LOSS System: Last Store Standing

The drone feed showed three people struggling to push an electric four-wheeler toward the convenience store.

Jack’s smile grew wider as he waved Megan over.

“Looks like we might be able to bring your Tesla back after all.”

Megan stepped closer and took a look at the screen.

“Is that the electric four-wheeler you mentioned?”

“That’s the one.”

Megan immediately brightened. Cass, however, had no idea what they were talking about.

“What’s a Tesla?”

“You’ll find out later,” Jack said, deliberately keeping him in suspense.

Cass rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Dale, Roy, and Colt had noticed the drone flying toward them.

Colt had never seen it before. He immediately became wary and stopped pushing the electric four-wheeler.

“Relax,” Roy said. “It belongs to Jack. It scared us the first time too. Just follow it.”

Colt was in his thirties, around the same age as Dale and Roy. He had always been a quick learner, so Walter had passed on much of what he knew from his years working as a plumber and electrician.

Once Roy assured him the drone was harmless, Colt joined the others and continued pushing the vehicle.

Roy looked up at the drone.

“Jack, we’re here!”

“They can hear us?” Colt asked.

“Yeah. We tried it last time.”

Cass’s voice soon came through the drone.

“This is Cass. Welcome back. Just follow the drone like last time.”

Colt studied it for another moment, then continued on without asking any more questions.

Back at the convenience store, Jack watched the drone feed for a while before leaving with Megan. Dale and the others still had some distance to cover, so there was no point standing around waiting.

The two headed to the growing area, where Marg was tending to the newly planted seeds alone.

“Where’s Hal?” Jack asked.

“Behind the convenience store with Mort.” Marg pointed in that direction. “They’re doing something with the coal. I’m not sure what.”

“A coal experiment?”

Jack immediately wanted to see what they were doing, but Megan shook her head when he asked her to come along.

“You go. I’m heading back to the store.”

“Why?”

“I want to sort through the medicine and see what we actually have,” Megan said. “Everyone else has something to do. I can’t keep sitting around.”

That reminded Jack of Susan.

“Susan knows some basic nursing. She’s the one who treated most of our injuries before you arrived. Ask her to help you sort the medicine.”

He thought for a moment before adding, “You could teach her a few things too. If she learns enough, she might be able to assist you in the future.”

Megan considered the idea.

“That could work. To put it bluntly, if something serious happens, I’ll need someone who knows how to help.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Megan returned to the convenience store, while Jack headed around the back to see what Hal and Mort were doing with the coal.

He found them crouched beside several neatly separated piles. Some of the coal was glossy black, some looked duller, and one pile had a clear brownish tint. Mort was using a small knife to scratch the surface of a piece.

“Why did you separate all of it?”

“Because it isn’t all the same,” Hal said.

“Coal comes in different types?”

“Of course.”

Hal picked up a glossy black piece.

“This is anthracite. It’s harder and has more of a shine. The duller coal is bituminous, and the brownish-black pile is lignite.”

He gestured toward Mort.

“We don’t have the proper tools to test them, but we can still make a rough judgment from the color, luster, and hardness.”

Jack picked up a piece from another pile. Black dust immediately came off on his fingers.

“They really are different. Is this what you’ve been doing all morning?”

“We need to sort them first,” Hal said. “Otherwise, we might use the wrong type later.”

Mort put down his knife.

“This only gives us a rough idea. We still need to burn a few samples.”

“What are you testing for?”

“How easily they ignite, how much smoke they produce, what the flame looks like, and how long they burn,” Mort said. “Different types of coal behave differently.”

“We need to test them before deciding which ones to use for the brick kiln and which ones are better for smelting,” Hal added.

Jack finally understood why they had gone to so much trouble.

“Where are you planning to do the burn test?”

“Here,” Hal said.

Jack looked around the open ground, then up at the blazing sun.

“You’re going to sit next to a fire out here?”

Hal and Mort finally realized what he meant.

“We were too busy sorting the coal,” Hal admitted. “We didn’t think about the heat.”

“Forget the burn test for now,” Jack said. “I don’t want to come back later and find both of you roasted alongside the coal.”

Hal cleared his throat but didn’t argue. Mort studied the open ground around them, clearly realizing they needed some shade before they could continue.

Jack found Thomas near the trading post, inspecting the Precision Water-Distribution Sprinklers.

“Do you know how to build a wooden shelter? Something simple that can provide some shade?”

“I do,” Thomas said. “Why?”

