The Last Evolution

Chapter 9 — Treasure in the Apocalypse: The Collector's Alibi

The heavy thud of two mountaineering backpacks hitting the steel floor echoed through the underground storage room. Max checked all his haul under the beam of his flashlight.

Dozens of cans of meat, bottles of mineral water, medicine, the commando knife, and the clean clothes from the other world had all come back with him without a single item missing.

Bang! Bang!

The handle of the steel door was yanked hard from the outside again, accompanied by frantic knocking.

"Max! You're in there, aren't you?!" Mia's shaky voice came through the door. "What's taking so long?! I just heard a loud crash from inside!"

"Hold on, keep your voice down," Max called back calmly.

Looks like the sound of my boots and these heavy packs landing carried all the way up the stairs, Max thought as he moved fast.

In seconds, he emptied both new mountaineering packs into two emergency lab crates in the corner of the vault. He folded the empty packs flat at the bottom of one crate, then tore off all the modern plastic wrappers and clothing tags and stuffed them into his inner jacket pocket.

Once he was sure nothing looked out of place, Max slid the bolt back and pulled the steel door open.

Mia, standing outside clutching a rusted wrench, nearly stumbled into the room with a pale face.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" Mia breathed out in relief. "I thought there was a monster in this storage room since you locked yourself in for so long."

"If there were a monster in here, its skull would've been cracked open ages ago," Max replied flatly, gesturing toward the two steel crates behind him. "Get in here and help me carry those crates."

Mia stepped inside with a puzzled frown. The moment her gaze landed on the two open emergency crates on the floor, however, she froze in her tracks.

Her eyes went wide at the sight of stacked cans of fresh meat, clear bottles of mineral water, energy biscuits, and over a dozen boxes of medicine still sealed tight.

"T-this... all this food and medicine is real?!" Mia gasped, dropping to her knees to touch a clean water bottle. "No way! When we came down earlier, the chief researcher's office was clearly picked clean! Where did you get all this?!"

"Why do you think I told you to stand guard at the top of the stairs?" Max said with a deadpan face. "I just pried open the chief researcher's emergency supply safe hidden behind the steel wall of this vault."

Mia glanced at the recess in the steel wall—which was indeed dented from Max's iron pipe—and looked back at him in pure amazement.

Insane... not only does he fight like a monster, he's got eyes like a hawk! Mia thought, awestruck. Even in a place the military already looted, he still managed to crack open a secret safe full of fresh food!

"You're amazing, Max..." Mia murmured, her eyes shining with a newfound sense of security. "With this many supplies, we won't go hungry for weeks!"

"Don't celebrate yet. None of this is ours until it's loaded into the truck," Max cut in.

Without another word, he picked up a bundle from the top of the crate and tossed it into Mia's arms.

"What's this?" Mia caught the bundle. When the folds fell open, her cheeks flushed red at the sight of two clean, warm sets of women's clothes, fragrant soap, and sweet chocolate bars. "Wait... women's clothes and chocolate?!"

"Found them in a female researcher's locker over in that corner," Max lied smoothly without looking at her. "Your blouse has been torn and stained with blood since the supermarket. Go change behind the partition."

"And... what about this chocolate?" Mia asked, her voice softening.

"Eat it now. I don't need you passing out on me while we're hauling these heavy crates upstairs," Max added curtly as he gripped one of the large steel crates.

Mia held the clean clothes and chocolate tight against her chest. A warmth she hadn't felt since the world fell apart spread through her heart.

He always talks so coldly, yet he even thought to grab clean clothes and chocolate for me, Mia thought with a faint smile, feeling more attached to him by the second.

"Thank you, Max. I'll change right now and catch up with you upstairs!" Mia said sincerely.

Max gave a short grunt. As soon as Mia stepped behind the partition to change, he hoisted both heavy steel crates at once with his newly evolved strength and carried them up to the pickup in the lab courtyard.

After setting both crates in the truck bed and strapping the tarp down tight over them, Max climbed into the driver's seat alone while Mia was still getting ready downstairs.

Inside the closed cab, Max pulled the Chrono Meteor from his pocket to test whether the stone could be used twice in a row.

He pressed a trace of leftover blood from his pricked index finger against the surface of the blue rock.

Thump!

A sharp stab of dizziness hit Max's head and made his vision swim, while the stone in his palm stayed dull and cold.

"Damn... gave me an instant headache," Max hissed, rubbing his temple.

Using it back-to-back drains my stamina directly, Max noted as he tucked the Chrono Meteor back into his pocket. The stone also needs a cooldown period to recharge before it can open another jump.

The passenger door opened. Mia climbed in wearing the clean, warm clothes, carrying the last box of medicine in her lap.

"Sorry to keep you waiting—I locked the lab door tight," Mia reported as she buckled her seatbelt. "Wait, you look a little pale, Max. Did you wear yourself out hauling those crates?"

"Just short on sleep," Max said briefly as he started the engine. "Turn on the handheld radio on the dashboard and open the lab map I grabbed from the researcher's desk."

Mia twisted the knob on the radio—now running on fresh batteries—and spread out the map of the city outskirts.

With one hand on the wheel, Max mapped out his long-term plan.

Every time I cross dimensions, my carrying capacity is way too limited if I only rely on backpacks and this small pickup, Max calculated coldly.

"Mia, check the map for any large warehouses or vehicle depots on the edge of the city," Max ordered. "We can't keep sleeping on the streets hauling this many supplies."

"You're right. If looters spot what's in the back of our truck, they'll hunt us to the ends of the earth," Mia said seriously as she traced the map. "We need a hideout with high fences."

"Not just a hideout," Max corrected her sharply. "I need a secure base, a heavy truck for hauling cargo, and firearms with live ammo. This empty pistol from Derek is a paperweight without bullets."

Krrrzzzt—!

The static on the dashboard radio gave way to a looping government emergency broadcast.

"—southern sector logistics notice. All food supplies, fuel reserves, and transport trucks have been redirected to the Sector Four Logistics Distribution Center on the city outskirts..."

Mia's eyes lit up as she matched the broadcast to a building symbol in the corner of the lab map.

"Max, look at this blue marker!" Mia pointed excitedly at the map. "The Sector Four Logistics Distribution Center! It's only fifteen minutes from here, and it has concrete walls and a truck depot!"

The corner of Max's mouth lifted slightly. "Spacious warehouses, fuel, and heavy vehicles. That place will make a good first base."

Max pressed down on the gas pedal and sped away from the crater district toward the outskirts of the city.

Fifteen minutes later, the silhouette of a massive distribution complex surrounded by high iron fencing came into view at the end of the empty highway.

Right as their pickup approached the distribution center, however, a gunshot rang out from the roof of the building.

Bang!

A rifle round struck the asphalt right in front of the hood, kicking up sparks and forcing Max to slam on the brakes.

"Hold it right there!" a man's rough voice boomed over a loudspeaker above the gate. "Get out of the truck now, and hand over everything you're carrying!"