The Industrialist

Chapter 36: Sidetrack: Salt

That night.

Salt Caravan, North Mountain Route, 40 miles North of Axe Central City.

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’The Caravan is near,’ A hunger rose in him. ’They always arrive at night.’

’Why?’ His thoughts questioned him. But his thoughts should not question his every decision. He was the bearer and master of the body. His thoughts should follow. But his thoughts repelled against his will. He fought against his thoughts almost every waking moment.

’Why attacking salt?’ He questioned again. He could not grasp the reason but it was unnecessary, these questions.

’I should be sleeping now,’ He forced the essence of his mind, almost succumbing to the comforting calls of his thoughts. He wanted to sleep but something had compelled him to do things sometimes he did not like.

Sleeping was the only way to shut everything down; the noise, the decisions, the command.

His body seemed to taste the wind, full of energy. Static energy. Not his tongue that tasted the wind, it was his skin.

The dark clouds above them protected their skin. ’Hail the clouds, hail the wind.’ He praised the environment.

It was a deadland. All lands were dead to him, except for the horrendous-looking walls 40 miles from where he stood. He wanted to lay waste on what was beyond those walls. Despite that, he wanted to sleep.

’No. He should fight. They should fight.’ His decision was fixed. He should fight. He should follow orders.

Months ago, there were no orders. He could not remember anymore when he had his free will. Free to roam around the dead lands. Free to devour as he pleased. Those days, he felt immortal. He felt unstoppable.

However, a stronger entity had compelled him. Not only him but many of them. At first, they don’t like the stronger Entity. But something, in the depths of their subconsciousness, that the Entity’s instructions and leadership were sound.

They should not question it. They could not fight the entity; it was stronger than them.

His thoughts, the ones he always fought when he was still free, resisted the instructions from this Entity. Constantly, fighting against the stronger will. However, the entity was overpowering, mentally, and intelligent. Eventually, his thoughts were silenced.

His thoughts faded with the Entity’s presence, gradually. He knew that his thoughts were still calling him, compelling to resist the Instructions. Helplessly, they were fading until they were incomprehensible.

But his thoughts, the noise, rose again if he was in missions away from the entity’s grasp.

What remained was the Instruction. Following the Instructions was equivalent to their lifeline. Failure to follow instructions would deliver their instant deaths. They could escape but the Entity’s reach was beyond their comprehension, reaching beyond the death lands that he always scoured.

Fear bathed them as Instructions were passed on. The Instructions were already sealed, mentally. As if the dark skies served as the Entity’s eyes, monitoring them to their every move.

’It’s nearing.’ His comrade said, telepathically. He could hear his words even those words came from an invisible space. His comrade could not physically speak. His mouth was nowhere to be found.

He was beautiful. It was a decision, too, aside from his grotesque face, deformed upper body, and blackened skin. His rebellious thoughts decided that such a face was appalling. No. He was beautiful. He dismissed his thoughts.

They were silent, his thoughts. Momentarily. ’They will speak again. They always do,’ He referred to his rebelling mind suppressing slowly.

’Ready them,’ He responded with his mind, too. His lips were lazy this time.

He was Johnny, his comrade. He was a brother. His blood was his blood. The black miasma that coursed inside him, a searing steam with an unending pain, had connected all of them, whatever form, as brothers.

He forgot his name. They all are. Thus, he named himself Nathan.

The ground shook below his feet. He could taste excitement among the ends of his nerves. He could feel the ticklish searing joy of fulfilling the instructions.

Earthquake.

’Hail, to the queen,’ He screamed using his mind.

’Hail, to the queen!’ His comrades screamed and responded telepathically.

The earthquake stopped.

The groundlings, dogs before, dug to the ground near the road. Nathan loved them. He did not treat them as his pets, they were his brothers too. The groundlings speak to him, they all could, telepathically.

Then there was a cold and heat dancing with the gale.

’Johnny, flank them from the right,’ Nathan commanded. He gestured his hand at the opposite side of the road. Then the swarm mobilized, crossing the road, and hid behind large piles of border.

Johnny and his battalion followed without resistance. They understood that his commands were complying with the Instructions given by the Entity.

