Novel The Apocalypse Smuggler

Hello, I'm writing a story called "The Apocalypse Smuggler", you can also read this story at https://www.dreame.com/story/3836158976-the-apocalypse-smuggler

Synopsis

Never in Aiden Cox’s wildest dreams did he think that his online shopping would give him a ring that allowed him to travel to the future.

In the post-apocalyptic world, valuables such as gold and diamond had become as worthless as trash, and food was the only currency that worked across the board. Luckily for Aiden, food was the one thing he did not lack.

A bag of gold for just a backpack of snacks? Cha-ching!

A cute babe for just a dozen kilograms of bread? Cha-ching!

An evolution shot for just a couple of canned beef? Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching!

While burying his face between a pair of warm, succulent t**s, Aiden thought wryly to himself: In the Wasteland, he who owns the food is king!

Genre: Sci-fi, Psychological, Drama, Contemporary, Romance

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Chapter 10 (Slightly NSFW)
• Chapter 11
• Chapter 12

 

Chapter 1: Beauty and the Zombies

“Heeeeeeeeeeeeelp!”

A white-faced Aiden screamed at the top of his lungs as he desperately urged his feet to move faster. He was currently being chased by four ridiculously agile zombies, and they were close enough that he could smell the rot on their bodies. It was like having a pack of hungry wolves nipping at his heels. The fact that he was carrying a backpack was not helping much, either.

His situation was not entirely hopeless, however. There was a small settlement just a short distance ahead of him, and he could tell it was inhabited. Perhaps he could get help from there?

A million thoughts were running through Aiden’s confused mind when a stunningly gorgeous girl suddenly dashed out of a nearby alley and raised a gun in his direction. Before he could shout, bullets whizzed past him, and the sound of gunshots rang out in the area.

Aiden skidded to a stop and looked behind him. All four zombies had dropped to the ground with a hole in each of their heads. He exhaled shakily. That was it, he supposed. Heart still pounding like a jackhammer, he turned around to thank the girl, only to find that the gun was now pressed against his brow.

“Name?” she asked.

“Aiden Cox,” he replied, eyes crossing as he fearfully looked at the gun.

“Gender?”

“... Seriously? Can’t you tell yourself?”

Aiden could not help but roll his eyes a little. At the same time, the word “airhead” popped into his mind.

The girl did not care for his antics, however. She rebuked, “Do you want me to pull the trigger? Cut the bullshit and answer my question! What is your gender?”

He rolled his eyes again but obediently grunted, “Male.”

“Age?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Why did you show up near our settlement, and what’s that you’re carrying behind your back?”

The woman might have been holding him at gunpoint, but Aiden noticed that her attention had been on his backpack the entire time. He took a moment to choose his words before answering, “Would you believe me if I told you I had lost my way? As for the contents of my backpack, it’s all food. Would you like to have some?”

Aiden put his backpack on the ground and unzipped it. He then grabbed a bag of biscuits, put on the most genuine expression he could muster, and offered it to the girl.

There were a couple of reasons why he had chosen to do this. For starters, the girl had a gun pointed at his head, and she could shoot him any time she wanted if he was not careful. Two, she was at least an eight out of ten, be it in terms of looks or body shape. Her sports-like attire—a small blouse and a pair of hot pants—especially made her look even sexier than she already was. Did this mean sex appeal was as important a factor as his own survival when making certain decisions in his life? All he could say was, he pleads the fifth.

“Food? You want to offer me food?” repeated the girl in suspicion before accepting the bag of biscuits, though her doubts immediately evaporated when she tore open its wrapping and took a tentative sniff. Saliva filled her mouth, and her stomach growled like an engine. Starvation was among the most common occurrences in the Wasteland, and she had not eaten a single thing for the last two days.

The girl gulped down her saliva before pinning a biscuit between her teeth. Then, she slowly and carefully gave it a tentative chew.

Boom!

She thought she heard something, but it was just her brain exploding at the assault of flavor on her taste buds. Like a man who just discovered a whole new continent, she threw all caution to the wind and chowed down like her very life depended on it. In less than a minute, every biscuit in the plastic bag had vanished into her stomach.

Aiden could not help but gape at the girl. It was not every day he saw a girl eating, no, inhaling her food like a vacuum cleaner after all.

When the girl finally noticed Aiden’s expression, she turned red and as she said, “S-sorry, it was so tasty, and I just couldn’t… control myself…”

The girl lowered her gun as she stuttered out an apology. Her wariness toward Aiden had decreased considerably as well.

Got you. Aiden smirked in his head after he was certain that his plan to lower the girl’s gun and her guard had succeeded. As he began plotting his next move, the girl shot another glance at his backpack before asking in a hesitant tone, “You said you were lost, right? Where are you going? I’m fairly familiar with this area. I may be able to direct you to wherever you need to go.”

“Er… to be honest with you, I don’t really have a specific destination in mind. I’m a trader whose goal is to trade with whoever I may encounter along my path, such as you. Take the biscuits I just gave you for example. Will you believe me if I say I have a lot more on hand? Not only that, biscuits are hardly the only variety of food I have.

“To put it shortly, I belong to a certain organization. We aren’t lacking in food, but we’re in short supply of many other things. That’s why they sent me over to look for possible trading partners. Do you understand now?”

Aiden watched the girl’s expression closely as he lied to her face. A couple of days ago, while he was shopping online, he came upon a mysterious ring that allowed him to travel to this apocalyptic world by complete accident. Since then, he had been plotting how best to make use of his unexpected fortune. After several days of careful investigation, he finally decided on the cover he would use when speaking to a denizen of this world.

What was the most valuable item in a post-apocalyptic world crawling with zombies?

Food, of course!

As long as he had food, Aiden was certain he could obtain anything he wanted from this world.

The girl mused, “I’ve never heard of an organization that doesn’t lack food before, but then again, I’ve never met someone like you either, so… is your org recruiting or something? I can be your guide! I’m very familiar with this neighborhood, and I can help you with anything you may need! My fee is absolutely affordable as well. All I ask from you is ten… no, fifteen bags of the biscuits you gave me for one month of service! What do you say?”

Her expression had turned hopeful by the time her rambling finally came to an end. However, Aiden was too stunned to notice it.

I can buy a cute babe like her for just fifteen bags of biscuits? Am I in paradise right now?

Aiden’s Affection Toward This World +5!

After Aiden returned from his daydream, he broke into a grin and said, “My org isn’t recruiting right now, but… a guide, huh? That’s not a bad idea. I have no idea who you are, though. I can’t possibly recruit a complete stranger to be my guide, now can I?”

He had to hide a snicker when he saw the look of bafflement on the girl’s face.

“That’s fair, I suppose. What do you wish to know about me?” she finally asked.

“First things first: name?”

“What?”

“Your name is what?”

“N-no, I mean, my name is Lulu. Lulu Williams.”

“Gender?”

She glared at him. “... Really now?”

“You don’t want this job, I see. Very well, see you la—”

“Female! I’m female!”

This time, the smirk was visible on Aiden’s face.

“Age?”

“Nineteen.”

Aiden nodded in satisfaction when the girl surrendered to the absolute authority that was food. “I see, I see. Okay! You’ve been hired for fifteen bags of biscuits per month. Honestly, it would be a disservice to your big j—I mean, jammies to do otherwise.”

The girl looked down at her small blouse with a confused expression. Sure, she slept in this outfit from time to time, but “big” was not the word she would use to describe what she was wearing. Was there something wrong with his eyes?

After the duo had come to an agreement, Lulu guided Aiden into the settlement he had seen earlier. Now that he was inside, he decided that the term “refugee camp” was a better fit than settlement. It was a tiny place made up of seventy to eighty or so shacks that were put together in a haphazard fashion. Barbed wires were placed, and trenches were dug at the periphery of the settlement as protection, though even through his untrained eyes, he could tell that there was no way in hell this level of fortification was enough to stop even the smallest of dangers. They existed purely to give the inhabitants some peace of mind.

The settlement was small, shabby, and looked prone to collapsing at the slightest breeze of danger, and yet even a place like this had a name of its own and quite an unusual one at that. It was called “Squirrel D”.

 

Chapter 2: Terribly Profitable

Aiden had not known Lulu for long, but he could already tell she was a diligent and responsible guide. Since the moment they stepped into the settlement, Aiden had been keeping a close eye on his surroundings. At the same time, he was plotting his future sales. However, it turned out his worries were mostly unfounded.

Lulu was quite the popular figure in the settlement, as evidenced by the fact that she had not stopped greeting people since they came inside. As far as he was aware, he could not recall a single person who looked at her unfavorably. Moreover, she was able to explain each part of the settlement concisely to him.

After they had reached the end of their mini tour, Lulu stopped at a certain shack and said, “This shack here is where I live, and that’s it. You now have a rough idea of our settlement. Our place is small, but we have everything you might need to make a basic living. So, what is it that you wish to trade with your food? Just give me a list, and—provided that the settlement has it—I promise to get you anything you need!”

Aiden gulped as Lulu slapped her chest in confidence and unintentionally gave him quite the jiggly show. He barely forced himself to look away before asking, “Before that, I’d like to know how your people normally conduct their trade. Ah, that’s a bit unclear, isn’t it? What I mean to ask is, do you have a currency you usually use, or…?”

Lulu looked surprised. She shook her head before answering, “Currency? No, there’s none. It’s been ten years since the Cataclysm occurred, and the order across the entire globe has collapsed. Naturally, it isn’t possible to maintain any sort of a financial system at all. These days, we only trade via bartering.”

Aiden hummed. “I see… alright, I have another job for you. I want you to take my backpack, run around the settlement a little, and trade my food for as much gold and silver as you can get. Er, you do know what gold and silver are, right?”

Lulu wore a puzzled expression on her face as she accepted the backpack. “Gold and silver? Why would you want that? I grant you they’re pretty valuable pre-Cataclysm, but these days, their worth is about as much as the rock beside your feet. Literally no one would be interested in those things.”

I never got to answer her question. Right as she finished her sentence, she pulled down the zipper of the backpack and saw its contents. It was stuffed to the gills with all kinds of food!

Her eyes widened, and her breathing suddenly became a lot faster. Even her face had become flushed with excitement.

Aiden let out a cough and began making up a lot more bullshit. “Ahem, this is my first trade ever in this settlement, right? What I physically get out of this is really less important than the trust I get to build with y’all and the long and fruitful transactions that will be founded atop those trusts, you understand? A-anyway, just do as I say. If you get the job done, I’ll give you ten percent of the food in this backpack as your commission. Don’t worry; I’ll count it separately from your guide’s fee. I’ll wait at your shack while you’re busy. Just find me there when you’re done with everything.”

Lulu looked dumbfounded for a moment. Then, her expression turned serious all of a sudden. “Do you… truly have this much faith in me? We literally met just a moment ago, and you’re going to put this much food in my hands? I could just steal them all and deal a severe blow to your business, you know? Aren’t you afraid of the consequences at all?”

She was holding the backpack in a death grip and staring straight into his eyes. She clearly would not budge until she received a satisfactory answer.

This time, it was Aiden’s turn to be dumbfounded. He cocked his head to one side and thought seriously.

A severe blow to my business? It’s just a hundred bucks worth of snacks, though…

… Actually, it is pretty serious. I just lost my job a while ago, and while losing a hundred bucks won’t kill me outright, I was planning to use the profits to pay off a week of expenses. It would suck if she stole my stuff, or whatever she got me turned out to be worthless trash.

Yeah, I should make an effort to keep her devoted to me… subtly, of course.

Thus, Aiden shot Lulu a sunny smile and said, “Of course, I trust you. How can I conduct business if I can’t even put some trust in my own business partner? As I told you before, my org isn’t lacking in food, and this is just the first trade. If everything goes well, then there will be many more such transactions between me and your settlement in the future. You’re a smart girl. Surely, you won’t kill the golden goose that lays the golden egg, right?”

Aiden himself could not believe in the bullshit he was spouting, and yet Lulu listened to every word with the utmost attention. When he finished speaking, she nodded seriously and replied with a somber determination, “Don’t worry, I won’t betray your trust. Please wait at the shack. I promise to make it back in two hours at most!”

