This Universe Needs Old People - Chapter 58



Only Noblemtl

Apocalypse Needs Old People Episode 058

58. Promise (1)

A white signal flare that dazzles the other side of the sky.

The first to react was Meursault.

“dismissal……!”

Meursault, who had become lost in thought, instinctively started to run in that direction, but then stopped and looked back at me.

I am currently in charge of this team.

No team member may leave the line without my permission.

Meursault asked me with a face that barely managed to remain calm.

“What would you like to do, Haydam?”

Meursault had a look on his face like he would run to check on the commander’s safety even if I refused to allow it.

Before answering Meursault, I looked up and counted the number of white bullets shot into the sky.

‘One, two… I think there are more than six.’

The white signal flare is a signal flare fired when a large monster is discovered.

If more than six flares go up, that means six have been found.

But there was something odd about finding it and shooting it during the search process.

First, several white bullets were fired simultaneously.

If you shoot them all at once like that, the fireworks will overlap and it will be difficult to determine the exact number, so normally they would have been shot one by one with a time difference.

But what we saw before our eyes was a jumble of overlapping signals.

‘It doesn’t look like it was fired under normal circumstances.’

Looking at the scattered forms, it is highly likely that the team members who suddenly encountered a large monster hurriedly fired the white bullets they were carrying.

Even so, if they were that shaken up, it seems unlikely that they encountered just one or two, and it seems likely that at least three, if not six, were found in the center.

We are the team furthest from the center.

Other teams that saw the signal will probably be moving as well, and even if I run now, there’s a high chance that I’ll be the last to arrive, but my status and Meursault’s are at stake if I ignore the signal.

‘and…….’

If all six of them really appeared at the same time, the commander’s life could also be in danger.

Even if you have learned a method to identify the location of a large monster’s jewels with the naked eye, it is not easy to use it in actual combat.

Even more so when there are a lot of monsters to deal with.

In the first place, large monsters don’t usually move around in groups, so it was strange that so many of them popped out like that.

After thinking for a moment, I asked Meursault.

“How many bikes do you have now?”

“It’s the second generation.”

Snow bikes, which have a wide board instead of wheels at the front to enable them to run smoothly on snowy fields, were pulled to transport heavy materials such as barracks.

This mount was originally not used in expeditions because of its large size, but was introduced this time as the number of people in the expedition was reduced.

I glanced at the new officers and then said.

“Lucas, Bones. You two, follow me and Meursault to the center. The rest of you, wait here.”

“yes!”

It would have been possible to move all together using a cart attached to the bike, but I decided to go to the center to check on the commander’s safety, but take only some of my team members with me.

This is an area confirmed to be free of monsters, so it would be safe for the new officers to stay alone, and it is unclear how much help it would be to bring them to an area where there are likely to be many monsters.

Meursault must have had the same thoughts as me, because he immediately ordered the new officers to start unloading the supplies loaded onto the bike.

The bike became much lighter after the attached cart was removed and only the guns and ammunition were loaded on it.

“Are you going to drive?”

When Meursault, holding the bike keys, asked Bones, Bones answered with a stern expression.

“I don’t know how to ride a bike.”

Huh, just looking at the way he acts, it looks like he could ride a bike while standing up.

“I know how to do it.”

Fortunately, but surprisingly, Lucas was able to drive the bike, so the bike keys were passed on to Lucas.

Of course, I left the driving of my bike to Meursault.

I know how to ride a bike, but my body isn’t in a good condition to ride right now.

“Meursault and I will go first, so you guys follow at a distance.”

“yes.”

After giving instructions to the two guys and approaching the bike I was going to ride, Meursault was already sitting there with a nervous look on his face.

‘Honestly, I think it’s right to leave this one behind too… … .’

Our original plan was to search on the first day, and then gradually subdue the large monsters we found while searching from the second day.

Although he had several contingencies in mind, he did not anticipate that several monsters would pop out from the exact place the commander went to search.

That is, originally, Meursault should have been sitting in the war room.

I don’t know if Meursault will be of any help to the force, but he is originally the commander’s adjutant.

Normally I should have been assisting the commander, but I was here because of a special situation called ‘I’.

Meursault is probably the most anxious now, not knowing what might have happened to the commander.

“Meursault.”

“Yes, Haydam.”

“I’m telling you this just in case, but don’t go straight to where the flare is. Get off your bike, keep your distance, and walk.”

“…All right.”

Judging by the expression on his face, if you hadn’t told me in advance, he might have jumped in with his bike.

I climbed up behind Meursault and hugged his waist. I lowered the goggles that had been on my forehead and said.

“Let’s go and see. What on earth is going on?”

* * *

While riding through the snow, we spotted a few bikes that seemed to have arrived before us.