“Hal and Mort want to test the coal by burning samples. If they sit beside a fire under this sun, they’ll be cooked before the coal is.”

Thomas glanced toward the back of the convenience store and chuckled.

“That’s entirely possible.”

“Then help them put up a shelter first.”

Jack called Reed and Harvey over and assigned the work.

“Reed, bring some wooden pallets out of the storeroom. Harvey, take them apart. Thomas, talk to Hal and Mort and figure out where to build the shelter and how large it needs to be.”

The three quickly got to work.

Reed made several trips to the storeroom, carrying out one pallet after another. At first, he noticed nothing unusual.

Then he realized the pile inside hadn’t changed.

He had already removed several pallets, yet there were still exactly as many as when he started.

To make sure he wasn’t mistaken, Reed carried out a few more. When he returned, identical pallets had appeared in the empty spaces.

Reed stopped in the doorway.

After staring at the pile for a while, he decided not to test it again. He left the storeroom, checked that Jack wasn’t nearby, and went to find Elias at the trading post.

“Elias, there’s something strange about the storeroom.”

Reed lowered his voice and explained what he had discovered.

Elias didn’t seem surprised.

“Don’t worry about it. And don’t ask.”

“But the pallets—”

“If Jack tells you to move them, keep moving them,” Elias said. “Don’t think too much about where they come from, and don’t tell anyone else.”

Reed might have been straightforward, but he understood what Elias was telling him.

“I understand.”

He returned to the storeroom and continued carrying out pallets as if nothing had happened.

Marg had seen the exchange from the growing area and came over.

“What did Reed find?”

Elias briefly explained.

Marg glanced toward the storeroom, then nodded without asking anything further.

The two exchanged a knowing smile.

Dale, Roy, and Colt finally reached the convenience store after pushing the electric four-wheeler the rest of the way.

When Jack heard they had arrived, he immediately found Megan and brought her to the trading post. By then, the three visitors were sitting beside the vehicle, drenched in sweat and trying to catch their breath.

“You finally made it,” Jack said, greeting Dale and Roy.

Dale pointed toward the third man.

“This is Colt. He’s from our settlement too. He came along to help us push the vehicle.”

After Colt and Jack exchanged greetings, Jack introduced Megan and turned his attention to the electric four-wheeler.

It looked similar to an ATV from Earth, with a straddle-style body and two seats arranged one behind the other. A small cargo basket was mounted at the front, while several storage racks had been fitted beneath and along both sides of the rear seat.

Megan leaned closer to Jack.

“Isn’t that basically an ATV?”

“Looks like one.”

The system’s voice sounded in Jack’s mind.

“Human, Compact Utility Electric Vehicle detected. Abbreviated designation: CUEV.”

“The vehicle is powered by four independent in-wheel motors and has a standard capacity of two passengers. Multiple cargo racks are integrated into the body. Maximum load: approximately three hundred kilograms.”

“The CUEV is capable of traveling across farm tracks, gravel surfaces, and mildly uneven wasteland terrain. Maximum speed: thirty kilometers per hour.”

“Current battery level: depleted. Main structure and drive system remain intact. Normal operation can be restored after recharging.”

“Estimated time to full charge: one hour.”

After a brief pause, the system added,

“Theoretical range: approximately eight hundred kilometers.”

Jack could barely contain his excitement.

The CUEV wasn’t broken. It only needed to be recharged. Once fully powered, it could carry two people, transport up to three hundred kilograms, and travel as far as eight hundred kilometers.

Best of all, a full charge would take only one hour.

With this vehicle, future trips across the wasteland would become much easier.

The system continued,

“In addition, the CUEV is equipped with—”

“Wait,” Jack interrupted in his mind. “Tell me the rest later. Let me finish the trade first.”

The system fell silent.

Jack kept his excitement to himself. He checked the tires and walked around the CUEV once before returning to Dale.

“What do you want for it?”

Dale didn’t answer right away.

Before they left the settlement, Walter had warned them not to make an unreasonable demand simply because Jack had plenty of supplies. As long as the price was fair, they should make the deal.

Using the previous coal trade as a reference, Dale gave his price.

“Twelve loaves of bread, twelve bottles of water, and six cans of beef.”

He hesitated before adding,

“And four cans of pepper spray. Would that be all right?”

Roy and Colt remained silent and waited for Jack’s answer.

Elias was about to bargain, but Jack raised a hand to stop him.

He looked directly at Dale.

“No.”