Chapter 29: Before Everything Happened (Part 2)

Rigen's perspective

It was very bad, I think! The lightning strike just hit straight into that small military outpost, there may be people who got stuck inside, I must go there to help.

I had already told Hatano and Sarah to not follow me so I would get in there alone, there were some police officers and people who joined the protest now running alongside me to that outpost.

When I got there, suddenly there were a bunch of police and some marines standing around the entrance of the outpost, seemed like they had already been there before me.

"Hey! Where do you think you are going, Sir? Please stay away!" - A police officer said to me, telling me to stay away from the outpost

I was stopped by a bunch of police, they didn't let me get inside so I had to stand outside to see with the crowds also coming as same reason as mine.

A few minutes passed, I saw marines and police officers carrying the wounded people and the dead marines from the earlier lightning strike out of the outpost using stretchers.

Seemed like that lightning strike caused heavy destruction, that outpost's roof had been broken in half.

About the marines that died by that lightning strike, I saw about 4 to 5 corpses being brought out of the outpost, I could see their bodies were burned like coals, the corpses were all black burned.

"Casualties?" - A police officer asked a marine, that marine has just gotten in and got out of the base many times to carry the corpses outside

"6 died and 3 wounded, Sir! Maybe there are still more trapped in there, that cloud suddenly appeared and hit us."

"That was the biggest strike I've ever seen, Sir! This area has never been struck by a lightning strike before."

Well! Seemed like the crowds were now pulling out their mobiles to take the pictures, some of them also filming or doing live streaming.

"Hey, what are you people doing, turn off your phones for now!" - a bunch of police shouted loud to the crowds, telling them to stop filming and live streaming

Looked like the crowds were now arguing with the police, I had to go now before stepping into another problem, must return to Hatano and Sarah now, they must be waiting for me for so long.

Sarah's perspective

John had told us to stay here and wait for him, it had 10 minutes now, I also saw the people that ran to that outpost were now arguing with the police from far away. I hope John wouldn't get involved in it.

"Hey! Haah, haah!" - John finally returned to us, I saw him sweating a little bit, he was now taking his breath after a long run to us

I was now still wondering, for some reason, my sis kept staring at the sword mountain while hugging me, I wonder what was she thinking right now.

"That place...is dangerous...we should not go...there...!" - My sis said to me and John

"Guys, just forget about the lightning strike and the protesters, we must get out of here before getting into trouble."

"Sarah, can you lead me to your house now?" - John asked me

"Yes!"

Then we immediately got out of the scene, I led John to my house by showing him the road, also asking him about the way to get to his house.

During these two days of resting, I had planned to have a small party for greeting a new friend of mine and my sis on the way I got home.

Finally, we have get home, our house was very big because our father had built it for his purpose of researching the sword mountain. If I had to remember most of the memory that I had about him, he was always staying in his room all day for the research.

But sometimes our father spent his time leading me and my sis to the park or buying for us some toys, he was not a good father but a careful father, he never left me and my sis alone.

At the time we need him, he was always there for us though, he treated me as good as my sis though I didn't share a bloodline with him, not even his child.

But like I said, most of the time he used was for researching but if I or my sis told him we want to go somewhere, he would surely lead us to that place.

To have my father's love in that 15 years, for me was too short but I was very precious to it, I didn't have parents and my sis had lost her mom when she was a child, so we were all alone together.

"Hatano, Sarah, your house is quite big, you know? Tt just away from my house just a few minutes walking, maybe I will visit here tomorrow!" - John said to me then about to go back to his house

"Eh? You don't want to get here to see its look first, John?"

"I just scared that you two would be in danger if going alone back to your house, you two didn't even bring weapons to defense!"

"But at least tell me your house, John! Why can you go like that while didn't show us your house?"

Then John pointed his hand to the West of the street for us to see, his house was there, wasn't it?

"My house can be distinguished by its wall white-colored that covers the entire house from outside, its roof has orange-colored, my house has a sign placed at its entrance named "RIGEN"."

"It's just away from your house about not less than five minutes walking, that's all! See you two tomorrow!" - Then John walked away casually, didn't even hear my word

"Why did you get home so soon like that?"

