How to Live as a Knight After the Ending
Chapter 294: Graveyard of Scrap Metal (1)

Mining Heavy Industries are one of the major gangs controlling District 49.

As their name suggests, they originated from workers who used to mine iron ore in the mines.

District 49 had vast lands and was rich in iron ore. Occasionally, gold mines were discovered, attracting many people to the area.

After the Second Coming of Fire, they degenerated into a gang.

The heavy equipment used to drill through solid rock to create mine shafts was modified to become their weapons.

If they had a distinguishing characteristic, it was their way of pushing through with the overwhelming power of heavy machinery.

'Plus, since they can self-supply quality iron ore from the veins, they say their vehicles are larger in scale and higher in quality than other organizations.'

But above all, what made them famous was their madness and cruelty that made people's tongues wag.

"Yeeha!"

"Hahaha! Catch all those who try to run!"

You could tell just by looking at the gang members chasing the fleeing residents.

They swung chains and threw lassos at residents trying to escape from the settlement in a hurry.

The residents ran hard on their two legs, but it was impossible to outrun the Mining Heavy Industries gang with their roaring engines.

"Aaagh! Please spare me!"

"L-let go of this!"

Throwing nets or casting lassos.

They mercilessly used tools meant for capturing beasts on humans.

Some tried to resist desperately, but their end was incredibly cruel.

"You bastards! Attacking settlements is clearly against the rules... Kuhek!"

A rusty harpoon pierced the body of the man who tried to shout something.

And not just one. As if to make an example, several gang members kept throwing harpoons.

They didn't stop even as the man coughed blood and trembled. Finally, unable to endure, the man died miserably.

"What's this bastard saying? Death Race what? Rules?"

"Today is slave replenishment day! Take them all!"

Some grabbed women by their hair and dragged them away, while others beat men to make another example.

The violence didn't stop even as they bled and begged for their lives.

That merciless sight naturally made one's brow furrow.

The Mining Heavy Industries gang wasn't satisfied there.

They resumed their pursuit to catch even the residents who had fled early.

Naturally, Osian and David, standing in the middle of their path, became targets for capture.

"Who are these two bastards? Did they come from the settlement over there?"

"What idiots. Did they come without knowing what's happening here?"

"They're not even trying to run despite all this. Let's teach these clueless bastards some manners!"

They let out bizarre shrieks.

Their screams, which seemed to carry some ritualistic meaning, overlapped with the roaring engine sounds of cars to create a strange resonance.

-Vrrrooooom!

The deafening roar of engines, the sound of rolling wheels, swirling sand dust.

"First one to catch them gets to play with them!"

They, wearing punk-style clothes covered in sand and dust, planned to treat Osian and David like toys.

Of course, "playing" includes the process of discipline to make them voluntarily bow their heads as slaves.

A jeep approached quickly.

It had spikes protruding from it, and at the rear was a sharp spear with a human skull decorated on its tip.

The gang members in the passenger seat and rear fired their guns at Osian and David.

Sand sprayed up around the two. It was warning fire to prevent them from running away.

"David."

"Yes, Successor. Please speak."

"It's been quite peaceful until we got here."

"Yes, that's right. I was expecting it would turn out like this soon."

"I'll handle stirring up these guys. You take care of the small fry."

Osian turned to David and asked.

"Can you handle it?"

"Yes... I can."

David had worked hard and Osian trusted David because he knew this.

David adjusted his stance to live up to Osian's trust.

By now, the jeep had come within reach.

The gang member on the vehicle's roof swung a large lasso.

Osian caught with one hand the lasso that was accurately aiming for his neck and then strongly pulled it.

"Huh?"

The body of the gang member on the roof flew through the air following Osian's hand gesture.

The guy planted his face in the sandy ground right in front of Osian and David.

What greeted him as he tried to get up quickly was David's sword.

-Shuk!

The gang member whose heart was pierced died with his eyes wide open.

A gang member watching from the jeep became enraged at this sight.

"Morph is down!"

"Those sons of bitches!"

"Tear them to death!"

The driver increased the vehicle's speed.

They intended to ram straight into Osian and David.

Osian watched this quietly, then lifted his poncho, drew his sword and swung it vertically toward the approaching jeep.

-Slash.

The armored jeep split in half like soft firewood.

The vehicle, cleanly split left and right, collapsed and rolled on the ground.

The cut was so smooth that the vehicle didn't even explode.

The gang members who rolled on the ground several times with the vehicle couldn't understand what had happened.

They didn't need to. David's punishment soon fell upon them.

"Kuhek!"

"Aagh!"

Unlike the first guy, the gang members fell with screams.

They tried to resist by reaching for guns at their waists, but David didn't give them the chance.

David, who possessed a strong body from long periods of intense training, moved much more swiftly than before.

Although Osian had created a major disturbance first, it was an impressive achievement to take care of 5 gang members in less than 5 seconds.

"More coming."

The jeep they just dealt with was only the lead vehicle.

There were still many more of them left. The Mining Heavy Industries gang members rushed in all at once after confirming their comrades had fallen.

"We'll tear off your limbs while you're alive and throw them to the wild dogs!"

"No! We'll grind you piece by piece in industrial machinery while you're still alive!"

They shouted vicious words, and these weren't simply empty threats.

If caught, one would actually experience what they described.

The Mining Heavy Industries guys always kept their word.

Of course, that would only apply if this side lost.

Osian kicked off the ground and charged toward the gang.

It was an absurd action of a single individual charging against numerous vehicles.

When Osian swung his sword, one vehicle was horizontally sliced.

From hood to rear. The driver inside and other gang members were also cut in half at the waist.

Osian targeted his next prey through the sand dust raised by the falling vehicle.

