1593 Tapi dulu, biar aku selfie dulu
Perubahannya tiba-tiba, namun tak mengejutkan kedua kelompok tersebut. Fungsi utama kedua ark memang transportasi, tapi Lex secara alami memperhatikan kemampuan defensifnya juga.
Skalanya tak sebanding kastil, karena bahan pembuatannya berharga di tingkat universal. Tapi bukan berarti bisa diremehkan. Lex memperkuat kayunya sekuat mungkin, serta melengkapi kapal dengan formasi defensif terbaik dan terkuat.
Dia memanfaatkan fakir banyak immortal di tiap kapal, pakai formasi yang bergantung pada banyak orang untuk mengisi dan menjalankannya. Normalnya ini kelemahan formasi, semakin banyak orang yang dibutuhkan, semakin dianggap cacat meski formasi jadi lebih mudah diterapkan dan fungsinya lebih kuat.
Tapi di kendaraan transport dengan banyak penumpang, bodoh kalau tidak memanfaatkan jumlah mereka.
Hujan es menghantam barrier protektif ark, hancur saat menabrak, menimbulkan ledakan bergema di udara terbuka. Itu cuma satu butir es, padahal tak terhitung lagi jatuh tiap detik. Kalau ada keuntungan, belalang juga menderita.
Lex tak anggap itu tanda baik. Minggu lalu dia mendengar pengalaman Kaemon detail, dan tahu di sini tak pernah simpel.
Dia fokus pada hujan es dan segera sadar hal yang terlewat. Es itu sadar, dipenuhi kelaparan tak terpuaskan sama seperti belalang, jadi saat hancur di shield, meninggalkan residu semacam energi.
Lex belajar banyak soal energi berbagai macam, tapi mustahil menguasai semuanya cepat, jadi dia tak bisa identifikasi residu itu persis, tapi tahu itu semacam energi, dan cepat menumpuk di shield.
Insting memperingatkan jangan biar energi itu mengontaminasi dia atau siapa pun di kapal, atau mereka tak akan selamat tanpa luka!
"Cadangan energi menyusut lebih cepat dari perkiraan!" seru salah satu staf yang menjaga shield. "Kita tak bisa pertahankan lebih dari beberapa menit."
Lex mikir banyak cara, tapi tak bertindak. Dia hanya mengamati Z mengelola situasi.
250 orang dibutuhkan menjaga formasi kapan pun, dan laju pengurasan energi saat ini, bahkal ganti-ganti orang, mereka tak bisa bertahan lebih dari 10 menit.
Tekanan membangun, gemuruh hujan es tak menenangkan. Semua menatap Z, keraguan melintas di benaknya. Saat hendak panik, dia lewat indra spiritual sadar sesuatu.
Langit di atas bergemuruh, cairan ungu di bawah jadi jerat mati sendiri, permukaannya kacau bergelora gelombang. Belalang gila kelaparan, hujan es seperti binatang lapar, melukai diri sendiri demi menyerang mereka.
Shield memudar, banyak pekerja wajah pucat, bukan takut tapi kehabisan energi. Seperti selisik rambut dari maut, tapi di tengah kacau, Lex diam, tangan tenang di belakang punggung, matanya kolam ketenangan mendalam.
Seolah alam semesta pun berakhir, tak akan menggemparkan mata itu. Keyakinan diam memancar dari tubuhnya, seolah satu tangan menopang langit runtuh, tangan lain mempertahankan dunia yang runtuh.
Semua keraguan hilang dari pikiran Z, ragu meninggalkan tubuhnya. Apa yang ditakutkan? Meski bos tidak andal itu memang tidak andal, cuma soal hak pekerja. Dia tak akan biarkan mereka cedera.
Bahkan ini ujian buat Z, apa yang terburuk? Cuma gagal. Dengan Lex di belakang, konsekuensi gagal tak terlalu parah. Bukankah tujuannya melatih dia di lingkungan aman, supaya nanti hadapi bahaya sendiri, dia siap.
Tekad memenuhi pikiran Z, dia tak ragu lagi.
"Leonidas, suruh batalion serang hujan es. Jangan biar satu pun sentuh shield. Luthor, naikkan panas. Kurasa halusinogen itu masuk dan bikin pikiran semua goyah. Jeffery, buatkan aku club sandwich — baru sadar aku lupa sarapan pagi ini."
Saat Z mengeluarkan perintah, kekacauan cepat mereda, meski semua bergerak cepat, tak ada tanda panik. Hanya satu orang diam, Lex.
Z buat beberapa kesalahan, dan dia tak sadar energi asing itu juga. Tapi saat ini dia kelola dengan baik. Dia kira inilah yang dirasa Mary lihat dia dulu pas mulai dengan sistem — terus buat kesalahan konyol dan bodoh.
Tapi pengalaman guru terbaik, dan semua harus lewat.
Mundur dan mengamati juga memberinya waktu deteksi masalah dan mikir solusi.
Sepertinya hal-hal di Abaddon menargetinya, dan dia ragu karena sistem. Dia tak bodoh percaya Main-Character-Syndrome di mana semua menarget dia cuma karena dia dia.
Balik dia deteksi petunjuk penyebab sebenarnya. Terlalu kebetulan kalau berkaitan Karma. Semasalah Karma dia muncul saat dia belajar Karma. Kalau begitu dia pun curiga.
Tapi Lex punya teori lain. Dia selalu punya masalah Karma, cuma baru sadar sekarang.
