Apocalypse Shelter Administrator - Chapter 419



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EP.419 Caravan (3)

As it approached the Korean Peninsula, merchants from other countries also joined the trade route.

When the number of people grew to over 100, everyone felt relieved. With this size, even if there were remnants of the Chinese army, they would not be able to attack recklessly.

“Captain Taraz.”

The mercenary captain, who had been looking around, rode his horse and stood next to him.

“What’s going on?”

“Please show mercy soon.”

He pointed behind him with his thumb.

“Ugh… Huh…”

“Heeeeeeek…”

Two naked Chinese prisoners of war are following along, their necks tied with ropes.

The line was connected to the body of a donkey, and it consisted of a leader male and his younger brother, who were very ill-tempered.

They realize that they are humans that they can torment as they please, so they cry and drag him away forcefully.

“If it weren’t for the uphill battle, they would have trapped us alive and sprinkled salt on us. Six of us were killed by those guys.”

“There’s no need to give any kind of compensation or anything. This was a journey that I was prepared to follow with the intention of dying.”

“People under my guidance died, so what’s the issue with compensation or not?”

“That is true, but.”

As Taraz’s eyebrows rose, the mercenary captain also took a step back.

“Besides, because of those guys, we had to fight the infected unnecessarily and the schedule was delayed, so we have to make them pay for it.”

This time, Taraz pointed behind him with his thumb.

I heard someone go, “Khuuung!” and collect phlegm in their nose.

“Whew!”

A Mongolian merchant spat bright yellow phlegm at a Chinese prisoner.

“Assalamu Raikum. Kaak! Thud!”

The leader of the Middle Eastern caravan also greeted Taraz and spat on his captive.

The two prisoners are covered in dirt and grime, having been given a grand welcome at every meeting.

The massacres, rapes, and pillaging that occurred when the Chinese brigades were in power were famous from Central Asia to the Far East.

It’s not just those who were directly affected who hold grudges.

There was too much unnecessary waste, such as giving up good pastures and settlements to avoid the Chinese army or taking long detours along the peddler route.

The merchants who had received small retribution expressed their gratitude to Taraz with relieved faces.

“You are very popular.”

“We have to make up for the loss in some way.”

It was Taraz who shook hands with all of them, got to know them, and started networking.

“Spasiva!”

The Russian merchant, who had come to vent his anger, grabbed Taraz’s hands with both of his.

“I feel so relieved! Thank you so much! The roads will be much safer now.”

“It wasn’t me who caught it, it was the Shelter Army. I’m just making a fuss.”

“It is an undeniable fact that those guys showed up because of you. In any hunt, the hardest part is finding the prey.”

His name was Jerry, and he had a cheerful smile. He was a scavenger and ran a trading company in Manchuria and could speak four languages.

Based on that linguistic ability, he mediated disputes, acted as a mediator, and exercised great influence.

“What is that?”

The mercenary captain pointed to the carriage being driven by Jerry.

Something was protruding from the top of the carriage, as if it had been installed, and it was covered with a large cloth. The silhouette wrapped in the cloth also looks like a small Buddha statue.

“I have some items to present to the shelter. I’m really looking forward to it because I think I’ll get a lot of them.”

“Did you find the lost item?!”

Taraz and the mercenary captain shouted at the same time.

Lost items refer to equipment belonging to the shelter that has broken down for some reason and is left behind.

If you retrieve it and return it, you will definitely be paid the appropriate price.

Money is money, but the biggest thing is that you can stamp your seal on the shelter.

If you can gain even a little favor from the most powerful force, the benefit cannot be converted into money.

“It wasn’t found, it was stolen. You know that when the Chinese brigade was completely destroyed, the supply units in the rear were scattered in all directions, right?”

“I know. I used to hunt a lot at camps that were relatively large, especially military camps.”

The mercenary captain nodded.

The panicked, defeated soldiers, laden with food, medicine, ammunition and equipment, were a walking treasure trove.

“We were lucky enough to find a team that was running away, and this is the loot we got from them. When they found us, they smiled calmly and asked for a trade. I was so dumbfounded.”

Everyone burst into laughter at those words.

“So you bought it with money?”

“Instead of money, I put a bullet in his forehead. Just like they did before.”

The mercenary captain and Taraz applauded quietly.

“During the fight, the guy who had the lost item fell down the mountainside, so we had a hard time finding it. When we found him, he was surrounded by wolves.”

Jerry made a yum yum chewing gesture.

“But why didn’t you put it in the luggage compartment and instead put it on top of the carriage?”

“Should I say it’s like a kind of free pass?”

Jerry pointed to Mt. Baekdu, which was beginning to appear in the distance.

“Now the locals will start to show up and start acting like scapegoats, and it’s going to be a direct hit to get rid of them. I’m sure you’ve all been through that before, right?”

“Of course I’ve experienced it.”

Taraz and the mercenary captain spoke in unison.

The world has become much more closed and exclusive than during the Dark Ages.

