Ch.172[Chapter 172] The Wasteland and Gacha World

The airship floated in the pitch-black night sky without a single light.

The lights of Gacha World and the three-beat music.

The spider tank, heavily damaged, spewing steam through its cracks to block the gap.

And the endless waves of zombies and attackers still pouring in.

A scene both jarring and strangely harmonious.

The searchlights mounted beneath the airship all turned on at once.

Sir Dominic looked down from the airship.

“It seems… we’ve arrived just in time.”

“How long will they keep doing this…”

Sir Dominic spoke while watching the Governor, who was admiring the interior of the airship.

The entrance blocked by the wrecked spider tank.

Knowing the power of the spider tank well, Sir Dominic realized just how urgent the situation was.

“Governor?”

“Huh? Oh. That’s right. I was momentarily distracted.”

The Governor scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Currently, the Governor had returned to his normal appearance rather than his muscular macho form.

The seats inside the airship were too small to properly accommodate his macho form.

“Anyway…”

The Governor looked outside the airship to change the subject.

Zombies swarming around the entrance and attackers firing guns and cannons toward the sky.

Fortunately, the airship was floating high enough that bullets and shells could barely reach it, so it had sustained almost no damage.

“Looking at this, there are disgustingly many of them.”

“You handled that many at once, didn’t you?”

That’s right. The Governor cleared his throat awkwardly.

The battlefield was teeming with pale zombies.

There were so many zombies that the ground beneath was no longer visible.

“You haven’t forgotten our deal, have you?”

The Governor asked Sir Dominic.

They had made a deal while riding the airship.

“Of course not.”

Sir Dominic replied as if it were obvious.

“I trust you.”

The Governor nodded at Sir Dominic’s words and pulled down his ornate officer’s hat.

It was time to fulfill their agreement.

…

Sir Dominica looked up at the sky.

The airship floating in the sky gradually lowered its altitude.

Beams of light from the searchlights mounted beneath the airship.

Those hazy yet distinct beams of light connected with Gacha World.

No, it wasn’t just beams of light.

Dozens of ropes actually descended from the airship and touched the ground.

And… hundreds of androids descended to the ground along those ropes.

The androids, having quickly reached the ground, immediately established defensive positions and approached Sir Dominica.

“Pleased to meet you, Sir Dominica!”

An android with a blank expression, pink hair, and wearing a black officer’s uniform with a double-barrel shotgun slung over its shoulder saluted.

“From now on, our Wasteland Governor’s Guard will support Sir Dominica.”

After saying this, the android gave hand signals to the androids behind it.

Instantly, androids leaned against the trench fortifications and aimed their gun barrels toward the entrance.

“Please come with me to the rear for a moment. The Governor and Sir Dominic will arrive soon.”

Sir Dominica nodded with a bewildered expression.

The fact that they had arrived on Sir Dominic’s airship was enough to recognize them as allies.

Surprisingly, as soon as Sir Dominica moved away, explosives fired by the opposing side blew up the spider tank.

The repair costs would be substantial, but it was fortunate for Sir Dominica.

“The entrance is open! Everyone to positions!”

An android wearing thick protective gear and setting up a medium machine gun announced to everyone that the entrance had been breached.

The message spread instantly to all androids, and all gun barrels were aimed at the entrance.

And…

The moment the first zombie set foot inside Gacha World, it was greeted with a baptism of bullets.

“Take this!”

“Reloading! Cover me!”

Sir Dominica stared blankly at the scene.

“It seems we arrived just in time.”

Sir Dominica turned toward the voice.

It was Sir Dominic.

Beside Sir Dominic stood a tall man in an officer’s uniform with a coat draped over his shoulders. Sir Dominica immediately recognized him as the leader of this android army.

In fact, this was obvious even without insight or keen observation.

The Governor’s attire was extravagantly ornate.

Sir Dominica was curious about why such a person was with Sir Dominic but thought introductions should come first.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Sir Dominica.”

Sir Dominica greeted with more formality than usual.

“I’m the Governor. My name… well, just call me Governor. I’m the only one who uses that title around here.”