It was not an oath, but it might as well be one, judging from her tone and expression. The fact that she was clutching the backpack like she was clutching the world itself caused even him to wonder for a second if he had gone too far.

Then he flushed his sliver of pity down the metaphorical toilet in his mind.

It’s a hundred bucks, man! It ain’t a small amount, man!

After Lulu had gone away to perform her task, Aiden cheerily entered her shack and plopped down on her bed. Since he had two hours of free time, he might as well spend it reading the inner walls of the shack, the old newspapers which had been tacked onto them, to be exact. Lulu had probably done it to keep the wind from slipping through the cracks, and he was fine with that. He was just wondering how best to obtain more information regarding this strange, new world, and the answer turned out to be closer than he had imagined.

Two hours passed by in the blink of an eye. Aiden was still lying on the bed, but his expression was now riddled with disbelief, shock, and possibly even a smidgen of existential crisis.

The walls were covered with newspapers. Lulu had probably done it to keep the light and wind from shining in. The important thing here was their content, however. If the dates were to be believed, he was 200 years in the future.

That meant the ring had really teleported him through time, not space.

The reason Earth had declined to this state was due to a nuclear war that had engulfed the entire world.

Tens of thousands of nuclear missiles had been fired all across the world to plant mushroom clouds of all shapes and sizes, and the resulting outcome was the complete transformation of the planet’s ecosystem and the death of at least half of the global population.

A surprising amount of flora and fauna had escaped extinction, but the radiation, which covered a large majority of the continent, had mutated them into something… more.

Today, the world had transformed into something straight out of post-apocalyptic fiction.

Zombies, mutants, monsters, you name it, it was there. Long story short, there was not a corner on this Earth that was not painted in death and bloodshed.

Aiden was deep in thought when the door suddenly swung inward. It was a sweat-covered Lulu returning with his backpack behind her back. It could not possibly be his food she was carrying, though, because it looked like she was straining under its weight. In fact, the backpack had made a loud thud when Lulu dropped it right next to his feet.

Aiden instinctively looked down at his backpack. There was so much inside to the point that the zippers could not be pulled up. He looked closer and—

Thump!

His heart skipped a beat, and he blanked out for a second.

It was because the backpack was filled to the brim with gold and a small amount of silver!

Although he already guessed from Lulu’s reaction that food was worth a fortune in this world, never in his wildest dreams did he imagine it would net him an entire backpack of valuable metals!

This time, it was his turn to breathe rapidly.

He subconsciously picked up a gold bar and took a moment to examine it. Its surface was flawless—which meant it had no identifier that could be traced—and it weighed heavily on his hand. It shone brightly despite the somewhat dim lighting of the shack. As far as he could tell, it was as genuine as it could be.

Aiden gulped.

I see now. It seems it’s my duty, nay, my destiny, to save this world from famine. Who else can provide them with the food they need? Who else can provide me with the valuables I need? Who else can line my pockets with so much cash I can light a stack and choke in its—anyway, the point is this world needs me, and I’m more than happy to oblige!

“I can’t say for sure, but I think that’s all the gold and silver our settlement has. No one collects them because they’re utterly useless for our survival or our purposes. In fact, the gold and silver I’ve collected can’t be compared to the food you brought, which is why I got a Grade 1 Power Booster for you as well,” said Lulu while putting a syringe containing some sort of azure-colored liquid in Aiden’s hand.

She continued, “You’re obviously just an ordinary human. You’re not a Powered, and you’re definitely not an Evolved. I don’t know how you made it to our settlement without even a weapon in your hands, but the Wasteland is rife with dangers. Luck won’t protect you forever, and it's only a matter of time before you’ll need to protect yourself with your own power.

“I would’ve gotten you something better, but unfortunately, this is the best our tiny settlement can afford. This is one of the handful of serums we have left in the entire settlement. We’ll probably have to travel to the nearby town and replenish our supply later. Anyway, the serum’s purity is pretty high, so you simply need to inject it into your body for it to take effect. Finally, I’m aware this isn’t what you requested at the beginning, but it’s the only way I can think of to compensate for all the food you’ve given us. I hope my discretion doesn’t bother you.”

Aiden was quite distracted for a number of reasons, but he had enough presence of mind to say, “I understand your worries, but you shouldn’t underestimate the power of science, my org’s, most of all. I'm never in danger when I travel back and forth to my destination. It’s the trading part where my troubles begin because, you know, the unknown is dangerous, and the danger is unknown and all that.”

 

Chapter 3: Power Booster

Aiden nearly sprained his waist when he slipped his arms inside the straps and hauled the backpack over his back. The weight only made his grin wider, however.

“I’m happy to declare that our first trade is a massive success. Now, I’m going to head back to my org and report my findings. If all goes well, I'll return tomorrow for your paycheck and to continue working with your settlement,” said Aiden with a bit of strain in his voice.

Lulu did not really understand Aiden’s claim regarding his org’s “power of science” or how it would protect him when traveling to and from his destination. She had only known the man for a couple of hours, and he had already proven himself to be a man of many secrets. That was fine, though. After all, people like him were a dime a dozen in the Wasteland. As far as Lulu was concerned, Aiden could keep all the secrets he wanted as long as he kept the food coming.

After Aiden had exited the settlement, he jumped behind a tree and observed his surroundings for a moment. Once he confirmed there was no one around him, he mentally ordered his ring to return him to his world.

The scenery before his eyes blurred for a second. The next moment, he was inside his bedroom once more!

Aiden lived in a small apartment in Warburton, the capital city of Lardun. His room measured about a dozen or so square meters, and it only had a bed, a table, and a chair. Despite that, the rent was so high that he seriously considered leaving and staying in the park after he was sacked some time ago. The only reason he still hung around was because he had roommates whom he could share the burden with.

Of course, thanks to the miraculous, time-traveling ring he had gotten out of nowhere, none of this was a problem anymore. If the bag of gold and silver on his back and his uncontrollable giddiness were anything to go by, his first business venture was definitely a massive success.

Now, the real question was… how should he convert the gold and silver into actual income?

He didn’t possess any receipt or invoice that could prove he had legally acquired his precious metals, which meant he could never go to a bank and trade his gold bars for cash.

For now, his plan was to trade with a jewelry store, though he had to think it through first. After all, he couldn’t just unload all of his precious metals in one store unless he wanted to scare the living shit out of the jeweler.

While pondering on the details of his plan, Aiden took out about a dozen gold bars from his backpack and stuffed the rest under his bed. After covering up the gold bars with old newspaper and stuffing them into a plastic bag, he took out the syringe Lulu had given him and examined it carefully.

It could be a trick of the eye, but the azure-colored liquid in the syringe barrel almost looked alive.

For a few minutes, Aiden just stared at the so-called “Power Booster” with a conflicted look on his face.

I have no idea what this is beyond what Lulu told me. Is it really safe for me to inject an unknown substance into my body?

Common sense told him to regard it with suspicion, but it also told him that Lulu had no incentive to harm him at all. Losing him would mean losing a constant supply of food, and in the Wasteland, food was everything.

“Still, it could’ve come with a manual or something. User experience is important, man,” mumbled Aiden.

He was stalling because he was afraid, but at the same time, he could not help but wonder, what if the risk was insignificant at worst?

In the end, curiosity got the better of him, and he decided to take a gamble. He plunged the needle into his arm.

It barely took a second to pump all the contents of the syringe into his body. Aiden clenched his fist after extracting the needle, but he felt no different from usual.

He was wondering if the effects were going to take some time to appear when suddenly, every inch of his body was racked by constant, overwhelming pain. His shirt instantly became drenched in sweat, and it felt like his muscles were reforming themselves at a cellular level.

The agony lasted for a few minutes before it finally faded. By the time the pain was completely gone, Aiden had looked and felt like he had just weathered a downpour.

Aiden ran straight into the bathroom. He was curious about the Power Booster’s effect, yes, but right now, only one thought dominated his mind: the urge to get the hell out of his filthy clothes and wash himself. So, he ignored the overflowing strength coursing through his body as he turned on the shower. It was not until he had washed every bead of sweat from his body that he grabbed the towel and moved in front of the mirror. He was about to wipe himself dry when he noticed his own reflection and froze.

The man in the mirror was almost unrecognizable. He sported a V-shaped body and an eight pack, neither of which Aiden had before. In contrast, his flabby gut, his skinny arms, his corpulent thighs, and more… all of it had been replaced with tight skin and powerful muscles that looked like they were chiseled out of marble. If he covered his handsome face and took a picture with his phone, he might be able to convince himself he fucking looked like Cristiano Ronaldo.

Is this really my body?

Is this the true power of the Power Booster? The so-called lousiest, Grade 1 Power Booster, no less?

What would happen if I injected myself with a better Power Booster?

His heart began itching the moment the thought fleeted in his mind. Utterly distracted by his newly transformed body, he completely missed the noise of someone unlocking the front door until he had stepped out of the bathroom.

The door swung open, and a young, beautiful girl stepped into the apartment. Her name was Anita Frey, and she was one of his roommates. She was the same age as him and an aspiring actor. Unfortunately, she was only ever hired as an extra, and on the days she did not even have that, she had to work part-time jobs to make ends meet.

Meeting Anita’s eyes snapped Aiden back to reality, and he instinctively blurted, “Huh? You’re back earlier than usual. Weren’t you auditioning for a role?”

Anita let out a tired sigh.

“There was an incident. Long story short, I failed.” She paused for a second before continuing, “Look, I’m very impressed by how toned your body is, and to be honest, I can’t believe I missed it, considering all the clothes you normally wear, but it’s not very polite to be naked in a shared area like the living room, now is it?”

It was only then that Aiden remembered he was naked and realized that Anita’s gaze had been glued to his eight pack this entire time. He looked down at his body before flushing as red as a tomato!

“S-sorry!” He exclaimed before making a mad dash for his bedroom.

Bang!

Anita looked positively saddened when the door shut after Aiden. At the same time, she rubbed her nose while mumbling to herself, “Shame, shame. If only the director for today’s audition was as fit as Aiden was, then I might’ve considered the other option… nah.”

She giggled to herself before finally entering the bathroom to wash away the day’s fatigue.

Back to Aiden, the young man currently felt like digging a hole and burying himself in it.

I can't believe I talked to her naked! What if she thought I was a pervert, an exhibitionist, or something else worse? Should I buy her dinner later? Explain to her that I was distracted and stuff?

A million jumbled thoughts flooded Aiden’s mind as he put on some new pants and a shirt before grabbing his bag of gold bars. Opening the door cautiously, he heard the sound of water running from the bathroom. He let out a sigh of relief and cleared his throat before saying, “I’m heading out, Anita. When I get back, is it okay if I treat you to dinner? I–er… I’d like to apologize to you…”

“Sure! I see no reason to turn down a treat. That being said, I don’t think you need to apologize at all. If anything, I’m the one who should be thanking you for brightening my day with some eye candy,” ended Anita with a meaningful giggle.

Not daring to continue the conversation, Aiden hurriedly put on his shoes and bolted through the front door.

It had been exactly three months since he came to share an apartment with Anita and another girl. Unlike your usual roommate relationship, they were fairly close with each other, probably because they were all easy going people. They never fussed over minor matters, and they always watched out for one another if they could help it. They were less like roommates and more like friends. That was why they rarely jumped to conclusions even when unfortunate situations such as Aiden’s unintentional exposure occurred.

After making an awkward exit, Aiden stood in front of his apartment entrance and took out his phone. He searched on a map a bit until he found a non-retail jewelry store. For obvious reasons, a retail jewelry store—especially a reputable one—was less likely to purchase jewelry of dubious origin, not because they had more integrity than their less reputable competitors, but because people who worked there were just employees who received a regular paycheck. These people were usually, for good reasons, unwilling to break the rules and regulations just to make a quick buck.

Privately owned jewelry stores had no such qualms. In fact, trades like this were considered low-risk and high-reward for them. They had absolutely no reason to turn down his gold.

