In the House, Part 9

After setting up a few things in the warden's office, I returned to the shore.

"Oho."

A submarine that looked remarkably like a shrimp had been constructed. Truck honked his horn and spoke.

"—Like you said, it's just the design. With welding this shoddy, diving is out of the question, no matter how shallow the water is. There's no engine, and no fuel either."

"It's more than enough," I replied.

I reached out, clenching my hand in the empty air. Duct Tape stretched out with a sharp shhhk.

"This tape is a miracle worker, you see."

First, I slathered the exterior joints with tape, connected the four yacht engines to mount them near the tail, and hung a light on the front.

The blue tape bound all the disparate parts into a single unit.

"—Are you out of your mind?"

He seemed dumbfounded by this ragtag submarine, but I ignored him and climbed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inside to install the yacht's steering wheel as the helm. I also slapped on the Xenon Battery to serve as both a mana stone and fuel. Wrapped in the tape, the battery glowed brilliantly.

It seems this battery is essentially fuel made from condensed mana stones.

"All done."

Preparation complete.

"—What do you mean, 'all done'?"

This was the effect of Level 3.

Now, this tape did more than just bind things together. As long as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my Cognitive Image reached it, it functioned as a "circuit" connecting everything—be it an electronic circuit, a mana circuit, or anything else.

"Let's go."

"—...Are you seriously planning to ride that?"

"Of course. Robot, put this in the water."

Robot picked up the submarine with its iron arms and set it on the water. The iron hull rattled and rocked against the shore.

I climbed inside through the submarine's top hatch. Truck and Robot followed.

Thud! Thud! The interior shook with every step Robot took.

To be honest, I didn't expect this guy to tag along too.

"We're departing. Get ready."

I gripped the steering wheel. The Xenon Battery flashed blue.

Set sail.

Whoosh.

The hull submerged into the water. Bubbles swirled past the thick glass window.

Pssssshhhhh—

"—Ha. Unbelievable."

Truck muttered blankly. He probably felt like his entire lifetime of engineering knowledge was being thoroughly insulted.

"This is what you call magic engineering."

"—...What on earth did I even study all those years?"

"You could do it too if you put in the effort, Mr. Truck. After all, this tape was originally yours."

"—Mine?"

"Yes."

I switched on the searchlight as I guided the submarine downward. As the beam pierced the darkness, zombies submerged at the very bottom came into view.

"—...There are so many of them. The Gate must have been open for quite a long time."

Hundreds, no, nearly thousands of them. They were spread out like a gray carpet.

"Where is the purification channel?"

"—Hold on."

Truck checked the radar. The small screen salvaged from the yacht flickered with a green glow.

"—Keep heading straight down in this direction."

"Got it."

We descended. Naturally, this was my first time piloting a submarine, but then again, this wasn't even a real submarine. It was merely a hybrid construct born of Truck's design and my Cognitive Image.

"I see it. The purification channel."

We found the channel. Zombies were wedged tightly into every nook and cranny.

"Entering."

Just in case, I turned off the searchlight. The interior of the submarine plunged into darkness.

Even with my enhanced vision, it was hard to see, but I slowly navigated toward a gap...

Thud!

The stern was caught. I violently yanking the steering wheel.

Screeech!

As if snagged by something, we couldn't move forward.

"—It's the zombies."

"Yeah. Looks like they've grown gills or something."

"—How are you so calm?!"

"I always have a Plan B ready."

I flipped open my laptop.

I accessed the Den Water warden's authority, which I had transferred to myself through hacking. Among those privileges was the "Emergency Discharge System."

"—Hey. That can only be used in an emergency."

Truck hovered right next to me, chiming in.

"I know."

I had intentionally planted a bomb there.

It was a mana explosive still linked to my nervous system. The medium was the warden's skeletal remains. Human bones, after all, retain residual mana.

...A fact I wish I didn't have to know.

Using my Cognitive Image as a signal, I pressed down. Click.

Thump.

The faint rumble of the explosion reverberated through the water. Just as the control room computer detected the shockwave, I activated the emergency discharge system.