It looks like other teams are rushing to pick up people as well.

When I got down to look, I saw footprints from the bike scattered all over the snow.

The footsteps were all pointing in one direction, and there were shouts and gunshots coming from not far away, indicating that quite a few people had already joined the expedition.

“Try it from the beginning.”

Meursault tried to communicate with me by radio, but there was no response.

Are you too busy fighting monsters to have time to listen to the radio?

This is not a very good sign.

“I guess I have no choice but to go… … .”

I was going to tell you to stay here while I go and see for myself, but as if he had sensed my thoughts, Meursault took a step forward and said:

“I will go too.”

“Are you okay?”

“Haydam will tell you the location of the jewel… and you know how much my shooting skills have improved.”

Since his first hunting trip, Meursault must have been embarrassed at having left everything up to me, because his shooting skills have now improved to the level of any decent hunter.

He’s not the type of guy to brag in this situation, so let’s trust him for a moment.

Since I didn’t know how many people were applying over there, I thought it would be a good idea to fill up the number.

As we set up our bikes and started to gear up, Lucas and Bones came over not far away, also armed, with nervous expressions on their faces.

“Are we going straight into it?”

I nodded and gave the briefest instructions.

“I’ll go in front, so you all follow me at a distance. If you get too close, you might get hit by a bullet fired from that side.”

“yes.”

“Once we know where the jewel is, I’ll shoot first. Meursault, follow me and shoot. Lucas, Bones. You stay within a certain distance and shoot at the monster’s eyes to cover us.”

“All right.”

As I turned my head to check Lucas and Bones’ armor status, my eyes met with Meursault’s, who was looking at me with slightly fearful eyes.

“why?”

“… I wonder if I could remain this calm in this situation if I were Haydam.”

Even though it was an emergency situation, I was giving instructions so skillfully that Meursault looked at me as if he was looking at a complete stranger.

In fact, it seemed that Lucas and Bones were no different.

Until a moment ago, I thought Lucas and Bones were so nervous because of the unexpected situation, but they both nodded their heads in faint agreement to what Meursault said.

Lucas muttered with a serious face.

“I knew you were an unreasonable person to begin with, but now that I see you, you really are an unreasonable person.”

‘hmm…….’

I guess these guys are scared.

They were scared, so I, who seemed indifferent, suddenly started to look amazing to them.

It’s actually a good thing.

It would be more helpful if you trusted me and followed me rather than running away in fear.

As I’ve said many times, the current situation is not normal.

I’m just an old hand at this game, so I’m just indifferent. If faced with a situation like this, even experienced soldiers would easily make the wrong judgment out of confusion.

These guys also have no experience in subjugation warfare, so they can be this calm now.

I decided that it would be better to give her a little reassurance here, so I said.

“It’s already going to be difficult if you keep doing this. I’m going to show you something even more absurd from now on.”

When I said that, Bones chuckled.

“Really. If things get any more ridiculous than they are now, I’ll be more scared of the team leader than the monsters.”

“Bones! I told you not to talk to Haytham like that anymore.”

Lucas immediately retorted to Bones’s harsh tone, but thanks to him, the fearful atmosphere was somewhat lightened.

It is because of this appearance that I chose these two guys as the new officers I will bring with me.

Even during training simulations, these two guys were known to make relatively cool-headed decisions, and they were the type of guys who took responsibility even when they thought the situation was dangerous.

In particular, Bones is the type who doesn’t lose his wit even when faced with a crisis. A guy like this will figure out a way to survive even when he’s cornered.

Personally, I think Lucas is better as a commander, but as a teammate, I like someone like Bones better.

These guys seem to fit together well, so I’ll have to keep an eye on them in the future.

Anyway, the mood has lightened up… … .

‘I guess I should go right now.’

As I looked at Meursault, he nodded as if he was ready, and I raised my gun and pointed to the other side with my chin.

“Don’t forget what I said and follow me.”

After seeing the three guys nod, I started to run, gliding across the snow.

As you go towards the center, there are sections where the snow is piled thickly, so shorter team members like me sometimes step on the snow and sink, but for veterans like me, even when it is covered in white snow, the safe path is clearly visible.

There were guys who ran ahead of us, so it seemed like the guys coming from behind would be able to follow me without difficulty.

How long had it been since I ran along the footprints left in the snow?

The first thing that came into view was the head of a monster that resembled a dinosaur.

Although the furry dinosaur was a common sight among large monsters, I doubted my eyes.

Because the number of large monsters that entered my field of vision was well over six.

As we approached without slowing down, we saw a huge reptile lying on the ground and dolls lying here and there in the snow without moving at all.

‘This is crazy.’

It’s not that I shot six times, it’s that I only shot ‘six’ times.