Aiden’s footsteps quickened at the thought of sweet, sweet cash. However, he soon found himself distracted by something else. He did not really notice back in the apartment, but his body was positively overflowing with strength. Not only that, the world seemed much clearer than it was before! That was not all. His sense of hearing, smell, and touch had all been boosted considerably!

For the time being, there was no way of knowing exactly how much stronger he had become, but he could tell that the improvement to his physique was comprehensive.

The Wasteland was a post-apocalyptic world where a nuclear war had turned the entire planet into one giant ruin. Even so, the Power Booster was proof that its technology level in certain areas was far superior to his world’s. It was 200 years more advanced, after all. Even if most of its technology did not survive the nuclear war, those that did were still as amazing!

I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch, but I believe there is a massive opportunity that I can exploit here.

By the time Aiden returned from his musings, he was already standing at the private jewelry store entrance.

He took a moment to collect himself before stepping inside.

 

Chapter 4: That Profit Margin

The jewelry store was by no means a big store, which explained why only two sales assistants greeted Aiden when he stepped inside.

"Is your boss present right now? I have some gold bars I’d like to trade, and the sum is bigger than normal. I need to speak to him in person," said Aiden with a smile.

Both sales assistants looked surprised, but one of them recovered quickly and nodded. “He is, please wait a moment. I’ll go get him.”

The sales assistant vanished into the staff break area. A moment later, he returned with an ordinary-looking, middle-aged man with steady footsteps.

The middle-aged man shook Aiden’s hand before opening the plastic bag on the counter. When he unfolded the newspaper and found several gold bars staring back at him, he raised an eyebrow. He picked one up to examine it. A short while later, in a kind voice, he said to Aiden, “I need to verify its purity. Is that okay with you, friend?”

“Of course. Do as you please,” replied Aiden indifferently.

Gold and silver were completely worthless in the Wasteland. Therefore, Aiden did not bother to consider the possibility of his gold bars being impure or fake as he was confident they were real.

He was right. When the tests were over, the jeweler confirmed that all of the gold bars were pure gold.

“Your gold bars are in pretty good quality. Each one weighs 200 grams, which makes fifteen bars equal to 3,000 grams. If you have a formal invoice, I can offer you a scrap price of 60 dollars per gram.”

The middle-aged man watched Aiden’s expression closely as he made his offer.

Aiden knew exactly what the jeweler was thinking about, so he put on a poised smile and said, “No need to play games with me. I can tell you right now that these gold bars have no invoice or receipt whatsoever. You have nothing to worry about, though, because I can also promise you they’re one hundred percent clean. They won't bring any trouble to your doorstep at all.”

The jeweler was not in the slightest surprised nor fooled by Aiden’s answer. Perhaps the gold bars really were as clean as he claimed, but the very fact that the boy had come to him instead of a retail jewelry store meant they were goods that could not be traded the legitimate way. He was perfectly fine with this, however. All he needed to do was to process and resell these questionable gold bars. The truth was, dealings like this were his jewelry store’s main source of income.

By now, the jeweler man’s mask of calmness was starting to crack. Three thousand grams of gold was worth a lot of money, after all. Still, he assumed a troubled expression before stating, “That’s quite troubling to hear. You can give me all the verbal promises in the world, but it still won’t measure up to a single slip of paper. I’ll have to take a lot of risks if I accept your gold.”

However, Aiden dismissed what he said with a wave of his hand before launching into his own speech. “Look, I know what you’re trying to do. You know what you’re trying to do, so why don’t we just skip the whole process and cut to the chase? Offer me a price, and I’ll take it if I find it acceptable. If not, well, we’re still good, I guess. How does that sound?”

Surprised, the jeweler examined Aiden’s face closely for a moment. Then, he dropped his rather poor act and nodded with a smile. “Very well. I’d like to cut myself some slack as well. My offer is 30 dollars per gram for all the gold you have. If you’re okay with it, then we may begin the transaction right away.”

If 1 gram is worth 30 dollars, then 3,000 grams is worth… 90 grand?

Aiden’s heart started racing uncontrollably. The thing was, he had only brought about one-fifth of all the gold bars he had with him.

Did I seriously trade away a hundred dollars’ worth of snacks to get several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of gold in return?

Despite feeling like he was about to faint from sheer happiness, Aiden still kept his expression perfectly under control. He proceeded to scrunch his eyebrows and voiced out his dissatisfaction. “Really? These are no stolen property, you know. They just lack a due process, is all. It’d be already a sin to shave ten percent of their full value, but fifty percent? Look, let’s make it a nice number and settle at, say, fifty-nine, yeah?”

The jeweler sprung like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “Fifty-nine?! I'm rarely that generous to my wife, and now you want me to be so to you? Hell no!”

And so, the two men engaged in the age-old intercourse known as haggling. Half an hour later, they finally agreed on a price of 42 dollars per gram, or 126,000 dollars in total. Just in case, Aiden loitered at the counter until his phone let out a melodious tone to inform him that his money had been transferred to his bank account. His heart raced again when he saw the wonderful numbers on his screen.

That being said, his expression had not so much as twitched the wrong way as he shook the jeweler’s hand and nodded. “That’s it, then. It’s a pleasure doing business with you.”

The jeweler had also dropped his haggler’s mask in favor of wearing a benevolent smile. “No, the pleasure is all mine. If you have more gold bars you’d like to sell in the future, please don’t hesitate to come back.”

“I certainly won’t,” Aiden said, chuckling before exiting the jewelry store.

The jeweler probably thought he meant he would be coming back, but he really meant the opposite. Although there was still a bag of gold beneath his bed, it would be stupid to offload them all to a single jewelry store. For his own safety, he must visit different private jewelry stores and transact no more than 200,000 dollars’ worth of gold at a time with each of them. Only then could he stay under the radar.

Some people might be satisfied with this amount of profits, but not Aiden. It was because he knew that a couple of hundred grand was barely a splash in Warburton. For example, the priciest house in the area was valued at an obscene 30 grand per square meter. With the profits he just made, even a toilet would not be possible to buy.

Suddenly, Aiden thought he should reevaluate his life goals.

It was unrealistic to think he could continue trading food for gold and selling them to jewelry stores forever. While the profit margin was admittedly insane, it was only a matter of time before he hit a certain wealth threshold and fell under all kinds of official and unofficial scrutiny.

He needed a way to legalize his income, and the best idea that immediately came to mind was to start up a business on this side of the world. Of course, he would have to carefully choose the industry he wanted to dabble in. After all, it would not make sense to build a business in an industry that could not make use of the benefits he gained from the Wasteland, right?

Suddenly, his phone rang, breaking his chain of thoughts. He took a look at the phone number and discovered it was a call from his university roommate, Rex Fence.

“Hey, man. What's with the sudden phone call? You miss me or something?” Aiden greeted light-heartedly.

He had lived with six roommates when he was studying at the university, but Rex was the only person who stuck by him until the end. Just like him, Rex had chosen to grind in Warburton after graduation.

“Are you doing okay, Aiden? Why didn’t you tell me you were fired? If I hadn't run into Rebecca this morning, I’d still be in the dark! Do you need money right now? I can spare you some cash! It’s time for you to pay your rent, right?”

The man’s voice was full of care and concern, and Aiden could not help but be touched.

“You’re busy, and I didn’t want to ruin your day if I could help it,” Aiden replied casually. “Besides, it’s not as big of a deal as you think. You don’t need to lend me any money and cut into your meager savings even further. My pockets are fine for the time being. Don’t worry.”

“Fine, my ass! Who was it who borrowed from me to pay the deposit? Sure, you paid back that money in no time, but do you seriously expect me to believe you’re not broke right now? If you still think of me as your friend, then tell me the truth!” responded Rex in a displeased tone.

“No, seriously. I’m fine. In fact, I’m loaded right now. I managed to cut a handsome deal recently, and I got quite the sum of money from it, so I’m fine. You know the kind of person I am! I would’ve called you if I really needed money that bad!” Aiden lied before hurriedly changing the subject. “Speaking of which, how did Rebecca know I lost my job? I haven’t been in contact with her for a while, much less told her about it.”

Rex was quiet for a few seconds before he hesitatingly replied, “It’s that sonuvabitch, Drake, who told her. You know that fucker has always been interested in Rebecca. He practically pounced on the opportunity since the two of you broke up a year ago.

“Also, Rebecca told me that Drake was the reason you were fired from your job without warning. The company you worked for was his family’s. Do you know that?”

 

Chapter 5: It Takes Money To Make Courage

Aiden did not keep Rex on the phone for too long. After repeatedly assuring his buddy that he was, in fact, not in dire need of money, he hung up.

The damage had already been done, though. Memories of Rebecca were now running uncontrollably through his mind.

Rebecca was his first love. They met and fell in love with each other during their freshman year, and their relationship had remained strong and unwavering for the next three years.

However, as they said, good things must come to an end. Not long after the start of their senior year, the couple had broken up on amicable terms. The reason was as real as it was simple: Rebecca had begun to think about her future. She wanted to remain in Warburton and build her future there after graduation, and after careful consideration, she figured out the surest way to do so was to get a well-off boyfriend who resided in the city.

She would have toughed it out with Aiden if his family was wealthy or if the man himself exhibited any sort of exceptional talent. Unfortunately, both her boyfriend and his family were as ordinary as a person could be, and upon realizing it was nigh impossible for Aiden to obtain residency in Warburton, she ultimately cut ties with him.

Aiden did not want to split up with Rebecca, but he soon accepted that he should not stand in the way of her aspirations if he genuinely loved her. In the end, he swallowed his pain and agreed to the separation.

Then, shortly after their break up, Drake started making moves on Rebecca. However, while Drake matched Rebecca’s criteria perfectly, she was aware of his reputation as a playboy. It would have been fine if it was just that, a reputation, but it was not. Drake had gone through a lot of girlfriends before Rebecca, and it was completely unacceptable to her not just because of the obvious but also because she planned to marry her chosen partner. After all, it was the only surefire way to secure permanent residence in Warburton.

Back to the present, it was with a heavy heart and a head full of old memories when Aiden finally returned to his apartment. When he heard the muted sound of light music coming through the gaps of Anita’s door, he subconsciously restrained his movements and snuck back into his room without making any noise. Then, he headed out again after filling his plastic bag with gold bars.

If he were to be completely honest with himself, one of the reasons he had chosen to build his career in Warburton was to prove his worth to Rebecca, but reality was a harsh mistress. If he had not suddenly gained the ability to travel to the Wasteland, next month’s rent alone would probably be enough to end his journey prematurely.

Anyway, despite the unexpected trip down the memory lane, Aiden was able to recollect himself fairly quickly. He focused on the task at hand and spent the entire afternoon traveling to multiple private jewelry stores and converting all of his gold into money.

Each jewelry store gave him different prices, but they were all in the same ballpark. The best price he got was 43.05 dollars per gram, and the worst was 40.8 dollars per gram. When all was said and done, Aiden had added a total of 615,000 dollars to his bank account!

Aiden had never seen so much money in his life. He was so excited he barely stopped himself from dancing on the streets. By the time he finally calmed down, it was already getting late. He remembered his promise to Anita and immediately called her.

“Hey, Anita! Is Lily back yet? If she is, then the two of you should take the subway to White’s Seafood as soon as you can. Yep, you guessed it, that’s the venue for our dinner tonight!”

Anita sounded astonished as her reply came through the speaker. “White’s Seafood? You didn’t knock your head on a lamppost, did you? The food there costs at least 75 dollars per head. Did you hit the jackpot in the lottery or something?”

Aiden cackled a little. “Hehe, something like that. Give me a moment to send you the coordinates, okay?”

“There’s no need to spend that much, Aiden. We can just have a barbeque at a cheaper restaurant,” persuaded Anita. “Oh, by the way, Lily isn’t coming back home tonight. She just sent me a message saying she has to stay behind for OT because it’s the accounting period today. It’ll be midnight even if she manages to wrap up her work early.”

“Is that so? That’s too bad. Next time, then.” Aiden was disappointed, but not that much. Really, he did not think anyone or anything could rain on his parade at the moment. “You, though, are coming to White’s Seafood no matter what. It’s been a while since I could afford to be generous, so there's no need to hold back. Seriously. Anyway, I need to call the restaurant to make a reservation. I’m hanging up now. Bye!”