Ruuuuuumble—

The purification channel burst wide open, and a violent torrent of water surged. A massive whirlpool, characteristic of drainage facilities, formed instantly. The submarine was sucked into the channel like a leaf in a storm.

"—Aaaagh!"

Truck shrieked.

"Hold on tight!"

He sounded so human that the words slipped out of my mouth before I could think. Amazingly, Truck actually reached out and gripped the submarine's handrail.

Robot braced me from behind.

"Worry about yourself!"

"—Aaaagh!"

Truck kept screaming, Robot kept bracing me, and the interior spun wildly as we were violently tossed around.

"—Aaaagh!"

"This is ridiculous," I laughed.

I couldn't help but chuckle.

The submarine finally stabilized. We were now deep within the waters of what appeared to be a massive sewage treatment plant. The zombies had poured in with us, but since they couldn't swim, they had all sunk to the bottom.

"—I can't believe that actually worked. It's absurd."

"Isn't it fun?"

I had ridden in submarines quite a few times myself. Maybe eight or nine times.

"—I suppose so. *Munch, munch.*"

Truck was chewing on something, and I was munching on an energy bar. Robot was recharging itself using a Xenon battery.

An impromptu mukbang. It was dinner time.

"Ah, my leg..."

After finishing my meal, I lay down on the floor of the hull.

I stared blankly up at the ceiling. Strangely, it felt cozy and safe.

"—What happened to your leg?"

Truck asked out of the blue. He too seemed to have grown curious about me.

"An accident during an operation ruined my body."

"—...I see. It sounds like you've been through a lot."

"At least I'm still alive. The ones who really suffered..."

Suddenly, a scene flashed through my mind like a strip of film.

A door.

My last memory of that day.

A metaphysical door, its shape hard to even recall.

"...are the ones who died."

"—Hmm. I suppose so. Well, let's start heading up."

"Yes."

I took the steering wheel.

We ascended slowly, very slowly. Given my already battered body, this pace was perfect to avoid decompression sickness.

The change in water pressure tickled my ears.

"—At this speed, it'll take about thirty minutes."

Might as well get some sleep until then.

"I'm going to rest for thirty minutes. Please take the helm."

"—Sure."

Truck took the wheel. I activated Dream Bubble and closed my eyes.

"—We've arrived."

I woke up at Truck's voice.

"*Yawn.*"

I yawned and sat up.

The surface was coming into view, but the water was absolutely filthy. Dark blue debris floated around, looking utterly repulsive. I wish I had a gas mask.

*Pop!* The submarine bobbed up through the filth like a glass bead.

"Robot. Let's get out."

I opened the hatch. Robot climbed out first and lifted us up.

"Ah, I got wet."

Some unidentified sludge had gotten onto the hem of my pants. I didn't even want to know what it was. Fortunately, with the auto-cleaning function, it would be spotless in thirty minutes.

"Robot. Retrieve the submarine."

"—Why bother?"

"You'll need it when you go back down, Mr. Truck. I made a shortcut, so we should use it on the return trip too."

Since I attached the Xenon battery, it should last until then.

"—...Thanks."

Robot hauled the submarine onto the steel floor.

*Clatter, clatter.* Truck led the way through the sewage treatment area, searching for a path.

"—Here it is. The inter-ship elevator."

"Let's go."

We boarded the elevator. Our destination: Den Mexico.

*Whirrrrr. Whirrrrr. Whirrrrr.*

We ascended endlessly.

"Mr. Truck. Do you have enough food?"

"—Combined with what I already had, I can sustain life for over twenty-four months. Now, I just need parts and materials."

"Let's hope there are parts, then."

"—There are. On the Cosmos."

"There aren't."

"—..."

Truck turned to glare at me, spinning his wheels with a sharp *screeech* in a threatening gesture. Like an angry cat.

I chuckled.

*Thud.* The doors opened.

It looked like a garbage disposal area for the casino. Without even being ordered, Robot stepped forward to take the lead.

"Good. Excellent job."

*Beep-boop.* Robot let out a cheerful chime.

In any case, thanks ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to him, we safely reached the lobby.

"Oh!"

I spotted a desktop near the counter.

I rushed over, but...

