=====Vol 2 Chap 14=====

Stuck under a collapsed bridge, every one of us found himself unable to do anything but search for escape holes, or something smaller yet breakable.

Sadly, none of their ‘Powers’ were useful in situations such as this, for Oscar having his as the ‘More Efficient Body’, in other words, he is able to maintain living for longer yet with the same amount of resources as others. A ‘Power’ solely made for survivability.

Al’s is of the same type, allowing him to somehow breath underwater, even though he isn’t a swimmer like Wayne, but, one can clearly see the advantage of having such a person in their team, for he could survive nearly indefinitely underwater, hence most people thinking: “Oh, this would make a good stealth-spy material.” when they hear about such a power.

Wayne is different, having more of an active ability than his companions, which is the ability to turn objects heavier, but that is also the end of it. Unless we are speaking about fighting melee and increasing the weight of an object to deal a stronger blow with the help of gravity, it is a useless power in my opinion.

..Unless he uses it to embed himself on a slippery surface by increasing the weight of his shoes, then I’ll comment with “props for good usage”.

Anyhow, looking back on their abilities, none of them will be of good usage in this situation, so I decided to take on the most dangerous yet wanted ability: ‘Super Strength’.

While I still haven’t got my actual ‘Powers’ yet, this will be sufficient as I have the strength to back it up, therefore the lie becoming a truth.

“Get back.” I told Oscar who was the nearest to a fragile point in the walls, then I punched a hole through it.

Their mouths gaped open, but I snapped them out of their daze and hurried them out of the ruins, after all, the battle has yet to end, and being in the mall is the best course of action at the moment.

Quickly, we went towards the building which housed our loot then returned back to the mall, greeted by a worried-looking Roland. His brows were frowned, and traces of sweat covered his face, showing clearly how he was feeling.

“Come in, quickly, I need to know what exactly happened over there.” He called for people to guard the doors and windows while saying that to us.

We complied and followed him to his room after dropping off the loot to others, then sat on the couch opposite to him. Our dust-covered bodies clearly showed that we had encountered something or went somewhere dusty, however, we clearly prioritized safety over pioneering, so going somewhere unknown is very unlikely, hence the dust being both evidence with and against us.

‘With’ as in ‘we actually encountered something/went somewhere dusty’ and against as in ‘we faked it.’, but the latter is highly unlikely, since we don’t win anything from doing so.

“Now then, I’d like you to tell me everything, in details.” He emphasized on ‘details’ using gestures.

I stayed silent and let Al do the speaking, since he was the most calm out of the 3, and he did explain well, just as expected.

“I see.. I guess it was true after all.. The Dual Eagles and the Whips are fighting.” Concluded Roland.

“What makes you say that?” Asked the confused Oscar.

“A while ago, a couple of people who seemed to be injured came to us, and they told a story similar to your own, except that they knew who the fighting sides were.” Answered Roland.

“But, which side is which?” I asked.

“The helicopters are the Dual Eagles, the vans are the Whips, and those people came from being captives of the Whips to being escapees.”

“..Captives?” I tried my best to look surprised.

“Yes, but that is as much as they know. Why they got caught and where they were going is not something they know.”

We all stayed silent, pondering, until Roland sighed.

“All of you should go rest, today was hectic, and I might need you soon. So, get your rest, I’ll call when you are needed. Dismissed.” And with that, he ended our little meeting.

But, just as I was going to stand up, Roland held my shoulder, as if telling me to stay put, so I did. We waited until everyone was out of the room before he started talking.

“So your power is ‘Super Strength’, hmm?” He smirked.

“Yeah, but I never had the chance to use it.”

“How strong?” He changed his wording, “I mean, what are its limits, do you feel fatigued after using it, is there a limit to what you can carry?”

Interrupting him, I said “You know, this is the first time I used it. How am I supposed to know?” I used a logical argument instead of using the ‘my power is a secret’ type of argument, causing him to close his mouth.

“..Alright then, you can go now.” He waved me off.

I sighed inwardly as I closed the door, then walked towards my room. The people that were feeling a bit safer started getting tense, their appearances and faces were there as if acknowledging my words, but it is more about how they act, and unsurprisingly, they are not freaking out.

Why it is ‘unsurprising’ is due to the living conditions that we are in right now. Everyone is on the edge, a monster could come and destroy the city with ease, or resources could run out, and no one is taking the fact that how they live is for granted, they must work hard and never let their guard down in these days, otherwise one little accident will ruin us all.