When foreigners were active on the Korean Peninsula, Koreans, from explorers to camp leaders and military officers, would often find fault with them.

“But if you have lost something, it’s a different story. You can just show the tent to the guys who come rambling around. If you just say, ‘How dare you bother me while I’m returning a lost item?’, they’ll all get upset and leave.”

“That would be refreshing. I just wish someone would pick a fight with me.”

The mercenary captain chuckled.

Looking at it this way, the lost property covered with a cloth on the carriage felt like a statue of a god.

* * *

There are many merchants who come and go from the Korean peninsula, so I don’t pay attention to each and every one of them, but I do pay attention to those who are involved in specific events.

“Let me know when the rescued caravan arrives.”

I set an alarm command via PDA. I hope you arrive safely on the Korean Peninsula.

As the sun was setting, the last course of the secret expedition was decided to be fishing.

Wait in a secluded spot on the shore as a cargo drone descends from the sky carrying two fishing rods.

“thank you!”

Me receiving it silently and Seyoung giving me a thumbs up.

We moved to the rocky shore fishing spot and cast our line.

“It’s getting pretty crowded here now.”

More devout Muslims prayed along the West Sea coast, a little closer to the Holy Land, while feeling the sea breeze.

On the black rock, each person lies down on a thin blanket-like material.

There was some concern about friction with Koreans, but it was an unnecessary worry. Most religious people’s faith had already evaporated, and workers and peddlers were always welcome.

Even if they do the same job, they can be hired for cheaper than Koreans, and because they come from much more difficult environments, they also have a strong hunger spirit.

“This is my place!”

However, there was absolutely no compromise when it came to good fishing spots.

“The owner of this land. Over there. Or not?”

The foreigner clumsily pointed to the rocky mountain where the shelter was buried.

“Oh, it’s noisy! Over there! Over there!”

A middle-aged Korean man who had nothing to say raised his voice and drove her out.

“Won’t they end up trying to enforce Sharia or build mosques?”

Seyoung looks a bit worried.

“It’s okay. They’re different from the Muslims before the war. They even eat pork well.”

It survived while other religions collapsed, but the world was so difficult that it was bound to change.

Female Muslims don’t even wear hijabs. I think that over time, the doctrine will become less clear and more secularized.

Anyway, if you try to do something useless, I can immediately push you away like a bulldozer.

The restricted waters where fireweed is grown are empty, but below that, between the South Sea and the West Sea, many ships come and go.

Because of fuel problems, oil-guzzling ships disappeared and sailing yachts became popular.

“If you look at it this way, it looks like a vacation spot.”

“In this day and age, leisure boats are easy to drive. All the heavy and powerful ones were drafted and then sank or were abandoned long ago.”

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There are also quite a few Japanese ships that sail around the South Sea for the purpose of trading, as well as Southeast Asian ships that sail long distances from further south.

The sea that China once called the East China Sea and tried to monopolize has now become everyone’s property.

Survivors from Taiwan, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore are actively exploring the seas.

Even the southeastern coast of China has been partially repelled by the infected and even established forward bases. These are places that are easy to defend together, mainly because of their rough terrain or proximity to islands.

Even if you advance only 200 meters inland, it is a dangerous place that could put your life in danger, but there is no reason to go there anyway. It is just a place to secure a stopover while sailing.

The final destination of Southeast Asian ships is to sail up the West Sea to obtain shelter supplies. However, the journey is difficult and not many have arrived yet.

There are no densely populated areas there with the resources to support regular operations of large trading ships.

The world, excluding the Korean peninsula, has just gotten a breath of fresh air, but each day is still a painful, tedious process.

* * *

Three days later, the alarm rang and the courtesy caravan arrived.

The upper row observed by the drone from above is enlarged, and surprisingly, the Chinese POWs are still alive.

“That’s unexpected. I thought they were going to bury or burn me to death on the spot.”

“Judging by his condition, he’s almost dead. He has wounds all over his body, and the infection has spread due to the waste.”

Artemis made a diagnosis at a glance.

There’s one more surprising thing. There’s a stalker robot fixed on the Russian caravan wagon, and it looks familiar.

“No way… Echo?”

The damage was so severe, but I could tell intuitively that he was a comrade from the expedition that had gone to the other side of the universe with me.

“Echo is right. There are traces of auxiliary equipment attached for the Tanis expedition.”

At Artemis’s gesture, the drone screen zoomed in. Through the remaining traces of modifications on several parts of the stalker, it was confirmed that it was an echo.

“Since the identification signal isn’t coming up, does that mean the power is off?”

“Wouldn’t that be obvious? It must have already been discharged. Or the signal transmitter might have been damaged.”

“Call the strike team immediately. I will go meet them in person.”

With those words, he headed towards the helipad without looking back.

Even Artemis, who would normally have waited with dignity and told them to welcome her from the shelter, did not stop them this time.

As they landed in front of the parade above on the dispatched helicopters, everyone looked shocked.

After a tiring journey, I finally entered the Korean peninsula. I was looking forward to rest, food, drinks, women to relax my body, and most of all, a completely safe place to sleep. But guess what?

