Surviving in the 121st Century - Chapter 72



Only Noblemtl

“To rescue the captured citizens… Yes, the reason we came here after reorganizing in a hurry after the battle with Urata was to rescue the citizens of Jaso. You said we had to go underground. That’s right. Maybe blocking the underground entrance is no different from killing them….”

Miguel, who was looking at Ramien with deep eyes, glanced at Jincheol’s smile standing behind her and lowered his head to the floor. To the other Rabitos, it looked like the commander was embarrassed by Ramien’s words, or that he was moved by her words.

Of course, Jincheol’s sharp eyes noticed that he lowered his head to hide his twitching lips. It seemed that he had been holding back laughter, but when he saw Jincheol laughing, he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

He raised his hand, touched the corner of his mouth, and cleared his expression, then raised his head again. His eyes turned to Snow. Snow, like Ramien, had stepped forward.

“Snow. Do you mean the same thing?”

“···My mission this time is to find the missing citizens.”

Miguel nodded again. He slowly looked around the officers in the command center. The officers’ reactions varied. Some met his gaze silently, others avoided eye contact completely, others lowered their eyes gently, and others tried to tell Ramien that his words were right, even if only with their eyes. At least, they did not have the eyes of puppets who blindly followed the opinions of a certain dictator.

He checked them all and said,

“It is impossible for all troops to go down together now. Not only are the citizens scattered throughout Rostang gathering here, but we also have to block the white beasts that have already come up from underground. So I will select a minimum number of people and send a reconnaissance team.”

Miguel’s eyes turned to Ramien.

“The reconnaissance team must identify the identity of the underground ruins that Rahiman has dug up, and if the civilians were taken away, where they are now, what their condition is, etc. Our troops can enter only if they pinpoint the exact location of the civilians. The fact that Rahiman’s special forces have already hung their commander’s severed head is a good example of the importance of this reconnaissance.”

Ramien blinked, slightly embarrassed by Miguel’s gaze. Regardless, Miguel continued speaking.

“Then I guess you have no choice but to lead this reconnaissance party.”

“···No, over there. I’m just alone···”

“Finish the personnel selection within thirty minutes and come down immediately.”

Only then did Ramien have a blank expression on his face, as if he had sensed something was strange, something had gone wrong. However, as if his earlier objections were a lie, Miguel gave orders without hesitation, and in the blink of an eye, Ramien had become the leader of the reconnaissance unit.

Miguel shouted at the sight of her expression.

“What are you doing! The citizens dragged underground are waiting to be rescued! Move now!”

“Yes, old!”

Ramien ran out of the command center in a hurry. Her bodyguard, Stone Fist, followed her, and Snow also looked at Miguel with strange eyes before leaving the command center. At Miguel’s words to pack up his equipment, an officer also left.

But Jincheol remained. Miguel, who was trying to discuss the expansion of the garrison with his officers, found Jincheol like that. Their eyes met and they had a silent conversation for a while.

Isn’t it too obvious? The way it gives strength to Ramien

I just chose the quickest and easiest way. I’m so grateful that she made the first move.

It wouldn’t be good to have conflict within the military.

At least I won’t be swayed by any one person. That’s enough for now.

Okay. But remember what I said: Ask Ramien’s doctor first.

Of course. I remember.

If this conversation really happened, at least that’s what Jincheol felt. Maybe Miguel felt differently.

Miguel, who had been staring at each other for a while, spoke first.

“···You’re not going to go?”

“No. I have to go. I just have one favor to ask.”

“What favor?”

“Add one person to the scout party.”

“One person? Who?”

Jincheol smiled brightly.

*

“I am the general of Urata… I deserve to be treated appropriately as a prisoner…”

“Shut up and follow me, you little brat.”

“···”

Rahiman’s face turned pale after hearing Jincheol’s verbal abuse. He was locked up in the Comintern’s guest room, and just a moment ago, soldiers suddenly came rushing in and dragged him down to the ground. At first, Rahiman thought he was going to meet with Miguel again and confidently left the room.

But the soldiers dragged him out of the Comintern and dragged him to one side of the garrison. At that time, Rahiman, who had been terrified that the revolutionary army was going to execute him, felt even deeper despair when he saw Jincheol’s smiling face.

“Why me, why me···?”

“Then did you think I would eat a lot and lie down warmly? You should come with me.”

At Jincheol’s very strong request – although there was no actual conversation – Rahiman also became a member of the reconnaissance team. It was a way for the person who had captured the Jaso citizens to rescue them and atone for a little bit, but in fact, Jincheol and all the Rabitos who were in the command center at the time did not think about it that deeply.

I just wanted to see Rahiman rolling around in bloody shit.

“Maybe? If we save a lot of people this time, it might be a reason for a slightly reduced sentence.”

“Sob sob···”

Jincheol turned his head, teasing Rahiman with nonsense that he himself did not believe. The hastily assembled reconnaissance team appeared before his eyes.

First of all, the first thing that caught my eye was a large armored vehicle. It was a stone-fisted truck that had been transformed into a full-fledged tank over the past two nights. Covered in black iron plates, it had a machine gun and a cannon mounted on its top, making it look like a real tank.

The underground passage was quite large, so it seemed that the tank could fit through. Of course, Jincheol said that the engine noise was calling the beasts, but Doljumeok gave a simple answer to that.

“Teeth can’t penetrate steel.”

Rather, it was an opinion that this type of tank would be good for cutting through waves of beasts in the underground passage. Jincheol agreed, and so the Doljumeok, Maro, and Gar’s tanks joined.

