Chương 25: News from the Wasteland

Elias said nothing and let Marlin continue. Marlin took another breath.

"The animals out in the wasteland have been more active than before. And they're not just wandering around anymore. Some of them are starting to attack settlements on purpose. At the last settlement I passed, I saw several people with animal bites." Cass and the others stopped smiling.

"It's not just the animals either," Marlin said.

"There are more raiders on the road now. I ran into them more than once on this trip. Luckily, I didn't have much worth stealing. Otherwise, I might not have made it here in one piece." He paused there, as if the thought still bothered him.

"And that's not the worst part. This isn't only happening in our stretch of wasteland. I've heard similar things from several other regions too." The mood under the tent sank. For a while, no one said anything. The coffee on the table was still giving off a faint warmth, but no one reached for it. Reed looked toward the empty wasteland outside the tent, his brows drawn together. Vane's hand rested near his waist out of habit, as if he were already thinking about what might come over the horizon next.

Even Elias did not speak right away. Jack looked from one face to another. He did not fully understand what Marlin's news meant to them, not in the way they did. To him, raiders and mutant animals were still things he had only started learning about a few days ago. But to the others, those words clearly carried weight. A settlement being attacked was not a story. It was something that could happen to people they knew. Maybe even to them. The wind moved across the open ground outside, stirring a thin layer of sand.

Under the tent, the silence stretched just long enough to feel uncomfortable. Except Cass. He held his coffee cup and looked almost too calm. Marlin glanced at him.

"You're not worried?" Cass took a sip before answering.

"I am. But what good does worrying do?" He shrugged.

"Nothing like that has happened around our settlement yet. And even if it does, what are a handful of people like us supposed to change?" Marlin fell silent for a moment. Cass went on, "So if we know trouble might be coming, we prepare what we can. As for the rest…" He spread his hands.

"Who can control that?" The others exchanged looks. Then Marlin suddenly laughed and gave Cass a thumbs-up.

"That's honest, at least." The heaviness on his face eased a little. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"You're right. For now, it's only a sign. It hasn't really reached this place yet." He paused, then added, "Like you said, we do what we can. What comes after that is in God's hands." This time, Marlin laughed too. Elias looked at Cass, and a faint smile appeared in his eyes. With the mood a little lighter, Jack's attention drifted to the flatbed cart behind Marlin.

"Marlin, mind if I take a look at what you brought? If there's anything useful, maybe we can make a trade." Marlin's expression changed at once into a merchant's smile.

"Of course," he said.

"That's what I do." He walked back to the flatbed cart, untied the old ropes, and pulled the waterproof canvas aside. The first things he took out were several small packets and bottles.

"A small bottle of purified salt. A few pieces of clean hemostatic cloth. A small packet of dried herbs, good for emergencies like fever or diarrhea. And half a bottle of alcohol for disinfecting wounds." He shook the old bottle lightly.

"Don't laugh just because it's only half a bottle. This stuff is hard to find these days." Cass and the others looked at the items, their expressions turning strange. Reed muttered, "That's it?" Cass heard him and finally couldn't hold it in. He laughed. Marlin looked completely lost.

"What's so funny? Do you know how much effort it took me to trade for this little bit? These are valuable, all right?" Even Elias and Vane could not help laughing this time. Marlin looked from one face to another, completely lost. Jack sighed.

"Ignore them for now. Show me what else you've got." Marlin frowned, still clearly confused, but he set the small packets and bottles aside anyway. Then he began unloading the rest of the cart.

"This is an electric seeder," Marlin said, lifting out a compact device.

"Old World teaching equipment. They used it for children's nature classes. But it works. You can adjust the seed depth, spacing, and hopper size. Push it forward, and it plants as it goes. No need to dig one hole at a time." Jack's attention locked onto it. Marlin noticed. A hint of a smile appeared on his face as he picked up a metal nozzle next.

"Pressurized spray nozzle. There's a small pressure pump inside. It boosts the water pressure and can increase the output by five times." Jack looked at the nozzle, already calculating. Marlin opened the box beside it. Inside was a foldable quadcopter drone, along with a controller and charging dock.

"Civilian scouting drone. Comes with thermal imaging. Good for checking terrain from a distance or finding living creatures. Back in the Old World, people used these things to film videos." Finally, Marlin patted a box-shaped device.

"Portable energy storage unit. Box-style battery pack, handle on top, multiple ports, and a display for remaining power. It can run small devices." When Marlin introduced these things, there was a little pride in his voice, as if he had finally taken out the real good stuff he had been saving. Jack grew more interested with every item Marlin brought out. The seeder could help with the potatoes. The pressurized nozzle might make it easier to fill a water pit. At least, that was what it sounded like.

As for the drone, Jack did not really need it to find living creatures. The system already handled warnings. But seeing the surrounding terrain? That was different. He had been here for four days, and he still knew almost nothing beyond the small area around the convenience store. The portable energy storage unit was even more useful. Hook that up to the portable air conditioner, and he would not have to drag a power cord around every time he worked outside. When Marlin finished, he looked back at Jack.

"All right. You've seen my goods." His smile sharpened.

"Now it's your turn. What do you have?" Jack was about to answer, but Elias spoke first. He glanced at Marlin.

"You said all that, but left out the most important part. What, were you planning to cheat him?" Jack paused and looked at Marlin. Sure enough, Marlin's expression stiffened for a second. So there really was a catch? Marlin scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"N-no. That's not it. I just hadn't gotten to that part yet." Elias snorted.

"Then get to it." Marlin cleared his throat.

"There's nothing wrong with the items themselves. The accessories are all there too. It's just… they need to be charged before they can be used." Jack almost smiled. Of course. There was the catch. But to him, that barely counted as a problem. He looked back at the equipment Marlin had laid out. The trade was definitely worth making. Elias had stepped in to remind him, and Jack appreciated that. But he was not going to use it as an excuse to push the price too low.

Electricity, after all, was not something he lacked. Jack cleared his throat, ready to speak. Then the system's voice cut in.

"Human, primate mammals approaching detected. Quantity: five."

"Estimated arrival in thirty minutes." Vane and Reed stood almost at the same time.