"...Ah, what?"

The familiar glow was missing. Someone had already used it. Either Kang Hyun or Seo Ji-woo.

Still, I proceeded with the download. The layout of the casino ship flooded into my mind.

Luxurious guest rooms, gaming halls, secret chambers, and above all, the one and only VVIP lounge.

The Hot Line was connected directly to the casino's VVIP lounge.

"Let's head to the VVIP lounge."

I walked, leaning on my cane.

I easily found the elevator leading to the VVIP lounge, but as expected, it was locked tight. The security lock blinked with a red light.

"—Can you hack it?"

"Give me a second."

I plugged the cable from my wrist into the port.

"...It's a no-go."

Hacking isn't invincible, after all.

I had to find another way.

I sifted through the downloaded memories.

"The jackpot prize is 7,777,777 credits and a VVIP membership... is that correct?"

"—Probably."

If I had the VVIP membership, I would be able to enter the VVIP lounge.

"Follow me."

I returned to the casino lobby. After scanning the rows of slot machines, I grabbed one and hacked it.

It worked!

If I could just stretch the jackpot probability to 100%...

100% was impossible. Damn it, who took that desktop? If I were Level 4, this would be a breeze.

"1% is the best I can do."

"—One out of a hundred spins... That doesn't sound promising. Besides, it'll make a ton of noise."

Even if I used magic to muffle the slot machine's loud clinking, there was a limit.

"...I know someone with incredible luck with physical things."

I didn't want to rely on luck either, but if it was him, he might be able to wrap this up quickly.

Not just general luck, but material luck. His life had been far too tragic to simply call it "luck," as if the universe was compensating for his misfortune by granting him bizarrely good fortune with physical objects.

"—You mean the comrade trapped in the safe?"

"Yes. But right now, I have no way of getting him out."

There was absolutely no way to break him out of the safe.

And I certainly wasn't going to act as the bait to draw aggro. It was far too risky for a man with a limp.

"—The casino ship is equipped with a gravity-reversal system. It's for riot control. Casinos always carry that kind of risk."

"Gravity reversal... Can you operate it?"

"—The server room was open. I can probably keep it running for about five minutes."

"In that case, yes. I have a great idea."

I quietly tore off a piece ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of Duct Tape. Setting it to double-sided, I stuck it to the floor.

I set the friction to be stronger on the side stuck to the floor, and moderately strong on the upper side where a person would walk.

"Do you understand?"

"—Of course."

Truck's wheels clicked as they adjusted.

"—I don't even need that tape. Just in case, I've upgraded myself to be able to drive on the ceiling."

"Excellent. Robot, come here."

I beckoned Robot over.

"When gravity reverses, you'll carry me. I'm going to piggyback on you."

"And..."

"—*Static.* Is anyone there?"

A voice suddenly crackled from the terminal. Startled, I pulled it out.

It showed zero for me, yet a transmission was coming through.

"...Ah. Terminal upgrade?"

I wondered who would actually waste resources upgrading their terminal, but I guess he did.

"He really is an idiot."

There was a reason his nickname was "Tin-can Hyun."

...Unless, of course, it's all an act.

"—Hello? Who is this?"

"You're Kang Hyun, right? Can you hear my voice?"

"—Ha-woon... Hyung?"

"—What? Seol Ha-woon?!"

"Shh. Listen carefully. I'm going to get you out. First, keep drawing aggro inside the safe until we give you the signal..."

The rest of the operational briefing was omitted.

"All set."

I finished laying down the tape in the casino lobby.

A track that stretched from the safe to the lobby, from the lobby to the slot machines, and from the slot machines to the VVIP lounge.

"—Good. I'll head over to the server room now."

"Yes."

I picked up the terminal.

"Are you ready?"

"—Yes."

"Okay."

I climbed onto Robot's back, clinging tightly. I had wrapped myself with Duct Tape as well, so I wouldn't fall off easily.

"Robot. My life is in your hands now."

Robot's eyes flashed red. It looked unnecessarily, excessively solemn.

"Relax."

No response.

I guess it doesn't want to relax.

"Sure, whatever. Have it your way..."