Chapter 95 – 12.7 mm
As the cold wind swept across the reservoir, the floating ducks cowered.
The sky is clear and high. There is not even a trace of the fine dust that once colored Korea hazy.
At night, a sea of stars will unfold.
Infection destroyed civilization, but made the sky more beautiful.
A flock of crows is sitting on a wire that no longer carries electricity, and there are also a few magpies glaring at them as if they don’t like them.
Fallen leaves fluttering, buildings covered in weeds and vines, a reservoir rippling in silver, ducks floating around, cackling cries and the sound of the wind, all of this combined into an idyllic scene.
There is a group observing it from a hill.
A leaf flies and sticks to the face of one of them.
As the iron grip pulled it away, red eyes appeared.
[Operation begins.]
The unpaved road going down the hill was steep, but the robots went down with stability.
This is because a hook-like hook came down from their Achilles heel. It served as an appropriate brake.
The moment I stepped on the flat ground, the hanging rose to its original position.
Crash.
Four robots took out their guns at once and went into alert mode.
The three were armed with new assault rifles. It is a model that has been modified one step further from the M27 IAR A5, the last US military service rifle.
The other one was armed with a 12.7 mm combat rifle.
After reverse engineering a 12.7 mm machine gun, it was converted into a 20-round designated marksman weapon based on that technology.
It is a monster rifle that can shoot out kinetic energy approaching 20000J.
However, due to problems such as the limited amount of ammunition and unverified effectiveness in actual combat, only one gun was provided experimentally.
There is a subcontractor in this area that supplies important helicopter parts to Terracorp.
The goal of this operation is to secure supplies there and conduct practical weapons tests.
The interiors of abandoned buildings are reflected in the eyes of robots passing in large formation.
It became a mess as the original owners took important belongings and took refuge, and then looters took turns raiding the house, turning it into an abandoned house.
There were ducks and migratory birds gathered at the reservoir on the other side, but since it was a cold and windy day, most of them were on the ground.
Perhaps because it was nap time, he was sleeping in a unique position with his head bent 180 degrees and resting on his back.
However, there was one difference from before the infection incident. It depends on whether there are sentries.
One or two ducks with their heads raised stiffly like meerkats are alert to the surroundings. There is a walker in their line of sight.
A walker wearing rags that seem to crumble when touched approaches the ducks who are napping.
Quite a sum!
As it approached a certain level, the sentry sounded a warning sound, and all the sleeping ducks woke up.
There is no sign of surprise or fear. I just slowly, waddling into the river as if it was annoying.
After some time, Walker arrived. The guy looks blankly at the ducks moving away and then turns to go somewhere else.
The new destination is a bush 100 meters away. There was a flock of ducks taking a nap there too. As expected, a sentry is on guard.
This scene clearly showed an ecosystem adapting to a new world.
A walker walks like a child playing by chasing away wild animals. To attempt a raid that has already failed hundreds of times.
Puck!
Walker’s forehead burst and brain fluid soaked in black blood poured out.
The whites of his eyes tremble, then he falls to his knees and slowly leans to the side.
There was a hole in the back of the fallen walker’s head, and 200 meters away there was a robot that released the aim.
The duck sentry looks from the fallen walker to the sky.
The big guys will come down soon, and the guy who has been bothering them for months will be nothing but his bones by tomorrow.
The sentry duck glanced around for a moment and then buried his face on its back. Now that that annoying bastard is gone, he can rest.
Whooooo much~!
That was an illusion.
When I lifted my face again, which I was about to bury, my colleagues were already entering the river together. Sentry ducks follow suit. Because this was the rule of survival in the new world.
* * *
On the huge screen in the central control room, a dead Juggernaut is displayed in a honeycomb.
[1st stage major damage, 2nd stage minor injury, remaining 1st stage no abnormalities.]
Artemis said.
A little away from the Juggernaut’s body, there is a smashed security robot.
Another robot is recovering key components such as the CPU and battery from the wreckage.
The smooth situation started to go wrong 5 minutes ago.
The search of the village by four robots posed no particular threat.
Occasionally we found a few walkers, but they fell down in blood before they could even spot us.
“This makes it difficult to obtain usable data.”
