Apocalypse Transmigration - The Card Captor System

A short while later, the masked woman returned, leading a beautiful young woman. She had light brown hair that fell in soft waves around her shoulders, framing warm brown eyes. Her delicate features and gentle expression gave her an approachable, inviting aura. Behind them trailed an elderly man and woman.

Valentine glanced at the newcomers.

”Jenny, please help the lady over there prepare dinner.”

Rex seized the chance to make things worse.

”Jenny, this gentleman over here is providing the food.” He pointed at Leo. ”He’s also currently single, so make sure you don’t let any of the ingredients go to waste.”

Leo’s eyebrows twitched, though he chose to ignore the bait.

Jenny seemed completely oblivious to Rex’s shameless intentions. She offered Leo a polite bow before joining Linda, the elderly couple following suit.

Finishing his meal, Leo stood and headed back to the truck. He reappeared minutes later carrying a bottle of alcohol and several glasses.

The sight of the bottle made Rex’s eyes light up. Leo paid him no mind. He poured the liquid into two glasses, passing one to Grandpa Jiro and keeping the other for himself.

Rex opened his mouth.

”Hey, what about—”

”One thousand crystals.”

Leo didn’t even look his way.

Rex snapped his jaw shut.

Grandpa Jiro took a sip, his sharp eyes studying Leo over the rim of his glass.

”Kid...”

”You seem different.”

Leo raised an eyebrow.

Grandpa Jiro took another sip.

”Looks like you’ve finally overcome whatever was troubling you.”

Leo stayed quiet, taking a sip from his own glass instead.

Valentine broke the silence.

”Rex.”

”What’s the news from the military?”

Rex’s expression turned serious.

”Oh.”

”I almost forgot to tell you.”

He leaned back against his seat.

”It seems the military overestimated themselves and suffered quite a few losses.”

”That arrogant guy, John, and his aide Tony are apparently out of commission.”

Rex grinned.

”Someone knocked them out cold and even took away the most important spoils.”

While speaking, Rex watched Leo from the corner of his eye, fishing for a reaction. Leo didn’t even blink.

Rex continued.

”Since two of their heavy hitters are out of commission, the military had no choice but to ask for help.”

”It seems they’ve made a deal with the Rizen Group.”

”They’ll share the spoils of war in exchange for the Rizen Group’s assistance.”

Leo’s eyebrows rose a fraction. He recalled the alien mentioning the Rizen Group before. If the military needed their help, they had to be one of the most formidable forces left in the world. He mentally noted the need to gather more information on them.

Rex caught the subtle shift in Leo’s face.

”Oh?”

”You want to know about the Rizen Group?”

”I can tell you...”

He rubbed his thumb against his fingers in a universal gesture for payment.

”...but you know.”

Leo looked at him in silence, then turned toward Danny.

”Danny.”

”Bring me a glass.”

Rex threw his hands up in a dramatic display.

”Hey, hey, hey!”

”You don’t think that information is only worth one glass of alcohol, right?”

Leo raised an eyebrow.

”Oh, I see.”

”All of you are eating my food for free, and now I have to pay you for information?”

He waved a hand in dismissal.

”Danny, forget it.”

Danny halted in his tracks.

”Yes, sir.”

Rex’s face fell.

”Danny!”

”Don’t stop!”

”Go get the glass!”

Danny looked back and forth between the two men. Rex forced a wide smile and bumped his fist against Leo’s shoulder.

”Come on, man.”

”You can’t even take a joke?”

Leo just stared at him.

”...”

Danny scrambled away and returned a moment later with a glass. Leo filled it up and handed it over.

The very second Rex’s fingers touched the glass—

Whoosh!

An invisible force snatched it from his grip. The drink floated across the campfire and settled perfectly into Valentine’s palm.

Leo raised an eyebrow.

Rex opened his mouth to protest.

”Hey! That was—”

Valentine leveled a steady, unblinking stare at him.

