Clearing the Game at the End of the World

“Those money-crazy Dome guys were smart.”

Watching the faces of his friends get darker as they got closer to the Central Area, Gyosu decided to explain what was roughly going to happen.

“Exactly how much do you know about Type 3 mutants?”

“Let’s see… they’re incredibly strong, and unlike Type 1 and 2 mutants, they don’t have any special traits in common, and they have a bunch of weird skills..?”

“Hm. You don’t know anything about them.”

They only had about 10 minutes before they arrived at the model garden entrance in the Central area, so there wasn’t much time left. How can he explain this to them…

After a short moment to think, Gyosu picked up the scoop of pineapple pieces that he had picked off of his pizza slices beforehand.

“What is this?”

“Ugh, Hepburn. Don’t play with your food. Give the pineapple to me if you don’t want it.”

“I’m going to eat it. I just don’t want to eat it with the pizza. Anyway, let’s say these pineapple pieces are the Type 2 mutants, the mutation virus that manifests in the corpses of people that just died. They’re fresh corpses with many juicy fluids still inside them, and they’re agile and strong, just like a living person. But they are still corpses. When they get beat up and start to rot under the hot sunlight…”

Gyosu crushed the pineapple piece in his hand.

“Like this, they become a mushy, lumpy Type 1 mutant. You both know this much, right?”

“Of course, me and Vex know this. These are the guys that we see every day.”

“Good, then I’m going to start with the complicated part now, so don’t get lost. Ah, Ian, you’re driving, so just listen.”

“Hah! I can drive with my eyes closed and my feet up on a flat road like this. If I crash the car, I’ll let you engrave ‘New Driver’ on my jaw. Anyway, what does pineapple have to do with Type 3 mutants?”

To answer Ian’s question, Gyosu held up the half-crushed pineapple in his palm like it was some holy relic.

“Vex called this yellow piece a pineapple. Then, if this pineapple had its own conscience and will, what would it imagine itself to look like?”

“Huh?”

“Heh? A pineapple… can think?”

“Type 1 and Type 2 mutants start their manifestation in a corpse, but Type 3 is a virus that succeeds in manifesting inside a living organism. They’re completely different from the start. Taking pineapple as an example, Types 1 and 2 are just pineapple pieces that look a little different, but Type 3 is a pulp with a seed inside it.”

Pausing his explanation, he glanced around to see Vex trying his best to understand what he just said and Ian concentrating on driving with an expression longing for a cigarette. It’s a hard concept to understand, alright. Even I needed to read a 30-page report on the Dome’s community about this topic repeatedly to understand it.

So Gyosu decided to concentrate on describing to them the basic framework of the concept.

“First, it’s known that the mutant virus greatly affects the host’s mental state. Just think of the mutants we’ve seen up to now. Most of them were guys that moaned and limped around like zombies, but there were a few different guys, too, right?”

Looking at the glint in their eyes, it looked like they did think of something in their minds. Gyosu had also seen a case that he had read about in the report. A mutant that doesn’t know how to shoot a gun but knows how to swing one around. The ones who didn’t have any nerve to distinguish comfortability but still preferred to stay under the roofs of buildings and gathered towards mats on the bare ground.

Mutants that acted oddly different feel like the actions of a corpse.

“According to Dome’s research, the mutant virus seems to be affected by the memories stored inside the unconscious host’s body. Although they are affected by it, since the oxygen supply is already cut off, most of it is already gone. But memories that are saved by the body, like preferring to lie down on a mat instead of the ground, still affect their actions. The Dome’s researchers are hypothesizing that the difference in the Type 3 mutants comes from these mutant viruses’ tendency to retain memories.”

“Tendency to retain memories… then are you saying that because the Type 3 manifests in living bodies, they’re able to completely utilize the memories from when they were alive?”

“To be exact, they usually retain the strongest form of ego from their living state.”

Let’s go back to the pineapples.

Gyosu held up a small strand of the crushed pineapple and shook it to make it look like the pineapple was waving.

“If the seed of the pineapple had a will, then when you asked it what a ‘pineapple’ looked like, how would it answer? Some might think of a small, caged room inside a massive yellow world. Some might think of the prickly outer body and green leaves, or pineapple bush growing on the ground. The mutant virus has a tendency to try and restore the host’s body and return it to its original form. The reason it attacks people is to input organic material into the host’s body to prolong its lifespan. So the Type 3 mutants are a monster created as a result of the virus’s efforts to return the host’s body back into the ‘self’ that it thinks itself was.”

A child that hid under the bed to run away from the abuse of their parents thought that it was like a crab hiding inside its shell right before it died.

Not long after, a Type 3 mutant that carried an entire house on its back with its tentacles appeared in Area 32.

There were also sightings that claimed that something similar to a ball of ash walked out of a shelter where a large fire had broken out, carrying dozens of burned corpses.

