Chapter 161: Lead and Silver Coins (15)

Chapter 161: Lead and Silver Coins (15)

****

The journey to Area 38's Dome was significantly easier than anything before, a given since it was within Dome's territory. Just as the people from Area 47 would patrol around, maintaining their sphere of safety, those from Area 38 did the same, constantly patrolling the area to protect their domain.

The difference, however, was,

Whoosh!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

"That didn't seem human, did it?"

"I saw it. They were holding a placard that said, We are also human.' It was a human."

What they were protecting was not the people, but the territory itself.

The giant blue shield, a symbol of Dome, and the individual shelters clinging to each other beyond its boundary like barnacles.

Outside the densely packed shelter area, watchtowers were erected at regular intervals, and the sounds now being heard through the receiver were the sounds of life forms being sniped with silencers on sniper rifles from those watchtowers.

Upon verification, their targeted shootings did not discriminate between survivors and mutants.

Crackle-

"This is strange. What we're seeing isn't a large scavenger group, but Dome. A group that champions freedom, justice, and the restoration of the old world order! Something must be wrong. In the recent chaos, a third force might have taken over Dome."

"Ezel."

"Or, like our Area 47, a department might have collaborated with the Raptors, leading to a de facto puppet state of the Raptors."

"Ezel."

"I I can't accept this. We've committed murders out of necessity, but we've never targeted civilian survivors. In the 15 minutes I've observed Dome, I've seen five civilian casualties, five! All ordinary people who fled here with their life's possessions! Dome was supposed to be a place where such people could live!"

Crackle-

"Angel. This is the wasteland."

"Vex is right. No matter how much Dome's values focus on justice, in situations like this, the actions a group must take are."

"It's about escaping this wasteland! At least we we shouldn't become like this!!!"

The voice of Ezel, lost in confusion, came through the communicator. He was somewhat naive and blindly idealistic, a person who purely believed in the justice of Dome, and the scene unfolding before his eyes was a significant shock.

[What do you think?]

Hyde's question brought to mind the sight of Dome observed through the telescope.

The large Dome shield, and the small shelters gathered around it without a gap. Greenhouses attached to many shelters stood out conspicuously.

From as few as two to as many as five greenhouses attached to a single small shelter were observed.

Greenhouse modules consume a significant amount of electricity. With so many greenhouses, there would hardly be any electricity left for the shelters themselves. With such density, almost all pumped water would go into the greenhouses. Those shelters weren't built for people. They were built for the use of the included greenhouse management modules.'

[So, are people not living in those many shelters, just running farms? That seems too inefficient?]

At Hyde's words, Professor sighed uncomfortably.

Dome, which values money and efficiency above all, wouldn't operate in such a manner.'

Zooming in to the maximum on the telescope, focusing on a shelter where signs of life were visible in the cold weather, brightly lit by heating lamps. A scrawny boy struggling to hold a small watering can. His parched lips and the vibrant crops receiving water contrasted starkly.

Whatever it is, it would be best to discard the notion that it's the same group as our neighborhood Dome.'

Feeling an ominous premonition, Professor stepped outside and pulled out a large flag from the truck's cargo space, attaching it to the vehicle. A flag prepared in advance, bearing Dome's mark and the caravan's symbol.

As the large white flag, signifying the lead vehicle, fluttered, their approach towards Dome was met, unbelievably, without gunfire.

****

The way through the treacherous wasteland across six Areas from Area 47's Dome was indeed impressive.

"I can't help but admire the friendship of Area 47's Dome! Welcome, BDSM folks!"

Lies.

"These are tough times indeed. Area 38 is lacking in food due to the environment and the difficulty in moving freely. Suddenly, a surge of mutants has led to a massive influx of refugees. Of course, being human, we would like to take them in, but. Refugees without food or a means of production quickly deplete Dome's food supplies and create chaos, essentially becoming a biohazard. As leaders, we had no choice but to opt for the lesser of two evils. It's truly heartbreaking."

Lies.

"As for the core components, I have nothing to say. There was an attack. Suddenly, mutants in numbers tens of times their usual swarmed us, followed by the zealots of Happy Blind. We managed to defend the central power facility desperately, but the eastern Area suffered terrible damage. During that time, a box prepared for delivery to Area 47 along with weapons in our Investigation Bureau's armory was stolen. Ah, but it has a special lock, so unless they plan to break it, they won't be able to open it. After all, that box was recycled from a black box that used to hold major military secrets before the war. It can't be opened with current technology unless the method is correct."

Lies, lies, and more lies.

When we entered Dome's interior passing through the personal shelter area, hearing that the Investigation Bureau chief was coming made us tense up. Our neighborhood's chief, Alexander Young, was a slippery snake capable of swallowing someone whole at any moment, even if only half as competent.

But what do you know? The man who appeared before my anxious self was nothing but an empty husk, a fraud.

Incapable of even a decent lie, a complete novice.

His face was so obviously lying that I wondered, Is he doing this on purpose? Am I supposed to let my guard down only for the real deal to surprise me?'

".Thank you for the hospitality. I'd like to unload the goods right away, but as you know, after coming such a long way. I'd like to rest and talk a bit."

Snap!

"Of course! We have prepared the best accommodations for outsiders. Rest as much as you need, then feel free to trade and return at your convenience!"