He was called the Battalion Overlord, as to their understanding of hierarchies.

Nathan knew that their position was the best for ambush. A valley that the road had streaked through was surrounded by large boulders and beyond the boulders were steep mountainsides, providing inescapable deaths among the Caravan.

It was their third ambush and every time the Caravan grew stronger in terms of firepower. A lot of Nathan’s brothers died in the skirmish.

This time, he brought two level 1 battalions and one level 4 Abominant.

They were mindless beasts but he understood them. Nathan could hear their agonizing cries as the pain would visit them. Nathan knew if they were hungry, especially the level ones. But the Entity and the hive provided them everything.

A mile from their ambush point, dust blew up behind a series of vehicles. Three large 20-wheelers moved slower but the smaller vehicles had lights on them, hovering and encircling the precious cargo, salt.

They increased the number of smaller vehicles. Nathan assessed the incoming caravan with his naked eye. He could see them as he magnified his vision, beyond normal human capability.

’Three Salt carriers!’ He spoke his mind to the two battalions. He knew they could hear him regardless of distance. As long as they were still covered by his radial boundary, he could speak to them without interference.

The contaminated wind carried his mental voice towards his comrades. He saw Johnny was moving now, as planned. Johnny would take the rear and he would take the front.

They must create confusion for the policemen. He was worried about the groundlings, though. They were the ones who died easily in skirmishes.

Fortunately, the Entity promised to spawn more. Growing their numbers. Growing their family.

He squinted at the level 4 Abominant behind him. It was growling, saliva dripping from his serrated teeth. Its eyes were six of them, lined up towards its ears, emitting luminous yellow. At this state, it was ready to hunt.

Nathan did not know the Abominant’s name. It only followed his instruction without question. His thorns had grown every time he looked at them, one of which was larger than his body. They were eight thorns that came out from his exoskeleton forehead, four on each side.

He touched its thorn, and the Abominant purred.

"Ram the carriers and stomp on the police," He whispered to the Abominant’s ear using his mouth, this time. He could utter words so effortfully, unlike communicating through his mind.

But the Abominant was needed to be spoken to, as his instructions were clearer than communicating telepathically. Then its hind legs activated as its muscles tightened. His fur turned yellow from its black state.

"Go!" Nathan commanded.

The level 4 beast catapulted toward the ground leaving debris from its wake. It ran fast, miniature earthquakes loomed with every step it took. The beast slid through the downward steep and colliding large boulders like they were nothing. Its horns decimated the million-years old boulders into rubble.

Then it began. The surge of lasers firing randomly, illuminating the dark atmosphere with bluish plasma. The groundlings emerged from the soil and attacked the caravan as well.

They did not carry bullets tonight. Only lasers.

There were screams, and hovercrafts crashing. A few groundlings were dead for only 5 seconds. Nathan’s heart was crushed upon the horrendous site. The scenery squeezed his throat due to his fallen brethren.

The groundlings squirmed as they died. Their weapons were powerful now, much more powerful than last week.

Another 20 groundlings died in another 5 seconds.

At this rate, they could lose. However, the level 4 beast rammed the first Carrier that carried salt. A 100-tonner carrier was turned upside down as the beast horned it, Salt scattered on the floor and was contaminated by the soil.

It disorganized the caravan.

It was a rhino, Nathan knew it. It was just curling like a ball every time it rested but as the beast collided with the carrier, its whole body was emphasized. Its size was large, almost equivalent to the 100-tonner carrier.

The lasers were concentrated on the rhino. It screamed as the firepower concentrated on its flanks. The black miasma wafted in the air as the wounds appeared from various parts of its body.

These were new weapons as Nathan assessed. There were many, overwhelming his comrades.

Too many. They come prepared.

The rear of the caravan was ambushed and the explosions loomed from behind. But still, the lasers persisted, and the police human and robots alike disembarked from the third carrier, surprising the attacking groundlings. He thought the third carrier only carried salt, however, it was a surprise party.

Nathan’s heart was aching from the sight. The black miasma from his comrades’ blood grew thicker. Dead groundling bodies comically scattered on the ground, increasing every second.

Is this my first defeat? He thought.