The Origin Warden

chapter 15 : Smith POV : THE TANKER

Smith swallowed his saliva and lowered his head, avoiding eye contact with the frightening gang leader.

“Smith. Tell me, did you prepare a list of what you need?”

Smith sweated anxiously. In truth, he had not prepared any list. Wait, in fact he had not even told them he needed parts from outside, this was merely Julian’s idea that he forced onto him out of nowhere.

Afraid Julian might kill him, he quickly turned the gears in his brain and soon opened his mouth, trying not to stutter.

“I need the ma...”

He stopped midway through his sentence when he saw Julian raise his hand to interrupt him.

Smith rubbed his hands together and asked, even adding a respectful title in his words, “L-leader, what is it?”

“Just tell me where we can find the things you need. I don’t want to hear the rest of the bullshit.”

The poor fat man released a sigh of relief, then thought for a brief moment before opening his mouth and speaking while counting on his fingers with each place he named.

“Hospitals, large factories... umm banks and maybe even police stations. I’m not sure about the last one, but there’s a fifty percent chance they have a power generator.”

Julian nodded, then took his helmet and put it on before beginning to walk toward the exit, as everyone else followed him.

“A power generator?, that’s your goal?”

Eric, who was walking beside Smith, asked curiously and in confusion.

Smith cast a sideways glance at Julian in the front and answered,

“No, not the generator itself, but some of its parts.”

“Oh, okay, that’s simple. For a moment I thought you were about to tell us we’d be raiding a nuclear power facility.”

Smith looked at the man beside him with raised eyebrows.

“Umm Mr. Eric, actually our country doesn’t have nuclear power plants.”

“Oh. Really!!, why? I thought our country had advanced in recent years!” Eric asked strangely.

Smith shrugged ignorantly.

“How would I know...”

At that moment another voice appeared beside him from the other side, making him jump in fear.

“It’s the other countries!”

He turned his head and stared at the old man who looked like the oldest person in the group. He was probably in his fifties or older, yet he stood straight like a young man. He wore a gray round cap hiding the bald spots beneath it.

Smith placed his hand on his chest trying to calm his heart that nearly leaped out of his throat.

How the hell did this old man sneak up on him so silently?.

Eric looked in amusement at the panic attack of the poor fat young man who almost lost some weight before turning his gaze toward the old man.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the reason there are no nuclear power plants is because of the other countries... or rather some major countries.”

“Why is that?” Eric asked with genuine curiosity this time.

Zeil scratched his rough chin then said while raising a finger like an old teacher preparing to deliver a great philosophical lesson.

“Let me explain it in a way even someone with your muscles can understand, Eric...”

“Huh?”

“Imagine you own a massive apple farm, the only one in the entire village. Everyone comes to you every morning to buy apples. Some need them for food, some to make juice, and some simply because they have no other choice.”

Before he continued, one of the men in the back let out a mocking laugh.

“Zeil, old man, are you really not tired of bragging about your damned farm?, even in the apocalypse you still turn every example in life into apples.”

Several quiet laughs rose among the group members.

Zeil shot him a contemptuous look and waved his hand dismissively.

“Shut up you tasteless bastard. While you were working day and night for cheap wages, I was living like a king thanks to that farm.”

“Yes yes, the great apple king,” the man muttered sarcastically.

Zeil ignored him completely then continued speaking with obvious pride.

“Anyway... now imagine another man suddenly appears and opens a second farm... what will happen?”

“Competition will appear?” Smith said hesitantly.

Zeil clapped in admiration while staring with his brown eyes at Smith whose face was slightly drenched in sweat despite the fact they had barely left the apartment building grounds.

“Excellent fat boy, it seems you have a brain hidden beneath all that fat.”

“You son of a...”

“At first your profits will decrease. After that people will begin comparing your apples to his apples. Some may prefer his over yours. And some will discover they are no longer forced to endure your conditions and prices.”

Zeil’s smile gradually began fading.

“Now imagine if the apples you’re selling are not food... but energy powering entire cities.”

Silence spread for several moments.

Even Eric furrowed his brows and began understanding.

“Oh...”

Zeil quickly pointed at him with his finger.

“Exactly. Energy is not just electricity. It’s influence. Money can be stolen, oil may run out, even armies can be destroyed... but the country that makes the world depend on it for energy?, that country places its hand around everyone’s neck.”

“That’s why they don’t want new countries possessing nuclear energy?” Smith asked.

Zeil nodded slowly.

“Some fear nuclear weapons, and some simply don’t want to lose their place at the top of the table.”

Then he spat on the ground disdainfully.

“The damned world wasn’t fair even before the apocalypse.”

Smith stepped over the spit on the ground in disgust, then raised his head to stare at the intensely bright sun. He found it strange how the temperature was extremely high as though it were summer even though the current season was winter!.

He loosened the collar of his blue shirt slightly to let some air, even if it too was hot, touch his sweaty body.

“Mr. Eric, if you don’t mind, what exactly is your latent power?”

Smith’s sudden question stopped their small conversation.

When the fat man saw everyone’s eyes turn toward him, he flinched nervously.

“Umm, forget it, I shouldn’t have asked such a personal question.”

“No. Don’t worry, I don’t mind. Umm how should I describe it...”

“My ability is called the tanker. It’s a defense type. I can form another layer over my skin.”

“Cool...”

“Are you bulletproof?”

“Hmm, actually I’ve never tried it before. I mean knives can’t injure me but bullets... no, I don’t think my ability is that strong. But Mandy over there can block bullets.”

Smith followed the direction Eric pointed his head toward and saw that this Mandy was a tall woman in her thirties, like a towering mountain. She wore a completely black cloak covering her head.

Mandy was unaware she was being watched. She was speaking with another teenage female.

The two of them were the only females in the group.

Smith wanted to ask more, but they had already reached the exit leading outside the apartment complex which was one of the largest residential gatherings in the city.