Apocalypse Shelter Administrator

Mobilization Order (2)

The Emergency Mobilization Line is a communication system newly introduced by the military following the national defense reform, which caused a major shift in the task structure of active and reserve forces.

It has several uses, but its main function is to efficiently manage reserve resources in situations such as a national mobilization order or during training scenarios based on that assumption.

It includes not only reserve soldiers but also firefighters, police officers, medical personnel, and other civilian resources deemed necessary by the country. Especially for high-ranking reserve officers, who are not always under control like active-duty officers, the Emergency Line provides essential support for urgent situations.

Since it operates automatically from small, unmanned underground bunkers, it functions in any disaster scenario.

[You have connected to the Emergency Mobilization Line. Currently, only reserve mobilization information can be accessed.]

The automated female voice, which I had heard many times, announced. With the government's and military command structure gone, the system’s ability to direct civilian technical personnel or stranded active-duty soldiers to the appropriate locations was disabled. Only the reserve mobilization information controlled by the automated system could be accessed. This system reads pre-set reserve duties according to an algorithm, so it remains functional even without a command headquarters.

[Please select a command. Press 1 if you wish to check where you are to be mobilized. Press 2 for AI assistance. Press 3 to connect with a human advisor.]

I pressed 2.

[You have selected AI assistance. This AI advisor is designed based on frequently asked questions. For simple and direct queries, you will easily receive the information you need. Connecting to the AI advisor.]

Because it was an AI, the usual warning message asking for restraint from verbal abuse that starts with ‘This is someone’s precious family member' wasn’t played.

[Loyalty! You have accessed the Reserve Emergency Mobilization Information System. How can I assist you?]

A young, energetic male voice, contrasting with the earlier automated female voice, responded. It was the voice of the Army mascot, Hogooki, voiced by a male actor.

“This is Reserve Officer Seo Jinsoo. I want to know the unit or defense post I’ve been assigned to after the national mobilization order.”

[Please input your military service number and the security code for reserve officers.]

I entered the relevant numbers using the touchpad.

[Verification complete. Commander Seo Jinsoo, you are assigned as the defense commander of the Busan National Assembly.]

By the time the national mobilization order was issued, the capital had already fallen due to the rapid spread of the infection crisis.

It’s a bit of a grim joke, but since Korea had been through this before, they managed to relocate the key administrative offices to the southernmost area fairly quickly, even in an emergency. As a result, an interim National Assembly was set up in Busan.

Originally, a reserve general would have been assigned as the commander of that defense post, but now both active and reserve forces had long since turned into corpses or monsters.

Due to the automated reserve management system’s succession of command, I was assigned as the commander. However, there is a clear distinction between the roles of reserve and active officers. Just because all the active officers were dead didn’t mean an automated system could assign a reserve officer like me to that position.

“This role as defense commander of the National Assembly—has the command succession completed, and is this my final assigned post?”

[Yes, that is correct.]

“How many command successions took place before it reached me?”

[There have been 621 successions, Commander.]

Now, the real issue. This AI advisor doesn’t just provide mobilization information but also offers detailed military law queries related to it.

“If command succession has taken place and the post has changed, can the previous commander still exercise authority over the former post?”

[No, once a new commander is assigned to the previous post, the former commander loses all authority over it.]

“And if the new commander dies?”

[A new successor is assigned.]

“And if that successor dies, and the next one, and the next one, all the way down until there are no more candidates?”

The AI advisor remained silent. It wasn’t ignoring me but processing the question. This kind of question likely had never been asked before.

“This is taking a while, just to analyze a bit of law and precedents. If it were you, you would have found the answer before I even finished asking.”

[Of course. Back when I was in the U.S., I worked as a lawyer too.]

Artemis’s voice sounded proud. I could picture a career woman brushing her hair back with the back of her hand.

“Is that even possible? An AI working in court?”

[Of course not. But I just needed a front lawyer to represent me in court, right? In legal battles, the most important things are finding and compiling critical evidence and anticipating the opponent’s attack patterns. I'm much better at that than an army of lawyers.] ŖΆɴỔ₿Èṩ

Well, if it’s her, a one-person legal team would indeed be no problem.

“So, what’s your record?”

[13 cases: 12 wins, 1 loss.]

“You actually lost one?”

