Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 707

It was early dawn, before the sun had risen. The weather was so cold that one could see their breath, and a large vibration echoed through the early morning mist.

Krrrrrr!

Balkan, a massive city. District 59, located on the outermost edge of the undeveloped area.

It was one of the few outer districts designated as a restricted area, and a giant landfill where all of Balkan’s waste was dumped.

Dozens of cranes raced around, transporting massive amounts of waste and garbage.

The cranes were so large that their rotating wheels alone were taller than an average human.

They were super-sized transport devices that were hard to describe even as heavy equipment.

Meryl, standing in front of a crane full of garbage, pinched her nose and turned away.

“…Is this really the right place? Are you sure?”

Lenox nodded.

“I’m sure. I think we’ll have to go inside and explore to find the exact location.”

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

Meryl, a mixed-blood of a beast race, seemed to be having a hard time enduring the stench due to her sensitive sense of smell.

Seeing Meryl’s face turn into a frown, Angel scratched his head.

“If it’s that hard for you to endure, should we call someone else? I don’t think Virgil would be in pain because of the smell…”

“Hey, are you crazy?!”

Meryl was horrified and kicked Angel in the stomach.

Meryl shouted at Angel, who was bent over at a right angle.

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

“Wasn’t that the case?”

“…”

Meryl glared at Lenox’s question, but didn’t protest any further.

Once she had declared that she would participate, there was no going back.

“Hoo… It really has to be the right place. We have to finish it this time.”

“If you hate it that much, I have an idea.”

As Meryl spoke with a determined resolve, Lenox took out a small bottle from his pocket and shook it.

“There’s a painkiller that you apply to your face. It’s something that can easily numb your sense of smell.”

“Give it to me.”

Meryl immediately took the painkiller from Lenox and rubbed it on her nose.

The fluorescent pigment glowed on Meryl’s nose, a rather bizarre sight. But it matched her hair color, so it looked okay.

“How is it?”

“…It’s kind of ambiguous. Do you have more?”

Meryl received a few more bottles of painkillers from Lenox and rubbed them on her face and in her nose.

It was a mess, almost like a child who had been playing with paint and returned home.

After using five more bottles of painkillers, Meryl finally nodded.

“Okay. I can handle it now. You should have given me this sooner if you had it.”

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

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

Thwack!!

Meryl, not missing Angel’s passing remark, smacked him on the head, causing the skinny young man to collapse on the spot.

Tatianna, who was watching the unrealistic scolding from the side, coughed in bewilderment.

“If you’re roughly ready, let’s go inside and talk.”

Lenox said, checking the time.

“According to the information, this area is only open to the outside during this early morning time when waste is discharged.”

“Okay. Let’s go!!”

Meryl shouted energetically and jumped onto a giant crane that was rumbling in the distance.

Meryl, who was already small, was almost invisible when she climbed onto the super-sized crane.

“Hoo~”

Angel blew a puff of air, and his frozen breath became a staircase of frost that connected to the crane.

Angel, who turned around to help Tatianna, who was staggering, and to grab Lenox, tilted his head when he saw that Lenox had disappeared.

“I’ve obtained control of the crane.”

Click.

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

“Let’s get inside the area with this and explain the operation.”

“…When did you get there?”

The group, bewildered, obediently removed the ice stairs and climbed onto the crane.

Kugugugung!!

When he grabbed the steering wheel and shifted gears, the crane began to move forward, crushing the ground.

The heavy equipment crushed the mountains of garbage and hills of waste with its thick tires. Soon, only a vast field of garbage was visible around them.

Tatianna leaned against Lenox’s side, looking around with a curious expression.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a vast landfill. It’s a sight that’s hard to see even in the central front’s food storage.”

“According to Jenny, it handles about 35% of the waste discharged from Balkan.”

Lenox said, turning the steering wheel, and the crane slowly turned and began to move deeper into District 59.

