Chapter 6: A Twelve-Thousand-Baht Budget, an End-of-the-World Fortress, and a Mechanic Who Refuses to Die for Free
[ Countdown: 143 hours 20 minutes before dimensional convergence is complete ]
6:50 a.m. Mae Wilit's Curry-and-Rice Shop, beside Bueng Kaen Nakhon
“If Heaven wants to bleed us dry, then I'll use this brain of mine... outsmart God and protect Mom's curry pot myself.”
Five minutes earlier, Bing had delivered that line with an icy expression, like the protagonist of some epic movie declaring war on the heavens.
Five minutes later—
“Pork belly's up another five baht a kilo?!”
Mae Wilit's voice boomed through the shop so loudly that the pigeons perched on the power lines across the street scattered into the sky.
“Keep it down, Mom.” Bing calmly lifted the tray of braised eggs out of the path of her spittle. “The monsters haven't invaded yet, but my eardrums are about to go extinct first.”
“Look!” Mae Wilit slammed her old phone down on the table. “The pork supplier says the shipment's late. Something happened at the slaughterhouse last night, apparently. Delivery trucks aren't willing to run certain routes either. How the hell am I supposed to sell curry and rice at the same price?”
Bing glanced at the message on the screen.
Pork belly 189 → 194 baht/kg.
If this had been yesterday, he would have cursed the government, cursed the middlemen, and finished by slicing the pork in the braised pork another 0.7 millimeters thinner to preserve the profit margin.
But today, his INT 13 brain saw something else.
Shipping routes.
Time.
Distribution.
Panic.
And red numbers no one but him could see.
[ Time remaining: 143 hours 19 minutes 42 seconds ]
Not quite six days.
Bing fell silent.
“Mom.”
“What?”
“If the supplier calls again today, order more rice.”
“How much?”
“Ten sacks.”
Mae Wilit froze.
“You opening a soup kitchen?”
“Twenty's fine too.”
“Bing.”
“Then fifteen.”
“I am not haggling with you!”
Mae Wilit snatched up her ladle.
Bing immediately raised both hands in surrender.
“Ten, Mom. Ten's enough.”
The ladle lowered.
Humanity had survived another day without a nuclear war on the domestic front.
But then—
The sound from the old television mounted in the corner of the shop changed.
The morning news, normally reporting on gas prices, cut to live footage.
“Reports are coming in of an unidentified animal attacking civilians in several areas of Khon Kaen last night. Authorities are asking the public to avoid areas near bodies of water during nighttime hours—”
Shaky footage filmed on a civilian's phone appeared.
A black shadow shaped like a dog, but with unnaturally long forelegs, dragged something into the tall grass and disappeared.
The footage blurred.
The anchor continued trying to maintain the tone of a normal morning news broadcast.
“The relevant agencies have yet to confirm what species the animal belongs to, and are asking the public to refrain from sharing unverified information—”
“What kind of dog has legs that long?” one customer asked.
“Probably AI, man. These days, it can make anything.”
Someone at another table shot back.
An old man eating braised eggs shook his head.
“AI my ass. My grandson saw it with his own eyes near Ban Tum last night. He said it was as big as a buffalo!”
Mae Wilit shouted from behind the curry pots, “Buffalo, AI, or a hungry ghost, finish eating and pay up! Table four stiffed me seventy baht yesterday. The world can end, and I still won't forgive a debt!”
Bing slowly turned to look at his mother.
Yep. That was his mom, all right.
8:10 a.m.
Tum's Repair Shop—Motorcycle Repairs, Metal Welding, Electrical Work, Anything Customers Will Pay For.
The metal grinder shrieked.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Sparks sprayed in all directions.
A dark-skinned twenty-one-year-old man in a battered work shirt crouched over the job, welding the support struts of a motorcycle's rear rack.
“Tum.”
No answer.
“Tum, you bastard.”
Grrrrrrrrrrrr!
Bing picked up a fourteen-millimeter wrench.
“If you don't turn around, I'm throwing this wrench into the grinder.”
The machine stopped instantly.
“You fucking psycho!” Tum flipped up his welding mask, revealing a face streaked with black soot. “What the hell is wrong with you this early in the morning? If that wrench bounces into my face, who's responsible?”
“Social Security.”
“I don't pay into it!”
“Then consider it a warning about life planning.”
“Go die.”
Tum set down the grinder and walked over to open the refrigerator. He pulled out a bottle of water and took a drink.
“Why are you here? The shop isn't selling food.”
