Chapter 356 – Life Finds a Way (3)
Margarita and the front guard remained calm, but the personnel pulling the carriages at the back did not.
As I passed through the main gate, I was intimidated by the fortified Kaesong Industrial Complex, heavily armed stalkers, combat helicopters under maintenance, and sentry guns with bloody guns.
“What are all those robots with guns? No, it’s a robot, right? “Did you Chinese bastards fight these monsters?”
“Alexei, you are a security bot enthusiast. “Please explain.”
“I don’t know! These are models I’ve never seen before!”
The conversation between the carriage escorts was heard through an interpreter.
They were astonished to see automated machines handling chores such as moving supplies and cleaning.
“Is the oil rotting?”
“Is this police? “I can’t see any people and there are only a lot of robots.”
“Be quiet. No chatting while entering camp.”
It seems like they placed veterans in the front and back rows and inexperienced people in the middle. It is the most ideal form for crisis response.
The carriages were parked in a large barn built in one industrial complex.
These days, a parking lot is semi-synonymous with a stable. There are pullers, troughs, and water tanks for removing excrement.
There was a water pipe for water supply next to the water trough, and bags of feed were piled next to the trough.
It is a shelter product containing animal protein and has a muscular horse character in a body building pose on the outside. It’s Kids’ work.
There is even a machine that rotates automatically and scratches the backs and necks of livestock.
“I’m speechless.”
Margherita has not been able to keep her poker face since their first encounter. Because she keeps coming up with new surprises.
She had short hair and was impressive with long, thick eyebrows and dark circles that looked like she was wearing smokey makeup.
Although she is not an eye-catching beauty, the more you look at her, the more she has a unique charm.
“I have never seen such a well-equipped facility. “It’s also work to take them to the water source to give them water.”
“In the meantime, we have to prepare for an attack, right? Because it’s a place where looters like to ambush.”
She nodded and looked at me carefully.
“We will let our horses graze outside. “I don’t know about water, but I can’t even afford to pay for feed.”
Camps naturally received money for providing water and hay.
Water and weeding are only small expenses, but the price of feed will skyrocket, so they seem to feel burdened.
“This is a military base, not a commercial town. They are provided out of consideration for the organizations with which we are affiliated. “I didn’t set it up with the intention of receiving money in the first place, so please feel free to feed me.”
“There is nothing scarier in the world than free money. “If you give it to me so kindly, I am afraid.”
“I appreciate your attitude of not being harsh, but I have no intention of looking after you just for the sake of food. “We don’t make such childish deals.”
I pointed to the horses.
His mouth is watering, and he is purring, probably because he smells the smell coming from inside the bag.
“I came all the way from Russia and worked hard to get here, so shouldn’t I at least get a special meal?”
“We also take good care of ourselves.”
Margarita’s dark circles became even more prominent as she smiled bitterly. Rather than looking tired, it looked like makeup, giving off a unique charm.
As I gave instructions to the drivers following me, the corners of everyone’s mouths turned up. He seemed happy to be able to feed good things to his children.
“It looks like the demon army will be defeated. “This is an absurd level of resources.”
“Demon army?”
“The remnants of the Chinese army.”
“Ah, I guess that’s what the Chinese brigade is called in Russia.”
“Yes. I had the feeling that these people were only living for today, acting viciously and making enemies wherever they went.”
Margarita also has anger in her tone, as if she has never been beaten by those guys.
“I guess that’s why they were able to maintain such a large army in these times because they didn’t hesitate to do so. Really, no matter how many times I killed, there was no end to it.”
Margarita paused for a moment at the part that said, ‘No matter how much you kill, there is no end.’
“You’re talking about those demons as if they were no big deal.”
“Of all the guys I’ve faced so far, I put up the best fight. But they’re all dead now.”
“Thanks to the manager, we are in a festive mood as we hunt down the defeated soldiers.”
According to her, a very small number of the defeated soldiers who were separated from the main unit are living on the run.
Thanks to this, a temporary truce was reached between the warring Russian camps, and they were hunting with one mind and one mind.
“On behalf of the entire Russian camp, I would like to thank you.”
