บท 219: Fort Yano (5)
<Author's note: The things (racism, sexism, political views, etc.) depicted or mentioned in this story do not reflect the real world and are purely coincidences. If they do, please keep in mind that they are simply for world-building and are only work of fiction. Thank you for your understanding.>
"You there," a male voice suddenly said, interrupting James and the two women.
The trio turned towards the direction where the voice was coming from.
It came from a brown-skinned Asian man who was in his mid-20s, about 2.2 meters tall, sporting a crew cut, and wearing civilian clothing along with System items.
'So tall...!' Daisy and Lyka thought.
As for James, when he saw Nathan, his eyes became wide as saucers and he said, "It's you!"
James was actually the soldier named Young -- it was his last name. Moreover, he was also the spotter of Vincent's (aka Captain Lu) convoy from this afternoon.
Although he never got to interact with Nathan, he heard that he was an old friend of Captain Lu. In addition to that, Nathan was very tall, was wearing a black-leather medieval costume in a tropical country, and he was also there when Nathan ran away with Zita. So it wasn't hard not to forget about someone like Nathan.
And because Nathan ran away with Zita this afternoon, it made them suspect that either he or Zita or both of them were infected. So James immediately scanned him with his eyes.
'He doesn't seem to be carrying any obvious weapons…'
'Where is the kid he was with…?'
'What happened to her…?'
'When did he return…?
'How was he able to enter after that incident…?'
'Once the clock hits 1800, no one is allowed to enter and leave the camp...'
'The only way you can enter and leave is to get a special pass...'
'But it's really hard to get one…'
'And in his case, given that incident this afternoon, if he tried to enter again, there would be many questions waiting for him…'
'But then again, we arrived here around 1630 so he had a lot of time to come back before 1800…'
'We also didn't tell the officials that Captain Lu and this guy were old buddies…'
Nathan glanced at Daisy and Lyka before returning his gaze at James.
His lips curled up into a smile and he said, "Come with me. I need to ask you about a few things."
However, James didn't stand up.
Nathan was still wearing a smile when his eyes immediately turned cold and he said in a very calm manner, "Come with me or I'll rip apart those two pretty girlfriends of yours with my bare hands."
Right after hearing what Nathan said, the two women felt their throats went dry and a shiver ran down their spine, causing them to also subconsciously lean back.
There was just something about the way Nathan said those things partnered with that eyes and smile of his that made them feel as if a knife was held against their necks.
As for James…
'This feeling…' he thought as he stared at Nathan's face.
Just like the other two, he too felt a chill ran down his spine but his throat didn't go dry nor did he subconsciously leaned back. He was, after all a soldier, and has been serving for 2 years so he had more mental fortitude than the average citizen.
'It's been a while since I got this feeling from someone…'
He got up and looked at Daisy and Lyka.
"I'm just going to have a quick chat with this guy. I'll be back right away to pick you guys up."
"Okay… See you soon… Take care..." both of the women said with a worried tone.
He went to the side, turned to Nathan and said, "Let's go."
Nathan chuckled and said, "Lead the way. Somewhere private. I'll walk behind you."
James began walking and Nathan followed closely from behind.
***
James was walking to an area where the closest visible person, other than the giant who was walking behind him, was several meters away.
As tough as James is, right now, he couldn't help but have this jumpy feeling on his gut that he didn't dare to do anything that will make Nathan suspicious of him.
"This place is okay," Nathan said and stopped.
James also stopped and then turned around.
"What do you want?"
Nathan smiled and said, "Where is Vincent?"
"Captain Lu? I think he's --"
"I don't want wishy-washy vague answers. I want direct and straight answers."
"Look, man, whatever is that yo--"
"Shut your mouth," Nathan said with a cold voice. "Let me make this clear to you. You only have two options here: Cooperate or die. And trust me, if you picked the latter, I will break your arms and legs, bring you over to those two girlfriends of yours, rip them apart with my bare hands right in front of you, and then kill you."
James became silent.
