Chương 51: Chapter 48: The Pocket Dimension

The tiny metallic band settled into the palm of my hand, and the moment my skin made contact with the cold steel, a system notification materialized dead-center in my vision: [Item Discovered: Dimensional Storage Ring] Quality: Good Rarity: Uncommon Status: Un-attuned Would you like to attune this dimensional storage ring to your signature? [Yes] / [No] My eyes practically bulged out of my head. I stared down at the unassuming band, then looked up at the patrolman, completely floored.

"Where on earth did you find something like this?"

"Not found," Zack corrected, his tone remarkably casual.

"Made."

"How?" I blurted out, my mind racing as I tried to reconcile primitive survival reality with high-tier magical crafting.

"Well," Zack said, shifting his weight.

"For us to give you the blueprint on that, we're going to need to ensure we actually have a secure place to lay our heads tonight. Just like you, we're willing to do whatever it takes to keep our people alive. But," he added, his expression turning serious, " we're more than willing to give you a critical piece of news upfront, free of charge."

"What kind of news?" I asked, a cold knot tightening in my stomach.

"Information," Tony cut in, his arms crossing over his chest.

"You boys need to start fortifying your perimeter immediately. You've got an attack coming."

"From who?"

"From TJ," Zack replied.

"And by the way—can we finally drop our hands? Our shoulders are getting sore out here."

"Yeah. Yeah, sorry," I muttered, gesturing for them to lower their arms as I slid the un-attuned ring safely into my tactical vest pocket.

"You humiliated him pretty badly when you duct taped him to that desk chair," Zack continued, stretching his arms. I shook my head, dismissive.

"He can't seriously be planning a blood feud just because I left him taped up in his office."

"No," Tony countered, his voice dropping an octave.

"But the fact that his entire family was murdered as a direct result of it is an entirely different story." The words hit like a physical blow. I went completely rigid.

"What?"

"TJ didn't manage to break free from those restraints until late last night," Zack explained grimly.

"While he was trapped at the precinct, a local crew of scavengers targeted his house. They knew he was a cop, and they were hunting for his personal weapons cache and ammunition supply. His family... they didn't survive the raid." Tony looked down at the grass, a heavy shadow crossing his face.

"To be completely honest, Zack and I probably share some of the blame. We split right after you cleared out the armory, and we never went back to check the building. If we had known he was still pinned, we could have cut him loose before dawn." I stood quiet for a second, processing the grim chain of events, before letting out a slow, deliberate breath.

"Look, it's an absolute tragedy. But the reality is, if I hadn't raided the station that night, you guys would have still been pulling shifts there, leaving your neighborhoods completely unguarded. An attack like that was bound to happen sooner or later with the world going to hell. I feel terrible about his family, but I'm not taking the fall for what those scavengers did."

"You're right," Zack agreed quietly.

"That's exactly why Tony and I cut ties with the remaining department guys and refused to pull another watch. Unfortunately, TJ doesn't see the logic in it. He's blinded by rage."

"When we left the station, he was only Level 3, maybe Level 4," Tony added.

"But he swore he'd grind out levels as fast as the system allowed, build a mercenary crew, and hunt you down. And yeah—he already knows your faction pulled out of the neighborhood and took over the high school campus." If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Great. Just what I needed—one more thing to worry about," I muttered under my breath. It was another massive, urgent reason to get out west and hunt down that crystal core to get Novus's defensive perimeter walls operational. I cleared my throat, shifting focus back to the immediate problem.

"Alright. Regarding you and your families staying here..." Zack held up a hand, interrupting me before I could finish.

"Before you make your final call, just know this: as a show of absolute good faith, that storage ring is yours to keep, whether you grant us entry or turn us away."

"I appreciate that," I said, looking back over my shoulder at Joe, Pete, and Frank. The three of them gave a collective, silent nod of agreement before I even had to ask the question. I turned back to the officers, extending a hand.

"Welcome to Novus."

"Let's get your people inside and settled, and then you can give me the full breakdown on how these rings function," I said, unlatching the side perimeter gate.