A strange event occurred as the horse became a seed.
When the robots returned from searching another place, they found a pack of stray dogs.
Excluding the shepherd being disciplined in the shelter, this was the first time that a pure dog without infection was discovered.
They were all skinny, probably from a hard life, and their faces were gaunt.
The guy who appears to be the leader is a golden retriever. The simple face that you often see on YouTube has disappeared and is glaring at us with venomous eyes. And even that with only one eye.
They were eating the walker they had killed earlier.
[Crumbling!]
The leader steps forward and threatens the robots.
[Do you fire?]
The robot asked.
“Are you asking that?”
[I understand.]
Crash.
The robot pointed its muzzle at the dogs.
“Stop shooting! Stop shooting! “I don’t mean to shoot you, you idiots!”
[Lager.]
The shooting stance has been relaxed.
Crash. Wow.
The security robot’s excellent acoustic detector realistically transmitted the sound of dogs devouring a corpse.
“It tastes perfect.”
I’ve thrown a lot of different things to dogs raised at military bases, but I’ve never seen them eat so deliciously as they do now.
[You don’t have ordinary sensitivity either.]
While admiring the sight, Artemis spoke.
[Even if it was mutated, wouldn’t a beast that greedily eats the meat of its own kind look good?]
I was about to say, ‘Because you don’t know what true hunger is,’ but I closed my mouth.
I stayed silent for a moment and thought about a better answer for her.
“You have to do something to survive. They don’t have an owner to feed them, and they don’t have the intelligence to understand human morality. It’s just an animal. When you scold someone, you should only scold them to the extent of their responsibility.”
Just as soldiers are punished when they fail to be on guard, not when they fail in operations.
“In my heart, I want to bring him here, but that might be difficult.”
At first glance, the dogs were extremely wary.
If I were there, I would have coaxed them by reminding them of the human warmth in their memories, but as a robot, it’s impossible.
While I was thinking that, the second strange thing happened.
The movement of the dogs that had been tearing at the walker’s corpse as if possessed suddenly stopped.
Sniff!
The captain retriever moves his nose a few times and flutters the corner of his only eye.
The whining dogs in the back were restless with their tails curled between their hind legs.
Grow!
The captain retriever barked lowly as if giving a command.
The dogs ran away all at once, but one small puppy, who seemed to have just become a puppy, hesitated as if he still had a craving for meat.
That’s it!
When the leader retriever urges him again, he hops away.
It was that moment.
Kwasik!
The sound of something breaking was heard from behind the screen.
When the screen quickly turned 180 degrees, what caught my eye was the maw of a juggernaut charging through the wooden plywood wall.
One of the robots couldn’t react and was grabbed by the ankle.
Kwaang!
Beat it once.
Kwaang!
Beating twice.
The 12.7mm combat rifle he was holding along with its shattered parts fell to the floor.
The other robots weren’t playing either.
Puffuppuck!
Shells poured out like crazy and 5.56mm bullets penetrated the Juggernaut’s body, but they failed to cause any decisive damage.
The bullet lost its power due to being blocked by thick leather and muscle, and it was impossible to even reach major organs, let alone penetrate.
Whooooo-!
He shouted nervously and threw the robot he was holding.
The robot hit its back against a telephone pole and folded in half. The back of the head and the soles of the feet meet and clap, then fall to the ground and do not move.
Slam! Slam!
The moment when the steel hit the air and the still-healthy Juggernaut looks this way.
The robots executed their best actions according to their built-in tactical programs.
The two units that were close to the Juggernaut took a large leap backwards and attempted to change magazines while floating in the air.
One succeeded, but the other failed. This is because my ankle was grabbed while I was flying backwards.
Just beat him like that!
Kwaang!
Because Juggernaut’s posture was not good, fatal injuries were avoided.
The captured robot placed the muzzle of its gun on the wrist that had captured it and fired a low-range shot.
Kyaooooo-!
As if he couldn’t handle this much, he let go, and the moment the restraints were released, the robot quickly rolled to the side.
Kwaang!
A rock-like fist exploded and dirt and stones flew where the robot was.
Meanwhile, the third robot was preparing a fundamental solution. More powerful firepower.