”Sorry?”

”Did you say something?”

Rex swallowed hard.

”...No.”

He ducked his head.

”Nothing.”

Leo shook his head. He poured another glass and handed it back to Rex.

This time, Rex drank without hesitation, a satisfied look washing over his face. Settled, he finally began speaking.

”I don’t know everything about the Rizen Group.”

”But one thing is certain.”

”They’re currently the biggest behemoth on the planet.”

Leo listened carefully.

”They’re even stronger than the military.”

”But the Rizen Group is strange.”

Rex’s expression turned thoughtful.

”They suddenly appeared out of nowhere about ten years ago.”

”They already possessed technology that was far more advanced than anything else in the world.”

”They took the world by storm.”

”Naturally, the big companies and powerful conglomerates tried to suppress them.”

”But in the end...”

Rex shrugged.

”The Rizen Group came out on top.”

Leo remained silent.

Rex took another sip before going on.

”But that’s not the strangest part.”

”The Rizen Group was the most prepared for the apocalypse.”

”It was almost as if they knew the apocalypse was coming.”

Leo narrowed his eyes.

”I’ve never personally visited Rizen City.”

”But I’ve heard that when the infection first broke out, not a single infected appeared there.”

”That place is practically a fortress.”

Leo drummed his fingers against his glass.

”Do you know why people became infected?”

Rex shrugged.

”No one knows.”

”But the widely accepted explanation is that when the meteor shower struck the world’s surface a year ago...”

”Along with the aliens, the meteors brought some kind of virus that infected humanity.”

Rex shook his head.

”I think the higher-ups in the military and the Rizen Group probably know the truth.”

”But everyone is too busy fighting and surviving.”

”Even if they know something, they haven’t made it public.”

Leo pondered this before asking his next question.

”Don’t the military and the Rizen Group recruit strong individuals like you?”

”Why don’t you join them?”

”It would probably make your lives much easier.”

Rex fell silent. This time, Valentine answered for him.

”Everyone here has their own reason.”

She cast a glance at the people gathered around the campfire.

”Some have a grudge against the military.”

”Others have problems with the Rizen Group.”

”Some simply don’t want to belong to another large organization.”

Her gaze settled on a few specific members.

”And some are only here because they’re friends trying to survive together.”

Leo nodded. The logic was sound.

Valentine shifted her attention back to Rex.

”You said the Rizen Group is sending reinforcements.”

”Who are they sending?”

Rex shook his head.

”I don’t know who else is coming.”

”But I know who will be leading them.”

His expression darkened.

”The Ape God.”

Valentine’s features hardened. The atmosphere around the campfire thickened with a sudden, stifling tension. She looked out at the rest of the convoy.

”If the Ape God is coming to handle this...”

”Then the upcoming war with the aliens will be far bigger than we expected.”

She got to her feet.

”Everyone, stay alert.”

”We need to move the children and the other ordinary survivors away from this area.”

”No matter what happens, they cannot be caught in the middle of the battle.”

The others nodded in agreement.

By the time the discussion wrapped up, the food was finally ready. Linda set the first bowl to the side.

The instant her back turned—

Whoosh!

In a flash, Rex was beside the pot, snatching up the bowl.

He immediately returned to his seat and began eating.

Leo stared at him. Rex kept his eyes glued to his meal.

After a long pause, Leo broke the silence.

”Hey.”

Rex peered up from his bowl.

”What?”

”I gave you information.”

Leo shook his head with a slow, deliberate motion.

”That information?”

”I could have gotten it from somewhere else for free.”

Rex scowled.

”You’re heartless.”

Leo ignored the complaint.

”You can eat.”

Rex narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

”But you have to do something for me.”

Rex raised a brow.

”Nothing impossible.”

”No guarantees.”

Leo shook his head.

”You’ll be able to do it.”

Rex leaned in, his curiosity piqued.

”Oh?”

”What is it?”