Margarita bowed her head politely.
“Our warlords are very interested in the battle with the Chinese army.”
“How on earth did you defeat them?”
“Isn’t this a great battle of life and death where even nuclear weapons explode?”
An intense battle involving all special forces, ground subsidence, the appearance of infectious agents, the discovery of a bomb shelter, and finally a nuclear explosion ending.
It’s a great story that will attract everyone’s attention, wherever it is.
“Furthermore, there are many people who want to know the damage that your army has suffered.”
“You may be curious about the course of the war, but why are there losses on our side?”
“Why? “If they had planned a two-party alliance, their intention was to come down and say, ‘What are you doing?'”
Margarita smiled and pointed to her group.
The coachmen were busy unharnessing the horses, wiping their sweat, and feeding them water in buckets.
“Isn’t the world where distribution and trade have all collapsed? “It is better to live in Korea, which is a little warmer and has more access to the sea, than Siberia, which is barren.”
“Well, is this the only place you can do business or emigrate?”
China is a hell of royalties and Mongolia is also devastated.
It is absurd to send an immigrant fleet across the sea to Japan, and far away in western Russia, much better armed warlords are making a living.
In the end, what remains is the Korean Peninsula. It’s close by land, there are few threats due to the nature of the peninsula, the climate is pretty good, and it’s even easy.
“The reason we came down was because we received a request from the warlords to search for information. To be honest, it is not easy to make a profit by coming down to this point based on commerce alone.”
“It’s good to know in detail, but is it okay to say everything like this?”
“You can openly call me a spy. “They won’t really trust me anyway.”
Margarita looked at me with transparent eyes.
“If the power of the supply outpost, which is not even a city, is this high, even if the Siberian warlords form an expeditionary force, they will not stand a chance. “He will see through shallow tactics, so it’s better to be honest.”
“That’s right. I am a soldier by nature, not a businessman. I hate bargaining. “It’s better to cut all your cards from the beginning and give what you have to give and take what you have to give.”
“It seems so.”
Margarita saw the workers pouring bags of feed into the feed container.
The horses were probably hungry after the long march, so they put their heads down and ate like crazy.
“Then shall we go too?”
I tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to her restaurant.
“Is this a new building?”
She covered her mouth as she looked at the neat building without any rust or cracks.
“The city you were going to call Polis is also a newly built city?”
“Oh!”
After the infection war, there are one or two things that are precious, but the highest peak among them is the new building.
This is because there is no such thing as a warlord equipped with cement, rebar, various construction materials, professional manpower, and heavy equipment.
“This is a good transit point for those traveling north. I am also in charge of mediating meetings and disputes between factions.”
“Oh, it’s not just a restaurant.”
“Isn’t this a world where people often growl and point guns at each other? “Because I can’t eat and drink everything, the stress builds up, and I become more sensitive.”
“If we mediate and feed delicious food in a clean building like that, it will be resolved easily.”
“That’s right.”
Margarita had the ability to happily throw a ball at the speaker. She is not the top leader for nothing.
* * *
The Russians who enter the restaurant rubbing their hands are all excited.
Is this because, even though they have visited numerous camps, this is their first time visiting such a well-equipped fortress? You definitely expect to be served quality food.
This restaurant is structured so that customers can see the cooking area, like an omakase restaurant.
Just looking at the numerous seasoning containers, cooking utensils, and large refrigerator raises expectations.
“There is a bathroom inside. “Is that also a flush type?”
“Hey, there’s even hot water!”
Two men came out of the bathroom, shaking their wet hands.
“Warm water? Really?”
“Oh, fuck!”
The moment they heard ‘warm water’, half the men and all the women got up and rushed to the bathroom.
“You probably don’t want to take a bath inside, do you?”
He told a joke to Margarita.
“… I’ll go check it out.”
“Hey, calm down. It’s a joke.”
It seemed like she really thought her subordinates could do that.
“Kyaaa!!!”
Screams of joy and chatter were heard from the bathroom. Margarita’s complexion worsens due to the noise.
“Are you okay. Are you okay? It’s not the first time I’ve seen it. “I can’t help it because the world is like this.”
