Chapter 58

Chapter 5 Inside Out (6)

***

That smug smile. The fact that they moved in a straight line to where I am. These guys came looking for me because they knew I was here.

'With the tracking skills Vex showed in Sector 45, it’s no surprise he could find the traces I erased.'

But if they were going to follow me, why didn’t they just come with me from the hospital?'

“Hahaha. You look confused. Get in first. It’s quite a distance to Sector 47, so I’ll explain on the way.”

“Sector 47? You guys don’t mean... to follow me all the way to my house?”

“Yeah. Do you really want to walk through the wasteland for over 20 hours, eating dust? Just get in and stop complaining.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks.”

“Hey! Wait a minute! I want to ride with you too!”

“Get lost, old man. There’s no room.”

“No room? I could fit three guys like me between the seats! Besides, the sandstorm is getting worse, and you can’t follow in that buggy with holes all over it. Just tow it behind and let me ride with you. I’ve already hooked it up.”

“Damn. It’ll slow us down. Why don’t you just eat some sand and catch up?”

With a scowl, Ian pushed Vex, who showed him the middle finger, into the passenger seat.

“Hey, Vex. Good to see you again.”

“Kehehe! The more we see each other, the better, Haebeon.”

After greeting the professor, Vex settled between the driver’s and passenger’s seats. The vehicle was so large that even with three people, it still felt spacious.

“Besides, isn’t it more fun to go together like this?”

“That’s true. Hey, professor, do you know the rule? The guy in the passenger seat has to chat.”

“These guys... they’re talking about some old stuff.”

Vroom!

“Don’t like it? If you don’t, we can vote. According to a long tradition, the person in the passenger seat must keep the driver entertained to prevent drowsy driving. One vote.”

“Adding one vote for Vex.”

“...You guys have been living together for so long that you’re completely in sync.”

With a powerful engine roar, the Raptor’s armed truck, carrying the three of them, disappeared into the sandstorm.

***

In the sandstorm where visibility was zero, the three of them were chatting inside the connected vehicles.

“So, Vex, when did you start driving? Last time in the bunker in Sector 45, you said you couldn’t drive.”

“Kehehe. Of course, I taught him. I couldn’t stand the idea of my friend being a pedestrian who can’t even drive!”

“Bullshit! How is kidnapping a sleeping person, removing the brake, and fully depressing the accelerator considered driving lessons!”

“So I only put in enough fuel for 30 minutes! Thanks to that, he learned how to drive!”

“Thanks to that, the car stopped while being chased by a bunch of mutants!”

“So I saved him!”

“Why did you create a situation where you had to save him!”

Honk! Honk!

‘They’re really enjoying themselves.’

[Fun! Fun!!!]

It’s been about a week since I parted ways with these guys in Sector 45, and there’s so much to talk about that even a casual comment from me sparks endless conversation.

“Haebeon, do you want some peanuts?”

“Oh, peanuts? Are they preserved food?”

“No, not ours. I killed about six guys who tried to ambush me while I was doing business. I found these in their pockets. I threw away the jerky and only kept these.”

Crunch, crunch.

In the noisy atmosphere, the sweet and savory taste of the nuts made it feel like we were on a picnic.

Since we’re in the sandstorm, there’s no risk of being attacked. The atmosphere is just right. Now it’s time to ask.

“So, why did you follow me? You said you had something to do and would go ahead. Honestly, it hurt my pride a bit. I thought I was pretty good at living in the wasteland, but to be tracked so easily...”

“Well, even if you try to erase your tracks, it’s different for someone who’s been living in a shelter and a scavenger who’s been rolling around in the wasteland. Your attempts to cover your tracks were too obvious.”

Vex was grinning proudly as he said this.

“Yeah, I guess. I couldn’t tell what was what. The job you mentioned wasn’t anything big, right? You just went back to your old place to pick up some stuff.”

“Stuff?”

“Yeah. The reason I did business in Sector 43 was because it’s a very conflict-prone area. Do you know what Sector 43 is famous for?”

The professor recalled the stories he had heard about the area. There were many things, but what was it?

[Let me think... Is it this? ‘Sector 43 is a land where steel mills were once active, and some of the factory equipment remains. Groups often fight over this equipment, and the dead often turn into mutants. Mercenaries and scavengers who kill these mutants for their byproducts gather here, making it a land where gunfire never stops.’]

‘Thanks.’

It seems that Hyde can read even the memories I’ve forgotten. This guy is really convenient, except for the dangerous part.

“Steel mills, right? It’s famous for that.”

When the professor repeated what Hyde had recited, Ian looked a bit surprised and responded.

“You know more than I thought. Usually, people just think it’s a place where a lot of people die and scavengers strip the bodies for equipment. Anyway, there are many mutants to kill and many people to kill, making it a great place for a spice merchant like me. But recently, it’s been a bit quieter. One of the remaining operational factories has completely shut down, making it no longer worth risking my life to protect and profit from. The groups that dominated Sector 43 are starting to move, indicating that the area is drying up.”

Crunch, crunch.

Ian took a handful of peanuts from the bag Vex was holding and put them in his mouth as he spoke.

