The wall surrounding the military city of Nuremberg looked several times sturdier than those of other cities.
The size of the city was smaller compared to other fortress cities. It was even smaller than Prague, not to mention Berlin or Paris.
Perhaps because the original city itself was small, even the old city center was not very large.
However, the sturdiness and height of the walls, and the Vulcan cannons installed atop them, were incomparable to those of other cities.
“It certainly feels like a military city.”
Eunseo said as she looked at the fortress city.
Yonghoon and the two women had arrived at the outskirts of Nuremberg’s old city center via spatial movement. They were scheduled to meet an organization member who would help them enter the city.
Quite a bit of time had passed. The dim sun was now casting afternoon sunlight.
The surroundings were peaceful. Rows of broken and worn-out three- and four-story buildings lined the area, and there were no signs of monsters or Deathmen.
Perhaps because it was a military city, it seemed they had cleared out all the Deathmen from the old city center.
“You must really like it here.”
At Sunhee’s words, Eunseo smiled.
“Yes, I really do.”
Eunseo, who had been wearing casual clothes, now had a different outfit. She had received armor from the Rebels. In her hand, she held a shield.
The shield, softly gleaming under the sunlight, looked like the shield of a Greek goddess in her hand.
Before their departure, seeing that Eunseo lacked equipment, a female Linker had lent her the shield.
Given that she had told Eunseo to return it if she remembered, it was practically a gift.
Eunseo seemed very fond of the shield she had received, as she kept stroking its surface with one hand.
As Yonghoon watched Eunseo, he heard the sound of a car approaching from a distance. The group turned their gaze toward the outskirts of the city.
“They’re coming.”
Three trucks were approaching through the gaps between the old buildings. They were hunter trucks carrying cages of beasts in their cargo beds.
The trucks drove straight toward the group, and soon the lead vehicle stopped in front of Yonghoon and the women.
The passenger window rolled down, and a blonde woman in her thirties with short hair looked down at them.
“Where are you coming from?”
“Paris.”
In this world, no one referred to New Paris simply as Paris. It was a code they had agreed upon. After confirming their identities with this simple code, the woman got out of the truck.
“This mission was way too sudden. What if the timing hadn’t matched?”
She grumbled and then shouted toward the trucks behind her.
“Just like I said earlier, three of you get out of the trucks!”
“Yes!”
With responses, two people got out from the truck behind, and one person from the last truck.
“Two of you ride in the back truck, and one in the last truck. Hide that fancy shield by flipping it over.”
She relayed the instructions to the group and immediately climbed back into the truck.
The group shrugged at each other and walked toward the rear trucks. Sunhee and Eunseo boarded the middle truck, while Yonghoon boarded the last truck.
“Move out!”
The leader’s voice came from the front truck, and the trucks started moving again.
The inspection at the fortress city was meticulous.
The security guards thoroughly checked under the trucks and in the cargo beds. Fortunately, they only verified the leader of the transport team and just counted the number of people, allowing the trucks to pass safely inside.
Yonghoon couldn’t help but be a little surprised at the sight of the city unfolding before his eyes once they entered the fortress city.
The city was centered around a massive dimensional Warp Zone. Armored vehicles, soldiers, and artillery units were stationed everywhere.
“Wow, the security is intense. Is it because of the large-scale movement mentioned in the broadcasts? It looks like there are twice as many soldiers.”
The young hunter driving next to Yonghoon said in a surprised voice as he looked around.
It seemed the current state of alert was not the usual. It was probably in preparation for Yonghoon and his group’s potential attack.
Even though Yonghoon couldn’t be hurt by conventional weapons, the sheer impact of Vulcan cannons and large artillery was unavoidable. If such attacks were concentrated, it would definitely hinder his movements.
The trucks headed toward the center of the city where the dimensional Warp Zone was located. The massive circular building housing the Warp Zone overwhelmed all the surrounding structures. It looked even larger than the Warp Zone destroyed in New Berlin.
“That building over there is the soldiers’ living quarters. The one on the opposite side is the armory. And the one you see in the distance is the vehicle repair shop.”
When Yonghoon asked for an explanation of the city’s interior, the hunter driving excitedly shared what he knew.
As Yonghoon listened, his nerves were on edge, reacting to the dimensional power stimulating him.
It seemed the dimensional movement blocking devices and surveillance devices were all operational, and high-level Awakened were freely releasing their dimensional power everywhere.
The truck carrying them arrived at the entrance of the building housing the dimensional Warp Zone, where a large shutter was raised. Other trucks were lined up ahead, waiting.
The trucks ahead were all carrying various monsters.
“They’re all E-Rank or lower monsters.”
Yonghoon commented as he looked at the monsters loaded in the trucks.
“High-ranked monsters are all sent through the Warp. The Warp machines are too expensive and require too much dimensional power for us to even dream of using them.”
The hunter driving answered with a sigh in his voice.
After a while, the truck entered the building. But even after entering, the truck kept descending. It seemed they were heading underground.
Following the lead trucks downward, they arrived at a massive space. It looked like a kind of cargo terminal.
Huge conveyor belts were transporting monsters into the inner walls, and the trucks were unloading monsters directly onto the belts.
Yonghoon and the others parked their trucks in empty spots and, working together with the hunters, lifted the monsters onto the belts.
Thanks to Yonghoon and his group, the work finished quickly, and the organization members took a short break at the spot.
During that time, Yonghoon discussed reconnaissance methods with the women.
This was a military base, and since they weren’t spies, sneaking in for reconnaissance would not be easy.
As Yonghoon pondered, Sunhee spoke.
“I’ll infiltrate the inside. I’m an Assassin-type Awakened. Since your spatial movement is restricted now, I think it’s best if I move.”
She was right. Among them, only Sunhee had abilities specialized for infiltration.
