Good news

Niklas was too tired to run to the metro station. He wished that he could find someone to transport him there. Fortunately for him, he came across a motorbike park. Every bike had its wheels clamped down. A big signboard was at the entrance to the park. 'Public rental motorbike. You don't need to worry about returning our self-driving bikes. They can return themselves. Just pay to use.'

Niklas raised his eyebrow, interested in trying the service. He entered the park, which was devoid of people. He noticed that on every bike there was a POS (point of sale) cylinder beside it. The top of the cylinder had a smart touch screen.

Niklas checked out the contents of a cylinder's screen. From the information on the screen, the cost of the service was regulated by time. Every twenty minutes costs 10 EKs. Niklas opted for forty minutes of service and paid through his Hunter profile.

"So versatile." Niklas complimented the Blue Box Minicity's hunting guild web service.

The clamps restraining the bike he paid for were relinquished after he paid for the service. He boarded the bike and rode to the metro station that he arrived at.

Niklas was surprised to see a crowd trying to make their way down from the tunnel to the metro station. He parked the bike at a park that was close to the tunnel that led down to the metro station. The crowd queued up in multiple lines to maintain order. But they were all panicking, and some of them tried to skip the line. Ultimately, order prevailed as people contained their nerves and didn't let impatience get the best of them.

Niklas joined the queue. He glanced at the time on his smartphone. It was 4:15 p.m.

'The availability of trains should be this settlement's government's doing,' Niklas mused. 'It is better to have fewer panicking people than a lot of them, which includes people who desperately want to leave the city. People are difficult to deal with when they are desperate and anxious.'

His thoughts were verified by Blue Box's online encyclopaedia after making a check on the internet. He checked the direction in which the trains at the current metro were going to head. All the trains were going to make a first stop at the metro station in Kernel village's central market.

Niklas boarded a train by 4:50 p.m. He wasn't happy that he did not buy dinner before boarding the train. It was not his fault; there were no open restaurants at the moments before he boarded the train.

Twenty-seven minutes later, Niklas was in Kernel village's central market. He hid his phone in his backpack before alighting the train. He opted to buy dinner for him and his family at a small restaurant in the market. The Bix restaurant ended business for the day by 5:00 p.m. He was glad to know that the restaurant he was patronising now sold balanced-diet soups. He bought four bowls of balanced soup. He also bought a bowl of abacha draped in red oil and garnished with pepper sauce, dried fish boiled in pepper sauce, and fried beef.

Another twenty minutes went by before Niklas arrived at his home's doorstep. He walked into his house. Nnedi and Zack were glad to see him. He hugged them, and they couldn't bear his stench.

"Did you do manual labour?" Nnedi asked.

"Kind of," Niklas replied. He had a big smile on his face as he stood, staring back and forth from his mother to his brother.

"Nik, please take off your clothes! You are killing my lungs!" Zack lamented.

"Oh sorry!" Niklas apologised. He dropped his backpack in the corner and grabbed a bucket before he left the house to have a bath.

Nnedi and Zack mindlessly stared at the closed door. Niklas returned to quickly grab his towel and leave.

Nnedi said to Zack, "Does he look like he was beaten up or hurt in anyway?"

Zack's lips were squeezed, and his face was frowning. He had another idea about what was up with his elder brother. He said, "He doesn't look hurt.

"I think he has found love. A girlfriend."

"Huh?" Nnedi was aghast at hearing her younger son's idea because it was really plausible.

"Zack, what is wrong with you?" Nnedi half-heartedly rebuked him.

Zack shrugged in protest.

"Niklas would not have a girlfriend without us knowing."

Zack said, "What if he is about to inform us?"

Nnedi said, "Shut up, Zack. You are crazy. By the way, what do you know about love?"

"I know a few things," Zack muttered.

Nnedi was worried that Niklas really had a girlfriend. She was not healthy enough to scrutinise any lady that her son's heart welcomed. She was wary of the ladies of her son's generation because of the bad characters that some of the ladies exhibited. She didn't want any of the bad ladies to break her son's heart.

Niklas returned. He dumped his clothes in the laundry bag and changed into clean clothes: a blue polo and black shorts. He unboxed the food he bought. As usual, the stronger scent of the balanced diet soup made Zack restless.

The balanced diet soup was water that had nutritious compounds dissolved in it to make a thick, watery substance. The soup came in various flavours and aromas so that its consumers would not get bored of consuming it.

Niklas had a broad appetite as he fed his mother and brother. Nnedi's concern grew until she could no longer hold it.

"Why are you smiling, Nik?" Nnedi asked.

Niklas said, "Mom, I will tell you later. Now, I want you—

Nnedi cut in, "Niklas, I want to know right now." Her voice was mean.

Niklas honestly maintained his smile as he furrowed his eyebrows in amusement at his mother's action. He chuckled. He dropped the spoon in his hand into the soup bowl below. He clapped his hands, briefly turned his gaze to Zack, and returned to his mom. He said,

"Mom, Zack, the heavens answered our prayers. You guys will be healthy very soon."

Zack was again restless, as he was excited by the news. Nnedi broke into a smile, also excited. But she frowned again. She asked Niklas,

"How did you get the money?"

Niklas lied, "I travelled to Blue Box minicity to get a job today.

Nnedi widened her eyes in surprise.

"I was fortunate to meet a man named Tiger. I helped his company run some dire affairs. I technically saved his company. So he decided to repay my favour by helping you guys out."

Nnedi's eyes got misty.

Niklas said, "We are currently arranging when we, that is, you guys and me, will leave this hell hole for a better settlement. There you will get good medical service."

Zack yelled enthusiastically. Nnedi said,

"Nik, thank you for always bringing positivity into our lives."

Niklas fed his mother and brother until they were full. Only a bowl of soup was left. After that, he ate his meal. He took the empty bowls and disposed of them in a bin outside the house. He didn't return to the house. He took this moment to think.

'I need to prepare where my family and I will relocate. Somewhere that is not near the deserted lands. It is too bad that there isn't decent internet service in the village. If not, I could have searched for an ideal settlement to relocate to.

'So, a place to relocate to, book an appointment with a physician, simple as that.'

He frowned when he remembered that he had promised to enact revenge on Chief Idris.

'That bastard doesn't know what is coming for him.'

Niklas felt really confident about bulldozing his way to Chief Idris. He intended to beat the living daylight out of him if he couldn't find a way to make him fall out of his privileged life.

'Aha! The evolution thing-ny,' He remembered that he had accumulated lots of evolution points.

His instincts told him that he needed to be in a secluded place to do his 'evolution' business. He informed his people that he was going for a walk. He didn't wait to hear what his mother had to say about that.