Chapter 77 – Cranky Tang Tang E-Class Gate Subjugation Operation (2)
The gate was divided into two main parts. Gates that are intentionally opened by the government or corporations to obtain resources, and gates that occur randomly somewhere in the city. Until now, I had only performed duties at the gate of electrons. However, judging from the atmosphere around them, it seemed that this time they had won the gate to open in the city.
The soldiers controlling the surroundings saw the vehicle we were in and cautiously approached. Senior Yoojeong showed her Hunter ID and said.
“Yes. These are the three people who received the order for the subjugation team today. ‘Kim Yoo-jung’ Kim Yoo-jung, ‘1’ Ichie, ‘Ada Bomber’ Jeong Su-hyeon.”
“…Excuse me, but could you say that again?”
“‘Kim Yoo-jung’ Kim Yoo-jung, ‘1’ reason, ‘Ada Bomber’ Jeong Su-hyeon.”
“Ah, is the person behind you, the one who won the Rookie of the Year competition this time?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Excuse me, can you sign one?”
I already wanted to die. Senior Yoojeong smiled and said.
“I’m at work, so please refrain from such things. This is not a private gate, it’s just open. I want to get back to work as soon as possible. Where is the person in charge here?”
“Ah yes. I’ll bring you now! Please pull over over there and put on your equipment.”
“Yes.”
Senior Yoo-jeong grabbed her steering wheel and turned it wide. As the car spun around, a panoramic view of the ruins came into view. Next to the smashed-up shop was a civilian sitting smoking a cigarette. He said, looking at our car with a frown on his face.
“They are the Hunters?”
“Yes. Are you the shop owner?”
Senior Yu-jeong responded with a smile, but her man’s face didn’t straighten up at all.
“Hurry up and handle the gate. I’m going crazy because I can’t restore the store. Pestilence.”
“Yes. Sorry. I will take care of it as soon as possible.”
We got out of the car. Next to the small tent with the soldiers, there were equipment for us to wear and a large paper box. [EDF] Was written on the box, and I could tell from this that it was my equipment. Senior Yu-jeong hummed her and opened her trunk. Inside the trunk was a piece of equipment I had never seen before, which looked like a drill from a game.
“Young sister. What is it?”
Ichi also threw a question with a curious gaze. Senior Yu-jeong laughed at her reasoning question and said.
“It’s a gauntlet. There is an engine on the back, and a separate gunpowder is in the front, so if you press the button and swing your fist, the speed increases and if you bump into it, it explodes.”
“It is a dangerous weapon.”
“That’s why only those with auto-healing skills like me use it. If I use this a few times, it hurts so much that I can’t use it often.”
“By the way, if you’re going to use something like this, wouldn’t it be better to use a bomb?”
In response to her reasoning question, Senior Yu-jeong shook her head.
“Something like a grenade has a very wide range. If I throw a grenade, I have to suddenly fall down on the spot, and it would be unfair if I got hurt.”
“That is also true.”
“See the pointy thing in the front? It pierces the opponent’s hard outer shell with these pointed parts and explodes the inside. It’s much more efficient than using rocket launchers.”
Ichie nodded her head. While watching Ichie and her Yujeong senior share weapon information, I listened to the equipment I had just ordered from EDF. The shield and spear were painted white, giving the impression of plastic model parts. However, the cold side of the steel could be seen between the shields, which were swollen like turtle shells, and the blade of the spear was so sharp that it would be burdensome to place it carelessly.
I took a light stance and stabbed it forward once, and it went in far more lightly than I thought. I grabbed the spear right away and admired it again. This was something worth putting into practice right away.
“Mr. Suhyun. Are you ready?”
“Yes!”
I quickly changed my remaining equipment and ran to senior Yoo-jeong. The safety equipment boasted a design similar to a combat suit seen in sci-fi movies. In addition to the tough leather material that adhered to it, hard steel plates were added to important vital parts. I swept the thigh grater once and said.
“Then, are you going to put it in now?”
“No. I have to take over with the search team and go in. The last search team sent a return signal a little while ago.”
Senior Yu-jeong put her weapon, which she called her gauntlet, into her backpack and then led her toward the gate. Just in time, a search team came over from beyond the gate with a sack full of leather and ore. When senior Yu-jeong waved her hand, they too waved and smiled brightly.
“Uh?”
And they pointed at me and made surprised faces. I nodded and said hello briefly. Ichie also pretended to know.
“Academy guy. Nice to meet you.”