"W-what the hell is this crazy bastard!"

What the other surprised driver saw was Osian jumping toward them.

-Crack!

The blade penetrated the vehicle's hood far too easily. And below it, even the overheated engine.

Osian pulled out his sword and kicked off the hood to jump up.

Right after, the vehicle exploded with a bang! creating red flames. The gang member who couldn't escape was consumed by the explosion.

Osian's form that had soared up fell diagonally like an eagle targeting its prey.

His body spun around with his poncho and red scarf fluttering.

-Swoosh!

Another vehicle that Osian passed by created another spectacular explosion.

Flames and fragments flew everywhere. The gunpowder stored in the car caught fire, making the explosion big and spectacular.

-Swoosh!

Landing and raising sand like a wave, Osian moved again.

"Aaaah! What the hell are these bastards!"

"Shoot! Shoot them!"

The gang members fired their guns mercilessly, but hitting Osian who was moving quickly from a moving vehicle wasn't an easy task.

Even if their aim had been accurate, the result would have been the same.

David was also showing his prowess as a modified motorcycle charged straight at him.

The gang member in the back seat shot at David. It was a bolt-action rifle meant for effectively killing enemies at long range.

David blocked the bullets by raising the shield he received from Osian.

Maintaining that state while watching for an opportunity, when the motorcycle came close, he strongly rammed the front of the motorcycle with his shield.

-Bang!

Considering the motorcycle's output and weight, a person should normally fly away like a puppet with cut strings but David is an apprentice knight who survived that hellish training.

His physical abilities, recognized as a knight by Osian, were incomparable to when he was a former fixer.

When David strongly applied force to his shield, the motorcycle bounced up instead.

The motorcycle that spun several times in the air crashed down, and the two gang members on it slammed into the ground.

David calmly swung his sword to finish them off.

Unlike Osian's flashy and dazzling movements, he was very neat.

There was absolutely no wasted movement as he blocked enemy attacks with his shield and delivered fatal strikes when opportunities arose.

The number of Mining Heavy Industries gang members rapidly decreased due to the two's impressive fight.

But normally they should have retreated by now, yet the Mining Heavy Industries gang didn't stop charging in as if they were getting more enraged instead.

"Kyaaaah!"

"Dieeee!"

Rather, they fired their guns while letting out beast-like screams with bloodshot eyes.

'They truly are madmen.'

Now he understood why Mining Heavy Industries was classified as a dangerous organization.

As could be seen from their behavior of not treating people as humans, they were literally filled with evil.

Even if they felt fear at their comrades' deaths, they used it as fuel to ignite their anger more strongly.

The structure of their brains was too different from normal people.

"Kyooot!"

A gang member who had used up all his bullets jumped at Osian.

He wasn't unarmed. The guy had dynamite strapped around his waist like a belt.

The fuse of the already lit dynamite was almost burned down.

'Reckless courage that doesn't spare even their own lives.'

Osian swung his sword horizontally.

The dynamite's fuse was cut before it could reach the explosives.

The gang member's waist beyond it was cut as well.

'Different from Dead Dagger who were controlled by drugs and brainwashing.'

Dead Dagger had no individual will. They were no different from machines that simply executed orders when given, only input and output existed.

But the Mining Heavy Industries gang was different. They spent their lives by their own will. There was no hesitation in their willingness to burn their own lives.

They were born in this land and lived their whole lives being taught that way.

If they were to die, instead of running away, they would take down at least one more enemy before dying.

That's what they had seen and learned, and the only thing they knew how to do.

"Kihihihik!"

The guy whose lower body was cut off grabbed Osian's ankle, apparently not dead yet.

A creepy smile filled his blood-spewing mouth.

Soon his head drooped and his life force disappeared, but that sight left quite an impression.

'I wondered why even large corporations failed their work here, but if it's full of guys like this, it makes sense.'

There were several more organizations in District 49 that were equal to Mining Heavy Industries.

If they all came out, even PMCs (Private Military Corps) hired by corporations or corporate soldiers would have no way to handle it.

-Shuk!

Having learned their characteristics, Osian cut off their heads instead of their bodies afterward.

He realized they needed to be killed cleanly like that to avoid trouble.

The fight ended with piercing the crown of the last remaining guy's head.

There were no survivors.

The Heavy Industries gang burned their lives to the last one without running away.

"They're the kind I really don't want to fight."

Although Osian wouldn't bat an eye even against considerable superhumans, these guys were a very tiring bunch.

Not particularly physically difficult, but mentally draining, you could say.

David, who was catching his breath, nodded in agreement.

"Yes, this is why they say these guys are truly horrible."

"You said you were involved here before escaping?"

Osian could know this because he heard it directly from David on the way here.

David nodded with a complicated expression.

"I didn't join voluntarily. As you can see, these guys capture people and use them as their slaves. The settlement where I lived at the time was the same."

David came from a small settlement.

The place where he lived disappeared due to an attack by the Mining Heavy Industries gang, and young David was captured by them and raised as a slave.

He was accepted as a member because he had outstanding skills, but David never truly considered them comrades from the beginning.

So he watched for an opportunity and chose to escape, together with others who shared his mindset.

Just then, the fleeing settlement residents approached the two.

They had watched everything as Osian and David swept away the Heavy Industries gang by themselves but their eyes were filled with fear rather than gratitude.

"Thank you for helping us."

One middle-aged person who seemed to be their representative came forward and expressed thanks out of courtesy.

"Are you people from the outside?"

"What if we are?"

Was he going to ask them to disappear?

As Osian's gaze sharpened, the representative who hesitated for a moment opened his mouth.

"You're also here to look for that, aren't you?"