NOVEL WEB Chapter 97 - ATV Gang
Chapter 97 – ATV Gang
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A nuclear power plant was one of the most complex creations of human progress and simultaneously one of the most dangerous places if a major accident occurred.
Due to this, procedures and internal structures were created that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine, let alone comprehend, resulting in an immense amount of data that couldn’t possibly fit into one human’s mind.
However, as always, all knowledge was classified based on necessity, and for ICARUS agents, the criterion was “how to prevent a major accident during a battle.”
A major accident at a nuclear power plant naturally meant a radiation leak.
Or, in a situation like now, there was a slight possibility that Artemis PMC might steal high-risk radioactive waste and use it like a dirty bomb, but practically, the possibility was low.
Although they lived in a half-destroyed world and weren’t without risks, Artemis PMC members were not uneducated terrorists or escapees; they were rather well-educated individuals.
Their intelligence wasn’t so low that they would disregard the possibility of becoming the public enemy of the entire world and harming themselves as well.
Thus, the possibility of Artemis intentionally causing a meltdown or doing something with high-level radioactive waste was low. They didn’t have the technology to breach the reactor pressure vessel, and it was impossible to transport materials emitting radiation measured in sieverts per hour.
So, the worst thing they could do was,
[Alert: The position of the control rods in the reactor does not match the SCRAM procedure.]
“What does this mean?”
“It means someone who doesn’t know anything is tinkering with the reactor.”
People who knew nothing about reactors, who could only shoot guns and fiddle with tactics manuals at best, were trying to tamper with one of humanity’s pinnacles of technology, the nuclear power plant.
I could understand their reasoning. The plant’s power was undoubtedly tempting. If managed properly, they could use an immense amount of electricity for decades.
However, conversely, amateurs fiddling with such a massively advanced facility couldn’t fully operate it.
It was time to give a nuclear knuckle sandwich to those doing precisely what they shouldn’t.
“From now on, we will head to the backup power facility. Even if the enemies do something foolish, emergency shutdown is possible with backup power. But without that… well, nothing good will happen.”
“So, we need to go right away.”
“Exactly.”
Leaving the parking lot, we entered the inner grounds of the nuclear power plant.
There were long skid marks on the asphalt, and about 20 meters ahead, near a building reminiscent of a hangar, a heavily armed UTV was parked haphazardly.
It had futuristic-looking ballistic plates and bulletproof panels that could display holograms on the front. On top of that, there was a bizarre Artemis-made triple grenade launcher. The launcher boasted an insane firing rate, thanks to partially applied Metal Storm technology.
The backup power facility was about a few hundred meters away on the shore of Lake Ontario. In other words, it was entirely in the opposite direction of our current location.
“Wow, this vehicle doesn’t have a backseat.”
“The backseat area is reinforced with ballistic panels and grenade ammunition. Except for the driver and the passenger seat, the rest are supposed to sit on the sides. It’s made more for fire support than for transporting personnel.”
Kicking it with my foot, I added,
“There will be many enemies, so I’ll operate the grenade launcher. Just drive. The route will automatically show up on the UI.”
“What? No, I barely have a license! It might flip over!”
“We only need to go about 600 meters. Just get in quickly!”
At the same time, I got into the passenger seat and took control of the vehicle.
The lens synchronized with the grenade launcher’s view, allowing 360-degree rotation just by thinking. Quickly finishing the ICARUS OS override, the Artemis IFF registered on the vehicle was changed to identify enemies.
In other words, the identification lights on the PMC’s bodies, which were meant to prevent friendly fire, became targets hastening their doom.
Red triangles indicating enemies popped up everywhere. The number alone was about the equivalent of 1.5 companies. Usually, it would be best not to engage, but at this point, it was time to attract attention.
With the backseat entirely converted into a 40mm grenade ammo storage, the number of grenades on the buggy was a whopping 81. It was more than enough to turn the surroundings into ashes.
“Step on it!”
“I don’t care if we crash into something!”
───Whirrrrr!
