As Marlin’s group drew closer to the convenience store, the scene ahead gradually came into view.
People were working everywhere, making the entire area bustle with activity. The sight surprised all six newcomers.
One of the elderly men couldn’t help asking, “Do those people live here too?”
“Probably not.” Marlin observed them from a distance. “They’re likely from a nearby settlement, working in exchange for food and water.”
Such arrangements were rare in the wasteland, but after everything Marlin had told them about the convenience store along the way, the six newcomers didn’t find it too strange.
As they drew closer, however, they finally got a clear look at the people working outside the moat. Several of them immediately reacted.
Marlin noticed and stopped.
“What’s wrong? Do you know them?”
One of the elderly men fixed his eyes on Derek and the others, unable to hide his hatred. It took him a moment before he finally spoke through gritted teeth.
“They’re not ordinary survivors from a nearby settlement. They’re thugs who survive by extorting others.”
That caught Marlin by surprise.
“They came to our settlement once,” the elderly man continued. “They extorted us and took every last one of our supplies. If we hadn’t found something else to eat afterward, the six of us might have starved to death.”
The others had recognized Derek’s group as well, and the memories clearly weren’t pleasant.
Marlin took another look at Derek and the others. The same thugs who had once pushed everyone around were now working obediently under the scorching sun. He quickly guessed what had happened and burst out laughing.
“Looks like they picked a fight with Jack and got taught a lesson. Otherwise, there’s no way they’d willingly stay here and work.”
One of the middle-aged men stared at him in surprise.
“Is Jack really that formidable?”
Marlin thought for a moment before giving an answer that left all six newcomers confused.
“Sometimes he doesn’t seem formidable at all. But then he goes and does things an ordinary person could never pull off.”
The middle-aged man was completely lost.
“So is he formidable or not?”
“He really is just an ordinary person,” Marlin explained with a smile. “He gets scared when danger comes. Sometimes he doesn’t know what to do, and sometimes he panics.”
His tone grew more serious.
“But when things get bad, he doesn’t hide behind anyone else. A pack of Red Sand Badgers attacked this place before, and Jack killed one of them. Not long afterward, a group of raiders attacked, and Jack and the others drove them off too.”
“Raiders?”
“Valkyrie’s group. You’ve heard of them, right?”
All six acknowledged the name at once.
“Two of the raiders were injured, and the rest had to retreat,” Marlin continued. “Later, Mort fell into Jack’s hands too. Now even he’s staying at the convenience store.”
The six newcomers were stunned. The middle-aged man who had just questioned Jack’s abilities stood with his mouth open, unable to say anything.
Nothing Marlin had described sounded like the work of an ordinary person.
Amused by their reactions, Marlin gestured toward Derek and the others in the distance.
“Well? Seeing them like this must feel pretty satisfying after what they did to you.”
The six turned their attention back to Derek’s group.
Those men had once stormed into their settlement, thrown their weight around, and taken the last of their supplies. Now they were covered in mud and working under the scorching sun. The sight gave all six of them a deep sense of satisfaction.
The elderly man who had spoken earlier slowly let out a breath.
“It does. Seeing them get what they deserve finally makes me feel a little better.”
Marlin laughed again.
“Do you still doubt what I told you?”
“Not anymore,” the elderly man replied. “We haven’t seen everything else for ourselves yet, so we can’t say for sure. But when it comes to strength, this place definitely has that.”
He gave Marlin a thumbs-up.
Marlin was about to tell them more about the convenience store when he spotted two people approaching.
It was Jack and Elias.
“They’re coming to meet us,” Marlin said. “Let’s join them first. We can talk about the rest later.”
Marlin led the six newcomers toward them and waved to Jack.
“Jack, I brought you a big surprise this time.”
“I’ll have to meet them before I decide whether it’s a surprise.” Jack gestured toward the trading post. “Let’s head over there first. It’s too hot out here. We can talk as we walk.”
On the way, Marlin introduced everyone, and Jack soon understood how the six were related.
Warren and Edith Beckett were married, and Grant was their son. Helen was Grant’s wife, while Oscar and Ruth Merritt were Helen’s parents.
Jack took a moment to sort out the relationships.
“So Grant and Helen are married, which makes your two families in-laws?”
“That’s right,” Warren said.
Once the introductions were over, Marlin eagerly added, “Warren was an architect in the old world.”
That immediately caught Jack’s attention.
“An architect?”
“I mainly designed homes and public buildings,” Warren said.
Marlin then introduced Grant.
“Grant learned quite a bit from Warren too. He can build walls, put up wooden frames, and repair roofs.”
Grant confirmed that he could.
Jack glanced at Elias and immediately saw that he was just as pleased.
More and more structures were going up around the convenience store, but they still lacked someone who truly understood architectural planning. Now they had both an architect and a construction worker with practical experience. The two men had arrived just when the settlement needed them most.
Jack gave Marlin a firm pat on the shoulder.
“You really did bring us a big surprise.”
Marlin immediately looked pleased with himself.
“Of course. The moment I heard Warren used to be an architect, I brought all six of them straight here. What do you think? I have a good eye for people, don’t I?”
“More than good. You’ve done me a huge favor.” Jack laughed. “Seriously, thank you.”
The group soon reached the trading post. Jack invited everyone to sit down, then poured each of them a cup of water and added several ice cubes from the cooler with a pair of tongs.
The cubes clinked against one another, immediately drawing the newcomers’ attention.
“Is that ice?” Oscar asked, staring at the clear cubes in disbelief.
