Hiding a Logistics Center in the Apocalypse - Episode 12
(The Infinite Magazine Magnate (2))
The first thing I did was spend the magic stones earned from wyvern hunting.
First, utilities.
"Pay ten days' worth outright."
[30 stones received for electricity. 30 stones received for water and gas.]
[Approximately 273 hours remain until power shutdown.]
[Approximately 280 hours remain until gas/water supply shutdown.]
Thanks to that, the time we could endure increased exponentially.
Now it was time to strengthen my Shipping skill.
Though I still had plenty of magic stones left, I decided to be strategic.
"How much would it cost to reduce the processing time as much as possible?"
[Current shipping time is 5 seconds. In Subspace Level 2, it can be shortened to a maximum of 1 second.]
[The cost is 5 magic stones per second, totaling 20 stones.]
"Proceed."
[Understood.]
Finally, 1 second.
It felt like a stubborn blockage clearing up.
While shortening the shipping time was what I'd considered most urgent... this time, I actually had another aim in mind.
I asked Pax.
"How much to max out the range?"
[Current range is 10m. Enhancement to a maximum of 50m is possible.]
[Up to 15m, the cost is 1 magic stone per meter—the same as the Level 1 enhancement cost. From 15m to 50m, it costs 5 magic stones per meter.]
[Total: 180 stones.]
One hundred and eighty.
It was a hefty sum, but...
"Proceed."
There was no need to hesitate.
Because shipping range also served as my magic stone retrieval radius.
It was an ability that would rake in future earnings, so the cost wasn't regrettable in the slightest.
This brought the total magic stones spent to 260.
I decided to save the remaining 51 for later, depending on the situation.
As my ability grew stronger, much of my fear faded.
Now magazines and axes would pop out of my portal every second.
Having finished all preparations, I stood before a clean SUV gleaming silver.
Yongsu spoke.
"I'm glad we could get another vehicle. Well, now... this was a model I really wanted to drive at least once."
He practically drooled.
The vehicle was a military Korando Sports.
Perhaps because it was a rear-echelon vehicle, it didn't have separate camouflage paint, but two whisker-like antennae extended from the hood.
'To think I'd end up riding this.'
I'd only ever seen the battalion commander driving one when I was in the army.
As a proud reserve sergeant, my chest naturally swelled with pride.
Vroom!
Yongsu started the engine.
Then, with his usual sensual touch, he took the reins of this rugged rhino.
The car wove around the wyverns' corpses without the slightest tremor.
That was how we headed to the next location.
Leaving behind the barren field where not even traces remained.
.
.
.
The change occurred mere minutes later.
To be exact, it began when I turned on the equipment mounted on the vehicle.
-Chh... chk!
The equipment was a green military radio installed in the vehicle.
From the start, it was a vehicle assigned to commanders.
The antenna mounted on the hood was likewise for communicating with allies during wartime or training.
I took out my smartphone.
Though I'd ordered a portable battery from the subspace and always kept it charged, neither calls nor internet worked.
Just an empty screen indicating connection failure.
Suddenly, I turned my attention to the communications equipment.
'Military gear might be different, right?'
It doesn't need a base station or a carrier.
As long as we shared the preset frequency, communication should be possible.
Moreover, since radios could be mass-produced infinitely through the subspace, their potential was limitless considering the current situation where all communications were severed.
I tried to see if the equipment would work properly as a test, but...
Unfortunately, I wasn't a communications specialist.
"I don't know how to use this... eh, screw it."
I flipped the [I/O]-shaped power switch.
Perhaps something had been preset; numbers appeared and operational sounds followed.
-Chh... chk...
Vivid white noise flowed through the receiver.
That was when it happened.
-Chh... This is Charlie... This is Charlie... Foxtrot, please respond. This is Char...
The transmission repeatedly cut in and out.
The man on the other end didn't stop talking either.
-Damn it, we're all dead here! Please save me! You Foxtrot sons of bitches!
He sounded absolutely furious.
"Come to think of it..."
As far as I knew, the transmission range of military communications equipment wasn't as long as one might think.
