A Gold Mine
The shelter outpost.
Jeron and Mr. Kang decided to wait here for a moment to observe the situation.
Down below, four evolved mutants were running rampant.
Even if they wanted to help, they couldn't do so recklessly. Besides, their past experiences had taught them that organized groups of soldiers were often no different from raiders.
In the early days of the collapse, the military had rescued citizens with a sense of duty and established survival camps to protect them. But as time passed, they degenerated.
Once the state collapsed and humanity plunged into the abyss, they turned into bandits.
Since Jeron shared those grim memories, he chose to watch rather than rescue them.
"Screeeech!"
"Aaaargh!"
"Get away from me!"
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
A fierce battle erupted between the evolved mutants and the soldiers.
Five soldiers had poured out of the truck.
They unleashed a torrent of firepower, but the evolved beasts deflected every single bullet.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
"A shield," Jeron muttered.
"So that's what a shield is?" Mr. Kang asked.
"Since you've been living on the Karen Continent, you must know by now. Magic exists in this world. When the mutants emit that blue energy, you can assume they are using something similar to magic."
"Aha, magic. So that blue barrier deflects all gunpowder weapons. No wonder humanity couldn't survive."
"Yes. When dealing with mutants, crossbows or cold weapons are actually better."
"That doesn't sound like a very good option either."
"Running away is the best option, of course."
The arms of the soldiers firing the guns were ripped clean off.
Flesh and muscle stretched taut before tearing apart, spraying blood in a grotesque display.
The mutants possessed a degree of intelligence; they knew they had to neutralize the humans' weapons first.
Once the humans lost their weapons, the outcome was obvious.
Heads rolled, and limbs were torn apart.
The four mutants leaped around, ripping heads off to pull out spines or slicing bodies in half with their razor-sharp claws.
A sudden feast of blood ensued.
Within moments, the street was littered with nothing but dismembered corpses.
"Screeeech!"
The mutants shrieked in victory.
A powerful surge of mana vibrated all the way to the outpost.
They've evolved further!
Cold sweat trickled down Jeron's forehead.
Though he remained silent, Mr. Kang felt the same sense of crisis.
He realized that hunting mutants had just become significantly harder.
They kept low, waiting for the monsters to finish feeding.
It took about five minutes.
That was all the time the evolved mutants needed to devour the soldiers completely.
Only pools of blood and human bones remained scattered across the asphalt.
Boom!
Just then, an explosion echoed from quite a distance away.
The mutants reacted instantly, sprinting toward the sound.
Their movements were even faster now.
One would think eating that much would slow them down, but the opposite was true.
Even after the monsters vanished, Jeron and Mr. Kang did not budge.
Mr. Kang was the first to speak.
"Every time I see something like this, I feel grateful to you."
"Why?"
"Because you let me escape this hell."
Sincerity shone in Mr. Kang's eyes.
If Jeron hadn't rescued him, he would have been dead by now.
When Jeron first found him, Mr. Kang had been pitifully emaciated.
Now, he had gained weight and exercised regularly, looking ten years younger than before.
What had just occurred was a daily sight on Earth, but seeing it again after living in safety made his skin crawl.
"Let's go down. We need to salvage what we can, don't we?"
"Yeah, let's go."
After confirming there were no mutants, survivors, or raiders within a three-kilometer radius, Jeron and Mr. Kang climbed down from the outpost.
As they made their way down the mountain path, distant explosions and gunfire echoed intermittently.
The sheer volume of the noise suggested the military base itself was being overrun.
It was obvious that every mutant in the vicinity would rush there.
The military base would be a living hell right now.
Whoosh.
A bleak wind blew, blending perfectly with the distant explosions.
Dead leaves scraped along the ground, drifting in one direction, completing the post-apocalyptic landscape.
On the forest path overlooking the road, Jeron and Mr. Kang stopped simultaneously without a word.
As long-time survivors of Earth, they knew that the moment of scavenging was always the most dangerous.
The stench of blood was already thick in the air.
There was a chance they might be spotted by a mutant heading toward the military base.
They waited silently for five minutes.
Only after Jeron sensed no danger did they move.
Up close, the scene was truly horrific.
An overturned, half-destroyed truck, fragments of flesh and bone scattered across the ground, and pools of blood.
Static and frantic voices leaked from a radio thrown onto the asphalt.
— Sergeant First Class Park! The evolved ones are here too! Aaargh!
— Sergeant Kim! Do you copy?!
— Please save us...!
— Aaaaargh!
"..."
Jeron and Mr. Kang stood in silence, letting out a sigh.
As expected, the entire military base was under attack.