"It was a long time since the last time I got back, the house must be very dirty right now, must clean it or Kaori will beat me!" - John said aloud to me while walking, he said his mom will beat him if he doesn't clean the house

His house didn't hire people from the cleaning service to clean his house? My dad was always doing that when he was still alive. We also do that even when he passed away, the cost for the cleaning was not high, what was wrong with his house?

"Why don't you hire the cleaning service?"

"Kaori wants me to do that myself, not to depend so much on someone else!"

Sigh! What was wrong with his house anyway?

"Sarah...I have opened the door...get inside...you want to take a bath...don't you...?" - My sis said to me while waiting for me to get in

Ahh! Now I just noticed that I sweat a lot because of the heat, must take a bath for sure! I immediately ran into the bathroom right away without thinking much.

I removed my uniform and my stuff and put them outside of the bathroom door and got in there, turning on the shower to enjoy the flow of the water.

"Ah! So good!"

"Knock! Knock!" - Oh! I heard a knock on the bathroom door, must be my sis

"Sarah..."

"Yes, sis!"

"Sarah...I have already...put the clothes for you to wear...after taking bath outside...I've chosen your favorite..."

The babysitting clothes...the clothes you like the most..." - My sis said to me that she had brought to me my favorite clothes, but!

"That's just normal clothes, sis! It just looks a bit kiddo!"

"That's so?...Gomenasai..." (That's so?...Sorry)

"You don't need to sorry, sis! You want to join me? It's very cool in here!"

"I have to...choose my clothes first..."

"Okay, sis! I will wait for you!"

Then a few minutes after the wait, seemed like my sis had finally chosen the clothes she was about to wear after taking the bath, I heard a knock on the bathroom door again.

"Knock! Knock!"

"May I go in...?" - My sis asked me

"Yes, sis!"

Then my sis opened the bathroom door and joined a bath with me, having someone to bath with was very fun. I was now trying to do some jokes inside the bathroom to make things more fun.

"Stop...behaving like a kid...Sarah..." - My sis told me

"Bonk!" - She suddenly gave my head a bonk

"It's hurt, sis!"

"Then don't behave...like a kid...anymore..."

"Uwahh!"

"Sarah...if you keep crying...then this sister...will give you more...bonks!" - My sis said to me like that but how can I believe her word? Hehe, just bonk me as you like, sis!

"Uwahh!"

"Wakarimasu...here is...another...bonk..."

(Understood...here is...another...bonk) - Eh? I thought my sis was joking with me

"Wait, sis! Wait!"

But it was too late, this bonk would be very hard, my sister was an experienced Kendo learner, Kendo was a type of Japanese martial arts about using wooden swords to fight your opponent.

This bonk would be very hurt! Because, cannot dodge, her bonk was very close to me right now!

"Bonk!"

Rigen's perspective

Maybe I will pay a visit to those girls' house when I have time, I was now on my way to get back home, it was a very long since the last time I got back, the house must be very dirty right now. If I didn't sweep the house, Kaori would beat me.

But I didn't get home yet, I didn't want to get back soon so I sat down on a bench that was placed on the street, taking out the guidebook to read what was really inside it.

Okay, seemed like there were some secret weapons that our military had developed, but it was just a brief inside this book, not much but I would try to know all of it.

Smart Advisor ( SA )

There are only 3 samples of this device existing in the world, it is developed and manufactured by the US military, only two samples have been completely developed.

The other sample is just a test sample, it may have some errors while using such as being heated when you charge it. But it also has advantages like having a double battery compared to the completed versions.

Smart Advisor can be considered as a watch that helps the soldier to survive on all kinds of battlefields.

It can scan for living creatures, show the area maps, mark the locations, show advice, do eavesdropping, save images, infrared scan, scan for health...

It has its thoughts, it's a new kind of artificial intelligence so it can be considered a friend for the soldier to chat with, it may be annoying for the soldier when it is idle too much.

Alrotz gas mask

Wear this thing every time you get into the zone that has poison gas, it is specially made to resist CNW, try not to break this gas mask, if it broke, you die.

Chemical Nova weapon ( CNW Grenade )

If your nose sniffs this poison gas, your skin will start rotten, you will cough blood, be exhausted then die when the gas gets into your body in a certain amount.

