LOSS System: Last Store Standing

The next morning, Cass spotted Dale and the others approaching on the drone feed. As soon as Jack heard the news, he headed to the trading post with Megan. Before long, six figures appeared in the distance.

Dale was walking at the front. When he spotted Jack, he waved from afar.

“Jack, we’re here!”

Once they reached the trading post, Dale greeted Jack and gestured toward the three people behind him.

“Let me introduce you. This is Walter. He used to handle most of the affairs at our settlement. This is Grace, and this is Harris.”

Jack greeted each of them.

“Welcome.”

“Thank you.” Walter surveyed the moat, the completed trading post, and the line of utility poles stretching into the distance. “This place is much better than I expected.”

“The trading post was only half-finished the last time we came,” Dale added. “It’s only been a few days, but the whole place already looks different.”

“We have more people now,” Jack said. “Things get done much faster with everyone helping.”

Jack introduced Elias and the others. Once the introductions were over, Walter got straight to the point.

“Jack, we’d like to move here and settle nearby.”

The request caught Jack by surprise.

“Why so suddenly? Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened,” Walter said. “We’ve already discussed it, and everyone agreed.”

Jack was relieved to hear that.

“Then you’re certainly welcome.”

Walter glanced toward the nearby tents.

“Can we find a place around here and set up camp?”

“Of course. I’ll get some people to help.”

Jack called Vane and Reed over, then brought several tents out of the storage room. Everyone pitched in. Harris handled most of the heavy lifting, while Grace, Dale, and the others helped raise the tents and secure the ropes.

Once the tents were up, Walter noticed several people inspecting the electrical lines nearby and walked over with Colt.

“Need any help? I used to do electrical and plumbing work.”

The offer immediately caught the attention of the two men checking the lines.

“That would be great,” one of the older men said with a smile. “I’m Warren, and this is Oscar. Could you take a look and see if there are any problems with the way we installed everything?”

“No problem.” Walter gestured toward Colt. “He learned some of the work from me. He can help too.”

Walter and Colt soon joined Warren and Oscar in checking the lines.

Meanwhile, Jack found Dale and asked about the CUEV factory.

“By the way, how far is the factory from here?”

“Not too far,” Dale said. “It took us most of the day to push the CUEV back last time.”

Jack estimated the distance. It was still morning, so if they drove there, they should be able to return before dark.

“Do you have anything else to do today?”

“No. Why?”

“Can you take us to the factory?” Jack asked. “I want to see how many CUEVs there are still usable.”

“Today?”

“Yes. I’ve been thinking about that factory for ages. Now that you’re finally back, I don’t want to wait any longer.”

Dale laughed.

“All right. We can leave as soon as you’re ready.”

Roy came over as well.

“I’ll go with you. I’ve been to the factory before, so I can help with the route.”

Jack had no reason to refuse. He found Megan and discussed who should go, then called Cass, Gordon, and Reed over. Together with Jack, Megan, Dale, and Roy, that gave them seven people.

“Load four energy cells onto the vehicles,” Jack told Cass and the others.

While everyone prepared, Dale and Roy drank some water. Once everything was ready, they split between the two vehicles. Megan drove the Tesla, while Cass and Gordon followed in the CUEV with the cargo bed attached.

The two vehicles soon left the trading post and headed for the factory.

With Dale and Roy guiding them, the convoy eventually arrived at a vast complex of old-world buildings.

Large sections of the outer walls had collapsed, and much of the metal fencing around the perimeter had fallen. The entrance itself remained wide open, allowing both vehicles to drive straight inside without slowing down.

The moment they passed through the entrance, everyone fell silent.

Rows upon rows of CUEVs filled the open lot, stretching far into the distance. Most were buried beneath thick layers of dust and sand, making their original colors almost impossible to distinguish.

Several large shelters stood near the factory buildings, and those were packed with vehicles as well. There were far more CUEVs than any of them had expected.

Jack climbed out of the Tesla and stared at the endless rows.

“How many vehicles are there?”

“I have no idea,” Dale said. “Last time, we only searched the outer area until we found one that looked relatively intact. Once we confirmed we could push it, we took it and left. We never came this far inside.”

Jack’s grin widened.

“We really hit the jackpot this time.”

Megan walked over to the nearest CUEV and wiped the dust from its dashboard. She pressed the start button, but nothing happened.

“Forget about starting them for now,” she said. “Let’s find the chargers first.”

The group split up to search.

Cass and Gordon headed toward the shelters near the factory buildings, while Reed joined Dale and Roy in searching for the warehouse entrance. Jack and Megan followed the edge of the open lot.

Jack and Megan soon found several compatible chargers in an inspection area connected to the parking lot.

Jack checked the charging cables and found no visible damage to the connectors, so they carried them back to the nearby CUEVs.

After driving the Tesla and their CUEV into the open lot, the group unloaded the four energy cells and began testing the parked vehicles.

The dashboard of the first CUEV came to life as soon as they connected the power. A charging symbol appeared on the screen, drawing smiles from everyone.

The second and third vehicles responded just as well. The fourth remained completely dead, even after they waited for a while.

They moved the cable to another CUEV, and its dashboard lit up without issue.

After testing more than a dozen vehicles, however, they found that nearly half were completely unresponsive. Another powered on only to display one fault warning after another.

“This doesn’t look too promising,” Megan said.

“Hopefully the ones under the shelters were better protected.”

