NOVEL WEB Chapter 98 - Explosion, But Common
Chapter 98: Explosion, But Common
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“[Interception: Communication with Gamma Team at the reserve power facility has been lost. Report the situation.]”
“[Interception: ICARUS operator has infiltrated the facility. We will gather all available forces to expel them.]”
“[Interception: Ensure no damage to the facility. This is intended to become Artemis’s critical strategic asset. Do you think you can find nuclear power plant staff in a world where it’s hard to find living people?]”
“This place is also a neighborhood where people live.”
“In some ways, yes.”
───Piiing!
A burst of light exploded, and a thin membrane spread forward centered on Harmony.
The positions, numbers, and weaknesses of the enemies covered by the pulse were displayed on the UI. Even those hiding behind walls were clearly detected. The path to the diesel generator, the core of the reserve power facility, was covered in iron and blood.
The goal was simple: clean out all the enemies inside, hack the facility’s security, and lock all doors so that no one could enter until the ICARUS backup team arrived.
Since destruction was not possible, and the fundamental situation could not be resolved without sweeping away all the enemies in this power plant, we had no choice but to use such desperate measures.
With a creaking sound, Harmony held a uniquely shaped launcher.
A module no larger than a small stone was mounted on the front. At first glance, the sleek curves and white grip resembled a self-defense laser launcher from an SF genre.
However, it was one of the most rudimentary devices among ICARUS skill devices – an adhesive bomb. Designed more for penetration than explosion, its penetration power was outstanding.
When the trigger was pulled, it flew with a thud and stuck to the side of the UGV body.
Paang!
With a bright effect like a flash of light rather than an explosion, the machine sank down with a cylindrical hole at the point of contact. The device, which combined the principles of a shaped charge and ultra-high heat, always performed its role.
While Harmony was neutralizing a machine without major destruction or explosions, I, as usual, fired .338 armor-piercing rounds, knocking down exosuit assault soldiers trying to sneak up.
Having strength support meant being able to carry heavier loads.
So they focused their surplus capacity on bulletproof performance – unfortunately, special armor-piercing rounds with depleted uranium cores could penetrate thick bulletproof plates and silence enemies with one shot.
This was the same for machines. UGVs, which couldn’t completely sacrifice mobility and thus had weakened defenses, would be riddled with holes even with 5.56mm armor-piercing rounds. Imagine the damage from a much more powerful Lapua Magnum round.
It didn’t take long for the noisy corridor to be enveloped in silence.
“No, it’s the main mission, so why is it so fun? Why is it so fun?”
“Ah, GarlicMold, thank you for the 1,000 won sponsorship. Well? Maybe it’s because I’m doing it with the teacher?”
“Don’t flatter me too much. It’s embarrassing.”
“ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
“Yeah, no matter what you say, 140% here support Harmony and Yoo Jin~~”
“They really do play the game deliciously ㅋㅋ”
“In my day, in the workshop, twisting bodies for hours~~~”
“Fact) These two have never stumbled during the mission.”
An undeniable fact.
The overlooked aspect was that the spectacle in Dark Zone was based on naturalness. Guiding smoothly to the next objective after completing one was more important than expected.
On the contrary, many people, even with UI instructions, acted passively, engaging in unnecessary discussions before sluggishly moving to the next objective. Not bad per se, just the daily life of a mismatched workshop party.
In this context, Yoo Jin’s method of naturally guiding to the next objective like breathing provided a seamless spectacle for everyone.
The two had somehow entered deep inside the reserve power facility. To ensure maximum safety from potential external attacks, the facility was larger underground than above ground.
The surroundings exuded a more analog than modern feel. Only necessary places had some digital technology applied, like identity scanners.
Slowly but surely, the enemies were being swept away. Even if they sent just enough personnel to the vital parts of the power plant, the manpower equivalent to just 1.5 companies was quite small. The reserve power facility, not the main control center, naturally had fewer PMC personnel.
