Hiding a Logistics Center in the Apocalypse - Episode 9
(The Little Lord's Dream (1))
“We’ll need to take Gwacheon-daero to get to Seoul. But the main roads probably still have zerglings on them... so I’ll try taking a detour through the back roads.”
We had killed over a hundred zerglings, but that was only a fraction of them.
Hundreds, maybe thousands of monsters were still swarming along Heungan-daero at Indeogwon Station.
Fortunately, Yi Yongsu seemed to know this area like the back of his hand, so he drove with practiced ease.
Vroom.
Even though we were heading toward Seoul, it was fascinating how the road gradually changed into something resembling a country lane.
He glanced around and said,
“This area is supposedly a Bronze Age heritage site or something... That’s why it was never developed.”
The gravel road quickly grew rough, and the vehicle’s body shook continuously.
Historical preservation of a bygone era.
I wondered if such things were of any use anymore.
Now humanity’s clock would turn backward.
We had been driving along the winding road for about ten minutes when...
“...There’s something up ahead.”
A metal barricade had been placed across the road some distance away.
Yellow and black patterns.
It was a military barricade.
With steel spike strips laid out in front, their sharp nails pointing upward, we gradually slowed down.
Yi Yongsu asked,
“Could the military still be around? Come to think of it, there is a base near here.”
“I don’t think so.”
I pointed to the men standing guard beside the barricade.
“They aren’t wearing uniforms.”
From sports windbreakers to short sleeves.
Their forearms were covered in colorful tattoos.
But the biggest problem was what they were holding.
I said,
“...Those are rifles.”
“Oh no... Should we turn back and take another route?”
“I don’t think we can.”
Beep beep—
A Retona vehicle had come up behind us, turning on its high beams.
We had been caught in a perfect pincer movement.
I said,
“Yongsu, I’ll open a portal for you, so get in.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I only have an expired license, but I know how to step on the gas.”
“No, that’s not what I meant...”
“They won’t just start shooting out of nowhere. They’re not doing that right now, either. As long as it’s not a surprise attack, I’m confident I won’t die.”
Even if something happened, it was better that he wasn’t here.
If I set up a subspace portal like a wall, I could even block bullets, but Yongsu had no such defensive means.
“...Please be careful.”
“Don’t worry.”
As if he understood my intentions, he hurriedly squeezed himself through the portal generated beside the passenger seat.
I too felt the rattling vibrations of the chassis as I slowly moved into the driver’s seat.
But once I actually grabbed the steering wheel, my mind went blank.
Damn it, how do you drive again?
I placed my hands haphazardly on the wheel, then slowly stepped on the accelerator.
The truck picked up speed again and reached the checkpoint they had set up, then—
Clunk!
I slammed on the brakes in front of the spike strip.
As I rolled down the window, a man with a rifle slung around his neck approached with a nasty grin.
“Man, you drive like shit. I was gonna enjoy watching your tires blow out.”
“...What is this? You don’t appear to be from the military.”
The man shook his spongy permed hair and smirked.
“What do you mean I’m not? I’m the battalion commander right here!”
At his exaggerated gesture, the man on the opposite side retorted.
“Hey, you bastard. If you’re the battalion commander, what does that make me?”
“Ah, Boss, you’d be the regimental commander! Loyalty!”
“Fuck, the regimental and battalion commanders pulling guard duty at the gate, you crazy bastard.”
The man who had been exchanging jokes with his superior turned back to me.
“We decided to stake our claim here starting today. Got it? So just where were you planning to take our baby in this big truck? The road to the Yellow Springs?”
Before I could even answer.
With a clunk, the rear door of the truck opened.
The minions who had gotten out of the Retona following us seemed to have opened the door.
They made a fuss.
“Boss! This guy’s crazy!”
“Wow, fuck, this is insane!”
The cargo bed was loaded with all sorts of supplies Yongsu had gathered from the logistics complex.
From bottled water to canned goods and cold-weather gear.
There was probably nothing they didn’t have.
The man who had gone around the trunk following his minions returned looking flustered.
“So you were a delivery driver, mister? Is it okay to steal all this stuff?”
“You can take it all if you like. I can even get you more.”
“Really? You’re super cooperative.”
Just then.
Another subordinate appeared from beyond the bushes and shouted at him.
“Boss! It’s one o’clock now!”
“Ah, already?”
The man cocked his head for a moment, then thrust his gun muzzle at me.
“Get out for now. We gotta pack up here.”
For the time being, I obeyed.
If I used the Shipping skill, I could subdue them instantly, but there were too many of them.
Seeing as they were all armed with rifles, I decided to wait for a more certain opportunity.
I had something to rely on, after all.
The Level 2 Subspace.
Its advantages didn’t end at simply being able to hold people.
The man called over another subordinate.
“You called, Boss?”
“You drive this in. I’ll take this guy with me.”
“Take him?”
“Yeah. He says he can bring more boxes? Wouldn’t the Big Boss like that?”
With that, the man took me to the Retona vehicle behind us.
Then he seated me in the back seat and sat across from me.
The gun muzzle was still pointed at my chest.
“Something crazy comes out around two o’clock here. It’s better not to be outside.”
He said with a squint, grinning broadly.
The car rattled as it climbed the hill.
Surprisingly, where they were headed was an actual military base.
