Chapter 2134 – 2134. Eternal Eden
As time passed, my expression worsened.
It was because I wasn’t getting much. I did manage to get some things from the hardware store, but… it was far less than I had originally planned.
My face hardened.
‘I made a big decision and planned this… but I’m not getting much out of it.’
I had underestimated Seoul too much. No, I had underestimated Seoul’s population too much. Even in this state of affairs, people were carefully gathering supplies and trying to survive.
“Zombie horde spotted ahead on the road! Estimated number, 70!”
I focused on the front. A horde of zombies was rushing towards us. I drew my pure white sword, the scabbard sword, from my waist.
Crackling.
The white blade crackled with electricity, shimmering silver. That was why this sword was called the scabbard sword.
Lightning Heaven Style (雷天流) Lightning Flash (雷閃).
I swung it through the air, and a sword aura wrapped in lightning flew out, slicing through the oncoming zombie horde. However, it couldn’t wipe them all out at once. The survivors fearlessly charged at us. The security team with guns stepped forward, pulled their triggers, and finished off the rest.
Shudder.
My hand trembled.
‘Damn it. I just unleashed one sword aura at full power, and my hand is shaking.’
In the world of the Radiant Ascension, I could have spammed that technique countless times, but not in this world. I had to be careful about that.
The expedition’s final destination was a factory. The factory’s name was Baepyo. It was a factory specializing in wooden interior materials. The wood materials were important, but the machinery was the main goal. With the power of Na Chaeyoung, a technologist, it was possible to modify the machines.
A drone flew ahead into the factory.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The reconnaissance drone, which had been flying smoothly, crashed to the ground along with the sound of gunfire.
-Armed humans have occupied the factory.
“They have guns? Are they government affiliated?”
-They’re not military. They were wearing casual clothes.
“But they have guns…”
Could there be a technologist like Na Chaeyoung among them? The possibility was low. Why would a player join forces with those kinds of people? They would rather join hands with the national government or a corporation.
“They probably got them through the black market. Or maybe they got them from the military.”
Since the world was in chaos, anything was possible.
-What are you going to do? Are you going to retreat?
“Are you sure there are machines in the factory?”
-Yes, I’m sure. Otherwise, there’s no reason for them to occupy the factory, right? There’s a rumor going around that the government is buying up intact factory machinery these days… That’s probably why they’re occupying it.
“If there are machines, we have to get them.”
Combat drones were unavailable. Right now, the combat drones were being used to protect Seongak Elementary School. And if we were going to use combat drones, we wouldn’t have brought this many troops.
“Should we go straight in?”
Should I lead the way? Or should I push the troops in first? If I went in first, I’d be an easy target for gunfire. Getting shot hurts. Do I really need to endure that pain? It would be better if the troops were reduced. We can always recruit more troops. There are plenty of slaves and humans to go around.
“We don’t need any strategy. Our equipment is better anyway. Security team, prepare to charge. Ram them with the truck.”
“Wait a minute! Representative Seong! I have a good idea!”
Someone suddenly stepped forward. It was a middle-aged man holding a spear. Judging by his appearance, he wasn’t part of the security team.
The security team members around him were shocked.
“This crazy bastard!”
“How dare you speak so carelessly to him?!”
“Do you want to die?!”
A security team member grabbed him.
I looked at him indifferently, then smiled when I saw the man’s eyes. They were half-crazed. He was no different from a madman. The security team around him was also on edge.
“Alright. Speak. If it’s a useless story, I’ll make you pay the price.”
“I will infiltrate the factory by going around it. Just give me a rifle.”
“Why?”
“…I can confuse them and make it easier to take the factory.”
“That’s only if you succeed. Can you do that by yourself? What, are you some kind of special forces?”
“I was discharged from the Special Forces.”
“If you’re from the Special Forces, you could have joined the security team.”
“……I deliberately hid my background. After I was discharged, I worked as a pastor.”
“A pastor? Do you believe in God?”
“I don’t.”
