Trash in the Apocalypse

The First Army led by Jun finally entered the town center. It took them ten minutes of walking before arriving at the local park and clearing the proximity.

The group occupied the park of all places to make their presence known.

First of all, they don't know if there is any strong faction out there that could endanger them. While it might put them at a disadvantage, it would also allow them to filter through the survivor groups in the area.

Anyone who attacks them would be tagged as an enemy while anyone who wants to speak would be invited to step forward. 

"We can feel survivors nearby, but we can't pinpoint their specific locations. They're scattered around the town as if they're disorganized mobs. With the amount of presence each of them had, we could safely assume that they only have average strength." the Head Scout reported.

"That's good enough. Any information is good as long as it can help in our planning." King praised his subordinate before continuing with the discussion.

"We holed up here in the open to openly gather for supplies. Focus on getting what we need and don't cause a commotion if that's possible."

"Yes!" Every soldier answered.

After a short briefing on what they need and what they don't, everyone dispersed to different directions. Several soldiers were tasked to stand guard around the park to stop any survivors from getting close without being sighted. 

Well, they had to be really good if they escaped the search net of soldiers with an average level of 11.

That's right, most soldiers of the First Army had already passed level 10. The lightning tribulation at level 10 was also easily conquered with zero casualties thanks to Jun's discovery about energy and stat distribution.

The information became an open-secret in the army. It's not a secret, but not everyone needs to know about it. 

After successfully passing the lightning tribulation, their bodies were strengthened and became more powerful. The overall muscle durability, stamina consumption. Everything! From fitness to health, it all received an improvement. 

That's also the reason they could easily clear horde waves now. With their tiered equipment, they're currently unstoppable.

The most important part of choosing to stay at the plaza over anywhere else was its safe zone and the teleport feature. 

"It's surprising to see the park statue still in good condition. Is there no Evolved Carriers here?" Jun questioned the reality of things.

Often not, Teleport statues get destroyed during a town defense. It was extremely rare to see them standing with no powerful factions defending nearby.

"Please stop!" a sharp voice was heard as a young man jumped down from a lush tree. 

Every soldier nearby became flustered since they didn't feel the man's presence until he decided to show himself.

Panicked, everyone ran towards the man and surrounded him. Metallic swords with sharp edges reflecting the sunlight paired with dull black oval shields trapped the man inside.

Although surprised, everyone's reaction speed was quick and the man didn't have a chance to escape. In the first place, he didn't even plan to escape. That bit should be pretty obvious since he decided to show himself.

Jun stared at the man in interest. 

Was he a scout? Did he use invisibility? How did he get too close? I'm pretty sure the park was empty. My soldiers would have noticed him if he was nearby.

With no possible answer in mind, Jun decided to ask the person himself.

"I'm Jun, this is King. What is your name?"

"My name is Erick Gapay."

"Did you use invisibility?"

"No, sir."

"Then, how did you get close without being seen?"

The question seemed to be hard to answer as the man had to take a few seconds before giving a reply. Still, the man answered truthfully from his expression.

"I have a skill called Camouflage. It allows me to blend with the surroundings as long as I move slowly."

Hearing a probable answer, Jun decided that the man can be trusted and waved his hand. The soldiers slowly back off and eased their aggressive stance. Even so, they remained alert as they watched every move the man made.

"Why did you stop me? Do you know what I was gonna do?" Jun asked with interest. He was just collecting the teleport rune, so he could teleport here in the future. What was the problem with it?

Erick appeared troubled whether to answer the question truthfully or not. In the end, he had no choice but to give an appropriate answer.

"Only the fighters can use the statue, the Musang family specifically."

"Oh, are they tyrants? They lord over this part of the town, or is it the whole town?"

Erick quickly shook his head after noticing that Jun was getting the wrong impression. 

"They're good people! The Musang's saved us all. Everyone was alive thanks to their family."

"Everyone?"

"Well... not everyone. Only a few thousands."

King and the nearby soldiers perked up. Jun became more interested in the family he was hearing. He produced a foldable wooden table and several chairs to have a good chat with the man.

"So, why did you really tried to stop me?"

Erick wasn't lying and he wasn't thinking of fighting. Jun can see that through the colored-name above his head. The young man was just anxious about something but he can't get a whiff of what it was about.

Sensing that he can't dodge the question, Erick finally gave the real reason. 

He was the person assigned to stop others from accessing the Teleport Statue. The Musang family were the only people allowed to use the teleport statue simply because no one knows how to repair the statue's durability. 

Everyone was busy surviving that they can't think of researching and relearning the changes in the new world. 

"Aren't you afraid that we'll kill you?"

Jun posed with his stoic face. His expression was sinister with a smile that's slightly raised from one side.

"Death? Isn't that the better option with how things are going now? I'm not afraid to die. I'm worried about the people that would be left behind."

Jun raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Fair enough. Tell me everything about the Musang family, then I'll teach you how to repair the Teleport Statue."

It took some time and a few sweet words to convince Erick to spill the information out, but it was al worth it.

The Musang family was a military family from generation to generation. As long as you were born male, you were destined to enter military school. Male children were thought early about the proper mindset that an individual must have.

Its founding father established itself during the first World War, continued by the next generation until now. Most of the retired family members stay near the private villa close to Daranak Falls.

With the family's background, having an armament of guns was an easy affair. The old veterans believe that helping the citizens were the top priority while the young men of the family were filled with vigor, resulting in saving five thousand vulnerable citizens.

The area around Daranak Falls has become a refuge area, housing thousands of people, safely protected with layers of stockade.