< Elite Executor (Part 1) >
As soon as Zin loaded the rifle, he aimed somewhere and fired the rifle rapidly.
—Bang! —
"Ahhh!!"
—Clank! —
Zin reloaded the gun again, and he aimed at a different place and fired again.
—Bang! —
"What the heck are you doing Mister?"
Zin didn't reply to her, and shot one more time. After firing three shots in the air, Zin walked to the locations that he shot at and checked the targets. He'd shot at targets 50, 75, and 100 yards away. He was checking the accuracy of the rifle and the mechanical sight.
Zin walked back to Leona, put a strap on the rifle, and gave it to her.
"This rifle has an accurate range of 75 yards. Beyond that you will have to take a predictive shot…"
"Predictive shot?"
"Just assume that you will not be able to shoot a target that is beyond 75 yards."
Zin was trying to explain to Leona but gave up. It would be better off to not shoot, because even with good aim, the bullet would not hit the target. In any case, the rifle had a better range and accuracy than the revolver that Leona was carrying around now, and was much more powerful than a revolver.
Zin gauged the distance, and explained how far 76 yards would be to Leona. She listened to Zin with careful attention.
"Okay, got it."Leona carried the rifle on her shoulder and started to smile.
"If it's heavy, throw it away."
"It's not that heavy."
Leona showed off her biceps as she wanted to show how much stronger she had gotten after following Zin.
Zin taught the basics to Leona on how to reload using bolt action, and how to aim at targets.
"You can shoot three times consecutively. If you shoot more than that, the barrel might explode."
"Okay."
In Zin's perspective, the crude rifle was just a toy. However, Leona was so happy that she finally got her own rifle. Although she had the revolver, it was meant to be used for defensive purposes.
Leona now carried ten 5.56mm shells, and the revolver. It was enough for her to protect herself in the wilderness.
Hmm… a submachine gun would be better for this little kid.
However a submachine gun was scarce and hard to obtain. The bolt action gun types were more common, as it was hard to produce and maintain guns.
The sniper rifle and automatic shotguns that Zin carried were extremely hard to come by. Zin thought about getting Leona a better firearm, as it would be not great carrying a gun that could explode at any given time.
A pistol was light and easy to use, but Zin thought that it was not useful besides protecting herself.
It needs to cover a range of 250 yards at least… I wonder if I could get a bullpup firearm.
A relatively lightweight firearm such as a bullpup-style gun or submachine gun would be better for Leona. But, Zin didn't think he could acquire one for her very quickly.
There was a Hunter's Nest where he would be able to get some firearms, but it was in the opposite direction of where Zin needed to go. Zin needed to get to the Heavenly Power castle as soon as possible.
I wonder if I could get some weapons at the Heavenly Power castle.
Lastly, Zin extracted the chips in the junkwagon's fuel tank. Leona was also looking around the area and packing things.
"Hmm…"
Zin opened the hood of the junkwagon and checked the reactor in the engine.
This is a reactor designed for the Wargrave.
These Slaughters were killing the scavengers around the area, and using the items looted from the scavengers. They replaced their own crappy reactors with the ones that the scavengers found.
The Slaughters were crazy people who rode on their junkwagons, but Zin was astonished that they used reactors made for tanks on the junkwagons.
They pretty much used a tank engine on a motorcycle, and Zin was astonished about it. There were four tank reactors in total, and Zin was wondering what he should do about them.
The reactors that the Wargrave used were of the best quality. It would easily sell for 1000 chips per reactor at any town, and its market value was probably higher.
If it was put on auction where people understood the value of the reactor, it would easily sell for over 2000 chips.
In simple words, a reactor was a highly efficient power generator.
The reactor was as big as Leona, and Zin would be able to store only one reactor in his void storage. The reactor was the most valuable item from the hunt, but it was the most difficult item to carry around.
"… What do I do with this thing."
Zin had four very expensive yet hard to carry items in front of him. And Leona gave a short answer to Zin who was still in a dilemma.