“Heh. You’re an interesting one. Alright. Give this guy a rifle and some magazines. But if you fail, you’re dead.”
“I’m prepared to die. So, if I succeed…”
“If you succeed? What do you want?”
“…Please use me well.”
Is it a lust for power?
No, those with that kind of look in their eyes usually want something of their own, not power. And if he wanted power, he would have made his own faction. Looking around, he was alone.
In this case, it’s one of two things. He’s either the real deal, or just a madman.
“What’s your name?”
“Son Taehyung.”
“Is that so? Go ahead.”
Son Taehyung moved. He was agile for his age. His quick movements showed that he was indeed from the Special Forces.
‘If he had blatantly lied, I would have killed him right away.’
To be honest, I was still doubtful, but I could judge later.
“Ah, ah!”
A voice amplified by a megaphone echoed from the factory. I turned the troops’ heads towards the factory. There was a wall between the entrance and us, so we didn’t have to worry about bullets flying our way.
“This is Ilwoo Group’s factory! Do not approach! If you approach, we will fire in self-defense!”
“Ilwoo Group? Who are they?”
“…They’re a large corporation.”
A security team member next to me said cautiously. Everyone else seemed to know the name of the Ilwoo Group.
‘They must be a famous company in this world.’
“I repeat! This is Ilwoo Group’s factory! Do not come near and go back! We may fire in self-defense! We do not want to fight!”
The voice amplified by the megaphone echoed loudly. I frowned.
“Who does he think he is, telling us what to do?”
Unlike me, who was annoyed, the troops’ morale was dropping.
“Representative, isn’t it dangerous to mess with the Ilwoo Group? Rumor has it that they’re from a gangster background and grew with funding from Japan… That’s why the government can’t touch them.”
“What nonsense is that? That’s just a rumor.”
“……That’s true, but considering they’re armed, isn’t there a high possibility?”
“So, you want to run away?”
I stared at the security team member. Was he the second team leader? The guy with the team leader position swallowed hard and was sweating profusely.
“Listen carefully. Whether those bastards are the Ilwoo Group or the Ilwoo Group’s grandfather, as long as they’re hostile to me, they’re enemies to be killed. Nothing more, nothing less. Do you understand? We’re going to kill those bastards and loot their supplies. Anyone have any complaints?”
I looked around. Everyone kept their mouths shut and watched my reaction. I tried to resolve it democratically, but my opinion was unanimously passed.
‘Before we go in, should I check the entrance?’
They had built barricades with trucks, container boxes, and drums, and were aiming their guns from behind them.
‘If the barricade is like that, it’ll be difficult to break through from the front? Judging by their appearance, there don’t seem to be any Awakened…’
If I charged now, the soldiers would all be slaughtered. I didn’t want to lose the skilled security team, at least. It takes time to gain experience.
“Dr. Na, is a drone strike possible?”
-It’s possible. But it will consume a lot of resources. Is that factory worth it?
“If they’re guarding it, it must be worth it, right?”
-…Alright. I’ll send a combat drone now.
Boom!
Suddenly, an explosion occurred at the back of the factory. The enemies panicked and were in disarray.
‘Son Taehyung. That must be his doing? He must have used the enemies’ bombs. With that kind of equipment, it wouldn’t be strange if there were bombs there.’
The guys guarding the entrance were retreating. This makes things easier.
“We don’t need the combat drone. We’ll charge with the trucks in front. Let’s go.”
I held up a square shield and ran forward.
Ratatatatatat!
Bullets rained down. There were fewer than I expected, but it was not enough to block them all with just one shield. Some of the bullets grazed my body or hit my arms and legs.
‘That really hurts.’
I used recovery. My arms and legs wouldn’t move, probably because a tendon was severed, so I had no choice. The bullets that had been lodged in my arms and legs popped out. The wounds healed without a trace. The troops behind me seemed surprised to see it, but it didn’t matter if they knew about it.
Vroom! Bang!
The truck suddenly accelerated, narrowly passing by me and crashing into the factory entrance.