Because out of nowhere, three heavily armed stalker squads appeared in front of them.

Dozens of drones fly in the sky, and intimidating large helicopters slowly raise their rotors.

“Put everything down! Put everything down, no matter what!”

The shouts of the upper class were heard in Korean through the interpretation machine.

Merchants and mercenaries alike threw down their weapons on the ground. They raised their hands toward the sky and made an appeal with their whole body that they had absolutely no intention of fighting.

It seems like everyone has been given strict instructions. Under no circumstances should they go against the legions of machines.

“Well, we came for peaceful purposes.”

“Me too.”

“There must be some mistake! We are not slavers! They are Chinese marauders! We are inflicting divine punishment for murder and robbery! And it is also a gift to the ruler of the city.”

The caravan leader, who identified himself as Taraz, explained:

A naked, rough-looking oriental man tied up. Did he think that would be misleading?

When I see him talking in his native language, not Korean, I guess he knows that the device in my ear is a real-time interpreter.

People who receive shelter requests often wear this while doing outdoor activities, so its existence is quite well known.

“Why did you create this whole thing when we could have just killed them and buried them?”

“You can’t kill people on the Korean Peninsula without permission!”

The caravan leaders could be heard whispering through my enhanced hearing.

“Besides, I thought the city lord would be happy if I offered him something since he hates the Chinese army so much. You guys happily spat on him too, right? And now you’re talking nonsense.”

“I didn’t spit. If this goes wrong, it’s all your fault…”

“stop.”

As soon as I raised my hand, everyone joined in.

“I know you are not slave traders. I am not here to punish you or imprison you, so don’t worry.”

“Whew.”

“Whoa!”

I heard about ten people sigh in relief at my words.

“Then, that, then why did you bring us…”

Instead of answering, I walked toward them. The merchants all bowed down and made way for me like the Red Sea parting.

I stopped in front of a carriage.

The upper body of the stalker seen in the drone footage is hanging. It is not tied down like luggage, but rather placed on a nice chair installed in the carriage like a nobleman’s seat.

“That’s echo.”

Although the memories were fading away, the battle scars engraved here and there were exactly the same as those of the expedition team in my memory.

But damn it.

The lower body was gone, and both arms were tattered, leaving only the skeleton. Above all, the forehead and skullcap were broken.

Echo, with his head down like a corpse and not moving at all. Did he meet the same fate as Charlie?

Keying.

At that moment, Echo’s head, which had been hanging down, slowly rose.

A faint red light entered the electronic eyeball, which was completely dark.

The brightness is very dim and it blinks frequently, so I think the battery is almost dead.

Crunch!

But the guy’s salute was sharp like a knife.

[Hello, Admin. It’s been a while.]

“…welcome back safely.”

I too saluted.

Echo’s neck turned and scanned the surrounding caravans one by one.

OMG.

Kirick.

It moves in a jerky and jagged manner, indicating severe damage.

[They are good people. They saved me from being eaten by wolves. They listened to my request just before my battery died and gave me a minimal charge.]

The stalker’s limbs, neck, etc. are made of artificial muscles, so they can be eaten.

So when you later find a damaged or stranded object, it is often in a state where it has been completely devoured by animals.

It’s not 100% organic, so it’s not going to taste very good. It’s more like rubbery meat mixed with sawdust, like medieval bread.

I looked at the caravans.

“Everyone, straighten your backs. Of all the guests I’ve had recently, these are the most welcome. I’ve brought my favorite soldier.”

My words were translated sequentially into several languages ​​and transmitted.

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched the faces of the people who spoke that language natively light up one by one.

“Alpha, our party’s engineer has returned.”

A stalker came out from behind me and assumed a stationary position.

They look the same as other stalkers, but they have a medal on their chest and a warp gate mark on their shoulder.

Now, the same treatment will be carried out on the echo in front of us.

[Return complete.]

[Welcome back, Echo.]

Echo reported and Alpha accepted.

Although I am the commander in chief, Alpha, the assault leader, also serves as the squad leader of the team.

The greetings exchanged between the steel soldiers were much shorter than mine.

But through the brain implants, they could feel themselves transmitting unique radio waves.

It is a kind of sound close to an idea, without any form of language or letters.

I can’t explain it exactly, but if I had to compare it to the closest human emotion, I would say it’s joy.

Kirick.

Kiriric.

Echo’s neck turned with difficulty as he looked behind us. Following the guy’s gaze, I looked back and realized what he was looking for.

“Unfortunately, only the three of us returned safely. Charlie’s body was saved, but his memory center was destroyed. We still haven’t found the old man.”

By the time I finished speaking, the red eyes that had been blinking with difficulty had almost turned dark.

[thank you.]

Kyuuung.

With those words, Echo’s power, which had been barely maintained, ran out.

Report back.

salute.

Confirmation from expedition team members.

Echo, who had been squeezing herself to the limit for her three wishes, lets go of her weary head.

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