Hiding A Logistics Center In The Apocalypse - Chapter 78
Chapter 78: Civil War (2)
TL/ED – Miso
Puh-uhng!
Puh-uhng!
H-Beams were poured down at intervals of every second.
Once again, the “Simultaneous Shipping” ability shone brightly.
They were the beasts of Mirkwood, wrapped in a powerful repulsion force.
It was not easy to break through their defenses…
Puh-uh-uhng!
Kyae-hae-aeng!
With the granted “Explosion” attribute, the circuits drawn by the Craftsman Dwarves detonated, shattering the rampaging beasts into pieces.
Hudududuk!
The corpses of the beasts dyed the city in blood.
Because of the massive bombs that suddenly fell from the sky, the movements of the beasts became significantly sluggish.
‘…Let’s go all the way. The civilian evacuation is already complete anyway.’
Perhaps the enemy thought we would protect Washington.
After all, Washington was once a symbolic city of the United States.
But not just me, even Priest Glen did not cling to the old name of America.
Our top priority was to annihilate the Southern Army and restore peace to the United States.
For that goal, the old city, now nothing more than an empty shell, no longer mattered.
Fwoooosh-
Thick smoke spread everywhere.
Madison, the leader of the South, was once again releasing poison gas.
No doubt, he wanted to see us staggering under the effects of the poison gas…
“…Rather than feeling sick, this is actually refreshing.”
Chewing.
Fortunately, we had the World Tree Leaves made by the Druids.
Not even a trace of intoxication entered our system.
On the contrary, with clearer minds than ever, I was using “Tracking Delivery” and “Simultaneous Shipping” to slaughter the beasts.
If there was any inconvenience, it was that the rising smoke slightly obstructed our vision.
Moreover…
The usefulness of the World Tree Leaves did not stop there.
“…I never expected it to help even the Gigant.”
Kwaaaang!
Kwaduk!
The Gigant appeared like lightning, shoving a cannon barrel into a panther’s mouth.
Whiiiing-!
Puhak!
The panther’s head exploded in an instant.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Gigant charged toward a gathering of dozens of beasts.
-Keek!?
-Kaaak!
The panicked beasts tried to flee from the Gigant, but…
Kwaaaaaaang!
A massive explosion swallowed them whole.
Above the cloud-like rising blast, the pilot’s parachute nonchalantly got sucked into the portal.
The Gigant had gone beyond being just a transport, it was now a combat weapon.
To manage the aircraft’s output stably and determine the optimal self-destruction timing, near-superhuman reflexes were required.
However…
-Why is the control so smooth…?
-It somehow feels like the Gigant is a part of me…
It was the effect of chewing the World Tree Leaves.
Concentration, reaction speed, and even an awakening effect.
Lee Yong-su and the other Gigant pilots were fully experiencing its benefits.
Despite Mirkwood’s fierce offensive, the tide of battle was already turning.
The self-destructing Gigants disrupted the enemy, while I rained down H-Beams and Holy Spears along their movement paths.
The Northern Army also supported the effort by bombarding the enemy with the “Special Cannons” they had taken from the South.
At last, Mirkwood adjusted its strategy.
-Uwooooo!
The change started with an armored ape that had been commanding the beasts.
Chak!
Chak!
The ape stretched its arms skyward, waving them as if giving hand signals.
And soon enough, the change manifested in the beasts heading toward Washington.
They had been rampaging blindly.
But suddenly, as if regaining their senses, they started systematically securing key pathways of the city.
They patiently waited until the Gigants reached their intended positions, and then…
Taaang!
They finally managed to land a hit.
Pheooong!
The pilot shot up into the sky without gaining anything significant.
Once again, the Gigant exploded without fail…
Kwaaaaaaang!
But no beasts suffered any damage.
Kaaaah!
Kaaak!
Kwaaarururung!
Buildings in the streets of Washington crumbled down.
The enemies moved systematically according to the signals of the ape, yet when engaging in battle, they fully utilized the “Berserk” effect induced by the drug.
A cold and calculated yet madness-infused assault.
I couldn’t help but frown at the sight.
“They’re more troublesome than I expected…”
The battle was gradually reaching a stalemate.
-What should we do, Jeong-gyeom ssi?
Lee Yong-su’s voice came through the radio.
The strategy using the Gigants was starting to reach its limits.
There was no need to think too long—the real problem was that ape.
The armored ape, presumably the boss of Mirkwood.
Whether it was transmitting some kind of signal or not, it was commanding hundreds, even thousands of beasts in perfect coordination.
Taking it down immediately was no easy task.
