The Legendary Junkmaster

Chapter 18: Upgrade (3)

Jason found himself wondering what the old world had been like during its peak compared to the crumbling ruins around them. Vegetation grew around, on and even inside everything that remained of that period in time as the structures slowly decayed. He could only stare in wonder at the many apartment buildings and the sheer number of humans that could have lived inside of them.

His mind could not fathom the amount of life that would have been present in this area during that time. 'How were they even able to move around?' In Jason's mind, he pictured crowds of people standing shoulder to shoulder on the streets, unable to move without bumping into each other. Personally, he was glad that he never had to experience that kind of life.

The only thing that he regretted was all of the lost technology. However, with his power, he had the potential to create something similar in time. That was if he chose to share his creations anyway. There was also the worry that his designs could be turned on him, so he was reluctant to freely share everything that he would come up with.

Jason jumped suddenly when he heard a metallic crashing sound as the pole that supported a set of traffic lights finally gave way. The rusted metal and broken glass littered the road where it landed, creating a small dirt cloud. Jason sighed in relief when he realised that it was nothing to worry about.

'That gave me a good scare.' His eyes narrowed as he stared at the offending item. 'Still, if that was actually a beast approaching me, would I have been able to defend myself?'

This small scare had made him think more clearly about his situation. If he wanted to explore the world in his search for a better life and a way to keep himself alive, there were many things that he was lacking. A reliable melee weapon was only the beginning. Without a power that would allow him to wield something beyond most humans, then he could not hope to protect himself from the more gigantic beasts.

'I'll need to come up with some kind of ranged weapon for myself.' Jason sighed as he already added a new project to his list. 'Not only that, but I have to consider armour for protection, ammunition, a way to transport everything'

The more he thought about it, the more his situation looked hopeless. He would obviously scavenge anything that he needed during his future travels, but how was he meant to carry it all around alongside his essentials? It was a problem that he had only just thought of but had instantly become a thorn in his plans.

'I'll just have to wait and see if I can come up with anything after I unlock a few more skills.' In the end, Jason just had to accept that he was helpless about that problem for now. Still, he had plenty of time before he would act on his own desires. He was sure that he would be able to upgrade Syssie's integrity with local items once he improved his knowledge.

That was the only race that he was in right now. The race to gain PP to access his vault of knowledge tightly locked away in his own brain. It was frustrating to think that he already had all the answers to his problems but could not access them without killing himself. As the sun began to descend in the green sky, the area that Jason had aimed for appeared up ahead.

A large swathe of land held a car park with rusted remains while a dilapidated supermarket with a half caved in roof loomed up ahead. Jason looked around at the surrounding high-rise apartments and nodded with satisfaction. There were plenty of places for them to search for a sufficient battery for his design!

AA wave of eagerness washed over him as he quickened his pace. It was strange that whenever he thought of creating something new that this sensation would follow. Jason wondered if it was some kind of side effect of his power.

"Shouldn't we slow down? You're not even concealing your approach or looking for signs of any beasts in the area?" Syssie asked in an unusually concerned voice.

This shocked Jason out of his one-track mind. His thought process became soberer with Syssie's warning. 'Why the fuck did I act like that? I know better than this.' For a moment, Jason even wondered if something had taken control of his faculties other than his drive for creation. His eyes narrowed as he crept to the side of the road and took cover behind a fading red postbox.

Jason peered over the top of it and began to study the different plants in his target area. There was a chance that one of them was releasing pollen that could affect his mental capacities. After several minutes in that position, Jason had finally managed to identify all of the flora as common plants. Two of them were poisonous, but none of them could affect him in the way that he had just experienced.

'Does that mean there's a beast in the area with that kind of ability? Or am I being targeted by bandits?' Both options seemed reasonable to Jason right now. As such, he could only proceed carefully after scanning his surroundings. Whichever one turned out to be accurate, it would be best if he could altogether avoid the responsible party.

With any luck, he may not even be a target at all, and it was just some kind of side effect of a beast or person's power. There were plenty of stories about how some abilities were so powerful that their wielders left strange effects behind in the areas they passed through. Without any danger being evident at that moment in time, Jason activated his Scanner and searched for a battery as he continued his approach towards the supermarket.

It did not take him long to discover a hole in the building's side that showed the contents within. Shelving units lay on their side where they had been knocked over at some point while the merchandise they used to display littered the floors. Pretty much everything looked like it had broken, burst open or crushed by the trampling of feet.

Jason wondered if it was caused by the old humans evacuating the building in a hurry or if it happened more recently due to a beast or humans searching the ruins. Luckily for Jason, the interior was reasonably well lit due to the gaping hole in the ceiling where it had caved in along with a few other holes in the walls.

There was no sound of anything stirring within the ruins, so Jason summoned his courage to step inside. His hand went for the thick piece of pipe, which he swiftly detached from his tool belt so that he was ready at a moments notice. His eyes wandered over metal tins that showed signs of their age while the remains of other things were so far gone that he could not make out what they used to be at all.

As he wandered quietly up and down the aisles in this surreal setting, he realised just how much stuff this market used to sell due to all of the broken and faded merchandise covered in a thick layer of dust. However, it made sense considering the high volume of humans that would have lived in the area, which just left him even more fascinated by the past.

So far, his Scanner had failed to pick up any signs of a battery. Jason began to wonder if this was the right place to look after all. He could always switch his search area to the apartment buildings. In the hopes of his expedition, baring some fruits for his labour. By this point, he had crossed half of the length of the supermarket, the heavy dust that he stirred in his passing began to make his throat feel dry.

'Damn it! Don't cough now!' Jason quickly covered his mouth and nose to stifle the sound of him clearing his throat. He kept his ears sharp for any sounds of something reacting to his sudden noise. A few moments passed with no reaction, which made him feel relieved. 'Seems like there really isn't anything in this area. I wonder if enough groups pass by here to keep it clear?'

Jason sighed as he stared at the roof's wreckage laying on the ground, diving the store in two. 'I can either head back and search the outside for an opening on the other end, or I can climb over this' Jason checked how sturdy the mass of metal and other materials was by tugging on various pieces. 'At least it doesn't seem like it will shift its weight if I add mine to it.'

Jason decided that it would be faster to just go over the obstacle. He was on a time limit, after all. Jason learned quickly to be more careful when he placed his hands on the wreckage as several cuts ensued from his clumsy climb. He could not help but swear to himself as he finally brought himself to the summit after enduring many bumps, scrapes and cuts.

However, when his eyes settled on what was on the other side, his mind suddenly went blank. He had never seen anything like it in any of his journeys accompanying his Gramps's during their work. As his eyes went wide, he had but a single thought. 'Please Tell me I'm imaging things'