Free Web NovelChapter 17: Captain William
On the road stood a man 188 cm tall , his board shoulders and solid
frame giving him and imposing presence .
This man was standing
on the road and blocking Leo’s path . If it were any other person blocking his
way , according to Leo’s ruthless personality ,he would have already run the
man over with the truck .
But Leo knew this man . Actually,leo’s predecessor knew this
man .
Leo stopped the car and stepped out of the vehicle,
This man’s name was William Kane, the captain of Leo’s former survivor group.
The previous Leo had survived for so long largely because of him. Whenever supplies were scarce, Will shared his own rations, and during the destruction of the shelter, he had even allowed Leo onto his vehicle.
Without him, the previous Leo would have died long ago.
" Captain , I am glad that you have survived. Where is madam
and Lily ."
Captain Will seeing that the man who stepped out of the
truck was Leo was surprised,
" Leo , you brat . So you are still alive . Why did you
suddenly run away last time ."
Leo after recalling the memory was embarrassed despite
himself ,
" Captain , Please don’t misunderstand. You have to take
care of your wife and daughter . While abandoning the camp ,you couldn’t properly
stock up on supplies . I didn’t want to be a burden on you or your family ."
" You kid , you think I didn’t know . Atleast you could have
said goodbye . You know my wife was so worried about your well-being"
Then the captain began massaging his temple’s
" Seeing the truck and the commotion last night . I thought
you were a veteran superpower user and wanted to trade for some supplies. But
seeing that it’s you , I am embarrassed."
Hearing the word ’ superpower’ Leo narrowed his eyes ,
"Captain , you know about superpower users "
" So you kid did awaken a superpower. Well, you know that I was in the
military previously right. I have my own channels."
"The government and large survivor bases already know about superpower
users. They actively recruit awakened individuals, and the treatment they offer
is very generous."
"I was invited to join one of the government bases myself, but they wanted
me to participate in some experiments."
Leo’s eyes narrowed.
"Experiments?"
Captain Will nodded.
"They claimed it was for research purposes. Nothing dangerous according to
them, but I wasn’t willing to take the risk. Your sister-in-law and Lily depend
on me. I couldn’t gamble with my family’s future."
Hearing this, Leo nodded in understanding but still looked confused.
"If you were recruited, why didn’t you go to the government base as a guard?
Even if life wasn’t luxurious, it would still be safer than living outside."
Hearing Leo’s words, Captain Will simply shook his head.
"It’s complicated."
A conflicted look flashed across his face. He seemed to want to say
something, but ultimately swallowed the words.
Instead, he forced a smile.
"Leo, are you heading out of town?"
Leo immediately noticed that something was wrong ,
" Captain , are you in trouble. If you are in need of
anything, you can tell me . If I can then I would help "
The captain again showed a hesitant expression but finally
gritting his teeth explained to Leo
" Our supplies ran out 3 days ago . And Lily suddenly caught
a cold yesterday. She has been running a very high fever today . "
Then he sighed
" Sigh , I thought of exchanging for some supplies and
medicine after seeing a truck circling around town "
" Even if I couldn’t exchange supplies, I was planning on
asking to take me along with them to scavenge for supplies "
Hearing the captain’s words and remembering the help the freeωebnovēl.c૦m
predecessor had received numerous times
" Captain , get on the truck and take me to your hiding
place . I have food and medicines "
" But "
" Captain , there is no time for but’s and what’s , Lily is
sick and needs immediate attention."
Hearing Leo mention Lily , the hesitation on the captain’s
face disappeared and he mounted the passenger seat of the truck .
Leo started the car and drove towards the direction the
captain had just pointed
Sitting inside the truck, Captain Will couldn’t help but
marvel at the interior.
"This is a good vehicle. Where did you obtain it?"
Leo tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
The truck was his greatest secret.
Even though the man sitting beside him had saved the
previous Leo’s life countless times and treated him like family, revealing the
truth was simply impossible.
The system, cards, and the mobile base were things he could
not tell anyone.
Several moments passed in silence.
Seeing that no reply had come even after a while, Captain
Will turned to look at Leo’s solemn face.
"Ah, I get it."
The captain’s expression relaxed.
"It’s good you’ve learned this."
"You should always keep your secrets to yourself. Kid,
remember this—in the apocalypse, the only person you can truly trust is
yourself."
Hearing the captain’s advice, the tension on Leo’s face
eased, replaced by a bitter smile.
"Captain, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you. It’s just..."
Before he could finish, Captain Will interrupted him.
"Leo, don’t say anymore. I understand."
A faint smile appeared on the captain’s face.
"I’m really glad the naïve kid I always had to look after
has finally grown up."
" Ok , stop here "
The building where they stopped was on the opposite end of
the town from Leo’s previous location .
The captain stepped out the truck first , Leo went inside
the compartment and came back with a backpack on his back .
The two entered the building. The building was five storeys
tall . They stopped infront of a room on the 4th floor . The Captain
knocked on the door in a specific pattern .
Soon, footsteps sounded from inside the room.
The door opened only a crack at first.
A pair of sharp hazel eyes immediately swept across the corridor.
Only after confirming that the area was safe did the door open fully.
Standing there was Elena Kane, Captain Will’s wife.
The woman was around 170 centimeters tall and possessed the lean, athletic
build of a trained soldier. Her dark brown hair was tied back into a practical
ponytail. Despite the exhaustion visible on her face, her posture remained
straight and disciplined.
Her sharp eyes landed on her husband before shifting to Leo.
"Leo, I am glad that you survived. You disappeared so suddenly last time
that I didn’t even have the chance to give you some supplies."
"Wife, let’s talk later. Leo has medicine. Quickly give it to Lily."
Hearing that they finally had medicine, a look of relief appeared on Elena’s
face.
"Please come in."
The group entered the room and shut the door behind them.
Leo removed the first-aid kit from his backpack and handed it to Elena.
For a brief moment, both husband and wife stared at the medicine box as if
it were a priceless treasure.
In the apocalypse, food could save someone from starvation.
But medicine could save a life.
Elena accepted the kit with slightly trembling hands.
"Thank you."
Without wasting another second, she hurried toward the bedroom where Lily
was resting.