I was genuinely surprised. Artemis lost?

[Two kilograms of heroin were found in the defendant’s car trunk mid-trial. What was I supposed to do about that?]

“Wow.”

Honestly, if she had won that case, it would have been a matter of bribery, not skill.

[Still, my legal advice and tax work helped save them plenty of money. And yet, they sold me off for cheap.]

She seemed visibly more upset, probably reminded of some forgotten or buried memories. But I’ve gotten better at calming Artemis down. By the time her annoyed tone shifted to the angrier "This is embarrassing, so stop it," the AI advisor had completed its analysis. Some might wonder what the difference is between "annoyed" and "angry," but with her, it’s a significant distinction.

[Thank you for waiting. Here’s your answer.]

The AI advisor resumed speaking.

[If there are no more successors, the post will be left vacant. In this case, the importance of the post may be reassessed depending on the war or resource situation. A higher-ranking commander from a more critical post may be called back to fill the vacancy.]

The military law clause and precedent supporting this answer were displayed as a message.

[If the strategic post is vacant, there are three conditions under which a new commander can declare or temporarily assume command.]

“What are those three conditions?”

[First, the highest-ranking personnel within the unit assigned to the post declares themselves as the temporary commander.]

This essentially refers to the command succession. If all the officers are dead, then the non-commissioned officers, and if they too are gone, even a private can take command. There’s no point in this case since there’s no one alive at the designated post.

[Second, the post’s defense mission is handed down from a brigade commander or higher in the unit assigned to that region.]

Since the military has been wiped out, this is also irrelevant.

[Third, the highest-ranking reserve commander can issue an emergency requisition to temporarily assume control of the post.]

This is for when a strategic or research facility is at risk of being captured by the enemy, allowing important materials, resources, and key personnel to be requisitioned and moved to the rear or destroyed. Active-duty soldiers are too busy with frontline combat, so these kinds of tasks are handled by reserve units.

“In the third case, can the reserve commander grant themselves authority to take over?”

If not, all this would be for nothing. I’m the highest-ranking surviving reserve commander, so who else is there to give the order?

[Yes, that is possible.]

Nice!

“How many reserve officers are officially left?”

By "official," I mean anyone who has left a record of communication within the military network—in other words, those confirmed to be alive.

[Commander Seo Jinsoo, you're the only one.]

Of course.

“So, as the commander, I have the authority to access and control all facilities designated as reserve defense outposts?”

[That's correct.]

“Can this be done remotely?”

[No. In this case, you must physically visit the outpost to formally exercise your authority.]

If I were to name the two most secure places in the world, one would be the military, and the other would be research labs developing cutting-edge technology. The locations I’m targeting fall under both categories.

Trying to gain access through non-standard methods like hacking would trigger the security systems, or the stored data would automatically be destroyed. In the end, I’ll have to go there myself.

“How do I acquire the authority?”

[Fingerprint, iris scan, voice recognition—all methods are valid. These outposts have been prepped with a reserve personnel registration system in case of wartime.]

“So all I need to do is show up?”

[That's right.]

“Good. Send all the outpost information here.”

The details of thousands of outposts were immediately sent over.

“Active duty soldiers fight on the front lines, but reservists protect the rear.”

From the nation’s perspective, active-duty soldiers are essential for survival, as you need to defeat the enemy right in front of you. But wars can’t be fought with guns and ammo alone. The infrastructure that supplies electricity and water across the country. The administrative institutions that ensure the efficient management of citizens. Research labs and factories containing years of developed and refined technology in various fields.

Even if you win the war, if these collapse, there’s no future. If active-duty commanders safeguard the nation’s survival during wartime, reservist commanders protect the nation’s future. Even though the country has already collapsed, technology and knowledge remain scattered and abandoned.

As I rebuilt the shelter and saved countless survivors, my next goal started to come into view. The list provided by the AI advisor included various defense contractors, renowned companies' research labs, and production outposts. These are critical to the future of the nation and businesses, so their security is extremely tight.

However, as a reserve commander, I can legally exercise the right to requisition all of them. Once I enter, I’ll be able to bypass the security systems and take whatever resources or technology I need. One location, in particular, caught my eye.

Metacraft Cybernetics—a defense contractor located just 3 kilometers away.

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