Arknights: The Prophet of Penguin Logistics — Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Warning SignsYou're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

A single month of surviving in the unforgiving wastelands outside Lungmen had thoroughly shattered whatever naive fantasies Lynn once harbored about Terra.

This world was fundamentally savage. Beneath the looming shadow of Catastrophes, a ceaseless tide of disease, war, systemic discrimination, and famine ravaged the land. It mirrored the apocalyptic end times, steeped in the suffocating dread that always preceded total ruin.

Lynn only wanted a stable life. His desire to make a living solely through writing novels stemmed entirely from that quiet ambition. By using the written word as a shield, he hoped to maintain a safe distance from the world, insulating himself from the cold, cruel reality bleeding into the soil every day.

But reality had a habit of forcing its way in. When Terra casually thrust a fractured, bleeding corner of itself right in front of his eyes, Lynn realized his cultivated indifference was far more fragile than he had imagined.

He had witnessed battles and killings through his precognitive visions, drafting them into his manuscripts. Yet, standing here in the flesh, breathing the dust of the wasteland, he found it impossible to look upon the macabre scene with a steady heart.

“A modified terrorist tactic.”

Having driven their transport a safe distance away and established a perimeter of warning flares, Texas leaned against the edge of the open door. Her amber eyes remained fixed on the frozen girl in the distance, her voice flat against the howling wind.

“They calculate the critical point of mutation while the Infected is still alive, then freeze them solid inside a block of ice. After that, they just dump the entire block in the middle of a supply route. Heavy transport trucks and RVs usually won’t notice an ice sculpture until they hit it. By the time the onboard Originium detectors finally scream a warning, it’s already too late.”

“…Why would anyone do this?” Lynn asked, his voice tight.

“Plenty of reasons,” Texas replied, her tone entirely devoid of surprise. “To set up a robbery. When the Originium alarms trigger, convoys slam on the brakes for an emergency inspection—giving the ambushers the perfect window to strike. Or maybe they just want to create more Infected. Could be some deranged cult, or radical activists trying to violently announce their existence. And then there’s the worst kind.”

She paused, her gaze darkening slightly. “The ones who simply want to watch the world fall into ruin.”

“What meaning does that hold for them? They’ll die in the crossfire too.”

“When life becomes entirely hopeless, people try to paint the rest of the world the same color as their own despair.” Texas glanced sideways at him. “You’ve written about this before, haven’t you? The living hells you’ve witnessed in your head. You’ve seen industrialized, assembly-line murder in your drafts. Why let this shock you now?”

“Because those were just documents,” Lynn said softly. “This is reality.”

He stared at the jagged ice crystal resting on the asphalt. Even under the glaring wasteland sun, it showed no signs of melting.

The architects of this trap were not just ruthless; they were terrifyingly methodical. To prevent the sun from thawing the ice—which would cause premature Originium leakage and a failed detonation—they had deliberately sealed a localized Originium Arts matrix within the center of the block. It maintained the structural integrity of the frozen corpse, ensuring the bomb remained perfectly primed.

It was a biological landmine. Simple exposure to the elements wouldn’t trigger it, but the moment a vehicle shattered that ice, the resulting impact would unleash a massive Originium explosion from the Infected corpse. That initial blast would immediately be followed by a lethal wave of secondary radiation, scattering pulverized, highly infectious flesh and tissue across the highway.

Even if the driver somehow avoided contracting Oripathy, the vehicle and its cargo would be a total loss. Trading one dying Infected for a massive supply transport. In the cold calculus of the wasteland, the attackers considered it a highly profitable exchange.

In times of conflict, human life was always the cheapest commodity on the market.

Lynn and Texas stood by the transport, watching the grim scene in heavy silence.

A short while later, the wail of sirens cut through the desolate air. Exusiai and Croissant, who had scouted ahead to divert oncoming traffic, returned in the wake of a massive convoy. Flashing red and blue lights painted the dusty highway as heavily armored road police from both Lungmen and Chernobog arrived on the scene.