Aiden immediately hung up to stop Anita from wasting her breath trying to change his mind. After calling White’s Seafood and booking a table, he hailed a taxi and traveled straight to his destination.

The sun was setting, and the clock was ticking closer to rush hour. As a result, vehicles were beginning to flood the major roads of the city, but Aiden did not feel annoyed in the slightest. Up until this point, he had never taken a taxi no matter how far his destination was because he was always short of money. He never even had the “luxury” to be trapped in a traffic jam. Then, he became a hundred-thousandaire in a single day. With that in mind, how could he possibly feel bad about this?

He comfortably leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. Forget getting annoyed; he was going to enjoy this traffic jam for as long as it lasted!

An entire hour later, the taxi finally came to a stop at his destination, White’s Seafood. As it turned out, Anita was already waiting for him at the entrance. He spotted her the moment he set foot outside the car.

It was clear that Anita had put a considerable amount of effort into her appearance. She was dressed in a white one-piece dress that wonderfully complemented her slim waist and long, slender legs. She also wore light but effective makeup that drew attention to her beautiful features. Anita was already a stunning woman in her own right but paired with a good outfit and cosmetics, she was impossible to miss even amidst a crowd.

Her beauty left Aiden slack-jawed for a couple of seconds, the same with all the guys in the vicinity. From teenagers to fully grown-up men, they sneaked glances at her as if to sear her image permanently into their minds. After all, a beauty like her was rare, even in a city full of beautiful people like Warburton.

When Aiden finally recovered from the surprise, he strode up to Anita and scratched his nose awkwardly. “Huh. My eyes must be playing tricks with me. We’ve been sharing an apartment for three months, but I only realized now how lovely you are.”

Anita shot him a playful smirk. “That’s because you were blind until I pried your eyes open with my good looks. Jokes aside, this is the first time you’re taking me to a fancy restaurant. I can’t possibly embarrass you now, can I?”

Aiden looked down at his cheap clothes and said, “You didn’t embarrass me, but I sure feel like I’ve embarrassed you. I could’ve worn something better…”

Anita snorted. “When I rode the train earlier, every guy in the vicinity looked at me like they couldn’t believe their eyes. I could practically hear them thinking, ‘What the hell? Why is this gorgeously-dressed woman taking the subway? Shouldn’t a man be driving her to her destination in a limousine or something?’

“You might think I was flattered, but it was actually the opposite. I wanted to tell those people that even pretty girls need to shit too, and their shit stinks to the high heavens just like everyone else’s. I’m just as human as they are, so why are they treating me like a goddamn peacock? They probably think they’re paying me respect, but what I really think is that they’re looking down on me!

“My point is, just because your clothes are cheap doesn’t mean you look embarrassing, so don’t let anyone or yourself tell you otherwise. It’s a bad habit to have. It can affect your confidence more than you think.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Anita.” Aiden shot her a grateful smile, and she responded by pulling his arm closer. His heart raced as the smooth fabric of her clothes brushed against his skin.

The duo did not stop talking until they had entered the dining hall and sat down at their table. Aiden had considered reserving a private dining room but decided against it since Lily was not coming anyway.

The waiter passed them a menu each, and Anita opened the first page, read the first line and… turned as white as a ghost.

Is it too late to grab Aiden and bolt for the exit?

A glimpse at her expression and Aiden immediately knew she would not be able to make a decision even if he gave her the entire night to think about what to order. So, he took the reins and ordered some of the restaurant's signature dishes, such as Dungeness crabs and a fruit juice for Anita. He would have ordered more if Anita was not blinking rapidly at him like she was experiencing a seizure.

The second the waiter left with their order, Anita immediately pressed both hands onto the table and, in a low voice, scolded, “Have you gone mad?! Of all the places you could’ve had your fill of crab, you choose here? Those two Dungeness crabs alone are worth 150 bucks! This is way outside our price range!”

“Relax, I have plenty of money right now. I can afford two crabs,” assured Aiden with a calm smile on his face.

However, Anita was not convinced.

“That’s not the problem! What I’m trying to say is, there’s no need to spend this much money at all! How do you expect to survive in the capital city if you break the piggy bank open every time you’ve got a huge break? It’s not like we're children of mine owners!” Anita chided, still in a hushed voice. “Look at this! It’s just one tiny plate of croquettes, but it’s already 18 bucks! Isn't this daylight robbery?!”

Aiden had no choice but to nod his head. “I get it. I get it. It’s just for tonight. It’s also an apology for what happened earlier in the day. I swear I won’t waste my money like this again, okay?”

Anita rolled her eyes at him, but she stopped chewing him out. “Good. One more thing. I'm going to treat this as a shared dinner and split the bill with you because, as I said before, I don’t believe you have anything to apologize for.”

“What? No way! I told you this is my treat!” Aiden said in a hurry. “If you really feel uncomfortable, you can just treat me to a barbecue later.”

“Barbecue? You think barbecue is comparable to dinner at White’s Seafood? Tonight’s bill alone will cost you 300 bucks!” Then, Anita narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. “Okay. Now, I have to know the truth. What’s gotten into you? If you can’t convince me, then I’m splitting the bill with you no matter what!”

Aiden couldn’t possibly tell her the truth, so he had no choice but to scratch his head and give her the go-to answer whenever someone suddenly had an inexplicable amount of money to spend. “What else could it be? I really won the lottery.”

Anita clamped her mouth shut and stared at Aiden’s face for a moment. Finally, she let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, I should’ve guessed. Actually, I did guess it right earlier, didn’t I? Phew, now I can enjoy this meal to my heart’s content. It’s the rich’s responsibility to feed the poor anyway!”

Aiden smiled when Anita finally relaxed. He could never tell her the whole truth, but that did not mean he could not share his joy with her. Happiness should be shared, especially with someone as good and kind as Anita.

An hour or so later, the duo finished their meal with a full tummy and a dopey smile on their faces.

While Anita was letting out an unladylike burp, Aiden paid the bill by swiping his card on the card swiping machine.

They were just about to take their leave when suddenly, someone called Aiden from behind.

“Aiden? Why are you here?”

 

Chapter 6: A Chance Encounter

Upon hearing his name, Alden turned around to face the person who had called him. He frowned the second he realized who it was.

The man who had called out to him was Drake, and the woman standing next to him was none other than his ex-girlfriend, Rebecca.

“What a coincidence. Who would’ve thought we would run into each other tonight in a city with over twenty million people in it?” Aiden said while fighting off a grimace.

"What a coincidence, indeed," Drake said, his voice taunting. "What are you doing here, though? Don't tell me you had dinner here because that's hilarious. Back in the university, I didn’t even know it was possible to buy lunch for less than 3 bucks until you showed me. You sure you’re not trying to be more than you are? Also, I heard you were fired from your job a while ago. You haven’t found a new job yet, have you? Do you even have money to pay this month’s rent?”

It was not until Drake had fired a machine gun’s worth of insults before he noticed Anita standing next to Aiden. His eyes widened in surprise, but a look of unbridled greed quickly overtook them. He visibly schooled his body into a gentlemanly posture, cleared his throat, and extended his right hand to Anita, smiling. “Don’t be fooled by his act, miss. For as long as I know Aiden, the guy has been as poor as a church mouse. Assuming he's the one who brought you here, it can only be to fool you into thinking he’s rich.

On a more pleasant note, my name is Drake Morgan, and my family owns a video game company. A pleasure to meet you, miss…?”

Anita raised an eyebrow then proceeded to ignore Drake completely. She turned to Aiden, linked their arms together, and asked, “Are they your friends?”

“... No. Drake was my schoolmate in university, and this lady here is Rebecca, my, uh, ex-girlfriend.”

Aiden had to speak slowly or risk losing control of his voice.

“Oh, ex-girlfriend, huh?” Anita muttered. Still ignoring Drake’s extended hand, she looked Rebecca up and down before directing her a bright smile. “Hello! My name’s Anita Frey, and I’m Aiden’s current girlfriend. Thank you so much for breaking up with him. Otherwise, finding a boyfriend as great as him would’ve been nearly impossible.”

Rebecca’s complexion turned a shade paler, but Anita had already moved on to Drake to shoot him a disdainful sneer. “Mr. Drake, I see your parents didn’t teach you good manners. I know my boyfriend better than you will ever know him, so I’ll appreciate it if you keep your nose out of our business. So what if he’s poor? I’m not.”

Drake’s face darkened after he recovered from his surprise. Before he could say anything, though, Anita let out a snort and started dragging Aiden toward the exit. However, she was far from done.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s ditch these worthless people so we can go home already. I bought a Wonder Woman lingerie this afternoon, you know. Wouldn’t you like to see me in it?” she playfully asked loud enough for the duo behind them to hear.

Aiden’s mouth fell open a little. He knew Anita was just defending his pride. Still, he could not help but imagine her in the lingerie anyway.

Once they got out of the restaurant, hailed a taxi, and went inside, Anita finally dropped her act and stuck her tongue out cutely at Aiden.

“Sorry for pretending to be your girlfriend without asking if you’re okay with it first. I just couldn’t stand that ugly mug you call your schoolmate. I hope you don’t mind or take what I said serio– oh no. I’m already too late, aren’t I?” Anita sighed when she caught the distracted look on Aiden’s face.

Aiden’s cheek immediately reddened. In an attempt to save his dignity, he blurted out, “Come on! You can’t say ‘Wonder Woman lingerie’ and expect me to not think about it!”

She rolled her eyes. “Sure, sure. But seriously, I only did it to make your ex regret breaking up with you. Don’t overthink it, okay?”

“I know. Thank you,” Aiden said seriously. “The run-in with them wasn’t all bad, though. I was just wondering where I should invest my money until I ran into Drake. Perhaps this is what they call destiny? Anyway, I’ve decided to start a company specializing in game development.”

“A video game company? Won’t that cost a lot of money?” Anita asked thoughtfully.

“Not necessarily. It depends on what you’re trying to do and how you go about things. Anyway, it isn’t an impulsive decision, so you don’t need to worry about me. Just watch. Things are going to get interesting very soon,” Aiden declared while grinning confidently.

It really was not an impulsive decision. Although Drake was the one who inadvertently gave him the final push, he had already thought about this on his way to White’s Seafood earlier.

What did the Wasteland excel at that his world did not?

It was already established he could not keep exchanging gold forever, so any idea related to mining was crossed out of his mind immediately.

He had considered opening a pharmaceutical company after experiencing the magical effects of a Grade 1 Power Booster himself. However, Lulu’s explanation implied that the drug possessed high value even in the Wasteland, which meant he would have to invest a considerable amount of time and resources before his business could really take off. Moreover, he would need a ton of connections to establish a proper foothold in the medical industry. Long story short, it would be extremely complicated work.

He was not saying it was impossible to build a pharmaceutical company. It was simply not a good choice for a start-up.

Unfortunately, that was the extent of Aiden’s knowledge of the Wasteland. He knew it was Earth about 200 years into the future and that it had gone through a nuclear war called the Cataclysm about ten years ago. He also knew that human civilization was practically no more there.

Not all hope was lost, however. The Cataclysm might have changed the entire world's ecosystem, but even it could not change the knowledge in the survivors’ minds.

Aiden’s target was survivors between thirty to fifty years old. Their knowledge could be trusted because most of them had completed their education. Some of them might even have built a name for themselves before the Cataclysm turned everything upside down. Assuming that he could gather these people together and hire them to work for him in exchange for food, the profit margin would be even greater than what he had gotten out of his gold trade—a million times greater.

After all, their 200 years' worth of knowledge was priceless, while his food cost only “a hundred bucks”, metaphorically speaking.

Now, he was not so foolish as to think he could tempt the Wasteland’s best professionals to his side without considerable effort. To begin with, he did not even know where to find them.

Code monkeys, on the other hand, those types had to be a dime a dozen, right?

That was how he arrived at the decision to find a video game company.

