Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Owner of a Workshop in a Ruined World (28)
Although I ran into raiders along the way and lost a little time, retrieving the [MP5 Submachine Gun] itself went smoothly.
Back at the workshop, I dismantled it piece by piece.
Stock.
Receiver cover.
Spring.
Even the bolt assembly—the core component.
Without relying on the system, I loosened every screw with my own hands.
As the number of [Blueprints] I possessed increased, I could clearly feel the accumulation of knowledge.
Compared to complex automobile internal combustion engines or delicate hydraulic valves, this felt like a toy.
“The structure itself is simple.”
–Then can’t you just copy it right away? Hurry up and manufacture one and mount it on me!
“Mount it on you?”
–Yes, Boss!
“No. If I mount an MP5 on a small drone like you, you’ll fire one shot and get launched all the way to Yongsan.”
–Curse you, recoil physics!
Ignoring Picker’s nonsense, I placed my hand on the parts.
The structural analysis was complete.
Now it was time to extract a [Blueprint] through the system.
But the result was failure.
Not even a lower-tier blueprint fragment appeared.
“…As expected.”
Picker blinked his sensor eye.
–Why? What’s the problem?
Reading the system description made the issue obvious.
“I lack knowledge of materials engineering.”
Civilian drones could fly even if they were crudely assembled from plastic and aluminum.
But firearms were different.
Inside this tiny chamber, explosions of thousands of atmospheres occurred.
To withstand that pressure—
What alloy should the barrel be made from?
At what temperature should the bolt be heat-treated to prevent fracture?
Elastic modulus.
Tensile strength.
Simply dismantling a broken gun wasn’t enough to understand those internal parameters.
If I merely copied the shape and carved it out of scrap metal?
The moment it fired, it would explode in my hands like a defective grenade.
“I need more samples. Not just one or two… dozens. Hundreds.”
With enough examples, I could cross-reference data and reverse-engineer the engineering standards.
The problem was where to get them.
Broken fans and crushed cars were everywhere.
But functioning military firearms?
Even shelters rarely had them.
That was why I bought the MP5 instead of dismantling the three K2 rifles I had taken from Pig’s men.
Maybe I could find more through Union Market.
If not, I might have to raid the Mapo Police Station.
“Picker. Let’s review the turret footage.”
Observation itself was a form of study.
–Yes, Boss!
The screen displayed the enormous shadow charging.
The Iron-Tusk Boar.
But the Union turret shredded the monster almost instantly.
“Wait. Play it at 0.1 speed.”
The footage slowed.
I followed the turret barrel’s movement with my eyes.
Mechanical motion.
Yet something felt strange.
Tat-tat! Tatatat!
It wasn’t spraying wildly.
It fired in controlled bursts, managing recoil.
And every shot targeted the boar’s weak points—the forehead, neck, and soft lower abdomen.
“…It knows the boar’s weak points.”
–So it wasn’t just shooting randomly?
“Exactly.”
But the next moment caught my attention.
The boar suddenly changed direction.
Whirr—click.
Tat!
The turret’s rotation hesitated briefly.
Then corrected its trajectory.
Just for an instant.
But it was clear.
“This… isn’t automatic.”
–What? But it’s an automated turret.
Picker’s lens widened.
I pointed at the screen.
“Semi-automatic. Or manual. Someone’s controlling it remotely from a safe location.”
“Picker, analyze it.”
Moments later Picker exclaimed.
–Boss! You’re right! That’s definitely human reaction time!
“Exactly.”
–I am the Honeybee commander after all! That’s clearly a non-Awakened reaction speed!
“A trained soldier is operating it remotely.”
I leaned back in my chair.
The puzzle pieces were coming together.
“The equipment inside the depot and that turret—huge technological gap, right?”
–Yes. Even the camera you carried in wasn’t detected.
“And there was no signal jamming.”
–Correct.
Yet the turret looked incredibly sophisticated.
But slowing the footage further revealed details.
“Picker. Zoom in on the side of the turret body.”
–Yes!
The screen magnified until the image nearly pixelated.
Each time the heavy machine gun fired, the side panel vibrated.
Through a small gap—
Something appeared.
A smooth silver metal box.
Completely out of place on the rusted weapon.
It had been crudely welded onto the machine like a parasite.
[Implanted Core Actuator]
Grade: D
Motor that converts a Core’s wave energy into physical rotational movement.
Low precision causes continuous mechanical overload.
“…Ha.”
I laughed.
“So that’s the secret.”
The terrifying high-tech turret was nothing more than a worn-out heavy machine gun with a small item forcibly attached.
