Chapter 36 – Evading the Observation Probe

Chapter 36 – Evading the Observation Probe

As the night began to get a little Deep Sea…

[How are you doing these days?]

A text message that came like an ex-girlfriend.

It was Minju.

[Yes. Is something wrong?]

[I guess so… I’m sorry for always complaining.]

The woman apologized, but also asked for understanding, saying that I was the only person she could share her thoughts with and ask for advice.

[It’s okay… it happens.]

I could understand.

Because it was the Apocalypse now.

It wasn’t a complaint about a boss at work; it was a situation where if even one step was taken incorrectly, not only herself but her entire family, including her sibling, could be wiped out in the Capital City.

In fact, it would have been more strange if she hadn’t asked me.

[These days, Daesaengyeon is getting a little strange, you know? ㅠ]

Daesaengyeon. The Daegu Survivor Alliance was the largest survivor group in Daegu, led by her younger brother. Meanwhile, her story brought back a past memory.

‘Now that I think about it, in my previous life, the Marauder forces in Daegu were incredibly large… Did the future change because of me?’

I tilted my head for a moment.

[My brother is trying hard… but now he’s almost out of control. Actually, my ability to escape is amazing, so I’m fine, but… what if something happens to my brother? ㅠ]

I thought for a moment about her words.

She trusts me, but she doesn’t give me enough information. From the beginning, she was an isolated outsider within the group, and the information she knew was limited.

And as if she wasn’t just a survivor who made it to the end, she showed thoroughness in maintaining information security.

‘Well… that’s a mindset that survivors must have.’

Since I was indeed an outsider to her and Daesaengyeon, I hesitated to carelessly leak sensitive information.

Unfortunately, how the situation in Daegu, which was quite far away, progressed in my previous life was only something I had heard in passing.

When I started working in the New Downtown Area in my previous life, the Marauder forces in this city were already enormously large.

And the situation in Daegu that I heard about when I barely survived was completely different from now.

‘Something… I’m lacking information that could be a link.’

That was my one-line review.

All I could do for her was to consistently maintain the Cafe, where she could escape to at any time with her abilities.

[If anything happens, let me know. I’ll help you.]

She was embarrassed but repeatedly expressed her gratitude.

[I’m really sorry… I feel so shameless, don’t I?]

Fearing that she might avoid me, I brought up the Precog story and simply said it was something I had to do.

***

Meanwhile, the recovery of the New Downtown Area after eliminating the Plunderer Group was progressing rapidly. As the Marauders disappeared, the activities of survivors living nearby seemed to become a little more active, but there was no major problem.

Instead, many people, realizing that my faction had eliminated the Marauders, came to the Castle to voluntarily join my group.

I used Seongmin’s contract as a lie detector to verify them. After that, I chose to gradually expand the group by only accepting them after a contract.

Fortunately, after bringing back the resources from the Looters, there was plenty of time, so I was able to increase the number of survivors without any burden.

The most skilled fighters among the Men started farming in the Dungeon with my troops, with Sua as their Squad Leader.

Deokchan seemed to have something to say to the Man.

“Hey, Man, what’s going on? I hear you’re farming in the dungeon these days?”

“Ah, yes. The more resources, the better.”

“But why didn’t you call me for farming? That’s disappointing.”

“Huh?”

“Farming! Isn’t that ‘farming’ in English?”

“Uh… Ah, Elder… It’s not the Man.”

I said that I was using the word ‘farming’ to describe collecting Mana Stones.

But Deokchan didn’t seem satisfied with the Castle.

“I heard from Sua that there’s a lot of green land there… Shouldn’t we be farming in the Man’s area, not the House?”

I pondered the Man’s words for a moment.

‘Well… if I wanted to farm, it’s not impossible.’

In my Previous Life, I didn’t have the capacity, so I only thought about it but couldn’t try it. But this time, the situation was different…

I started to think that perhaps farming inside the Dungeon, as the Man suggested, might be a good idea.

Especially since, unlike the Earth which was getting colder as winter approached, the Man’s weather was mild all year round, so it definitely had value.

But there were still many problems.

‘Like the Man, I’ll have to strengthen the Nest Mana Stone even more…’

As traffic increased, the mana consumed also grew considerably. So, strengthening the Nest Mana Stone to make the Rift bigger, like the Man, was one method.

Of course, to do that, more Mana Stones were needed.

There was also the problem of defense.

The Nest Mana Stone with a fixed Rift could be used not only by me but also by Monsters. After all, it was their original condition.

So, having to defend to prevent them from crossing from here to there, and also defending to prevent them from crossing from inside to here, was causing the front line to stretch out.

The fact that the Dungeon Entrance was located outside the City Wall also played a part.

Furthermore, if the Nest Mana Stone grew larger, the monsters would feel as threatened as the humans and attack, necessitating a Defense Battle.

In a Previous Life that was tight in every aspect, it was something people hadn’t even dared to try. However… the me of my Previous Life was not the me of now.

“Hmm… I’ll try it once the defenses are more robust.”

He felt that it wouldn’t be in the distant future.

