Chapter 499 – Pocket Girls
Upon hearing the interesting behind-the-scenes story, Seong-il nods with a really funny look on his face.
“Now… That’s all the explanation, now I’ll explain the plan to enter in earnest.”
Having said that, Kyuhyun manipulates the tablet PC to create a map with the coordinates of the destination.
“We’ll first go to the coordinates here on a floating boat like the boat we boarded this morning. Then we’ll transfer to a cloaking submersible I own and go to the ruins buried deep in the water.”
“Aha…”
“By the way, there will be a preparation period before departure. In the meantime, you will be learning submersible training with me every day, so keep that in mind.”
“Hmm? Why?”
“Because I could seriously get hurt or die at the ruins? Couldn’t you have to rescue me.
“…”
In fact, Seong-il was in a situation where she was full of confidence because she had a teleport ring, so she could easily escape anywhere, but she decided not to complain about Kyu-hyeon’s consideration and just listened quietly.
‘What would be so difficult to learn? If it’s necessary, I’ll stop time for a while and watch the scene recorded with nanomachines over and over again.’
“So for a while, you’re going to drive around the area with me every morning and practice driving. Can you? If you don’t pass this course, you won’t be able to join the expedition.”
“Of course. I agree.”
“Haha. I’m glad the answer is cool. Next time…”
After saying that, Kyuhyun takes out a strange circular mechanical device and puts it down on his desk. Then, light emanates from the machine and starts to float a hologram in the air.
“Oh…”
A mysterious technique that I have never seen before. Seong-il made a startled expression on his face, and Kyu-hyeon said in a tone of amazement.
“What are you so curious about? I’m sure you’ve seen it once in a while in class?”
“…Because I didn’t study hard.”
“Huh… Really…”
Kyuhyun laughs at Seongil’s answer, bewildered. Then he starts manipulating the hologram to magnify something of him.
“It’s a vulnerability I found while reviewing the existing ruins. We’ll make a temporary call to the submersible here and then drill a hole with the mining machine I prepared to enter the interior.”
“How do you know that place is vulnerable…? There’s also an entrance, so why do I have to drill a hole to get in there?”
A question of a reasonable holy day. And as if such a question had been asked not once or twice, Kyuhyun began to explain it with clearing water as if he had prepared it.
“It’s simple. This kind of research facility is almost standardized. It’s probably a stipulated item of civilization before the fall. I’ve experienced more than 20 research facilities of this kind. And all of them are inside. Most of the facilities are similarly designed, so if you break through there, you will naturally find yourself in the safest place.”
“Aha…”
“And…The second one is really important…”
With those words, Kyuhyun changes the hologram once again. Then, a bizarre machine that looks like a squid appears.
“It’s because of these guys ‘Leviathan’.”
The movements of the squid robots that appear after his murmur. Contrary to their repulsive appearance, they begin to swim gracefully in the water while spinning their bodies.
『Awesome!!!』
When they spot an enemy, they pounce on it and begin mercilessly tearing it apart with their tentacles.
‘It’s bloody…’
It doesn’t seem like he can’t fight back, but apart from that, the battle scene of Leviathan looks menacing.
“As I said before, these are docked at the research facility and are being maintained by the repair robots at the base. If we go in there, no matter how much we ride in a submersible specialized in stealth, they will 100% get caught.”
“Ah… I guess so.”
“Well… Although they are menacing, we can use the power of our partners to subdue a few groups of them. However, if we are attacked by a large number of enemies due to their special skill, ‘calling allies’, we will not be torn to pieces in the end. It will be your destiny.”
“Gulp…”
“In addition, it is a bonus to be double-attacked by being marked as a dangerous molecule by the ruins’ security program.”
After hearing Kyuhyun’s explanation, Seongil could understand why he bothered to go through the wall while leaving the door intact.
“Anyway… The place we want to break through is the dock facility full of machines and the warehouse past the maintenance window. Machines are relatively infrequent here, so using psychic powers is enough to fool the security program and key core We’ll be able to infiltrate the research wing.”
“I see… Have you done this often?”
“Of course! Didn’t I tell you earlier? I’ve excavated about twenty places like this. If we follow my plan, we will definitely succeed.”
‘Contrary to what I thought, director Kyuhyun, you didn’t appear in the game world…’
Seong-il knew that the original exploration would have failed. Because of this, rather than blindly believing Kyuhyun’s boastful words, he decides to separately think about how to make the exploration successful.
‘Now that I’m there, I’ll be able to clear enough. If not, in the worst case, there is a way to escape to the inner plane. However, apart from the success of capturing the ruins, it is also important to bring Director Kyuhyun alive…’
While he was thinking about something else for a while, Kyu-hyeon continued talking to Seong-il by displaying various materials.
“Originally… I would not have tried to include you on the expedition. No matter how unique you are, you are still young and have little experience.”
“…”
“Nevertheless, the reason I decided to include you on the team is that time to prepare is running out.”
“…Ready?”
“Okay.”
Kyu-hyun, who answered briefly, manipulates the hologram to show Seong-il the flow of the nearby ocean current.
“This is why I came here urgently this time. Once every 5 to 10 years, Area C has a period of rapid weakening of ocean currents along with undersea volcanic activity for about a week. You can do it. Other than that, it’s impossible to enter with a small submersible.”
“…Why didn’t you plan the team in advance with that in mind? Then you would have been able to recruit a lot of talented people.”