In a world without electricity—
A motor that converted Core energy into motion.
“I thought it was advanced technology. Turns out it’s just an old machine powered by an item.”
I couldn’t help smiling.
Of course, even that was impressive.
Repairing scrap metal and restoring machinery.
The ability likely belonged to a high-ranking technical officer or research director within Union Tech.
But—
“It’s crude.”
At best, they created components and attached them to machines.
They couldn’t fuse them like I could.
That was why Union Tech used recycled ammunition and refurbished guns.
It was clear.
That ability was merely a lower version of my Workshop ability.
Still, I needed to obtain one of those actuators eventually.
“Picker. I overestimated them.”
–Really?
“Yes. Union Tech may cooperate with the military… but their core technology might not be that impressive.”
The fear faded.
Confidence took its place.
“We should stay cautious—but no need to be intimidated.”
Only one thing still concerned me.
Was Union’s logistics system truly based on spatial transportation abilities?
That needed confirmation.
Using Thunder’s transaction history as reference, I registered several items on Union Market.
Empty 9mm shell casings.
Expired canned ham.
Processed Knife-Beak Chicken meat.
And to earn more UP, two E-grade weapons similar to the Worn Military Machete.
[Crude Rebar Spear]
[Recycled Leaf-Spring Kukri]
“Registration complete.”
I deposited each item through the depot kiosk while measuring the time.
Whether it was a small shell casing…
Or a one-meter-long spear.
The results were consistent.
“17 minutes… 16 minutes 30 seconds… 18 minutes…”
Never more than twenty minutes.
Ten test samples.
Error range within three minutes.
If humans transported items by truck or cart, the loading time would vary with weight and size.
But Union Market deliveries took the same time whether the item weighed one kilogram or ten.
That suggested a system cooldown or processing time.
“Spatial transport is still the most likely explanation.”
To test further, I took out a completely shattered smartphone.
The key modifications were twofold.
First, I directly connected the battery power to the GPS module.
Even if the screen didn’t work, the location signal would continuously broadcast.
A wireframe schematic of the phone appeared in midair.
I prepared the final safeguard.
Instead of normal copper wire, I wrapped a high-resistance heating filament between the battery and motherboard.
“Once power flows and GPS activates, heat will build.”
Exactly ten minutes after activation—
The heat would melt the solder.
The circuit would collapse.
The GPS module would burn out.
The perfect self-destruct scenario.
Once the bait reached its destination and transmitted its location, it would erase itself.
–Boss, as thorough as always. Union Tech probably doesn’t have that level of technology, but better safe than sorry.
“Exactly.”
My ability couldn’t be exposed.
If I ever had to reveal myself, I would use the Black Suit identity.
A Honeybee drone landed silently on the roof of the exchange depot.
Next to the antenna.
A perfect CCTV blind spot.
The GPS device was not connected directly to Picker.
Instead it relayed through the Honeybee drone to prevent tracing.
The deposit hatch opened.
I placed the phone inside.
Then I left immediately and moved to the observation point.
–GPS signal confirmed!
On the map, a green dot blinked at the depot location.
Time began.
–Nine minutes elapsed! Boss, the self-destruct timer is about to activate!
“If it fails, we’ll extend the timer and try again.”
At exactly 9 minutes 45 seconds—
Pop.
The green dot vanished.
–Boss! Signal lost!
“I see it.”
The signal disappeared completely.
As if the device itself had been erased.
–Total silence. No data received.
I nodded.
The result was clear.
Truck?
Underground transport?
Never existed.
Union’s logistics system did not operate under normal physical laws.
The only regret was that I couldn’t identify their headquarters.
The moment the item was collected, it either moved into a signal-blocking space or jumped somewhere far beyond GPS reach.
“No one stupid would leave their headquarters unprotected.”
Union’s identity had become clearer.
“Their delivery time averages twenty minutes. No physical transport observed. Items vanish from their location.”
Only one conclusion remained.
–A spatial ability user.
“Yes. Considering the number of exchange depots… it might even be an S-Class Awakened.”
The app only showed depots around Mapo.
But they probably existed nationwide.
I used to think S-Class Awakened were just urban legends.
But in a world where someone like me existed…
And considering the devices inside the depots.
The U-Link app.
The Core Actuator.
“Union Tech is definitely a collective of production-class Awakened.”
And clearly supported by the military.
Otherwise they couldn’t deploy military weapons across so many depots.
Just like the name suggested—
A Union.
Not some mysterious godlike entity.
Now that I knew my opponent, I could focus on my own work.
As I returned to the workshop—
A notification appeared on my U-Link.