I retrieved the 12.7 mm combat rifle dropped by the robot that was first attacked and pointed it at the Juggernaut.
Slam!
A series of loud noises rang out, and the heavy body was pierced at once, blood spraying out.
High-level infectious agents, such as the Juggernaut, have a developed nervous system for effective movement. Of course, I feel pain.
I looked for the target with my eyes filled with anger, but it was a bad choice.
Because it was like giving the opponent the vital points of Mokuldae and Anmyeonbu.
Puk puk puk!
I tried to protect my face and neck by raising my pot-lid-like hand, but it was no use.
The lead chunks, which contained 20,000 joules of kinetic energy, simply tore through my grip and turned my face into a mess.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Clap and flutter.
Due to the continued shooting, the wrist was completely cut off and the trembling hand rolled on the ground.
Kaaah—keek-!
The screams of anger were cut off as the bullets penetrated the neck bone.
A cross-section of the torn esophagus and trachea can be seen inside the neck with a large hole.
At the back, a blood vessel the size of a green onion, which appeared to be the carotid artery, was cut, and blood was pouring out like crazy.
With this, Juggernaut’s death is confirmed, but there are still dozens of seconds left. The guy struggled and ran as if he didn’t want to die alone.
Slam!
After reloading in an instant, the robot fired again.
Juggernaut’s eyes and nose were shattered, hastening his scheduled death.
Large shell casings fall at the robot’s feet. Even though there would be a huge recoil, the robot’s shoulders did not shake much.
Coo!
The Juggernaut’s massive body fell over at the same speed it was running at.
Without further delay, the robots went to the target location, the subcontractor, and began a search.
We swept up all the inventory we wanted for delivery, including high-end circuit boards, crystals for communication devices, and gold.
After successfully completing the mission, I returned the way I came, and before I knew it, the dogs that had run away appeared again.
Now only the inedible parts of the walker remain, and the dogs secretly spy on the Juggernaut.
It was clearly motionless and the smell of blood was strong, but it seemed like everyone was scared because it was such a scary guy. It is the quality of a leader to step forward in a situation like this.
The captain retriever cautiously approached and sniffed the Juggernaut’s head.
After a while, he jumped up, stood on top of his head, and called out to the crowd. It seems to be a signal to come and fill your stomach because it is safe.
The dogs, showing no signs of fear as if they had absolute trust in their boss, rushed over and surrounded the Juggernaut’s body.
“If you bite anywhere, your teeth will fall out. “Dig in from the inside where the bullet hit you.”
I said a word of encouragement, but it won’t reach the dogs.
[Mission completed. I am returning.]
The robot reported.
Whether ducks or dogs, the creatures left in the world were each adapting and forming a new ecosystem.
Dozens of bald eagles surround the first walker to die near the reservoir.
In the sky above the juggernaut, several birds can be seen flying in circles with their wide wings spread.
“That’s cool.”
I said my impressions without thinking.
[A bald eagle? Even though it’s big, it probably won’t be a design that feels cool.]
“Oh, I wasn’t talking about looks. Would you say it is an appreciation of their existence itself?”
Before we know it, the bald eagles that have landed around the dogs are quietly approaching the juggernaut and taking notice.
Crumble!
A retriever that was eating meat suddenly jumps out and threatens.
The bald eagles, who retreated about 5 to 6 meters muttering, approached again with a keen eye on them.
It’s a friendly sight often seen in animal documentaries.
“As winter approaches, migratory birds, stray dogs, and bald eagles prey on corpses. Because it all looks cool for no reason. “I’m glad that the ecosystem is still alive.”
I don’t want to imagine a world where only monsters exist. What is the meaning of fighting and reclaiming such a world?
[You are right. Because memory leaks are a terrible thing. The presence of a cleaner is very important. One day, when we cleanse the world, there will be overflowing corpses of infected organisms everywhere. Those birds will be of great use then.]
With her words, today’s operation ended.
Wow! Wow!
After work, I stopped by the police headquarters and met the dogs for the first time in a long time. They had forgotten how to behave as guard dogs and were wagging their tails like crazy.
As I stroked that happy face, I thought about what kind of gift I could give these loyal guys.
The answer is fixed.
There is nothing more precious to dogs than friends and family.
