Master of Time

Chapter 129: The Invitation

That didn't sound creepy at all.

And in order to stop my grandfather and his family from thinking that I am actively stalking them like a serial killer, I will just wait here at the entrance of the shelter like a good mass murderer that I am.

Mass murderer sounds about right for the amount of people I have killed, on purpose or otherwise. It is mostly otherwise.

I do try not to slaughtering everyone who dare to cross me one way or another, but when I could bring anyone back from the dead with just a snap of my finger, I tend not to think too much about this.

People I have killed directly or indirectly are not really dead in a sense.

They are just not amongst the living until I decide they should.

In fact, for this preparation stage, it might probably be just easier to kill the people instead of stashing them in stasis cell. Stasis cell do cost a lot of power to operate. Power that could be diverted elsewhere more useful.

I will have to think about this for when I run out of stasis cell to dump evil people in.

How many do Legion have constructed in advance as preparation?

Over 10 billions?

Oh. Never mind then.

Is it strange that I rather kill people instead of creating more stasis cells to hold them?

People give me less headache when they are dead. They talk and complain less. Not at all really.

Logically speaking, grandfather will have no choice but to return to the shelter, considering that it will take him more than a couple of hours to reach the highway on foot.

The trip will be much longer if grandfather takes mum and the others with him. This is not to mention their luggage.

Night is also descending, making it all that dangerous to wander around the wood.

As an added bonus, I will have Legion roaming around the area, masquerading as ravenous wolves just to make it all the more terrifying.

I check to make sure that Legion is jamming their cellular reception. I can't have grandfather or any of the others calling for help, even if the world is currently in turmoil. Who knows, someone might decide grandfather's situation is more important and come and try to help him out.

This is a private family camping trip. There is no need to involve other people. The entrance to here is also closed off by several relocated trees just to make sure of that.

Although grandfather can opt to stay in the car with his children and wait out until morning, it will not really solve anything.

The car will not work again since Legion has chew through the engine as well as the radiator. He could fix it all up in a jiffy, but not until I tell him to.

While I wait for grandfather to make the logical choice, I have a look at all the people being locked up in the spatial dimension for doing or trying to do bad stuff. Even thinking about doing bad stuff when Legion is out of view will also get them locked up.

It is interesting to know that of all those who locked up, roughly 20% of them are women and children, including a few babies.

For Legion to lock up babies means that he needs to understand the intention to do evil more clearly.

I suppose I will have to program exceptions for these cases, so Legion can learn. This is purely machine learning, not artificial learning. I can't have Legion becoming self-aware yet.

Since I am not doing anything but waiting around, I will get to it. It didn't take more than half an hour since I did program Legion from scratch.

Once the new logic is uploaded into every drone all over the world, babies and children are exempted from being psychoanalyze by Legion. And those who are already in stasis are returned to their parents whenever possible.

In fact, I free a bunch of people who I think they shouldn't be locked up in the first place. This will have a positive repercussion in the mind of the people, telling them that the people who didn't get to return after being swallowed up are not dead.

I will return them in due time.

Women still do get screened psychologically because I am not a sexist. Sure, men are more prompt to violence, but women is as capable as men. Hell, give a knife to an angry child and I am sure someone will get stabbed.

Once night finally have descended and grandfather is still nowhere to be seen, I decide I should go get them.

From the surveillance feeds, grandfather and the others are holding up inside the car due to the being surrounded by dreadful animal noises.

Legion is scaring them instead of actually 'scaring' them. Sometimes, I have to step in because people just doesn't understand the finer points of what I want.

But to prevent grandfather becoming more suspicious than he already is, I will have to make up a good and plausible explanation to why I am wandering around the woods.

I guess hunting is a good explanation. I should know these woods, considering I am my father's son. I mean my fake father, who I call Mr. Maxwell. This is getting a bit convoluted.

My casual clothes morph into something more appropriate. If there is not enough micromachines to form one, more will be taken out of the spatial dimension.

The micromachines also assemble themselves into a scoped hunting rifle, slinging around my shoulder to complete the impression. The rifle does work as intended, but instead of gunpowder propelling the bullet, magnetic coil is used instead.

The sharp cracking sound of gunfire is fake, however.

Magnetic coil produces no sound. But I do love the sound of gunshot. The recoil is also fake as well for the same reason. Unless someone take one apart, they will assume it is an actual hunting rifle.

As for some dead animals to show that I have been wandering around the woods for a while, I will go hunting for a bit. It is also to teach Legion about 'scaring' thing into doing what I want.

It takes a while, but Legion eventually gets it, forcing animals fleeing into my direction for me to kill.

With my perfect aim, each small critter, such as rabbit or squirrel go down in a single shot.

But just for anyone who is listening, I fire some random shots now and then to make sure that I actually miss. I am sure that grandfather and the others heard my numerous gunshots.