They continued testing until they found four CUEVs that could charge normally and were still in relatively good condition. Once each vehicle was connected to an energy cell, their charging indicators appeared on the dashboards.

“Come on,” Jack said. “Let’s see what else they have inside.”

Beyond the assembly workshop, the factory contained a parts warehouse, an inspection area, and several storage sections filled with accessories and other supplies.

A thick layer of dust covered everything. Since none of them understood what most of the machinery was for, they stuck to the passageways that were still safe to use. Reed checked some of the boxes along the way, looking for tools they could put to use immediately.

Deep inside one of the storage areas, Cass suddenly stopped.

“There’s something over here.”

Everyone followed his gaze.

Rows of flat metal cases were stacked neatly on the shelves. Each one had an image of a CUEV printed on the outside, next to a symbol showing an unfolded tent.

Jack hurried over and opened one.

Inside was a folded two-person tent, complete with mounting brackets and installation instructions. A compact vehicle-mounted cooling unit occupied the other side of the case.

Megan leaned over for a look and laughed.

“Aren’t these the rooftop tent and cooling unit you spent half the day arguing with the system about?”

Jack ignored her and examined the equipment.

They were original accessories made specifically for the CUEV and could be attached directly to the vehicle’s built-in mounting points without any modifications.

The same metal cases filled several nearby rows of shelves.

“Let’s bring back two sets and test them first,” Jack said.

They searched the rest of the storage area and found spare tires, replacement body parts, and repair tools alongside the tents and cooling units.

By the time they returned to the inspection area, an hour had passed. All four CUEVs had finished charging.

Megan started them one by one and drove each around the area. After making sure the acceleration, steering, and brakes worked properly, they chose another four CUEVs that were relatively intact and had responded normally during testing.

They moved the four energy cells to those vehicles and made sure all four had begun charging.

Jack then loaded two sets of tents and cooling units into the cargo bed.

Before leaving, he used the navigation system in their original CUEV to record the route back to the trading post. From then on, Jack could lead the way in that vehicle while Megan followed in the Tesla. Dale and Roy would no longer need to come along as guides.

Cass, Gordon, and Reed each took the wheel of one of the newly charged CUEVs. Jack drove their original CUEV with the cargo bed attached, while Megan drove the Tesla.

The five vehicles left the factory together and followed the recorded route back to the trading post.

The convoy drew plenty of attention when it appeared in the distance.

As the vehicles came closer, everyone realized that three additional CUEVs were following the Tesla and the original CUEV. People stopped what they were doing and watched the convoy enter the trading post.

Walter and the other newcomers were particularly surprised. None of them had expected Jack’s group to bring back three working CUEVs in a single trip.

Jack directed Cass and the others to park the vehicles, then unloaded the two sets of two-person tents and vehicle-mounted cooling units from the cargo bed.

Elias came over to examine the metal cases.

“What are those?”

“CUEV accessories,” Jack said. “Each set contains a two-person tent and a vehicle-mounted cooling unit. We’ll install them and test them when we have time.”

Jack gave Megan and the others a short break to rest and drink some water before they set out again.

They no longer needed Dale and Roy to guide them. Jack led the way in the CUEV with the recorded route, while Megan followed in the Tesla with Cass, Gordon, Harvey, and Reed.

The second trip went much more smoothly.

By the time they reached the factory, all five CUEVs left behind had finished charging. After checking them, the group drove four back and loaded the four energy cells into the cargo bed.

When the convoy returned to the trading post, another four CUEVs followed behind.

Together with the three brought back during the first trip and the one they already had, eight CUEVs were now lined up near the trading post.

The first three had already caused a stir. When another four entered the trading post, everyone stopped to watch until the vehicles were parked. Several of the younger people stood nearby, unable to hide their envy.

Jack was still thinking about the last fully charged CUEV at the factory. After checking how much daylight remained, he found Gordon and Harvey.

“Make one last trip and bring back the remaining CUEV. Load a few extra charging cables into the cargo bed too, along with some tents and cooling units.”

Gordon agreed.

He and Harvey drank some water and rested briefly before setting out in the original CUEV.

Several of the younger people watched until the vehicle disappeared into the distance.

Walter surveyed the row of CUEVs parked nearby.

“In the past, even if we found a vehicle, we couldn’t use it without electricity. Jack may be the only person capable of bringing this many back to life.”

As darkness began to fall, two CUEVs finally appeared in the distance.

Gordon and Harvey each drove one into the trading post, successfully bringing back the final vehicle.

Including the CUEV they had started with, they now had nine CUEVs and one Tesla.

The younger people gathered around the vehicles once again. They continued examining them until Elias urged everyone to get some rest, and only then did they return to their tents.

After a full day of work, Jack and Megan returned to the convenience store.

They had barely reached the second floor when the system’s voice sounded in Jack’s mind. Its tone was far more serious than usual.

“Human, prepare yourself for what this system is about to tell you.”

Jack hadn’t expected such a warning.

“What is it, LOSS?”

“Approximately three thousand two hundred kilometers southwest of the current area, a massive heat wave is forming. Based on its current direction and rate of expansion, it is expected to reach this area in fourteen days. The heat wave remains in its formative stage, and the affected area continues to expand. Its maximum temperature and total duration cannot yet be accurately predicted. Based on the available data, its effects on the current area will persist for at least one month.”

“Danger level: Catastrophic.”