A monster created from the recovered ego that the person created right before they died out of a survival instinct, which the virus mistook for the host’s original form. That was the identity of the Type 3 mutants known so far.

Vrrrrrrrrm—

After he completed the explanation, the three men went completely silent.

“…How much of that did you guys get?”

“Uh… Type 3 mutants are monsters created from a dead person’s imagination.”

“They’re probably tough to beat if they can pick up entire trucks.”

“I’m glad at least one of you got it.”

But looking at what they said, it looked like they got the basic gist of the concept.

“‘Old Picture’, the one you guys met, is an oddball even among the Type 3 mutants.”

“How are they odd exactly?”

“It’s a guy born from a consciousness that doesn’t know it’s dead.”

A monster born from a normal family within an abnormal tragedy.

Old Picture’s consciousness was not limited to just its body.

It was a monster that imagined itself within the normal street it lived in.

Nobody needed a hint to know that they were in Old Picture’s territory.

Because their surroundings would have suddenly changed from a sandy street consisting of old, destroyed buildings to a neat and sophisticated street from the Old Times.

“Then… that guy’s the one who made it? That street?”

“Even if the Type 3s have special abilities, that’s a little too difficult. Dome made this model garden. Ah, you can see it over there.”

It was easy to find the location of the accident. A collapsed building and debris were in the middle of a clean street, and several people were moving busily around the place. He saw about 7–8 people in the traditional Wasteland attire and a man standing out in the middle of them with a neat suit on.

“It seems that there are people from the Dome as well.”

“Didn’t we come a little too late? This happened because of us. The least we could do is come early….”

“Oh, no. We aren’t late. The people around that official. Those are informants.”

“Informants? The ones that upload locked posts on the Community and give the password for money?”

Gyosu nodded.

“No matter how diligent the people of the Wasteland are, this still happened because of someone else. Until they know exactly what’s happening, they won’t move that easily. Look at that. This case is related to Old Picture, but they’re not wearing the Old Times clothes. It means that they’re not here to help. The informants are usually the first to come when something like this happens.”

“Then why is the person from the Dome talking with those people?”

“It’s probably…. to control the media? If the informants make weird assumptions and cause a commotion inside Area 47, the ones that’ll suffer will be the Dome. So they’re probably releasing more processed information before they start making guesses.”

“That’s complicated.”

“Let’s just say it’s the price for peace.”

Du-d-du-du— skreee!

And so when the car carrying the three men stopped in front of the crowd of people, their gazes all trained on them at once.

‘This is good. Looking at the numbers, it looks like not only the informants from Area 47 but ones from the nearby areas also came. Since what’s happened already happened, we might as well use this chance to apologize and take responsibility to create a good reputation for Big Dream.’

Stepping out of the cars and solemnly accepting the gazes looking at them, Gyosu took in a deep breath, then opened his mouth with a large smile on his face.

“Hello, everybody! Thank you all for gathering so early in the morning!”

Murmur murmur…

As Gyosu started to approach them, the informants started to whisper among themselves.

“Who are they?”

“Black… armored car, with three people, means…”

“Hahahah, it seems a few of you already know us! To introduce ourselves, we are, shamefully, the cause of this accident and a newly opened caravan…”

“BDSM.”

“A black Raptor truck, a 3-person caravan! It’s them! BDSM!”

“Perverts!”

Clench!

“….Big Dream! We’re called Big Dream!”

The informants whispered amongst themselves again in response to Gyosu’s desperate cry.

“Do they want to use a different name from their official one?” “I heard that there was a conversation about that in the Area 47 chatroom before.” “But they’re already known as BDSM. I already sold information using that name.” “If we change it now…”

“Then the credibility of our information will fall.”

After a short exchange of opinions among the informants, they smiled brightly, just like Gyosu, and greeted the group.

“It’s an incredible honor to meet the rising stars of Area 47, [BDSM]! Everyone here makes a living by selling information around this area, so we’ll be able to meet often if you’re running a caravan. Hahahahah! Nice to meet you!”

Clenchh!

The informant’s response made the smile on Gyosu’s face waver visibly.

Gyosu and the informants shared the meaning, ‘Spread our name as Big Dream.’ / ‘No way. Just keep it as BDSM.’ in the short exchange of greetings they just had.

Looking at the corner of Gyosu’s lips shaking like an earthquake, Ian gently patted Gyosu’s shoulder.

“Give it up.”

“Mother f—er….”

“I’m not from Area 47, but I’ve never seen anyone in the Wastelands back down when their status is at stake. It’s too late to turn back already.”

“Ezel…. Ezel Raiden….. I’m going to kill him…..”

“You want a cigarette?”

“Piss off…”

And like that, Gyosu’s attempt to change the name of their caravan failed miserably, and from between the informants that were sketching Gyosu’s crumpled face came out the man in a navy suit. His outfit felt out of place, but the briefcase in his hands had the Dome’s mark engraved in white.

