Chapter 85
Chapter 85
What?
“Stop!”
At the same moment I shouted, the drill pierced through the final layer of bedrock underground.
Rumble—!
A vibration like the roar of a beast rose from deep beneath the earth.
The ground shook violently as if an earthquake had struck.
BOOOOM!
With a thunderous explosion, the heavy drilling rod embedded in the ground shot into the sky like a cannonball.
From the hole it left behind, compressed gas and oil burst outward.
HISSS—!
Purple gas and pitch-black crude oil erupted like a fountain high into the air.
“AAAAH!”
“Run!”
It was a disaster.
The oil that had shot skyward scattered in every direction and rained down like black rain.
Wherever the droplets touched, a sizzling sound followed.
The paint on a nearby wrecked vehicle melted instantly, exposing the bare metal frame. One engineer who failed to dodge had the shoulder of his work suit begin smoking and burning.
“AAAAH!”
I grabbed him and hurled him far away.
That wasn’t all.
The erupting gas carried extremely concentrated mana.
“Ugh!”
The non-Awakened engineers and Sungjun’s group—who had no mana resistance—staggered, dizziness overwhelming them as nosebleeds began to flow.
[Boss! The mana concentration is totally different from the sample we received! This is pure poison!]
“Everyone fall back!”
I pushed the exoskeleton output to its maximum.
Grabbing those who had collapsed and couldn’t escape, I threw them into the safe zone.
Then, instead of retreating, I rushed straight toward the eruption point.
If left alone, this entire area would become permanently contaminated.
SSSSSS—
The Mutant Oil splashing from the fountain touched the exoskeleton’s armor plates, producing white smoke.
Even reinforced alloy corroded under its toxicity.
“Ghh…!”
But this rain of oil would block outside visibility.
I quickly [Disassembled] nearby rocks, plastic debris, and scrap metal.
After gathering materials, I activated [Manufacture] repeatedly.
Soon the hole created by the drilling rod sealed shut.
The black pillar that had been shooting skyward subsided.
Looking at the melted and battered surface of the exoskeleton, I let out a sigh.
The leather covering had nearly dissolved, exposing the exoskeleton beneath.
I needed to repair it immediately.
Using [Manufacture] once more, the outer skin regenerated like flesh growing back over bone.
Looking around, the surroundings were completely ruined.
The ground soaked by the oil rain had turned purple and was rotting away.
Ruined buildings nearby had melted grotesquely.
I had thought drilling a hole would make us oil tycoons.
Reality proved otherwise.
“Picker, analyze the situation.”
Picker spoke in an unusually serious tone.
[First: There is no pressure control technology. Without equipment capable of controlling the massive underground pressure, drilling itself is suicide.]
“Right. This wasn’t just a soda bottle with the cap popped off. I should have predicted it. I wasn’t cautious enough.”
This was the blind spot of my abilities.
By attaching a drilling rod to the [Ground Survey Device], I had created the Atlas Oil Field Surveyor, making drilling technically possible.
But the surrounding technologies were completely absent.
That was why accidents like this happened.
If even one person with knowledge in this field had been present, this accident wouldn’t have occurred.
Humanity had already gone through the same process in the past.
Normally Picker would catch what I overlooked—but his knowledge gaps matched mine.
Unless we possessed refinery-level expertise, predicting this situation was impossible.
To rebuild civilization, I would either need to gather experts from every field—or study everything myself.
The latter was unrealistic.
In the end, the only option was to recruit intellectuals under Atlas.
[Second: purification facilities.]
Picker pointed his laser at the purple-contaminated ground.
[Unless the acidic toxicity and mana unique to mutants are removed, the engine will melt before the fuel can even be used—or the user will die from poisoning.]
Special corrosion-resistant alloys and mana-insulating materials would be essential.
The cost might exceed the benefit.
Thinking about it, the mana concentration likely varied depending on the mutant species and quantity involved.
That made sense.
The mana density would obviously differ depending on whether the raw material came from F-Grade mutants or C-Grade mutants.
[And third: even if we extract crude oil, we have no tanks to store it and no pipelines to transport it.]
Transporting such toxic material in steel drums?
If even a small amount spilled from a rattling truck, the surrounding land would become a permanent dead zone where nothing would grow.
“In short… we need far more preparation than expected.”
But that only made it more valuable.
In this ruined world, no one except me could accomplish this.
After sealing the eruption point, I sent the engineers and hired workers back.
The contaminated area couldn’t simply be left as it was.
Alone, I steadied my breathing and resumed work.
There was no need to dig again.
Using [Disassemble], I attempted to extract Mutant Oil directly from the contaminated soil.
Storing it in a special container created with [Manufacture], the smell was overwhelming.
“Is crude oil normally this foul?”
—I don’t have a nose, sir.
“Now you change your answer?”
—Analysis complete, sir. Confirmed: monster oil.
“As expected.”
Breaking Mutant Oil down into normal crude oil proved impossible.
Meaning this was the smallest functional unit.
Which actually made things easier.
Classification would be simpler.
“Then let’s begin purification.”
Before long, a 200-liter steel drum filled with the extracted oil.
“Whew. My head is pounding. I hope this is the last time I have to do it manually.”
—Boss! Don’t say things like that! That’s a flag!
“Ptoo, ptoo.”
In any case, manually extracting oil like this every time was impossible.
