After taking care of that young hotshot, Brian felt a weight lift off his chest. The frustration that had been building up over the past few days finally eased, and he felt a lot better. Turns out, violence isn't always the answer, but it sure does wonders for blowing off steam.
Ignoring the stares from the people around him, Brian turned and headed back the way he came, toward the abandoned factory. He crossed two streets and arrived back at the factory entrance. Glancing at his watch, he saw it was almost 9 a.m.
A soldier carrying a laptop walked over to the long table and took a seat. As soon as he sat down, two more soldiers armed with rifles positioned themselves behind him, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings to maintain order and prevent any troublemakers.
Right on the dot at 9 a.m., a loudspeaker nearby crackled to life: "Attention, all residents of District XX, please proceed to the information management office to register your information. No pushing or shoving, please follow the order and form a line..."
The crowd around him scrambled, clutching their ID cards and rushing toward the registration area. But thanks to the announcement and the presence of the soldiers' rifles, people managed to line up in an orderly fashion once they got closer. The guy who grabbed the first spot looked ecstatic as he sat down. He'd heard the rumors too, and even though he didn't fully believe them, getting that spot made him pretty damn happy.
The soldier across from him, however, just gave him a cold glance, placed his hands on the laptop, and asked, "Name?"
"Enoch."
"Age?"
"Thirty-seven."
"Occupation?"
"Mechanical engineer."
...
Standing nearby, Brian listened to the questions. At first, he didn't think much of it when they asked for names and ages. But when the soldier started asking about occupations and work experience, he knew the rumor was bogus. He shook his head, lost interest, and headed toward the RV.
Osborne was standing next to the RV, holding his and Kelly's ID cards, getting ready to join the line. He'd talked it over with Antoine, who agreed to watch their vehicle for a while in exchange for some supplies. Osborne had been nervous about asking, but Antoine agreed without hesitation, which made Osborne a little suspicious. Still, he had no choice but to trust him. Once they were inside the quarantine zone, they'd have to hand over their supplies anyway.
"Brian, I've been looking for you everywhere. Do you have Sarah and your ID cards?" Osborne spotted Brian walking over and quickly checked if he had the cards. When Brian nodded, Osborne said, "Let's go, there's already a long line. Who knows if we'll even get a spot if we wait any longer!"
"Didn't I tell you I was going to check it out? Do you believe those rumors?" Brian looked at Osborne in surprise. If he remembered correctly, Osborne didn't buy into the rumor when it first came out.
"Well..." Osborne's face turned a bit red, and he coughed awkwardly. "Even if it's a rumor, there's probably some truth to it. It doesn't hurt to try, right?"
"No need to try. I just confirmed it's fake," Brian said, clapping his hands together. "I listened in on what the recorder was asking. Besides basic info, they were also asking about people's occupations, work experience, and other stuff. It took almost five minutes per person."
"So what's the problem?" Osborne still seemed puzzled.
"Don't you get it? If the so-called lottery for quarantine zone residents was real, they'd only need to verify the ID card info and write down the name. The rest of the details should be filled in after they've confirmed who gets in. Instead, they're asking for unnecessary info now, which just slows down the whole process and wastes precious time!"
"So... so what are you saying?" Osborne's voice wavered as he realized what Brian was getting at.
Brian's lips curled into a mocking smile. "So, the so-called lottery is just a way to calm people down and create the illusion of fairness. They're probably picking specific people they need for the quarantine zone, like engineers, doctors, or veterans like you..."
"And checking work experience is probably to weed out the newbies they don't need, making sure the people they keep can hit the ground running."
Osborne rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit lightheaded. He sat down on the nearby bench, looking at the residents struggling in line. "So, does that mean ordinary people have no chance of getting in?"
Brian rolled his eyes. "Come on, man. A society can't be made up entirely of elites. They need regular folks to keep the quarantine zone productive. You don't want engineers working on assembly lines to produce essentials, do you?"
"So, I guess their target is probably experienced professionals from all walks of life, plus a proportional number of young men and women aged 20 to 35, and as many kids over 10 as possible. Of course, families with kids who fit those criteria would probably be prioritized."
"Man, I'm curious who taught you all this stuff!" Osborne looked at Brian in amazement. Whether his analysis was accurate or not, he was genuinely curious how a 13-year-old kid knew all this.
"Thanks to the theory experts in web novels," Brian thought to himself, but he just shook his head and didn't answer.
Seeing that Brian wasn't going to say more, Osborne sighed. It wasn't his place to press further. Everyone has their secrets.
Sarah, sitting next to them, hesitated for a moment, then spoke up. "If what you're saying is true, it shouldn't be that hard to figure out. Someone will realize it sooner or later, right?"
Brian glanced at Sarah, pinching her cheek affectionately. "Some people already know it's fake. But even if they do, what can they do? They might as well take a chance. After all, what do they have to lose? If it's real, they win. The government sure knows how to play people."
Sarah swatted away Brian's hand, a little annoyed. She didn't mind him pinching her cheek, but with others around, she felt a bit embarrassed. "So why don't we just give it a shot too?"
Brian rubbed his hand, which was a bit sore. "What's the point? Fake is fake. And even if we go and line up now, it's probably too late. Uncle Osborne is a retired military officer with combat experience. Guys like him are super valuable right now, and they'll only get rarer. He's got a good chance of getting in."
He looked at Kelly and Sarah. "All three of us are around 13 or 14. With a bit of training and learning, we could become the next generation of valuable assets in the quarantine zone in just a few years..."
Even Kelly couldn't help but ask, "But there must be a lot of kids our age in Dallas. How do you know they'll pick us?"
"Uh..." Brian scratched his cheek, at a loss for words. He knew there were quite a few kids their age in the city.
"Kelly, as Uncle Osborne's daughter, and with your age, you'll get in if he does... As for Sarah and me... I'll have to think about that one more."
He paused, then looked at everyone and said slowly, "Actually, I just came back from the management office..."