Chapter 44: Loyalty

People.

Out of the 8,000 survivors in Camp York, a lot of them were very talented individuals. Some were teachers. Others might be scientists or researchers. Before the apocalypse, they claimed high incomes and lived in luxurious houses. When the sky came crumbling down, they were forced to cower under the protection of the Mutants or pick up weapons to protect themselves.

In Camp York, they were the lowest of the low. No one cared if they lived or died.

But to the Phasewalkers and Section X, they were priceless treasures! Even basic teachers hold the knowledge that perhaps were basic in the UEC, but this knowledge could be invaluable to the less advanced Earth! Their presence could rapidly accelerate the technological advancement of Earth!

When Caity put forth the proposal, Apollo was perfectly fine with it. Throw out a few people who couldn't help the Mutants one bit in exchange for resources they could actually use? Only a fool would say no!

At the end of the day, both sides got what they wanted. Talk about comparative advantage...

When Caity and the Phasewalkers left, Apollo turned back to Aryan and Caleb. The smile on his face was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, that was a success." He said quietly, almost meaninglessly.

But it was Aryan who spoke up.

"My lord, we should be careful with these people. They already have impressive manpower and resources. If we give them too much of what they want, they may get a huge power boost. They will be a threat to us."

"Oh, will they now?" Apollo glanced at Aryan. "I thought you were friends with that Colonel girl. Even helped her take down some survivors on the way here!"

Aryan immediately felt chills down his spines. The only people that knew what happened were the Phasewalkers and his personal bodyguards. The Phasewalkers obviously didn't do the talking, which meant Apollo had spies among Aryan's own bodyguards.

Mutants were human too. For most of them, a dagger in their sleep could be the end. Aryan was no exception.

"My lord…"

"Relax. I know you don't mean ill to me. Otherwise, you'd be dead already." Apollo grinned. "Fun fact. In the early days of this settlement, I wasn't the only Tier 3 Mutant. There were three of us. Now, I'm the only one left. I am so much more than just my power..."

You don't become the leader of thousands of people and several dozen mutants just by being powerful. You do it by being powerful while being cold-calculating, vicious, and deceptive. Caity thought Apollo was just an arrogant bastard who happened to have powers. That was exactly what Apollo wanted.

Deceptions. When your enemy thought you were a fool, then advantage was on your side. Underestimation was your friend.

"You are correct in that we should keep an eye on these people." Apollo glanced at Caleb. "That was embarrassing back there. If only you could straight up read minds...then we wouldn't need to worry about this whole lie-detecting thing and we would be a lot easier."

Caleb lowered his head. "Apologies, my lord."

Apollo smirked. Then again, if Caleb did have the power to read minds, Apollo would be thinking about what excuse to use to have him killed. No ruler could tolerate the presence of a mind-reader. Apollo had no way of making sure Caleb wouldn't learn his secrets and use them against him, so the best way was to end his life and terminate the threat once and for all.

Better safe than sorry.

Apollo was pretending a lot of characteristics back there. Arrogant. Easily-trusting. Foolish. But when he was being cruel, he wasn't acting. If anyone stood in his way, he wouldn't hesitate to light them up.

As for the threats Caity could pose...Apollo turned to one of the Troopers.

"Get me Victoria."

Leon pushed his way past a cardboard box. When his foot landed on the ground again, he felt it coming into contact with something soft. The yelp that followed made him realize he just stepped onto someone.

"Sorry!" He screeched before continuing to run down the alleyway without being slowed down even a little.

"Hey! Stop right there!" Behind him, three York Troopers were right on his heels. They had weapons strapped to their sides, but instead, they were using batons and tasers. They obviously wanted to take the boy alive.

"Someone stop him! In the name of the Joker!"

Leon kept on running, and if any of the survivors along the way were thinking of stepping in and stopping the boy, they immediately turned away in the name of "Joker".

Joker. Tier 2 Mutant. He was known for his complete madness in doing things. Apparently, he called himself the Joker after some ancient comic book supervillain. If someone would describe him in one word, it was senseless. An absolute sadist, he would do things that defy the logic and reasoning of everyone around him.

Being involved in anything with the Joker, even helping him, was considered an act of utter stupidity.

As Leon moved, he could feel his body getting heavier and heavier. He couldn't keep this up anymore. Usually, a normal seventeen-year-old boy like Leon should be in a decent health condition, but Leon wasn't normal. For the past three months, he has been a captive of the Joker. The entire time, he was tortured by the Mutant in any way possible. Starvation was just one of them. It was a miracle he made it out that far.

But no one would reward him for how long he ran. 5 meters or 500, none of that would matter if the troopers behind him caught up to him and brought him back to the Joker. Leon could only imagine the horror that would await him if he was to be taken alive.

Almost exhausted, his eyes suddenly landed on a tightly packed crowd in front. Without any further thoughts, he dove head in.

"Damn it!" The three Troopers behind him swore as Leon's form disappeared into the sea of bodies.

"Split up! Find that bastard!" One of the men said. His voice filled with fear. "Or it will be our heads on the line!"

The other two nodded and wasted no time to get into action.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the crowd, was a table. Several figures in black Guardian IV armor with red markings were standing or sitting all around the table. A line of Camp York survivors was waiting patiently in front.

