Rise Of The Hoarder

"Take care till we return, okay?" Ana said to me, with her usual caring look.r

I smiled back, nodding in response.r

And so, Lily split from the group, taking me past the hallway while Ana's group climbed higher up the stairs.r

'I suppose the leader's office is on the topmost floor. He must be an egoist, taking the highest place in the building.' I smiled internally.r

Lily walked close to me, looking ahead as she avoided eye contact with me for some reason.r

'Is she shy now that we're together alone? Hehe, how cute.'r

Still, being alone like this had its advantages.r

"Lily, erm… what kind of guy is the Camp Leader?"r

She looked at me, slightly stunned by my question, then her face fell into deep thought. She appeared to be thinking of the best way to explain the man to me.r

'It's a good thing I have Lily here. She's still a young girl, so she was sure to give me pure, unfiltered information.'r

"Well, how do I put this… he's someone even I cannot read." She mumbled.r

'Oh? Someone who could escape Lily's [Great Sight]?'r

"You know, you're the only one I've met that I couldn't read, apart from him. I know the reason for your case is because of the man who saved you, but I don't know much about the leader's own." She further explained.r

"O-oh, wow. I see… he's such a mysterious guy. And are you guys sure that you can trust him?" I asked.r

Of course, it was only by constantly using my innocent and nervous expression that I could pull such a question off without appearing suspicious. In Lily's eyes, I was just being careful and wary since I was new to the environment.r

"Oh, yes. You can. Definitely. Our leader has managed to control the camp for so long. There's a reason for that. He and the vice-leader always found any sign of trouble and took care of them quickly. And… there's something else…" r

I watched as she spoke the words, and my head rang as I heard them.r

'What…?! This is…'r

If what she said was true, if indeed the leader and vice leader could actually carry out what she had just told me… then my plans were definitely not going to work this time.r

'Damn… I've been had!'

************************************

"Welcome back, everyone." r

Ana's group walked in and saw the group leader seated on his chair, behind the obtuse desk. His assistant stood beside him.r

The leader was a man appearing to be in his late thirties. He had a clean-shaven look, with formal attire, even donning a red tie. His sleeves were rolled up, hands clasped together on the table as he looked at the group standing before him.r

"Yeah, thanks for the warm welcome, as usual." Ana smiled, shrugging a little.r

Her eyes darted to the silent assistant, who stood beside the leader in her usual pose.r

Even though she could sit at any time, the young lady preferred to stand beside her leader whenever anyone entered the office to make a report.r

She had the appearance of a secretary, having glasses and a skirt suit as her signature look. Her hair was well made, as it was neatly tied in a bun.r

She gave a stoic look, staring at all the members of the group with narrowed eyes, or maybe it was just because her eyes were small, Ana still couldn't figure her out completely, unlike the other way around.r

"Let's get down to business, Charles," Ana said bluntly.r

In the end, the reports were just a glorified way of showing the leader what they had brought back. There were usually sanctions, depending on the outcome, .r

The group emptied their bags on the floor, and Ana looked in Daniel's direction, signaling him to undo the effect of his Gift.r

His eyes glowed green and slowly, the objects began to grow larger in size, regaining their original form.r

Charles, the leader of the camp was amazed by the sight before him. Not at Daniel's ability though since it was one which he had seen way too many times, but rather by the amount and quality of what the expedition team had brought.r

Even the usually expressionless vice leader appeared stunned.r

Charles had to get up from his chair and move his face closer to the items on the ground to get a closer look at them.r

"This is impressive… the amount of foodstuff, tools, even that battery… Amazing!" He beamed.r

Ana and her group members smiled. They had done well.r

"Ohh, this should be able to last us for a great deal of time. I'm sorry to have troubled you. As you know, things haven't been easy here these days." He sighed.r

Ana understood his perspective. Resources were scarce. Even they couldn't find any until they moved closer to the red zone. Such was the nature of the current world.r

Sooner or later, since they were finite, the items they obtained would finish. Once that happened, everyone would be stranded.r

To prevent this, the leader was already planning a project, but they needed enough resources to ensure it ran smoothly.r

"This is even more than what you usually find, and considering that resources have been even more scarce than before… it's unbelievable." Charles mumbled, stroking his bare chin.r

There were mumblings among the members of the team, and Ana knew she had to say something about what they had experienced in the red zone and how they had come about such resources.r

"Well, about that-" Ana wanted to explain, but her words didn't continue for long.r

"I'm guessing it has something to do with the boy you just brought into the Camp." r

The group members fell silent, Ana included. They weren't surprised that Charles had heard about it. He was the leader, after all.r

"Figures someone already informed you before we got here." Ana smiled.r

Charles returned her gesture with a mere shrug. However, his sharp eyes told her that he was dead serious about the matter.r

'I suppose I'll tell them about Jeremy now…' Ana decided.r