Chapter 708: Breaking and Entering (1)

It was the pre-dawn hours, before the sun had risen. The air was so cold that breath steamed out.

From within the early morning mist, still too early to awaken, a colossal rumbling echoed.

Rumble!

Vulcan, the mega-city. Sector 59, located on the outermost fringes of the undeveloped zone.

It was one of the few outlying sectors designated as a closed-off area, a massive dumping ground where all of Vulcan’s waste was discarded.

Dozens of cranes sped about, transporting enormous quantities of refuse and garbage.

The cranes were so huge that their rotating wheels alone dwarfed a normal human. They were super-heavy transport vehicles, their sheer mass defying the term ‘heavy equipment’.

Meryllda, standing before a crane overflowing with trash, wrinkled her nose and averted her gaze.

“…Are you sure this is the right place? Are you absolutely certain?”

Lennok nodded.

“Absolutely. We’ll need to enter and scout the interior for the precise location.”

“Ugh, seriously. I already feel like I’m going to die…!”

As a beast-kin hybrid with a keen sense of smell, Meryllda seemed to be struggling with the pervasive stench.

Seeing Meryllda’s pained expression, Anghel scratched his head.

“If it’s that unbearable, should we call someone else? Virgil doesn’t seem like the type to suffer from smells…”

“Hey, are you insane?!”

Meryllda shrieked in horror and kicked Anghel hard in the stomach.

She yelled at Anghel, who was bent at a right angle.

“Then Chairman will think I’m some kind of animal who backed out of the mission because of a smell! Just try saying that to anyone!”

“Wasn’t it?”

“…”

Meryllda glared at Lennok in response to his question, but didn’t protest further. Now that she had publicly committed to participating, backing out was out of the question.

“Hmph… it really has to be certain. This has to be over in one go.”

“If you dislike it that much, I do have a method in mind.”

As Meryllda spoke, having steeled her resolve, Lennok pulled a small bottle from his pocket and shook it.

“I have a painkiller that’s applied to the face. It can easily numb your sense of smell.”

“Give it here.”

Meryllda immediately took the painkiller from Lennok and quickly rubbed it on her nose.

A somewhat bizarre sight, as the fluorescent pigment glowed on Meryllda’s nose. Yet, perhaps because it was a similar color to her hair, it actually suited her quite well.

“How is it?”

“…It’s a bit ambiguous. Got any more?”

Meryllda took a few more bottles of painkiller from Lennok and smeared them all over her face and inside her nostrils. She looked like a child who had played with paint and come home a messy wreck.

It wasn’t until she had used five more bottles of the painkiller that Meryllda finally nodded.

“Good. Now I can bear it. If you had something like this, you should have given it to me sooner.”

“The five bottles of painkiller you just used are enough to temporarily incapacitate an elephant.”

“Well, her actual body is about the size of an elephant, so.”

Thwack!

Meryllda didn’t miss Anghel’s passing murmur and knocked him on the head.

The lanky young man, still standing, was driven into the ground.

Tatiana, who had been watching the unrealistically severe discipline from the side, coughed awkwardly with a bewildered expression.

“If you’re roughly ready, let’s go inside and discuss the plan.”

Lennok said, checking the time.

“According to our intel, the only time this sector opens to the outside is during these early morning hours, when waste is discharged.”

“Alright, let’s go!”

Meryllda shouted energetically and leapt onto a colossal crane rumbling in the distance. With Meryllda’s small frame on the massive crane, she was almost invisible.

“Hoo~”

Anghel blew a breath, and his frozen exhalation formed a staircase of frost, connecting to the crane. Anghel turned to help the staggering Tatiana and steady Lennok, only to find Lennok gone, and he tilted his head in confusion.

“I’ve secured control of the crane.”

Click.

Lennok, who had already climbed into the driver’s seat, pushed the unconscious driver aside and looked down at the three of them.

“We’ll get inside the sector with this and I’ll explain the operation as we go.”

“…When did you get up there?”

Though bewildered, the group obediently dispelled the ice stairs and climbed onto the crane.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

As Lennok gripped the steering wheel and shifted gears, the crane began to move forward, crushing the ground beneath it.