"We can carry them on a junkwagon, what's the problem?"
"I knew you would say that."
Zin was thinking about it as well, but he didn't want to do so. He was wondering if he should give up the 4000 chips in front of him, or take them to the nearby city to sell them.
Zin's dilemma was solved in a very unexpected way.
"That is the property of Wargrave. Stay back."
As Zin turned his head, someone from the hill spoke to Zin and Leona. Zin took out his weapon quickly, and Leona also loaded her rifle. But the person started to walk towards Zin and Leona.
Without showing any hostility, the person had their hands up in the air.
"I have no intentions of fighting you. I only need to destroy the reactors. So, why don't you leave quietly…"
And the soldier paused. "…"
Zin also lowered his weapon as he looked at the Wargrave soldier who was walking down the hill with his hands raised up.
The approaching soldier was also surprised. He murmured as he didn't expect to meet Zin at this place, "You… Devil hunter?"
The Wargrave soldier was Ramphil.
Ramphil and Zin saw each other, but had not talked to one another before. Ramphil did not express any hostility, probably because they fought together against the White Witch. And Zin didn't attack Ramphil who was not showing any hostility.
And it would be a huge waste of energy to start a fight with a Wargrave soldier who couldn't be killed off easily.
"I didn't expect to meet you here. I couldn't find you when I was actively searching for you, and now I find you when I'm on a side project," Ramphil said, and Zin shrugged.
"I was a bit surprised to learn that the person who was pursuing me passed me to the north."
"How did you know that I was looking for you?"
"Well, I got to know it somehow."
Leona was standing slightly away from Ramphil. She was able to befriend Charlotte, and felt something dangerous about Ramphil. Zin knew that there was some correlation between Ramphil and the destroyed Wargrave equipment.
"Were you the one who was destroying the equipment around the area?"
"The main base did not have troops to do the work, so I've been doing the work instead."
Ramphil was cleaning up the area where the Wargrave troops lost the battle, so it seemed the main base was not in a situation to send out separate troops for the job.
And ironically, Ramphil was able to locate Zin after being diverted by side missions. Ramphil was working on destroying equipment near the battlefields, and found Zin and Leona after hearing the gunshots.
Zin confirmed that Ramphil had no intention of attacking because he didn't attack them in the first place.
"I am curious why you are looking for me, but I have some matters to take care of first."
"What is that?"
Zin had something more important to take care of in front of him.
"This reactor. I found it first. So if you are going to destroy it, I'd like you to pay me a small fee for them."
"Is my request unreasonable?"
Zin was an expert at milking out anything that he could. Ramphil looked at Zin, and answered curtly,"This was originally a Wargrave's item. You have no right to claim it at all."
"I assume that you don't need my assistance," Zin replied curtly as well, and Ramphil looked back at Zin quietly. Leona couldn't figure out what the soldier was thinking.
After a long pause, Ramphil asked, "How much do you want?" Zin had the upper hand at the moment.
Five hundred chips per reactor, that was the final price that the Zin and Ramphil negotiated. Zin was not going to be able to take the reactors in the first place, so he was happy to take the two thousand chips with him. He stored the chips into the chipbox, and extended his lifetime by another two thousand hours.
Zin was in good mood as he was able to negotiate a good deal, and Ramphil didn't care much how the negotiation went.
Ramphil briefly explained the current situation. He talked about the special mission he was given from SMCP, and explained the reason he was looking for Zin as a temporary executor.
Although Ramphil was blunt, he was not aggressive.
And he was pretty mellow. Even though Zin relieved him of two thousand chips, he didn't look uncomfortable.
After explaining everything, Ramphil continued to speak.
"You know how to hunt the White Witch. I would like to know about it."
Ramphil was the only person sent out from the SMCP fortress to pursue the White Witch. If Zin didn't know about Ramphil, Zin would have thought that the Seoul fortress personnel were crazy to send him alone. But Zin knew how powerful Ramphil was.
