Died, and will die.

"Ohh~ A standoff." The voice sarcastically said. "Not really. Your bits are going to be painting the wall if you don't step aside."

Houmin stood his ground.

"Wait a sec." The voice said. In the background, you can hear him talking to someone else. "Oops. Good news. The little lady is going to live. The bad news is I have only a bit of time for a QnA portion of ours. So would you kindly sit down to that chair there and watch the show? And you little lady, kindly prop that chair down so you can watch too."

Shaken by this quick turn of events, Houmin look over his shoulder to see Skylar raised the chair just under her eyes. Teary eyes and shaking from fear. He turned and faced her.

"Put it down." he laid a hand on the chair. "We can't afford to push our luck, not in these circumstances."

Skylar looked at his eyes. For a moment, all the anger and confusion she had has been replaced with a rational stance. She nodded. Agreeing with his decision.

Scotchmo aimed his gun down. He leans over the bar stand, grabbing a new bottle of alcohol. Drank down the whole bottle in one go.

"I, uh, I- can't seem to get the chair to prop up." her voice cracks as her eyes begged for help. Houmin tried to pry the chair open, with no avail. Instead, he grabbed the chair at an angle and tried opening it by kicking. After a few tries, he got it to prop up, but there's some dent making the chair unbalance.

He looked at the disaster he did and decided to let Skylar used the other chair, and he will be using this one.

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<<<Please Stand By>>>

[Next Slide]

The words G.O.A.T plastered in the middle of the slide. However, there seems to be a child scribble on the sides. Even a scribbled man in a white suit with his tongue out is there too.

"Introductions. I'm Goat. Great of All Things. God. or whatever you folks now have started calling me."

[Next Slide]

It showed a nuclear detonation over a city. Death symbols are strewn all over while having a globe of the earth over everything.

"So here's the short stick of everything. I got you, plus you, little girl. Well, plucked is the right for it. Before everything went to the light." He chuckles as he said it. "In short, your place got kapoof due to an all-out nuclear war. Your loved ones are dead, and everyone you knew is dead. The world you knew has changed drastically."

[Next Slide]

A cutout image of a bunker with mini people living in it like those in the fallout shelter game, then a group of people fighting outside of the bunker. Lastly, a transparent scribbled redhead person with an x mark and a question mark beside it,

"Except you, little girl~ Your family still fought on, but they haven't even thought to check on you. Tsk Tsk. Harsh World."

[Next Slide]

A star badge in the middle of the slide, under it, is scribbled images of a man with a poorly drawn girl. Additionally, 3 words that start with the letter R are laid out. Reincarnated, Reimagine, and Reinvigorate. The font size and font style does not contrast very well.

"You're a fun guy, right? Well, at least for me it is. Houmin Whitbeck, a bastard boy and the making of a troubled child, but you didn't. If I'm gonna be frank about it, color me surprised."

"The hardships and struggles were unfortunate. Really it was. It's fun watching you do all of those things yet get so boring more than half the way. Then you have the bright idea to join something greater than you. Unfortunately, multiple buttons have been pushed, then voila, you're dead."

"Skylar Kennedy. You, on the other hand, had me scrambling to find your file. Not much I can say than a girl with everything she can want except for the warmth of her family, ignored and underappreciated. Tried to join daddy's army instead got the extreme warmth of nuclear heat."

[Next Slide]

A poorly made penmanship with the words "Responsibility and Benefits" is drawn out in the middle of the slide with additional colorful child scribble on it.

"I will be giving you plus you, a task that is quite big. Don't worry, there's an early benefit for this. I know that you know what reincarnation and a game system are in stories, Whitbeck. I'm gonna be straight to the point. I need you, and the little girl, to be living inside the world of Wasteland. Survive, Strive, Mould, and Provide hope and changes to it. Why? Cause I fucked up, and I need you to clean it up."

"[Huffing a puff] Now back to the benefits, you will be provided a bunker base that is carved inside a mountain and can be improved and expanded. Well hidden. A system that will give out blueprints; 'Additional help'; and keeping track of progress. In the previous two-part, only the boy has this. Lastly, before you venture out, I took the liberty of providing trainers for you. You need to choose one from each of the pairs, and in return, the girl gets the one you didn't choose."

[Next Slide]

The same star from the previous slides is shown again. However, the words 'Join the Rangers' are shown.

"I can't stress enough that you need to join the Rangers. Well, that's it. I'll give you some time to yourself. Process it or give it some grief. I'll let you have it."

[Slide show ends,]

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Houmin and Skylar paused after the slide show ended. It was Skylar who first let her tears flow down, then it turned into a sob. She raised her legs and hugged it then continued on crying.

It struck Skylar deeply in the heart when she knew that even in death, her family did not care or mourn for her. For them, she was gone, and moving on from that loss was easy for them.

Houmin's mind was in a scramble to gain an understanding of what just happened.

His thoughts are filled with repeated doubts about the truthfulness of the situation. Are they dead? When will I see them again? I didn't have the chance to say goodbye, he thought. Grief sets in and tears streamed down his face. Unlike Skylar, he just stared down at the ground with a longing stare.

In the meantime, Scotchmo didn't continue gulping down on his drinks. He felt that it wasn't right as those 2 young people cried down as they learned their loved one's fate. He's aware of it all too well. He laid the bottle on his hand aside and grabbed a set of laminated pictures. One redheaded lady holding her girl with smiles all around, he chuckled for a bit as he thought of something. Then he looked at a family of 4 where the boy stuck out like a sore thumb as he doesn't have any resemblance to the others. The blue-eyed black-haired kid, as he looked at the picture and the kid crying on the floor. He can't help it and feel sorry for the kid.

Scotchmo may be a hobo that talks loudly, smells horrible, and forget things from time to time. But he was kind. He tacitly slipped each of their pictures beside them. And went back to drinking.

"Almost forgot," said the voice, "Don't get any bright ideas about killing yourself, leaving unexpectedly, or not cooperating. This is a team effort. I don't care if you don't like it. Still, I'm a generous person. And if you achieve considerable success in the future, I'll give you two some time to talk with your loved ones... Provided not one of you died out there, agreed?"

Skylar held on to the laminated picture of her mother as tears drop on the picture's surface.

Houmin caressed the picture while murmuring his regrets. Savoring the image of his loved ones, especially his mother.

Skylar relaxed her right leg as she sniffed and calmed down.

"I, I, agree... just let me see my mom again. I'll do anything."

On the other hand, Houmin's face reddened in anger.

"You. Better. Hold. Your. End of this stupid bargain."

An applause was heard from the radio.

"Good good" then followed by a door opening behind them, "Step inside, so we can start,"

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" 'er big guy! Just wanted to ask, why *bruuuuu* All I see are some kids' doddle doo, then these youngins started crying like a crazy person." Scotchmo asks as he lets out a huge fart and burps.

"Why? You want to know?" Said the voice.

Scotchmo glugged a huge amount, then wiped his mouth.

"It's not for you. What you see is childish art, for them, it was hell. They saw everything, and more. That's why they agreed without much of a fuss."

"Oh," said Scotchmo

"Anyway," added the voice, "You know, I always held my end of the agreement. You got to say hello to your wife."

"Yeah. That did happen... It did a number on my heartaches. Oh, even my liver felt some pain after that! BWAHAHA!"

♪ Heartache by the Numbers - Guy Mitchell ♪