The heavy machinery flattened mountains of garbage and hills of waste with its thick tires, pushing forward. Soon, nothing but a vast wasteland of trash was visible around them.

Tatiana, marveling, leaned against Lennok and looked around.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a vast dump. It’s a sight rarely seen even in the Central Front’s food warehouses…”

“Jenny told me it handles about 35% of Vulcan’s waste output,” Lennok said, turning the wheel, and the excavator slowly changed direction, moving deeper into Sector 59. “And this is likely the first time everyone here has seen such a sight.”

“Everyone?”

“Look behind you.”

Tatiana turned her gaze, to see Meryllda and Anghel in the back seat, their faces pressed against the window, excitedly peering outside.

“Hey, Anghel! Look at that. It looks like some kind of spaceship part!”

“It really does. But do you think that missile-like thing next to it is real, too?”

“Van! Can’t we go blow that up?!”

“Do you think we can?”

“…”

Leaving the speechless Tatiana, Lennok snapped his fingers, still holding the wheel.

[Silence]

Whoosh!

The crane’s engine noise and the vibrations of shifting trash instantly vanished.

Taking advantage of the sudden silence that drew their attention, Lennok began to speak.

“We don’t have much time, but I’ll explain why we need to find the satellite factory here.”

Sector 59 was one of the very few areas in the undeveloped zone designated as a closed-off area. This was quite unusual, considering most closed-off areas were located within the 30s sectors.

The undeveloped zone had been virtually abandoned after the failure of the city expansion project, and the city government had completely washed its hands of it, leaving it a lawless territory.

Most outlying sectors were not only unmanaged but had long since been encroached upon by underworld crime organizations.

So why was Sector 59, the furthest from the city center, designated as a closed-off area and continuously managed with investment?

“Considering how this city operates, isn’t it obvious?” Anghel immediately replied to Lennok’s question. “It’s probably because a lot of things that shouldn’t be discarded are being dumped here.”

Meryllda picked idly at her teeth with her fingernail and chuckled.

“Those rockets and missiles we just saw? They’re probably all genuine. The business division sometimes disposes of illegally acquired weapons that way. Do you think the city government or above-ground corporations are any different?”

Because things that shouldn’t be known were being discarded here, or because the very fact of their disposal needed to remain secret, Sector 59 was designated as a closed-off area decades ago.

“That’s precisely why it creates an environment suitable for bringing something in or hiding something in reverse,” Lennok immediately continued. “I’ve heard there are quite a few fences in Sector 59 who scavenge through the trash for useful items to sell.”

“There were guys who did that at the Cansoa business division before. Do you know them?”

“I did join as their successor, but I don’t really know exactly what they did.” Anghel scratched his head. “I just diligently stamped the documents that the board of directors sent up.”

“No, there was definitely something. I think they said they scraped something off parts and sold it…”

Ignoring Meryllda’s grumbling, Lennok continued his explanation.

“It’s a closed-off area, making it difficult for outsiders to enter, yet it’s located on the city’s outermost fringe, making it relatively free for smuggling goods or personnel.”

“…”

“And since the sector area is used as a dump, it’s vast, making it difficult to detect even large-scale facilities.”

It was an environment where the contradiction of needing to procure personnel and parts from outside for satellite production, yet remaining hidden from external view, was resolved.

There were no obstructive buildings, just an open sky filled with mountains of trash.

Perfect conditions to simultaneously solve the problems of satellite production and launch without any interference.

Anghel, understanding Lennok’s words, nodded.

“Deadrise must have considered this place as a candidate from the beginning.”

“More than that, I find it weirder that these guys have access to closed-off areas,” Meryllda said, sprawling in the back seat and fiddling with the painkiller on her nose. “When people like us enter a closed-off area, a signal goes out. Unless you’re granted authorization like Adamant Thunder, the special agencies track you directly.”

While insignificant fences might pass unnoticed, if a High-Hierarchy Superhuman like Meryllda entered a closed-off area, a signal would immediately go to the special agency overseeing that sector.

The special agency currently responsible for Sector 59 was Polaris, which had taken over partial jurisdiction from the Agents.