Bing pulled a sheet of A4 paper folded into quarters from his pants pocket and unfolded it on the table.
Tum looked at it.
Then slowly lowered the bottle.
The paper was covered in blueprints of the curry-and-rice shop.
Pillar locations.
Doors.
Windows.
Water tanks.
Pipe routes.
Electrical systems.
Battery installation points.
Arrows showing escape routes.
And a strange circle labeled:
“Glyph location—ask the old man later.”
Tum looked up.
“You renovating the shop?”
“No.”
“Building an addition?”
“No.”
“Making a storage room?”
“No.”
“Then what the fuck are you doing?”
Bing answered with a deadpan expression.
“Preparing for the end of the world.”
Silence lasted approximately five seconds.
Tum set down the bottle.
Then walked over and picked up his phone.
“I'm calling your mom.”
“Why?”
“To tell her you're on drugs.”
“I'm not on drugs.”
“Then it's worse. You're naturally deranged.”
Bing pointed at the paper.
“I need one-and-a-half-inch square tubing, three-millimeter steel plate, at least six used car batteries, an inverter, a water pump, two one-thousand-liter tanks, copper wire, and a generator.”
“What kind of budget?”
“Twelve thousand.”
Tum stared at his friend.
“What?”
“Twelve grand.”
“A decent used generator alone will eat almost your entire budget!”
“I know.”
“Then where are you getting the rest?”
“Your skills.”
“My skills can't buy steel!”
“You have credit with the shop.”
“Bing!”
“And you know the Siang Kong shops.”
“That isn't money!”
“There are scrap pieces behind the shop.”
“Those belong to customers!”
“See? We've got resources everywhere.”
Tum covered his face with both hands.
“I think I finally understand why your mom yells at you every morning.”
Bing was about to answer, but Tum's phone rang.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Messages from the community group began popping up in rapid succession.
Something unknown bit people at Nong Phai Market.
The police are here.
Don't go outside.
There's a video.
Tum opened it.
The vertical video shook violently.
Someone was running.
There were screams.
Then some gray thing leaped over the hood of a pickup truck.
The clip ended.
Tum narrowed his eyes.
“What the fuck was that?”
“Rank G or F,” Bing answered without thinking.
“Huh?”
“Nothing.”
A red window suddenly appeared.
[ Alert ]
[ Increased dimensional overlap detected ]
[ Appearance rate of low-level life-forms increased by 17.4% ]
[ Recommendation for VIP players: Use the Early Access period to accumulate as many resources as possible ]
Bing finished reading.
“Yeah. That's what I'm doing.”
Tum turned to him.
“Who are you talking to?”
“My employer.”
“Your mom's shop?”
“Higher up.”
“A debt collector?”
Bing thought for a moment.
“Something like that. Except the bastard takes souls instead of houses.”
“...I really think I should call your mom.”
9:25 a.m.
The two of them rode off on a motorcycle with an old sidecar, heading out to find equipment.
Khon Kaen was still the same city.
But it wasn't the same.
The coffee shops were still open.
Students were still riding to school.
Office workers were still sitting at red lights.
Lottery vendors were still walking around selling numbers.
But everyone was looking at their phones.
Every screen showed similar clips.
Monsters.
Shadows in the sky.
Canal water changing color.
Strange sounds from underground.
Some clips were real.
Some were fake.
Some, no one knew.
Two police cars sped past in the opposite direction.
Wooooo-woo!
Tum watched them go.
“Where were you last night?”
“Fishing.”
“At midnight?”
“Yeah.”
“Catch anything?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of fish?”
Bing was silent for a moment.
“It had arms.”
Tum whipped around.
“What?”
“Watch the road, you idiot!”
“You just said the fish had arms!”
“Keep this up and you'll crash, and then you'll be the one missing an arm!”
They turned into an old materials warehouse.
And the instant Bing got off the bike—
He stopped.
The smell.
Iron and blood.
Like the lakeside the night before.
[ Ding! ]
[ Abnormal life-form detected ]
[ Threat level: F ]
[ Quantity: 2 ]
Bing narrowed his eyes.
“Tum.”
“What?”
“Don't go into the warehouse.”
“Why?”
A metallic crash rang out from inside.
Clang!
Followed by a cry.
“Help!”
The color drained from Tum's face.
“That's Hia Chai!”
He ran immediately.
Bing grabbed his arm.
“Stop.”
“The shop owner is in there!”
“I know.”
“Then let go!”
“You're going in empty-handed. Are you planning to help him by increasing the body count?”
Tum hesitated.
Bing scanned the area.