As the facility’s authority was overridden by ICARUS, the barriers operated only on their command began to close tightly from the nearest entrance. No one could escape except for the facility’s owners.
But conversely, this meant that the gathering Artemis personnel outside had no bearing on the situation.
The armed buggy camera they arrived in sounded a shrill alarm in their ears.
“[Warning: Large enemy formation detected outside…confirmed 47 personnel with at least 15 different firearms waiting at the entrance.]”
“[Warning: Enemy radio synchronization.]”
“…Oh, we didn’t consider this. There are lots of enemies outside.”
“Seems like it.”
Still, with no significant changes in tone, Yoo Jin added coolly, as if hiding something.
A crackling sound accompanied a voice over the intercom.
“[: The good security guards have come all the way from Manhattan to this remote place. Shall we see their faces? They’re not some local thugs digging through trash with a pistol and shotgun, so there might be room for conversation.]”
“[: Ah, it’s fine if you don’t come up. Although it will take some time, we can break down all these barriers and flood the underground with water from the nearby lake. It would be unsightly with bloated corpses, though.]”
“[: I don’t have much patience, so I’ll give you 3 minutes. See you in front of the vehicle hangar.]”
“Hmm.”
“God Crow, Emperor Crow, great Crow!”
“Is that really the pathetic Crow? His first appearance is legendaryㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
“The King, God, Emperor of Artemis generously giving items to newly maxed-out newbiesㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ”
“His entrances are always spectacularㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
“Was it a Barrett shot to the head? Can’t hear well?”
Crow seemed as miserable as ever here too.
I tapped Harmony’s back, who was tilting her head, wondering who Crow was, and opened my mouth.
“Just in case, check if there’s another underground passage leading outside. It should be out in a few minutes.”
“Ah, okay. But are you really going to meet them?”
“The barriers are thick, so they can’t break in quickly. Give me a hand, please.”
At the end of the underground, Harmony and I started climbing back to the ground floor.
“[: Ah, finally, the annoying noise is gone. Compliments for not opening the hangar door. We haven’t built enough trust yet. But when there’s a significant power disparity, it’s better to show sincerity, isn’t it?]”
As always, Dark Zone missions had multiple endings.
Not exactly multi-endings, but many things could change based on the players’ skills and responses to unexpected situations, except for the main storyline.
And accordingly, not only various routes but also the so-called standard route preferred by everyone was guaranteed to emerge.
For instance, in the mission route taken by Yoo Jin and Harmony, it was standard for one to use the barrier as a shield while the other escaped through another underground path.
Of course, since it was a route many had taken, it wasn’t particularly special. Hence, the chat was more focused on cheering rather than being amazed by their play.
Facing each other across the barrier, Crow and Yoo Jin could each confirm the other’s presence through their respective methods.
The slight difference was that Crow could see only one person beyond the wall, while Yoo Jin saw dozens of enemies preparing to break in beyond the barrier.
With one side overwhelmingly outnumbered, a half one-sided conversation began.
“[: No response? Hmm. Anyway, thank you for coming out in one piece. With the world moderately ruined, there’s no one to listen, so it was always a struggle.]”
“[: Anyway, since you crawled to the negotiation table, let’s get to the point. Very generous terms. With this level of generosity, my estate manager, who is now in the coffin, would run out with a seal, so listen carefully.]”
“[: The demand is simple. Pack up and get out immediately. Of course, your lives will be spared, so don’t worry. I won’t even ask for compensation for your teammates who punched holes in you with the punching machine. That’s the way with PMCs. When a teammate dies, the shares for the rest increase.]”
“[: Or, if you join Artemis right here, the story changes. We’ve been short of power recently because someone ruined two branch buildings.]”
“Fact) If you surrender, you’ll be filled with holes before boarding the Artemis helicopter.”
“He’s really good at playing around with his words… which makes him more likable….”