With 200 years' worth of technological advancement on his side, making a “cross-gen” game—he snickered at his pun while ignoring the weird look Anita was giving him—would be as easy as snapping his fingers. He could already imagine the dough rolling through his front doors like a tsunami.

Most importantly, he would not be stepping on any dangerous toes by starting a video game company. Oh, there were certainly some toes he would crush beneath his heels again and again, but he would not need to worry about some secret agent spying on him from their bunker saying “off with his head” or something.

Aiden spent the rest of the trip considering his budding idea. The more he thought about it, the more viable his plan seemed to become.

Soon, they returned to the apartment. Aiden took a bath first before going to his room and locking the door behind him. He then searched for the prerequisites to founding a video game company and used all the information he acquired to refine his plan further.

He was so motivated he did not fall asleep until well after midnight.

Six hours later, he woke up feeling fully refreshed. He surmised it was because his body was strengthened by the Power Booster.

Upon waking up, the first thing he did was to find a registered agent on the internet, give them a call, and tell them his demands. It did not take long before they hashed out the details and agreed on a certain price.

It was only after everything was done that he went to the bathroom to clean himself. Anita had already left the building, and Lily, their other roommate who was kept busy by her work until an ungodly hour, was still sleeping.

Lightening his footsteps so as to not disturb Lily, Aiden exited the door and ran to the nearest supermarket. A short shopping session later, he returned to his apartment with two giant plastic bags of food. Unlike the last time, though, he only purchased raw meat and vegetables.

During the first few times he traveled to the Wasteland, Aiden did not realize it was his Earth 200 years into the future. That had been a huge mistake on his part. The good news was, he did not bring much food with him, and the starving residents of Squirrel D should have gone through them all by now. He did not want to know what would have happened if someone had noticed the production date on the plastic packages. Sure, he could come up with some believable excuse, but there was a reason people said “prevention was better than cure” and not the other way around.

“I can’t trade raw meat and veggies with the people of the Wasteland forever. I need to find and collaborate with a food processing plant so I can produce simple food packages with no date or obvious identifier on them. I’m no dishonest businessman after all; gotta make sure my customers have a good variety of products to choose from,” Aiden muttered to himself as he stood in his bedroom, staring at his purchased food.

 

Chapter 7: The Wasteland’s True Wealth

“There’s another problem, though. Even if I can set everything up, how on earth am I going to transport all these supplies? Even with my new body, there’s only so much I can carry myself, and it’d be extremely inconvenient if I–”

Aiden was busy grumbling to himself when the ring on his left middle finger suddenly lit up. In a blink of an eye, the two bags of food sitting in front of him vanished into thin air!

His eyes widened in shock, but he quickly realized what was going on after an unnatural space—about one cubic meter wide—suddenly appeared at the periphery of his vision, and the plastic bags were inside it.

Could it be…?

He made a mental command to his ring like when he teleported to the Wasteland, and voila, the food reappeared in his bedroom!

Holy shit! It really is a pocket space!

As it turned out, traveling back and forth to the future was not the ring’s only ability. It also came with a dimensional storage service.

Aiden was immensely pleased with this new information. The passage “ask and you shall receive” had never been truer than now. If the ring came with a rating system as well, he would be spamming it with five stars and good reviews already!

Having said that, he did have one small quibble. One cubic meter was not exactly a lot of space, and he was expecting to transport a considerable amount of supplies in the future. He would probably hit his carry limit sooner than he would like.

I wonder if there is a way to enlarge it?

Thankfully, it was not an immediate concern. For now, his priority should be finding and assembling his team of developers. Otherwise, all this planning would be for naught.

With that in mind, Aiden stored the two plastic bags of food in his portable space once more before disappearing from his bedroom.

—

In a shack at the settlement of Squirrel D, Lulu Frey was sitting on her one and only bed and looking completely out of it. Until yesterday, food consumption to her was about verifying the food’s edibility, calculating how long it would last, and gulping down the portion she wanted to eat as quickly as possible. Oftentimes, the food would range from tasteless to outright disgusting, not that she minded it in the slightest. After all, tasty food was a luxury few on the Wasteland could afford.

That was the case until Aiden offered her a bag of biscuits and blew her mind to kingdom come.

The taste, the scent, the sensation! The mere recollection of that memory was enough to make her drool. Without exaggeration, Aiden could have gotten any girl in Squirrel D to strip down to her birthday suit if he just offered them the crumbs. Well, she would not stoop that low, of course, but she could not deny that the gesture had left a deep impression on her. She had never met anyone as generous as him until yesterday.

On a side note, the snacks she had received from Aiden as her commission were hidden beneath her bed. The urge to rip all the packages open and eat to her heart's content was constantly present, but she had a lifetime of experience managing hunger. She could deal with it.

Just like tasty food, a full belly was a luxury only a handful of people on the Wasteland got to enjoy.

“What is this organization Aiden is working for, anyway? An org with enough food that they can afford to trade with another settlement… they have to be well known on a global scale, right? I wonder what their ultimate goal is?” Lulu mumbled to herself with unfocused eyes. “No, no, that’s not important. What’s important is that Aiden said he would be returning today. Will he really, though? He traded a backpack of precious food for a backpack of useless gold and silver. His org wouldn’t fault him for the loss, would they?”


Lulu had been acting like this ever since Aiden left the settlement. She was afraid that the ray of light which suddenly cut through the curtain of everlasting darkness was nothing but false hope. What if he was only lying to her about coming back? What if he could not return for whatever reason? What if this was all a dream, and she was but a moment away from succumbing to starvation?

Lulu was snapped out of her stupor when the door swung open without warning, and Aiden stepped into the shack carrying two massive plastic bags in both hands.

For a second, Lulu could not believe what she was seeing. Then, she jumped out of her bed and caught Aiden in a bear hug. In an agitated, trembling voice, she exclaimed, “You came back! You actually came back! Thank goodness! I-I thought you were lying to me…”

The girl’s sudden breakdown completely caught Aiden off guard, but he still managed to shove away the distracting sensation of a warm body pressed against his own from his mind before asking, “What? Why did you think I’d lie to you?”

Lulu bit her lips then answered, “I threatened you with a gun, remember? That was the real reason why you traded away precious food for useless metal, wasn’t it? The Grade 1 Power Booster might be worth a bit more, but it obviously couldn’t measure up to a whole bag of food. Your org must’ve been so angry.”

Aiden shook his head wryly when he finally understood what was going on. “You’re waaaaay overthinking this. I swear I didn’t trade with you because you pointed a gun at me. Also, uh, well, let’s just say I’m fairly important in my org, so I get to enjoy a relatively high degree of freedom. There are very few things my org will blame me for, much less something so trivial. Thank you for your concern, though. I appreciate it, but really, it's unnecessary.”

He dropped the plastic bags on the floor while consoling Lulu. He took the food out of his pocket space when he reached Lulu’s shack because he did not want anyone to discover its existence.

The noise caught Lulu’s attention. She let Aiden go, finally absolved from her guilt after hearing Aiden was fine, and focused her attention on the bags of food. She blinked before bending down to her knees and picking up a stalk of celery. Then, her mind exploded into the cosmos for the second time since she met Aiden.

“M-my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me, are they? Are these actually… vegetables? Your org is powerful enough to cultivate vegetables? I-I can’t believe it! How is this possible?”

The shock on Lulu’s face was almost comical to look at. Even so, her reaction was understandable. The last time she ate vegetables was when she was still a child. At that time, the world was still at peace, resources were still aplenty, and life was as blissful as it was ordinary.

Unfortunately, the Cataclysm changed everything. In just a decade, what had once been a vibrant planet transformed into a living hell.

While food shortage was not an impossible problem to solve—humanity would have gone extinct already if that was the case—the soil of the entire planet was severely polluted. Only a handful of tenacious crops had managed to overcome the harsh environment and grow in these polluted lands.

As for the weaker plants, there could only be one outcome for them. The vegetables that used to be a dime a dozen went extinct in just ten short years… or so Lulu thought.

All of a sudden, tears streaked down Lulu’s cheeks silently. Aiden immediately panicked when he saw this.

“Oh my god, don’t cry! What if someone sees you like this? They’d think I was bullying you or something. If you like these veggies so much, I can just give them to you. It’s no big deal,” Aiden said, patting Lulu's back to hopefully comfort her.

Lulu's tears abruptly ceased, and she turned to face Aiden with the most surprised expression she had ever worn yet. Mouth slightly agape, she pointed at herself and stammered, “M-me? You want to give these precious vegetables to… me?!”

“Sure! You can have them all if you want. I’ll just write it off as your bonus later. You’re under my employ now, and what kind of chief mistreats their employee?” Aiden declared in a matter-of-fact tone.

Aiden might have avoided making such a gesture if he had a few more days to acclimate to the Wasteland’s culture. As it was, he, a pleb living in an era of explosive productivity, was simply not capable of treating food with the same reverence every Wastelander did.

For a few seconds, Lulu could only stare at Aiden with a stupefied expression on her face. When she finally came to, she hurriedly rose to her feet, took a deep breath, and gave Aiden a 90-degree bow.

“You’re a good man, sir! There aren't many people like you in the Wasteland anymore. However, I can’t accept your kind offer. I’m incapable of judging the true value of these vegetables, and I haven't done anything special since we agreed to fifteen bags of biscuits per month for my service. Therefore, I don’t believe I’m deserving of additional pay, much less something as precious as this. Again, thank you for your kind offer, but I shan’t succumb to greed, sir!”

 

Chapter 8: “Primitive”

Although Aiden had only known Lulu for a day, he already knew she was a girl with strong principles and integrity. She could have shot the zombies and him when they ran into each other for the first time, could have robbed him blind upon discovering he was carrying an entire backpack of food. However, she did none of those things, and today, she proved again that the integrity she displayed yesterday was not a fluke.

In a world where the ruthless usually had the last laugh, it was admirable how good a person she turned out to be. Lulu might think otherwise, but it was his fortune to run into her, not the other way around.

Aiden shrugged before pointing at his plastic bags. “Yesterday, after I went back to my org, I went over my decisions and realized how my offer to you had been too… stingy. How can I expect someone to work for me to the fullest of their abilities when they can't even enjoy a full meal? That’s why I decided to change your payment to something more fulfilling.

“Feel free to tell me if you have any special requests. I will fulfill them all if it's within my ability. Of course, that also means you’ll be shouldering more responsibilities from now on. If you agree to my terms, I’d like you to be more than just a guide. I also want you to be my secretary. You will be answering my questions as well as advise me on certain decisions and so on.”

Lulu took one look at the mixed bag of vegetables and raw meat and swallowed. Then, she nodded with great determination and declared, “Don’t worry, sir! I promise to do everything in my power to meet your demands, even if it means s-sleeping with you!”

“Huh?”

For a second, Aiden was stripped of his ability to understand human language.

Mistaking his confusion as disgust, Lulu hurriedly added, “O-oh, are you worried I might be contaminated? You have nothing to worry about. I’m one of the few people in this settlement who received a Grade 2 Power Booster. I’m perfectly clean.”

Aiden’s mouth went dry when the realization finally dawned upon him. He would be lying if he said he was not tempted. He had never done it with Rebecca, even though they dated for three years. In addition, maybe it was because Lulu had used a Power Booster, but she was quite the breathtaking beauty herself. She would have a horde of simps singing her praises if she was living in his world, and he would not have minded sleeping with him.

However, tempted as he was, Aiden had his bottom line. He could not accept that level of physical contact with someone he did not intimately love, so he waved Lulu off with a smile.

“You’re overthinking things again. Ours is an employment relationship. You work for me, and I pay you for your service. That’s all there is to it. Anyway, let’s move on and talk about why I'm here, shall we?” He pointed at the food again. “The reason I brought meat and veggies with me this time is because I want you to assist me in hiring some employees. They will need to possess certain skills and a significant degree of loyalty. Where can I find these people?”

“You want to hire more people?” Lulu questioned, scratching her head in puzzlement. “There are next to no jobs in the Wasteland, which is why hiring someone is simply a matter of finding the people you need and offering a corresponding payment. With the kind of pay you’re offering, sir, I believe you will have no problems getting the manpower you need. As for where these people could be found, there are around ten thousand survivors living in the nearby Squirrel Town. You should be able to hire all the talent you wish to hire there.