“Alright, Governor.”

Sir Dominica tilted her head at the Governor’s words but soon nodded.

She thought it made sense that someone might want to hide their name in Gacha Land, where anything could happen.

“By the way…”

Sir Dominica glanced at the entrance.

Hundreds of androids were already engaging thousands of zombies.

In the time they had been talking, the androids had probably killed at least 35 more.

“How did you get someone like him to cooperate?”

Sir Dominica asked Sir Dominic.

Sir Dominic replied as if it were nothing.

“I agreed to sign some cards.”

“…Just that?”

“Yours too, of course.”

Sir Dominica looked at Sir Dominic with an expression of disbelief.

She felt it was beyond generous—almost unconscionable—that such tremendous help would be exchanged for just a few signatures.

However, Sir Dominic met Sir Dominica’s gaze with a confident expression.

While he had been the one to ask for help, it was the Governor who had requested this compensation.

If Sir Dominic had proposed it himself, he would have felt guilty, but since the Governor had suggested the reward, Sir Dominic simply thought of the Governor as a good person and accepted it.

“Everyone watch out for snipers!”

“The enemy is firing explosives! Use the portable barrier fields!”

Whether Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica were looking at each other or not, the Governor began issuing commands to the androids and taking control of the battlefield.

In an instant, the flow of battle began to shift in favor of Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica.

…

BANG! A desk shattered with a loud noise.

The sound was so loud that Don Castello, who was right next to it, flinched and hunched his body.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

In the command tent where the Boss, Z, and Don Castello were gathered.

Beyond the shattered desk, the one called Boss breathed heavily, unable to contain his anger.

The fist that had struck the desk was covered in blood, instantly revealing how hard he had hit it.

“Nothing is going right. I thought Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica were variables, but why the hell is the Wasteland Governor showing up there!”

“Well, can’t be helped. As things stand, zombies alone won’t be enough.”

Despite the Boss’s rage, Z spoke nonchalantly while sipping coffee from a mug.

Don Castello was still trembling, overwhelmed by the atmosphere.

“So. Do you have a plan?”

The Boss asked Z.

“With the cards I have, it’s impossible. The Wasteland Governor is that much of a veteran in Gacha Land.”

Z shook his head.

But his eyes and mouth were still smiling.

Noticing this, the Boss asked Z.

“If not something you have? It sounds like you have a plan through someone else.”

“You’re quick. That’s right.”

“Speak.”

“Promise you won’t get angry.”

“…I won’t get angry, so speak.”

Only after receiving confirmation did Z properly speak.

“Let’s bring in Mountain Bridge Marsh in exchange for giving up some of our share.”

“…What?”

The Boss was immediately outraged at Z’s words.

But Z began to persuade the Boss with a serious expression.

“Of course, we could win with our power alone. But who would benefit from that? Wouldn’t it be Mountain Bridge Marsh?”

“Mountain Bridge Marsh set a trap to absorb us…?”

“That’s right. We initially thought this deal was nothing special and made our plans. But what about now? Not only Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica, but even the Wasteland Governor has gathered. It’s beyond what we can handle now. If we continue like this, we’ll be ruined whether we win or lose.”

“…”

The Boss fell silent for a moment, seemingly finding Z’s words reasonable.

Z, thinking it was time to drive the point home, began to explain the benefits of this plan.

“If Mountain Bridge Marsh rejects our proposal, it means they have ulterior motives, and we should withdraw. And even if they help, all we lose is a small compensation. Either way, an opportunity comes back to us.”

The Boss unconsciously nodded at Z’s words.

“…Fine. Contact Mountain Bridge Marsh again. But continue the offensive. Make sure they don’t know about our plan.”

“Of course.”

The Boss and Z were beginning to like this plan quite a bit.

They liked it so much that they couldn’t hold back their laughter that suddenly erupted.

“…”

Did I choose the wrong side? Don Castello thought.

Don Castello turned his head to look at Gacha World.

Looking at Gacha World, which had just barely recovered halfway, what might Don Castello be thinking?

Well, judging by his expression, it seemed quite complicated.