As expected of a tactical vehicle, even the noise was minimized.
It forcefully propelled itself on the asphalt. As the speed increased, the surrounding scenery blurred, the red dots approached, and Artemis’s radio network began to buzz in confusion.
Although we were quickly approaching our destination, it also meant we were getting closer to the enemies.
Dublin 1-2, where the hell are you going!?
There was no need to answer.
The reason was simple,
Baaang!
“Ugh!”
“Damn, HQ! We’re under attack! Dublin 1-2 has been hijacked!”
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Three grenades cut through the air and exploded with superior firepower and lethality, courtesy of the technology integrated into the buggy. In an instant, a strike team, including a UGV, was obliterated.
The screams transmitted through the intercom were vividly clear as we had already covered half the distance to our destination. Though there was some distance to cover on foot, 600 meters was a short distance by vehicle, and the enemies appeared from behind rather than ahead.
While I adjusted the grenade launcher’s angle and fired at the approaching PMC members, Harmony looked at me with envious eyes.
“I want to shoot grenades too….”
“I’ll drive next time.”
Only then did Harmony’s expression brighten.
She was an easily understandable person.
But regardless, the surroundings were still chaotic. Her expression twisted again soon, mainly because of the enemy troops coming out from our destination.
I quickly aimed the grenade launcher at them and fired. However, this meant I had to pay less attention to the enemies chasing us from behind.
───Boom!
“Whoa!”
“Hold the wheel tightly!”
When a rocket launcher fired by the enemy hit nearby, the vehicle shook violently.
Though the grenades kept firing, the buggy’s overall shaking reduced accuracy. Being surrounded from front and back was not a good sign, but there was nothing we could do. While I was thinking that, Harmony spoke with a voice full of panic and emotion.
“Teacher, the brakes aren’t working!”
“Seems like something went wrong due to the vehicle’s vibration earlier. Somehow… Harmony, do you see a car ahead?”
“Yes! Should I crash into it?”
“Exactly.”
A brake is ultimately a tool to reduce speed.
So, it didn’t matter how we slowed down as long as we did.
600 meters was too short for a vehicle, and the armed buggy had excellent acceleration. There was no other choice but to rush toward our destination and the enemies stationed ahead.
───Boom!
“Argh!”
“Hold on tight!”
A soldier hit by the front of the vehicle flew into the air. Although the speed reduced a bit, it wasn’t much help.
With intense vibration and inertia, the vehicle rushed straight ahead, crashing into another car that had entered the backup power facility ahead of us. After advancing a dozen meters more, it finally stopped. During this time, we didn’t forget to turn the surrounding Artemis grunts into ashes.
Taking a small breath, I shook the half-dazed Harmony’s shoulder.
“Get up. We’re here.”
You sound like a taxi driver ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
If there are no brakes, crash into the enemy… noted….
I can’t keep up with these people’s tension, seriously ㅋㅋㅋ
Look at Harmony’s dumbfounded face ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
This is how Noknyangi earns their living….
“…Teacher.”
“Yes?”
“If there’s another opportunity like this, I won’t drive.”
“…Alright.”
Anyway, being an operator was indeed a 3D job.
The competition was a fierce battlefield for many pro gamers who prepared only for that day, but it was also a festival for everyone to laugh and enjoy.
Moreover, if it was a massive single event on a global stage, viewers could enjoy various events until the final matches ended without needing any explanation.
Naturally, ICARUS International oversaw all of this.
From server management and operation, numerous events, external promotions, official talks with pro gaming teams, in-game events, various quizzes, managing the broadcast crew, royalties, coordination with ICARUS branches in other countries, and more.
Under the name of the competition, countless large-scale tasks were taking place that no single person could comprehend.
Even at the end of the Preliminary Rank, before the Asian qualifiers and KSM match had begun, popularity hadn’t declined. Instead, it exponentially increased every year, suggesting that the fuse was still burning.
In any case, amid all this.
Unsurprisingly, numerous viewers supported different individuals. You could tell just by the fact that there were ten AP pro teams, and when combined, there were over 100 first-team players.