“There are twelve minor settlements encircling Squirrel Town, and they’re known as Squirrel A to Squirrel L. Our settlement is Squirrel D with a total population of 213 people. We’re in the middle of the pack compared to the other settlements and are entirely reliant on Squirrel Town to survive. We travel there to trade every time we’re in urgent need of supplies.”

Aiden nodded in understanding. That explained why Lulu’s settlement had such a strange name. “So, you’re saying that my best choice is Squirrel Town? Alright. I plan to hire some code monkeys to write up a computer program or two. Specifically, I want programmers who have game development experience. Do you think I can find people like that in Squirrel Town?”

The moment he finished his question, an odd expression passed through Lulu’s features.

“Compu… ter? That’s a historical name I haven’t heard in a while. Do you mean the primitive product that used to be fashionable a couple of centuries ago, sir?”

Primitive? Aiden nearly gawked at Lulu’s, aghast at her choice of adjective. From his point of view, he could not imagine a world where computers had become obsolete. Then again, the Wasteland was 200 years into the future. So, if any civilization had the right to call a computer “primitive”, it would come from this place.

“Er… yeah. I’m aware it's ancient tech. Does that mean computer programmers will be hard to find?” Aiden asked with a hint of trepidation in his tone. After all, his entire plan would be shot to hell if computer programmers did not exist at this time.

“Well, I dunno. Before the Cataclysm happened, everyone used an Artificial Brain, or AB for short, to fulfill their daily needs.” Noticing the confused look on Aiden’s face, Lulu added, “ABs are basically machines with AIs installed in them. They can be used for a number of things… you know what, I don’t think I’m the best person to explain this. Squirrel D has an AB expert who used to be a technical lead before the Cataclysm happened. At present, his knowledge is mostly useless, but he may be able to help you with what you need.”

“Sure, lead the way.”

Lulu hid the two bags of raw meat and vegetables beneath her bed. After slapping the dust from her hands, she led Aiden out of the shack. When Aiden asked why she did not seem worried about someone slipping in to steal her stuff, she answered that everyone in the settlement was as poor as a rat. Until he showed up at her doorsteps a day ago, the only thing a thief might find in her shack was dust and more dust. With that in mind, why would anyone risk offending a fellow resident for the infinitely slim chance that they might be hoarding some valuables?

Moreover, the people here all shared a close relationship with each other. One of the best ways to survive in the Wasteland was to join hands and form a close-knit group, and Squirrel D did exactly that.

A while later, Aiden found himself standing in front of a shack meters away from Lulu’s. He waited for her to knock on the door before stepping inside with her.

The owner of the shack was a middle-aged man in his forties. Like everyone else in the settlement, he looked rather unkempt and unwashed. He was skinning a giant rat about half a meter long in the middle of the shack when Lulu and Aiden arrived.

The rodent was gray-black in color, and judging from the sweat pouring down the man’s cheeks, its fur was unnaturally tough. Despite that, his eyes were shining with excitement and hunger. When Lulu and Aiden walked into the shack, he shot them a quick glance before returning to his work.

With a wide smile on his face, he asked, “What’s the occasion, Lulu? Well, you’re in luck. Look at this catch! It looks like we’re going to enjoy a full meal today. I’ll give you its hind legs once I’m finished, okay?”

Already acting like a true secretary, Lulu introduced the creature to him without Aiden prompting her. “This mutated rodent is called a Squirrel. It’s fast, cunning, and aggressive. On average, an adult Squirrel is around half a meter long before accounting for its tail. The especially strong ones can grow to about a meter or longer, and unlike a normal Squirrel, those are strong enough to be categorized as a mutant.

“Squirrels can be found everywhere in contaminated areas around Squirrel Town. They possess incredible fecundity but are slightly less dangerous compared to zombies or mutants. That’s why they’re our main source of food and why the entire settlement is named after it.”

Finally, Lulu looked at the middle-aged man to talk to him. “I’m not here to share a meal, Uncle Bob. I’m here to introduce you to a job. This guy standing next to me is Aiden Cox, and I’m currently working for him. He’s looking to hire a team of professionals, and he’s willing to pay a generous amount of food for them, provided that they possess the skills he needs.”

That caused the middle-aged man to stop what he was doing to scrutinize Aiden.

Aiden could tell from his skeptical expression that the man was having a hard time believing what Lulu had said. It was an understandable reaction. If a kid walked up to him and said he could offer him a million bucks, he would not believe him either. Fortunately, he knew the best way to dispel such a misunderstanding, and that was to show them his capabilities directly.

“Bob, isn't it?” Aiden started. “I heard from Lulu that you’re the best AB expert in Squirrel D. Just like she said, I'm looking for trained professionals to hire right now. If you're interested and can fulfill my demands, I promise to pay you 15 kilograms of rice flour and 5 kilograms of raw meat. I can even pay you in advance. What do you say?”

Fifteen kilograms of rice flour and five kilograms of raw meat?!

Bob’s eyes widened like saucers. He immediately jumped to his feet and blurted out, “You can’t be serious?!”

 

Chapter 9: The Wasteland’s Professionals

“I guarantee you, Uncle Bob, he’s serious. In fact, the meat he spoke of is sitting in my shack right now. I can bring them to you immediately if he does decide to hire you," Lulu interjected with a smile.

Personally, Aiden did not think he would believe his own claim unless he was shown some concrete proof or more. However, Bob must have a lot of trust in Lulu because his demeanor completely changed after she had vouched for him.

Wiping his hands over his dirty pants in an attempt to look a little more presentable, the middle-aged man nervously stammered out a reply. “M-Mr. Aiden, is it? Lulu wasn’t lying when she said I’m the best AB expert in Squirrel D, but to be honest with you, my skills are… only average at best compared to the rest of the world. If your problem requires the knowledge of a top AB professional, I’m afraid I may not be able to help you.”

Aiden waved his hand before correcting Bob. "You misunderstand. My problem has nothing to do with actual ABs. Have you heard of computers? PC? They’re electronic machines that used to be popular about 200 years ago.”

“Computers? Those antiques? I remember them being described in detail in the AB courses, but that’s it. From what I learned, the machine faded into obscurity because its technology is extremely outdated, and the interactive experience is terrible. Today, they possess zero value whatsoever,” explained Bob before shaking his head in a self-deprecating manner. “Not like AB is doing any better. Technology is completely useless in the Wasteland. The finest AB technology may still see some use, but everything else beneath is unwanted, just like me.”

The muscle in Aiden's jaw twitched. It was unsettling to hear that an indispensable instrument of his world was being disparaged this way.

Focus. He let out a polite cough before looking at Bob with expectant eyes. “Ahem. Be that as it may, a professional who can operate that ancient technology is exactly what I’m looking for right now. Since you know about computers, can I assume that you know how to operate one as well? If I give you a computer, can you write a program on it?”

Bob was taken aback for a moment. Of all the things he thought Aiden's problem might be, this was the last thing he expected to hear.

Can I operate a computer? That’s like asking me if I can wiggle my fingers. Is he joking? His expression tells me that he’s serious, though.

“Mr. Aiden… computer programs are obsolete technology. I may not have used one before, but I’m sure I can operate one and write any program on it without trouble, provided that I get to study it first, of course. It’s an antique. I’ll need a couple of days to familiarize myself with it.

“But… What's the point of all this, Mr. Aiden? There's a dimensional difference between computer software and AB software. It’s like comparing a nuclear weapon to a fruit knife, and that's understating it. Researching this would be a complete waste of time, wouldn’t it?”

Bob scratched his head in puzzlement.

Aiden could not help but roll his eyes. Do you think I don’t know that?

AB represented a level of futuristic technology that was utterly unachievable by his world right now. It would not be an exaggeration to say it crushed computers in every conceivable way. If he returned home with an AB and sold it thoughtlessly, he would instantly become the target of every powerful person in the whole world. What would happen if the world discovered you were in possession of a priceless treasure that could change everything, but you had no ability to protect yourself? Forget building his business empire; he would be kidnapped by faceless goons, thrown into a cell in the middle of nowhere, and be studied like a lab rat for eternity.

That was why he wanted to create a computer software supported by futuristic knowledge. His product would still crush all of his competitors, but the public would not think it was impossible tech owned by an alien. They would simply think of him as another genius who trail-blazed a new domain in the IT field.

There was no way he could tell Bob the truth though, so Aiden just put on an impatient expression and snapped, “I don’t like explaining myself, Bob. I like my employees to be working, not questioning my objective. All you need to tell me is if you can do it and whether you want to work for me or not. Otherwise, we can end this discussion right now.”

As expected, his show of annoyance was enough to scare the middle-aged man. Bob stammered, “Y-yes! I-I can do it, absolutely! But… where would I even find a computer?”

Aiden nodded. “You can leave that to me. Do you have any other requests? Tell me now so I can handle them all at once. If you’re worried that this employment may be short-term, don’t. This will be a long-term project. Also, I promise that you and your future colleagues will never have to worry about starving again as long as you can meet my demands.”

Bob's eyes lit up, and he immediately replied, “In that case, I'd like to have an AB of my own. It will allow me to write a compilation program that converts an AB software into a computer. Computers are so obsolete that even their most complicated programs will take an AB just a couple of minutes to write. Ah, the lowest spec one will do just fine."

“Got it. If there’s nothing else, then you’re hired as a probationary employee. Until you’ve proven yourself, I’ll be paying you eighty percent of your normal salary. Oh, I promised you payment in advance, didn’t I? Lulu will bring your meat over in a moment.”

After saying that, Aiden turned around and left the shack.

“Where can I buy an AB?” he asked when Lulu caught up to him.

The question came as a surprise to Lulu. Although AB was useless to most Wastelanders, the same could not be said for larger forces. Any mid-sized faction or bigger owned stocks of ABs. Therefore, it was only natural for an org that could produce a steady supply of food like Aiden’s to have them as well. So, why was he asking such a strange question? Could he not just grab one from his org?

In any case, puzzled as she was, she recalled Aiden’s rebuke to Uncle Bob and did not ask any unnecessary questions. “There are no ABs in Squirrel D, but Squirrel Town is a different story. They’re very expensive, though. One AB costs 7.5 kilograms of Squirrel meat or higher to purchase. Personally, I would advise against making such a trade.”

“It’s fine. Getting an AB is more important. Also, the raw meat I have is worth far more than Squirrel meat. I’m sure we can convince the other party to give us a better price.” Then, Aiden remembered something and added, “By the way, I remember you saying that there are only a handful of Power Boosters left in Squirrel D. Can we purchase more at Squirrel Town?”

“Yep! A Power Booster can be split into ten grades, but you can only purchase Grade 1 and 2 Power Boosters at Squirrel Town. You can exchange a Grade 1 Power Booster for just 2.5 kilograms of Squirrel meat, but a Grade 2 Power Booster costs around five times more,” answered Lulu.

Aiden subconsciously ran the numbers through his mind.

I can buy a Grade 1 Power Booster with just 2.5 kilograms of meat? That’s crazy!

Lulu continued, “There’s a mid-sized settlement controlled by a mid-sized faction about thirty kilometers to the east of Squirrel Town. The members of the Doctor’s Association often frequent that settlement. I’m fairly sure they offer up to Grade 5 Power Boosters, but as you can imagine, the price tag is absolutely insane. Most people wouldn’t be able to afford them. On a side note, the ruler of Squirrel Town is a Grade 5 Powered.”

Something else caught Aiden's attention, however. “Doctor’s Association?”

Lulu shot him a strange look. “Er… it’s one of the largest factions in the Wasteland, sir. How did you not know about them? They’re one of those groups every Wastelander should’ve heard of.”

Aiden hurriedly let out a cough. “Ahem. My faction is fairly… secluded. Since we're self-sufficient, we rarely see the need to make contact with other factions. Just think of us as a closed-off faction with no knowledge of the outside world. That’s why I’ve been thinking about building a secondary base to smooth things out.”