“Pardon me, but I believe you just said you were the cause of this event, am I correct?”

A man from the Dome. Seeing that they were also dressed in Old Time clothes, they were associated with the case regarding Old Picture.

‘Hyde?’

[Beeep—! No matching faces. He’s not a person related to your past.]

Only after checking his face and confirming with Hyde did Gyosu stretch out his hand to the man in front of him.

“I’m the leader of… BDSM, ‘professor’. You can call me Gyosu.”

“I’ve heard many things about you. My name is Jack, a member of the District 47 Dome Executive Department.”

After shaking hands and exchanging his player ID with what was clearly an alias, they started to talk about the situation on their hands.

“From what we know, it isn’t mister ‘professor’, but the two sirs behind you that are the cause of this event. Is there any misinformation regarding that?”

“Oh, no. They are the ones that triggered Old Picture and destroyed the model garden. I’m just accompanying them to take responsibility as well.”

“Hm, I see. It must be difficult to substitute the members because there are so few people in the caravan. I see that you’re volunteering to participate in this work.”

“…..”

‘Tch.’

It looks like this Jack guy was an obnoxious official from the Dome that I imagined him to be. From how they mentioned the substitution of the members, it probably meant that they’d take care of the situation if I just handed over Ian and Vex. They probably said that out of some sort of consideration, but all that did was push his buttons.

Flip, flip…

“Let’s see… mister ‘professor’… You’re currently living on the outskirts of Area 47 and… oh? You were involved in a similar case a few years ago as well?”

“….Luck isn’t particularly on my side.”

“That doesn’t seem to be the case. Those who have caused a problem again for the same reason are usually subject to stronger restrictions or expulsion…”

Flip—!

Jack took out a paper from the file in his briefcase and shoved it in Gyosu’s face.

“The Dome decided to take full responsibility for the compensations resulting from the actions the group took. So you are indeed lucky.”

“The Dome is? So you’re telling me that they’re going to pay for the fine, costs to repair the street and payments for the people participating in the ‘play’?”

“That’s correct. You will need to apologize separately to the residents, but it was decided that the official expenses related will be handled by the Dome, specifically us, the [Executive Department].”

Just as a questioning expression formed on Gyosu’s face, Jack leaned in a little and whispered quietly to him.

“There’s no big meaning behind it. We merely heard that you have acquaintances with the [Inspection Bureau]… so we wanted to show that the [Executive Department] is also highly regarding the HIV group. We’d greatly appreciate it if you visited the Executive Department if you ever came to the Dome. Our Department Manager has been wanting to treat you.”

“……It feels a little, y’know… Hearing our name that we haven’t revealed, but I’ll take that as a sign of friendliness.”

“Hahahah, I apologize. It’s just that the Executive Department has many connections, so we often gain information even if we don’t want to. Pardon me if that discomforted you.”

Gyosu internally spat at Jack’s smooth attitude.

‘He’s from the Dome, recruited me, and has political connections. It’s almost as if they sent him knowing my past. I hope the ‘play’ goes wrong and he dies.’

But because they were currently gathered here because of Gyosu and his group, he couldn’t openly express these emotions.

Jack must have also been conscious of their surroundings as he returned to the original topic.

“Then the main actors will be mister ‘professor’, and…”

“Call me Metal Jaw.”

“….Vex.”

“Mister Metal Jaw and Vex. I see you’ve already prepared the outfits. Is there any scenario you’ve thought of in particular?”

“Mmm… I did think of having the three of us act as college students….”

“That isn’t bad at all, but unlike past ‘plays’, we are planning to cause a bit more commotion, so I think it will be better if you prepare in more detail. We’ve prepared the outfits and props, so I recommend you change into those. I believe this conversation would be better held on stage while confirming the situation. Follow me.”

And with that, Jack slipped into the alleyway between the collapsed buildings.

Following behind Jack, Gyosu asked with a confused expression.

“More commotion? Wasn’t the ‘play’ just to cause a distraction while they repaired the damages? I thought a rowdy group of college students would be enough to attract its attention while keeping it in its delusions….”

“That has been the case until now, but you know that this has happened multiple times each year. Either someone from another Area accidentally triggered the monster, or a new Psycho Gang mindlessly wandered into its territory… So the Executive Department created a plan to decrease those happenings using this opportunity.”

Thunk!

Once they entered the inner side of the collapsed building, they were met with the scene of dozens of people moving hastily about.

“What is—”

“Because of the theme of this play, there’s a need for quite a few actors.”

Taking out a large box from between the busily moving people, Jack put down the box in front of Gyosu and started talking while showing the contents.

“It’s a living organism, able to comprehend its surroundings, and is somewhat controllable… Doesn’t that mean it’s possible to train it as well?”

After looking at the contents of the box, Gyosu, Ian, and Vex all had their mouths open wide in shock.

What was inside the box was a very familiar outfit from the military uniforms during World War 3.