The Legendary Junkmaster

Chapter 154: The Right Turn (4)

"That was a close call... Do you think we'll run into them again?" Syssie asked as she floated along beside Jason. 

'Maybe... Depends where they went after they left. We can't rule it out. And what's up with the change of outfit?' Jason cocked his eyebrow towards the AI's avatar.

Her usual red cocktail dress was gone. She had replaced it with a white tank top that showed off her slender, pale shoulders and an orange and black boiler suit that had the sleeves tied around her waist that helped to show off her figure. Her high heels had been swapped out for a pair of thick black work boots, and a pair of goggles held back her long, blonde hair. 

"Felt like a change, does it suit me?" Syssie batted her eyelashes towards Jason while wearing an innocent expression.

"Sure..." Jason replied while shrugging his shoulders, causing Syssie to sigh and roll her eyes at him. 

'Learn to give a woman a compliment, will you?' Syssie complained in her mind as she shook her head. However, moments later, a frown appeared on her face. 'I keep feeling like I've forgotten something important...'

Jason ignored Syssie's moody body language as he paid attention to the buildings they were passing. It had taken quite a bit of time for them to reach the far side of the city, but they were finally there. Soon, they would leave these ruins behind and would be back on the open road. 

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Every time he saw ruins like this, he could not help but wonder how life had been at that point in history. Were people happy? Were they fed well? What did they struggle and strive for? What worries did they have? But those questions were likely to remain unanswered. The fall of the Old World had silenced those voices for all time. He wondered if that was what it would be like if anything happened to him. Would anyone look at the things he had left behind and wonder what he was like as a person? 

Or would they only appreciate the things he left behind and not the things he had to go through to make it happen? Jason shook his head to clear these heavy thoughts from his mind. The scenery seemed to rush by as he just enjoyed the freedom of exploring the wider world. If you could call it exploring when they were just travelling along Zach's pre-determined route. 

They stopped a few times in various villages and towns. While Zach bought and sold his goods, Jason picked up a souvenir or two while studying the various different ways these settlements had established themselves. There was a town that ran on electricity, but when Jason investigated their method, it turned out the electricity came from one person's Power.

If anything happened to that person, then the entire town would lose their comforts they had gained from it. He could only shake his head at this development. During this journey he had thought of ways to really increase the standard of living in Highrise. Now that he no longer had to worry about his condition for the time being, he could take things slowly. 

He could use his hometown as a testing area for ideas that he had. He would even consider rolling them out elsewhere. Naturally, he would still travel to look for inspiration and materials. But hopefully, testing these things in everyday life could lead him to greater breakthroughs. It was time to put his business on the map!

'We need better vehicles so that the caravans can travel more safely. We need ways to repel beasts without sacrificing lives. There's also the Alliance... Their soldiers use guns which catch our people off-guard. I'll need to think of a way to deal with that.' Jason hummed as his list kept getting bigger. 

After his recent experiences with the Alliance, he wanted to do all that he could to ensure the safety of the Empire. Just travelling from point A to point B was dangerous enough as it was, without worrying about foreign soldiers kidnapping and killing whoever they liked. 'I've got a lot of work to do...' Jason sighed, despite the glimmer in his eye. He was secretly excited to get stuck into all the research and testing behind the things he had come up with.

He had seen a machine that someone was working on in a rundown store in one town. Nobody seemed to care about the store, but it excited the owner to talk about what he was working on when Jason asked some questions. More to the point, he was attempting to use steam to make machines work. Naturally, this idea alone gave Jason plenty of his own ideas. After all, water was easier to get his hands on than the fuels he created from plants and organic materials. 

He felt like he had tried to run before he could walk. He had always strived to make the best things that he could at any point without considering the benefits of the practical experience of putting lesser technologies to work first. He wanted to try making several versions of the Infinity to tackle different situations. 

But that was only one part of what he was excited about. He was almost certain that with the knowledge he had gained since he left Highrise he could discover more about the NEST he was using as a sort of secret base. 'I need to stabilise the serum as well. That could lead to a lot of breakthroughs on its own.'

Jason frowned as he wondered how far the researchers at Bridgend had come with the materials that Sentinel would have passed along to them. He wanted to make sure that he got ahead of them in this field, as it would generate massive profits for the business empire he wanted to build. 'Oh no, I'm turning into Gramps!' Jason slapped his forehead when he realised just how similar he was becoming.

'Hopefully he hasn't been slacking off while I've been gone. I have a feeling that these materials Sentinel gave me won't last too long...' Jason sighed as he considered the cost of purchasing these things and having them transported to his workshop. 'Maybe I should consider opening a larger store. With better security.'

His mind drifted to the problems he had with the Red Steel Gang. He did not want anyone being able to put pressure on his business, himself, or those he cared about. As he was thinking about that, Syssie let out a low cough from his side.

"Don't forget there's bound to be unfamiliar faces looking to get the reward for finding Wraith's killer..." Syssie showed a sly smile as she said her words slowly.

Jason groaned when he thought about that. He was sure the precautions he had taken at the time would be enough and he also had the backing of the Emperor in a roundabout way. But Syssie was right. He had to do more to keep any eyes off of himself. He could not just hope that everyone would take these things at face value.

"Why do you look like you have a plan?" Jason asked in a low voice.

"Well, how about you offer your own reward for finding the killer?" Syssie giggled like a young girl at the dumbstruck expression Jason displayed in response. 

"That's a stupid idea! It'll only make them more determined!" Jason stammered as he let the words slip out of his mouth.

"No... It's a clever idea. Think about it a little, will you?" Syssie flashed him a mischievous look, like she was pleased with herself. "If you're offering money as well, they'll want it so bad that they won't even consider you as a suspect. For one, whoever heard of someone putting a bounty on themselves? That's just crazy. Two, if you were guilty, and they took you out... Then they obviously won't get the money, right? So it'll motivate them to find someone else to pin the blame on!"

"So you're saying why do all the work myself when I can give my hunters enough of a reason to do it for me?" Jason hummed as he considered her proposal. "It'll also keep me clear of anything that they do 'find' to incriminate someone else. It's worth considering, but it means condemning someone innocent to be my fall guy."

"Yeah, there is that problem. But would you rather they actually caught you? It would be great if they could find a reason to suspect the Red Steel Gang themselves. Make one of them out to be a traitor." Syssie hummed. "We could always leave a trail that points to that and let the hunters discover it on their own..."