Though it was one of the more recently established organizations, like Aegis, they had rapidly perfected their organizational system and accumulated achievements by drawing in experienced military veterans.

As they directly managed and controlled the outlying areas, their methods were known to be quite decisive and ruthless even in the underworld.

No matter how well Deadrise understood Vulcan’s terrain and geography, it would be impossible for them to enter a closed-off area and conduct operations without being detected.

“They must have obtained authorization to enter closed-off areas before leaving the city,” Meryllda muttered. “Those bastards, they must have definitely colluded with the Central Council behind the scenes.”

“Well, aren’t we and they both in a position where the City Council turns a blind eye to us to some extent?” Anghel said casually. “It’s just that I haven’t really had any interactions with the Deadrise folks, so it’s a bit late for me to take an interest…”

“Anghel, what are you talking about, having worked on the Central Front yourself?” Meryllda snapped. “Didn’t you ever clash with Deadrise when you worked with the Vanguard?”

“Superhuman Awakening Vanguard?” Lennok turned his gaze at the mention. “I thought you were a powerful psychic, but you were from the Vanguard?”

“You know about the Vanguard?” Anghel gave a wry smile and nodded. “Yes. I was with them for a while.”

“…I heard they guide innate superhumans who can’t control their abilities and teach them how to control them.” Lennok, recalling briefly, asked, “As far as I know, even very powerful psychics bowed their heads to seek the Vanguard’s help.”

“…”

“I thought they were an organization that helped superhumans, so why did you join the Cartel?”

Ballak O’Edon, the Level 8 gravity-type superhuman Lennok encountered in the Hanghasa Labyrinth. Though he possessed transcendent gravity manipulation abilities that even Lennok was wary of, he had a fatal flaw: he couldn’t control his own power.

Due to the nature of innate superhuman abilities, which relied solely on talent, it was natural for them to run wild the moment their talent exceeded their vessel.

Stories of innate superhumans, unable to bear the blessing and curse of their abilities, self-destructing were not uncommon.

Ballak O’Edon, too, struggling to control his superhuman ability, had joined the Superhuman Awakening Vanguard. Hadn’t he controlled his power by using living humans as materials?

Regardless of the Vanguard’s unsavory methods, it was widely known that their approach was effective. So why did Anghel leave the Vanguard he had been a part of and become a Cartel executive?

“…Normally, people don’t mention the Vanguard that way. It seems you’ve met some of their ability users.” Anghel, listening to Lennok’s question, nodded with a troubled smile.

“If you don’t wish to explain, we can stop here.”

“No. It’s not a secret I need to keep anymore.”

Anghel adjusted his posture, as if trying to hide his complex feelings, and spoke in a low voice.

“As you know, the Vanguard’s method of correcting innate abilities can’t be called systematic. It’s more about setting a goal and resorting to any means to achieve it.”

“…”

“It wasn’t like that before. It was created to help suffering comrades live among ordinary people.”

The seats had grown quiet. Anghel gazed at the mountains of trash flashing past the window and muttered.

“If stronger ability users had newly joined and changed the organization’s logic, I might have understood. But watching the people I knew change one by one…”

“…”

Only then did Lennok somewhat understand why Anghel had left the Vanguard and joined the Cartel. The Superhuman Awakening Vanguard, now one of the Central Front’s colossal powers, must have also started from a trivial beginning.

It was an interesting story, but Lennok did not press Anghel further about the Vanguard. Anghel, perhaps thinking it irrelevant to the current situation, quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, Meryllda, where did you leave that werewolf you said you’d bring last time? You said then you’d be on the mission together.”

“Oh, that.”

Meryllda nodded with an unenthusiastic expression.

“Adamant Thunder specifically requested he be kept out for now, so I left him outside. He’s probably waiting near Sector 59.”

“What? So, the four of us have to perform all the scouting and diversion operations ourselves…?”

“Sector 59, where Deadrise hid the satellite factory, is so vast that we had to significantly revise the original plan,” Lennok replied, holding the wheel and noting Anghel’s displeased expression. “Before we properly begin the operation, we need to precisely locate the satellite factory.”

Lennok turned his gaze out the crane window and nodded.

“The visibility is just starting to clear over there. You’ll understand as soon as you see it.”

