Chapter 57

Chapter 5 Inside Out (5)

***

Ujin, after giving a hearty laugh while tapping his knees, continued his explanation.

"When a person faces fear, their inner self is most dramatically revealed. I don't know what kind of emotions you exchanged with that Hyde fellow, but I was observing something else."

Tap, tap,

Ujin, holding the scalpel upside down, tapped the professor's left hand with its handle.

"Look. The fingers that were grumbling just now are now well-behaved, aren't they? Now, can you move your fingers properly?"

The professor couldn't hide his astonishment as he looked at his left hand. Just as Ujin said, the fingers that had felt somewhat foreign after Hyde took over now felt completely his own.

"When a secondary personality senses danger, it hides behind the primary personality. It means that the secondary personality is relying on you. At least for now."

The professor stared at Ujin, who was explaining with a proud look, feeling utterly ridiculous. Blood was still flowing from his forehead where he had hit it before his finger was cut. It seemed that with each drop of blood, his patience was also waning.

"So, the blood on my forehead now is...."

"Ah, I'm sorry about that. I didn't expect you to react so intensely, Professor. Well... it's not a serious wound, so just apply some hemostatic ointment."

"Are you kidding me? You can just say it was an act and cut off someone's finger like that? In the wasteland, losing three fingers means you're practically retired—"

"I never said it was completely an act, did I? If you hadn't regained your senses by the end, I would have cut it off for real."

Ujin took out some ointment from a drawer and roughly applied it to the professor's forehead, who was still grumbling.

"Isn't it obvious? If you can't even speak when your finger is about to be cut off, it means the secondary personality isn't just relying on you; it's trying to take over your body more aggressively. And you wouldn't be able to resist it. At least if we remove the sensory receptors it has, it will have no choice but to rely entirely on you for external stimuli. You'll naturally regain control."

The professor was about to say something but closed his mouth. Ujin's serious eyes proved that he was indeed capable of cutting off his finger.

Swish, swish—

Ujin, who had taken out a piece of paper from the drawer and scribbled on it, handed it to the professor.

"Here, this is a prescription. Tranquilizers, and the anti-inflammatory and antibiotics you always take. That's it."

"That's it? There's nothing different from usual?"

"I told you, it's not a problem that can be solved with medication. From what I see, there's only one way to solve this."

Thud—

The professor swallowed hard at Ujin's suddenly serious tone. The sound of Ujin putting down his pen felt like a judge passing a verdict.

"GG, solve it within the game. Whether or not Gedroits Company is still a program is questionable, but one thing is certain: it was created with technology capable of implanting a new consciousness into a person's mind. That means they also have the technology to extract a new consciousness. The best way would be to achieve 'All Clear' and go to Gedroits Company to shake that old man by the collar."

"Go to Gedroits Company...? What are you talking about?"

"Hmm? Oh, quite a few people haven't caught on to this yet. I guarantee it. Andrei Gedroits, that old man, is still alive. In some way or another."

***

The consultation room after the professor left.

Ian and Vex were sitting in front of Ujin, listening to his story with serious expressions.

"Did you hear everything the professor said?"

"Hmm."

"We heard everything."

"Of course. Since you two live in the wasteland, you're not completely clueless."

Ujin reached into the cigarette pack Ian handed him but, seeing Ian's hand move towards his holster, he continued.

"The professor has completely fallen for that Hyde or whatever. That's what I wanted to say."

"Indeed. Businessmen are quick to catch on."

Thud, thud, thud.

Vex, who had been fidgeting in his chair, started organizing the scattered pens, papers, and medical records on Ujin's desk, looking anxious.

"According to the professor, that thing isn't like that, but how can we be sure? We all know what happened to the many victims of GG's infiltration. From what I see, this infiltration isn't something that just happens in the game. It's something created in the player's brain within the game. It's based on reality. It's a kind of mental illness programmed into the brain! And most of the surviving humans are relying on the connection device, which is essentially a mental illness generator, to live!"

Bang!

Ujin, who had slammed the desk with his agitated voice, revealed a suspicion that had made him give up everything and retire during his mercenary days.

