Chapter 20

Chapter 3 For That Handful of Silver Coins (3)

***

Calm. Composed.

These are virtues that can never be emphasized enough for those living in the wasteland. In this desolate land, there is no time for regret, so suspicion is a virtue, and it’s wise to filter out suspicious information.

‘No need to rush. When outside the safe zone, it’s best not to take on exceptional missions. My goal is simply to pass through Sector 45 and meet my contact. Taking on more risk would be foolish.’

“Kehehe, how about it? Doesn’t it make your mouth water? The thought that the opulent era you’ve dreamed of a thousand times over is still intact?”

But the bait is too big, too tempting. Right after the Third World War. A panic room, sealed and practically new, belonging to the rich, when scavengers were still few and far between.

‘Stay calm, look at it conservatively...’

“...What’s the scale? How many hours has it been since it was discovered?”

“Still no accurate information. It’s been about six hours since it was found... They’ve just started to uncover the lid, and apparently, they hit the jackpot right away.”

“Jackpot...”

“Thirty 2050 model orbital mission suits, complete with preservation devices.”

“Kehe!”

I was so shocked that I gasped.

‘Stay calm! Stay composed! I, I’m not the kind of veteran who would be swayed this easily! ’

“Um, ahem! Hmm! ...If there’s such an incredible find, wouldn’t the nearby scavengers have already looted it?”

“Hmm? Ah, no. There were a lot of mutants inside. They probably all moved in when the Third World War started and waited inside until things settled down, but something went wrong and they couldn’t get out.”

Swallow.

Hold it. Don’t be swayed. Hold it. It’s nothing. Well, it is something, but the risk is high. The good stuff is probably already gone, and only old furniture remains...

“I know a bit about such structures. When the rich build long-term survival panic rooms, they never go in alone. They take security personnel with them to protect them from the chaotic outside world once the situation is over. The suits on the first floor are likely prepared for those guards. The underground shelters must be at least 30, maybe 70 or 80 units?”

Can’t hold it! 70, 70 perfectly preserved old-era shelters!!!!

Thud-

Ah, sorry, my sanity. I failed to hold onto you again today.

“Situation at the entrance? Any movements from large groups like the Dome or the Raptor Society? How many and what types of mutants...”

“Whoa, whoa, calm down, comrade. There’s a proper order to things, you know?”

The short man unwrapped the dirty bandage from his right hand, took off the glove underneath, and wiped his sweaty hand on his collar before extending it.

“I’m Vex. Just call me Vex. I was trying to find some local allies when this situation arose, and you caught my eye. That intersection point, I use it often too!”

“...You know who I am and still want me to come along? Frankly, what if I’m a scout sent by the Dome?”

“Kehehe!”

Vex laughed in a hoarse, eerie voice.

“Your acting is terrible. Anyway, it’s best to clear up misunderstandings quickly. You’re a lone wolf, right?”

“...”

“No need to answer. The way you check your position and exposure with every step. The habit of being on guard in all directions without backup. Most people don’t go that far. It’s evidence that you’ve been traveling alone for a long time.”

“...Impressive.”

“Kehe! It’s not hard. I live like that too!”

“But being a lone wolf doesn’t guarantee you’re not an enemy.”

“Not at all! In this era, living alone means a lot.

It’s a dangerous time, right? The weak form groups under the strong, and the weaker ones die. Surviving alone without belonging to a group means you have some skills.

And not belonging to a group also means you don’t want to be bound by rules or have personal reasons. Either way, it means you have your own principles. Such people can at least communicate! Kehe!”

“...So, you chose me?”

“Yeah. I mean, the risks are endless, but is there any choice without risk in this world? We have to take them. You’re a veteran, so planning should be easy, and you’re skilled. I liked that about you. How about it, want to go treasure hunting together?”

“...”

I hesitated for a moment, but the decision was quick. With 2.4 million in debt looming over me, taking a small risk to make a big profit is a good deal.

The professor unclipped the buckles on his wrist and took off his gloves, then extended his hand. He couldn’t reveal his real name; they weren’t that close. Even a nickname wouldn’t do. If it were known that I and the professor are the same person, someone might trace my movements and discover the shelter’s location. Broadcasters are the top priority targets for scavengers.

The professor said without much thought.

“I’m the Hanged Man. Nice to meet you.”

“Kehe, comrade, your naming skills are terrible. You’re bound to have a short life.”

Thud.

And so, a temporary alliance was formed. The hand of a human I hadn’t touched in a long time was... well, more unpleasant than I thought. Ugh, it’s so uncomfortable.

***

After deciding to travel together, Vex took the lead, saying he knew a good spot. Despite his small, wiry build, his movements were agile enough to make it hard to keep up.

“Still, uh... Hanged Man? Comrade, you’re really lucky.”

“Hey, I’ve been wondering. Is that how you normally talk, or is it some new scavenger language?”

Vex’s speech had been bothering me. His word order was strange, and his vocabulary was all over the place. I could understand him, but it was grating on my ears.

“Tsk. You’ll understand if you live alone in the wasteland. There’s no one to talk to.”

“Hmm...”

‘Master!’

‘Master!’

‘Hehe, human!’

‘Master!’

No, I already have one who’s so noisy I might get a nervous breakdown.