The search team that jumped into the gate this time was also a student and mentor of the academy. They greeted us with lively expressions, probably very glad to have met us. Yu-jeong senior and mentor also exchanged simple greetings and quickly started taking over.
“Here, right now, the signal from the boss is getting stronger in this area.”
The inside of the gate that was delivered on the data was quite wide. Senior Yoo-jeong looked at the location where the boss was and frowned at her. Since it would take several hours just to get there, it was decided to spend the whole day inside the gate.
“It’s too far.”
“Yes. So, we were thinking of cleaning up the area, but we just came out. Be careful. This kind of gate is a bit unstable.”
“Yes. Thank you for your concern. You suffered. Then, from now on, we will proceed with the mission.”
“Yes.”
Senior Yoojeong nodded at us. People nearby were busy moving. The party who broke up with us was talking to the client on the phone, and the soldiers were busy pushing away the people who came to watch.
In the midst of the commotion, we quietly stood together in front of the gate. I asked senior Yoo Jung.
“Senior. By the way, does the original search team take over?”
It was because there was no takeover process when entering the private gate. Senior Yu-jeong shook her head and replied.
“The private gate appears after the map data scan has been completed and does not take over. Only this kind of gate, now I have to extract the data myself because of the boss, so I proceed with the handover to the extent of handing over the map data.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Everyone’s life is like that. So, shall we rush in too? We have to subjugate everyone here to leave work.”
I involuntarily looked back at those words. Soldiers standing with exhausted faces, and civilians waiting for the gate to disappear, smoking heavily. Onlookers watching with indifferent faces. And the one who points and shouts at me.
“Isn’t that the winner? That, that, what was that name?”
“Let’s go quickly. Senior.”
I said urgently.
“Yes.”
Since the area around the gate had already been cleared, we jumped into the gate at the same time. As soon as I put my head inside the gate, I felt a unique air. In the humid air, as if I had jumped into the middle of a humid jungle, I checked my backpack and equipment on my back once more and our eyes met. Senior Yujeong said in a serious tone.
“Then, I will explain briefly from now on. Since our goal is to subdue them as soon as possible, we will immediately break through the areas already explored by the search team. And, I’m going to take down the monster right away by conducting a minimal search to the point where the boss is. Got it?”
Ichie raised her hand and asked.
“What happens to us when the boss dies? Is the gate collapsing?”
I explained this because I heard it in a theory class.
“It is not the boss that maintains the gate, but the magic stone inside the boss. The gate will collapse from the moment you take this mana stone out, so there is no big problem in returning.”
Ichie nodded at my explanation. Senior Yoo Jung said.
“Then shall we proceed immediately? Since we are far from the boss, we need to hurry.”
“Yes.”
We nodded at the same time. Senior Yu-jeong made eye contact with us, fixed her backpack, and gave directions. On the gloomy jungle floor, the flesh of a skinless jungle cat was lying around. In the forest, which was noisy with various noises when working as a search team, there was no noise except for the sound of us moving.
Sunlight shone through the cracks in the dense trees like the lights of a mirror ball. Yu-jeong sunbaenim was standing in the middle of them. She checked her map a few times, again orienting herself and moving. In Yu-jeong’s hand, there was a detector that tracked strong energy sources, and whenever we moved, a red arrow floated in the air to indicate the direction.
I had to walk for a long time in a damp forest. Even walking through the forest, I did not see any normal animals. All I could see were the fallen monsters. Naked people who have been stripped of everything used as ingredients. I felt like I was walking through the middle of an unsanitary butcher shop.
Ichie said.
“The smell of blood.”
“It’s a sight you often see when you’re in a subjugation team. Are you messy? That’s why some people wear masks and rush in.”
I thought that senior Yoojung looked very dignified today. So, without a word, we broke through the forest of chunks of meat.
The forest was long, hot and humid. It seemed that just walking was consuming all of my stamina. It was late in the afternoon, so the sun was setting quickly. The distance to the boss is not long, but senior Yoo-jeong said as she saw the sky getting darker.
“I think I’ll meet the owner of the gate in about two or three hours…” … I think it’s better to camp here for a day, explore the terrain when the day is bright, and then catch it. What do you think?”
“Great.”
“I think it’s good.”
With everyone’s consent, we set up camp before sunset. Fortunately, I was able to find a cave, so I pitched a tent in the cave and made a fire. The order of night shifts was senior Yujeong, Ichie, and me.
As soon as I lay down in my sleeping bag, I fell into a hypnotic sleep.
