I Woke Up 120 Years After The Apocalypse-Chapter 20: Money-slave

The entire table was left speechless, plunged into total confusion.

Leyla, who had seemed dead inside, whose will to live had long since vanished, was standing there, seething, her fist clenched near the face of the Vulkan leader.

She knew that Varog was the one who had ended her child’s life, and that single thought wiped away all of her sadness and despair, replacing them with pure hatred and a burning thirst for revenge.

From that moment on, she could only imagine herself living for one thing: eliminating the cannibal Warlord.

"Hey, Leyla! What the fuck are you doing?! Let him go!" Elliot shouted, trying to grab the young woman’s arm.

Damn it, what is this grip?! I can’t even make her flinch! he thought as he tried to pull her arm away.

"Hey, hey, Leyla, calm down, he’s going to talk! Let him go!" Baron tried, more diplomatically.

Leyla didn’t let go. Her gaze was locked onto Akram’s.

Akram saw the full intensity of her hatred and felt how determined she was to satisfy it.

He steadied himself and gently placed his hand on Leyla’s wrist.

"Yes, I’m going to talk about it, Leyla," he began softly, "I’m going to talk to both of you."

He guided Leyla’s hand away as she finally loosened her grip and released the collar of his tunic, which he instinctively adjusted.

"I’m glad you’re back." he told her sincerely.

She didn’t answer. She simply returned to her seat and sat down, her face and brows still twisted with restrained anger.

Yashyn watched the scene with his arms crossed, without intervening. He simply kept rocking back and forth on his chair, almost innocently.

Akram cleared his throat and returned to his seat as well.

"Mmph. Let’s continue." he said dryly.

"Varog is a human monster." he stated bluntly.

He immediately captured everyone’s attention. All of them were ready to hear what this living legend of the new world was truly capable of.

Akram then explained in detail how their encounter had happened and the tragedy that followed: the meeting with the cannibals, the fights, and the deaths of the others, including Barid and Kra.

Leyla clenched her fist when he spoke about her son’s death. Her eyes went empty once again.

Akram noticed it but didn’t stop his story. He knew Leyla would not collapse anymore.

He then told them about his captivity, who he had been with, what he had to do to survive and escape, and why he considered Yashyn someone he could trust.

The entire room fell silent. Even Leyla seemed shaken.

"Fuck, Maora... We’ll have to go get her and bury her properly." Elliot said, his gaze lowered.

"You were strong, Akram. Solid as a rock." Baron added, patting him on the back.

"And Varog?" Yashyn simply asked.

Baron and Elliot immediately shot him a glare.

Yashyn raised his hands.

"It’s fine, it’s fine guys, I’m joking!"

"Varog is not a normal human." Akram said sharply.

"He’s huge, a mountain of muscle. He’s insanely strong, strong enough to rip limbs apart with his bare hands."

Yashyn refocused on the discussion, pulling out a small notebook and starting to take notes.

"I don’t know why you’re looking for him, Yashyn. You’re very strong, I’ve seen it myself, but realistically, I don’t think you’re capable of facing him." Akram said sincerely.

"Don’t worry about me, go on." Yashyn replied, not impressed at all. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Mhmm... Are there many humans today with abilities comparable to his?" Akram asked the room.

"Mhmm, yeah, there are some... but at that level... I think Varog is the only one." Elliot answered, skeptical.

"Not really. It’s rare, sure, but... there are humans with special abilities or extreme strength like his all over the world." Yashyn said confidently.

Akram looked at him closely.

"What do you mean? There are other cases like Varog?"

"Exactly like him, I don’t know. But really strong ones? Yeah, definitely." Yashyn continued.

"People like that, we call them Reapers... Pretty cool name, right? But a lot of them have nasty side effects tied to their abilities."

Akram thought for a moment, rubbing his chin, then replied:

"Varog’s side effect would be his cannibalism, for example, right?"

"Bingo!" Yashyn mimed.

"Then I understand what Varog truly is... and what the other ’Reapers’ are." Akram concluded, leaning back in his chair.

"What do you mean by that?" Baron asked, still doubtful.

Akram then began a full lecture on human genetics from his era. He stood up and used one of the HQ walls as a visual aid, as if he were once again running his CME department.

He explained that in his time, major breakthroughs had made it possible to create new human genes to make people more efficient in various fields.

According to his hypothesis, Varog possessed one of the most powerful genes ever created.

The ABS21 gene, the "Superhuman" gene.

It granted its bearer exceptional physical abilities: massively increased strength, speed, and durability, along with reinforced musculature and bone density.

"Back then, there were no side-effect issues thanks to constant medical care and strict supervision." Akram continued.

"But over time, and after those treatments disappeared, the genes must have mutated and developed these side effects."

"Damn, you’re a smart guy, that’s crazy, lil’ bud!" Yashyn exclaimed while continuing to write.

"In short, that’s the conclusion I came to." Akram said as he sat back down.

"So now, what are you going to do about it, lil’ buds?" Yashyn asked, tearing a page from his notebook and slipping it into his bag.

"That’s true. We discover new human species, super cool, but what do we do with that?" Elliot added.

"We need to rebuild and reconstruct the city from the ground up. We need a place that can defend us and shelter us." Akram said firmly.

Yashyn instantly crushed his enthusiasm.

"Oh yeah? And with what money?"

Akram felt a brutal reality check.

"Uuuh..."

"Yeah, genius. You thought of everything except that. Money exists here too. You have to buy materials, supplies, blueprints... basically everything."

Barely out of a mountain of problems, Vulkania was now facing the greatest threat in the world, no matter the era: money.