Chapter 267 – The Front Side of the Festival
Polis is the city with the largest population and infrastructure in East Asia after the infection war.
Numerous merchants, explorers, engineers, mercenaries, performers, prostitutes, refugees, and even orphans come with hope.
All kinds of products, information, and technology are traded, and those who are desperate even sell themselves.
As the owner of this brilliant city, before I want to look around, I cannot help but feel a sense of exploration as a man.
Although Shelter is superior to Police in every way, it feels more like the headquarters of a secret society than a city.
But Polis is a real city! Human emotions such as good and bad will, hope and frustration, competition and bargaining come into play.
Whether it’s a scent or a bad smell, the smell of people living there is strong. I wanted to melt in among them and walk down the street.
Artemis looked reluctant, but did not stop her.
This is probably because the police is also our firm territory, and it is rare for a crazy person to do something dangerous during a period of intensive crackdown like today.
Of course, I tried to provide the minimum insurance for my safety.
“Armed drones will continue to follow you in the air.”
Artemis said.
Six combat drones were hovering above our heads. All parts are painted black, so it is difficult to see at night. There is almost no noise, and the armament attached to the bottom appears to be at least 12.7 mm.
“These are aircraft specially designed for elemental protection and elimination. Even if you enter a building, your location can be tracked through an implant in your body.”
I thought it might be excessive firepower for an escort drone, but there was a reason. If something happens inside the building, the risk factor is removed by shooting through the wall.
“And as an escort, I will attach several trustworthy human guards in plain clothes. “It would attract too much attention if I walked around with robots.”
“No need. Those drones are enough.”
“Jinsu!”
It was a consideration that I understood and wanted to enjoy, but I cannot accept it.
“Even in my current state, I can take down a few gangsters in an instant. If there is a problem in the first place, I will accelerate and run away under the drones.”
“If it were you now, that would be simple…”
“It’s because I want to feel relaxed and listen. “You can’t enjoy it to the fullest if you have someone behind you.”
He held Artemis in his arms and massaged her back. Since she was wearing a dress that exposed her waist, her soft skin was touched by her hands.
“I’m still anxious.”
As her hand gently rubs her back, her voice becomes quieter.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
“Ugh…”
“I’m someone who even returned from Tanis?”
“I got so arrogant and had it.”
“No?”
Artemis, who was silent for a few seconds, eventually buried her face on my shoulder.
“… I can’t stop you.”
It was good. Ahh!
Hot!
“Oh my gosh, are you going to come? (I wonder if they’ll give me permission to say that)”
She hugged my shoulder! She asked. She didn’t set her teeth, but she bit so hard that she let out a little moan.
“As always, I’m thinking of pushing through in moderation and getting over it.”
“I’ve been punished in advance, so I’ll have a nice trip!”
I hit the player quickly.
“That’s not it…”
Her lips that tried to refute with a face that looked as if she had been attacked were also blocked.
“Eup!”
Her hand tightened as she held my arm, but it soon loosened.
In the end, she hugged my neck with a resigned look on her face, saying, ‘Oh, I don’t know anymore!’
* * *
20 minutes later, I was leaving the Prime Gate entrance.
He is wrapped as much as possible in long pants and a hooded top, and is wearing a specially designed graphene body armor underneath. Although it is thin, it provides great protection.
I boarded a vehicle for transporting supplies and got off at a warehouse not far from the gate on the outskirts of the police.
For reference, Prime is located at the end of the polis, not in the center, directly opposite the outer gate.
I waved at the driver who bowed with a stern face and got out of the passenger seat.
“Hurry! Quickly!”
“Take care of it, dude. If that breaks, you will have to work without pay for half a year.”
Even when everyone is having fun, someone has to work. The warehouse area where supplies are exchanged with the outside world is full of people working hard even on this nice night.
“We’re setting aside what we can eat and drink, so don’t fuss. “Aren’t the higher-ups here quite delicate people?”
When the man, who appeared to be the work crew leader, shouted, the faces of the stern young people relaxed a little.
The downtown area had a more lively atmosphere than during the day.
“Let’s take a picture!”
A young man with an instant camera holds the camera with one hand and shows a circle above his head with the other hand.
“Hey~”
The woman thrust her head into the jaw of the Juggernaut’s skull and drew a V with both her hands. She had only her thumb and one tooth covering her forehead, but she was smiling brightly.
Snap!
“Thank you! Please use it again!”
When the woman stepped aside, her neck, ribs, and shoulder blades were exposed. She’s so big that the rest of her is on the floor and can’t be seen.
Snap!
Next to him was the Reaper’s skull and a man with his arms around his shoulders. He is also neatly skinned from head to toe.
In Walker’s case, it is a humane tactic because his competitiveness is low. A guest poses, surrounded by several ugly guys with particularly long, segmented jaws.
After being momentarily dazed by this absurd sight, I approached the experience photo corner.
“Would you like to take a shot? We’re offering it at half price today as a special offer! Take your pick!”
