Chapter 2
1147 Words
Seventeen days after the nuclear explosion, near the edge of a crater within the ruins of Washinton Safe Zone, a group of men—faces tattooed, draped in plastic raincoats—loudly berated the dozen or so laborers below.
After a long search yielding only scraps of molten metal, the one-eyed leader, Lawrence Sinclair, could not restrain his fury.
"Search harder, you damned swine! Anyone who slacks off will have their head cut off and fed to the dogs!"
His voice echoed, sending the survivors below into a frantic scramble.
They had all witnessed Lawrence's methods. In these times of scarce food, those deemed worthless were often turned into reserves for this devil.
Seeing the effectiveness of his threat, Lawrence sneered, motioning to his men to keep an eye on the laborers. Then he turned to head back to the modified truck parked nearby.
As he neared the crater's base, the radiation grew stronger and the corrosive rain continued to fall, causing him to itch all over within half an hour.
Though indifferent to the fate of his slaves, their loss still represented a decline in the labor force.
Had he not heard about a meteorite falling nearby just two days ago, he wouldn't have ventured here with his team.
What drew him were those fragments.
Just thinking about the mystery of those fragments set his heart racing. They were treasures that the military was desperately hunting for. Rumor had it that absorbing the energy from these shards could turn a person into a superhuman, an unstoppable warrior.
***
Rain eroded the skin, and the murky water in the crater had already surpassed ankle depth.
Barefoot and covered in filth, a gaunt girl struggled to shift solid quartz beneath her. Malnutrition had rendered her skeletal, and each bend was accompanied by immense effort.
Every time she bent down was a struggle, and even as her fingers bled, she dared not pause for a moment.
Perhaps it was a hunger-induced hallucination, but suddenly, she felt what seemed to be a human hand.
Rina Anderson gasped, and in the next second, the charred hand grasped hers, and a face suddenly surged from the puddle to meet her gaze.
What a pair of eyes!
To Rina, they seemed like those of a ghoul crawling from the depths of hell, filled with boundless hatred burning fiercely within.
Though the owner of these eyes uttered no words, she instantly understood the plea in Ethan's gaze.
He wanted her to pull him out.
No one knew how Ethan had survived. Not even he understood.
Possibly, the unique shard within him had shielded him, allowing him to miraculously survive the nuclear explosion.
But as the shard's energy finally depleted, he had barely managed to crawl here, utterly drained of strength.
Unwilling to die here, driven by infinite hatred and unwavering will, Ethan awoke at that moment.
Thump!
Exhausted, Ethan released his grip, his body collapsing back into the water like a dead weight.
Seconds later, Rina snapped back to reality, staring in shock at the bottom of the pit.
Perhaps it was the intensity of Ethan's gaze or the goodness in her heart, but she gritted her teeth and used every ounce of strength to pull him out.
She didn't know this strange man, but she knew that if she did nothing, he would surely die.
Realizing her own strength was insufficient, Rina desperately cried for help.
"There's a living person here! Please save him!"
***
Ten minutes later, the onlookers gaped at Ethan lying across Rina's lap.
If not for her insistence that he was still alive, they would have disbelieved that the charred figure before them hadn't perished.
It was hard to imagine what he had endured or why he was here.
As murmurs arose, a sequence of footsteps accompanied by angry shouts descended from above.
"You lazy swine, how dare you slack off here!"
As the enforcers slid into the pit in a rage, with the cold-eyed leader Lawrence planning only to scold the resting laborers, the crowd paled.
A formerly high-ranking executive among them hurriedly pointed towards Ethan in Rina's embrace, fearfully explaining.
"Mr. Sinclair, we've found a living person."
Lawrence paused, shoved through the crowd, and spotted Ethan.
"A living person? Are you kidding me? Do you think I'm a fool?"
Observing Ethan's scary appearance, Lawrence chuckled after a brief pause.
He believed this man was dead.
This was the blast center, where even steel would melt.
Lawrence's gaze turned to Rina.
"You damn wench, are you wasting my time? Throw this trash away. Everyone get back to work!"
Having assumed Ethan was just an unknown survivor who had stumbled and died in the pit, Lawrence completed his tirade with a fierce whip crack towards Rina.
The barbed whip slashed across her arm, flaying the skin.
Rina let out a scream.
Despite her tremors from the pain, Rina inexplicably found the courage to shield Ethan, refusing to let go.
She was certain he was still alive. If abandoned now, he would surely die.
Even though she knew she had angered Lawrence, Rina couldn't shake the memory of the burning defiance in Ethan's eyes when he woke up.
The fire of his unyielding spirit and the desperate struggle as if he was clawing his way out of hell struck her like a bullet to the heart. She couldn't get them out of her head.
"Mr. Sinclair, he's still alive. He really is still breathing!"
As Rina steeled herself against the pain to protect Ethan's seemingly lifeless body, Lawrence grew even more impatient.
Just as he raised his whip again, one of his men who had reached out to touch Ethan suddenly shouted.
"Mr. Sinclair, this guy is breathing weakly."
Hearing that Ethan was not dead, a flicker of surprise crossed Lawrence's eyes.
'He's alive?' he wondered.
He hadn't expected Ethan to survive the nuclear explosion. It was strange for Ethan to stay alone here. 'Could he also be searching for the meteorite?' Lawrence thought.
Nodding thoughtfully, Lawrence ordered his men to bind Ethan and throw him into the truck.
"Take him up. When he wakes up, ask him to see if he knows anything about the meteorite. If he knows nothing, we'll turn him into jerky." Glancing at Ethan's robust form, Lawrence dismissed further thought. "He came here alone. What a fool!"
He had seen too many lone wolves. Those who ventured alone in an apocalyptic world seldom survived long.
Even if they couldn't extract any useful information from him, it wouldn't be a total loss. After all, his body could still be sold. It was not in the best condition, but it would still fetch a decent price.
Lawrence threatened his ashen-faced slaves and then turned to leave.
Little did he know that Ethan, whom he considered mere trash, was about to cause a massive stir in the future.
- Writer
