Chapter 36 – Evading the Observation Probe

In the night, as it began to grow a bit ambitious…

[How have you been lately?]

A text message that felt like it was from an ex-girlfriend.

It was Minju.

[I’m fine. Did something happen?]

[I know… T_T I’m sorry for always complaining.]

Though she felt apologetic, she asked for my understanding, saying I was the only person she could share her inner thoughts with and seek advice from.

[It’s okay… That happens.]

I could understand.

After all, this was the Apocalypse.

This wasn’t a complaint about a boss bullying her at work; it was a situation where a single wrong step could lead to the extermination of her entire family, including her younger sibling.

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

[Lately… something about Daesaengyeon is becoming strange ㅠ]

Daesaengyeon. The Daegu Survivor Alliance was the largest survivor group in Daegu, founded and led by her younger brother. Meanwhile, mentioning that brought back a memory from my previous life.

‘Come to think of it, I believe the Marauder forces in Daegu were incredibly massive in my previous life… Did the future change because of me?’

I tilted my head for a moment.

[My brother is working hard to lead, but… it’s almost out of control now. Actually, my ability is amazing when it comes to escaping, so I’m fine… but if something were to happen to my brother ㅠ]

I thought for a moment at her words.

She trusted me, yet she didn’t provide enough information. In the first place, she was an outsider distanced from the group, so the information she possessed was limited.

Furthermore, as if to prove she wasn’t a survivor who had lived until the end for no reason, she was thorough about maintaining information security.

‘Well… that’s a mindset every survivor must have.’

Since I was technically an outsider to her and Daesaengyeon, it was natural for her to hesitate to leak sensitive information.

Unfortunately, my knowledge of how the situation in Daegu—which was quite far away—progressed in my previous life was only based on things I’d heard in passing.

By the time my previous self started operating in the New Downtown Area, the Marauder forces in that city had already become enormous.

And the situation in Daegu that I heard about after surviving one way or another was flowing completely differently from now.

‘Something… I’m lacking information that can serve as a link.’

That was my summary.

The only thing I could do for her was to consistently maintain the Cafe, a place she could escape to at any time using her ability.

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

Though embarrassed, she expressed her gratitude repeatedly.

[I’m really sorry… I must seem so shameless, right?]

Lest she avoid me, I simply brushed it off as something I should naturally do, bringing up the fact that I was a Precog.

* * *

Meanwhile, the recovery of the New Downtown Area, following the elimination of the Plunderer Group, was progressing rapidly. Now that the looters were gone, there was a feeling that the activities of survivors living nearby were becoming more active, but it wasn’t a major problem.

On the contrary, many people, realizing that my faction was the one that eliminated the looters, began coming to the castle to voluntarily join my group.

I used Seongmin’s contract as a lie detector to verify them, and then chose to gradually grow the group by accepting them only after they signed a contract.

Fortunately, since I had acquired the looters’ resources, I had a surplus for a while, allowing me to increase the number of survivors without burden.

Among them, those most skilled in combat were assigned to Sua as Squad Leader, and they began farming in Dungeons alongside my forces.

Deokchan seemed to have something to say about that.

“Uh, what’s that thing. I heard you’re doing far-ming in the dun-jun lately?”

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

“But why didn’t you call me for the far-ming… I’m hurt.”

“Pardon?”

“That far-ming! Isn’t that farming in English~?”

“Uh… Ah, Elder… that’s not it.”

I explained that I used the term ‘farming’ to describe gathering Mana Stones.

However, Deokchan didn’t seem satisfied.

“I heard from Sua that there’s a lot of greenery there… Instead of a greenhouse, couldn’t you just farm over there?”

I pondered his words for a moment.

‘Well… it’s not that I can’t try farming.’

In my previous life, I lacked the capacity, so I only thought about it without ever attempting it. But this time, the situation was different…

I thought that perhaps, as he said, trying to farm inside the Dungeon might actually be a good idea.

Especially since, unlike Earth, which was gradually getting colder as winter approached, the weather there was mild year-round, so it certainly had value.

But there were still many problems.

‘Then I’d have to further strengthen the Nest Mana Stone…’

As the volume of traffic increased, the amount of Mana consumed grew significantly. Therefore, strengthening the Nest Mana Stone to make the Rift larger was one way to handle it.

Of course, that ultimately required more Mana Stones.

There was also the issue of defense.

The fixed Nest Mana Stone could be used not only by me but also by Monsters. After all, it was originally their property.

Thus, I had to defend to prevent them from crossing over to this side, and defend to prevent my people from crossing over to that side, which caused the front line to stretch thin.

The fact that the Dungeon Entrance was located outside the city walls played a part as well.

Moreover, if the size of the Nest Mana Stone increased, the Monsters would feel threatened and attack, meaning I would have to fight Defense Battles.

In my previous life, where everything was tight in every aspect, it wasn’t for nothing that people couldn’t attempt it. However… the me of my previous life was not the me of now.