Not only was it staying firmly in the rear, but we also had to eliminate the hundreds of beasts charging ahead before we could even reach it.
Then,
“Yong-su ssi, now that I think about it…”
A good idea came to mind.
“I can send a transmission too.”
-A transmission?
Lee Yong-su asked again as if he had no idea what I meant.
I immediately prepared a heartfelt message to send to the beasts.
A message designed to be as distracting as possible.
Then, I quickly made a request to PAX.
“PAX, send this out to all the ones from the Mirkwood Dimension.”
[Understood.]
[Should I send one message per individual?]
“What are you talking about? Send two per second until they die. Flood them like crazy.”
[Understood.]
[Sending the messages now.]
At this point, we could only try it and see.
The beasts were communicating through the ape.
I wasn’t exactly sure how their mechanism worked, but…
Thousands of spam messages would surely fill their vision.
***
“…This is more challenging than I expected.”
Deltaras, the commander of the Mirkwood Dimension, quietly observed the battlefield.
To counter the enemy’s suddenly appearing mechanical robots, he had activated his communication ability earlier than planned.
-There’s a Gigant at the end of the alley. Go around and look for an opening.
-You need to gather more troops for that alley. Wait a moment, reinforcements are on their way.
-That’s it! Charge in!
The ape, Deltaras, was the very embodiment of Mirkwood’s collective intelligence.
Hundreds of messages swirled through his mind.
Following his orders, the beasts moved in perfect sync, and thanks to that, they were slowly cornering the Gigants and the Northern Army.
“Good, keep it up…”
The Northern Army’s defensive line was steadily collapsing.
All that remained was to wipe them out.
“This is going to be a nice haul.”
Deltaras grinned.
The estimated strength of the Northern Army alone was at least tens of thousands.
For Mirkwood, which had taken the vanguard, it meant securing a significant amount of mana stones.
“If this operation goes well, I can finally get that gauntlet and…”
It was equipment he had been coveting for a long time.
Deltaras let his imagination run wild, thinking of the profits he would make.
He was in an excellent mood until…
Ding!
—
[Web Notification]
Overseas Authorization 6***
3,516 Mana Stones Payment Completed Successfully
If this is unauthorized, please contact the Chamber of Commerce: 02….
—
The sudden message made his blood run cold.
“…What the hell is this?”
He knew exactly what it was.
It was a notification from the Chamber of Commerce.
However, the content was beyond baffling.
“W-When did I spend any money?!”
Panicked, Deltaras hurriedly opened his awakening system…
But that wasn’t even the real problem.
-Ding!
-Ding!
-Ding!
[Web Notification] Overseas Authorization…
[Web Notification] Overseas Authorization…
[Web Notification] Overseas Authorization…
[Web Notification] Overseas…
Dozens, then hundreds of messages popped up like crazy.
He hurriedly moved his hands to clear the message windows, but the rate at which they appeared was several times faster.
“…What the hell is this?!”
And then…
The impact of the phishing messages was significant.
-Kaaaak?
-Keee…
The beasts suddenly stopped moving.
They all froze in place, glancing around in confusion.
-Move! You stupid bastards!
Deltaras shouted at the top of his lungs, barking orders…
But the beasts were in the same situation.
Hundreds of sudden messages had overwhelmed them.
Deltaras’s voice was quickly drowned out by the constant notification sounds.
And as a result…
Kwaaaaaang!
Taaaang!
Along with the beasts’ screams, explosions began to ring out once more.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
The number of beasts was dropping rapidly.
Deltaras stomped his feet in frustration…
But then…
“…What is that?”
A far greater crisis was approaching him.
“Now that I think about it…”
The beasts from the Mirkwood Dimension stood frozen in place.
Because of that, the path leading straight to him, their commander, was completely open.
And then…
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gak!
A Gigant came roaring toward him at insane speed.
Explosions erupted behind it, propelling it forward with ridiculous thrust.
Whoosh!
A figure surrounded by white light, holding a mysterious spear…
Puuuk!
“Kuh-uhhk!”
Without hesitation, the spear pierced straight through Deltaras’s body.
“…How…?”
The spear protruded far out from his back.
It had penetrated a repulsion force equivalent to the 6th Order.
It was the result of the delicate circuits engraved on the Holy Spear by the Craftsman Dwarves, combined with the explosive output of the Gigant.
Puh-uh-uhng!
The Gigant detonated as its pilot ejected.
The searing heat and pain engulfed Deltaras…
But what truly bewildered him was something else.
“…Why am I still alive?”
His heart had been precisely impaled.
The moment he saw the spear piercing through the repulsion force, he had accepted his death.
And yet, his life stubbornly clung on.