When I slightly hinted that now was inconvenient, the chief of Area 38's Investigation Bureau backed off without a word. Something hard was left in the hand he had grabbed. A small external chip for a connector and a note.

[1,000,000 sil]

[For the best, primary trading should be with Lockheed Coin'. For both our sakes.]

"Ha, utterly pathetic." for new novels

Obviously, some faction connected to this straw man. The chief of the Investigation Bureau tasked with internal security and regulations looking like this.

"The arson point, the method of using minimal explosives linked to the building's fuel cells, and calculating the spread of the fire! Too familiar. It's exactly the method taught by the Investigation or Executive Bureau agents!"

Ezel, still in turmoil, wiped the grime from his face, his eyes as if something was on fire.

"For whatever reason, the agents here massacred civilians and destroyed the city. It was all a setup! The words of that chief, the stories about mutants, all of it-"

"Shh. Your voice is too loud, Ezel."

I covered the mouth of the excitedly babbling guy and forcibly shoved him into the car.

After everyone had boarded the car, I opened the vehicle-to-vehicle communication. A military communicator that allowed short-range communication even in the 30th Area, where strange communication disturbances were occurring. With this, we wouldn't have to worry about being eavesdropped on.

Suuuuub- haaaa.

Sighing heavily, a sigh involuntarily escaped. Having fought through that hellish den of mutants, I had thought that once we reached Dome, at the very least, we could rest easy having completed our mission.

Annoyed, I unconsciously gripped the communicator tighter.

"As of this moment, we'll assume Area 38 Dome to be enemy territory. It has been revealed that either the entire upper echelon or a part thereof is collaborating with Happy Blind. Our mission objectiveis presumed to have fallen into Happy Blind's hands through a play close to self-harm conducted in Area 38. One more thing. The parts box we're looking forwe must consider the possibility that it may be the same item those fanatics were carrying."

.

.

.

.

Click-

"Enemy territory, huh? After all the trouble to get here, what a shitty situation. Does your last statement imply that we were deceived back in Area 47 as well?"

Click-

"It means there was no trust. It's a common occurrence among the Scavengers. Break the seal of the goods, and the deal's off; what's supposed to be food supplies turns out to be ammunition for territorial disputes. The President of Area 47 didn't trust us. He thought that once we had the power of the mutation device in our hands, we would turn the guns on them."

Click-

"Nonsense! Just because some people here are corrupt doesn't mean we all should be treated the same! I'd stake my neck on the fact that the President is not that kind of person!"

Click-

"Then, you obviously should stake your neck on it. We've already been unluckily entangled, and our necks are already hanging by a thread."

Click-

This is why I wanted to keep it to myself until I was certain.'

With the addition of suspicions about the President to the situation in Area 38, confusion quickly started to spread among the group. I had wanted to keep it hidden until the very end, but in this complex situation, keeping information hidden was not an option. To survive on the battlefield, having trust in those you depend on is the minimum requirement.

Listening to the increasingly loud communications, I brought my mouth close to the communicator.

"Everyone shut up. Even if we are supposed to have a horizontal relationship, we can't all grab the steering wheel in a situation like this. As the leader of this caravan, this is an order. Shut up. I'll make the decisions, and anyone who doesn't like it can leave."

Click-

"."

No response. Good. They've agreed for now.

Having established my authority, it was time to first pull out the seeds of doubt that were about to take root among the group.

Click-

"I brought up this situation because I am 100% confident in our group here. I don't know what intentions President Young had in having us transport the mutation device. However, it's likely that Ezel got involved without knowing anything. After the fight with the Raptors, he was deployed on Investigation Bureau missions around Dome. So, from now on, I'm prohibiting any acts or statements of doubt towards each other. We can't be startled every time one of our own holds a gun, can we? If you have any hard feelings, let them out here and now. Don't cause trouble later."

Crackle-

Sweat dripped onto the hand holding the communicator.

Crackle-

".Acknowledged. Sorry about that, Ezel. I've had too many bad experiences with allies turning into enemies. If I've upset you, I apologize."

Crackle-

"I was justconfused, that's all. Still am. I don't have any hard feelings towards you guys."

Ian's grumbling voice and Ezel's subdued voice came through the communicator in turn.

Good. The rift within the group has been well-mended.'

The situation where allies thought to be friends turned into foes. Even more, one among the group belonged to the other side. In such cases, it's crucial to draw clear lines and completely block out confusion, otherwise, you might end up not knowing who your real allies are. Ezel? I've only known Ezel Raiden for a few months, but I've been through thick and thin with soygaybar for more than five years.

In my personal opinion, the guy is nothing but a good-hearted fool. A kind-hearted idiot overflowing with ability and motivation. That's why he's more susceptible to being taken advantage of.

Crackle-

"From now on, we trust no one but the four of us. Doubt everyone we meet, collect information, and be cautious in our actions. Let's start with the civilians. We can't trust the information provided by the bastards from the Area 38th's Investigation Bureau. If there are survivors living nearby, we might be able to find out what happened here. That's where we'll start."

Crackle-

"Acknowledged."

"Acknowledged."

Crackle-

".Acknowledged."

After receiving the hesitant confirmation from Ezel as well, we started moving again.

Spy gameswhat a headache this has turned into.'

Unwittingly, the thought of if Dana was here' crossed my mind before I shook my head to dispel it.

****