“Hmm… I’ll give it a try once the defenses become more solid.”

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

* * *

Meanwhile, I undid the summoning of many of the Mountain Cavalry used before the elimination of the looters. They were only needed for that specific moment, so no matter how much Mana I had, there was no need to keep paying the maintenance cost.

Still, since there was a steady amount that could be produced from the Production Facility, I decided to maintain about 60 units. I also decided to keep the remaining parts from the unsummoned units as spare parts.

Instead, I increased the number of Magitech Armor units capable of handling front-line maintenance, public order, and combat training to 120.

Not only did they maintain order inside the castle, but they also conducted patrol missions in Geumhwa New City to help maintain security for nearby survivors. Of course, a large part of the goal was to cull Monsters and obtain Mana Stones.

This was having a profound impact on the expansion of my sphere of influence.

As for other small machines, the Worker Bugs were kept at around 300 units.

And the Observation Probes were increased to around 200.

In the past, if all these machines broke down, I would have had to manually create parts to replace them every time. But now, it was possible because the small-scale specialized Production Facility handled all of that.

Finally, for research, I initiated [Standardization], one of the Advanced Research projects. Currently, there were slight differences between machines depending on the original form or quality of the materials; this research was to overcome that.

For example, some Worker Bugs had alarm clocks or lights attached. I originally intended to remove functions other than the lights, but due to Sua’s immense opposition and persuasion, I decided to keep the alarm clocks.

‘Look, this! I think it’s the optimal propaganda tool to make the residents realize that Worker Bugs aren’t bad guys.’

Recently, the residents had started calling the Worker Bugs by the nickname ‘Ding-ie.’ This was another difference from the past.

For some reason, she was becoming a champion for Worker Bug rights as time went on.

‘Well… she’s not wrong.’

* * *

Meanwhile, the Observation Probes, spread out in all directions like a map hack, were providing immense help.

Even I didn’t know every detailed event that happened across the country in my previous life. And since the situation was changing due to my intervention, information capabilities were essential.

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

Another 20 Observation Probes were sent to various locations within range to observe the most powerful factions of the time.

In the Seoul area, where there were many people and resources, there were numerous survivor groups, so it was still premature to intervene.

But the satellite cities near Seoul were different.

For instance, excluding nearby Incheon, there was a powerful survivor group in Bucheon City, which I remembered was eventually absorbed by Choi Seunghwan’s force.

‘This one is a potential ally…’

To the South were Siheung and Ansan. In this area, which bordered Incheon, the Monster forces were strong. This area not only served as Choi Seunghwan’s lackeys but was also one of the land routes leading to Incheon.

‘If I want to block Choi Seunghwan according to my plan… I need to clear out Siheung Ansan quickly.’

I had already secured an approach route up to the Line 1 railway, but I couldn’t be satisfied with just that. I had to tighten the noose around Choi Seunghwan even more.

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

For example, there was someone in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do, who gathered fanatics to create a pseudo-religious cult.

Or the Merchant Alliance, which spanned Suwon, Dongtan, and Osan, mediating trade between Seoul and the southern regions.

‘I don’t know how they’re all operating right now.’

That’s why I had to verify.

‘After Standardization, upgrading the Observation Probes would be best.’

That was the conclusion I reached.

* * *

Meanwhile, thanks to our faction reaching the Line 1 railway, Seongjae seemed to have a new idea. Unable to take his eyes off the tracks, he began to make a proposal to me.

“Siwoo. I’ve been thinking.”

“Yeah, tell me.”

“I think I need to build a steam locomotive.”

“What?”

“We need choo-choo trains. A lot of them.”

I looked at him, wondering what kind of nonsense this was, but his expression was dead serious. Only then did I think about it again and realize the advantages of a steam locomotive.

‘Actually, that would be pretty good.’

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

If we had steam locomotives, heading south along Line 1 and the Gyeongbu Line wouldn’t be a dream. I would take over the role of Choi Seunghwan, who had expanded his influence using that method in my previous life.

Since I was at it, I decided to provide full support.

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

The Production Facility could create shapes the user desired, much like a 3D printer. It would certainly be a great help. Besides, Seongjae had asked for it.

“Siwoo… you really are the best.”

At my answer, Seongjae looked at me with strangely greasy eyes…

Then, with an expression as if he were facing his first love, Seongjae went on his first date with the Production Facility and immediately began constructing the steam locomotive.

* * *

Having finished a certain amount of internal affairs, I sent another 40 Observation Probes to Siheung and Ansan. This was to identify the Monsters that would be occupying the area.

‘Oho…’

I couldn’t help but feel excited.

‘That Nest… it’s quite large.’

A fairly large Nest Mana Stone.

‘And that one is a Special Entity.’

Even a Special Entity.

It was practically a gourmet restaurant.

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

A satisfied smile naturally crept onto my face.