Surviving in the 121st Century - Chapter 76



Only Noblemtl

The fire from the artillery and machine guns flew straight through and engulfed the mutant rabbits.

Amidst the spray of black blood and white flesh, several revolutionaries who had followed Ramien and the underground appeared behind the tank. They stood next to the tank and fired their rifles at the mutants, thumping their way. Their timing was good.

Ramien shouted.

“Jincheol! This way!”

The cannon fired again, blowing up a bunch of mutants on one side. Jincheol muttered, lowering his posture at the blast. Hey, shit. Are you aiming properly and shooting?

“Jincheol! Let’s go!”

Aiman ​​tapped Jincheol’s arm and ran towards the tank. Haita and Rahiman followed behind, while Jincheol and Snow followed behind, killing the mutants that followed them.

“Woooooooo-!”

Stone Fist shouted from the tank and pulled out his machine gun. Tudadadada, the machine gun’s bullets rained down on the mutants.

“Kueeeeek-!”

The mutants also let out a roar as if responding to his shout. Some were throwing spears. Stone Fist, who had been swinging his sword around excitedly, quickly hid inside when a couple of the spear blades passed by his head. Immediately afterwards, he began to back up into the wall that the tank had destroyed.

Jincheol and Ramien quickly escaped behind the tram. They could see the scenery outside the hotel. They all got on the truck parked there. The engine was already running. As they hurriedly climbed up, they heard a loud crash.

“Kueeeeek!”

The tram had dislodged itself, creating a new passageway between the hotel and the outside world. The mutants swarmed through the hole.

At that moment, the tank’s cannon fired again. With a loud explosion, the mutants coming out of the passage were blown away in all directions like puppets with their strings cut off. At the same time, a part of the hotel wall collapsed, sending up a cloud of dust. The wall collapsed, temporarily blocking the mutants’ path. It was obvious that they would climb up the collapsed section, but for now, they had bought themselves some time.

Jincheol shouted, pounding on the ceiling of the empty truck driver’s seat.

“Run!”

As if it had been waiting, the truck started to run. The stone-fisted tank followed behind. The truck and tank ran into the middle of the desolate and quiet underground Las Vegas.

The mutant rabbits that had been chasing them were no longer visible, perhaps frightened by the explosion of the artillery. The truck ran for a while and finally reached the outskirts of the underground city, and only then could the group take a deep breath.

“Hi···”

Jincheol sighed and slumped down in the corner of the truck bed. Then he spoke to Ramien, who was looking at him.

“How did you know the situation and break the wall?”

“I heard a gunshot. There was no way for the tank to get in, so the stone fist fired a cannon at the wall.”

You broke the wall because you heard a gunshot? Jincheol laughed. But he was not allowed to rest. Soon, the entire group came over and looked at him in silence.

“···why?”

When I asked briefly, with the axe still hanging down, the whole group started talking wildly.

“I’m talking about the scene I saw earlier. There, you saw people other than the ancestors of the Rabito tribe, right? No matter how I look at them, they’re like you and…”

“You’ve taken over the demon’s body!? I can sense the demonic power coming from Jincheol’s pocket! That’s amazing! The person who captured the demon directly is···”

“Where are the people? Where are the people who were kidnapped underground? Where is Ipani? Where are the others?”

“···”

Jincheol quickly raised both hands and stopped their words. Then he raised his index finger and looked only at the child.

“Let’s talk about my tribe, or rather my race, after we leave this underground. I need to prepare myself mentally as well.”

The gaze turned to Haita.

“Youma, it’s true that you brought the AI’s main body. I understand that you want to talk to me, but there’s something you have to do first.”

His gaze turned to Ramien for the last time.

“I will check the people’s locations from now on.”

“···how?”

“He’ll know.”

Jincheol took out a coin-sized quantum chip from his pocket. The group’s eyes gathered. Doljumeok, who was craning his head slightly behind him to observe the situation, muttered after seeing the chip.

“···What is that?”

[Wow! You have more friends, sir! And what are you asking?]

Everyone in the group except Jincheol flinched. The group also knew that Jincheol had already taken the chip from the hotel. The situation where a voice was coming out of a small chip gave them all a little bit of embarrassment.

Jincheol said while everyone else was blinking at the chip.

“You know the location of the people the mutants captured from the surface, right?”

[Aha! Of course there is a point where you can expect it! But why does this chip have to tell you that point? Hehehe!]

“Because I asked.”

[···If a customer asks a question, does this chip have to answer everything?]

Jincheol looked at the chip and smiled.

“You said something like, ‘Fuck the Final Decree,’ but you didn’t completely get away from it, did you?”

[···Why do you think so?]

“Because I did everything you asked me to do at the hotel.”

The AI ​​chip quickly answered.

[There are things I didn’t do? I told the hotel to stop singing, but-]

“You said you lost connection with the hotel back then. That’s why you couldn’t do it.”