He was able to overpower the White Witch briefly, and he would have defeated her if he wasn't stunned by her telekinetic attack.
He was so skilled that he was able to overpower her using only photon disruptor swords! He didn't use any weapon specialized for devil hunting. Ramphil was capable of killing the White Witch.
A hunter had to wisely assess his opponent. After observing Ramphil's battle with the witch, Zin knew that Ramphil could not be underestimated.
And Zin knew his own weaknesses.
He was weaker than he used to be. It would be a daunting task to face the White Witch alone. If a powerful person like Ramphil fought against the witch, the devil would be taken down much more quickly.
And more than anything, Ramphil would not be interested in the blood of the devil.
Charlotte was from Headquarters, and she would not be able to assist Zin in this area. But a temporary executor of the Central Asia division would be a great ally who could get the support of the Wargrave.
Zin thought that it would be very convenient.
The Central Asia division was an enemy of Charlotte, but not of Zin. A hunter simply resolved requests, and did not officially become allies or enemies with anyone.
"Why are you hunting the devil? Is it because it's an order?"
"…" Ramphil remained silent at Zin's question. Ramphil was a soldier, and soldiers followed orders. Ramphil could have answered Zin easily. But Ramphil realized that the answer was not his true intention, and remained silent for a while.
< Elite Executor (Part 2) >
Ramphil looked for the devil hunter to hunt a devil.
But he didn't think about the reason he was hunting the devil. He left the fortress because he was following orders, but he was not able to easily answer if that was the only reason.
Clearly, Ramphil knew that he had some desire in him. It was something that he felt for the first time in his life.
After a long pause, Ramphil spoke, "I know there is another reason, but I'm not sure what it is."
Ramphil knew that he had another reason to pursue the White Witch, but he was not able to explain the reason. Ramphil was slightly shaken up.
His answer was similar to Zin's answer back when Baek-Goo asked a similar question. When Baek-Goo asked why Zin was looking for the devil, Zin answered that he didn't think about it.
And Zin was confused when he was asked the question back then.
He's an idiot.
Zin briefly classified Ramphil as an idiot. There were many types of idiots, and according to Zin, Ramphil was not a dangerous idiot.
Zin had seen many people through his life.
Ramphil looked like a person who lived meaninglessly and finally found the meaning of his life. People who found the meaning of their lives changed drastically. Ramphil was trying to find the meaning of his life by pursuing the White Witch. And although he did not know exactly why, it was clear that he was going to fully cooperate with Zin through the journey.
Zin nodded. "Good. I have nothing to lose if I can get support from the Wargrave."
Zin hated riding the junkwagons to death, but he always welcomed riding a safe and fast Wargrave track vehicle.
Zin didn't know how long he would be accompanying Ramphil
Zin looked at Ramphil and introduced himself, "I am Zin."
"Ramphil. I am a warrant officer. Not that it means much to you."
They didn't shake hands, but giving their names was more enough as an ice breaker.
"… I don't know if you guys are doing it on purpose, but why are you guys ignoring me?"
Leona was grumbling in between the two, and Zin pointed at her. "This kid is Leona. You've been warned. She's loud."
"Is she also needed for the witch hunt?"
As Ramphil asked a weird question, Zin shook his head and answered, "No, she's just a little annoyance."
"Mister, that's really not nice of you,"Leona smiled and shrugged.
"Who knows? I may be able to help you out big time."
People never knew how someone could be a big help, but at the moment, Leona was just a little kid who had a crappy crude gun on her shoulder.
As Zin and Ramphil shared the same goal, they did not have much conflict.
In this strange group of people, Zin was leading the way, and Ramphil agreed to follow Zin in return for helping hunt the devil.
Ramphil was very flexible in a strange way. He didn't care how badly Zin treated him, or how Zin ordered him as long as Ramphil was able to accomplish his goal.
Ramphil acted like a machine, and although Zin was wary of his behavior, he didn't hate his attitude.
