Surviving in the 121st Century - Chapter 46



Only Noblemtl

“···?”

Jincheol, who was watching the explosion of the crashed airship, suddenly raised his head. High in the sky, a fighter plane was crashing with a long tail of black smoke, accompanied by a whirring sound.

The fighter jet, spinning around with one wing destroyed, crashed straight down and soon crashed headfirst into a spot not far from Jincheol. Debris from the fighter jet and a plume of water shot up high.

Jincheol didn’t even turn his head as the water droplets from afar hit his face. His eyes were looking at the other fighter jet in the sky that had just shot down the fallen fighter jet. Was that fighter jet’s nose headed this way?

That wasn’t the case. After confirming that the fighter he was fighting had crashed, he turned around and flew off into the distant sky.

Jincheol, who had seen the fighter jet leave, turned his gaze to the crashed fighter jet. It was difficult to tell whether the half-broken fighter jet was from the Jaso Federation or an enemy battleship. However, it was now spewing seawater from the Puhwaak and sinking with a gurgling sound.

“···”

Jincheol, who was glaring at the fighter jet with narrowed eyes, jumped into the sea the next moment. The stone fist left behind looked at Jincheol walking away with a blank expression.

Jincheol, who swam quickly through the water, climbed up onto the sinking fighter plane without hesitation. As he climbed up, he saw the Rabito pilot struggling in the cockpit, tied up.

“···!”

He was wearing a leather flight suit, hat, mask, and goggles covering his face. He was struggling to undo his belt that wouldn’t come off, and when Jincheol suddenly appeared, he hurriedly pulled out his pistol from his waist and aimed it.

“···”

“···”

While the sinking fighter jet made a gurgling sound, Jin-cheol, who was standing tall on the leading edge, and the Rabito pilot who was aiming his pistol at him looked at each other in silence. Jin-cheol, dripping water, looked somewhat gloomy, and for some reason, sad.

On the other hand, the tip of the pistol of the Rabito pilot who was aiming at Jincheol was trembling slightly. He was breathing heavily and his hands were shaking due to excitement and confusion.

“···!”

Then the Rabito pilot was startled. Water was filling up under the cockpit. He heard a splashing sound under his feet and started to struggle.

But he was startled once again and had to flail around, as Jincheol had already approached the cockpit. The pilot quickly pulled back the barrel of his pistol, loaded it, and aimed it at Jincheol as if threatening him.

He spoke in a trembling voice.

“Hey, back off! Back off!”

Jincheol didn’t back down. He just stared straight into the pilot’s eyes, which were shaking inside his goggles. The pilot, who saw those eyes, opened his eyes wide inside his goggles. The pistol aimed at Jincheol trembled.

“···”

Jincheol’s hand approached him silently. The pilot looked back and forth between the hand and Jincheol’s eyes with trembling eyes.

Jincheol slowly approached, grabbed the belt that was binding the pilot and the cockpit, and pulled lightly. With a snapping sound, the belt connection broke, and the pilot was freed from his restraints. He let out a sound in surprise.

“Huh!”

Jincheol, who had released the pilot, raised his upper body and looked around. The place where he had crashed was not far from the coast, and the area around it was messy because there was a lot of debris floating around as the flying warship of the Jaso Federation passed by.

Jincheol, who had been measuring the distance between this place and the shore for a moment, jumped into the sea. The pilot, who had quickly unbuckled his belt and stood up, flinched again.

Jincheol jumped into the water and swam back to the escape port. Doljumeok was still hanging there.

“Phuha-!”

Jincheol, who returned to the port, picked up an iron plate that looked like an oar from the debris floating around and handed it to the stone fist that was lying down.

“···What is it?”

“Are we going to catch some fish and eat them here? Let’s go.”

“It’s hard. Can’t you take a break?”

“Then get off. I’ll go alone.”

“···I have been rowing since I was eight years old. In all of Shiol and the North, there is no one better rower than me.”

Doljumeok grumbled and began to row hard, receiving an iron plate that looked like an oar. Jincheol also picked up another one and began to row towards the white sand beach that could be seen in the distance.

Then the pilot who had climbed onto the sinking fighter plane shouted.

“Wait a minute! Let me go too!”

“Get on board! This boat won’t stop until it touches the sand!”

“what···?”

The pilot, who had been standing there blankly, blankly watching Jincheol and Doljumeok’s makeshift boat pass by, finally came to his senses when he saw the boat pass by the sinking fighter jet.

“Wait a minute! Wait a minute!”

He hesitated, then, feeling that he might be too far away for the boat to catch up, he quickly threw himself into the water. Then he flailed around on the spot, making a thumping sound. He flailed his arms and shouted.

“Ahead! I can’t breathe, help me! Mask, mask! Goggles!”

“···”

Jincheol, who was about to run straight to the sandy beach, stopped rowing for a moment and quietly watched the scene. The stone fist behind him spoke.

