Bab 8: Bai Lang’s “death” (3) - Bai Georgi's POV (2)

Traveling back to Headquarters Bai Georgi looked around. The world was so different now compared to how it was before the start of Paradise. Pieces of flat land suddenly became mountains. There were caves where houses used to be. Flora thrived during this time so a lot of buildings were overgrown with plants. You could see car wreckages and dried up blood everywhere you looked. You could even see a dead body here and there. What was worse though was what you couldn't see, everyone in Paradise knew that every corner of the world could be deadly, without any prior warning. One wrong step in Paradise and it could lead to horrible consequences. In Paradise every day could be your last. Often times without ever having the hope of getting a peaceful resting place.

Bai Georgi could feel the responsibility weighing more heavily on him than before. Bai Georgi as a leader always had self-knowledge. Which meant he knew his faults and shortcomings as well as his strong points. He was a great fighter and team leader when it came to fighting and war strategy. He was, however not the best at communication as long as it had to come in a different form then an order, which should be obeyed at all times.

His inability to mend his relationship with his little brother was the best example of his inability to communicate. His team which was unable to appreciate Bai Lang's efforts was a perfect example as well. He stopped everyone from being dismissive of Bai Lang when he noticed. What Bai Georgi however failed to notice is that they didn't become less dismissive of Bai Lang. It was just they didn't speak badly about his little brother anymore where he might hear what was said.

So his inability to communicate was a big flaw in his leadership skills. He also was very aware of that flaw so he always tried to be as open and honest in his communication with everyone. A bigger flaw right now though was something else. Bai Lang was a core member of the group. Bai Lang was physically able enough to protect himself, he clearly wasn't as skilled as the others in their team whom used to be soldiers. However Bai Lang had a way more important role to fulfill.

Bai Lang was the brains of the group. It wasn't that he wasn't smart, it was just that Bai Lang was smarter then everyone in their team combined. He was the researcher, the medic (for bigger injuries then their field medicine skills, which the military had trained them in), he was also their mechanic inventing new gadgets left and right. Most importantly of all he was his brother whom he loved dearly, understood his troubles and helped him carried the heavy burden that rested on his shoulders since Paradise started.

Losing Bai Lang would mean losing a very dear very member, who he loved with every fiber of his being. Therefore Bai Lang no longer being around hit him hard on a personal and professional level. Georgi quickly became nervous. He learned a lot from Bai Lang when it came to classes and skills. He also learned the creation steps of some simple gadgets Bai Lang made. However even though Bai Lang had explained the creation process of other gadgets, the explanation of how they were build went right over his head. He was glad that Bai Lang had the foresight to take in an apprentice. Bai Lang always said: "prepare what you can for tomorrow, because you never know what will happen today". Right now Georgi was nothing but happy at Bai Lang's foresight. Losing Bai Lang would make surviving for everyone whom he was responsible for just that much harder and now he had to carry that burden alone.

Georgi was therefore very grateful that Bai Lang's apprentice would still be around. He wasn't as great as Bai Lang, nobody would or could be probably, since most geniuses would have died at the beginning of Paradise. Since most geniuses had an absolute inability to protect themselves. When Paradise started he was terrified for Bai Lang, since he wasn't a soldier. Although he knew Bai Lang had self-defense skills. He was so glad when he finally found Bai Lang unharmed still safe at home. However everything was for naught he wasn't able to protect his little brother in the end. Proving once again how much he failed at being an older brother.

When they arrived at their temporary Headquarters they quickly drove the car inside the iron fences which were covered with spikes overseen by watchtowers. This action was incredibly fast, it had to be, since they never knew which monster might be lurking in the shadows nearby. One time they didn't work fast enough and because of that a Smuggel got inside their base!

-Flashback-

A Smuggel is a fully cloaked monster, only when you catch one alive or kill it will you be able to see that under the cloak is actually a mouse like figure with bright blue or yellow eyes. Smuggles walk on two legs and travel very fast, therefore it seems like they drift. Smuggles are able to hypnotize people to act on their deep dark desire. Therefore people who are hypnotized by smuggles can be ordered to attack someone. Smuggles can only do that however as long as the chosen target is two levels lower then himself. If the chosen target is principally against what he or she is hypnotized to do the hypnotism can be repelled. Someone hypnotized by a Smuggle cannot be ordered to commit suicide. Whether it's a limit to their power or if it is because of fierce resistance of the hypnotized person willpower is uncertain. What is certain is that this limits the Smuggel's power. The Smuggel grows stronger by collecting and eating livers from all live forms. Therefore you will often see them cutting open corpses to take the liver for food storage.

They didn't notice right away when the Smuggel got inside the base. When the Smuggle had gotten inside for weeks they didn't know why some people suddenly turned aggressive. There were even one or two deaths, which was caused by a soldier attacking another soldier's family member. The reigning atmosphere and aggressiveness was hard on groups moral.

Bai Lang was eventually the one that noticed that the liver of the two people who died were missing before they cremated the deceased. This made Bai Georgi lead a monster hunt. Eventually they were able to trap the Smuggle and kill it. This was a good lesson for the group. This was the way they learned that they shouldn't even leave their guards down at Headquarters. Paradise changed everything and they should be ready for action anytime anywhere.

-Flashback end-

When they closed the gates behind them the group got out of the car. Nobody was waiting for them outside since everyone had their own tasks to do, ever since the start of Paradise everyone needed to fulfill a task to their ability. No one was willing to keep people around whom were unwilling to work towards the same goal, which was to survive.

Horrus Kai, whom is Georgi's second in command stepped towards his commander. Kai asked: "Bai Georgi what will our next step of action be?" "Come with me", Georgi said, before leaving he turned around and said: "Everyone knows what to do check what the generator needs to get it up and running as soon as possible and then go have your meals".

Bai Georgi turned around after his order and walked away. If he would have looked back he would have seen Claire make a stunned expression which she quickly covered up. "What is happening she thought he should be comforting me?!"

Bai Georgi led Kai to an empty room which held simple chairs and a table. Horrus Kai inquired: "What will you do next?" Bai Georgi felt like he was hit by a ton of bricks and started pacing around the room. "I don't know what to do next, Kai you know how much Bai Lang meant to the group!" Kai looks ahead: "Yes I do know. I never understood why he had to come along on this mission he was to valuable."

"Of course he was" Bai Georgi almost screams! "But nobody understood, they all thought he was a scared little kid, so Bai Lang said he had to go because otherwise the group would start to hate him for never taking risks which the groups has to take daily. The whole group thought I was just trying to keep him safe because he was my little brother no matter how I explained they didn't believe me!" "If I didn't let Bai Lang go with us it wouldn't have remained safe inside the base for him. Every member of this base who lost someone since the start of Paradise would be a threat to him so he had to go with us."

Kai looked stunned and sat down in the chair. Then he responded with a heavy sigh: "yes you are right he needed to go on this mission. Besides always keeping Bai Lang inside protected and well cared for wouldn't have been to Bai Lang's advantage either. We never know when this Base may fall. Having Bai Lang go out he would be able to survive in the outside world if the base ever stopped existing. We never could have known that something would go this wrong."

"Now first things first how are we going to tell your parents?" Kai asked. "My parents", Georgi sighed, "yes that it might be hard to tell them. Let's go tell them first and then discuss a plan on what to do next."