I am very close to where the car is.

Once I have killed enough animals for show, I chill for a bit before heading towards their vehicle.

Light could be seen within the vehicle since Legion did only take out the engine and radiator, not the whole electrical circuit and the battery. Taking out just the spark plug or maybe all the wheels would suffice, but I have to make sure grandfather has no way of fixing the vehicle.

The hood of car is opened, showing me that grandfather did try to fix the vehicle before it becomes too dark. Unfortunately, he would have no clue what is wrong with car since the exterior of the engine and radiator are left alone.

I knock several times on the frosted window of the car, causing my mother and two others to scream in terror from within. Alright, maybe I should have clear the condensation away first before doing that.

Actually, maybe I should have knock on the front window of the vehicle, where my grandfather is.

But I like scaring people whenever I can.

Don't ruin this for me!

"What happen? Did your car break down?"

I question once my mother finally takes a good and closer look at me. Clearing the condensation away helps immensely.

Misha still screaming, however. She stops when Joshua shuts her up.

My mother then immediately rolls down the window so she can hear me more clearly. As she did, so did my grandfather.

"I had thought you guy would reach the highway by now. What happen?"

I paraphrase the question. Of course I know what had happened to them, but they don't know what I know. I think that make sense.

"Max? You scare the hell out of me. Why are you up and about? Are your legs alright?"

My mother asks. She is more worry about me than about herself.

Maybe it is just maternal instinct? Not that I mind, really. A mother should care for her children, even if her said children is a full grown man.

"What are you doing here?"

Grumpy granddad John interjects. He is getting suspicious. I mean more suspicious since He is already ever since he had to drive a long way to basically a middle of nowhere to drop me. He still did since it is one versus four, and I don't have any weapon visible on my body.

"I am hunting for some foods since I figure they will all die of starvation in the upcoming days anyway."

I show him my kills. There are a couple of rabbits amongst half a dozen of small animals.

Once everyone has a good look, I lower the dead animals and continue.

"I notice the light on my way back to the bunker. I didn't think it was you guys until I am this close. Did you really get stuck here since you dropped me off in the afternoon? Geeze. I did cause a lot of trouble for you guys. I am really sorry.

I will make it up to you."

I take a quick glance around the area. Faint howling could be heard.

"It is actually dangerous to camp out here since there are wolves in the surrounding woods. Why don't you all come with me and spend the night at the bunker. There are plenty of rooms available. And I wouldn't mind sharing my meal with you guys."

I point out and look at my mother when I have said that last line.

That makes her avert her eyes. She understands my intention, but she may not be able to reciprocate it because of what had happened to her in another future. Everything has changed now.

Her mother is no longer a problem.

Grandfather knows all about the wolves. It is the very reason why he is stuck in the car, unable to go and get help from me or anyone else.

Although he wants to refuse my offer since I am a total stranger, but he has no choice. He also didn't pack much foods for the trip, opting to grab some on the way to his father, my great grandfather.

"Can we, dad? I'm really hungry. And I don't want to spend the night in the car."

Misha calls. Joshua also states something similar.

They haven't eaten anything since afternoon. It is already pass dinner time.

And by now, Legion should be finishing mopping up the remaining people in the United States as well as other smaller countries around the world.

Countries with a bigger population takes more time, especially when they are hiding all over the place.

"Alright, but stick close to me. That includes you, Stephanie."

John warns. And everyone exit the vehicle. They take with them only the necessities and then lock up the car again. They will return to get the rest and think of what to do next.

"Here, let me help you with that."

I offer and carry my mother's luggage for her before she could say anything.

"Wait. You don't need to do that. You're injured, Max!"

My mother calls out, but I gesture my hand that it is fine. I am no longer injure, which might rise a few eyebrows, but I do get tired of faking my injuries.

"This is nothing. Okay, please follow me. Don't wander off on your own now."

I tell them and head towards the shelter. It will take about 15 minutes to get there by foot.

Longer now as we are hauling some luggage as well.

And like grandfather has told them, Joshua and Misha stick close to him. Although my mother wants to walk with me since she is feeling very guilty for having me carrying her luggage, grandfather did not let her.

It didn't take a genius to see that I have some intentions with Stephanie.

"By the way, did anything bad happen to you guys in the apocalypse?"

I am making conversation. There is also another reason.

"I hope that it wasn't as bad as me. I was locked up in the basement by this crazy couple who love to torture me together every day. Although I didn't remember much of it after they cut off my limbs, but I remember wishing I was dead."

I chuckle sadly.

That pulls my mother's heart string since it is very similar to what had happened to her.

It is not the only heart string that my bullshit story has pulled.

And slowly, my mother walks next to me since we are kindred spirit.

Grandfather didn't stop her since he also feel sorry for me for what had happened.

Honestly, manipulating people is super easy.