Free Web NovelChapter 23: Ch 23: Search
From there, Raidan walked straight toward his home. Along the way, he noticed shattered buildings, broken cars, a blocked highway, and an eerie silence.
He kept his guard up, carefully looking back to see if those military officers were still following him.
Fortunately, they were not.
He continued his march. Sometimes walking, sometimes sprinting, sometimes jumping, and sometimes slaying a few low-level monsters along the way.
His experience meter rose by 20% within an hour.
He was one solitary warrior in the wide City.
As he closed in on his district, something suddenly caught his eye.
Walls! Concrete walls about 20 meters tall had been built along a very wide radius.
Curious, Raidan jumped atop a building to see what was inside.
From there, he saw everything. It was a massive civilian camp, most probably built to stop the monsters from entering.
"Hey boy, what are you doing up there? Come down and head inside! The monsters could be coming at any moment," a sudden suggestion came from a female officer clad in a green military uniform.
Raidan looked down from the rooftop. The female officer was waving her arms frantically. She was gesturing toward a heavily fortified checkpoint situated atop the massive concrete wall.
Realizing that ignoring her or showing off his superhuman speed might draw the same unwanted military attention he had just escaped, Raidan decided to play along.
He needed to find about his uncle’s whereabouts.
He carefully climbed down the side of the building, purposely concealing his enhanced agility to mimic the movements of an exhausted and terrified survivor.
Within a minute, he reached over to the base of the wall.
"Move it, kid! Keep your head down and get up here!" the female officer ordered, ushering him toward a metal staircase that led to the top of the defensive perimeter.
"Right."
Once on the wall, Raidan found himself in a bustling guard post.
The area was fortified with sandbags, high-caliber machine guns, and a dozen tense soldiers constantly scanning the desolate streets below.
"Hold it right there. State your name and your district."
Raidan didn’t hesitate.
"My name is Raidan Gray. I’m from the residential district a few miles south. I was hiding in a basement until the screaming stopped, and then I just started walking."
"You’re lucky to be alive, Raidan. Most people caught outside didn’t make it. Anyway we need to do standard security check up. Raise your arms and spread your legs."
Raidan had nothing to hide, since he had already sent the sword back to his inventory.
However, the inspector there did comment on his strong muscles, which had grown magically during his time in Olympus.
Raidan could only shrug and say, "I’ve been going to the gym for months."
Naturally, they didn’t suspect anything.
He was allowed inside after registering his official name in the database.
As he was being guided into one of the emergency tents, Raidan couldn’t help but look at the female soldier and ask,
"Miss, can you please help me search for someone named Michael Gray? He is my uncle and used to be a lawyer."
"Alright, I will take a look in our database. Until then, wait patiently in your tent. The world is really going through some difficult times," the female officer said, her eyes heavy with exhaustion before she turned and walked away. freёwebnovel.com
Raidan, however, obviously wouldn’t stay idle. The moment she was out of sight, he actively started searching for his uncle.
Ever since he lost his parents in that incident, Uncle Michael was the one who had raised him. He was nothing less than a father figure, and the thought of him being hurt or lost in this chaos, made Raidan worried.
The deeper Raidan went into the camp, the environment became worse..
Everywhere were sweat, despair, and unwashed bodies.
He approached a fat middle aged man and said,
"Excuse me, I’m looking for a Michael Gray. Have you seen—"
"Hey! Back the hell away!" the man barked bacm.
The man’s eyes were bloodshot and wide with paranoia. Behind him, a woman clutched two small children tightly against her chest, glaring at Raidan as if he were a monster from the rifts.
Raidan immediately took a step back, raising his hands.
"Umm, I don’t want any trouble. I’m just looking for my uncle. He’s a tall man, early forties, used to be a lawyer."
The fat man snarled,
"I don’t care who he is! There are no lawyers here, and there’s no law anymore! We don’t have any food to share, and we don’t want you scoping out our tent. Move along, kid, before I break your legs!"
With his enhanced Level 12 stats, Raidan could have snapped the metal pipe and the man’s arm with a single hand. But looking at the trembling family behind the man, he only felt a silver of pity.
Society had broken down entirely. It wouldn’t take too long to lose humanity as well.
"Understood. Stay safe."
He continued his search down the next row, but the reactions were mostly the same.
"Don’t even think about it."
"Get away from our supplies, thief!"
Everyone was on edge and extremely tense.
The men were more hyper-protective, acting as aggressive guard dogs for their surviving families.
No one trusted a stranger wandering aimlessly through the camps.
Raidan sighed inwardly:
"The world really has gone to hell. In Olympus, the monsters were the only enemy. Here, people are so terrified they might end up tearing each other apart before the beasts even breach the walls."
After another hour of searching, Raidan noticed it was becoming evening. He should get back to his tent and figure out something.
However just he turned back on different route, a scene caught his attention.
Bang!
"Hey, you can do this to me. I am lawyer, and this Tent is mine. I can sue you in court." a fat man pinted his finger to group of unruly thugs.
The thugs let out boisterous laugh:
"Haha, go ahead. There are no court, there is no laws. We are now the law."
Raidan eyes widened when the fat man’s face became clear.
"Uncle Michael!"
