The Military Chef of a Ruined World - Chapter 78.2

The outposts were meticulously constructed.

Some were even hidden to the extent that they would be difficult to find even from the sky.

But the incoming artillery fire was accurately targeting all of their outpost bases.

It would be impossible unless they had precise knowledge of all the locations.

“Who leaked the information…?”

“That’s nonsense.”

“All our brothers are absolutely loyal to the Queen. Unlike those humans, we have no traitors.”

“But that’s not the case, otherwise how could they know the locations of our bases so precisely?”

The brothers who are absolutely loyal to their master.

From their perspective, they couldn’t even imagine how the humans could have such detailed knowledge of their information.

Maybe one of those brothers had become overly honest after a delicious meal.

But that was simply unimaginable.

“Damn it…!”

“If it were night, that puny tank wouldn’t be a problem.”

Vampires were more powerful than ordinary awakened individuals of the same level.

If they could get close, they were confident they could destroy even the most heavily armored tank.

The bunker was even equipped with some anti-tank weapons, so they could have inflicted damage if they could approach.

“This Cursed sun!”

But it was just dawn.

They couldn’t approach the tank firing from kilometers away.

While all the vampires were in chaos,

A woman’s voice echoed in their minds.

[All of you, return to the cave]

“It’s the Queen’s order.”

“Is she telling us to retreat?”

“But we can’t just lose the bases like this…”

[The destruction of the fortresses is inevitable now. That human weapon is quite formidable… but the cursed sun is hindering us even here]

The Queen’s voice carried a sense of regret.

Hearing that, her family member, the vassals fell into despair.

But the Queen’s words did not end there.

[So, why don’t we fight where there is no sun?]

Only then did the vampires understand the Queen’s command.

“Does she mean to hunker down in the bunkers and hold out?”

“The bunkers were built to withstand even nuclear attacks. No matter how many tanks they’ve brought, they won’t be able to destroy them.”

“In addition, I don’t think there would be something like a bunker buster that would need them to mobilize an aircraft.”

They were planning on staging a sit-in in the bunker.

As they continue the sit-in, time will pass.

And as time passes.

The sun will set, and night will come.

[If the area under the sun is the domain of humans, then the darkness will be ours…]

The vampires, overcoming their shame, chose to retreat.

For now, they have no choice but to withdraw.

But the moment night arrives.

Their hunting will begin.

“It’s just as you predicted, sir.”

Jeong Soo-ah, who was observing the movements of the vampires, said.

“They all started fleeing to the places where the bunker entrances are.”

“Well, I figured as much.”

While they boasted about the impressive defensive capabilities of the fortified positions they had occupied.

But realistically speaking.

They actually had enough power that they didn’t necessarily need to put up a serious defense.

‘If it came down to a pure power versus power fight, with their numbers being more than double, it would have been difficult for them to win.’

But I don’t know why they focused on defending the bunker.

Maybe there was a reason they absolutely had to protect that place.

In any case.

If they are stronger in a straight-up power clash.

There’s no need to waste precious troops on a pointless fortress defense.

Somehow hide and stall for time and attack us when night falls. That would be enough.

But because of that.

“It’s too obvious.”

Who wouldn’t know they would come out like that?

I was starting to feel a little restless just quietly watching the noisy bombardment scene.

Suddenly, I got up and commanded.

“Let’s move on to the next stage.”

“Yes, sir.”

I led the soldiers and began the movement.

The target was the very bunker where they had taken refuge.

The distance was quite far, but it wasn’t a problem.

Since all the defending forces had retreated to the bunker.

We started climbing the mountain without any interference.

“You said the path would come out if we go up from this rock, right?”

“They really hid it well.”

We moved according to the information we got from the prisoner.

From the middle part, it was already enough to just follow the footprints of the many vampires who had fled into the bunker.

In a place deep in the mountains, where I would normally never have come.

There was a huge cave.

As we advanced deep into it.

“There it is.”

A massive iron door came into view.

One of the engineers who found the door approached it and gently tapped on it with his finger.

Thunk, thunk.

“Do you think they’ll open it if we knock?”

“No, I’m just checking the thickness.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Hmm, it seems incredibly thick.”

The engineers gathered around the door, observing it closely.

“It seems to be a bunker built to withstand a nuclear explosion.”

“With this kind of thickness, even a tank gun would have a hard time breaking through.”

Hearing that, Sergeant Lee Min-jae also asked me.

“We could bring a tank and even mobilize mages, and eventually be able to break through. But…”

“It would take a very long time, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes. By then, night will have fallen, and those guys will come rushing out.”

We already knew they would stage a sit-in in the bunker.

But knowing and being able to handle it are different.

How to penetrate that sturdy bunker was a point of contention in the strategy meeting.

The solution that came up then was.

“I told you to trust me. Alright, we’ve come this far. So, what are we going to do now?”

“Trust me.”

It might sound like a rather desperate statement.

But it’s not that there’s no plan at all.

“I’ve prepared something quite carefully.”

I discreetly moved back and took an object out of the cargo of the combat vehicle.

When I brought that object, everyone reacted with puzzlement.

“That’s…”

“Isn’t that a cage?”

“That’s right.”

A plastic cage used to transport pets.

I placed it in front of the bunker’s steel door and opened the cage door.

I spoke to the being inside the cage.

“Come out. Don’t be afraid.”

“Come out? To whom are you talking…”

“Hiss. The sergeant must have something prepared.”

Leaving behind the soldiers who still didn’t know what was going on.

I continued to speak to the creature.

“Do you see that steel door over there? Can you eat that for me?”

“Squeak…”

“It doesn’t look tasty, huh? Compared to the dishes I’ve made, it probably isn’t. But can you please do me a favor? I’ve made you lots of delicious things, haven’t I?”

“Squeak… Grrr.”

“When we get home, I’ll cook for you again, okay?”

As I kept pleading, with an air of inevitability,

“Grrr.”

A creature emerged from the cage with a short sigh.

It was a living being that resembled a black cotton ball.

At a glance, it could be mistaken for a kitten, but.

“That’s… !”

“Sergeant Shin, have you gone mad!?”

“Young-joon, are you alright?”

Several soldiers exclaimed in shock at the sight.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

I brushed off their expected reaction and observed the creature that had emerged from the cage.

It approached the bunker as I had requested.

Its mouth area opened wide and faced the steel door.

Then.

Crunch, crunch.

The entrance of the bunker, designed to withstand a nuclear explosion, unreasonably thick and sturdy.

It crumbled like a cracker.

Just as I had intended.

[Ingredient Identification (Enhancement)]

[Mutant – ‘Mac’, the Metal Eater]

[Freshness – Optimal]

[Affinity – High]

Crunch, crunch.

The louder the sound of the crumbling steel door, the larger the size of the black furry mass grew.

Holes were being bored through the thick iron door.