‘What the hell? Did they suddenly go crazy? We need to keep pace… No, the driver got shot and died.’
The rain of bullets stopped for a moment. The sudden accident worked in our favor. I immediately threw away the shield, drew my sword, and ran forward.
I stepped on the 3-meter-high barricade and jumped over it in one go. The guy on top of it was shocked and aimed his gun at me.
Swoosh!
My sword was faster, slicing through the guy’s neck. As he fell, I used his corpse as a shield and approached the guy next to him.
Ratatatatatat!
Gunfire erupted from our side as well. The enemies were confused. Some were shooting at me to kill me, while others were holding back the incoming enemies. The enemies’ forces were scattered. A melee was breaking out.
Swoosh!
I cut down an enemy. A melee was what I wanted.
Crackling.
I stimulated my muscles with lightning and relentlessly charged at the enemies.
Lightning Heaven Style (雷天流) Electromagnetic Wave (電磁氣波).
I released an electromagnetic wave to find the hidden enemies. In the Radiant Ascension, it could cover the entire mountain and more, but now it only reached 15 meters around me. Still, it was enough to find the hidden enemies.
“Found them.”
A guy cowering in a corner fired a pistol. I turned my body to the side to dodge the bullet, but by some stroke of luck, one bullet hit my right eye.
Recovery.
The bullet that pierced my brain popped out, and my brain and eyeball healed without a trace.
Click, click.
The guy trembled and pulled the trigger, but no bullets came out.
“M-monster.”
“Hmm. Luckily, no one saw it.”
Healing wounds and being instantly killed and then coming back to life were two different things.
The gunfire gradually subsided. The battle was over. Looking around, there were casualties on our side as well. Three security team members were dead, and eight civilians were dead. There were some who were lightly injured. I was going to ignore them.
-Heal them. You need to gain at least some public support.
Na Chaeyoung’s voice came through the earpiece. If anyone else had said that, I would have ignored them… but since it was Na Chaeyoung, I couldn’t refuse.
I healed the lightly injured.
“T-thank you! Representative!”
“I’ll work harder in the future!”
“M-my finger is healed!”
His little finger, which had been blown off by a bullet, had been healed. The people around him were shocked. The way they looked at me was even more respectful.
‘Is this what it feels like to be a healer?’
Actually, I didn’t intend to heal his finger. I failed to control my power. It was difficult to heal small wounds as much as I wanted.
“The scar disappeared…”
“My body feels lighter!”
“Thank you! Thank you, Representative!”
I received their praise. Especially those who had recovered from minor injuries praised me with all their hearts. It wasn’t a bad feeling.
“I’m a bit tired after using my power. You guys take care of the rest. Pile up the corpses… Security team, enter the factory. Kill all those who resist. The rest will be taken as slaves.”
There were no barricades inside the factory. This meant that the resistance was low. In these conditions, the security team with equipment had the advantage.
“Representative! We’ve confirmed that dozens of people are dead inside! They died from a grenade explosion!”
The security team members reported to me and brought someone with them. He collapsed in front of me, kneeling.
It was Son Taehyung, who had been shot twice in the thigh and three times in the abdomen. He was still alive, probably because the bullets had missed his vital organs. He looked like he was about to die, but his eyes were shining brightly.
“Representative… I… succeeded.”
“Yeah. You did a good job.”
I grabbed Son Taehyung’s head. I used recovery. The bleeding stopped, and the bullets popped out and rolled on the floor. The holes were filled. The large and small, old scars on his body disappeared. Son Taehyung, whose complexion had improved, trembled and shed tears. He bowed his head at my feet and began to sob.
“Thank you, thank you… My God… Thank you…!”
“You said you didn’t believe in God.”
“…Yes. I did. But God… seems to exist.”
“Is he crazy? Anyway, do well. You seem more useful than the others. Obey my orders absolutely.”
“Yes, I will.”
Anyone can say that. I didn’t trust Son Taehyung.
