Exo Power Cell

Fratley took every weapon he could bring, as he felt it was important. But when he reached the hallway and met Ben, he got a glare instead.

"What the hell are you doing? Forget all those, just bring one or two with you! We need to move fast," Ben warned.

But Fratley wasn't even listening. His gaze was on the chart beside Ben. It was filled with, by his standards, real junk.

Lamps, portable fridge, even a small freezer, and he recognized it. It's the one filled with hearts. "Why are you bringing those?"

"All of this is far more important than what you brought." He then turned his gaze toward the nearby window. The orange cloud was coming closer. 

"Put it all down and follow me. I need your help with one more device."

Fratley didn't debate. Despite the shock, he knew Ben was more experienced. He wouldn't suggest this randomly.

After dropping most of the weapons on the floor, he followed Ben. He then found out there was a path to a basement floor just behind the settlement. Inside, he could see a few water tanks.

"Come here, cut down that cable," Ben said, pointing toward a humming machine.

The machine looked like a car battery, but ten times its size. It was covered with sleek green metal without any seam. On top, there were multiple nodes connected to cables.

'So this is our energy source?' Fratley was sure this was a relic. Other than the cable nodes, he didn't see any other mechanisms.

It seemed like the device just kept churning power out of nothing. His gaze followed the cable all the way to the floor, then with a smooth move, he cut the cable.

Meanwhile, Ben had already started working. He unscrewed the device from the brackets that fastened it to the ground. 

"Okay, pull this up, and be careful, this item is priceless."

"What is it?" Fratley asked as he held the other side.

Compared to its size, the device was surprisingly light. Now he understood why Ben needed to fasten it to the ground. With how light it was, it would be easy for it to get knocked down.

"Exo Power Cell. This thing can produce power infinitely. 

It's one of the most precious relics our settlement has. As long as we have this, starting in another place will be easy."

Fratley gave a nod. "Won't it be dangerous if others find out we have this?"

If this device existed in his old world, he was sure it would trigger a huge war. There would be people who wanted to monopolize it, and others who didn't want the device to exist at all.

"No worries. It's rare and priceless, but finding a buyer for it is hard.

This thing can only output 1000 watts at most. Using it for a freezer and some lamps is fine, but if we hook it up to a huge security system like automated turrets, it won't work."

"Automated turrets? We have those?"

As they carried the device up the stairs, Ben jerked his chin toward the corner of the basement. 

Fratley turned his head and saw multiple turrets stacked in the dust. His lips twitched. "Why don't we use them?"

"Beats me. Karen said it was disturbing her cuties."

"Cuties? Oh, the plants… just because of that…" Fratley was speechless. 

He didn't know what to say. If they used the turrets, many raids would be easier to deal with.

They stepped out into the open air, the temperature already noticeably warmer. The orange hue in the sky was deepening fast.

"We wouldn't need to risk ourselves fighting invaders," Fratley muttered as they moved toward the supply wagon.

"Well, Randy agreed. But not because of that. He said it's a waste of money. Ammunition's costly, and if we get dependent on turrets, we'll lose our combat skills."

As they secured the Exo Cell in the cart's frame, Fratley glanced back at the settlement, its wooden buildings, rows of crops, and crude fences. A silhouette then appeared: Karen, holding a flower pot in each hand, with many more strapped to her back like some kind of overburdened gardening mule.

"Should we say something?" Fratley asked.

"You can try," Ben replied with a tired look.

That made Fratley wonder how many interactions Ben had already endured with Karen. Judging by his face, he had probably tried to talk some sense into her more times than he could count, and never once succeeded.

SWOOSH!

A nearby tree suddenly went up in flames, causing the trio to flinch and turn alert. Fratley could now feel the heat licking at his skin, no longer a warning, but a promise.

"We need to move now. Cleo will get burned otherwise," Karen said, placing all her plants on top of the Exo Cell like it was just a moving shelf. Somehow, she'd also rigged a massive tarp to cover the entire wagon.

"Now? Shouldn't we wait for Randy first?"

"No, Cleo. Then no, you…" Karen replied with a stern gaze.

Fratley glanced at Ben, hoping for a translation. "I don't get it either," Ben muttered. "But I think Cleo's one of the herbs she uses to make your painkillers."

'No wonder Ben didn't bother taking any drug,' Fratley thought. 

With Karen around, as long as they stayed near forests, they could easily gather herbs and craft their own medicine. 'So this is why everyone puts up with her quirks…'

Thankfully, they didn't need to wait long. Soon, Randy, Emily, Jack, and Jane appeared. Emily was wearing her last armor, floating effortlessly in the air.

She flew straight toward Fratley and grabbed the back of his shirt by the neck. "We'll go first. Let's meet up near the lake."

Fratley was yanked off the ground before he could respond, but there wasn't much to say anyway. From the sky, he finally saw the full scale of the incoming Scorching Cloud. It wasn't just hot, it was devastation incarnate.

Everything beneath it was charred earth. The once bountiful forest was now turning into a complete wasteland.