Trash in the Apocalypse

Chapter 214: Punks, Not Dead

A luxurious black SUV drove out from a villa followed by a caravan of military vehicles. The soldiers guarding the perimeter latched on the trucks and hopped inside to take a seat. This cycle repeated as the black SUV led them out of the subdivision.

On the subdivision's exit, numerous military trucks were parked in the middle of the road and used as a blockade to slow down carriers. When the commander saw the black SUV, he signaled his men to pack up and leave out of here.

With their addition, the black SUV became the center of the caravan protected in front and the rear.

An old bald man checked the time from his old wristwatch and grew displeased by something. He leaned back to rest his head on the seat as he emptied his mind.

Marianne who was seated beside the old man glared without blinking even once. In the end, Marianne couldn't take it anymore and started the conversation.

"Uncle, where did you send Carl?" asked Marianne as she shifted to a position where her movements became more comfortable with the dress she was wearing.

The old man didn't turn to her nor opened his eyes. Marianne continued to pester the bald old man but couldn't get him to answer back. 

The convoy stopped at an intersection on the national road and waited for something or someone.

Jun lowered his body and dashed in zigzagging lines. The Minute Stones that he sneakily took out from his dimensional storage were thrown on casually on both left and right sides. He doesn't really expect to kill them with these and just wanted to gain some time to deal with Carl.

Due to his immediate action, he quickly reached the five-meter range to lunge and strike at Carl when a sudden barrage of gunfire echoed.

The soldiers were already briefed about the target and Jun was described as a dangerous and hot-headed one. They already assumed that the target wouldn't listen to them as they fired preemptively.

This was Carl's makeshift elite team from the start of the apocalypse and there short time together didn't hinder their cooperation.

Unfortunately, although they knew that Jun wouldn't listen to them there was nothing that they could do to apprehend him.

The Minute Stones that bounced a few times after rolling on the ground instantly grew in size blocking the gunshots from behind Carl. Jun knew that the safest place would be in front of Carl since no one would shoot him from the back. If he was able to stick like glue in front of Carl and successfully blocks both sides, then he would win without a doubt.

He took out his Warhammer and swung wildly at Carl.

"Stop! Hey idiot! I'm not here to fight! Can you stop for a moment!"

Carl continued dodging and every time the Warhammer barely missed him, his fatigues would slightly get torn.

Carl kept his hand raised and didn't take out any weapon. Though Jun was still doubtful, Carl being able to remain calm even with the risk of his life made him hesitate and think things thoroughly.

Carl noticed his hesitation and called for a ceasefire on both sides.

Jun saw his actions but took this chance to close the distance and grabbed Carl's fatigues.

Carl has been dividing his stat distribution with power and speed. Even with the additional stat essence he absorbed, he was still way behind by Jun in terms of additional stats.

Jun pulled Carl towards him and grabbed his neck. He took notice of the soldiers positioning and used Carl as a hostage. He then whispered grudgingly, "We had an agreement. I won't do anything to get close to her and you'll let her live her life the way she wanted. Is that man's word still worth something?" The grip he had on Carl's neck tightened then he calmly asked. "Where is Marianne?"

The team sneakily moved to the sides to get a better angle on Jun. Carl tapped Jun's hand after feeling some difficulty in breathing.

Jun loosened up which allowed Carl to voice out his thoughts. 

"They're waiting for us. We need to go." Carl said.

"What do you mean?"

"Can you let go of me? Thank you." Carl massaged his neck and hurriedly called back his subordinates. "Stand down. I've got this."

Carl continued. "Mr. Celestine's promise remains. I did not take Marianne away from you, she came willingly and that's her own decision. If you have any doubts, you can talk to her when you meet her. But for now, we need to go. They're waiting for us and this town isn't as safe as it looks like."

Jun eyed Carl whether he was speaking the truth. He glanced around and surveyed his surroundings contemplating the choices that he could make.

"It's a bit hard to digest what you're telling me. Actually, you haven't really told me what's going on. Why are you guys in a rush? Besides, don't you think the welcome you gave me is a bit... "

"Believe me. If we wanted you dead, you would have died the moment you opened that gate's door. Every member of this team is an elite marksman with matching skills. They could easily lock target on you and if you run out of tricks to play, you would die immediately." Carl explained then said sarcastically, "Can we go now? We can talk on the road. The priority is to get moving. Let's go!"

