Hiding a Logistics Center in the Apocalypse - Part 4
(The Wild Geese of the Logistics Complex (1))
"We're here!"
In the dark corridor of the unlit logistics warehouse.
I Yongsu and Choe Byeongcheol took the lead with their hands raised.
Click!
A brilliant flashlight beam shot toward us.
On closer look, three or four people were standing guard over the passage in the distance.
A man who appeared to be the leader approached a step.
"Hurry in. Anything happen?"
"Plenty happened. Whew, we barely made it out alive."
"What? You're not hurt anywhere? Wait, who's this...?"
The man who had only just noticed me asked.
They were all holding long iron rods with kitchen knives attached to the ends.
Sure enough, a couple of dead Orc corpses were lying askew in a corner of the corridor.
I Yongsu introduced me.
"This person saved us. He said he's been at Pax Fulfillment all this time."
"What? ...If it's Pax, isn't that Building C? The one that disappeared building and all this morning?"
It seemed they had witnessed it too.
Building C, which had been stored inside my subspace, vanishing entirely.
Perhaps trying to pay me back in his own way, I Yongsu began singing my praises.
"He's an incredibly strong person. He took down two Orcs by himself. His personality is quite good too..."
"No way... two of them by himself?"
The gatekeeper flinched in surprise.
Even I thought that, normally, you would need at least two armed men to take down an Orc.
Because even the Orc corpses lying in the corridor were covered in stab wounds all over their bodies.
It was evidence of a many-versus-one battle.
Perhaps thanks to the impressive record I Yongsu introduced, the gatekeeper's attitude became even more respectful.
"Well, well... please come in. Yongsu will guide you."
"Yes, thank you."
After shaking hands with the gatekeeper, I followed Yongsu into the office of Building E's logistics center.
In the room marked "Center Manager's Office," there was a man who looked to be in his early fifties.
I Yongsu explained the whole story, and the man who roughly understood the situation clasped both of my hands.
"You've done us a tremendous favor. If you hadn't been there, I can't even imagine what would have happened to these friends... I don't even want to imagine it. Ah, but where are my manners..."
He took out a small plastic bottle from a drawer and offered it to me.
It was a 500ml bottle of water.
"Please have it. Fortunately, some delivery trucks were left behind... Thanks to that, we have a decent amount of drinking water."
"No, I'm fine. I have plenty myself, so please don't worry about me."
Tung tung.
I tapped the canteen hanging from my vest.
No matter how essential a resource it was, water was something I could obtain infinitely if I went into my subspace.
Even if they said they had plenty, from where I stood, it was no more than a drop in the bucket.
The man introduced himself.
"I apologize for the late introduction. I am I Jinmok, the center manager of the Gunpo Terminal of Daehyun Delivery."
"It's a pleasure. I'm Gim Jeonggyeom."
I got straight to the point.
"By the way, I heard you're currently isolated... Is that true?"
"That's right. We've been looking for a way out by car... Up above, a golf course is blocking the way, and to the east, there's no road passable by car because of the containers. The road down to the Yeongdong Expressway has collapsed."
"Then what about the west?"
The remaining direction was a road I knew well.
The west, leading to downtown.
Because it was the direction I used to commute by bus.
"Monsters have completely blocked the path. We could somehow fight if it were Orcs, but... with some kind of monster bird flying around..."
"Monster birds?"
"The young people call them Wyverns. They're so fast and strong... Fortunately, they don't follow into the tunnel inside this logistics complex."
From Orcs to Wyverns.
The world had become a complete fantasy.
I asked.
"Is there a reason you insist on taking the road? If it's simply about getting out of here... there should be paths in every direction."
You could walk between the containers, or if need be, cross over to the nearby residential area via a mountain path.
It was just that cars couldn't drive through; on foot, there were paths open in all directions.
But they had their own reasons.
"We have to take water and food with us. Everyone here is a delivery driver with family in other regions. Risking danger, they entered the logistics center thinking of their families... and ended up isolated because of those Wyverns."
Center Manager I Jinmok let out a sigh.
He too seemed to be thinking of the family waiting for him.
"If I'd known this would happen, I would have stayed home with my wife and kids... Still..."
This time his expression was resolute.
"We've decided to attempt a forced breakthrough tomorrow night. Of course it'll be dangerous... but if we stay trapped in this logistics complex like this, the families outside won't be safe either. It's do or die. We've loaded cargo onto every truck."
In the loading yard visible from the window, over ten delivery trucks were lined up in a row.
Jinmok spoke with a look of sudden recollection.
"Come to think of it, you must be tired. Please forgive my rudeness. Go down and rest. Have something to eat as well."
"Thank you for your consideration."
"No, compared to what you've done for us..."
After exchanging pleasantries, I left the center manager's office with Yongsu.
As he guided me to the break room, I asked Pax.
"Pax, is it possible for anyone other than me to enter the subspace?"
[That is currently impossible. However, if you raise your Subspace Level, it will be possible.]
"How do I raise the level?"
[You need magic stones.]
[100 are required to reach Level 2.]
"Ah, forget about it."
It wasn't an astronomical number, but it was impossible for now.
For the moment, simply knowing that it was possible was enough.
If I met my family later, I would be able to safely store them inside the subspace.
Upon arriving at the staff break room, I saw people lying haphazardly inside the cramped room.
They had laid out a few blankets here and there, but it was clearly not a comfortable environment.
Yongsu said to me.