I have hundreds of experiences calming captains who are embarrassed by the noise of their subordinates.
He calmed her restlessness to her best ability.
“What will come out?
“At first glance, I heard it was pizza?”
The Sangsang group sits down with me with a refreshed face and starts chattering.
“As long as I can eat pizza, I can tolerate it for up to 2 years before the expiration date.”
“Are you full? I can do it even after 5 years. “I would sell my soul if I could just put a piece of salty pepperoni in my mouth.”
They seem to be expecting frozen pizza.
No matter how good the conditions are, growing wheat and even procuring paste and cheese would seem like a dream.
Meanwhile, I asked Margarita and received the food they were eating.
It’s a crumbly biscuit with dried fish flakes mixed with something that looks like grass. The taste was terrible.
“Can I chew this whole bone? Hey, these biscuits can also supplement fiber.”
“Well, it’s too much for someone like the manager to eat…”
Margarita’s pupils shake dazzlingly.
“No. I prioritize curiosity over taste. I’ve tried many things worse than this. “At least there’s no sawdust or grasshoppers in these biscuits, right?”
Tasting what customers eat is one of my hobbies.
Artemis hates it so much, asking why she is abusing my precious tongue.
“The biscuits are put in boiled water and eaten as a stew.”
“Oh, so there was grass mixed in.”
“It’s not a grass, it’s a vegetable.”
Margarita laughed embarrassingly.
Looking at the upper guard who returned their weapons upon entering, they were all armed with automatic weapons.
Considering the level of guards and 7 carriages, they must be a well-off group, but they eat like this. It’s worth turning your eyes to the pizza.
Three cooking robots wearing stylish white sanitary hats arrived. They slightly lifted their hats and greeted the guests.
“Do robots even cook?”
“Why a hat when you have no hair?
“It’s cute.”
“Hoho, I painted her mustache with paint.”
Frequently seen reactions are played back exactly as they are. Men who laugh out of humor and women who smile out of affection.
Robots put firewood into the oven and started a fire.
“Brick-oven pizza?”
The bushy-bearded Russian guard trembled with emotion.
“Everything is futuristic, but the recipes are traditional?”
Margarita said.
“It’s charming, right? An angry person’s mind is more easily relieved in front of a wood-burning oven than in an electric oven.”
“Is this your idea, manager?”
“Huh. And it tastes good too. It’s not ordinary firewood, it’s cedar wood. “It adds flavor to dishes.”
The customers went crazy as the cooking robots rolled out the dough and applied red paste.
[■■■ ■■!]
[■■■■!]
I deliberately turned off the interpreter. This is because I wanted to hear the admiration coming from the hearts of guests from far away.
I don’t know the meaning, but that passionate tone conveyed many emotions to me.
[■■■.]
As we sprinkled the cheese and vegetables, everyone looked at us with reverential expressions. It’s like watching a ceremony where a bishop sprinkles holy water.
5 minutes later.
The fragrant smell of the dough being baked wafts over you. The members of the upper chamber were all trying to go crazy.
Even the neat and calm Margarita broke down before the food that had been her dream for five years.
A cute image of a man in his 30s flaring his nostrils as he tries to remain cool. It tastes like hospitality from the owner.
“It’s flashy, flashy!”
Guests were amazed by the cooking robot’s inhuman hand movements.
The process of three people managing multiple ovens and making oven-baked pizza for 20 people is definitely impressive.
Moving in the optimal direction without wasting even a second is like dancing a dance that you have practiced hundreds of times.
Finally, the steaming margarita pizza arrived at the table.
[Welcome to visit the base. I hope this food will contribute to good relationships in the future.]
The cooking robots slightly raise their cooking mops to greet you. He was fluent in Russian.
The same message is changed depending on the nationality of the guest, so this can be understood without an interpreter.
I turned the interpreter back on.
“I dreamed of a day like this.”
A Russian woman holding a large slice of pizza speaks with an ecstatic expression.
The white cheese stretched down more than 10 cm below the plate, and the sour taste of the paste made from fresh tomatoes irritated the mucous membrane of her nose.
“Hey, can you get a refill over there? “No, is it okay?”
