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Chapter 126.2. Dictator
"Months later, dungeons started appearing everywhere. Numerous casualties were due to dungeons. The commotion in the underground empire was overshadowed."
"That's right. Hundreds of millions died in a matter of days. It surpassed the incident in Tsukuba that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. But, in reality, it wasn't a poisonous gas. How should I put it? Was that really a poisonous gas? I watched footage from that time, and a black haze covered the underground. Humans turned into zombie-like creatures covered in crystal-like substances. The black haze disappeared later."
"Zombies? What, were they developing a virus or something?"
"Developing a virus at a tourist attraction? That's too adventurous. No, it's more like. Well, was it even a poisonous gas? The research results from capturing and studying those we didn't kill are well known. Medically, their bodies were already dead. They became cannibalistic monsters, moving with a mysterious force."
"Not much different from a poisonous gas."
"Well, yeah. When it comes to poisonous gas, it was poisonous gas."
[So, it was a poisonous gas; the victims were probably done in by a zombie virus. Damn you, Umbrella! Yoyoyo!]
Before me, the beautiful girl mimicked crying while moving. A zombie virus, huh? I've seen that a lot in movies. What's Umbrella, though?
"So, the military was deployed during the dungeon commotion. We planned to exterminate the monsters, and reclaim the underground empire, but. We called them crystal zombies, and no matter how many we defeated, more kept emerging. We were eventually deployed here later on."
"I've heard this story somewhere. Did it turn into a dungeon?"
Masamune's words made me serious. Well, considering the flow of the story, I had a feeling it was. Dungeons emerged a few months after people turned into monsters. There seemed to be a connection.
"We tried destroying it with missiles... Yeah, at that time, there were domes we couldn't enter. Maybe they hesitated to destroy them for research."
"Yeah, and those creatures never came up to the surface. Unlike other dungeons, they didn't cause a stampede. So, the plan was to build a fortress, prevent stampedes, and continue underground research."
"So, refugees gathered, and it became a community. Then, three years ago, research results came out, or they gave up and withdrew. You guys are the remaining soldiers protecting the refugees?"
"I see. And now, we're managing with the stored food and hunting boars in the fortress. So, we don't have money."
"That makes sense. Do you guys understand the situation outside? The country now abandons those without a steady income outside the walls. This place is too privileged; make them work a bit. ...Where do you get electricity and water from?"
It's not from the purification plant, right? That's what I'm curious about.
With a slight movement of their eyebrows in response to my question, they hesitated, realizing that their current situation was beyond their control. Sighing, Masamune looked at me.
"We have generators underground. And, there's a machine in this fortress that can create water infinitely."
"...Without fuel?"
"It's a different kind of fuel. We found the generator in the underground empire. There are a few water-creating devices installed here as well."
"So, such amazing devices were analyzed by the country? They withdrew, right?"
If that happened, it might dramatically change our lives. If there's no change, does that mean they couldn't analyze it? Or is it difficult to replicate? But there's something more problematic that I just realized.
"Why did you withdraw, even with such valuable items and research materials?"
"The number of refugees increased, and research hardly progressed. Besides... the damage from monsters increased. There was no longer any merit in defending this place. The complete withdrawal was a year ago. The scientists proudly withdrew, claiming they had achieved certain results."
Speaking with a bitter expression, Masamune. I see, it was last year. Souma and the old men from Nanbu and Soma scowled, their expressions turning harsh and angry.
"A monster nest was formed in the direction of Noda. The supply route to this extent became unusable due to powerful monsters. They even told us to abandon the refugees. They took away most of the helicopters and vehicles!"
"We can't just abandon the refugees! We're the military protecting the citizens!"
Looking at the grandpas enveloped in anger, I couldn't help but be cold. They're passionate old men.
"You're quite passionate, old man. Was there no ruined city in Noda? You must have occasionally returned to Noda since the inner city was established, right? You must have seen the miserable way of life."
"Mmm..."
"I'm sorry. It was a mean question."
Apologizing to the three silent men, I understood that even those who want to protect those in their hands can't do it. My bad. Many can't do that even if they want to.
"So, asking for help from the central forces would be useless. They'd probably just tell you to abandon the refugees too. But a complete withdrawal is a bold move. What results did you achieve?"
Shouldn't you at least support them a bit? There might be a chance for a Nobel Prize discovery by chance.
"Do you know about the Core Store? The scientists who withdrew bragged about it. They accessed it while investigating monster cores or something. They said they would allocate resources for research there."
"Ah, I see. Scientists, huh? Was that a success? Wow."
Indeed, outstanding scientists are different. I see. They might have already won the Nobel Prize by chance.
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