Steel door.
Old fuel drums.
Welding cables.
Electrical control box.
Chains.
Forklift.
Fire extinguisher.
The world slowed.
A massive amount of data flowed through his mind.
Distance: 11.3 meters.
Three-phase power cable.
Wet concrete floor.
Hanging chain rated to bear approximately 700 kilograms.
Metal scraping on the left.
Another one on the shelving.
Bing pointed.
“Tum.”
“What!”
“Cut the main power.”
“Then what?”
“Open the water valve beside the control box.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Cut costs.”
“Cut costs my ass! Someone's about to die!”
Bing turned to look at him.
“It's because someone's about to die that I don't want to pay extra for a second corpse.”
Tum met his eyes.
This time, he didn't argue.
“Got it.”
He ran.
Bing drew the enchanted ritual knife from his waist.
The black blade gave a faint shiver.
Click...
Inside the warehouse,
A shadow moved.
Then—
Crash!!
A four-legged creature nearly the size of a calf burst through the plywood door.
Its head resembled a skinned dog,
but its jaws split into four sections.
[ Abyssal Hound—Rank F ]
[ System recommendation: Engage directly to increase combat proficiency ]
“You really never learn.”
Bing took one step back.
The Abyssal Hound lunged.
“In the morning, you told me to fight the rat head-on.”
Two steps.
“At night, you told me to get in the water and fight the fish.”
Three steps.
“And now you're telling me to charge a dog too?”
It entered the zone.
Bing shouted,
“Tum! Now!”
Click!
The power went out.
Water blasted across the floor from the ruptured pipe.
The Abyssal Hound faltered.
Bing yanked the welding cable he had prepared.
Sparks exploded.
Crackle!!
Electricity raced across the wet floor.
The monster's body convulsed violently.
“Graaaargh!!”
It wasn't dead yet.
But its muscles were locked tight.
Its forelegs buckled.
A weak point appeared.
A red cross at the base of its skull.
Bing charged in.
Stab!
The black knife pierced the joint.
Twist.
Slice.
The huge body collapsed.
[ Kill confirmed ]
[ EXP +50 ]
Bing pulled out the knife.
“See?”
The System was silent.
“Electricity is useful.”
Tum's voice came from behind him.
“Bing...”
“What?”
“You said there were two, didn't you?”
Bing froze.
A huge shadow dropped from above.
Boom!!
The steel shelving shook.
Another Abyssal Hound clung to a beam over Tum's head.
Black drool dripped onto the shoulder of his work shirt.
Tum slowly looked up.
“Shit...”
It leaped.
“Tum! Left!”
Tum threw himself aside.
The claws sliced through his sleeve.
Bing was about to charge in, but he was too far away.
3.8 meters.
The monster turned back.
Tum fell to the ground, his hand groping for the first thing beside him.
A CO₂ fire extinguisher.
Bing shouted,
“Blast its face!”
Fwoooosh!!
Freezing gas blasted into the creature's mouth and eyes.
The Abyssal Hound shrieked.
Tum didn't wait for further instructions.
He hoisted the metal canister.
Wham!!
It slammed into the monster's jaws.
“Eat this first, you four-faced mutt!”
Bing raised an eyebrow.
Not bad.
The Abyssal Hound shook its head.
Tum ran.
“What now?!”
“Run toward me!”
“Why didn't you tell me the plan?!”
“Because if I explain it now, you'll get eaten first!”
“You asshole!”
He ran.
The monster followed.
Bing looked at the chain overhead.
Calculated.
Three...
Two...
One...
“Down!”
Tum dropped without asking questions.
Slash!
The ritual knife cut through the chain.
The steel rack, loaded with several hundred kilograms of spare parts, came crashing down.
Crashhhhh!!
The Abyssal Hound was pinned to the floor.
It was still thrashing.
Bing walked over.
Stab!
Done.
[ Kill confirmed ]
[ EXP +50 ]
[ Detected combat alongside an unregistered human ]
[ Evaluating individual... ]
Bing glanced at the message.
[ Name: Tum ]
[ Soul cost: Low ]
[ Initial potential: Below average ]
[ Recommendation: Not suitable for resource investment ]
Bing fell silent.
Tum sat panting on the floor.
“Bing...”
“Hm?”
“How long have you known about these things?”
Bing sheathed the knife.
“Since last night.”
“And you didn't tell me?”
“I was going to.”
“When?”
“After you agreed to take the twelve-thousand-baht job.”
Tum stared at him.
“You bastard.”
“So, are you taking it?”