Contoh, semua di Abaddon menarget dia karena Karma positif luar biasa. Kalau bisa belajar menyembunyikannya…
Tapi sebelum itu, Lex keluarkan polaroid-nya dan pose supaya Z dan ark terlihat di background. Dia tak ambil foto saat liburan, tapi belum terlambat mulai sekarang.
1593 But first, let me take a selfie
The change was abrupt, yet it did not catch the two groups by surprise. While the primary function of the two arks was transport, Lex had naturally paid close attention to its defensive capabilities as well.
It was nowhere near the same scale as the castle, for the ingredients used to make it were valuable on a universal level. But at the same time, it was nothing to scoff at either. Lex had strengthened the wood as well, making it as durable as possible, while outfitting the ships with the best and strongest defensive formations.
He even took advantage of the fact that there would be numerous immortals on each ship, using formations that would rely on countless people to fuel and run it. This was normally a disadvantage to most formations, as the more people needed to operate it, the greater it would be considered a flaw despite making the formation easier to implement and stronger in function.
Yet on a transport vehicle, where countless people would already be present, it was silly to not take advantage of their numbers.
The hail crashed into the arks' protective barriers, shattering as it did, causing a reverberating boom in the open air. That was the effect of only a single hailstone, with countless more falling each second. If there was one advantage the hail afforded, it was that the locusts also suffered from them.
But Lex did not take that as a good sign just yet. Over the past few weeks, he had heard Kaemon's experiences in detail, and knew that nothing was ever simple here.
He focused all his attention on the hail and immediately noticed something he had missed. The hail was sentient, and filled with the same insatiable hunger that filled the locusts, so when they shattered their own bodies on the protective shields, they left behind a residue of some sort.
Lex had been learning a lot about various energies, but it was impossible for him to learn about all of them so quickly, and so he could not identify what that residue was, exactly, but he knew it was some kind of energy, and it was accumulating quickly over the protective shield.
His instincts warned him not to let that energy contaminate him, or anyone else on the ship, or they may not survive uninjured!
"Energy reserves are depleting faster than expected!" exclaimed one of the staffers maintaining the shields. "We won't be able to maintain this for more than a couple minutes."
Lex thought of multiple ways to resolve the issue, but he took no action just yet. Instead, he simply watched as Z managed the situation.
250 people were required to maintain the formation at any time, and at the current rate of energy drain, even if those people were swapped, they would not be able to maintain shields for more than 10 minutes.
The pressure was building, and the thunderous roar of hail did not help to ease the situation. With everyone looking towards Z to resolve the problem, a hint of panic flashed through his mind. Just as he was about to panic, he noticed something through his spirit sense.
The skies above were raging and the purple liquid below had turned into a death trap of its own, its surface a chaos of heaving swells and crashing waves. The locusts had gone unhinged from their hunger, and the hail was like a ravished beast, harming itself just to get at them.
The shield was fading and many workers were turning pale, not from fear but from energy drain. It seemed like they were a hair's breadth away from death and destruction, yet amidst all the chaos, Lex stood still, his hands peacefully held behind his back, his eyes a deep well of stillness and calm.
It was as if even if the universe itself were to end, it would not cause a stir in those eyes. A silent confidence exuded from his body as if with a single hand he could hold up a collapsing sky, and with his other hand he could preserve an imploding world.
All the doubt suddenly vanished from Z's mind, and hesitation left his body. What did he have to fear? Even though his unreliable boss was just that, unreliable, it was only in terms of workers rights. He would never let them come to harm.
Even if this were a test for Z, what was the worst that could happen? At most, he would just fail. With Lex there to back him up, he did not think the consequences of failure would be so dire. After all, wasn't the point of all this to train him in a safe environment, so that when he faced a dangerous environment on his own, he was ready.
Determination filled Z's mind and he dithered no longer.
"Leonidas, get the battalion to attack the hail. Don't let even one touch the shields. Luthor, turn up the heat. I think those hallucinogens are getting in and causing everyone's minds to waver. Jeffery, go make me a club sandwich - I just realized I forgot to have breakfast in the morning."
As Z began to pass out orders, the chaos of confusion quickly abated, and though everyone moved with urgency, there was no sign of panic anywhere. There was only one person who was stationary throughout, and that was Lex.
Z was making a few mistakes, and he had not noticed that foreign energy, whatever it was, either. But, for now, he was managing well. He assumed that this is probably what Mary felt like looking at him when he started out with a system - constantly making obvious and stupid mistakes.
Yet experience was the best teacher, and it was something everyone had to go through.
Taking a step back and observing everything also allowed him to spend more time detecting issues and thinking of solutions.
It seemed like things in Abaddon were targeting him, and he doubted it was because he had a system. He wasn't silly enough to believe it was just Main-Character-Syndrome either where everything was just targeting him because, well, it was him.
Instead, he started to detect hints as to the real cause. Now, it would be too coincidental for it to be Karma related. After all, all his Karma problems started to come just as he started to learn about Karma. If that was the case, even he would start to think something was up.
But Lex had another theory. It was that he always had a Karma problem, it was just that he was noticing it now.
For example, everything in Abaddon was targeting him because he had overwhelming positive Karma. If he could learn to mask it somehow…
Before doing any of that, however, Lex pulled out his polaroid and posed so that Z and the ark would be visible in the background. He didn't take any pictures during his vacations, but it wasn't too late to start now.
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