A few kilometers at best.
Which meant the owner of this voice was somewhere near us.
Yongsu asked.
"What should we do?"
It was a dilemma.
We had to reach Gangnam, where my older sister was, as quickly as possible.
But hearing Charlie's desperate voice, I recalled the soldiers' corpses strewn about Heungandaero in Indeogwon.
'If he's a soldier, wouldn't he know more about the monsters' movements?'
I was curious about something else, too.
How monsters could annihilate a military armed with modern weapons so easily.
There was clearly some other variable at play.
Curiosity stirred in me.
However, rather than overextending, I found a suitable compromise.
"If he's on the way, we'll pick him up. If not, it can't be helped."
Then I pressed the button on the receiver.
The sound changed; this time, it seemed my voice would transmit to the other party.
"So, where are you?"
Since he had spoken casually, I did the same.
The other party seemed quite surprised.
-...Who?
After a brief hesitation, he spoke as if he'd made up his mind.
-Yeah, fuck. Like I'm about to lose my damn head... this is the Government Complex! Gwacheon! Gwacheon Governm—
Click.
The sound cut off just like that.
When I looked toward the driver's seat, Yongsu spoke with a hollow laugh.
"...He's right in front of us."
The bastard was incredibly lucky.
.
.
.
Tha-ang!
A dry gunshot sounded from afar, and red smoke rose.
A signal flare.
He was struggling desperately, begging to be saved.
Perhaps his claim that he was on the verge of death was no exaggeration; the open park of the Government Complex was swarming with miscellaneous monsters, Zerglings included, like packs of stray dogs.
Fortunately, there were no dragons or wyverns visible.
Ratatatatata!
I indiscriminately sprayed bullets through the passenger window.
Kkae-aeng! Kaeng!
Several Zerglings and mutant wolves lost their momentum and crumpled.
Ppook! Ppok!
Magic stones popped out from their corpses.
The portal floating above the vehicle voraciously devoured the magic stones bursting from the monsters.
Our appearance was like that of a single ravenous beast charging with jaws wide open.
This was the result of the retrieval radius that had increased to a full 50 meters.
The smoke from the signal flare rose from the rooftop of a three-story government building.
But we weren't the only ones who'd followed it.
All the monsters in the surroundings were swarming around the government building.
"...It won't be easy."
Yongsu spoke, wrenching the wheel this way and that.
Toodoooodoooodoo-!
I kept firing, swapping out magazines.
My trigger finger was going numb.
Tak!
The rifle, heated as if it would melt, screamed.
A bullet had jammed firmly inside the bolt.
I put the rifle into
Killing monsters with a gun, collecting magic stones via Product Retrieval.
That much was fine.
But...
"The road is completely blocked."
Yongsu said.
The entrance leading to the government building.
The corpses of dead monsters were piled up like a mountain.
Rifles were meaningless now.
That mountain of corpses served as their shield.
Rather, they were using it to mount threatening attacks.
Yongsu subtly slowed down.
"...Should we give up? The entrance is too narrow."
"Let's try using grenades."
"Ah! We had grenades."
Yongsu's eyes sparkled as if that would solve everything.
Though grenades could be used infinitely too, an application method had occurred to me.
I immediately opened the subspace portal.
"Turn the car around and buy some time."
"Huh? Right now?"
"I'll be right back."
Back at the logistics center.
I hurried.
There wasn't much time.
"Why didn't I think of this before?"
I headed to the military unit connected to the subspace.
Specifically, the guard post building.
If it was concrete walls, they should stop grenade fragments.
I took out a fragmentation grenade tied to my vest.
Then quickly pulled the safety pin.
My hand was still gripping the safety lever.
Like this, it wouldn't explode.
The lever was designed to separate upon throwing, igniting the detonator.
I spoke to Pax.
"Is it possible to register the product just like this? With the safety lever secured?"
Just as I'd been able to preload bullets into magazines for shipping, I could apply slight modifications to items in the subspace.
This was an applied version of that.
This time, I intended to register this grenade's specific 'state' as a product.
