Trying to recruit Arnold into the team didn't work out, but James was in a pretty good mood. In this life, he didn't know Arnold yet; he couldn't just show up and have Arnold be so awed by his presence that he'd start calling him "big brother."
First, he needed to get acquainted, leave his contact info, and create future opportunities. There would be plenty of chances later on; he wouldn't have to worry about getting things done.
James felt increasingly shrewd, almost on par with Henry.
The pickup truck was really handy in the post-apocalyptic world. With the heavy fog and no rush, James drove leisurely.
While driving, James suddenly heard a scream, and simultaneously, a "thud" from the roadside, as if something heavy had fallen.
James looked over and saw a person collapsed on the roadside, blood slowly pooling beneath them.
"Aze!" A woman's desperate cry came from above. James looked up to see a woman about to jump out of a fourth-floor window, seemingly ready to follow the fallen person in death. However, a strong hand pulled her back in, followed by her even more despairing cries and a child's wails.
"Has public safety deteriorated this much?" James shook his head and stopped the pickup.
He was ready to intervene. Killing someone in broad daylight? Even petty thugs wouldn't go that far; the apocalypse had only been going on for about ten days, so the worst of humanity hadn't fully emerged yet.
The only possibility was—The Apocalypse Society.
James loathed this organization that colluded with other countries.
He looked up at the fourth-floor window, jumped up, grabbed the second-floor balcony, and climbed towards the third floor. In a few leaps, he was on the fourth floor.
Before entering, James heard a woman's desperate cries. Through the window, he saw the woman pinned to the sofa by a burly man, her clothes torn to shreds, revealing glimpses of pale skin.
"Please, let me go," the woman begged repeatedly.
"Heh, boss, isn't this chick pretty? You've got to get us into the Apocalypse Society this time," said one of two young men standing behind the burly man, both staring heatedly at the woman.
"It really is the Apocalypse Society, damn it!" James scanned the room, his eyes filled with killing intent.
The living room and dining room floors were strewn with two bodies, blood everywhere, and a little girl curled up in the corner, trembling.
"Die!" James jumped into the living room, flicking his wrist to release three steel needles.
The three Apocalypse Society thugs saw a shadow outside the window. One reached for his gun, but felt a sharp pain in his forehead. All three collapsed simultaneously.
The woman, who had been in despair, was stunned as her assailants dropped dead in an instant. She then sprang up, hugged the trembling girl, and burst into tears.
"Sigh," James sighed, realizing such situations would become more frequent. He wasn't sure if saving this mother and daughter was right or wrong; maybe death would have been a release for them.
James sighed again, jumped out the window, used the second-floor balcony to slow his fall, and landed steadily on the street.
As he prepared to get in his car, he saw a dark shadow fall from the fourth-floor window.
"Suicide, really?" James was shocked, his inner energy burst forth, and he leaped forward to catch the falling shadow.
"She's pretty heavy." James felt the weight pressing down on his arms and his bones creaking but managed to hold on.
The woman had jumped with the girl, surprising James. He could only say, "I've saved you, so live on."
The woman, still in shock from the near-death experience, started crying again upon hearing James.
As she cried, James panicked. The woman's clothes were in tatters, her family's bodies lay on the roadside, and if anyone saw them, it'd be a huge mess.
"Stop crying; it won't look good if others see," James urged.
"Mommy, mommy," the little girl started crying too.
With the mother and daughter crying on the street, James was flustered. Seeing no one around yet, he quickly dragged them into the truck, covered the woman with his jacket, and drove off quickly.
The woman, still dazed, stopped crying after a while and sat in the truck, staring blankly.
When James got home, his parents were in the yard, tending to a small vegetable garden they had started. His grandparents and uncle were out looking at the new house.
James opened the truck door and looked at the woman in the passenger seat, unsure how to start.
His parents, Ms. Carol and Noah, came over, stunned by the woman's state. They exchanged glances and looked at James in confusion.
"Don't look at me. I rescued her on the way back. Her family was killed by the Apocalypse Society," James quickly explained.
At the mention of "family," the woman broke down again.
Ms. Carol and Noah, who had also suffered at the hands of the Apocalypse Society, were furious.
"This Apocalypse Society is despicable," Noah said angrily.
"Good girl, don't cry," Ms. Carol comforted, noticing the little girl. "You have to be strong for your child."
Ms. Carol's words brought light back into the woman's eyes. She hugged her daughter tightly and stopped crying.
"That's right, come on inside. It's not good to stay in the car," Ms. Carol said gently, helping the woman out of the truck. She signaled Noah to open the door.
James gave his mom a thumbs up and followed them inside.
About ten minutes later, Ms. Carol came out of the guest room quietly.
"The mother and daughter are asleep, poor things," she whispered.
James nodded.
"What are you going to do?" Ms. Carol asked James.
"What do you mean?" James was confused.
"About this mother and daughter. Are you sending them back home or keeping them here?" Ms. Carol rolled her eyes.
James, who had rescued them, was at a loss. He wasn't good at handling such situations and scratched his head in silence.
Ms. Carol's authority in the family became apparent. She waved her hand and said, "Let them stay here for now. If they leave and the Apocalypse Society comes after them, they won't survive."
James and Noah nodded quickly.
In the afternoon, James went to Sophia's house and cremated her deceased family members, bringing the ashes back.
When he returned, the woman and the little girl were awake. Ms. Carol served them rice and braised pork.
After eating, the woman finally spoke, borrowing clothes from Ms. Carol to wash up. Her delicate, pale face emerged from the dirt, stunning Ms. Carol.
James, seeing the woman, was also stunned and almost blurted out, "Sophia!"
The woman was puzzled, and James quickly explained, "I used to work for a state-owned enterprise. Earlier this year, when we cooperated with skybule Group, I was present when you introduced your company."
James hadn't expected that his random rescue would bring back a senior executive from a big company, a well-known figure.