The man holding the camera responded immediately.
“Isn’t this dangerous? “What if I spread germs?”
“Oh! Of course, I do it because it’s okay. Look at this.”
The man pointed to a corner of his store. There was coated paper attached to it, and it had a quarantine certification from the Shelter Research Institute attached to it. This means that the remains are safe and free of any infectious agents.
“… It’s not counterfeit, right?”
“This guy is talking about big trouble. “I can’t even think about doing something like that, even though I’m just living today!”
The man waved his hand and kicked me out.
“Well, if you’re not a guest, go on your way! “Can’t you see me waiting behind you?”
Behind me, there was already a couple waiting and a couple with a child.
“Sell a lot.”
I smiled heartily and walked away. And I called Kids using the communicator I brought. This is because among the AI counselors, he is optimized for this type of atmosphere.
[Yep! Administrator’s tour guide Kids! I made it!]
“What are those infected skeletons? “Did the shelter really deliver it to you?”
[You’re right. We gave it to you.]
Kids were sharing the view of my escort drone.
[For the past three years, we have not just cultivated and distributed the vaccines sent by the manager. Additional research and experiments continued.]
“I guess that’s natural.”
The war against infectious agents is the Red Queen’s race. Progress cannot be stopped even for a moment.
Of course, the vaccine is overwhelming enough to make the race the difference between running barefoot and riding a two-wheeled vehicle. Still, there is no harm in pursuing the best.
[During the process, many infectious agents died in the laboratory. At first, they just incinerated and disposed of it, but as the police was built, they decided to commercialize some of it for tourism. Just like you saw.]
“There will be an overabundance of infectious agent remains lying around in the wild after being killed by the vaccine. “Is that competitive?”
[Those who died from the vaccine can’t even find their bones. Because all tissues in the body die, it becomes more brittle than a grandmother with osteoporosis. The color changes like a rotten apple. On the other hand, what do you think the administrator saw?]
All the infected skeletons being photographed had good colors. Menacingly developed teeth and nails, grotesquely twisted skull and protruding ribs.
Walker may not know, but the variant will give an intimidating feeling to the public.
[Cool, right? Only our shelter can secure intact remains of infectious agents.]
“Well, whether we use poison gas or mobilize Hercules and kidnap him with determination, we may be the only ones who can capture him safely.”
Ding dong dang on the communicator! The music rang out.
[Not only that, people are still afraid of the risk of infection. I wonder if I might contract something if I come into contact with a corpse of an infectious agent in the wild. You can only trust a skull that has our shelter’s safety certification mark!]
After listening to the story up to this point, I was convinced.
Rather, I feel good as a building owner because these interesting products seem to be coming together to increase the popularity of Police.
“Kyaaa~!”
“Haha! Hold on tight! Then fall!”
“Yoo Jin-hee is so cool!”
A little distance away, a rodeo machine incorporating the skull of a slave cow was operating.
The woman on top of it screamed happily, tossing her hair like crazy. The young men and women surrounding them cheer.
“It’s a perfect idea.”
[Playing isn’t a bad thing.]
“Is this by any chance your work?”
[Correct.]
“For some reason, it seemed like that.”
[Hehe.]
There was a delicious smell from somewhere.
“Isoide!”
“Hi!!!”
A man with a white towel wrapped around his forehead spoke in Japanese and raised his flippant, and the men on both sides sang back.
There were three stands lined up, and customers were lining up at all of them. It would be even stranger if native food wasn’t popular in a destroyed world.
The man who shouted to hurry up is frying yakisoba, and the men on either side are making takoyaki and okonomiyaki, respectively.
But these people have snake tattoos on their wrists and scorpion tattoos on their necks.
“What are they?”
[They are Yakuza?]
“I know it when I see it.”
I already heard from Artemis that all kinds of races and organizations were mixed into Polis.
[These are people dispatched from the warlords of Kyushu. This is an organization that Artemis has an affiliate relationship with. He is a useful warlord. We give back as much as we give.]
“So you’re a gangster, but you’re making money this soundly?”
The Yakuza, who packaged the food with skill, smiles warmly.
“Arigato gozaimasu!”
“Ots!!!”
When the person who appeared to be the older brother spoke, the two younger brothers cheered.
I thought it might be scary to see guys with knife cuts on their faces, but the reaction from the customers was the best. In fact, it is a world where weak-hearted people have already been eliminated.
[They are just gangsters with signs, but what they do here is more like a distributor to Japan. Since it was a festival, I guess I wanted to enjoy the atmosphere.]
On one side, hot dogs are being sold. The radio next to it plays songs that were popular before the war.
Even people who are already full gather together to enjoy music and dance. This is good for both parties as it attracts spectators and stimulates business.
I don’t know where I got the bread itself, but I used something similar to a hot dog bun, but the problem was the contents. All I did was spread the canned food on the bread and then sprinkle some unidentified sauce on it.
For canned food, choose between lunch meat, tuna, and sweet corn. I don’t see Spam or Lee Charm. Of course, there is no sausage at all.