Zin thought that it wouldn't be too bad to have Ramphil along, he wasn't as headstrong as Leona.
After finishing up the clean-up work, Ramphil destroyed the three extra reactors and carried the last one on his back. Ramphil didn't even sweat while carrying a huge piece of metal.
While walking, Zin started to explain to Ramphil, "At the moment, I am preparing to hunt the devil."
"I'd like to know what kind of preparations you are making."
Zin explained to Ramphil about the destination they were heading to. He explained how he was planning to extract the sealing power from the immortal's seal, and use its power against the devil to seal its power.
Zin couldn't fully trust Ramphil, and didn't tell him about Phantomvein's power yet.
"I can't imagine."
Ramphil was not familiar with the word 'seal', and thought that Zin was talking nonsense. But Ramphil had witnessed the power of Phantomvein, which was more effective than a photon disruptor sword. And he believed that the devil hunter was right.
Even if he didn't believe in Zin, he didn't have any other choice. Ramphil knew that the photon disruptor sword was ineffective against the witch, and the devil hunter Zin was his only help.
Even though it was unbelievable, he had to believe in Zin.
Leona might not have been the friendliest person, but she certainly did not avoid people. She was asking Ramphil many questions.
"Hey, oppa (brother), are you a good fighter?"
Ramphil never heard other people ask that question. After thinking for a bit, he answered, "Yes, I am a pretty good fighter."
"… Wow, you are so confident."
Leona was surprised that Ramphil talked only truth in a robotic manner. Leona was used to Zin who always joked around when he was showing off.
Zin wasn't too surprised, as he determined that Ramphil was an idiot like Leona. And Leona would not have been too happy to hear that...
"Isn't it heavy?"
"My body was enhanced with a strengthening procedure, and I can lift objects up to 1.56 tons. And I can pull things that weigh up to 3 tons."
"… Are you showing off?"
"I am telling the facts."
"It sounds like you are showing off."
"I am not sh…"
"Stop it, you two, shut up! I don't have time to deal with two fools." As Zin looked at both of them, Ramphil shut his mouth, and Leona shrugged. But Zin was still furious, and kept on looking at Leona. It was more like he was staring at Leona.
"Why do you call me mister and call him oppa?"
"… I refer to people based on how old they look. Do you have a problem?"
And in fact, Ramphil looked pretty young. He had a scary facial expression, but his facial skin looked clean.
Leona was out of words and started to laugh.
"You look at yourself. You are over two hundred years old, and you should be thankful that I'm calling you a 'mister'."
"Do you want me to start calling you gramps?"
Zin started to get pissed off after hearing the word 'gramps', but he did not say anything as Leona was right about his age.
"But, I think 'mister' sounds better."
"Damn." Zin started to walk faster, and Leona quickly following him with a smile. Ramphil wasn't sure what was going on, and trailed after them.
And for whatever reason, since then, Leona started to call Ramphil oppa.
There was a reason Ramphil was carrying around a reactor without destroying it.
Zin suggested testing the reactor on a destroyed armored vehicle to see if it was still operating. Ramphil had destroyed many armored vehicles, and it took a while for them to find an operational vehicle. But Ramphil was not fully satisfied and kept on searching for other vehicles.
"How come you destroyed all the vehicles completely?"
"Of course, I did not think that I would be riding in one."
"Ha…"
There was no point in complaining. They walked along the riverbed, and searched for an armored vehicle. After walking for two days, they were able to find a vehicle that was working.
"This one looks like it's starting fine."
—Vrrrroooom! —
After plugging in the reactor to the engine, and turning the engine key, the armored vehicle started and made some noise. Zin who was always cautious looked at the armored vehicle suspiciously.
"Make sure you double check if it has any chance of exploding or breaking down."
At Zin's order, Ramphil checked around the vehicle, and came to a conclusion. "The track is fine. All circuit boards are looking good, and there is no oil leak. The armor and the door are partially damaged, but I don't think it's too bad."