Aiman ​​and Haita also joined the meditation meeting and the pursuit of the person called ‘Special Envoy’. However, Harmen and the pirates did not join. They did not want to get involved in something that did not pay.

Snow joined a few revolutionaries, and upon seeing the Stone Fist tank, they brought another truck with them. The reason was that they could load it with various weapons and rescue some civilians, even if only a small number of people.

The front was the Doljumeok chariot. Inside it were Doljumeok, Ramien, and Haita. Maro was the driver.

Jincheol, Snow, Aiman, and the revolutionary soldiers rode in the back of the truck. Jincheol rode in the cargo hold, carrying a heavy machine gun and a belt of ammunition, just like when he rode in the Urata battleship. Aiman ​​looked slightly displeased at the sight of the lump of metal, but learning swordsmanship was learning, and it was impossible to swing a sword while riding in a moving truck.

Rahiman sat crumpled in the truck, his hands handcuffed, looking completely listless as if he was being taken to the execution ground.

Jincheol, who saw that sight, grabbed the bastard by the back of his neck and pulled him up, making him face the front.

“Hey, you bastard. Who do you think brought you here to be so gloomy? Shouldn’t you be showing me where the underground entrance is?”

“Kkii···”

Rahiman, who felt the strength of Jincheol’s grip on the back of his neck, became very frightened and stretched his fingers forward. Jincheol, who checked the direction, picked up the walkie-talkie.

“Forward.”

[check.]

Maro’s short answer. It seemed that he had learned how to communicate with the revolutionary army by radio. Jincheol turned his head back with a bitter feeling. He was looking at the reconnaissance party that had started to move from the revolutionary army in the garrison.

It wasn’t just the revolutionary army. The citizens of Jasso and the soldiers of Urata were also looking at them. The only difference was that while the citizens looked at the reconnaissance team with some hope, the soldiers of Urata looked at them as if they were seeing corpses running away.

Jincheol faced such differences and moved away from the garrison. The sight of the scouts leaving the garrison in the middle of the night seemed like they were leaving the castle of light and heading towards the sea of ​​darkness.

Tanks and trucks that had left their garrison ran along the road of Rostang, close to the construction site, with their lights on. In the sky where not even the moon had risen, clouds obscured even the stars. The ruins were filled with darkness.

But Rahiman managed to keep his bearings even in the darkness. Jincheol was planning to pluck out his ears if he got the hint that he was lying, but his worries were in vain, as the reconnaissance team was soon able to reach the underground entrance.

“Hmm… This reminds me of a mine I saw before….”

As Aiman ​​said, the underground entrance was at the very bottom of a stepped pit. Its width and shape really reminded me of an open-pit mine. The sight of carts and shovels and other tools filling the place seemed to say that this place was dug out by rabbits.

As I circled down the wall of the pit, the lowest part of the pit, which had been barely visible because of the darkness, was revealed. The bright lights of the tram illuminated the entrance.

“Schlitzman···”

Rahiman, who was shivering and pointing in the direction, muttered when he saw something. His gaze was on the long spear erected in front of the underground entrance and the head of Rabito stuck on the spear. Judging from the reaction, it was obvious who the head was. It must be the commander who commanded Rahiman’s special forces.

[I will enter.]

Maro’s voice flowed out from the walkie-talkie that Jincheol was wearing around his neck. The Doljumeok tank, which had confirmed the entrance, began to enter.

The underground passage that we first entered was like a natural cave. Although small, there were stalactites, and there was moisture on the walls and ceiling. However, it was also large enough for a stone-fisted tank or truck to pass through without difficulty.

The group on the truck kept a close watch on their surroundings, because once they entered the passage, the noise from the tanks and trucks was much louder than they had expected. They might have to abandon the truck and get on the tank to get out of here.

But such worries were in vain, for even though the passage seemed to end in front of me, there was no particular disturbance. Not even a single insect, let alone a wild beast, was visible.

[Check ahead. Should we enter?]

“···”

Jincheol held the radio and focused his eyes forward. He heard a loud noise from beyond the end of the passage, and he was trying to figure out what it was. And Jincheol soon realized what the sound was.

“Forward. Let’s keep going.”

[Yes. Entering.]

The tanks and trucks continued on through the passage, naturally stopping for a moment.

“oh···”

The place they came out was on a kind of bridge where cliffs connected one another. And next to the bridge, a large stream of water flowed like a waterfall. The sound Jincheol heard was the sound of that water.

The reason why Aiman ​​exclaimed in admiration was because of the stream and the vast underground world that unfolded beneath it. The huge stalactites, the sharp sections that looked like they had been cut by a giant with a sword, the deep valleys, and the countless stone bridges that connected them.

It was a magnificent world that did not match the appearance of the beasts at all. The only light was the headlights of the tank and truck, but even the part that was illuminated by that light was so large that it overwhelmed the scouts. The scouts were all just staring at the scenery half-emptily. Haita even opened the top exit of the tank and stuck his head out to look around.

But Jincheol could soon detect something artificial in that magnificent scenery. The stone bridge they were standing on was already artificial, but what he found was even more artificial.

He spoke into the walkie-talkie.

“Shine some light down at one o’clock.”

[check.]

One of the lights on the tram flickered and pointed to the place Jincheol had mentioned. It was shining brightly after being illuminated for a very long time, and Jincheol glared at it with squinted eyes. There were large, familiar letters written on it. So, it was a large signboard.

Jincheol read the text and whispered.

“Welcome to Las Vegas···”