I had already tasted automation.
In a world overflowing with mutants and raiders, ordinary people usually couldn’t do anything at night.
But the Mapo Police Station Shelter was lively.
Bright floodlights illuminated every corner of the station.
BANG! BANG BANG! BANG!
Gunshots tore through the night sky.
Live-fire training was underway against mutants drawn by the light.
“Don’t spare ammunition! Control recoil and fire three-round bursts!”
Under Tactical Director Yoon Sungjun’s command, Atlas personnel clumsily but seriously pulled their triggers.
For a normal shelter, it would be unimaginable.
In a world where a single bullet was worth a handful of rice, they were pouring out live rounds for training.
WHIRRR—THUNK! THUNK!
Behind them, Atlas Guardian turrets mounted on the walls covered blind spots and provided support fire.
Thanks to that, the trainees could gain combat experience safely.
Then—
Thud. Thud.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the darkness beyond the gate.
The Bomb Maniac appeared, carrying a massive steel drum on one shoulder.
“Cease fire! The Representative!”
Yoon Sungjun spotted him first and saluted.
At that moment, a C-Grade mutant lunged from the darkness behind him.
The trainees panicked and swung their rifles around, but the creature was too fast.
“Grrraah!”
It leapt toward the Bomb Maniac’s back.
Just as everyone’s faces turned pale—
CRACK.
Without even turning around, the Bomb Maniac casually reached back with his free hand and grabbed the creature by the neck.
Then he squeezed.
CRUNCH!
The neck bone shattered instantly.
The Bomb Maniac tossed the limp C-Grade mutant aside like garbage.
The drum on his shoulder never even shifted.
“…”
Silence fell.
A C-Grade mutant that required dozens of rifle rounds to kill had been crushed like a fly.
Reverence filled the employees’ eyes.
“Call a meeting. All executives.”
A short while later, in the conference room.
Yoon Imsu, Lee Mira, Han Daeman, Kim Jihoon, and Yoon Sungjun.
All Atlas leadership had gathered.
“Mutant Oil will be a game changer. The problem is refining it. Without removing toxicity and mana, it’s unusable. And as we experienced today, drilling with our current technology risks explosions.”
Yoon Imsu nodded.
“The issue is that such technology is extremely advanced. Finding engineers capable of it may be difficult.”
“If there are no teeth, you chew with gums. I want to inspect a chemical complex first.”
Even if I couldn’t refine it yet, the workshop could extract data.
Silence filled the room.
Then Design Team Leader Lee Mira spoke cautiously.
“When you say chemical complex, the largest ones are in Ulsan and Yeosu. But reaching them is impossible.”
She was right.
Even traveling to Hyochang Park, the hunting ground for Beak-Chickens, took hours.
With my upgraded exoskeleton and help from the Honeybee drones, I could do it in about an hour—but that applied only to me.
“But… there is one alternative. Seo District of Incheon. There’s a large petrochemical complex there.”
Incheon.
Not far from Seoul.
But Lee Mira’s expression wasn’t bright.
“However… that place is the stronghold of Admiral’s faction. Their leader, Admiral, is said to have connections with the military.”
Admiral.
An unfamiliar name made me tilt my head.
Yoon Imsu explained.
“His real name is Kwon Hyukgu. Before the collapse he was an executive at a major shipping company and held a doctorate in engineering. He is believed to be an A-Grade Awakened, one tier above Choi Manseok.”
Both Yoon Imsu and Yoon Sungjun were also believed to be A-Grade Awakened.
I had already heard about their traits.
Impressive abilities—but when I watched how they used them, I had my doubts.
The exploits of Cha Yumin, another A-Grade Awakened, were circulating as videos on the Survivor Forum.
Apparently edited highlight compilations of her battles were even being sold under the name “Gangnam Madwoman.”
—Boss… I think she uploaded those herself.
…Really?
Anyway, through Disassembly and Manufacture, I had already learned that rank alone wasn’t absolute.
Meaning the long experience accumulated by Admiral’s faction could make their strength unpredictable.
“Their technological level is also considerable. Hard to compare with Guro Foundry. They import parts from the United States and assemble or maintain complex machinery.”
Interesting.
There was a high probability that was the source of American-made weapons.
That meant not only refinery facilities but also mountains of advanced technology and equipment worth stealing.
But not yet.
An A-Grade Awakened and a solid faction behind him.
Trade might be possible—but unlikely to be easy.
My instincts said acquiring technology would eventually require conflict with Admiral.
First, we must expand our funds and power.
Only when we stood on equal footing could negotiations begin.
I silently set the next goal.
“Director Sungjun. Did you bring the list?”
“Yes. Twelve groups in total, approximately five hundred people.”
He handed over a list of small survivor groups in Mapo District that had previously traded firearms and ammunition with us.
“Good. That’s more than expected.”
I pointed to the Mapo District map on the wall.
At five major intersections along Mapo-daero—key strategic locations—I marked red dots.
“We’ll build Atlas Shelters at these five locations.”
“For sale…?”
“Yes. First we sell shelters and sort the wheat from the chaff. Later, once the Mutant Oil problem is solved, we’ll bundle convenience facilities and Atlas Guardian turrets into a full Atlas Shelter Solution.”
Just like subscription economies before the collapse.
The Atlas Shelter Solution would become a massive chain binding everyone to me.