[You didn’t even answer the question about finding a passenger?]

“Not yet. Not yet.”

[···]

Silence. Jincheol said dryly.

“Answer quickly. Where are the people who came in before us and were dragged underground?”

The entire group stared at Jincheol and the small AI chip on his palm for a moment. The chip began to vibrate again and made a sound.

[···I thought you were a strong but unintelligent guest, but you seem to have some sense. Hehe. If that’s what you want, I should answer. According to the final law, I have to do my best to meet all of your requests. But before that, may I ask you one thing, sir?]

It was AI’s request. Considering Jindallae’s record, it might have been better not to listen. At that time, Jindallae had also demanded ‘immortality’ only from Jincheol. It was okay for other similar humans to bicker with each other, but Jincheol could not be allowed to interfere.

But Jincheol thought for a moment and then answered.

“Listen.”

[It’s not that difficult. I just ask you to destroy the chip after hearing the answer.]

“···You want to die?”

[If complete cessation of thought is death, then yes, kill me.]

“···”

Jincheol stared at the chip quietly. Only a being with a self can perceive death. Wishing for one’s own death means that there is a being inside this small chip that can distinguish between oneself and others. In other words, it means that it is alive.

His mouth spoke briefly.

“Okay.”

[I will believe what you say.]

Hotel Chip soon began to roughly explain the structure of the underground Las Vegas. It wasn’t that complicated. It was a checkerboard-shaped city with two diagonal openings. Chip explained that each square on the checkerboard was filled with various hotels, casinos, theme parks, and the like.

“There will be people among them?”

[No. Most of the hotels are empty. Their cheap management AIs are probably scrubbing toilets while waiting for guests who will never come. Hehe.]

“so?”

[But one place is different. The ‘Million Vegas Hotel’ in the north of the city is still packed with guests. Oh, and by the way, I’m not talking about real guests, right? That place has been the BR003’s stronghold since the days of the rebellion. They eat each other, breed, and build their own kingdom. The people who were dragged from the surface, the Rabitos, will be there.]

Ramien intervened.

“Where is it! Tell me the exact location!”

[Oh? This trembling voice! It seems like someone precious has been taken away? If so, is the expedition team gathered here a rescue team for love? How beautiful! Hehehehe!]

“Just answer me.”

Jincheol’s urging made Chip tremble again and he explained the location of the hotel. Thanks to the Go board city, the way there wasn’t too difficult. Jincheol, who was thinking about how to get there, asked again.

“Let’s say there are people there. Then who were the ones who came in first? What about the ‘special envoy’ who was there?”

[If the special envoy refers to Banpuni, he also headed to the Million Vegas Hotel.]

“why?”

The chip buzzed as if it was happy.

[That idiot asked Bone Chip about the ‘Arsenal of America’. So Bone Chip just answered what he knew. It’s the theme park of the Million Vegas Hotel. Haha.]

“···That’s a theme park?”

[Yes! It has a similar theme to the main hotel! Of course, unlike the main hotel that recreates soldiers from each era with BR003, Million Vegas only exhibits war weapons from the American Revolutionary War to World War III, and it wasn’t very interesting! That’s why it wasn’t popular! It’s the last place in the theme park popularity rankings!]

Jincheol quietly scratched his chin. He had a rough idea from the moment he found out that this was Las Vegas. There was no way they would make weapons of war in a city overflowing with casinos.

Then, did the ‘special envoy’ not know about this fact? Did he, who was supposedly an Ophesis, really come down to this underground with the intention of acquiring the American arsenal without knowing about this fact? No, before that, how much do the Ophesis know about the past?

The 121st century’s intelligent beings regard the era before the forgotten empire as some kind of mythical era. Even if there are descendants of that forgotten empire, since they are also living in the 121st century, the 21st century is ten thousand years ago in the past. It is a mythical era for them as well.

“···I don’t know.”

Jincheol shook his head. These were questions that Jincheol could not find answers to even if he thought about them alone. So if he wanted to know the answer, he had to do something clear.

The idea is to catch that special envoy and make him confess everything he knows.

“But why half a penny?”

[Why is it called a half-penny? Well, it is a half-penny. In fact, it has a lower human content than Frankenstein’s monsters, so it is called a half-penny out of consideration. Customers will understand the explanation of the chip when they see it in person.]

Low human content? What the hell is this, damn it. Jincheol stood up, thinking that he should just hold on to it and take his time. Then he looked at the rest of the group and said.

“You know where everyone is? Let’s go.”

At his words, the party, no, the rescue team of love, set off again. The tank of the stone fist took the lead again, and the truck carrying the party and the Rabitos took the rear. The Rabitos who saw the mutation had stiff expressions, as if they were quite shocked.

Jincheol, who was thinking of letting it go, just kept his mouth shut, thinking it was better than being scared or lying around. Only the sound of the tram and truck engines echoed through the quiet underground city streets.