“And everyone is seeing this kind of sight for the first time.”

“The same?”

“Look behind you.”

When Tatianna turned her gaze, Meryl and Angel, who were sitting in the back seat, were excitedly looking outside with their faces pressed against the window.

“Hey, Angel! Look at that. There’s something that looks like a spaceship part!”

“That’s true. But is that thing next to it that looks like a missile real?”

“Ban! Can’t we go over there and blow it up?!”

“Do you think we can?”

“…”

Leaving Tatianna speechless, Lenox snapped his fingers while holding the steering wheel.

[Silence]

Whoosh!

The sound of the crane’s engine and the vibration of the garbage being tossed around disappeared in an instant.

Taking advantage of the moment when their attention was focused on the sudden silence, Lenox opened his mouth.

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

District 59 is one of the few districts designated as a restricted area in the undeveloped area.

Considering that most restricted areas are located within the 30s districts, it is quite unusual.

The undeveloped area was abandoned after the failure of the city expansion development plan, and it was a lawless zone where the city government had completely given up.

Most of the outer districts have long been taken over by underground criminal organizations, let alone being managed.

Even so, why is District 59, which is the farthest from the city center, designated as a restricted area and constantly invested in and managed?

“Isn’t it obvious if you think about how this city works?”

Angel immediately answered Lenox’s question.

“It’s probably because there are a lot of things that shouldn’t be thrown away being dumped here.”

Meryl smiled, picking her teeth with her fingernails.

“The rockets and missiles we just saw are all real. The business department sometimes disposes of illegally acquired weapons in that way. Would the city government or legitimate companies be any different?”

Because even things that shouldn’t be known what is being thrown away here are being thrown away carelessly.

Or because the fact that they are being thrown away should not be known, District 59 was designated as a restricted area decades ago.

“That’s why, conversely, it’s a suitable environment for bringing something in or hiding it.”

Lenox continued immediately.

“I heard that there are quite a few fences [people who buy and sell stolen goods] in this District 59 who rummage through the trash and sell usable items.”

“There were guys who did that kind of thing in the Kansoa business department before. Do you know them?”

“I did come in as their successor, but I don’t know exactly what they did.”

Angel scratched his head.

“I just diligently stamp the documents that the board of directors submits.”

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

Ignoring Meryl’s grumbling, Lenox continued his explanation.

“It’s difficult for outsiders to enter because it’s a restricted area, but it’s also relatively free from smuggling of goods and personnel because it’s located on the outermost edge of the city.”

“…”

“The area of the district is also vast as it is used as a landfill, so it would be difficult to notice even if a large-scale facility is hidden.”

An environment where the contradiction of needing to procure the personnel and parts necessary for the satellite factory from the outside, while not being exposed to the outside world, is established.

With no buildings to get in the way, only a clear sky filled with piles of garbage.

Perfect conditions to solve the problems of satellite production and launch at the same time without any interference.

Angel, who understood Lenox’s words, nodded.

“Dead Rise has been considering this place as a candidate from the beginning.”

“More than that, I think it’s stranger that these guys have access to the restricted area.”

Meryl said, lying down in the back seat and touching the painkiller she had applied to her nose.

“If guys like us go in and out of the restricted area, a signal will go out. Unless you have permission to enter like Kyunroe, the special forces will track you directly.”

If insignificant fences were to enter, it would be one thing, but if a high-ranking superhuman like Meryl entered a restricted area, a signal would immediately go to the special forces in charge of the area.

The special forces currently in charge of District 59 are [Polaris], who have been granted jurisdiction over some areas by the agents.

Like Aegis, it is one of the relatively recently established organizations, but they have quickly completed their organizational system and accumulated achievements by attracting experienced soldiers.

As they are directly in charge of and manage the outer areas, their methods were known to be quite firm and ruthless even in the shadows.

No matter how well Dead Rise knows the situation and geography of Balkan, it is impossible not to be discovered at the point of entering a restricted area and starting work.