The idea had come to him while he was conversing with Bob. If he really wanted to establish a base with a sufficient number of competent to skilled workers, then a stable working environment was a must-have. However, danger lurked in every corner of the Wasteland. Even if food supply was not a problem, there were still many dangers he had to contend with, such as zombies, mutants, monsters, and malice from other factions.

Therefore, his top priority in the Wasteland was to build a faction that could protect itself.

 

Chapter 10: Building A Base

“A secondary base? Isn’t that quite a major investment?” Lulu asked in a hesitant voice.

“Yes, but I’ll make it work. Have more confidence in your chief, will you? There’s no problem I can’t solve as long as I have food!” declared Aiden with confidence before asking, “You’re close to the people of Squirrel D, right? Don’t you want them to have a better life?”

Aiden waved his hand in an exaggerated fashion. “Just think about it. What if, one day, Squirrel D grows to become another Squirrel Town? What if we surpassed them? It’ll definitely improve everyone’s lives in Squirrel D, right? Every human should have a dream of their own. Otherwise, they’re no different from a zombie.”

Surprised, Lulu tried following Aiden’s advice and imagined it. In no time, a hopeful expression plastered itself on her features.

Before Aiden entered her world, it took everything in her power just to survive in this harsh world. She barely had the energy to wake up the next day, much less dream about a better future.

Aiden’s appearance and his tremendous wealth (food) had changed everything. For the first time in a long while, Lulu felt like she was alive once more.

She sucked in a deep breath to quell her raging emotions. Once she had calmed down, she asked, “You want to build a base with Squirrel D as the foundation, sir?”

“That’s right! What do you think? I know little about Squirrel D, so I’d like to hear your honest opinion about it. Do you think Squirrel D is worth investing in? More specifically, do you think the people of Squirrel D can be trusted?” asked Aiden.

Without hesitation, Lulu replied, “But of course! The only way for smaller groups like us to survive on the Wasteland is to become a close-knit family. Whatever distrust we may have toward each other had been ironed out a long time ago,” Lulu assured.

Then, in a more serious tone, she continued, "Well, if you've really decided about this, my advice to you would be to purchase a batch of Power Boosters first. Right now, we aren’t strong enough to defend our own homes. To expand, we must increase our number of Powered before anything else!”

Aiden agreed with her assessment, but that plan had a flaw.

“That makes sense, but how can I ensure their continued loyalty toward me? Men are fickle beings, after all. I have no intention of raising a bunch of ingrates who will turn on me the moment they gain enough power," Aiden pointed out.

“The solution is simple, sir. You simply need to stay ahead of the power curve. Most people won’t dare to rise against you if your grade is higher than theirs. Add your generous remuneration to the mix—an advantage that most great factions don’t possess, I suspect—and I can’t think of a single reason why anyone would betray you.” A pause later, Lulu added in a soft but firm voice, “It takes everything we have just to survive in this world, sir. I’m sure no one would be foolish enough to waste a golden opportunity like this.”

“Hmm… very well. Do you know how to make a budget? Just a simple one will do. I want you to confirm how many Powered we need to protect Squirrel D and how much food I should prepare to make the trade. More importantly, I need to know if the people of Squirrel D will be willing to work for me for the rates I’ll offer them.”

It did not take long for Aiden to agree to Lulu’s plan. In any case, the cost of failure was so low that he could afford to ignore the majority of the risks. In the worst-case scenario where everything went up in smoke, the most he would lose was dirt cheap food.

Indeed, the quote “one man's trash is another man's treasure” had never been truer than this moment.

Lulu was full of motivation as she responded, “Yes, sir! I’ll complete my task as soon as I can, sir!”

“Good. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading back to grab Bob his computer. About the food I brought you today, you should deduct your monthly salary from it and use the rest as your starting capital. Don’t forget to get Bob his AB, okay? See you tomorrow!”

Just like that, Aiden bade Lulu goodbye and walked toward the exit. Lulu returned the gesture and gave him another 90-degree bow. She did not look up until Aiden was completely out of sight.

There was a look of hesitation on Lulu’s face when she straightened up again. However, it quickly changed into determination as she began making her way back to her shack.

—

After Aiden teleported to his bedroom, he stretched his back, feeling very good about himself. His interactions with Bob confirmed that his plan was doable after all. If everything went well, a technical lead would soon be under his employ for just the price of 15 kilograms of rice flour and 5 kilograms of raw meat. In monetary terms, that was 60 bucks, give or take.

Talk about a bargain!

Due to the Wasteland’s unique circumstances, their skills were, as gruesome as it sounded, literally worth less than the flesh on their person. However, it also meant he could monopolize them without worrying about competition. It was the best deal anyone could ever hope to get!

Still full of motivation and energy, Aiden walked toward his bedroom door, intending to head to the supermarket and buy a computer as he told Lulu he would. On a side note, electricity was not a concern because Squirrel D clearly had an electrical supply. Earth 200 years into the future might have been devastated by a nuclear war, but generating enough electricity to power a localized area was still pretty easy.

Aiden froze in his steps the moment he swung open his bedroom door. The living room was darker than usual because the curtains had been drawn, but there was still enough light for him to see his second roommate.

Lily Paige was playing with her phone on the sofa. Her posture was lazy, and her legs were spread across the table. This, of course, was not a problem. Lily could dance on top of the table, and it would not be a cause of concern as long as Aiden was not using the TV. The problem was that she was completely and utterly naked.

What in god's name made her think playing with her phone naked in the living room is a good idea?

What if someone saw her like this? You know, like right now?

Aiden was sure that this was a misunderstanding, and he knew that a proper gentleman would have turned away already. Unfortunately, his brain felt like it was processing at the speed of a couple of bits per second, and his body was very, very honest…

Meanwhile, an oblivious Lily finally noticed something was amiss and looked up from her phone. She immediately saw Aiden standing at his door and staring at her with the most slack-jawed expression she had ever seen in her life. For a second, she thought she was dreaming.

I must be seeing things. There's no way Aiden's right here right now.

Eventually, Lily realized it was not a dream. Her eyes widened first before she covered her chest and let out a high-pitched scream. “W-when did you come back?! I checked both your and Anita’s bedroom earlier! I was sure I was alone in the apartment!”

Aiden also snapped back to reality after hearing Lily’s scream. He could not give any good explanation about his presence, so he pretended he did not hear her and defended himself in a hurry. “It’s not my fault! I didn’t know you were like this when you were alone in the house! I–uh, I need to go outside to do something, so, er… I’ll make up for this later! Goodbye!”

He escaped the apartment like the wind after putting on his shoes in record time.

Lily bit her lips in embarrassment after Aiden was gone. She was not really angry at him because she was the one to be blamed for her exposure. Since Aiden was obviously from his bedroom, it could only mean that she had made a mistake when checking his room earlier. She must have been too drowsy from last night’s OT to notice him. It was the only explanation.

Back to Aiden, once he had run a safe distance away from his apartment, the man hailed a taxi to the nearest mall. Despite the incident at the apartment, his thoughts quickly turned back to the Wasteland.

There was a massive amount of work ahead of him. To build a true future for himself in his world, he must first establish a proper foundation in the Wasteland, and to establish a foundation in the Wasteland, he must first invest in Lulu and Squirrel D.

Aiden personally deemed Lulu trustworthy. Still, it was only his second meeting with her. She might have a secret agenda he was not aware of.

The reason he placed so much responsibility on her anyway was because one, she was his only reliable contact in the Wasteland right now; two, he wanted to test if she was truly loyal to his cause; and three, his losses would be minor even if things did go south. At worst, he would lose some veggies, raw meat, and time. In fact, the latter was arguably a bigger loss than the food.

Of course, if Lulu and Squirrel D's residents proved to be trustworthy, then his future would be brighter than ever before. He would not need to restart his plans all over again. So far, the path he was treading also seemed to be the one that would lead him to his dreams.

Ever since he got the idea of building a base in the Wasteland, Aiden had elevated its priority to a strategic level. Once the code monkeys began to show their value and create competitiveness for him in his world, he would have to ensure they could continue doing so without being disturbed. In other words, he needed to ensure stability for his future base.

However, stability was something the Wasteland could not provide easily. He could rely on Squirrel D’s anonymity to shield them from covetous eyes in the beginning. After all, who in their right mind would target a tiny settlement with people who could barely feed themselves? But that anonymity would not last forever. Eventually, people were going to notice the abnormal amount of food he possessed. Though even if they did not, Squirrel D still could not stay as it was now if it was to be the foundation of Aiden’s goals.

Long story short, he was in a race against time since the moment he decided to make Squirrel D his base. He needed to strengthen it as fast as possible before the hyenas scented their delicious flesh and ate them all!

 

Chapter 11: Company Registration Complete!

Aiden was still scheming when the taxi stopped at the mall entrance, and he had to put thoughts regarding the Wasteland and his business on pause before stepping inside the mall.

The mall had an Alienware specialty store. Anita was working as a part-timer there, actually.

Technically speaking, Anita was only a poor worker because she often had to apply for leave to attend her auditions. However, she possessed a powerful advantage most part-timers did not: a nearly flawless appearance and an excellent personality. Her ability to draw in neutral customers was why the manager never gave away her job to someone else.

Aiden walked into the store and found Anita speaking to a customer. The moment she laid her eyes on him, she immediately perked up. She said something to the customer before walking up to him. For some reason, when she arrived in front of him, she let out a sigh of relief.

“Perfect timing, dude,” Anita whispered. “That guy keeps bothering me, saying he’d buy a three thousand dollar PC if I agree to go on a date with him. That’s less than 30 bucks of commission! Who does he think I am? That bastard!”

“Yeah, 30 bucks is absolutely ridiculous. If it’s 3 grand though, I’m sure that would be a different story, right?” Aiden mused.

Anita narrowed her eyes a little. “Et tu, Aiden? If I’m the type of girl who would go on a date with an obviously fishy person for 3 grand, I would’ve been swallowed by the acting industry a long time ago!”

“Yes, yes, you’re right. My bad,” Aiden apologized in a hurry.

Anita rolled her eyes at the insincere apology but asked, “Anyway, why are you here? Don’t tell me you came all the way just to visit?”

This time, it was Aiden’s turn to roll his eyes. “Why do you think people go to a PC store? To buy a PC, of course!”

“Who knows? Maybe you came to the mall to buy me lunch?”

“Lunch? I’d rather eat your food than buy overpriced food at this place!”

Anita smirked all of a sudden. “Oh, really? Are you sure about that? I’ll take you up on your challenge. You know that, right?”

Aiden abruptly recalled a memory from three months ago. He, Lily, and Anita had just signed the tenancy agreement and were looking to celebrate the occasion. Anita had offered to cook them dinner. The result was, well, he did not know about Lily, but he could swear it was the worst dinner he had ever eaten in his life.

Aiden hurriedly shook his head. “Never mind. Just get me the highest spec PC you have.”

Anita glanced at him puzzledly. “What? You sure? I thought you were starting a game company, not becoming a gamer yourself. The highest spec PC in the store costs around 15 grand, and the performance-to-price ratio is terrible. I don't really recommend this purchase.”

“How I spend my money is none of your business, okay?” Aiden said. Then, he noticed the bulging vein on Anita’s forehead and hurriedly added, “I’m not buying it because I want to play with it. I will use it to determine the functional limit of a mass-produced PC with the greatest specifications. A custom-built PC would’ve completely defeated the purpose.”

Anita watched Aiden for a moment to determine if he was serious. A few seconds later, she shrugged and nodded. “Fine. Give me a minute to get your PC.”

Soon, Anita returned to Aiden with his purchase. At this moment, the customer who had been badgering Anita up until a moment ago let out an audible snort and declared, “Screw it, I’m just going to buy my PC from the Apple store instead. At the very least, their customer service is way better than this place’s.”

When the customer saw Anita and Aiden looking at him, he grew bolder and added, “These days, 3,000 dollars is enough to buy a PC. The peripheries, warranty, and everything else would’ve cost another 1.5 grand or so, which means I have to spend at least 4.5 grand to get everything I want. But it’s fine. Alienware may not want my money, but I’m sure someone else would love to have it!”