"We've saved a corner spot for you. Go in and rest. If you're tired, feel free to get some sleep."
"No, I think I'm fine."
I suddenly turned and left the break room.
Yongsu followed me out.
"...Was the spot too shabby?"
"No. In this situation, that place is like a hotel. Rather than that..."
"Rather than that?"
"I need to go check out the western tunnel."
***
Vroom!
The red postal motorcycle picked up speed.
We were both wearing large helmets, and Yongsu gripped the handlebars.
"I could go alone..."
"I was planning to go today anyway. We need to do preliminary reconnaissance before crossing the road tomorrow."
This was the same man who had faced the risk of death from Orcs.
To volunteer for another scouting mission just a few hours later showed considerable mental fortitude.
He continued.
"The Wyverns don't come inside the tunnel. As long as we watch from in there, we'll be safe."
"I see."
My plan was to test my Dispatch skill on the Wyverns.
Unlike the people here who had chosen an indiscriminate forced breakthrough, I wanted definite results.
Yongsu spoke.
"Come to think of it... you said you were planning to go toward Gangnam, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Unfortunately, no one else is heading that way. If it's alright with you, would you like to ride in my car tomorrow? I can give you a ride to Indeogwon."
"Sure. Is your home that way?"
Indeogwon.
It was a place I occasionally passed through when going back and forth to Seoul.
It was a shame I couldn't get all the way to Gangnam, but even that much was a godsend.
Yongsu nodded.
"My fox-like wife and rabbit-like daughter are waiting. I just hope they're safe."
Flick.
He opened his wallet with his left hand, which wasn't holding the handlebars.
In the photo slot where his ID should have been, a sticker photo of his daughter and wife had taken its place.
She was seven years old at most.
The child wearing rabbit ear headbands was smiling brightly.
"I'm sure they are."
I offered an uncertain affirmation.
Because I truly hoped so.
They didn't encounter any other monsters along the way.
Perhaps it was because we were gradually approaching the Wyverns' territory.
Bwooong-
Soon, we entered the dark, shadowed tunnel, and...
"..."
Yongsu silently slowed down.
Before long, when we reached the end of the tunnel, the motorcycle came to a complete stop.
Because the moment we stepped out of this shadow, a Wyvern would swoop down on us.
Screeeeech...
Their warped cries could be heard from somewhere.
The road visible in the distance.
Cars crushed by claws were strewn about here and there.
As if they had defecated on them too, a stinking white mess covered one overturned car.
Yongsu spoke with a troubled look.
"It'll be difficult to gain proper speed with the cars fallen on the road surface. It's a cruel thing to say, but... many will die."
He let out a rough sigh, but I countered.
"It won't necessarily be like that."
Thud, thud.
I strode boldly out of the tunnel.
Yongsu tried to stop me.
"...W-what are you doing? Get back in here, quickly!"
"Stay inside. I need to check something."
"No, what do you mean check...!"
Whir-
I kept a subspace portal open behind me.
So I could enter at any time.
I couldn't step out without such a safety measure.
The change came quickly.
Screeeeech!
Along with the cry,
Thud!
A massive Wyvern landed before my eyes.
It twitched its nose as if asking, 'How dare you?'
"You're the one daring to face me, you bastard. Dispatch."
Shwick!
First strike wins.
I threw my knife without warning,
Squelch!
Screeeeeeech!!
The bastard with a knife stuck in its neck flapped its wings like mad.
I had aimed for its head, but the bastard was fast.
Flap!
When it spread its wings, a storm-like wind whipped around us.
Swoosh!
The attacking bastard swung its claws at me, but,
[An external entity is attempting to enter.]
[The entity does not meet the requirements.]
Fzzt!
I was already inside the subspace.
Its sharp claws couldn't penetrate the portal's wall by even an inch.
And so, before I knew it, 30 seconds had passed.
Having sensed the danger, the bastard shot up into the sky.
But perhaps because the blade sticking in its neck bothered it, it couldn't fly properly.
I struggled too.
I shot knives and axes at the bastard flying up and down over ten meters above every 30 seconds, but...
Shwick!
Fwip!
They regrettably missed near its wings.
'...It's much harder to hit than an Orc.'
Unlike the thick-bodied Orcs, except for its broad wings, the Wyvern's entire body was thin and flexible.
But its aggression was no less than an Orc's.
Screeeech!
Thanks to the bastard charging at me on its own...
Crack!
I was able to blow its head off with an axe.
Thud!
The Wyvern's head was planted in the roadside,
Thud.
Its long, severed neck struck the asphalt with a wet smack.
Blood gushed out from its end.
After confirming the bastard's end, I immediately came back inside the tunnel.
Screeeeeeech!
Several Wyverns gathered around the dead one.
They glared at me intensely, but fortunately didn't chase me into the narrow tunnel.
I slowly approached the motorcycle and got on the back seat behind Yongsu.
"Let's go."
"No, how did you..."
He gulped as if he were about to exclaim.
Me having caught a Wyvern was no small surprise.
And it was thanks not to special forces-style throwing techniques, but to my subspace ability.
With a blank expression, he started the engine.
I took out a magic stone from my pocket and showed it to him.
"By any chance, did you know that killing monsters drops these magic stones?"
"We know. We've been collecting them too."
"That's good. How many do you have?"
"I think around five or six. That should be about the number of Orcs we've killed so far..."
To him driving the rumbling motorcycle, I made a proposal.
"Pool all your magic stones and give them to me. I'll clear the path for you."