“You just dragged me into fighting hellhounds!”
“Consider it a trial run.”
“Trial run my ass!”
A groan came from inside the warehouse.
“Help... me...”
The two of them stopped arguing immediately.
Tum got up first.
“Hia Chai!”
He ran inside.
Bing watched him go.
Then looked at the System Window again.
[ Soul cost: Low ]
[ Not suitable for investment ]
Bing raised his middle finger at the screen.
“Nobody asked you.”
The window vanished.
10:40 a.m.
An ambulance was parked in front of the warehouse.
Hia Chai had survived.
The wound in his leg hadn't reached the major blood vessels.
The police arrived with rescue workers.
The Abyssal Hound's remains were covered with a tarp, but the black blood leaking out still made everyone back away.
One officer took pictures.
Another reported over the phone, his face tense.
“Yes... confirmed. It's not a dog... Unknown species, sir...”
Bing leaned against the vehicle.
Tum sat wrapping gauze around his elbow.
“Bing.”
“What?”
“Twelve thousand isn't enough.”
“I know.”
“At least twenty thousand.”
“Thirteen.”
“Eighteen thousand.”
“Fourteen thousand and free food.”
“How many meals?”
“One.”
“Per day?”
“For the entire project.”
“You fucking asshole!”
Every phone in the area chimed at once.
Beep! Beep!
An emergency notification appeared.
Khon Kaen Provincial Announcement
Due to reports of unidentified creatures attacking civilians in several areas, the public is asked to avoid abandoned areas, bodies of water, and traveling alone at night.
Authorities are currently gathering information and establishing an emergency coordination center.
If you encounter an abnormal creature, do not approach it and notify the authorities immediately.
Tum finished reading.
“You really knew before they did?”
“Yeah.”
“Is it going to get worse?”
Bing looked at the Countdown.
[ 139 hours 19 minutes ]
He was silent for two seconds.
“Worse.”
“How much worse?”
Bing looked at the people around him.
Police.
Rescue workers.
The shop owner.
Cars still driving along the road.
The vendor setting up a stall across the street.
Everything still looked normal.
“Bad enough that today will become a day you miss.”
Tum didn't laugh.
Neither did Bing.
11:15 a.m.
Somewhere in downtown Khon Kaen.
The top-floor conference room of a private office building.
Images of the remains of several creatures were projected onto a large screen.
Scales.
Bones.
Venom glands.
Black tissue.
A man in a suit sat at the head of the table.
“Have the university confirmed anything yet?”
“They still can't identify all the components, sir. But some samples have physical properties unlike ordinary biological matter.”
“Buy them.”
“Sir?”
“All of them.”
The man folded his hands.
“Before anyone else realizes they're valuable.”
11:42 a.m.
A student dormitory.
Three laptops were open at once.
Four young men sat around the table.
A spreadsheet filled the screens.
Species / Location Found / Time of Appearance / Damage / Killing Method / Remains
One of them pushed up his glasses.
“I told you. There's a pattern.”
“What pattern?”
“The ones found near water aren't the same as the ones on land.”
“And?”
“If this is really an ecosystem...”
A finger dragged across a map of Khon Kaen.
Dozens of red dots were scattered throughout the city.
“They aren't appearing randomly.”
Everyone fell silent.
12:05 p.m.
The provincial hall.
Report files were laid out on a table.
Missing people.
Dead animals.
Injured civilians.
Power outages.
Strange incidents.
A middle-aged male official circled the times in each report with a pen.
04:20
05:13
06:48
08:02
09:17
The numbers were increasing every hour.
He looked at the map on the wall.
Then spoke softly.
“This isn't several incidents...”
The tip of his pen drew a circle around the area surrounding Bueng Kaen Nakhon.
“It's one incident.”
12:20 p.m.
Mae Wilit's Curry-and-Rice Shop.
Bing returned with Tum.
Mae Wilit stood in front of the shop with her arms crossed.
“Where have you been?”
Bing stopped.
“Buying supplies.”
“Where are they?”
Bing looked at the empty cart.
Tum looked at Bing.
Bing looked at Tum.
His INT 13 brain calculated every possible escape route within 0.03 seconds.
There were none.
Mae Wilit raised her ladle.
Bing sighed.
The world had less than six days left.
But his most urgent problem right now—
Was still surviving his own mother.
[ Time remaining: 137 hours 59 minutes ]
And high above Khon Kaen's sky, where no one was looking...
A thin purple-black line, no thicker than a strand of hair,
slowly split open another millimeter.