* * *

Meanwhile, a significant number of the Mountain Cavalry that had been used before eliminating the Marauder were de-summoned. They were only needed during the human conflict, so even with abundant mana, there was no need to constantly pay for their upkeep.

Even with humans, there was a steady amount that could be produced from the Production Facility, so they decided to maintain about 60 units. Also, the remaining parts from de-summoning were kept as spare parts.

Instead of humans, the number of Magitech Armors, which could handle front-line maintenance, public order, and combat training, was increased to 120 units.

They not only maintained public order inside the castle but also conducted patrol dispatches to Geumhwa New City, helping to maintain public order for nearby survivors. Of course, a major goal was also to eradicate monsters and acquire Mana Stones.

It was, of course, having a profound impact on the expansion of my sphere of influence.

Apart from the human-like small machines, the Worker Bugs were kept at around 300 units.

Also, the Observation Probes were increased to about 200 units.

In the past, if all these machines broke down, I would have had to personally make and replace parts every time a human needed them. But now, the small-specialized Production Facility did all that for the humans, making it possible.

Finally, I initiated [Standardization], one of the advanced research projects. Currently, there were slight differences between machines depending on the original form and quality of the materials, and this research aimed to overcome that.

For example, Worker Bugs that had alarm clocks or electric lights attached. Originally, I had planned to remove all functions except for the electric light, but due to Sua’s immense opposition and persuasion, I decided to include the alarm clock.

‘Oh, that! I think it’s the best propaganda tool to make the residents realize that Worker Bugs are not bad guys.’

Lately, residents had been affectionately calling the Worker Bugs ‘Ding-ies’. This was another difference from the past.

Somehow, the human woman was increasingly at the forefront of protecting Worker Bug rights.

‘Well… that’s not wrong.’

* * *

Meanwhile, the Observation Probes, spread out in all directions like a map hack, were proving to be immensely helpful to me.

I didn’t know all the detailed events that had occurred across the country in my Previous Life, and since my intervention had already altered the situation, intelligence capabilities were essential.

I sent a whopping 40 Observation Probes to monitor the movements of the Villain, Choi Seunghwan, located in Incheon.

I also sent 20 Observation Probes to various regions as far as their range allowed, to observe the most powerful factions at the time.

In Seoul, where there were many people and abundant resources, there were just as many Survivor Groups, so it was still too early for human intervention.

The fortress cities near Seoul were different.

For example, even excluding nearby Incheon, there was a powerful survivor group in Bucheon City, which I remember was later forcibly absorbed by Choi Seunghwan.

This side would be an alliance candidate…

To the south were Siheung and Ansan. The monster forces were strong in this area, which bordered Incheon. Not only did this area act as a vanguard for Choi Seunghwan, but it was also one of the land routes to Incheon even now.

If I want to block Choi Seunghwan as planned… I need to quickly clear Siheung and Ansan.

Although I had secured an approach route to Line 1, I couldn’t be satisfied with just this. Choi Seunghwan needed to be squeezed even more.

Besides him, before the situation worsened, there were several famous factions living nearby whose names I had heard at least once.

For example, there was a man who gathered fanatics in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, and created a cult.

Or there was a Merchant Alliance that covered Suwon – Dongtan – Osan, mediating trade between Seoul and the southern regions.

I don’t know how everyone is operating right now.

That’s why I had to confirm even more.

After standardization, upgrading the observation probe would be good.

That was the conclusion I reached.

***

Meanwhile, thanks to our forces reaching Line 1, Seongjae seemed to be harboring new thoughts. He couldn’t take his eyes off the railway and began to propose to me.

Siwoo, I’ve been thinking.

Yes, tell me.

I think I need to build a steam locomotive.

What?

I need choo-choo trains. And a lot of them.

Thinking it was some ridiculous nonsense, I looked at him, and his expression was very serious. Only then could I reconsider and understand the advantages of a steam locomotive.

It would definitely be good, wouldn’t it?

I could get water from Sua, and the firepower to heat the steam from Seongjae.

If we had steam locomotives like that, traveling south along Line 1 and the Gyeongbu Line wouldn’t be a dream. I would be taking on the role of Choi Seunghwan, who expanded his influence this way in his previous life.

While I was at it, I decided to give him full support.

“Alright. Try making it using the Production Facility.”

The Production Facility, much like a 3D printer, could create any shape the user desired. It would undoubtedly be a great help. After all, Seongjae had asked for it.

“Siwoo… You really are the best.”

At my answer, Seongjae looked at me with a somehow greasy gaze…

Seongjae, with an expression like he was on a first date with his first love, immediately began fabricating the Steam Locomotive with the Production Facility.

***

After completing some internal affairs, I sent another 40 Observation Probes to Siheung and Ansan. This was to confirm the monsters that were occupying the vicinity of the Man.

‘Oh ho… ‘

It was a situation that naturally brought excitement.

‘That nest… it’s quite large?’

A rather large Nest Mana Stone and…

‘The Man and that’s a Special Entity.’

Even a Special Entity.

It was truly a gourmet restaurant.

‘While I’m at it, I’ll cut off Choi Seunghwan’s limbs… Perfect.’

A pleased smile naturally appeared on my face.