As a massive commercial hub, Lungmen fiercely protected its trade routes. Chernobog, an industrial powerhouse heavily reliant on material exports, shared that exact priority. Several heavy-duty tactical vehicles from both jurisdictions locked down the perimeter. The quiet stretch of highway instantly transformed into a chaotic yet highly organized staging ground.and support the real translator.Read at elysianreads.com This is a stolen translation. You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

Teams of hazmat specialists clad in thick, lead-lined protective suits swarmed the area. Investigating officers began photographing the blast radius and scanning the tire tracks, desperate to scrape together any evidence of the perpetrators. They all knew it was likely a futile effort, but no one wanted to surrender to the reality of daily terrorist attacks. The officers moved with grim, mechanical efficiency, their faces tight with suppressed anger.

“Damn Oripathy. Damn the Infected. Damn these terrorists…” a worker muttered through his respirator, his voice crackling over the local comms. “When the hell is this going to end?”

“Why can’t those freaks just stay in the quarantine zones? What goes through their heads?”

“Always some bastard trying to ruin things out here…”

The hazmat crew approached the frozen fragments with agonizing caution. Operating a hydraulic lift, they carefully hoisted the massive, lethal ice block and lowered it into a reinforced, lead-shielded containment unit. When a deceased Infected was weaponized like this, even a slight shift in temperature or pressure could trigger a catastrophic eruption.

Only when the heavy blast-proof lid clamped shut, followed by the rapid application of several layers of Originium Arts sealing tape, did the crew finally exhale. A few workers let out ragged cheers of relief.

But the cleanup was far from over. A secondary team of combat engineers moved in with heavy machinery, violently prying up the contaminated asphalt where the ice sculpture had rested. They deployed specialized Arts to scorch the earth beneath it, purging the lingering toxic gases and crystalline debris.

That specific section of the highway was now compromised and had to be entirely abandoned. A perimeter spanning several hundred meters was cordoned off for long-term radiation observation.

It was a logistical nightmare, and the sheer cost of the delay was written plainly on the furious faces of the Chernobog crew.

“Chernobog Road Security Department. You can call me Pamir.”

A towering male Forte stepped down from the lead armored vehicle. His massive horns scraped the top of the doorframe as he approached the Penguin Logistics crew. After quickly assessing the group, his eyes landed on Lynn, and he extended a heavy, calloused hand toward the only male present.

“Thank you for reporting this trap,” Pamir said, his voice a deep, gravelly rumble. “A heavy supply convoy is scheduled to pass through this exact sector this afternoon. They’re hauling replacement materials for the infrastructure destroyed in our last riot. If they had hit this…”

The Forte shook his head, his expression grim. “It would have been a massacre. The Originium radiation cleanup equipment would have been completely compromised. Our factories and mines have already been paralyzed for two months because of the unrest. Losing this shipment would have forced the miners to work without any protective gear. You saved a lot of lives in Chernobog today. We’ll need you to stop by the checkpoint shortly to file an official statement. I apologize for the delay.”

“It’s nothing,” Lynn replied, shaking the man’s massive hand. “Just doing what anyone would. We spotted it while out on a delivery run.”

“Chernobog doesn’t let heroes go unrewarded,” Pamir insisted. “There’s a standing bounty for reporting terrorist sabotage. Converted to LMD, you’re looking at about fifty thousand per person. We just need to run a quick media verification. Don’t worry, your faces and voices will be strictly censored, and the broadcast will be delayed for your safety.”

Pamir paused. He glanced past Lynn, his eyes lingering on Texas, Exusiai, and Croissant, who were watching the exchange with mild curiosity. The massive Forte leaned in, his imposing frame casting a long shadow over Lynn, and dropped his voice to a low, rough whisper.

“Take the money, but I strongly advise you to decline the news broadcast. Finish your delivery and get back behind Lungmen’s walls as fast as you can.”

Lynn frowned, catching the sudden tension in the officer’s posture. “Why?”

“Chernobog…” Pamir exhaled a slow, heavy breath, his eyes scanning the bleak horizon. “Chernobog hasn’t been stable these past few years.”

The Forte chief shook his head, leaving the rest of the dark truth unspoken, though the lingering danger in his tone was impossible to ignore.You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.