It had been hours since Adam started reading these books, and he soon realized that this world's architecture was extremely bizarre—sometimes advanced, sometimes not. A steampunk world with no internet. Yoku had been driving for miles, yet there were no cables, no tower signals, nothing, well except of course of electrical cables. Still, there had to be a way for people to store all that information somewhere.
Machines and even lifeless robots lay scattered across the land.
According to the books Adam was reading, this city was built on top of other cities, stacked upon each other like layers. Walls separated them, and they were currently in the second-to-last city—just above the final one. The people had once tried to escape the endless war by climbing higher.
The war had started due to a massive shortage of coal, natural gas, and minerals worldwide. Worse yet, messengers could only relay this information slowly—by aircraft and boats, taking days or even weeks. As a result, nations rose up, forming alliances, each believing that others still had resources when, in reality, the entire world was running dry. This misunderstanding sparked a global war.
Catastrophic bombs were dropped. Scientists, desperate for an edge in battle, developed even more destructive weapons. Humanity, in its desperation, made a breakthrough—artificial intelligence. AI was assigned to manage resources, food supply, machine integrity, city infrastructure, and ultimately, the last weapons of destruction.
Millions of AI-controlled war machines were deployed to enemy nations, causing unimaginable devastation. AI soldiers eliminated enemies without hesitation, while automated bombers rained destruction on cities. This only fueled more aggression.
Billions perished.
The war crippled the global economy. Governments collapsed under the weight of their own destruction. Starvation, disease, and lawlessness spread. The people revolted, furious at their leaders for poor city planning, lack of sanitation, and the endless deaths caused by war.
Gases, bombs, and scorched-earth tactics destroyed food supplies on both sides. Even as the global population dwindled to mere millions, those who remained still fought.
And so, the world was left desolate.
Humanity's last desperate attempt to adapt.
Adam could only wonder, "Can humanity really fall this easily?
Soon adams hunger was spiraling, it hurts it felt like a cold weather of uncomfortable, knots trying to tighten on his stomach, how long was he gonna eat after all this?
Soon, Adam's hunger spiraled into a gnawing ache, as if icy sensation were twisting knots in his stomach. He couldn't recall the last time he'd eaten. How much longer until he could have a meal? And why had Yoku even saved him?
They navigated through the city's intersections, where countless electrical towers lined up against each other, their tangled wires crisscrossing overhead like a chaotic web, somehow there is a cross section of the sky that can be seen, and adam can see different level of the tower below and the upper and even to the sky. To the right and left, the landscape resembled a battlefield—a flat expanse littered with military remnants. Yoku steered the truck toward this desolate zone, now a somber cemetery of war machines.
Yoku stopped the truck and smirked. "Finally."
Adam looked outside, and what he saw was a graveyard of vehicles—aircraft, bullets, weapons, abandoned and destroyed bunkers. Even massive planes lay scattered, some having fallen apart, others buried in soil and rusted beyond recognition.
"What are we doing here?" Adam asked.
Yoku coughed in surprise. "Don't tell me you've never looted a military wreckage before?"
Adam hesitated. Was this just a normal thing in this world? That's what it seemed like. "No... at least, not yet."
Yoku grinned mischievously, smirking as if he had something planned. Without hesitation, he grabbed a freaking stick of dynamite and ran toward a sealed hatch on one of the planes. He then began attaching a wire to it.
"You might wanna stand back, Adam. Hehe."
"What in the—?! Where the hell did you even get that?!" Adam took several steps back, retreating toward a nearby deep crater surrounded by sandbags. Yoku followed, unrolling the wire as he went.
"Hehe."
Yoku sprinted toward him and crouched down. From his pocket, he pulled out a small battery, then connected the cathode and anode, creating a spark of electrical heat.
BOOM!
The explosion ripped through the rusted metal hatch, blowing it clean off.
Adam could only watch in awe. Was it weird that he was... enjoying this?
The two of them stepped inside the plane. Somehow, its interior had remained intact, sealed away from the outside world.
Without hesitation, Yoku rummaged through the cargo, grabbing every crate and military supply he could carry. Adam followed suit, snatching up miscellaneous gear—troop uniforms, medical kits, field equipment, rations, bottled water... Anything that looked remotely useful.
And we packed all the things that is needed and can be lifted, and continued to drive, It was now night, and yoku decided to stop the truck. "Hey, lets rest here"
…
Adam gazed at the night sky, where billions of stars and galaxies shimmered like a cosmic tapestry. It was breathtaking—so colorful, so vast, so impossibly beautiful. All he could do was stare in awe.
Lying on the futon bed in the back of the truck, he exhaled a deep sigh. "How beautiful... It's impossible to believe this world was created by no one."
In all his days, he'd never seen colors like these, never witnessed such a stunning sight. Even in this desolate, broken world—one that most would call ruined and filthy—there was still beauty.
Or maybe… it's just my perspective.
Maybe it was because he had been set free in this world.
His gaze shifted to Yoku, who sat silently outside the truck on a large concrete slab, writing in a notebook. His hands moved with purpose, writing, drawing.
"What is he doing?" Adam wondered. What could possibly be so important in a world like this?
A flicker of emotion stirred in Adam's chest—jealousy. But not the bitter kind. No, it was admiration. If only he had been like that in his own world. If only he had done something instead of remaining weak-minded. Would things have changed?
He sighed. "It doesn't matter. I already tried my best."
Why am I in this world? For what reason?
Then—
A deafening crack.
The ground trembled violently. A section of the city collapsed in on itself, crumbling like a dying beast. The impact sent shockwaves through the air, a thunderous boom echoing across the ruins.
Adam's heart nearly stopped. He gasped, his body tensing with fear.
But Yoku?
He didn't even flinch. He simply kept writing, flipping through multiple notebooks as if nothing had happened.
"Damn."
Adam stretch out of his hand.
-Sleep