And then…
Wriggle.
Wriggle.
Seeing the mysterious tentacles sprouting from his impaled abdomen, Deltaras finally realized it.
At some point, the surroundings had begun to fill with pink gas.
And the sight he beheld was…
“…”
Madison, the leader of the Southern Army, calmly wearing a gas mask.
The pill the beasts had swallowed to induce berserk mode,
Its components had reacted with the pink gas, causing a lethal mutation in their bodies.
“Madison…! You bastard!”
It was a clear act of betrayal.
Deltaras was consumed by rage, but it didn’t last long.
The mutation had begun from his heart.
The tentacles wriggled like insects, creeping up and consuming his entire body.
***
It was right after the ape had been slain.
Lee Yong-su had ultimately driven the spear into the beast.
He quickly retrieved him into the subspace, but…
“Why isn’t it dying…?”
The ape was still moving, perfectly intact.
The other beasts were the same.
Their entire bodies were now covered in writhing tentacles.
The grotesque purple organs swayed as they crossed the streets of Washington.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
The problem was that they had become insanely powerful.
Each time a tentacle-covered bear swung its arm, an entire building was sent flying, and a Gigant that had barely managed to eject its pilot was torn apart by panthers.
Pheooong!
Pheooong!
The Northern Army desperately bombarded them with artillery…
Wriggle.
Wriggle.
But the tentacles regenerated instantly, as if the wounds had never existed.
It was then,
“Huh…”
The Southern Army came into view.
The Southern Army continued to fire gas canisters toward Washington without pause, all of them wearing gas masks.
It was a familiar sight, but something was different.
The battlefield was filled with thick, pink smoke.
And the beasts, covered in writhing tentacles, undergoing grotesque mutations.
No matter how I looked at it, this was clearly the effect of the new gas canisters they had launched.
“Doesn’t seem too good for the body, considering they’re the ones wearing gas masks…”
The mutated beasts had fully begun their rampage.
Seeing their overwhelming might, it was clear that neither the Gigants nor the Awakened stood a chance against them.
“For now…”
I activated Item Retrieval and recalled all the Gigants.
Then, I sent a message to the Northern Army via PAX.
Using the portal installed in Washington, they were to evacuate to Chicago.
With the recently unlocked Portal Transport, I could move people and objects without having to store them in the subspace.
Now…
“Jeong-gyeom ssi, will you be alright?”
The only ones left on the battlefield were Lee Yong-su and me.
“I’ve survived multiple plane crashes before.”
“Haha… That’s true.”
Lee Yong-su summoned a new Gigant from the subspace.
Then, using the Gigant’s massive hand, he grabbed me.
And…
Thud!
He planted his foot deep into the ground.
Puh-uh-uhng!
A powerful explosion erupted from the Gigant’s shoulder.
Using that force, Lee Yong-su hurled me straight toward the Southern Army’s formation.
Shweeeeeeeek!
It was a crude but effective way to overcome the skill’s range limitation.
After soaring through the air for a while…
Ziiiiing.
A portal, set to retrieve me, opened perfectly above the heads of the Southern Army.
And then,
“Item Retrieval.”
Shuuuuuuuk!
Using the Medical Category, I vacuumed up all of their precious drugs, sorting them by type.
Gas canisters, pills, even powdered substances.
Thud!
I was sucked into the subspace.
From the Logistics Operations Room’s satellite feed, I could monitor the Southern Army’s movements again.
Despite the sudden appearance of a person falling from the sky, they showed no signs of panic.
They merely observed the mutated creatures with calm expressions, tightening the straps on their gas masks.
“…So, they’re confident, huh?”
At this point, the mutated beasts were completely out of control.
The fact that they had turned all of Mirkwood into monsters meant that they were sure they could deal with them.
It wasn’t hard to guess the source of their confidence.
“Are they just going to let them self-destruct?”
The mutation granted overwhelming power, but there was bound to be a cost.
The sight of beasts with their internal organs bursting out alongside their tentacles was anything but normal.
After razing Washington to the ground, the Mirkwood beasts would inevitably die on their own.
If that was the Southern Army’s strategy, then my counter-strategy was just as simple.
“PAX, retrieve every single gas mask they’re wearing.”
[Understood.]
The Southern Army had tormented us with all kinds of toxic substances.
There was no better way to deal with them than this.
The mutated beasts had stormed into Washington, but… that wasn’t a problem either.
“Now, release the drugs we just retrieved. In large quantities.”
A substance that was no different from a deadly poison.
All I had to do was spread it thickly over them.
“If you’re going to use gas, you should really use it.”
That was the role of a logistics center with real firepower.
****
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