More than three years have passed since the factories stopped, so the only processed food ingredients that have survived are canned goods. Even then, what you can see here are low-quality products that are not popular.
Luxury products that taste even a little better would have been sold elsewhere for a better price.
For reference, there were several people standing in line holding rye bread provided by the shelter, and the reason was simple.
“Special event limited to the festival! “If you just bring bread, we’ll give you a hot dog for half price and topping with canned food!”
This is because the store owner was quite skilled in business.
Meanwhile, there were also places where fights broke out. Even though there is a strict warning, if you get too drunk, the brakes will come off.
“No, really, I didn’t do anything? Can you see the bruises here? After all, this bastard made the first move.”
A man with dark eyes was complaining in front of the police guard.
Next to him was a man wearing a beanie who appeared to be the culprit, and he seemed to feel he was screwed. The drunkenness is rapidly fading from his face.
The human police guards were wearing combat armor modified from police commando uniforms.
Unlike the external gate guards, who were armed with assault rifles and heavy machine guns, they are holding submachine guns.
Since they are patrolling within the police, which is a safe zone, they do not need high firepower, so they seem to prioritize mobility.
“Follow both of you to the interrogation room.”
The guards naturally spoke informally.
“No, I just got hit, why…”
“Are you going to follow me or not?”
“Of course I have to go hehe.”
The protest that it was unfair was heard in a low voice.
The polis is a large city, but it is not infinite. As I continued walking and looking around, at some point the lighting and air changed.
The rate of reddish lighting, tattooed men, exposure of women’s clothing, cigarette smoke, and harsh profanity began to increase rapidly.
At an outdoor gun carriage a few steps ahead, two tattooed pigs and a black man were talking. There is a glass bottle on the table with the label all erased.
“Kuhyaa!”
Bang!
He blew on the bottle and set it down with a flourish. If you were drinking water, you would never make that noise. It appears to be moonshine brewed directly.
But what interests me are the cigarettes rolling around next to the bottle.
“Isn’t that marijuana?”
It was a hand-rolled cigarette, not a factory-made product.
One of the special drones that was escorting me secretly approached them. Thanks to its unique black paint and noiseless flight, they didn’t notice it at all.
[I think that’s right?]
Kids said excitedly.
“Catch that bastard!”
At that moment, someone shouted.
A man wearing a beanie was running away, weaving through the crowd. He is a good guy who just started a fight and was interrogated by the security guards.
A security guard with a baton was chasing them.
Tiring!
A reconnaissance drone flew in from somewhere and joined us. The drone flew above the head of the beanie-wearing man and continuously informed him of his location.
“Fuck! Go away! “Get out of there!!!”
The man waved his hand in the sky and cursed, but what use is all that to a drone?
[I get it. We will block the escape route in block 14.]
A word faintly heard from the radio of the running guard.
[Oh my gosh, he refuses to be interrogated. That man will now be deported.]
Kids said.
“Hey, you’re a salty guy.”
“Fuck, hide it. Hide it.”
“You’re not after us, right?”
Meanwhile, the numb tattooed pigs and the black man hid the marijuana cigarettes.
The police organization has long since disappeared, but what does it matter?
Even if the world falls apart, language does not easily change. Just as engineers still call Vernier Nogis even in the 21st century.
I passed by him and took a deep breath into my lungs.
“Ah, this smell! It’s new since it’s been a while.”
I stretched out to my heart’s content and thoroughly enjoyed this atmosphere.
[What smell do you mean?]
“The smell of the gutter.”
Illegal procedures are being performed at a nearby food stall. An Asian woman covered in piercings is tattooing the arm of a Latino man.
There are no police or laws to fine people for tattooing, so why is it illegal?
[Even though the polis is not a directly governed area, it pays thorough attention to cleanliness. There will be no sewer odor.]
“I meant it metaphorically, not in a dictionary sense.”
The clothes of the women passing by became more revealing. There are more women who expose their navels than those who hide them.
“It’s a feeling I often felt when I was deployed as a soldier and wandered around slums and entertainment districts. This damp air! “It smells disgusting yet somehow coppery!”
Just for reference, I went there to get local information, not to have fun.
[Administrator’s eyes are constantly rolling.]
“Wouldn’t you be curious if the works you were so immersed in and enjoyed were realized and realized before your eyes?”
In the past, when the infection spread in the shelter, and I was trapped in the upper level, I was immersed in all kinds of games, dramas, and movies.
Since Artemis did not give permission for dispatch until the appropriate time, there was nothing to do.
Since the situation was such, I enjoyed a lot of works that dealt with the apocalypse background with a sense of sympathy.
A society in ruins that we have seen many times on the other side of the screen! It is alive and breathing right before your eyes.
[Yeah, bastard, We’re still fuckin’ with you! Still waters run deep!]
Before I knew it, even the music playing around me had changed to gangsta rap.
Slowly, I was sinking into the back world of the police.
