
Thankfully, unlike the jokes, it wasn't unpaid slavery.
Leaning deep into the sofa, I scrolled real-time posts. Dozens mentioning my nick weren't fun.
"...This one."
My eyes locked on a heavy, urgent post amid the chatter. The title called me out directly.
"Hmm..."
I pondered the post. Fog, huh. I'd once purified a city full of poison fog. Probably some monster spewing it this time too.
And if so, I had confidence.
"You sure? Zero vis weather anomaly, even awakeners missing..."
Her red eyes brimmed with worry.
"Don't worry. Train's fine in fog for driving. And—"
If a monster's making it, lure with bait, then sweep. Issue: fog might cripple drones.
Can't rely on drones alone.
I decided to upgrade the turret. Manual was fine. Lured monsters? Blast 'em upfront.
And something to test too.
Rumble—!
As I burned fuel for the mod, the whole train shuddered heavily.
"...The turret."
The machine-gun turrets on the roof retracted in unison. The center of car 1's roof split wide, and a sleek steel barrel rose menacingly—like a sci-fi battleship's main gun plopped on a train.
A new tab appeared on my panel: turret controls.
"S-Sowon! The train shook so much...!"
Haseon yelped from her seat.
"..."
I ignored her, focusing patiently. For possible extra changes.
And—
Flash!
Red light enveloped the train. I smiled. Got it.
Artisan's Touch applied to the turret upgrade. I toyed with the new lever, smirking.
The control screen gained zoom and infrared—just what I wanted.