They seemed to have held out well until now, but in the end, the conclusion was always the same.
Indiscriminate death.
The more people gathered in one place, the higher the chance of attracting mutant attacks.
Mr. Kang and his daughter had realized this early on, choosing to survive on their own.
"Radios... This is a massive haul, isn't it?"
"Indeed. They look like mid-range radios... Do they cover about five kilometers? It's been a long time since my military service."
"The maximum range is probably around that."
"A five-kilometer range will be an immense help!"
Jeron knew the power of radio communication.
During World War II, one of the reasons the French military collapsed so miserably was poor radio communication.
History had proven that a military that could transmit orders quickly and accurately was on a completely different level from one that couldn't.
Having many radios would be ideal, but even a few would grant a massive advantage.
In the event of a war, this could be a game-changer capable of turning the tide of battle.
"We're taking all the radios."
These weren't the only useful items.
The ammunition pouches on the soldiers' webbing contained spare magazines for K-2 rifles. They also found several hand grenades, along with three Claymores and C4 explosives.
"It's definitely a good haul, but the quantity is a bit small considering we looted a military vehicle," Mr. Kang remarked with slight disappointment.
This wasn't an opportunity that came every day.
While firearms and explosives were useless against mutants, they reigned supreme in anti-personnel combat.
These were essential items for continued scavenging on a harsh Earth.
The same applied to the wars on the Karen Continent.
Depending on how they were used, a single bomb could turn the tide of a battle—for instance, by planting a time bomb to blow up an enemy command post.
Like the experienced survivors they were, Jeron and Mr. Kang thoroughly and quickly looted the necessary items before swiftly leaving the area.
With the stench of blood this strong, staying on the road was asking for trouble.
Jeron and Mr. Kang returned to the shelter.
Even after returning, they did not forget to climb up to the outpost to scan the surroundings.
Fifteen minutes passed.
No sound could be heard from the surroundings.
The loud explosions that had echoed ten minutes ago had completely ceased.
At this point, it was safe to assume the base had been wiped out.
Jeron turned on one of the radios to check the situation at the military base.
Static!
— Ugh, men... Do not return to base. Under no circumstances...! This place is already a mutant playground... Aaargh!
Static—
That was the end of it.
No more sounds came through.
Jeron sighed.
"I don't know if I should feel sorry for them."
"In my experience, military units that have survived until now are never composed of good soldiers. A soldier's loyalty can only exist when there is a state to pledge it to. When there is no government, let alone a country, it's strange to expect soldiers to function properly."
"True."
They silently began their work.
Since they had plenty of time left, Mr. Kang began dismantling useful car parts in earnest.
A vehicle was made of tens of thousands of parts.
It was the pinnacle of advanced technology, and the durability of the components was beyond question.
Most of the internal parts had withstood long periods of intense operation.
It was usually just a single part failing that required repair; the overall build quality was exceptionally high.
Under the hands of a skilled engineer, these small automotive parts would be reborn into magnificent creations.
After a grueling six hours, the dismantling process finally came to an end.
Mr. Kang wiped the sweat from his brow.
"I think we've sorted out the primary useful parts."
"That looks like a lot. And that's just the first batch?"
"Yes. There are cars scattered everywhere here. We have five cars in the shelter alone, and we need to strip every useful part from them. Especially the car engines. There's no way the technology of the Karen Continent can replicate these."
"That's for sure."
Car engines?
The engines of Earth's vehicles were products of technology a thousand years more advanced than anything on the Karen Continent.
An engine that generated power could be used to run an entire factory, depending on how it was applied.
Jeron had no idea how to utilize them, but that was for Mr. Kang and his daughter to figure out.
"If you ever see a tank, call me."
"A tank?"
"If we can dismantle and bring back a tank engine, we can easily build textile machines, mass threshers, grinders, and the like."
"...!"
Jeron's eyes widened.
This was something a non-specialist could never have imagined.
Being able to bring someone like Mr. Kang to the Karen Continent was an immense stroke of luck.
"We'll need fuel, though."
"Finding a fuel tanker would be hitting the jackpot. If we look around, we'll find plenty of fuel left."
Mr. Kang seemed to have already planned where to use the parts while dismantling the vehicle.
Once applied to the Karen Continent, it would introduce a mind-boggling level of over-technology.
I need to build up my power.
It might be fine at first, but what would happen once Jeron began mass-producing goods using machinery?
All kinds of pests would swarm him.
Viscount Rebion was a prime example.
Technological advancement could only be displayed to the world once one possessed the power to protect it.
Jeron felt the urge to develop his territory and raise his noble rank even faster.
I almost wish the great war would break out sooner.