“They must have obtained permission to enter the restricted area before leaving the city.”

Meryl muttered.

“Those guys must be colluding with the Central Council behind the scenes.”

“Well, aren’t we and them in a position to turn a blind eye to each other to some extent with the city council?”

Angel said as if it was not a big deal.

“However, I haven’t had much interaction with the people from Dead Rise, so I’m not really interested in it now…”

“Angel, you worked in the central front, so what are you talking about?”

Meryl said, as if snapping at him.

“When you were working at the front, didn’t you have any conflicts with Dead Rise?”

“The Ability Awakening Front?”

Lenox turned his gaze at the words.

“I thought they were powerful superhumans, but were they from the front?”

“You know about the front.”

Angel nodded with a bitter smile.

“That’s right. I was there for a while.”

“…I heard that they guide innate ability users who cannot control their abilities and teach them how to control them.”

Lenox asked, briefly recalling his memories.

“As far as I know, even very powerful superhumans bowed their heads to receive help from the front.”

“…”

“I thought it was an organization that helped superhumans, so why did you join the cartel?”

Balak O’edon, an 8-level gravity-type superhuman he had encountered in the Hanghasa Labyrinth.

He possessed a transcendent gravity manipulation superpower that even Lenox was wary of, but he had a fatal problem of not being able to control his own power.

Due to the nature of superpowers that rely only on innate talent, it is natural for them to go berserk the moment their talent exceeds their vessel.

The stories of innate ability users who cannot overcome the talent of superpowers, which are both a blessing and a curse, and self-destructing are not uncommon.

Balak O’edon also felt difficulty in controlling his superpowers and joined the Ability Awakening Front.

Wasn’t he controlling his superpowers by using living humans as materials to control his abilities?

Regardless of the fact that the front’s methods were not very clean, it was a well-known fact that their methods were effective.

Even so, what was the reason why Angel left the front where he was and became a director of the cartel?

“…Usually, they don’t mention the front like that. It seems like you’ve met the ability users of the front.”

Angel, who had been listening to Lenox’s question, nodded with a troubled smile.

“If you don’t want to explain, let’s stop here.”

“No. It’s not a story to hide now.”

Angel, who seemed to be trying to hide his complicated feelings, adjusted his posture and spoke in a low voice.

“As you know, the way the front corrects innate abilities is not systematic. It’s closer to setting a result and not caring about the means.”

“…”

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

The seats were quiet.

Angel muttered, looking at the mountains of garbage passing by outside the window.

“If strong ability users had come in and changed the logic of the organization, I could have accepted it. But watching the people I knew change one by one from the side…”

“…”

Only then did Lenox understand to some extent why Angel had left the front and joined the cartel.

The Ability Awakening Front, which has now become one of the largest forces in the central front, must have also been an organization that started from a trivial trigger.

It was an interesting story, but Lenox did not ask Angel any more about the front.

Angel also seemed to think that it was an irrelevant story in this place, and quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, Meryl, where did you leave the werewolf you were going to bring last time? You said you would join the operation together then.”

“Ah, that.”

Meryl nodded with a nonchalant expression.

“Kyunroe made a separate request, so I left him outside for now. He’s probably waiting near District 59.”

“Huh? Then do we have to carry out all the exploration and diversionary operations with just the four of us…?”

“The 59th district where Dead Rise hid the satellite factory is so large that we have modified the existing plan a lot.”

Lenox answered, holding the steering wheel, seeing Angel’s sullen expression.

“Before we start the operation properly, we need to make sure that we find the location of the satellite factory.”

Lenox, who turned his gaze out of the crane window, nodded.

“The view over there is starting to open up. You’ll understand as soon as you see it.”

With those words, a completely different landscape from what had been repeated so far came into view from the other side of the garbage field.

Among the hills where all kinds of waste and garbage were scattered indiscriminately, there was a wide open space that had been neatly cleaned.