“Do you know when this special sentient activity will happen? The team members that are as good as you said always have their own mission and purpose. Because she’s the head of security for Area C, she’s always here.”
“Aha…”
“Even I only found out about the tectonic activity for about three days. As soon as I heard about the harbinger from Soo-yeon, I abandoned all my schedules and came here to live and die.”
“Okay.”
“Haa… If only the shelter had reviewed my exploration positively, it would have made things several times easier… The superiors viewed sending valuable human resources to a historic site with great risks negatively. Well… I understand, but…”
Apart from considering this exploration important, I wondered why the composition of human resources was so poor, and there seemed to be this problem.
“Anyway… Let’s just stop complaining. Since there has been a precursory phenomenon, there will probably be an earthquake due to volcanic activity next week.”
“…Exploration in such a situation?”
“Well, since it’s not something that’s happened once or twice, the shelter’s system will perfectly defend against tsunamis, so you don’t have to worry about that part. The problem is that we’re taking advantage of the current weakening that will happen for about a week after the earthquake. We can quickly and accurately We have to infiltrate the ruins. The later it is, the more likely it is that your life will be in danger.”
“…Why?”
“If the ocean currents intensify again, the sub will have no choice but to stop using the cloaking function to ensure stable operation. In that case, we will become Leviathan’s prey.”
“Aha…”
Seong-il heard Kyu-hyun’s words pouring out like a rapid-fire cannon, and he could feel how long he had been waiting for this day.
“To take control of the factory within a week and even escape. It won’t be easy.”
“That’s right. But depending on the situation, escape might be surprisingly easy.”
“Yes…?”
Until a little while ago, Seong-il said that he would be attacked by Leviathan and in danger if he didn’t escape quickly.
“If we can take control of the ruins and take command of the facility, we might be able to tunnel through the ground using robots. Then we might be safe from Leviathan’s attack.”
“Hmm… I see. But how do you intend to seize the authority to command the ruins…?”
Since his own life and gain depended on it, Seong-il asked Kyu-hyun questions with a really serious expression.
“Oh, that’s what you can use.”
With that, Kyuhyun takes out a strangely shaped black metal bar from his bag.
‘This… Isn’t just a stick…?’
Seong-il quickly grasps the identity of the metal stick through induction.
‘A kind of computer in which microscopically small ultra-high-performance machines are highly dense…? I think?’
“This is a mechanical key used to transfer command of an ancient facility created in Shelter.”
“…We could have made something like that?!”
Seong-il looks really surprised when he hears that he has already made something like that in a world where most of the technology before the destruction has been lost.
“Haha… This wasn’t created by Shelter scientists on their own. It was created through an ancient machine passed down from the past.”
“Aha…”
“Our Shelter is an organization that inherits the legitimacy of extinct humanity. Did you forget? There’s nothing strange about having something like this.”
“Ah… I guess so.”
After hearing a lot of shocking stories about the original body, Seong-il instantly forgot about the nature of the shelter. Upon hearing Kyu-hyeon’s explanation, he immediately realizes how he got the device.
“With that device, can you take control of all the mechanical devices in the area?”
Seong-il looks at the machine with slightly greedy eyes and asks a question.
“No. There is a separate governing device for each district. By the way, even if it is a mass-produced version, not everyone can have it, and it can be borrowed from the upper level of the shelter through strict procedures.”
“Ohh…”
“Anyway… Now I have to tell you what we need to prepare for the rest of the week.”
After that, Kyuhyun calmly lays out the data and plans he had been preparing for a long time.
And Seong-il, who heard all the plans, nodded his head with a serious expression.
‘There is a good chance of realization. It’s worth it.’
Of course, in the original work, despite all the preparations, seeing that Kyuhyun went missing or died, it was clear that there was an additional danger lurking inside.
‘But… This time, since I’m like a cheat key, I’m sure it will flow in a more positive direction.’
Since it is a sacred day where he can use the Deus of Machina to take control of the machine, he is more confident in his future steps.
‘Should I pack a potion or something…’
Seong-il contemplates what he can do on the line that is not suspicious in his own way. He agonizes over whether he should use the recovery potion, making the excuse that he got it from Dr. Jun or Dr. Low.
“Haa… Are you really going?”
“Yes…?”
Su-yeon, who had been quiet and listened to her plans until now, suddenly opens her mouth to talk to her, and Seong-il looks puzzled.
“You heard the plan. You heard how dangerous the place is. Are you really going?”
“Yes. I will definitely go.”
“Haa… You’re really crazy. Well, I mean, you must have undergone such a risky flowering procedure.”
“…”
Seong-il, struck by Su-yeon’s muttering, shuts her mouth and pretends not to hear anything.
“Let’s do this.”
“…?”
“Come join me for combat training every day for the next week. The gym here has many facilities, so it will be of great help to you.”
“Uh… Why?”
“Yes. You have to. And you must pass the process.”
“…?”
Seong-il puts on a puzzled look at Soo-yeon’s words, who are not in charge of the exploration, and out of the blue tell him to do this or that. Soo-yeon takes something out of his arms with a cold expression on him.
“I’m the head of security for Sector C-01. I’m the one who has the full right to force you to make this offer. Any complaints?”
“Um… You’re saying too much? I’m too underrated…”
“If!”
“…?”
“If you pass my test, I’ll join this expedition. Dan! If you don’t pass the test, you can’t go on the expedition. How about this?”
“!!!”