With his words, a landscape entirely different from what they had seen before came into view beyond the trash-filled wasteland. Amidst hills strewn with all kinds of refuse and garbage, lay a wide, cleanly cleared open space.

Hundreds of people bustled among the dozen or so makeshift structures erected on it. The inorganic structures resembled a military base, and the atmosphere was solid and calmly subdued.

Meryllda, instantly guessing the facility’s true nature, frowned.

“Hey, this is…”

“A garrison facility for a Deadrise-affiliated military unit,” Lennok explained, slowly driving the crane closer to the facility. “Just as the Cartel is a corporate conglomerate, Deadrise absorbed various military groups as soon as they entered the Central Front and became a massive legion.”

“…”

“I hear the number of military units they command easily exceeds a thousand.”

The Cerberus Annihilation Squad that Lennok had faced was also one of the units operating under Deadrise. It wasn’t for nothing that the Blaiver Magic Tower allied with Deadrise on this matter to attempt satellite production.

Deadrise was a private military corporation that operated by commanding thousands of military units, which had cultivated combat experience and organizational skills through extensive activity on the Central Front.

Simply commanding their forces, without needing to hire them, made it easy for them to handle complex tasks.

Especially the task of clearing the trash spread across Sector 59 and building a satellite factory and military garrison facilities on it—an undertaking impossible with ordinary resources.

But Deadrise understood precisely which areas allowed them to best utilize their strengths.

“Look at how they transport and organize materials. Hundreds of people move simultaneously with hardly any confusion.”

“It seems they had a lot of similar experience on the Central Front,” Anghel said, and Lennok nodded. “The number of commanders is significantly low compared to the on-site personnel. Their roles are thoroughly divided.”

These were superhumans belonging to military units who had accumulated diverse experience on the Central Front in various fields such as base construction, front-line stabilization, material transport, and mission execution.

While they might not compare to the underworld mercenaries of Vulcan who were battle-hardened in solo combat, their organizational capacity, however, was on an entirely different level.

“Adamant Thunder, so what are you going to do? If we raid the garrison facility, they’ll immediately notice us,” Meryllda asked, chewing distractedly on a strand of her hair. “Are you planning to duke it out with Ghost Princess right here? If so, I’m in.”

Lennok shook his head, seeing Meryllda swing her arms, warming up.

“No, Peshia Grisbern won’t be coming.”

“What?”

Meryllda frowned, not understanding his words.

“How do you know that? Did you ask Ghost Princess separately?”

“Meryllda, how could Van-nim ask her that? Think a little…” As Anghel was about to scold Meryllda with a bewildered expression, Lennok nodded.

“That’s right. I asked her directly.”

“…Huh?”

“He said he did!”

As Anghel crumpled under Meryllda’s blows, Lennok pulled out his cell phone.

A CCTV screen, seemingly intercepting a camera feed from somewhere. A game machine located in the corner of a hall that resembled a mix of a casino and an arcade.

The group’s expressions turned blank as they spotted Peshia, who had just entered.

Lennok explained.

“Peshia Grisbern will be waiting for someone at that casino until this evening. I heard it directly from her, so it must be true.”

“…And how did you hear that?”

“How did I hear it, you ask?” Lennok chuckled at Tatiana’s exasperated question. “I told you, I asked her directly.”

“…”

“You, no way…”

Only then did the others realize who Peshia was waiting for at the casino, and they clicked their tongues.

They understood that the wizard standing before them had contacted Peshia and somehow tied her down. It was difficult to guess when he had the time, what method he used, or why Peshia was so obediently following his words.

But instead of explaining the details, Lennok tapped his phone and said,

“I hope there’s no misunderstanding. The person Peshia is waiting for will appear at the meeting place. Just a little late for their appointment, that is.”

“…Why will they be late?”

Lennok smirked at Tatiana’s curious question.

“Because they’ll be too busy losing all her money.”

Lennok said, switching screens and rapidly sending files to the three people around him.

Watching their expressions turn strange as they checked the file names, Lennok rose from his seat.

Click!

Lennok raised an old musket, extended its muzzle out the crane’s window, and smiled.

“Shall we begin our breaking and entering?”