“How about just letting him die like that? It looks like he won’t be of much use.”

“You spicy brat. You want to come in too?”

“···Just kidding. I’ll save you instead.”

Stone Fist said that and really jumped into the sea to rescue the Rabit pilot. The pilot was lying on the back of the makeshift boat, taking off his mask and goggles, panting. He was a Rabit with brown fur, but his fur was soaked with water, making it difficult to guess his age.

But judging by his constantly twitching nose, twitching ears, and panting, out of his mind, he didn’t seem old.

“Heh, heh···”

The stone fist that had been lining up the pilots took its place behind Jincheol again and took hold of the oars. Then, it whispered quietly.

“It’s a good idea to pack emergency food. Since I have some Vision Seasoning Powder, it will be delicious whether you make soup or grill it.”

“···When I see you, I think of my friend.”

“Friend? Are you okay?”

“okay.”

“Hmm. If you think about it when you see me, he’s a pretty cool Olog.”

“Yeah. That kid is the real deal. Not a sly brat like you.”

Doljumeok laughed it off despite being scolded. However, when Jincheol turned around and squinted his eyes, he flinched and avoided eye contact before quickly starting to row.

Jincheol, who had been giving him a look, resumed rowing. As one former soldier and one back-alley fighter, a self-proclaimed professional rower, rowed without stopping, the makeshift boat they were on quickly approached the shore.

In the distance, the sky was darkened by the flames and smoke from the crashed airship. Jincheol looked at the smoke and occasionally raised his head to check the other side of the sky, because there were still fighter planes flying in the sky.

Then the pilot came to his senses and opened his mouth.

“Thank you, thank you… Knock knock, knock!”

“If you’re grateful, you should row too.”

“Huh? Huh huh···”

Jincheol picked up a floating piece of board and threw it. The Rabito pilot caught it and fumbled around awkwardly before finally finding his bearings and starting to splash around in the water.

Stone Fist, seeing that, whispered again.

“It’s useless after all.”

“Shut up, you little punk. Hurry up and stir.”

With the help of two and a half people, their makeshift boat soon reached a shallow sandy beach. Thinking it was time, Jincheol threw down his oar and jumped into the water. The water level was about thigh-high.

As he got off, the stone fist also got off, and the Rabito pilot also got off in a hurry. The three of them splashed and splashed away from the shore and entered the sandy beach.

The long sandy beach was littered with debris from the crashed airship. On the other side, where the trees were thick, flames were seen rising. Jincheol’s impression upon seeing this was simple. This was serious environmental destruction.

As we stood there quietly looking at the debris and smoke, the pilot opened his mouth.

“We have to get out of here quickly… If we waste time, it’s dangerous…”

“Is it dangerous? Why?”

The pilot, whose wet flight suit was heavy and hanging limply, suddenly raised his head at Jincheol’s question.

“what?”

“Why is it dangerous here? The airship crashed way over there.”

“···The Urata guys will send a search party soon.”

This guy was a friend of Jassoyeonbang. Jincheol shook his head slightly.

“You damn bastards. Are you even going to track down survivors?”

“That’s one thing, but the bigger reason is to secure the battleship’s engine.”

“What? An engine? What are you going to do with all that exploded and burned stuff?”

The Rabito pilot looked at Jincheol with a blank expression for a moment. Then, he nodded as if he understood.

“He’s a mercenary hired by Shiol. How could he not know? A battleship’s engine isn’t destroyed that easily.”

“···The engine is still fine even after that level of explosion?”

The pilot nodded.

“To be exact, the core of the engine will be fine. That core cannot be destroyed unless you collide with another core of the engine.”

What is that? Is it the scientific power of the United States that has transcended ten thousand years? The nuclear fusion of Sioll was roughly guessed as to what it would be, such as the sun and such. However, an engine that cannot be destroyed unless you float a giant flying ship in the air and crash it into the same engine? It was difficult for Jincheol’s limited imagination to even imagine what it was. Some kind of anti-gravity engine, perhaps.

Jincheol, who had been lost in his imagination, suddenly raised his head.

“···They say even a tiger will come if you call it. And now even a rabbit is coming.”

Pilot Rabito and Stone Fist also raised their heads to follow his gaze. They saw what appeared to be a dot in the sky growing larger. Pilot Rabito’s eyes widened.

“Hey, it’s a transport ship! We’re going to unload the soldiers and search this area!”

“Let’s get moving now.”

Jincheol strode ahead. Doljumeok and the pilot, who were looking up at the sky, quickly followed behind him. Doljumeok said.

“But do you know the way?”

“We should get out of here first, Inma. Let’s go into the forest first and avoid their pursuit. We can decide where to go later. There’s a lot of fighting going on everywhere in the East. Isn’t there a place that can hire a mercenary?

“Why only one person… Hmm. Good plan.”