"Tell me where's Vincent."
"This afternoon, I heard them talking about going to the gym tonight to watch a comedy show. It starts at 1900 hours."
"Where is this gym?"
"It's at the central, near Block D."
"Block D?"
'He doesn't know where Block D is? When newcomers arrive here and they're granted permission to stay, they would be given the basic layout of the camp,' James thought. "When the zombie apocalypse began and the government decided to make Fort Yano an evacuation center, apart from the government's office and military compound, they assigned four blocks -- A, B, C and D. Block D is located southwest of the camp. It used to be the grounds where we used to hold military drills."
"Tell me about the other Blocks."
'Hmm… I can't help but suspect that he must've entered the camp illegally,' James thought. "Block A is located northeast and that's where the elite stays -- politicians, government employees, VIPs, etc. Block B and C are located southeast.
"Block B is where the foreigners and Muwinians with foreign spouses are staying.
"Meanwhile, Block C is where the rich people are staying."
"And Block D is for the poor citizens?" said Nathan.
"Average citizens to be exact."
'Hmm… Based on my parents' economic background, I'd say they're in Block D. But father is a policeman so maybe they are in Block C. And as for Amir's family, they're probably also in Block C,' Nathan thought. "So Block A is for the elite, huh. Is that where the Prophets are staying?"
"Prophets? Yeah."
"How many Prophets are working for the government?"
"I don't know. I don't have access to that kind of information."
Nathan didn't say anything and just stared at James' face.
"But what I do know is that there are groups of Prophets working for the government and they're moved around the country to wherever they're needed."
'There are groups of Prophets and are being moved around the country?'
Nathan recalled his experience of fighting the M2s while riding a helicopter and also seeing that Queen or Q-zombie when he crossed the ocean in order to come here to Muwin.
"How many Prophet groups are there?"
"I don't know."
"But there are Prophets currently staying here?"
"Right now, based on what I've heard, there are currently three Prophets here."
"And you've met them, or at least seen them?"
"I've never met them nor did I get the chance to fight alongside them in combat."
"What about their powers?"
"I don't know their powers."
"You're pretty useless, aren't you?"
"All I can tell you is that they were sent to a rescue mission with a battalion this afternoon at Base 3-C."
Nathan didn't say anything and just raised an eyebrow.
"You could ask the soldiers who were part of the mission what their powers are but I'm not 100% sure if they'll talk because of the gag order placed on us. And even without the gag order, only the officers and a select few are allowed to witness their powers."
"Let's go back to Vincent. You said he was going tonight to the gym to watch a comedy show, right?"
"Yes, at the central, near Block D. The show starts at 1900 hours."
"Is there anything particular that I need to know about it?"
James knitted his brows for a moment and then said, "I don't think there is."
"How is the security there? Is it tight? Is it a private party or event? Is there an entrance fee? Will there be any special guests attending?"
"As far as I know, it's just a normal event that happens three times a week, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 1800-1900 hours. As for the security, it's just normal. And I think there's an entrance fee but I'm not sure how much. Maybe 10 RT?"
"This 'RT' that you mentioned, what is it?"
"RT is Ration Tickets and it's the money used here. You can exchange System items for Ration Tickets at the Government Trading Facility right beside the Main Government Office which is located at the northeast."
"I see."
'These questions of his, it looks like he really didn't come here legally…' James thought.
"Earlier, you asked for that man and woman's ID. Do you have an ID?"
"Yeah."
"Show it to me."
James took out his ID from one of his pockets.
Nathan confidently walked towards him and took the ID.
The ID was 3 inches in width and 5 inches in length, almost like a punch card.
In front of the ID, the upper half had the owner's picture along with the name, age and nationality. And the bottom half had a special sticker issued by the government that reveals the owner's level and stats.
Meanwhile, at the back of the ID, it had another special sticker that covers the entire space and features a 31-day calendar.
Looking at the ID, Nathan smiled and thought, 'So I really made the right decision after all...'
He then looked at James.
"Tell me how does this work. What use is it?"