“Usually, when they leave, they try to make a big score. I bet they were drooling, thinking about sticking a gun to the ass of my well-stocked store. That’s why I left early.”

“I stopped the idiot who was planning to kill everyone and take the warehouse. There was no need to fight. Even if we won, we’d lose everything we had. I stopped him, and it was a close call.”

“The world is really a mess wherever you go...”

Doing business is not easy. In this crazy world, customers can turn into robbers in an instant.

“So, are you moving this time? To another sector?”

“Yeah. Fortunately, my spices are known for their quality and potency, so there’s demand in other areas. I couldn’t sell them before because of the fuel costs. Now, I have a big customer, so I’ll cash out and set up a new base in another sector.”

“Really... the wasteland never has a calm day. So, where are you planning to set up? If it’s near Sector 47, I can give you some advice.”

“Oh, really? That’s great. I actually need your help.”

“Really coming to our side? I’m fine with that. We’ll see each other more often. So, where are you thinking?”

The professor felt his heart race. Honestly, it’s fun to be with these guys. Even though Sector 47 is relatively large, if we’re in the same sector, we’ll see each other often. It would be nice to meet occasionally, talk about the world, and share a drink if we find some good alcohol.

Ian looked at the professor, who was excited, and smiled back.

“Your house.”

“...What?”

“Your house. We’re going to live there.”

“What the fuck?”

[Oh yeah!]

The professor’s head, filled with happy thoughts, instantly turned into a mess.

***

“No way. Our house is tiny, and there’s no room for two more people.”

“That’s just what you say. Of course, we won’t live in the same shelter.”

“Phew. I thought so. Then where-”

“Right next to your house. We have all the essential equipment, so we just need to buy a prefabricated shelter kit. It only takes about two weeks to build a medium-sized shelter.”

“Either way! This isn’t just about living next door!”

Don’t think by pre-war standards. It’s better to live in the same house. If we build a new shelter next to your house, it will cause serious problems.

“By the way, do you know the relationships between the factions in Sector 47? This is a place with a domed city. If two or more shelters gather, they are treated as a ‘group,’ and from then on, the dome’s scouts will mark you. You can’t hide and live in secret without a stealth field.”

“Then why not form a group and operate together? We already have a name. HIV.”

“Ahaha! What are you saying! We used that name to take out the Raptor and the dome kids. Do you want to see mortars falling on our heads?”

“Ah!”

“What are you saying ‘Ah’ for! Sector 47 is one of the largest areas in this region, yet it maintains a lot of peace! Do you think that peace is maintained by chance? Of course, there’s a complex balance of power! Don’t you guys do market research before moving?”

Swoosh-

“Of course not. We just decided to do business.”

As I got angry, Vex, who had been listening quietly from behind, joined the conversation.

“Actually, business is mostly an excuse.”

“Hey, old man, if you say that...”

“Looks like we’re really going to have a fight. Let’s just lay it all out. Haebeon, after you left the clinic, I had a talk with Uncle Ujin. We concluded that we shouldn’t leave you alone.”

“Me? Why?”

“Why? You’re crazy. I heard that mental illness gets worse when you’re alone. Without someone to talk to, you might start mumbling to yourself like Vex, and it could get worse. You might start hallucinating or even develop multiple personalities. It’s better to have someone to talk to.”

“So, you’re moving your business base just to take care of me?”

“No, you didn’t hear what I said earlier. We had to leave for various reasons, but coincidentally, my friend became very weak, couldn’t even hold a spoon, and was drooling. He needed care, so we decided to live next door and help him.”

While Ian was speaking with a slightly red face, Vex pulled out a fairly large syringe cartridge and its body from his pocket.

“Uncle Ujin also asked me to do this. He said to give you this and help you as if it were a mercenary job. He said this should be enough for a decent commission.”

The cartridge Vex was holding looked familiar. It was something the 14th Special Operations Team carried during the Great War.

“A Revival Kit?”

“Yeah. As long as your head and heart don’t explode, this old-world top-tier doping drug guarantees at least 4 hours of full activity. It’s practically an extra life. Due to the Great War, it’s in extremely short supply despite high demand. It’s quite expensive as compensation for taking care of a sick friend.”

“Uncle Ujin really cares about you.”

“Uncle Ujin is doing something unnecessary...”

In the serious atmosphere, the professor sighed. Friends are coming to help me by uprooting their entire lives, and the old man I thought was just a friend is using his savings to ask them to do this. How can I refuse this, unless I’m a psychopath?

Unable to bear the creepy faces of Vex and Ian, who were looking at him with bright, kitten-like eyes, the professor said:

“...Let’s go. We’ll talk over dinner.”

“Yeeeees!”

“HIV! HIV! HIV!”

“I’m never using that damn name, so remember that!”

[Oh yeah! A bunch of interesting people!]

“Oh dear...”

The professor buried his head in his hands, looking at the two, no, three idiots who didn’t even consider the complex process of living together.

Of course, a smile couldn’t help but escape from his furrowed face. Whatever. I’m not the one smiling. Hyde is probably the one laughing.

***