"Sure, but let's settle something first."

Jun hurriedly walked towards Carl and sent a punch straightforwardly. Carl tried to dodge by moving his head back but Jun's base speed was higher and together with his other bonuses, the punch instantly reached his face.

The knuckles hit and created a slight thud. It didn't deal much damage since everyone's body was enhanced but it mostly dealt mental frustration on Carl's part.

"That's for sneakily taking my girl. Now, lead the way."

Carl licked his lips feeling pissed. He glared at Jun's back but remained composed as he ordered his subordinates to calm down and lower their guns.

The guns were mainly to frighten Jun and so he could stand on the higher ground. The only mistake he had was his lack of information on Jun's current power level and state of mind. 

The information he had on Jun was seven days old and many things could happen in seven days. The people that Jun had to kill, the ones he had to ignore since he was in a hurry, the decisions he had to make along the way. Those things created a different Jun from a week ago.

Carl could also notice those changes. He knew Jun as someone who acts jolly and sarcastic like a little immature kid. Making stupid remarks that no one likes or cares about. Now? The man still felt like that little immature kid, that one kid that still makes sarcastic remarks but has now incredible power to do what he wants. 

Jun kneeled down beside the headless bodies that he killed earlier, and looted their bodies.

When Carl saw him looting those R0 Carriers, he became annoyed. "Can you not do that? We can't be wasting time here." he tapped Jun's shoulders and called for him to stand up. He ordered his subordinates to pave the way towards their trucks 

When Jun ignored his call, Carl couldn't help but ask: "What are you even doing?"

Jun didn't turn to look at him and simply replied while continuing looting the headless bodies. "I'm looking for my mother. I'm praying and hoping that she isn't one of this."

Jun moved to the next one after successfully looting the carrier's body. Just like usual, the information screen popped up when he placed his hand on the next woman's body.

[Narlyn Yanit - Dead]

- Died from a stab wound from behind.

- Killed after Health reached zero from getting its head cleaved off its neck.

- Not enough energy to reanimate.

- Essence not found. The body cannot recharge from the energy source.

Jun stared at the name, then moved to the next one. He spent two minutes since he declined Carl's offer to help because they weren't friends.

After looting the last dead woman, Jun stood up and inhaled deeply.

"Haa." Jun took three deep breaths before turning to Carl. "Let's go."

The two jogged and followed the soldiers who already paved the way. They traveled into a secluded parking lot and made a beeline for the military trucks parked at the center.

There were numerous abandoned cars parked at the parking lot. The military trucks were parked on the other side since they couldn't push through the clogged entrance filled with cars that crashed on each other.

As they traveled further, Jun noticed that his IDSearch detected several unknown individuals hidden inside those abandoned cars.

It's normal for people to hide or sleep inside a car, but what confuses him was the repeated blinking of their name tags.

A question mark would appear then disappear, then reappear once more. Are they on the brink of death? Should they hurry and help them? Can they even be saved?

Jun was thinking a lot of questions when the name tags suddenly stayed on. He quickly called for a halt and the soldier's turned to him in confusion.

Carl walked towards him and was about to say something when he got shushed by Jun.

"Do you have other cars?" asked Jun.

"No, why?" Carl replied instantaneously. He then noticed the wary expression on Jun's face, so he decided to observe the parking lot.

Except for a few open doors that weren't open earlier when they passed through those cars, there was nothing else of significant changes.

Carl turned back to Jun only to hear him say: "Get ready!" and armed himself with a shield that could only be seen in medieval movies and the Warhammer he used earlier.

Even the soldiers were confused at Jun's sudden exclamation, so they searched the surroundings for enemies.

At the same time, Carl turned his gaze back to the parking lot and saw people coming out of numerous cars. These people appeared crazed as black patterns coiled around their arms and faces. Their eyes were a deep shade of black and their bodies clothed properly with shirts but looking dirty and untidy at the same time.

There were at least a dozen of these people jumping out of their hiding spots. Right, people. Its because they stared at their group and acted like they aren't scared even though they were only holding clubs and knives.

Other probable terms for these people in the past were goths and punks.

One of them who wore a torn black leather jacket stared at Carl with derision. He spat on the ground and wiped his nose before grinning weirdly.