Charlotte was sitting in front of the table. A pen in her hand, she was asking the survivor in front of the table questions and recording the answers.

"Name?"

"Brad."

"Speciality?"

"Well, I was a truck driver."

Charlotte sighed. Yes. They needed people, but truck drivers? No offense to the occupation but they could really do better.

"Next!"

"No!" Brad suddenly raised his voice. His voice was almost begging. "Please! Take me in! I have a gun! I can fight for you!"

His plea didn't move Charlotte's heart. Ideally, the Phasewalkers could use more manpower, but despite the Mutants' opinion on common survivors, Apollo would never let the Phasewalkers just take all the capable survivors and leave Camp York full of the weak and the sickly. There was a fixed number of openings and a mere truck driver wasn't worth one of them.

Realizing She turned to four Security Troopers on the side. The Commissar waved her hand, and two Security Troopers dragged Brad away and the interview continued.

"Name?"

"Amy. Amy Jackson."

"Occupation?"

"Teacher. Well, I was a physics teacher in high school..."

Charlotte looked up to her. "You're in." She didn't even let the teacher finish.

"I'm...I'm in?" Amy's eyes went wide and her mouth hung open in shock. "I'm in!" She screamed and followed the Security Troopers away.

As she walked, jealous eyes from hundreds of survivors were trained on her. Some of them looked like they wanted to eat her alive.

And not surprising, considering the offer the Phasewalkers made.

For those the Phasewalkers took in, they promised food, shelter, and protection. Didn't seem like much, but in a world like this, those three things were all 99% of the people could ever pray for. Yes. This could be a fraud, but many people didn't have a choice. Plus, this booth was set up under the authority of Lord Apollo himself, and if Apollo wanted them to do something, he didn't need to use lies.

One more person meeting the criteria meant one less spot available to the common public.

The interview continued. Most people were immediately turned back. Some complained. Others left quietly. But eventually, all of them were turned away. Very few were accepted on the spot, like the physics teacher. Most were put on hold. They were better than nothing, but they could still be replaced.

Suddenly, there was a bit of chaos in the crowd of people observing the interview. Before anyone knew it, a young figure charged out of the crowd and jumped into the waiting line.

"Stay right there, boy!"

That was when one of the three troopers noticed Leon. He ran at Leon, screaming threats. Leon turned to the side in fear, but he quickly realized he was cornered. The three pursuers approached from all sides. Their batons and tasers ready to beat the crap out of him. Victorious smiles on their face…

And then they were stopped right where they were by the Phasewalker Security Troopers.

"Back off." A squad of five Security Troopers approached the three York Troopers with their Defender-I Rifles raised.

"What?" One of the troopers asked.

"I said, back off!" What? Are you deaf?

"Yes...I heard what you said…never mind!" The first trooper growled impatiently. "Look, mate…"

"I'm not your mate. We're not mating."

"Fuck!" The trooper smashed his baton on the ground. "Look! We work for the Joker! Tier 2 Mutant! That boy back there, down the line...that boy belongs to him! We are sent to retrieve him, so if you will just hand him to us..."

"Well, here's the thing." The Security Trooper was unwavering. If it was any other situation, like the boy was a felon or a thief, he might be willing to make a concession, but he really didn't like how the trooper referred to the boy as property. He was, after all, from Earth, not the chaos-ridden, lawless world of World Alpha.

"According to the deal between Colonel Caity Hunter and Lord Apollo, this area back there," The Security Trooper gestured at the booth. "it belongs to us. If you want that boy, you have to wait until he leaves."

"I don't care whose decree it is…" One of the more impatient troopers yelled and was quickly silenced by his comrades just long enough to realize his mistake. Oh god! Has he gone mad? Talk about Lord Apollo in public like this? Oh god…

"In that case, we will wait here. Outside." A calmer York Trooper added. The Security Trooper glanced at him. He didn't like what the Troopers were doing, but he knew there was only so much he could do. Ultimately, this was Camp York, not Fortress Alpha.

In the line, Leon took a breath of relief. Well, at least he was safe for now, but he didn't need to know too much to know this wouldn't be a safe haven forever. He tapped the man in front of him.

"Hey! What's this line for?"

"You don't know?" The man in front glanced at Leon, remembered the boy was behind him in the line, and quickly answered. "Some people from a place called Fortress Alpha are here to recruit people. Scientists and such. I just hope they're also looking for a doctor."

"Fuck you!" A guy behind Leon swore at the doctor, furious at the prospect of having another one of the few spots taken.

The doctor grinned at that guy.

Leon's heart, which was just lifted by what the Security Troopers did, sank again. He was saved now, but he could only be in line for so long. The York Troopers were still waiting outside! The moment he got kicked out, he would be hunted down!

His only chance was if he was accepted by these people, but how? They were looking for scientists! Scientists! Even before the apocalypse, Leon wasn't a good student. He didn't stand a chance!

He didn't have knowledge. He didn't have experience. So what could he provide to these people in exchange for his life?

Leon silently closed his fist.

Indeed, he had not many worthy qualities, but if there was one thing he could offer these people, it was his loyalty.