"Do you guys have supply caches down the road we need to go help haul?"

"No," Zack answered with a small smirk.

"Most of our immediate supplies are already carried inside our personal rings."

"Convenient," I replied, a genuine smile breaking through my stress.

"Incredibly," Tony agreed.

"But we do have a couple of older, analog pickup trucks that we managed to hot-wire. They're holding our heavy bulk goods, like mattresses and furniture. We left them parked on the far side of the park."

"Well, let's get them routed in," I said. Zack turned toward the tree line across the street, raising a hand to wave his finger in a wide, circular motion—the universal sign to gather up. Leaving the team to guide the refugees, I jogged ahead to the principal's office and pulled the master key ring from the desk. I grabbed the keys for the second classroom wing, since our initial neighborhood families had already claimed the majority of the rooms in the first building.

Zack and Tony navigated their trucks down the school's designated bus lane, and I unlocked the security gates to let them back into the inner quad. The new arrivals immediately went to work with impressive efficiency. They began clearing out the rows of student desks from the assigned classrooms, stacking them neatly along the exterior hallways between the wings to open up floor space for their bedding, clothes, and personal crates.

While I was watching the logistics unfold, my radio crackled to life, informing me that Denise had just arrived at the main office.

"I'm going to head to the front desk to meet my wife," I told Zack, pointing toward the administrative suite.

"Find me as soon as you guys finish setting up your quarters. We need to talk about those storage rings, and I've got a time-sensitive logistics mission I need you two to handle immediately."

"You got it, boss," Zack replied, turning back to lift a mattress off the truck bed. I walked back into the lobby and found Denise waiting by the counter. I immediately stepped into her space and pulled her into a tight, lingering embrace. With everything that had gone down over the last twelve hours, I hadn't realized just how much I needed the grounding comfort of her presence.

"We managed to clear out almost everything from my dad's place already," Denise said, leaning back to look at me.

"The boys are currently over at your mother's house helping her load the rest of her stuff, since Frank was stuck up here with you tracing utility lines. Isadora is with my parents, helping them get settled into one of the classrooms in the main wing. The boys are going to take a separate room to share. Where are we setting up our space?" I smiled, gesturing toward the door down the short corridor.

"I think we should claim the teachers' lounge right here in the main administrative office." Denise raised an eyebrow, a playful grin tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Oh, really? Setting yourself up in the grand suite? Going full feudal lord on us already?"

"Hey, absolutely not," I said with a laugh.

"I have zero desire to play king of the castle here. But this whole campus was my idea, and it was my quest line that secured it. I think we're entitled to a little bit of privacy. Plus, the staff lounge is already furnished with a decent sofa, comfortable armchairs, and a full dining table. It even has a built-in kitchenette with oak cabinets, a stove, and a full-sized refrigerator." I leaned in closer, dropping my voice.

"But the absolute best feature is that it has its own private restroom. I can easily convert the large handicapped stall into a fully functional, private shower unit for us. That way, we don't have to hike across the quad to the student locker rooms just to clean up. We should have plenty of leftover PVC and copper plumbing fittings in the school maintenance shop. If not, I know Frank has a good stash at his place, or I can raid the local hardware store down the highway.

While I'm there, I can grab a few heavy-duty deadbolts so the school's master key won't work on our door." Denise chuckled, shaking her head affectionately.

"You've really thought this whole layout through, haven't you?"

"Of course," I said, throwing an arm around her shoulder.

"Just because the world ended doesn't mean we have to live like cavemen. There's a massive difference between barely surviving and actually thriving. For now, let's head back to our old house and grab whatever remaining personal items you want to salvage. Do we have a working vehicle out front?"

"Yeah, I brought the van," Denise replied.

"The boys took the big flatbed over to your mom's, and my dad is still using his truck."

"Perfect," I said, checking the hallway as Zack and Tony walked back into the lobby.

"Let me get our new recruits spun up on their assignment, and then we'll hit the road."