For those uninterested, the constant stream of names they didn’t know would seem endless, but countless pros were active. Naturally, these were the forefront warriors the teams were most invested in.
Their popularity accelerated further due to the teams and the headquarters. The methods were diverse.
One of them was creating basic profiles for the pro gamers, either directly funded by the teams or requested by ICARUS International, recognizing their skill, fame, and potential.
And it wasn’t just that. Through interviews, they addressed many fans’ curiosities and drew attention. There were countless things they could and had to do.
Of course,
“…Does this person not care about the
competition at all?”
There were always exceptions.
As mentioned several times, the competition was too vast and comprehensive for individuals to care about every detail. Missing a few facts here and there amid the grand storm was easier than eating porridge.
But in Yoo Jin’s case, she was too big a presence to be forgotten or omitted. She was so widely known that she was mentioned several times a day.
Conversely, being mentioned was an act of remembering. Even someone like Yoo Jin could occasionally disappear amid a myriad of tasks.
Regardless, her presence was immense.
Countless viewers anticipated information about Yoo Jin, and even ICARUS’s PR team employees were no exception.
Not a single user contacted the branch directly; rather, an entire branch provided various schedules for one user. No further explanation was needed.
But the world doesn’t always turn as one wishes.
ICARUS staff had difficulty arranging her pre-interview.
[Has anyone received a reply email from Yoo Jin?］
ㄴ[I sent it, but she hasn’t seen it yet.]
ㄴ[Me too ㅠㅠ.]
ㄴ[She seems to be broadcasting fine but hasn’t seen it yet.]
ㄴ[Oh ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Naturally, in such situations, no one could use coercive methods.
The athlete’s schedule had to be respected and managed by the athlete themselves. This was taken for granted, and there was no other part to handle.
The regretful ones were always the users, not the branch. If individuals didn’t manage their contacts directly, they bore the loss.
However, as the regretful situation tilted towards the branch, the previously mentioned factors created strange chemistry, leading to unforeseen circumstances.
Of course, not much time had passed since the email was sent, but the anticipation was unavoidable.
Specifically, it hadn’t been long enough for such posts to appear on the company’s intranet.
‘The broadcast is fun, but….’
The temporary monitoring team was the least concerned about this situation.
They didn’t watch every single move.
They were closer to a fail-safe. One of their tasks was to convey any missed information through donations and other means.
Simply put, they drafted some members who finished their work early or started later to monitor Yoo Jin’s broadcast as viewers.
[When is the deadline for Yoo Jin’s pre-interview?］
ㄴ[About a day left?]
ㄴ[Honestly, it might already be a bit late. Given the attention drawn, the interview feels slightly delayed.]
ㄴ[Oh my.]
It wasn’t different from what I thought.
A monitoring team employee popped up another window to check today’s broadcast schedule. It was packed with main missions. There were two 30-minute gaps, coinciding with the Preliminary Rank time.
In other words, unlike other pro gamers who practiced scrims until the match, she casually did main missions and participated in the competition.
It was so like her. Bold, indeed.
Yoo Jin’s broadcast time had recently become irregular, and it was common for her to jump into Dark Zone as soon as it started. Today was no exception.
‘Just Chatting’ at the bottom of the schedule.
They informed her of any missed details through donations and other means without disrupting the broadcast.
Waiting only for that, they quietly watched the screen.
Meanwhile, and of course,
“Be careful with your shots. If you hit the backup power supply facility, it’ll break.”
“Wow, not being able to shoot properly when needed makes this harder than usual engagements…!”
“That’s how it is. Nothing is easy.”
Gun game (can’t shoot guns)
Artemis jerks, why did they invade here, of all places?
Anyone who failed here, press like?
Not being able to shoot is even more frustrating ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Teacher, I didn’t mean to swing the axe instead, though???
Regardless, they were always on regular duty.
It’s Yoo Jin with a tactical hammer.
If you don’t want to be minced, you know what to do?
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