“Every day, living with blood on my hands and not talking, my mind just filled with fantasies. At some point, my words couldn’t keep up with my thoughts. I’d already said everything in my head, but my mouth was still talking. So, I started to stutter and my words just came out however I thought them.”

Hmm, an interesting mental disorder. A problem with his mind... -1 point for a potential ally.

“Is that dangerous? Are you taking any medication?”

“What a strange question? Where’s the person who hasn’t gone crazy in this wasteland? Everyone has their own way of coping, and they survive. I’m a gentleman compared to some.”

Thud, thud!

Vex chuckled and leaped over a wall in a dead-end alley. His agility was more than just good.

“Where did you serve?”

“Huh? Kehehe! You were just blowing cold air when I asked you!”

“I was an enemy then. Now, we’re allies.”

“Hehe! Well, I don’t know. I have my pride, but since you’re such a lucky comrade, I might tell you.”

“Lucky? Me?”

“Of course! To run into the golden opportunity that every scavenger dreams of, just by passing by, that’s luck!”

Well, if you were driven out by an AI that went crazy from impulse buying and are in debt, trying to do something to survive, you might think differently.

-Whoosh!

Using the tension in a broken power line, Vex climbed up to a third-story window. He then pulled back the cloth covering his wrist and said:

“I was in the Allied 3rd Airborne Division. Also known as Air 3. Have you heard of it? Happy?”

“It’s been less than three minutes since I told you to call me Hanged Man.”

“It’s not a memory issue. It just comes out that way.”

Thud.

The professor, who had climbed up to where Vex was, felt a familiar tattoo on the back of his shoulder, above his wing bone.

“Air 3... the Tarell Grounds operation?”

“Oh! You know! Even if I condensed my entire miserable life, it couldn’t match that one day! We might have fought in the same kind of battlefield? Where were you, Happy?”

“Hmm... 14.”

The professor hesitated for a moment but decided to tell him. After all, they would have to trust each other to some extent for the short time they would be together.

Thud.

But as they entered the abandoned building and Vex started rummaging around, he suddenly fell forward.

“Finally, even my ears are... 14? 14, really?”

Nod, nod.

The professor, who had been trying to turn away, felt Vex grab his wrist again.

“Let go.”

“...Can’t.”

“Vex. Let’s part ways nicely. We haven’t harmed each other yet, right? It’s a happy path for both of us.”

“No, no. Happy, if you leave, I’ll have a big problem.”

Vex tightened his grip on the professor’s wrist.

Squish-

‘This has been happening since...!’

The professor, still being held, pulled his arm forcefully, bringing Vex into his embrace, and simultaneously leaned forward, pinning Vex’s neck and chest.

“I’ve been letting you touch me with your quick hands, but there’s a difference in our weight classes. You won’t let go, huh? I won’t either! Why are you so obsessed with me!”

“Guh, ugh!”

Vex, who had been trying to insert his fingers between the professor’s arms to relieve the pressure on his throat, shouted as soon as he could breathe.

“Fourteen!!!”

The professor involuntarily stepped back. Vex, who had been holding his throat, was now wailing.

“Yes!!! I’m broken! I owe 14! I can never pay it off! If I let you go, I’ll never be able to sort myself out. I have to do something! Forever! Ugh!!!”

Still incomprehensible, but the meaning was clear.

“You owe 14? Can’t sort yourself out?”

“Five years! It took me five years to finally get this chance! I don’t know why, but I was drawn to you because you smell like them! If I let you go, I’ll die! Happy, please! I won’t lie anymore. Please give me one more chance! I don’t want to go through that day again...!”

‘...It’s an obsession.’

I saw it often on the battlefield. Guys who couldn’t sleep unless they had three wooden stakes at the entrance of their tent, or who went into a panic if they didn’t have their favorite holey socks. Vex’s condition was a severely twisted and worsened version of that.

“Ugh!!! 14... 14...!!! Please! Please!!”

‘The fixation is... on the 14th Special Operations Unit. Well, well. I’ve really gotten myself into a bind.’

If he were completely insane, I might have just put a hole in his head and left, but even while crying hysterically, his fingertips never strayed far from the kukri on his belt.

‘This guy, even though he could have escaped, let me get the upper hand.’

The moment I decided to kill him, he would have drawn his knife and broken free. He wasn’t easy to subdue in a fight. The moment a gunshot was heard, the scavengers gathered outside would have noticed, and that was a burden.

The professor eventually released the pressure on Vex’s arm.

“Ugh... Happy, I was the fastest in Air 3. I’ll be useful. Please help me. I want to get out of this. I’m begging you. Help me settle my debt from that day...”

“...One at a time. Damn, are there more crazy people in the world now? I keep running into them... I should start doing exorcisms or something.”

A guy like this is a problem even if you let him go. Faster and better at hiding than me. He’d probably find my tracks and follow me home.

‘...No choice, I guess.’

The professor picked up Vex’s turban, which had fallen during the struggle, roughly wrapped it, and threw it back to him.

“Hanged Man.”

“...Huh?”

“Call me Hanged Man, not Happy, and I’ll forgive you.”

Vex, who had been looking at the professor with disbelief, suddenly burst into tears, burying his face in the turban the professor had thrown him.

“Ugh, ugh, Ha, Ha, Ha...”

Vex cried for a long time, his face buried in the turban.

***