"There are no coincidences in this world. I think we've fallen into a massive trap created by a man named Andrei Gedroits."

And we are just a small part of this massive flow, unable to change it no matter how much we struggle.

A sigh filled with the futility of the past years escaped the mouth of the seemingly unyielding old man.

"Hey, you two. Are you close to the professor?"

The two slowly nodded, and Ujin, pressing the code to the safe behind his drawer, said:

"Then I have a favor to ask."

***

"Hah! Damn it. This damn dust is really something."

The professor was on his way back home from the hospital. He had thought about talking a bit more with Vex and Ian, but they had left for their place, saying they had something urgent to do.

"Tsk, leaving a sick friend like that. Heartless bastards."

[Cover your face a bit. The gritty feeling is annoying.]

"Don't tell me what to do. I'm the one who has to eat it, and I'm fine with it."

The professor tightened the turban covering his face as he spoke.

'Of all places, to run into a sandstorm in this open area. What bad luck.'

Based on the time he had been moving, he estimated he was somewhere between Sector 43 and Sector 45. He had deliberately crossed over to this open area to avoid ambushes or survivors living in structures. If he had known this would happen, he would have chosen a direction to avoid the storm, even if it meant encountering a few more people.

[Didn't I tell you to go that way from the beginning?]

'You just want to see corpses. You cannibal.'

[Ooh, that's racist.]

Still, it was better to have someone to talk to, even if it was this guy, rather than crossing the wasteland alone. Despite being a ticking time bomb, he had to find the advantages and compensate for the disadvantages.

Roar!

'Damn it. I thought it would calm down, but it's getting worse.'

[Isn't this dangerous? This body can't regenerate like it does inside the game, right?]

'No, it can't. If it gets too bad, I'll have to dig into the ground and wait out the storm.'

Sandstorms can last anywhere from an hour to over three days. As the professor calculated the remaining food and water in his backpack and took out the entrenching tool hanging from the side, the sound of an engine grew closer.

Roar—!

'Engine sound!'

A large black truck with the distinctive scales of the Raptor Society was approaching through the sandstorm.

[Raptor! They're a huge group, right? The ones who burn everything except for the bullets if you get caught?]

'Really, I could die here. They shouldn't have any reason to come this far... Could they have been tracking me all this time?'

The professor, recalling Kesseling's scorched face and his screams of rage, took out the shotgun he had loaded from behind his back.

[Oh, a gun. Try holding it with your left hand. I'll pull the trigger.]

'Shut up. If you get in the way in a real fight, I'll really cut off all your fingers.'

Roar—!

The engine sound grew closer. Battle was certain to end in defeat. The best option to stop the pursuit was to target the tires and immobilize the vehicle, but...

'The problem is whether I can hit the tires of such a large vehicle.'

Even with slug rounds, it was uncertain if he could puncture the tires of a large vehicle while it was moving. The situation was far too dire.

'They're coming straight for me. The front windshield is right in front. If I can, I might be able to shoot the driver first...!'

The professor slowly extended the barrel of his gun. He could do it. One shot, one shot to take out the driver and then run!

[Take a deep breath, calm your mind, and move slowly, as if time is flowing slowly...]

'Shut up!'

The barrel aimed at the right side of the windshield. He had heard that Raptor's armored trucks used sturdy front glass, so he would have to get as close as possible.

'Huh?'

[What?]

The professor, who had stopped breathing and was aiming at the driver's face, suddenly lowered his gun and stood up.

Because the lower jaw of the driver, visible through the barrel, was mostly made of familiar metal.

"Hey! Why are you here!"

Rumble—

Bang, bang!

Only after the professor stood up did they notice him. Ian's armed truck honked and pulled up beside him. A Hummer, chained and towed behind the truck, and Vex, riding in a modified buggy with various accessories, followed behind.

Screech—

Ian, who had stopped the truck right next to the professor, rolled down the window and said to the professor, who looked stunned.

"Hehehe! Hey, you there, young man in rags! Need a ride?"

As he spoke, Ian's usual eerie smile, where only his upper lip curled, appeared on his face.

***