Chapter 576. The Survivor Settlement

“Seviper-One to Seviper-Actual. Contact ahead, 9 o’clock, above the ridge. One human,” Marcus reported, his eyes fixed on the scanner as it analyzed the surrounding energy signatures. “The readings are strange, though. It’s like...”

He hesitated, staring at the display in disbelief.

“They’re as powerful as a Legendary Pokémon. That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Copy, Seviper-One,” Captain Reyes replied. “Seviper-Two, visual?”

“Negative,” Sarah answered. “The trees are too thick, and the cliff is blocking our line of sight. But I’m getting the same readings as Seviper-One. The lifeforce signature is definitely human, but it’s far too powerful.”

Captain Reyes's expression tightened.

“Seviper-Three, confirm.”

“Give me a second,” Daniel replied.

He studied his scanner for several moments before speaking again.

“Confirmed. The reading is off the scale. Whatever we’re looking at, it’s far beyond anything we’ve encountered.”

Silence fell over the comms.

It was strange enough for a lone human to be out here, even if they had powerful Pokémon to protect them. This was no-man’s-land, where only Artificial Pokémon were known to roam. And of all places, this individual had chosen to approach the hydroelectric power plant, one of the most dangerous areas in the district.

But the sheer strength of their lifeforce was what truly unsettled Captain Reyes. A human shouldn't have been capable of producing a reading like that. The only explanation he could think of was some kind of human experiment, one so successful that it had created a human capable of rivaling a Legendary Pokémon.

Captain Reyes finally broke the silence.

“Seviper-Actual to all units. Encircle and prepare for contact. Weapons hot, but keep your fingers off the triggers. Nobody engages unless ordered or fired upon.”

They moved through the wilderness with expertise, their slim white power suits enhancing their speed, agility, and, most importantly, their stealth. Despite the steep cliffs and dense mountainous forest, they moved almost silently, spreading out as they advanced. Some scaled the cliffs while others circled through the trees, all converging on the same target.

Within minutes, they had completely surrounded the individual and prepared for contact.

When they finally gained line of sight, however, the team was somewhat perplexed.

The man stood roughly 6 feet tall, dressed in a sharp black business suit with no tie. His short blond hair was neatly styled, and his lean, muscular physique was clearly visible beneath the fitted suit, toned rather than bulky. A large metallic backpack rested against his back, its advanced construction standing in stark contrast to his otherwise formal appearance.

Perhaps he had simply scavenged the suit from one of the nearby skyscrapers. That was certainly possible. But what kind of scavenger had the ability to retrieve something like that and survive long enough to make it this deep into such a dangerous district?

Yet what unsettled them most was his demeanor. He stood there, calm and confident, as though he had been expecting them.

The exploration team quietly moved into position around him. Then, without warning, the man turned his head and looked directly at Captain Reyes, as if immediately identifying him as the one in charge despite the similarities between their power suits.

The team came to an abrupt halt.

“Identify yourself!” Captain Reyes demanded.

“Alex Wattson,” the man replied after a noticeable delay, as though he were receiving instructions.

“What are you doing all the way out here? Do you know what kind of place you’ve found yourself in?”

Rather than reply, Alex pulled out his phone and activated a projection, displaying his response in holographic text. The team exchanged glances. He appeared to be a foreigner, but that only deepened the mystery surrounding him.

“I was trying to take down that hydroelectric power plant, but it seemed too heavily guarded, so I was about to leave,” the text read.

“How? No... why would you do such a thing?” Captain Reyes asked, bewildered.

“I’m collecting information. I also wouldn’t mind getting my hands on more powerful Pokémon corpses. Those robots down there also seem to have other units I haven’t managed to collect yet.”

The team was absolutely perplexed. Scavenging for supplies was one thing, but actively hunting down Artificial Pokémon and collecting remnants of the source of the apocalypse was something else entirely. It was as if the man had no idea how much danger he was putting himself and others in, casually playing with fire.

Then again, he was clearly powerful, which was likely the source of his confidence. Still, that didn't explain everything.

“What do we do, Captain?” Sarah asked.