“He talks really funnyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
“Artemis-favorable high-grade Crow, let’s communicate^^”
“With this level of humor, it’s worth joining Artemisㅋㅋ”
However.
Surprisingly, Yoo Jin wasn’t saying much.
With some noise in the voice, Harmony’s voice came through the intercom. She reported that the route search was completed, and the escape route secured in 2 minutes and 37 seconds, and was sneaking up to Yoo Jin’s location.
One way to raise tension or curiosity was to deliberately keep silent. Yoo Jin was achieving this excellently,
and it didn’t take long for the chat to be filled with questions about why she wasn’t responding.
No one knew that she was quickly checking the firearm safety procedures on the UI side.
Unable to wait for the silence, a voice came through.
“[: Hey. Do we look like we are poking around aimlessly? In this ruined world, survival is inevitable. Not everyone can contribute to preserving what’s left like you.]”
At that moment, numerous network logs rapidly scrolled up on Yoo Jin’s screen.
Her mouth opened for the first time.
“VFFS re-synchronization complete.”
“Weapon control system all green.”
“Remote driving mode operating normally.”
“ICARUS prefers to resolve matters through conversation with cooperative individuals, but….”
Whirring.
And the hand signal – meaning to arm and aim forward – was displayed in Harmony’s line of sight, and a message was sent with just a thought.
When the timing comes, to plant an adhesive bomb in the grenade box behind the vehicle.
As Yoo Jin retreated slightly, her gaze turned outside – to the grenade launcher’s sight. The rapid-fire mode grenade launcher was aiming at the former teammates without anyone knowing.
Hiding behind the wall, she continued.
“Those who occupy national key facilities and negotiate are usually not called intellectuals but terrorists.”
“[: What?]”
“There are no negotiations with terrorists.”
And there was light.
Some explosions too.
───Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Crash!
The sound of all communications being cut off simultaneously, accompanied by a tremendous vibration and explosion outside the door, as if it would break the barrier.
No one had paid attention to the armed buggy parked haphazardly after ramming into the enemy vehicle, resulting in a disastrous outcome. Still linked, it could naturally be remotely controlled once within a certain distance.
In other words, Yoo Jin was slaughtering all the surrounding enemies without much effort, hiding behind the wall.
“ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
“Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin! Yoo Jin!”
“No, what the hell is this???????????????”
“Teacher, is zero to sixty 0.1 seconds? Pleaseㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
“Went somewhere else for 3 seconds, and in the meantime made a sea of bloodㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
However, there were still too many enemies around.
Having turned nearly twenty enemies into past tense with just a few attacks, there were still just as many remaining. Faced with life-or-death situations, their survival instincts triggered immediate return fire.
Countless bullets, grenades, and even missiles flew toward the armed buggy. In return, the VFFS scattered grenades everywhere to drag more to hell, while the siren on the outer wall wailed, and the barrier opened.
The engine roared as the armed buggy moved, and it entered Harmony’s sight.
She instinctively realized this was the timing Yoo Jin mentioned.
Thud!
The adhesive bomb planted precisely in the grenade box filled with grenades. Until Harmony pulled the trigger again, it wouldn’t detonate.
The armed buggy, which took only 3 seconds from zero to sixty, became a moving bomb vehicle, and without hesitation, Yoo Jin steered it into the densest group of enemies.
A thud sound was heard beyond the opened barrier.
Harmony sensed this was the second signal.
The tiny finger moved, and the adhesive bomb detonated.
Click!
Boom.
The high-performance shaped charge at the front spewed out a metal jet mixed with wind at 10 km/s, followed by a mixture of thermite and C4 substances burning in a specially designed cylinder, emitting ultra-high heat up to 5000 degrees.
The explosion of the ammo box was inevitable.
Thus, an unprecedented massive explosion ensued.
“Wow.”
Not a scream or shock, but admiration filled the air with the flames.
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