“Take a sip and find out,” Jack said.
They cautiously raised their cups and took a sip. The moment the ice-cold water touched their tongues, all six stopped at once.
Marlin stood nearby with a smug expression, as though he were asking whether they finally believed everything he had told them along the way.
Warren and the others were too distracted to notice. After staring at the ice for a while, their attention shifted to the supplies inside the trading post. It took them some time to fully take everything in.
Elias gave them a moment before asking, “Are you planning to stay here and work for a while, or are you hoping to settle nearby permanently?”
Warren checked with the others before answering.
“We’d like to settle here, and we’re willing to work. We just weren’t sure whether you’d want so many elderly people around.”
Jack immediately put their concerns to rest.
“You’re overthinking it. We don’t turn people away just because they’re old, especially when they have knowledge from the old world. People like you are always welcome here.”
The four elderly newcomers finally relaxed.
In many settlements, those too old to perform heavy physical labor were seen as little more than another mouth to feed when supplies were already scarce. Marlin had repeatedly assured them that the convenience store wouldn’t turn them away, but they had still been worried until they heard it from Jack himself.
“There is one thing we need to make clear first,” Jack said, gesturing toward the area around the convenience store. “You’re welcome to stay, but for now, you’ll have to build your homes outside the moat. Is that a problem?”
“The moat?” Oscar asked.
Elias indicated the nearly completed trench.
“We plan to use it as the settlement’s first line of defense, so the area inside won’t be open to newcomers. You can choose a suitable place outside to build your homes. We’ll provide food, drinking water, and any other supplies you need at first. You can repay us later through work or trade.”
Oscar studied the trench for a moment.
“We understand why you need to be cautious.”
Warren agreed. “The space inside is limited anyway. You can’t have everyone crowding in there.”
“Thank you for understanding,” Elias said. “This place is rather unusual. As for why we need to be careful, you only have to look at the group outside the moat.”
At the mention of Derek’s group, Marlin immediately asked, “Speaking of them, what exactly happened? I thought they were from a nearby settlement and had come here to work.”
Jack briefly explained how Derek and the others had tried to extort them at the trading post, only to end up being detained and put to work making brick blanks.
Warren glanced back at Derek’s group working under the scorching sun.
“Serves them right. Someone should’ve taught them a lesson a long time ago.”
The bitterness in his voice caught Jack’s attention.
“Do you have a grudge against them?”
Marlin explained that Derek’s group had once extorted both families and taken all their supplies.
That explained Warren’s reaction. Jack looked at the six newcomers, then toward Derek and the others outside the moat, and a grin spread across his face.
“Would you like a chance to get even?”
The question caught all six by surprise, but Oscar was the first to respond.
“Do you even have to ask? Of course we would.” He glanced toward Derek’s group. “But what can we do?”
Instead of answering, Jack addressed Warren first.
“You used to be an architect, so I’d like you to take charge of our upcoming construction projects. Any problem with that?”
Warren hadn’t expected to be given such an important role so quickly, but he was clearly delighted.
“No problem. But I’ll need to see what materials and tools you have, along with the current construction conditions, before I can decide what we should do next.”
“That’s exactly what you’ll be responsible for,” Jack said. “Professional work should be left to a professional. If you need anything, just let me know.”
“I can help my father,” Grant added immediately.
Pleased with their response, Jack turned to Oscar and gestured toward Derek’s group.
“As for you, we don’t have much use for your printing equipment repair skills right now. But we do need a supervisor, so you can keep an eye on them while they work.”
Oscar followed his gesture, and understanding quickly dawned on him.
Jack grinned.
“I probably don’t need to tell you how to get even, do I?”
“No, of course not!” Oscar burst out laughing. “Don’t worry. I know exactly what to do.”
Jack gave him a thumbs-up.
The others understood what Jack and Oscar were thinking and joined in the laughter.
When the laughter died down, Oscar glanced at the nearly completed moat, still curious about it.
“May I ask something? What made you decide to dig a moat here? Did you find a spring nearby?”
Elias took a moment before answering.
“That’s why I said this place is unusual. As for the exact reason, I’m afraid I can’t tell you yet.”
Oscar quickly realized that the moat involved a secret they weren’t ready to share with newcomers.
“I understand. Thank you for being honest.”
Elias offered a slight smile but said nothing more.
Just then, Megan approached from the direction of the convenience store. Her arrival clearly surprised Marlin.
“Who’s this?”
“Her name is Megan. She’s my friend,” Jack said. “Megan, this is Marlin. The others are Warren, Edith, Grant, Helen, Oscar, and Ruth.”
Megan greeted the group, and the six newcomers returned the greeting. Marlin, however, drew out a meaningful “Oh” as his gaze shifted between Jack and Megan. A knowing grin soon appeared on his face.
Jack rolled his eyes and ignored him.
Megan did the same and spoke directly to Jack.
“I’ve already notified Cass and the others. If you don’t need their help here, I’ll start teaching them how to drive the CUEV.”
“Everything here is taken care of,” Jack said. “Go ahead with the original plan.”
Megan was about to leave when Warren blurted out, “You have a CUEV?”
She stopped and turned back.
Warren immediately continued, “And it still works? Does that mean you have electricity here?”
The intensity of his reaction surprised Jack.
“Yes, we have a working CUEV, and we have electricity. But why are you so excited?”
Warren seemed not to hear the question. His astonishment quickly turned into open excitement, and he burst out laughing, repeating the same words over and over.
“This is good. This is really good!”
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