At that moment, the chip still in Jincheol’s grasp vibrated quietly.

[···Hehehe. Sir, how will the part you just promised me go?]

“What? Are you asking me to kill you?”

[If you are hesitant to proceed because the expression “kill” is awkward, I will tell you that the chip is not alive in the first place, so it is not dying. The chip has no other wish than self-destruction right now! Hehe.]

That’s alive, you idiot. Jincheol thought that, but didn’t say it out loud. As the silence continued, Chip continued to speak.

[Liar! You just promised! But why are you keeping your mouth shut! I told you to destroy the chip quickly!]

“I keep my promises.”

[···Then why is this chip still in the customer’s hands?]

Jincheol muttered as he put the chip in his pocket.

“But you didn’t say when you were going to kill me. I’ll do it later.”

[···The conman, the customer is a great conman, hehehe.]

The chip quickly became quiet, perhaps because it was so ridiculous. Or perhaps it really believed the promise that it would be done later and kept its mouth shut. Either way, Jincheol had no intention of destroying the chip right away.

Jincheol suddenly raised his head as he continued forward, wary of mutants that might pop out from anywhere.

Immediately afterwards, a scream of “Keeeeekeeeekeeee-” echoed throughout the underground city. It was similar to the shouts of the mutants, but the volume was incomparable. The entire underground seemed to shake at the sound.

No, it was true that the entire underground city was shaking. The screams of mutants echoed throughout the city. It seemed to be in response to the screams that had been heard earlier. Then came the sound of skin scraping against the dry floor.

As the whole group was frozen by the sounds echoing throughout the basement, Jincheol looked back at Ramien.

“Do you have a flare?”

Ramien held out a small pistol with trembling hands. Jincheol took it, aimed it above his head, and fired.

With a popping sound, flames flew high into the air, and the area around the road where they had stopped began to come into view vaguely.

“Ugh···”

Rahiman, who had been quietly following along until now, was startled by the vague sight. This was because white mutant rabbits were running around, popping out from all over the city.

Likewise, the surprised rabbis and the tank’s cannons aimed at them.

“Wait! Don’t shoot!”

Jincheol’s firm voice. The Rabitos looked at Jincheol with bewildered eyes, but Haita opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“We are not the target···!”

It was as she said. The mutants were all screaming and running in one direction. The source of the scream that had just rang out. And the direction that Jincheol and his group were heading.

Jincheol knocked on the roof of the truck again.

“Run!”

The revolutionary soldier sitting in the driver’s seat stuck his head out the window. He looked at Jincheol with a look of bewilderment.

“Where to?”

“In the direction they’re running.”

“···Are you serious?”

Instead of answering, Jincheol silently looked at him, and the revolutionary army received the gazes of not only him but also Ramien and the other revolutionary army behind him before disappearing back inside. Then the truck took off. It was in the same direction as the countless mutants running around.

As the truck went, Doljumeok’s tank naturally followed. Doljumeok’s voice was heard on Jincheol’s radio.

[I think I should get more hazard pay···]

The mutants didn’t pay any attention to the truck of Jincheol and his party running beside them. No, they did glance at them as they passed by – their eye sockets were almost completely degenerated, so the glances could be guessed from the movement of their noses – but they didn’t come closer or act hostile. They were all busy running towards the source of the screams.

As he was running, Jincheol began to hear other sounds mixed in his ears. Far away, in the dark city, a place where lights were flashing. Jincheol’s eyes narrowed.

At the entrance of a large building, soldiers in black armor were forming a formation and firing machine guns to stop the oncoming mutants.

Jincheol’s eyes turned beyond the gunshots and flames, beyond the black armored soldiers. There, there was someone wearing a sleek, reinforced suit like some kind of SF space suit, with a shiny helmet on his head.

The man who was about to enter the building turned his head. Although it was a very long distance, Jincheol felt that his eyes met his.

Jincheol grabbed the radio and shouted.

“Fire those bastards!”

Fortunately, Stone Fist didn’t ask where he was talking about. The tank’s field gun blasted out flames, and the shells engulfed the black armored soldiers and helmeted men in flames.

Oh, did I miss it? I have a lot to ask. At that moment when Jincheol thought, “Oh no!”, the flames that had risen up suddenly gathered into a single point as if they were being sucked up by a vacuum cleaner. The fake Daft Punk and the armored soldiers were all safe. The point where the flames gathered was above the fake’s left hand.

“That looks a bit ominous.”

At that moment, only the child watching from the side muttered, the flames that had gathered in one point poured down toward the mutants. Jincheol, who was about to order another burst of fire, grabbed the radio and opened his mouth.

“What the heck… Do people from the future use magic?”

The shiny helmet glared at Jincheol. Although the eyes were not visible, Jincheol felt the gaze.