Doljumeok nodded with an expression that clearly showed that he didn’t understand. Instead of explaining further, Jincheol simply moved forward. Of them all, Doljumeok was the only one who would act as a mercenary. Jincheol planned to leave in search of Ishanka’s daughter, the assembly, and traces of the Ophesis Empire.

And so the march began.

Among the three, Jincheol was the one who took the lead. He used his keen senses to follow the trail and find the way. The forest and terrain were somewhat unfamiliar, but Jincheol quickly found his bearings and moved away from the coast, believing that he had learned how to steal.

Following closely behind him was Olog Doljumuk. He followed Jincheol silently with his innate physical strength. While doing so, he quickly harvested and gathered edible mushrooms, grass, and berries that he came across here and there. He naturally thought that he would not have to worry about food.

A somewhat surprising person was the Rabito pilot. With his small stature and the way he staggered even in his wet flight suit, I thought he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the forced march, but he followed the two men without much complaint or lagging behind, which was unexpected.

Half a day after escaping from the crashing airship, the three of them found themselves sitting in a corner of a darkening forest covered in fallen leaves.

The Rabito pilot hugged his knees and opened his mouth.

“Lighting a fire… wouldn’t work, right?”

“Unless you want to leave a trail for enemies to follow when they come looking for us.”

It was Doljumeok’s answer. However, Jincheol, who had been thinking for a moment, shook his head.

“Let’s make a fire.”

“···Do you want to invite the enemy and tear them to pieces? If that’s the case, do it alone. It’s hard for me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. There are already fires all over the forest, so they won’t come after us if we light another one. If we clean up properly when we leave, they won’t even know we camped. Instead of lying around in the cold and feeling miserable, let’s light a fire and have a warm meal.”

The stone fist, who had been blinking, eventually nodded. After all, among the three, Jincheol was the one who had the most authority and the most decision-making power. The stone fist, who had been considering him the leader, agreed without much objection.

The Rabito pilot, who was shivering because of his wet leather clothes, also rejoiced at the mention of lighting a fire. Jincheol looked at him and asked.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just throw it away?”

“What? What? These clothes?”

When Jincheol nodded, the pilot avoided eye contact and whispered.

“···That’s the outfit my mother made for me.”

“Oh, really? Then I told you to stop.”

A spark burst out of Stone Fist’s hand. Perhaps because he was originally a wandering Olog, he quickly lit a fire and soon he was washing the stone plate with the water bottle he had brought along and roasting mushrooms. He took out a strange wooden bottle from his belt and gently sprinkled it on the mushrooms. He looked back and forth between the seasoning container and the Rabito pilot with strange eyes. The meaning of his eyes was obvious. This is emergency food.

Jincheol suddenly hit the back of the guy’s head.

“Open your eyes, you punk.”

“···How do you make your eyes pretty?”

“How would I know? Do it yourself.”

“···”

The stone fist looked like it was broken and then turned its gaze back to the mushrooms on the stone plate. It seemed that it didn’t want to think about it so it decided to focus on the food. It seemed that the secret seasoning wasn’t a lie. It was a very satisfying meal even though it was just a few pieces of grilled mushrooms.

The three of them ate a meal of roasted mushrooms and forest berries and fell asleep. Each person took turns standing guard. Of course, the middle guard, which was the hardest, was forced to be Doljumeok’s job.

*

The next day, the three of them cleared the campsite and started moving again. Just like the day before, Jincheol led the way and the march continued for a while. While walking through the forest covered with soft fallen leaves, the Rabito pilot opened his mouth.

“I’m Ramien.”

Jincheol answered without even looking back.

“Your name?”

“···Yeah. You? You can’t keep calling me that, mercenary, you.”

“I’m Jincheol. I’m Kang Jincheol.”

“I am Galtharullo. Just call me Stone Fist.”

Jincheol, who was trying to look forward at that name, eventually had to look back.

“What’s your name?”

“What? My name? Galtharullo? It’s a name my tribal mother and hunting father gave me after fortune telling and hunting. Isn’t it cool? It means a wild boar that runs like fire.”

“···But why the stone fist?”

The stone fist showed his fist.

“Because it’s a stone fist.”

“···I see. You ignorant brat.”

The Rabito pilot who was following behind, Ramien, chuckled slightly after hearing the conversation between the two. Jincheol also smiled faintly upon hearing that laughter.

But that smile didn’t last long.

Jincheol, who had been leading the way, stopped and looked at the back of the group. To be exact, he was looking at a place farther away, a place that was out of sight.

“Why is that?”

Jincheol frowned at Doljumeok’s question.

“···What is this?”

Shit. Let’s just run. Jincheol thought so and warned the two of them and started running ahead. However, he had to stop after a while, and it wasn’t because someone wasn’t running fast enough.

This was because the Ravito soldiers on their bikes, hovering low above the ground, appeared from far away in the forest with their engines roaring.