Chapter 164: Price
Following Grandpa Jiro’s directions, Leo steered the heavy truck down the dirt path. They were heading to the safe zone, the spot where the ordinary survivors and the children of the Freedom Convoy waited out the battle, far away from the crossfire.
Dust kicked up as the truck rounded a bend. A strange jeep sat parked in the middle of the dirt, blocking the road ahead. Metal speakers and plastic megaphones covered its roof.
Rex lay flat on the jeep’s hood. His legs were crossed, and a thick piece of meat jerky hung from his teeth. He looked completely at peace.
Leo stepped on the brake pedal. The truck rolled to a halt with a heavy groan. He turned his head and glanced toward Grandpa Jiro.
"Looks like your stop has come."
Grandpa Jiro gave a firm nod and pushed his door open. Leo killed the engine and followed him out into the dusty air.
Grandpa Jiro took one look at Rex lounging on the metal hood, and his face twisted into a deep scowl.
"You ungrateful brat!"
"I was just an inch away from going to hell today, and you’re here munching on snacks?"
Rex closed his eyes and let out loud, forced snoring sounds.
"Zzz... Zzz..."
A muscle twitched near Grandpa Jiro’s eye.
"Brat, I’m exhausted, and we still haven’t found the kid, Atlas."
"He must be somewhere inside the city."
"Go and bring him back."
Rex puffed out his cheeks, making the fake snoring even louder.
"Zzz... Zzz... Zzz..."
A thick blue vein popped out on Grandpa Jiro’s forehead.
"Brat, if you keep pretending to be asleep, you’ll leave me no choice but to cut you up."
His hand dropped to his waist, his fingers wrapping tight around the hilt of his sword.
Rex bolted upright. He threw both hands high in the air, the jerky falling from his mouth.
"Wait, wait, you old geezer!"
"I already rescued Atlas."
"He’s inside, unconscious and resting with the Captain."
Before Grandpa Jiro could say another word, a heavy, tired voice carried over the quiet camp.
"Everyone somehow managed to survive this time."
"Rex, extort the military as much as you can."
Leo turned to look. Valentine walked toward them, her boots dragging in the dirt. She carried Nina in one hand and Aldina in the other, gripping them both tightly by the collars of their shirts. Both women hung limp, completely unconscious.
Valentine kept walking, her tone flat and exhausted.
"Their side was useless."
"Bear didn’t even protect our members when the monsters appeared. He ran away without a word in the middle of the battle ."
" This was not what we were promised when we agreed to the deal "
" the Rizen group was to be the main force , How the hell did our convoy come out as the main force "
"They need to pay for that."
A spark of pure greed flashed in Rex’s eyes. He rubbed his hands together.
"Now that’s something I can agree with."
Valentine gave Leo a brief nod, then hauled the two women past the jeep and into the new camp.
Leo watched her vanish behind a row of canvas tents. He turned back to the old swordsman.
"Old man, can you take care of Danny and his family for the time being?"
"I’ll leave them in your shelter."
Grandpa Jiro agreed without hesitation.
"Of course."
"Leave them to me."
Danny and his family climbed out of the back. Once their feet hit the ground, Leo pulled himself up into the driver’s seat. He looked over the group one last time, turned the key, and put the truck in gear. The heavy tires crunched against the dirt as the vehicle rolled away from the camp.
Rex chewed on a new piece of jerky, watching the truck shrink in the distance.
"Isn’t he in too much of a hurry to leave this place ?"
Grandpa Jiro stared down the empty road, his arms crossed over his chest.
"I don’t know what that kid did out there."
"But judging from the state he’s in, he must have used some serious techniques."
"Whatever the price is, I doubt it’ll be small."
With a heavy sigh, he turned his back on the road and walked toward the tents to rest.
Inside the moving truck, Leo drove a few hundred meters past the temporary shelter. He steered the wheel hard, pulling onto a broken, empty stretch of road. He found the deep shadows of a collapsed building and hit the brakes.
He threw the gear into park. He shoved himself out of the driver’s seat, his boots sliding against the floorboards as he stumbled toward the small built-in sink in the back.
He leaned over the metal basin. A harsh cough tore through his throat, and a thick stream of dark blood spilled from his mouth.
"Fuck!"
"What the hell is this?"
Another violent spasm ripped through his stomach. He heaved, and more blood splashed against the silver drain.
Leo grabbed the edges of the counter. His knuckles turned white, his fingers shaking uncontrollably. Deep inside his chest, a sharp, burning pain erupted. It felt like jagged glass scraping against his ribs.
He gasped for air, his breaths coming in short, ragged wheezes.
"What...?"
He let go of the counter and grabbed his chest. His legs lost their strength, and his knees slammed hard against the floor. The pain grew worse. It rushed through his veins, tearing at his muscles, breaking him down from the inside out.
Black spots danced across his vision. The edges of the room blurred together. His eyes rolled back into his head, and his body gave out completely.
Leo hit the floorboards with a dull thud. He lay there beside the sink, cold and motionless.
No one spoke. Nothing moved. For a long, heavy moment, the inside of the truck remained dead silent.
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Author’s Note
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