The Nova chemical is sensitive to water, the effect from the gas will vanish when it touches water.

Alrotz Turret

You can bring this thing in your military bag, it's light and very effective if you need it in a defensive fight, do not let it fall, the turret can only shoot when it is standing.

Alrotz military bag

This bag can carry a lot of equipment, the soldiers can easily walk and run with it even if the weight is bigger than 110 pounds ( 50 kgs ).

The Alrotz bag itself can stretch to carry long or big equipment but it can only stretch in a certain size, not forever.

These technologies except the Smart Advisor are copyrighted by Dr. James Harvard Alrotz, the people who wrote this book do not own the right.

Seemed like that's all I saw in that guidebook, I just wondering who was the man named James Alrotz, he was the one who created those things?

I have heard many rumors about the new weapons that our US military was developing before Amanda showed me about this.

Seemed like the internet was right, one year ago, there was a man claimed to work in the military post a story on Reddit and told everyone about those secret weapons.

He said those technologies were brought back from another dimension.

According to that man's word, that dimension had occurred the third world war or something like that and the weapons he mentioned was very similar to the things contained in the book I read.

He said those weapons had been found by the military after the first earthquake in Virginia occurred in 1996.

He claimed he was with 3 more marines who had been sent to the thing that was later called "Sword mountain" to investigate its strange appearance after the earthquake.

He and his men got up the sword mountain and found 3 military bags that contained those weapons then the second earthquake occurred. The marines later managed to escape from that earthquake and brought those things back to the military.

He said he found a letter inside one of three military bags, the letter mentioned the third world war in another dimension.

Those weapons he said, were the gift that a man named John Cawess, who was in that dimension gave to a man who was his friend but he didn't say the name.

The said all the clues to prove his story had been confiscated by the military so he didn't have the proof to prove his story.

After posting that story on Reddit, three days later, that man disappeared and his post had been deleted.

I cannot believe that story, it was so bullshit. Maybe I should go home now! I have wasted my time here for an hour or so just to think about that post.

But the story that the man told on Reddit was also worth discussing. Until this time, there were many topics about world war 3 based on that man's story, and the netizens had discussed very much of it.

Finally, I got back home after a few minutes of walking, when I was about to get inside, I noticed Kaori's car had already been placed inside the garage.

Wait? Does she have a day off today? I remember she and Amanda were always busy in their office, how could she return like that?

Then I got inside the house to see, the first thing that appeared in front of my eyes was Kaori, she was now sweeping the house, cleaning around the floor by using a broom.

She didn't use any modern technology for cleaning, she always said to me that I must depend only on myself, must know the pleasure of working hard, the pleasure of labor.

Of course, I dropped all the things she said to me out of my ears, just have more headaches because of that.

Kaori seemed to notice my appearance, she stopped the cleaning and looked at me, she opened a slight smile as if to say to me "Welcome home, son!". That just made me sick more, that woman rarely smiles.

I hope she could stop smiling, just gone mute for me, I didn't want to see or to hear her talk, even seeing her appearance can make me want to flee away.

"Ah! My son, welcome home!" - Kaori greeted me, I immediately got in my room as the time I heard her

"My son! Wait!"

"Fuck off! Just stop following me, let me alone!"

I ran toward my room and then blocked the door, keeping myself inside four walls, I could hear Kaori was now calling for me outside the door but I ignored her.

"My son! Please open the door, I know you hate me very much but please, at least please open the door, I just need to see your face then I won't disturb you anymore, my son!" - Kaori said to me, she seemed serious about this

But I kept silent, then I didn't hear any word from Kaori, after 10 minutes, I thought that woman was gone away so I opened the door.

As the time I opened the door, Kaori was still standing right there, Kaori stared at me a little bit then opened a happy smile.

Strange! most of the time when I doing this, she would make an angry face then start beating me, this time she didn't beat me but also opened that smile, as if to comfort me.

"I was so worried to see you got home so late, my son! It's already noon, I have prepared lunch for you, you may hungry right now, why don't you eat a little bit?"

Something's wrong with this woman, she can't be like that! She was always strict but now she was kind as if she has pretended it to me perfectly.

I would go to eat lunch but must keep an eye on this woman, cannot let my guard down!