Hundreds of people were busily moving around among the dozen or so temporary structures built on top of it.

The inorganic structures reminiscent of a military base and the solid and calm atmosphere.

Meryl, who immediately guessed the identity of the facility, frowned.

“Hey, this is…”

“It’s the garrison facility of the Dead Rise’s subordinate corps [military unit].”

Lenox explained, slowly driving the crane closer to the facility.

“Just like the cartel is made up of a corporate alliance, Dead Rise swallowed up several military groups as soon as they entered the central front and became a large-scale corps.”

“…”

“I heard that the number of corps they command under their command easily exceeds a thousand.”

The Cerberus Massacre Corps, which Lenox had faced, was also one of the corps that was active under Dead Rise.

It was not for nothing that the Blaver Magic Tower had joined hands with Dead Rise in this project and attempted to produce satellites.

A private military company that operates with thousands of corps that have been active in the central front for a long time and have built up practical experience and organizational power.

Just by using that power without having to hire it, they could easily handle complex tasks.

Especially now, cleaning up the garbage scattered in District 59 and building a satellite factory and military garrison facilities on top of it is impossible to even attempt with ordinary resources.

But Dead Rise understood in which field they could best utilize their strengths.

“Look at how they transport and organize materials. Hundreds of people are moving at the same time, but there is almost no confusion.”

“It seems like they had a lot of similar experiences in the central front.”

Lenox nodded at Angel’s words.

“The number of commanders is significantly less than the number of people on the ground. The division of roles is thorough.”

Superhumans belonging to the corps who have accumulated various experiences in various fields such as building bases, fixing fronts, transporting materials, and carrying out operations in the central front.

They are no match for the mercenaries in the shadows of Balkan who are used to fighting alone, but on the other hand, their organizational power is on a different level.

“Kyunroe, so what are you going to do? If we attack the garrison facility, they’ll notice right away.”

Meryl asked, chewing on her hair.

“Are you thinking of fighting Guihui right here? Then I’ll join in right away too.”

Lenox shook his head, watching Meryl loosen up her arms.

“No, Paysha Greeceburn is not coming.”

“What?”

Meryl frowned as if she didn’t understand the words.

“How do you know that? Did you ask Guihui separately?”

“Meryl, how would Ban ask that? Think a little…”

Just as Angel was about to scold Meryl in disbelief, Lenox nodded.

“That’s right. I asked directly.”

“…Huh?”

“I said I did!!”

While Angel was being beaten by Meryl, Lenox took out his cell phone from his pocket.

A CCTV screen that seemed to have intercepted a camera feed somewhere. A game machine located in a corner of a hall that looked like a mix of a casino and an arcade.

The expressions of the group who found Paysha just entering in front of it turned blank.

Lenox explained.

“Paysha Greeceburn will be waiting for someone at that casino until this evening. It’s a fact I heard directly from her, so it must be true.”

“…How did you hear that?”

“How did I hear it?”

Lenox smiled at Tatianna’s dumbfounded question.

“I told you I asked directly.”

“…”

“You, no way…”

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

Because they understood that the wizard standing in front of them had contacted Paysha and tied her down by some means.

It was difficult to even guess when he had the time to do that, what method he used, and why Paysha was obediently following his words.

But instead of explaining the details, Lenox tapped his cell phone and said.

“I hope you don’t misunderstand. The person Paysha is waiting for will show up at the meeting place. But he’ll be a little late for the appointment.”

“…Why is he late?”

Lenox smiled at Tatianna’s strange words.

“Because he’ll be a little busy emptying Guihui’s coffers.”

Lenox said, switching the screen and quickly sending files to the three people around him.

Lenox stood up from his seat, watching their expressions turn strange as they checked the file names.

Clank!!

Lenox, who had lifted an old musket, smiled as he pointed the muzzle out of the crane’s window.

“Shall we start the empty house raid?”