Pax answered.
[As this is a modification to an existing product rather than a new object, it is possible.]
[Registration completed.]
[You may receive it through shipping effective immediately.]
"It won't explode here before shipping, right?"
[The Shipping skill does not undergo physical processes inside the subspace.]
[Items are shipped immediately from inventory, so there is no need for concern.]
"That's a relief. Then..."
I threw the unregistered grenade—the leftover one—vigorously out the guard post window.
Then quickly hid my body against the wall.
A few seconds passed.
Kwaang-!
An explosion rang out, and dirt rained down thuddingly.
I was pleased.
With that kind of power.
.
.
.
"You've returned...!"
Yongsu brightened.
He had been doing acrobatic driving around the building, weaving through the monsters.
Toodoooodoooodoo-!
I shipped a new rifle and dealt with the pursuing ones in an instant.
I didn't forget to collect magic stones via Product Retrieval, either.
Now what remained was to sweep away those writhing monster bastards in one go.
I immediately spent magic stones once more.
"Open up one more Concurrent Shipping slot."
[Received 50 magic stones.]
Upon reaching Subspace Level 2, I had become able to unlock one more Concurrent Shipping ability.
Now I could ship four items at once.
In other words...
"Four grenades fly out at once."
And with the pins pulled, at that.
Whiing- whii-
Four small portals formed above the moving vehicle.
Ding ding ding...
Then I set the location where they were densely gathered using the 'Precision Delivery' I'd opened previously.
I stretched out my hand.
'Ship.'
And so, the products were shipped.
Piuung-
Four spheres launched side by side.
The safety levers wrapped around them separated with a metallic ting.
Ssook.
The grenades that slipped through the gaps of the swarming monsters...
Kwaaraaang-!
Kwang-!
Taarang!
Swept them away with all manner of explosions.
What remained was repeating the same process.
I consistently rained grenades around them like an automatic turret...
Kwagwagwang!
They perished gloriously in the chain explosions.
Ppook! Ppok!
Simultaneously, a virtuous cycle of magic stone retrieval was established.
Before long, the area around the building was cleanly swept.
We drove the car toward the entrance of the government building.
Thick tires squelched as they chewed through the monsters' corpses.
But when we spotted crimson flames rising from the building's rooftop, the situation still looked dire.
Tang! Taang!
A man driven to the edge of the roof.
He fired his pistol inward.
It seemed monsters had infiltrated the interior as well.
"...@#$...!"
He kept glancing at us, shouting something.
He seemed desperately pleading to be saved.
Kkiiiiiik!
Yongsu slammed the car right up against the side of the building.
I leaned my head out the passenger window and shouted.
"Jump down!"
I opened a portal at a point where he could fall.
But perhaps having never heard of a portal in his life, he just hesitated at the rooftop railing, continuing the precarious standoff.
And that standoff didn't last long.
Kaaak...!
A Zergling on the roof stabbed its spear-like horn into the man's abdomen.
"...Kuhk!"
The Zergling shook its head side to side, thrashing the man's body this way and that...
Then casually threw him out.
Teoreok! Ujikkeun!
The thrown man crashed into a tree.
Tududu!
Kkaehaeng!
I fired the rifle and killed the Zergling on the roof.
I checked the man who'd fallen through the trees, but...
"......"
He wasn't coming to his senses at all.
Blood was gushing from his abdomen.
I urgently opened a portal.
***
I laid the bandaged man straight onto a bed.
Outside the subspace, Yongsu stomped the accelerator powerfully toward Gangnam.
Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped.
I poured disinfectant on him, ordered bandages, and wrapped him up tightly.
I wasn't sure if this was right, but I tore open several ointments and applied them too.
Still, the man showed no signs of regaining consciousness.
I hoped he would survive if possible.
There was a lot I wanted to ask him.
"This guy's luck is damn good..."
As it happened, we were headed to a hospital, too.
The one where my older sister worked.
Thump, thump!
Yongsu knocked on the portal.
It was the signal that we had finally reached Gangnam.