"Hmm…"
The door on the trunk was completely torn off, and there was a possibility that someone could fall off because of it. But the vehicle was in pretty good condition with the track intact.
However, Zin was still wondering if he should ride in the vehicle. Similar to how the Slaughters were suffering in the tanks, the inside of the armored vehicle was very hot.
—Click, Click… —
"Hmm."
Ramphil continued to touch the controls in the driver's seat, and started something.
—Vwoooom! —
"The A/C is working fine…"
Zin tapped the back of Leona, who was watching Ramphil.
—Tap—
"Hmm? Why are you pushing me?"
Zin answered with a short reply, "Get on."
Leona hopped into the armored vehicle, and Zin also climbed aboard.
"Huh? What the? It's cold!"
Leona was surprised that there was cold air blowing inside the hot vehicle. Ramphil looked at the two who just got into the vehicle, and Zin ordered.
"Put the A/C to the max."
—Vwwwwoom! —
With a loud noise, a gush of cold wind swirled inside the tank, and although Leona did not know what was going on, she was very pleased. It was a very hot and humid day.
"I will take that an order to get going?"
"Of course."
As Zin answered, Ramphil started to operate the vehicle
As the vehicle started to move, Zin closed his eyes, and enjoyed a cool breeze.
Though Zin was an extremely cautious person, he was fully enjoying the cold blast of the A/C.
"This is so cool!"
Leona was also enjoying the awesomeness of the Wargrave armored vehicle.
The vehicle was not an old model, but Zin asked to move at a slower speed because it was damaged from the battle. Zin guessed that Charlotte had destroyed the defense line, and Ramphil went around the defense line to completely destroy the weapons. The group was travelling on a vehicle that was destroyed twice, and Zin asked Ramphil to slow down when he drove the vehicle fast.
—Bump bump bump bump! —
The road was not in the best condition, and Leona and Zin would get ejected out of the open side of the vehicle it they were not careful. They all had the safety belts on, and were bracing themselves.
"I am getting motion sickness…"
Leona's face turned pale as they continued to travel, and she was not enjoying the cool breeze of the vehicle anymore. As Ramphil listened to Leona, he talked while driving.
"I think we have a problem with the suspension system."
"What do we do?"
"I only know how to do basic repairs."
"What… does that mean?"
Zin explained in detail as Ramphil answered.
"We can't fix it. We just have to move on."
"Uhhhhh… Mister, can you repair?"
"It's not impossible for me, but I can't do it because I don't have the tools."
Zin who was skilled in many areas knew how to repair the armor vehicle, but he couldn't do much without the proper tools. It was fortunate that the damage to the vehicle did not affect the driving.
"We can get to our destination much quicker. We'll need to endure."
"Uh, uh… I am… but…"
—Bumpbump! —
Leona had ridden on a junkwagon without any suspension system before, but it was not easy for her to endure a bumpy ride on the armored vehicle. The vehicle went up and down the hills, and turned several corners. It was a pretty rough ride.
"My butt is going to get bruised…"
Leona did not have much strength to complain as she was barely hanging in there. She was lucky that the vehicle at least had A/C to keep the temperature inside the vehicle low.
"As soon as we get to Harbin, we will be able to switch out the vehicle for a new one. You just need to tolerate it for a bit more," Zin told her.
The city of Harbin was located on the way to Yichun city. There was an MCP at Harbin, and there was a fortress wherever an MCP was. Once they got to the fortress, they would be able to switch to a better driving vehicle.
"Really? When are we getting there?" Leona asked.
"Hmm… We are about 300 miles away. We'll get there tomorrow, or the day after at the latest."
"That's good to hear…"
They were moving at a speed of about 25 miles per hour. If they drove for ten hours, they would be able to get to the destination by tomorrow.
Leona was suffering from the bumpy ride, but she knew that walking through the hot weather was worse. The ride was bumpy, but it was comfortable, cool, and fast. Leona thought that it was unfair that the Wargrave possessed so many vehicles like this.