Trash in the Apocalypse

"Mr. President!"

Paul stood in shock after witnessing the president lower his head to Jun, a regular civilian who used to be a thug. He couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. 

On the side, Jerry had a conflicted expression on his face but remained standing. If the man himself voluntarily did it, he had no say on the event.

Besides, Jun really did save thousands and people. After years of staying on President Duforte's side, he already experienced a lot of bizarre things and this could be considered one of them.

"I thank you for helping as many people as you can during this crisis. Your efforts will not go in vain and I will make sure that you get rewarded accordingly."

President Rodriguez Duforte raised his head and gazed at Jun. The two stared at each other briefly before Jun felt awkward and nodded his head.

Paul Celestine felt that Jun's actions were inappropriate, but he couldn't do anything but glare at him. It seems like he needs to teach thugs some proper lessons before they know their place!

"It just happened along the way, so you don't need to pay too much attention to it."

President Rodriguez Duforte smiled softly then sat down on his chair. 

"Thanks need to be said whenever it's due. Without your help, a whole province could have been wiped out. Even if some people luckily survive for long, they would be scattered and weak only delaying the inevitable."

Jun accepted the praise, then continued with his agenda. He wanted to be acquainted with the president and establish a relationship with him. The result of this conversation could either make things hard or easy for both sides.

"So what's your plan now? I don't have any information network like you, so I can't get an overall situation of the country. The most I know is that the whole country's paralyzed and government help was scarce. People are still waiting to be saved."

President Duforte tapped his fingers on the armrest while he thought of an answer to the question presented to him.

"Hey, brat! Know your place! If you don't speak politely, I'll have to teach you some manners!"

Jun turned to Paul with eyes as if he was looking down at an insect.

For a short second, Paul felt threatened even though they were a distance apart. Hie subconsciously took a step back and when he realized what he had done, shame and anger gathered inside him.

"You!!!"

Paul charged at Jun with large strides, yet the brat ignored him and only faced back towards the president.

Fuming with anger, Paul fiercely grabbed Jun's collar. Before his hand could reach Jun, a bright runic seal expanded under President Duforte's feet and covered the surrounding ten meters with moving flags. 

It's President Duforte's ace skill, Presidential Diplomacy. Anyone inside the covered area would never get no matter what even if the whole building collapsed. It was the skill that helped maintain the Malacanang Palace withstand hordes of high leveled carriers.

Paul's hand stopped in mid-air as if a barrier blocked him from grabbing Jun. His eyes widened after realizing what happened. The skill was supposed to be secret and to be used only when the president's life was in danger, and yet it was used to protect someone disrespectful.

"Mr. Pres—"

"Get out." Rodriguez Duforte icily glared at Paul. "Jerry, lead the man out of the room. Stand guard outside the door, don't let anyone in. I want some privacy."

Though reluctant, Jerry took Paul out of the room leaving the two alone in the room. He knew better than anyone how the skill works, so he was confident that nothing bad will happen.

Presidential Diplomacy is an absolute defense skill that guarantees the safety of the people inside. The skill lasts for an hour but it had a really long cooldown of one week and could only be used as a last resort.

Intelligent beings inside the coverage area couldn't attack each other. That meant if carriers entered the zone, they cannot be attacked and they cannot kill anyone. The invisible forcefield would even stop bullets before they reached their intended target. 

After Jerry and Paul left, the two continued their conversation.

Rodriguez Duforte realized one thing in this short time. He wasn't talking to a young man who knows nothing of the world. It was a mistake to assume that he could take advantage of Jun while barely knowing his information.

Actually, he activated the absolute defense skill to protect themselves. The cold glare Jun gave Paul slightly shocked him and he too was frightened. 

From the story that the man just told, he survived and grew stronger through fighting stronger monsters endlessly. That means, in terms of battle experience, he far outmatched anyone in this room.

"I'll be honest with you. I hate the government.

"My family was destroyed by corrupt government officials who run shady business just for their benefits and no justice was given.

"The government failed to react quickly and caused a lot of death all over the country. And no matter what reason you give, the damage has been done and the people I know have lost trust in the system. 

"A government was supposed to protect its people but we were left to fend on our own for a long time.

"That was me talking to you as a concerned citizen.

"Now, I speak before you as the founder of a stable settlement built through hard work and suffering.

"What plans do you have in rebuilding the country?"

Presdient Duforte pondered long and hard.

—

—

Jerry guarded the office door and prohibited anyone from listening in.

It has already been ten minutes when they left the room but the time crawled so slow and it felt like an eternity for those standing outside.

Right then, the door opened and Jun walked out of the door with a stoic expression.

"We're leaving," Jun said to King and his elite soldiers.

Bodies disappeared in bright lights as the group teleported out of the building back to the home statue. 

Jerry spared no effort in stopping the group from leaving and immediately entered the room. 

President Duforte was staring outside the glass pane with a smile on his face. 

"He already left?"

"Y-yes. I know this is a dumb question to ask, but are you alright?"

"Hahahaha!"

President Duforte laughed loudly, then turned around. 

"Of course, why would I not be alright?"

"Ah, yes, of course, I know that... I was just routinely checking. If there's nothing else, I'll go get your dinner now." Jerry retreated but was stopped by a sudden call.

"Jerry."

"Yes?"

President Duforte handed a piece of paper towards Jerry. "Go look for Corwin, tell him I'm asking for him. Also, do me a favor and gather all the information you can get on the people on this list. Do it as discreetly as possible."

Jerry didn't ask any questions after seeing top-ranking military officers and government officials on the list.

Although he had a vague idea of what it is, he rejected the urge to personally involve himself. He would do the job and forget about it.

"I'm on it."

Jerry left the room and closed the door.

Rodriguez Duforte stared outside the window. The sky was too dark to see anything clearly except for the scattered flickering lights in the distance.

The capital city still had survivors living inside it. The image of his citizen's endless suffering played inside his head in a loop.

He bit his lips and clenched his hand tightly.