Chapter 9

Still, the air is better than before the possession.

I marveled at the distant ruins and the gray forest that had grown from them.

This really gives off an apocalyptic vibe.

If I had woken up in a place like that, I would have thought I had been dropped into an apocalyptic world and started a survival game.

Like everyone’s golf game.

…There are zombies here too, though.

But it’s just a bit different because it’s a crazy collaboration between Users and scientists.

In the original, the protagonist struggled a lot to carry out the purification operation there.

They eventually succeeded and restored it, but with so many dead soldiers, it was said to be a victory full of scars.

The world is already tough enough as it is, shouldn’t they stop creating things like that and rebuild the provinces?

How is it that the Seoul Republic is the same here and there?

Still, the situation is better than China, which has been in civil war for over 20 years in the setting.

Over there, it’s like a 21st-century version of the Three Kingdoms, according to the original setting.

“Hey, Security Chief, what do you plan to do to survive?”

“First, I think I’ll try to get some capital.”

The reason I’m heading to Hanam is because it’s the easiest place to get capital without being too restricted by my status.

There are quite a few risks, but for my current situation, there’s no better way.

If I tried to enter Seoul, which is effectively a city-state, without a proper identity or as a criminal, I’d just end up being chased with no chance of success.

And for a User with some ability, there’s no better place to make money than Hanam.

It’s dangerous, but there are jobs even for people without proper identities.

“Capital…Chief, but this business—”

“I know. That’s why I plan to use some information I’ve gathered to get some capital first.”

The bald, stocky man with a striking appearance immediately expressed concern.

“You’re not thinking of entering the gray forest, are you? Hey, if you go in recklessly, you’ll die.”

The ruins.

I recalled the gray trees that had grown from the concrete I passed earlier.

There are monsters living there.

Chimeras that are neither dead nor alive.

But it’s also a place with a lot of remnants from the past.

The city, ruined by the Third World War, hides more resources than one might think.

This city has survived for quite a long time by digging up things from there, so using my knowledge of the original, I could get a few valuable items to sell and raise some basic capital.

Besides, the men I’m going with are members of a somewhat powerful group in Hanam.

“If you want to live, you have to work.”

“But it’s dangerous work.”

“Even if it’s dangerous, it’s safer than escaping from that insane Research Institute.”

Honestly, what else can I do? Either be a meat shield for gangsters or work in illegal labor camps.

If I were a disaster-designated User like Quaker, it would be a different story, but unfortunately, I’m currently at best a mid-level boss.

The kind that shows up in the early to mid-part of the story, gets beaten up to show how strong the protagonist is, and then gets killed off.

“If you say so, Uncle…”

“Security Chief, if it gets too dangerous, come back here.”

“Thank you…Ouch!”

As we chatted, the car, which had been steady, started to shake.

What’s this?

Did a tire blow?

At the ominous sign, I looked at the driver’s seat, where the bald man opened his mouth.

“It’s an unpaved road. It’s not like this is the modern era where they can just pave new roads anywhere.”

An unpaved road.

“So that’s why you chose a Jeep.”

“A Jeep is perfect for off-roading. If you ever think of getting a car, get a Jeep. There’s hardly any demand for anything else around here anyway…”

I stored the somewhat useful information in my head and used Repulsion to slightly lift my body.

The pain that had been pounding my entire body subsided.

“I might want to buy a car later, but first, I’ll be too busy making ends meet to afford one for a while.”

I wonder if they tax a lot here too.

Ah, the world is too chaotic for that.

After all, Hanam is closer to a city of outlaws.

“But if you want to survive here, it’s good to have one. It’s safer to have a car if you want to leave this city.”

“I don’t have a driver’s license…should I get one?”

“Do we have driver’s licenses?”

“That stuff disappeared ages ago.”

Hearing that sent a chill down my spine.

…But they’ve been driving fine so far, so it should be okay—

“Ugh—we’re going to run out of gas before we get there.”

Before I could relax, an ominous sound reached my ears.

“How much further to Hanam?”

“About 30 more minutes by car. The car can go for about 15 more minutes.”

“30 minutes…”

“But it’s a relatively safe zone, so it’s okay…”

That’s when it happened.

A chilling howl reached our ears.

“Hey, you crazy bald bastard! You jinxed it, and now those bastards are coming!”

“Hey, it’s not my fault! We’re just unlucky!”

“Let’s be quiet and hurry. Whatever it is—”

“It’s those monster bastards. Those rabid dogs that attack anything alive—”

Looking towards the hillside where the sound was coming from, I saw glowing yellow eyes.

“Are those things fast enough to chase the car?”

In the original, they were hunted down so quickly that I couldn’t gauge their specs.

I know they travel in packs of at least ten, but—

“Not that much! The problem is our car is about to run out of gas! If we can shake them off in 15, no, roughly 12 minutes—”

“Then let’s get our weapons out.”

We just escaped that hellish Research Institute; I don’t want to end up as dog food.

“Mina, can you steal their vision?”

“…I’ll try.”

Mina’s head turned towards me.

I stared blankly at her white hair covering half her vision, then moved my aching arm to rest my hand on her shoulder, ready to use my ability at any moment.

And I used Gravity to slightly stick to her.

Just in case Mina gets thrown out of the car.

“Ah, ah, Uncle?”

“Mina, focus. If you get thrown out of the car, I’ll protect you.”

“Okay, okay…”

The trembling subsided.

I took my eyes off Mina, who was concentrating, and looked towards the hillside.

Something moving through the bushes, visible even from a distance.

A massive body that could easily kill a retriever in one bite.

The stench of dog fur that had been festering for years.

The foul smell forcibly woke me up.

I clicked my tongue after seeing the dogs.

Those aren’t dogs, they’re wolves.

“Uncle, they’re definitely looking at us…”

They’ve targeted us, huh.

“Can’t we go any faster?”

“If we go any faster, the car will flip!”

Well, it’s already shaking like crazy, so speeding up would probably flip the car.

Clicking my tongue in disappointment, I picked up a rifle.

“Mina, how many are there?”

“One, two, three, four…about fifteen.”

“Do bullets work well on them?”

At my words, the bearded man holding the steering wheel spoke up.

“They work fine! The problem is those bastards are damn fast! We’re in a moving car, so it’s hard to hit them!”

“Then we should hold off shooting until the car stops.”

“Hey, bald guy, how much ammo do we have?”

“About two magazines each, right?”

There are four of us, including me.

One non-combatant…and honestly, if it comes to close combat, I’m as good as useless.

“Security Chief, any good ideas?”

“Before that, let’s lay our cards on the table. What’s your ability?”

“Me? Hardening ability! Not as good as that monster security captain, but still pretty useful! At least my skin won’t get scraped off on the road!”

Hardening ability. Seems somewhat useful.

“What about the driver?”

“I can amplify light reflected off my head!”

…Is that why he’s bald?

Anyway, there must be some way to use it.

“That should be enough. Listen carefully now.”

I explained the plan to get out of this situation to the group. After hearing my three-minute retort plan, the group nodded and started to slow the car down slightly.

So the bastards could catch up.

“Security Chief, is this right?”

“Hey, bald guy! Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Hahaha!”

As expected from someone from the lawless zone, quite bold.

“Mina, hold on tight. Soon—”

A-woo!

Finally, the dogs overtook us and started surrounding the car.

We simultaneously unbuckled our seatbelts and held hands.

“One…”

“Two!”

“Threeee!”

With a loud shout, the car took off into the sky.