The man who was trying to ask the robot informally quickly changed to his formal language.
[As much as you want. Please also tell us what toppings you want.]
“Pepperoni! Cover it so much that you can’t even see the cheese!”
[I understand.]
For drinks, people were asked to choose between cola, beer, and vodka, and surprisingly, cola was the most popular choice.
“I thought everyone would choose vodka.”
Margarita laughed at the obvious prejudice.
“Even though the quality is low, we can produce it ourselves. There is also a camp near Vladivostok that specializes in making vodka. “Coke is more valuable these days.”
Margarita said, having already inhaled two pieces. There is a lot of red sauce around her lips.
I wiped her lips with a napkin.
“Okay, thank you.”
“I’ll order more. What toppings do you want?”
Margarita, who was shy, hesitated for only a few seconds. Closing her eyes tightly, she made detailed demands.
The reaction of enduring her favorite food for five years was incredible.
I have tasted the joy of hosting in my own way.
Because appreciating people satisfying desires that have been suppressed for years is more enjoyable than you can imagine.
* * *
After the happy meal, the members of the upper class bounced their bellies and headed to the guest lounge.
Margarita, on the other hand, came out of her manager’s office and treated herself alone.
Although it was a much smaller and poorer office compared to the central control room, she was dazzled by the luxurious furniture filled inside.
She carefully sat down on her sofa and began to listen to her authentic Northern story.
“Because it is such a large area and communication networks are broken, we are collecting stories in the form of rumors between camps. “We are doing cross-validation, but we are not 100% sure.”
“In this day and age, how can you gather information if you exclude rumors? “We will listen to you as well, so feel free to speak.”
Margarita opened her mouth with a more relaxed look on her face. But it wasn’t the words that made her jump out.
“The disappeared camp is gone! “I’m sorry!”
“Phew!”
I ate so much that I suddenly burped.
I laughed out loud in front of her, her face turning bright red, and then reassured her that it was okay.
“Don’t mind. This isn’t the first time you experience a burp like this. Everyone eats until their stomachs explode.”
Artemis would have despised it, but I truly understood. If I eat it in 4 or 5 years, it will be the same for me.
“First, two small camps in the far north evaporated. We thought we had simply moved south. Camps of about 10 to 20 people move frequently depending on the weather.”
“This year, the cold is coming especially quickly and strongly.”
“Yes. However, there is no record of anyone seeing the missing campers. Not only us but also the top companies in the same industry. Then an incident occurred where a camp of 70 people evaporated. We were the first to discover it. “It was a trading camp.”
With 70 people, it costs a lot to move, and it is difficult to find suitable space. So, in most cases, it doesn’t move.
“What was the scene like?”
“There were signs of intense fighting everywhere. “There was blood everywhere, and we found several shell casings and severed finger joints.”
“I don’t think it was done by a person.”
“Yes. “It’s not even an animal.”
The remaining culprit is either an infectious agent or an unidentified new monster. I am choosing the latter.
“Were only the fingers found? “If they saw the corpse we found on Gaema Plateau, they would easily cut off the limbs.”
“Looking at the amount of blood at the scene, it is assumed that there were many corpses with their limbs cut off, but there was none at all. It’s like…”
Margarita lowered her eyes, as if trying to think of an appropriate expression.
“Like I bought it frugally?”
“Yes. It is as you said. Even though there was no body, several torn clothes were found.”
“Like removing the plastic from a sausage?”
“… Yes. From the traces, it was clearly something someone had been wearing.”
It seems like a too direct expression, but even Margarita can’t think of a more accurate word.
“Has anyone seen them?”
“Unfortunately, no. “Do you remember the infected nest that the allied warlords were trying to subdue that I mentioned before?”
“Huh. “I heard you tore it to pieces?”
“Yes. But even there, what was found was only fragments like appendages or small pieces of flesh. There were no large lumps. “It’s like everything was recovered.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
No matter how you look at it, these unidentified monsters were far from the habits of an infectious agent. It was a behavior similar to that of a violent and hungry animal.
“While you’re eating, tear and peel off anything you can’t eat.”
They also seem to be quite intelligent.