Only by talking with others and sharing their burdens will they be able to stay sane, this is why in a community, teamwork, social abilities and a charismatic leader are they keys that opens the treasure chest of a life with a breather.

Anyhow, since I made my way towards my room (shop), I’m currently laying on the bed while viewing ‘Blessing in The Forest’.

Of course, I’m making sure that while doing so, my perception abilities will detect anyone that is about to enter, as it is very strange how I got such a painting out of nowhere.

Melancholic feelings filled me as I was reminded for how long I’ll stay away from Rain, as well as the fact that it has been over 3 months since I had last seen my parents in person, and those thoughts kept filling me with worry by the day.

“Haha..” A hollow laugh came out of my mouth as I put away the painting.

Nothing could be done by worrying. Only work will produce results, and that means I have to find my parents as soon as possible. And only one place comes to mind when I think of leaving the city, which is going to the summer house.

Problem is, they’d have to pass by the city ruled by the Whips, which are making me worried with their ‘Female Only’ policy. I’m also interested in how the Dual Eagles were able to obtain helicopters. Either they were part of the military, or a power to create machines just like Norman.

Sitting up from the bed, I decided to go and have lunch, since we go out early in the morning for sunlight is the only good source of light around here. While the moonlight also works, I’ve heard that many monsters lurk around at night, hence the rarity of night missions. Not to mention that our group isn’t in dire need of anything at the moment, further decreasing the chance of night missions.

After passing by a few shops, I reached my destination: the Whisperer’s Restaurant, housed by our very own ‘Cook’ powered woman, Ilona.

Entering through the decorated wooden door, I was greeted by a high class restaurant where half of the residents are currently eating. Finding an empty seat next to one of my acquaintances, I greeted and sat next to them then ordered for my own food.

“Hey, have you actually seen those helicopters?” She asked after gulping down her food.

“Yeah, they were obliterating the road with bullets - it looked horrible..” I said my true feelings.

“Hmm, but you know, aren’t the helicopters these days full of electronics? Couldn’t I control them?” She thought enthusiastically, but I just shaked my head.

“You are barely able to control a mobile phone, why do the impossible?” I sighed.

“Oh come on, don’t ruin the fun.” She admonished. “I’ll be able to do it some day!”

I chuckled at those words, and quietly waited for my food to get ready.

This woman is called Fiona. Many times has she been titled ‘the princess’ due to her name, but she didn’t find it annoying, in fact, she let anyone call her whatever they liked.

Her long, wavy auburn hair coupled with her honey brown eyes and cute face caused her to be one of those women that always had admirers, not to mention her body when she wears a dress, alas, I’ve only seen it once.

But, the true story is that she was once a celebrity, an actor if you need specifications, her acting abilities are not so believable as if it were real, she was just a tad bit better at it than most of her rivals, add to that her looks, and voila! You’ve got yourself up in the acting industry.

While I was away in the other world, a film was going to be made in this city, but unluckily, they encountered a monster and she, with one of her crew, were the only people to be able to escape, and they wound up inside the mall, just like most of the people here.

“Oh, hello Archillies, I guessed it was you since you are the only one that orders this.” Speak of the devil, this crew member that escaped with Fiona.

“Many thanks.” I said as he put down my plates.

His name is Jason, with a brown skin, buzzcut hair and two steely black eyes, he became famous for his optimistic expression and ability to remedy people’s feelings. Always there to help those in need of emotional support, everyone in this mall looks at him positively, in the same rank as Roland.

Unfortunately, even with his optimistic expression, I can still see beneath it. Sorrow, rage, despair, those feelings battling each other by the moment, and the only way he could stop their rampage is by being with others. He needs to interact with others, to share his burden, just like how they need him to share their own.

If no one notices, no one will know, so until now, I was unable to find out the reason for those emotions. Alas, it will all come to light when he decides to free himself from his past.

As he left to attend to others customers, I started eating my food, but then I felt the ground shake, and it seems that I’m not the only one who did.

Some tried to ignore it and continued eating slowly, but soon, the loudspeaker roared “Everyone! Emergency, all who can fight come to the roof!” Roland’s voice echoed, making me quickly ingest the food and run to the rooftop.

My heart beat slowly and calmly, until what happened on the roof..

=====Vol 2 Chap 14 end=====