As the car arrived, the iron gate of the guard post slid open with a scrape.
Those standing guard were not soldiers either.
The man who had been aiming his gun at me spoke to the subordinates guarding the guard post.
“Get inside before it’s too late. It’s already one o’clock.”
“Yes, Boss.”
The base was surprisingly quiet.
Only the occasional corpse of a dead soldier caught the eye.
Perhaps this was precisely the unit of soldiers who had been massacred by zerglings.
“Get out.”
Where we got out was at one end of the parade ground.
Sure enough, in front of it loomed a building adorned with an elaborate unit insignia.
That was the name of this place.
He guided me inside the building.
When we reached the third floor and arrived at the room where his ‘Big Boss’ was, I nearly let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.
That was what was written on the room.
The man who had been guiding me knocked sharply on the door.
“Boss, it’s me, Seokjun.”
“Yeah, come in.”
The interior was a neat office.
On the wall, various banners including the Taegeukgi were hung on flagpoles, and at the desk in front, a man sat smoking a cigarette.
The man was wearing a loose shirt and white pants, and a large scar ran diagonally across his face.
Perhaps lacking an ashtray, he stubbed out his cigarette on the desk.
No matter how you looked at it, he was far from a ‘commander’.
“Go handle your duties.”
“Yes, Boss.”
The man named Seokjun closed the door and left.
The ‘commander’ placed something on the desk with a clunk.
It was a black pistol.
He asked,
“Where’d you get all those goods?”
He seemed to have already heard the gist of it over the radio.
I answered truthfully.
“I collected them from the Gunpo logistics center.”
“Ah! The logistics center!”
As if he hadn’t known, he smacked his forehead.
“Damn, that’s clever. I should’ve taken over a place like that first.”
“...What happened here?”
“Heh heh, you didn’t see the soldier bastards all dead on the way in?”
He gave a vulgar smile.
“They went and set up some kind of operation among themselves and all died. There were only a few stragglers left inside, so I took over clean and quick. I’ve always had great initiative.”
He looked quite proud of himself.
He continued.
“But there’s a bit of a problem. We’ve got guns, grenades, everything’s great... but there’s hardly anything to eat. I don’t know where they sold off the combat rations, and the PX is tiny. So I think you’ll have to do us a favor.”
He stood up and walked with heavy steps.
Then, as if conducting a grand operation briefing, he began to relay his detailed plan to me.
“Take the truck and go to that fancy logistics center of yours. I’ll send some boys with you, so don’t get any funny ideas and just guide them straight there. Well... if you want, you’re welcome to join us. It’ll be tough for a while, but it’s better than wandering around outside and getting torn apart by monsters, right?”
Just then, a strange sound began to come from outside the window.
Kreeeeeeeee—
Kreeeeek!
Sharp cries overlapped continuously.
And before long,
the sun was blocked out.
Flap.
Flap-flap-flap.
The sound of thousands of wings beating poured down like thunder.
Watching the creatures filling the sky like dark storm clouds, the ‘commander’ grumbled.
“They’re a bit early today. Usually they come at two o’clock.”
They were wyverns.
But they were somehow different from the ones I had seen in the tunnel.
“What is that...”
“Crazy, right? That’s the boss.”
A particularly large wyvern.
Its head and torso were stained black, while its tail and legs shimmered iridescently as if coated in oil.
Its size was unusually massive.
Perhaps surpassing the level of what could be called a wyvern...
“...A dragon?”
It was a being worthy of such a name.
A creature like that seemed impossible to catch even if I threw an axe at it hundreds of times.
The creature soared through the sky together with thousands of wyverns.
The ‘commander’ gave a slight smile.
“Listen carefully. Go to the logistics center with our boys for now. If you don’t pull any tricks, we’ll accept you as one of the family. Do you know what that means?”
He showed me the black pistol.
Then he clenched his fist.
Crunch...
The barrel slowly crumpled,
Bang!
A bullet fired toward the ceiling, and the pistol crumpled like tissue paper.
It was tremendous monstrous strength.
“I am an Awakened. I’ve gained the ability known as
He presented the final condition of the vassal contract.
“From now on, just do as I say. Bring food, and bring some magic stones too. Then I’ll protect you from the monsters. The world has changed. It’s now an era ruled by strength... so therefore I...”
His long speech dragged on.
No matter how I looked at it, he was intoxicated.
Perhaps intoxicated by the apocalypse itself.
Within a collapsed civilization, he was chasing the scent of a bygone era.
He revealed his ambition.
“I will become king. This place will become my kingdom.”
Another king flying in the sky, the dragon, glanced sideways at this place.
But perhaps because we were inside the building, it merely circled the surroundings with the wyverns.
Truly, a leader was an imposing presence.
But the family I was looking for was not these thuggish bastards who did nothing but dirty work.
And sorry to the ‘commander,’ but... I had plans of my own.
I spoke to Pax in my mind.
Today, I had just achieved Level 2 Subspace.
The maintenance cost had increased, and I could strengthen my skills even further, but the greatest achievement lay elsewhere.
Pax asked me,
[Would you like to input a target to store?]
[Available storage count: 1]
I answered,
‘Put in this Armed Forces Command, Control, and Communications Command right here.’
I intended to seize the commander’s domain, root and all.