Finally, the customer looked directly at Anita, searching for any regret in her expression.

Anita knew exactly what he was doing, so she turned her back on the customer, raised her chin toward Aiden, and deliberately raised the volume of her voice as she said, “Sir, your full PC set will cost 15,450 dollars. Will you be paying via cash or card?”

Did she just say 15,450 dollars?!

For a second, the customer felt like someone had knocked the daylights out of him. He could only stare as Aiden plugged his card into the card reader and made his payment. A flush running up his neck, the customer could only shoot Aiden a resentful look before bailing out of the store.

“You won’t be needing a warranty. You can just come to me if you run into any problems with your PC,” Anita informed. Her expression then turned a little more serious. “Also, Aiden? As your friend, I should remind you that letting a windfall get to your head is a very bad idea. Don't save what is left after spending; spend what is left after saving. Get it?”

“I know. You make it sound like I’m a prodigal son or something.”

“That’s because you are.”

“...”

Aiden rolled his eyes and left the store amidst Anita’s giggle. Anita had gotten him a cart to transport his equipment, but he only needed it until he rounded the corner leading to the public toilet.

He stopped next to the emergency exit. After confirming there were no other people or surveillance cameras around the area, he “tossed” the PC straight into his pocket space.

One cubic meter of space was neither too big nor too small. Roughly speaking, it could hold around 970 kilograms of pork, 800 kilograms of rice, or 500 kilograms of flour. Since his goal for the time being was to transport as much food to the Wasteland as possible, Aiden decided to fill it with raw meat only. Decomposition was not an issue because the concept of time did not exist in the pocket space. Everything he put there was instantly locked in some sort of permanent, static state.

Next, Aiden ran to a supermarket and—because there was already a PC in his pocket space—bought about twenty thousand pieces of raw meat. He thought it was a pretty conservative purchase, but the butchers who had to prepare the meat clearly thought otherwise. Actually, it was such a huge purchase that the supermarket had to bring out their delivery truck just to deliver the meat to his doorsteps. It was not like Aiden could say, “No, thank you. I have a magical pocket space that can store everything” either, so he had no choice but to accept their kind service.

Suddenly, Aiden realized that if things continued as they were, he would want to own a food processing plant even more.

On his way back, Aiden received a call from his agent. He was told that the company registration process was complete, and his company—named “Aodh Technology” because his name had originated from the word “Aodh” and because he hoped his company would shine as bright as the sun god—was ready to conduct business.

This was great news! It meant his business was finally on the starting line!

Of course, a company could not run properly with just the head and a team of technicians. Although the Wasteland’s futuristic technology was his greatest wealth and competitive strength, he still needed manpower in other departments such as finance, human resource, business, legal, operation, and customer service.

There was no need to build an R&D and maintenance department, though. His future employees in the Wasteland would take care of it, so that, paradoxically, he would spend the least amount of money on the most expensive departments to maintain.

“Hmm… now that I think about it, Lily is a financial officer, isn’t she? I wonder if I can convince her to work for me instead? Better the devil you know than the devil you don't, and Lily is hardly a devil,” Aiden thought out loud as he stood at the doorstep of the apartment.

Inside the living room, Lily felt a sudden chill and wondered if she had caught a cold.

—

The Wasteland.

Lulu was walking through a mostly abandoned city with a blank expression. Whenever she passed by a person, they would shoot her varying looks of greed, lust, or both. Thankfully, her rifle acted as an excellent deterrent to those impulses.

Before the Cataclysm happened, electromagnetic and laser weapon technology had matured enough to mass-produce standard issue weapons. However, they were gradually abandoned after the Cataclysm annihilated all of humanity’s power systems. Today, only a small number of large factions were capable of outfitting their people with energy weapons. Nearly everyone else had to rely on outdated firearms.

Even so, the current firearm was way stronger than it was 200 years ago. After exoskeletons were put to wide use, humans became capable of firing weapons that would have destroyed their bodies. Although most of this equipment did not survive the Cataclysm, the emergence of the Doctor’s Association and the creation of Powered Boosters and Evolution Serums allowed a human to biologically augment their strength. At the present time, an enhanced human could easily wield a weapon meant to be used with an exoskeleton.

In other words, an enhanced physique and a powerful weapon were usually enough to secure oneself.

It was hardly a surefire formula, however. If you were carrying, say, a loaf of bread out in the open, then not even God himself could stop the Wastelanders from prying it from your cold, dead hands. That was why Lulu was really scared out of her wits despite her calm appearance—the stalk of cabbage she was carrying in her combat suit was far, far more valuable than any bread. She would be robbed sooner than she could count to ten if it was discovered.

For now, she was safe because her combat suit was pretty bulky. It gave her a brawny appearance, and strong, brawny women were a dime a dozen across the Wasteland. The robbers might suspect she was hiding something under her suit, but they would not act until they were certain what it was. After all, they would be dead before they could find any valuables if they tried to rob every brawny woman that crossed their paths.

On a side note, the abandoned city belonged to none other than the mid-sized faction some thirty kilometers east of Squirrel Town that she had told Aiden earlier. Lulu was a Grade 2 Powered, so it took her only two hours or so to cross over thirty kilometers of distance. This was her speed without digging into her reserves too.

Despite this, Lulu never left her settlement unless she absolutely had to. The Wasteland was just too dangerous. Anything could happen beyond a settlement border. Anything.

 

Chapter 12: Cabbage

The abandoned city covered a large area, yet only a few districts were truly inhabited. Electrical fences surrounded the safe zone to prevent threats from making it inside. They were ineffective against powerful mutants, but they were helpful enough against ordinary zombies. At the very least, this place had a higher safety rating than even Squirrel Town.

Over thirty thousand Wastelanders lived within these districts. They were just barely surviving under the iron-fisted regime of its ruler, whose oppressive rules and exploitative measures gave birth to stable order and a certain measure of safety. Even so, Lulu knew better than to let her guard down. She could not let herself do so, not even for a second. The prowlers hidden in the nooks and crannies of this city would tear her apart if she showed any signs of weakness.

There was no such thing as men, women, young, or old in the Wasteland. There were only the strong and the weak.

It was not long before Lulu hit a milestone and saw the roadside store with the Doctor's Association's logo on it. For the first time since she stepped out of her settlement, she relaxed as she hurried inside.

After Aiden left, Lulu had taken a moment to consider her options. She then realized sooner than the man himself that their settlement was now in a race against time. Increasing Squirrel D's strength was a must, but increasing Aiden's strength was an even greater priority. Lulu could not understand why his org had not seen it fit to strengthen him with a Power Booster, especially since he was supposed to be pretty high up the hierarchy, but it was not her business to question her chief's faction. If she had the time to dwell on the whys, she might as well spend it on fixing the problem itself.

As it was, Aiden would not be able to convince anyone to obey him. In the worst-case scenario, her people might even be tempted down an evil path and attempt to rob him. After all, he owned the kind of riches people would kill to get but none of the power to protect himself.

That was why she made the risky trip to this mid-sized settlement. She had decided to trade away an invaluable vegetable for the best possible Power Boosters they owned. It was the only way to increase Aiden's strength in the shortest amount of time possible. Once that was done, most of their problems would be eliminated.

The retail store was only twenty-some square meters wide, and only one person was working behind the counter, with "working" being a figurative term because he was just really playing with his PBA (Personal Brain Assistant, a handheld AB) to pass the time. When Lulu entered the store, he simply raised a finger, gestured at the row upon row of low-grade Power Boosters on the walls, and returned his arm to its original position like he never moved in the first place. His eyes did not leave his device for even a second.

Each and every Power Booster had a clear label and a price tag, in keeping with the Doctor's Association's reputation for not selling their products at a discount. Then again, only a baby or a certain person who hailed from the past would make such a mistake.

A non-negotiable price tag was not the only thing that set the Doctor's Association apart from other powerful factions. Despite owning an unbelievable amount of power, they always adopted a neutral or passive stance. They also had retail stores in every settlement unless they were too small to be considered one like, say, Squirrel D. Their fairness and non-aggressive stance were why the Doctor's Association was very well-liked throughout the Wasteland and why they encountered little to no trouble when establishing a retail store in a settlement. If anything, the settlements saw it as a form of acknowledgment to receive a store establishment request from the Doctor's Association.

Back to the present, just like any other organization, the Doctor's Association graded its stores based on performance and took measures accordingly. One of the hard KPIs was the number of serums they sold per month. That was why Benedict Goodyear, the retail representative of this store, was so bored and unmotivated that he could die. To put it bluntly, the people of this "mid-sized" settlement were so poor that 99% of his so-called "potential customers" were only there to window-shop. He could barely remember the last person who purchased a Power Booster from him, and it most certainly was not because he had too many customers to remember. Hence, he had no reason to believe that Lulu was anyone but another window-shopper.

However, he soon realized how gravely mistaken he was when the girl suddenly pulled a fresh cabbage out of her combat suit.

For a second, Benedict thought he must be dreaming. The radioactive contamination from the nuclear war had been so bad that the effects transformed Earth's crust at a molecular level. As a result, only a handful of crops were strong enough to survive in this contaminated soil. Worse, the crop yield was terrible, and the crops themselves were deficient in a number of ways that could only be described as infuriating. They would be lucky if the crops were not inedible or, worse, toxic. That, and coupled with the fact that mutated meat was the Wastelander's main source of food these days, you get a world where the global food quality was substandard at best.

That was why fruits and vegetables were far, far more valuable than the highest grade pre-Cataclysm black truffles. The fungus might have been pricey back in the day, but they were at least available for purchase if you had the cash. Now, though, you could be the supreme ruler who held the lives of millions in your palm and still not find a single leaf of a fresh vegetable or fruit anywhere.

Currently, there existed only one type of vegetable in the Wasteland, and they were the C-rations stored inside secret underground air-raid shelters. Despite the fact that the food had long since expired, the stored contents proved to be edible. However, locating an underground air-raid shelter was no easy task, and most forces did not possess the ability to do so. On the off chance that a C-ration was discovered, they would be slapped with a high-level access tag and would be sequestered somewhere sooner than one could blink. They were called consumables for a reason, and when a can was consumed, that can was gone forever.

After Benedict finally snapped back to reality, he jumped to his feet like he was electrocuted and bolted to the front of the store. Lulu had no time to react and could only watch in horror as he slammed the door shut and locked it tight.

The Doctor's Association might have a sterling reputation, but it did not mean they did not have a black sheep in their group. If this guy turned out to be one of them, then she was in deep shit, to say the least.

Without hesitation, Lulu raised her high-powered rifle and took aim at Benedict, ready to pull the trigger at the slightest sign of aggression. The representative did not seem to mind her reaction, though. Or rather, he was too busy staring at the cabbage like he wanted to burn holes in it.

"I may be the retail representative of a distant store nobody gives a shit about, but I'm actually a Grade 9 Powered. I was sent here to serve my sentence. Your weapon won't be able to threaten me," he said dryly.

His revelation caused Lulu's face to turn as white as a sheet. This was not what she had expected to happen at all.

Logically speaking, the Doctor's Association would not send a Grade 5 Powered or higher to manage a store at a minor settlement like this. It would be a pure waste of manpower. There were exceptions to the rule, obviously, but not in a million years did Lulu expect to run into a Grade 9 Powered.

"Calm down. I'm no robber. We're an org that values fair trade and equivalent exchange. We wouldn't have grown to our current size if we were the type to skirt around our principles whenever convenient. I was just shocked to see a real cabbage, is all," said Benedict in a placating manner before pointing at the vegetable. "That's a cabbage, right? Do you mind if I inspect it? I'm sure you understand why I need to do this. If it's the real thing, its value can only be described as priceless."

Lulu hesitated, but it was true that she would be dead already if Benedict had really wanted to rob her. Also, the fact that his gaze was fully trained on the cabbage assured her that he was not motivated by other things.

With that in mind, Lulu carefully extended the cabbage toward Benedict, to which the man received like it was the most precious treasure in the whole world. He trembled a little as he inspected the vegetable. A short while later, tears poured down his cheeks.

"It's… it's really a cabbage, and a fresh one no less… It's a true miracle…"