'This confirms it. Once you enter that camp for the first time, you will be issued an ID after being quarantined and interviewed,' James thought. "The ID serves as identification. Do you see that sticker below in front of the ID?"
Nathan looked at the sticker and reviewed James' Level and Stats.
Level: 24
• STR - 25
• VIT - 21
• AGI - 21
• INT - 20
'The ID only shows the owner's level and base stats...'
He flipped the card.
'No mention of the bonus stats and spells...'
James continued, "Although people are cautious about revealing their level and stats and the government is also worried about not being able to control powerful individuals with nefarious intentions, the government thought of a way for people to reveal their stats that is as a win-win for both parties."
"Heh~ Really now."
"There are jobs being offered here set up by the government. And most of the government-issued jobs have a level and stat requirement."
Nathan flipped back the ID and reviewed James' Level and Stats once more.
"Take for example the Hawkers. The main stats that a Hawker must have are STR and AGI. Their job is to accompany convoys outside and must be able to carry and move things as quickly as possible.
"Another example are the Miners. Fort Yano is located near the mountains and the government is in need of people who can dig tunnels in the mountains. And the main stats that Miners must have are STR and VIT."
"Why are they digging tunnels in the mountains?" said Nathan.
"Well, this isn't a secret after all. And if you asked me, I think it's a smart, logical decision," said James. "The government made a prediction that in the next Phases, aside from the rank of the zombies increasing, based on the M2, the N-type monsters will eventually develop wings as well. And when that happens, it would be much safer to have a base where the zombies with wings won't be able to use their flight advantage."
Nathan flipped the ID once again and said, "What about this other stamp?"
There was another special sticker at the back of the ID. It covers almost the whole space and features a 31-day calendar.
"That one, in order for the government to further prevent powerful individuals with nefarious intentions from entering Fort Yano, everyone can only enter and exit the camp once a day from 0600-1800 hours. On top of that, for every three enter and exits an individual makes, he/she has to update the front sticker of his/her ID. And every month, the owner must also replace the sticker at the back."
Nathan scoffed and said, "Are you seriously telling me that no one is allowed to enter and exit the camp from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am?"
As far as Nathan was concerned, this was Muwin, a third-world country. They're infamous for their in-your-face corruption that even a blind man could see it. The laws here are more like guidelines rather than actual rules that need to be followed.
"Of course, you can enter and exit the camp from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am. But you will need a special pass and it's hard to get one unless you have a high-ranking official backing you or if you're one."
"Ah... I see. Thanks for all the information you've given to me. You've been quite helpful."
"So what's going to happen now? Are we good?"
Nathan flashed an amused smile and said, "Oh, we're good. But we're not done yet. There's still phase two…"
*********************************************
Author's thoughts:
Hello, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading!
Sorry for not being able to post these past couple of weeks -- No, scratch that. I haven't been posting properly these last two months.
I know, yeah, you must be thinking, "What's this stupid author's reason this time around?"
Well, I've been very busy with work. I got swamped with so much things.
Also, I've already mentioned this to the Immortal Patrons last month (or I think it was the first week of July?) that I will be traveling due to my work.
And next week, I'm going to travel.
So for those who plans to be an Immortal Patron for August, please don't for now.
I'll probably be as busy just like this month, July, with all the paperwork, moving and new work environment.
But I promise to try my best to try to write and post new chapters.
By the way, this former Grandmaster Immortal who failed months ago in keeping his sacred immortal oath and is now nothing but a Lowly Shameless Immortal is shamelessly going to open once again the path of Power Immortals and Immortal Patrons.
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And at the moment, I posted the "Chapter Drafts" of Volume II: Chapters 141-147 there.
Again, for those who plans to be an Immortal Patron for August, please don't for now.
I'll probably be as busy just like this month, July, with all the paperwork, moving and new work environment.
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Thank you once again Power Immortals and Immortal Patrons. This Lowly Shameless Immortal will see you in the next chapter... *Kowtows 300 times*
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