‘But it’s too dangerous. Sending her into danger……’
Yonghoon was about to object but flinched and stopped. Danger was a given. In fact, refusing because it was dangerous would be strange.
‘Why am I opposing this?’
Looking at Sunhee’s face, Yonghoon shook his head.
“Let’s do that.”
Yonghoon permitted Sunhee to infiltrate the dimensional Warp Zone building. He and Eunseo decided to exit the building.
Yonghoon would scout the military facilities in the city, while Eunseo would gather rumors around the living quarters.
After a short break, the leader approached Yonghoon.
“What’s the plan now? Since the job’s done, we’re planning to head to the inn and rest.”
Yonghoon conveyed the plan they had just decided on.
“This lady will stay here, and the other lady and I will leave together. Please drop us off midway.”
The leader nodded at Yonghoon’s words.
“We’re heading to the Rosemary Inn on the outskirts of the city. Come there once you’re done. We’re leaving tomorrow morning. You have to come before then.”
“Understood.”
The organization members climbed back into the trucks. Eunseo waved to Sunhee and boarded her truck, while Yonghoon looked at Sunhee one last time.
“Be careful.”
A smile bloomed on Sunhee’s face at Yonghoon’s words.
“Okay.”
Yonghoon gazed at Sunhee’s face for a moment before climbing into the truck.
As the truck started moving, Yonghoon looked back.
Sunhee’s figure had already disappeared.
After parting ways with the group, Sunhee quickly left the parking facility and entered the building.
As a B-Rank Assassin-type Awakened, Sunhee wasn’t as good as those who used invisibility, but she had powerful dimensional power that blurred people’s perception.
She drew out her dimensional power, and her presence gradually faded.
Sunhee moved swiftly, avoiding the gazes around her.
She checked several places. Soon, she concluded that this floor was where low-level monsters were sent through the dimensional Warp.
A large hall in the center was filled with numerous low-level monsters waiting to be warped.
Some of the monsters had no wounds, but somehow, all of them had their eyes closed, as if sleeping.
In the end, she couldn’t find anything special on this floor. To conduct proper reconnaissance, she would have to go upstairs.
However, to go upstairs, she would have to pass through the emergency stairs guarded by soldiers.
Standing at the corner of the hallway leading to the emergency stairs, Sunhee observed the soldiers guarding the entrance.
‘Two of them.’
Both of them, seemingly tired, were leaning against the wall, glancing around warily.
There were few in number. However, a long hallway stretched from Sunhee’s location to the entrance. If she rushed recklessly, the emergency alarm would surely go off.
However, she was an Assassin-type Awakened. Sunhee extended her hand toward the soldiers from behind the corner and then clenched her fist.
The soldiers who had been standing guard leaned against the wall and closed their eyes. Their minds blanked out for a moment.
Sunhee ran silently down the hallway. She slipped between the two soldiers leaning against the wall and entered the emergency stairs.
After she passed, the soldiers regained their senses and looked around with puzzled expressions.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Shrugging their shoulders, the soldiers resumed their watch.
Using the same method, Sunhee made her way upstairs and began her actual reconnaissance.
Although there were a few dangerous moments afterward, thanks to her wit and abilities, she managed to get through safely and finally entered the large hall where the Dimensional Beasts were.
She hid in the second-floor machine room, where machines were piled up, and counted the beasts through the window.
“One, two, three, four.”
Sunhee’s face darkened. There were four Dimensional Beasts lined up in the hall.
It wasn’t a lie. They were definitely preparing for a large-scale invasion.
After confirming the Dimensional Beasts, Sunhee meticulously searched the inside of the hall. She was looking for the device Yonghoon had mentioned that stabilized the monsters.
After a moment, Sunhee’s eyes lit up. There it was. In the center of the hall, a small tower was rising. It seemed to be the device Yonghoon had talked about.
Around the tower, many Awakened could be seen. Feeling the Dimensional Power radiating from them, Sunhee’s face turned slightly grim.
And at the center of them stood a woman.
It was Eunseo.
Sunhee was extremely surprised to see a face identical to Eunseo’s. She had heard about it, but seeing it in person was shocking. After staring at her for a moment, Sunhee grabbed the doorknob.
‘Let’s go back.’
Having confirmed the Dimensional Beasts and the Awakened, Sunhee decided to return. This was enough reconnaissance.
Sunhee carefully began to open the door of the machine room.
It was then.
Uuuuuuuung~
Sirens began to blare throughout the entire hall.
Startled, Sunhee ducked her head away from the window.
The machines behind Sunhee began to move.
Clank, clank, vrrr–
Machines made of thick wires, vacuum tubes, and hydraulic pumps started operating, and Sunhee could feel Dimensional Power flowing from them.
The Dimensional Power emanating from the machines soon spread throughout the hall.
Sunhee cautiously peeked through the window.
A searchlight was shining on the Dimensional Beast at the very end.
The noise of the machines grew louder. As the sound intensified, the Dimensional Power suddenly surged explosively.
Then, a gigantic dimensional tunnel opened beneath the Dimensional Beast illuminated by the searchlight.
The Dimensional Beast disappeared on the spot.
“Weren’t they supposed to dig traps and wait?”
Sunhee was extremely shocked. She hurriedly checked on the Awakened she had seen earlier. They were still in place.
Judging from the Awakened’s behavior, it was indeed a trap.
However, they weren’t just lying in wait after setting the trap.
Sunhee checked the empty spot.
‘At least two.’
Judging from the remaining traces, including the Dimensional Beast that had just vanished, two beasts had used Dimensional Movement.
They had set traps and were preemptively moving the Dimensional Beasts through dimensional travel.
There was no more time to waste.
With a hardened expression, Sunhee quietly slipped out of the building.