“We’ll take him to a relay station and let the others sort him out,” Captain Reyes replied.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Daniel asked. “He’s clearly powerful, and if his claims are true, he could kill every one of us easily, let alone wreak havoc across the city once he figures out how the relay station works. And what if he’s carrying the virus?”

“Decontamination should catch the virus if he’s carrying it. And no matter how powerful he is, even he wouldn’t survive a direct hit from an Arclight Cannon. We’ve seen what those things can do to Artificial Pokémon. They melt through them like they’re nothing.”

Captain Reyes paused, keeping his eyes on Alex.

“Once we’re there, I’ll contact HQ and let them know we’re bringing him in. For now, we’ll keep him under observation and make sure he doesn’t do anything suspicious. If he gives us a reason to believe he’s a threat, we deal with it.”

“Sounds like suicide,” Marcus commented, but his remark was ignored.

Captain Reyes raised his voice, making sure Alex could hear him clearly.

“Why don’t you come with us? We can exchange information and even trade for whatever you’ve managed to scavenge. I don’t know if you’re aware, but there’s a city nearby that survived the apocalypse. You might find what you’re looking for there.”

Alex considered the offer for a moment before nodding.

“Alright,” he replied.

With Alex tagging along, the team made their way out of the wilderness. Their movement speed was roughly at the Expert Rank by Alex’s estimation. It was slow compared to his own pace, but still fast enough to carry them through the mountainous forest and back to civilization within a few hours.

After all, the mountainous forest was little more than a neighborhood park compared to the vast expanse of civilization that surrounded it.

Once they made it back to the familiar ruins of civilization, they continued traveling at high speed for another day and night before finally reaching what appeared to be a refurbished radio station.

Rotom quickly analyzed the facility and determined that it was actually a light-based communication relay. It relied on its elevation and precisely directed light frequencies to transmit messages over long distances. The system made sense considering they no longer had access to satellites, which likely left every surviving human settlement isolated from the rest of the world.

That isolation extended to the virus and its scattered army as well, leaving them without any reliable way to coordinate their movements across the world.

The station stood atop a fortified settlement surrounded by towering metal walls roughly 10 meters high. The walls looked like prefabricated sections that had been deployed and assembled into a defensive perimeter. Large artillery cannons were positioned along the top, their short, crystal-based barrels humming with contained energy and suggesting they were some kind of light-based weapon.

A steady stream of poorly dressed scavengers passed through the gates below. Some carried bundles of scrap metal while others hauled crates filled with food, clothing, and various salvaged materials. Their worn appearance and mismatched clothing made it clear that survival had not been easy, yet they continued moving, accustomed to life in the ruins.

Security personnel watched over them from every corner. Unlike the scavengers, the guards were dressed in sleek black bodysuits similar to those worn by Captain Reyes and his team, armed with the same weapons. Some also had Pokémon by their side, though they were rarely any stronger than Adept Rank. They moved with military discipline, constantly scanning the surroundings and keeping a close eye on everyone entering and leaving the settlement.

Beyond the walls, Alex could see what appeared to be a bustling marketplace. Stalls and makeshift shops filled the streets, with scavengers trading metals, food, clothing, tools, and other useful supplies. Trainers and their Pokémon moved through the crowded streets, haggling over goods and carrying whatever they had managed to acquire.

Most of the Pokémon were weak, barely registering on Alex's senses. Many looked tired and underfed, but they remained close to their trainers, helping carry supplies or simply following them through the crowded marketplace.

To Alex, the place looked like a genuine post-apocalyptic town built around scavenging supplies and making use of the large population that had gathered there. It was surprisingly well organized for a settlement in the ruins. The walls, armed guards, and artillery made it clear that danger was never far away, yet within those defenses, people had managed to rebuild some semblance of ordinary life.

The team, along with Alex, submitted themselves to security, where every individual and piece of technology was scanned by a gigantic machine. The team passed through the checkpoint without issue, but when it was finally Alex’s turn, the problems began.

The moment Alex’s backpack passed beneath the scanner, a red light began flashing. A deafening siren suddenly blared throughout the checkpoint, startling everyone nearby and sending them scattering.

Security personnel immediately moved to surround Alex, raising their weapons and taking aim at him, ready to open fire.