Kai stood in front of the tailgate of his truck, brow furrowed, arms folded. The air was thick with early morning humidity. Crates of eggs and lettuce sat inside, neatly packed… but the temperature gauge in the cooler unit read 62°F.
Too warm.
"That's not right."
He knelt and checked the solar-battery input. Voltage was low. Lower than it should be after a full day's charge.
He pried open the panel — and there it was.
The wiring was cut.
Clean. Precise. Intentional.
⸻
By 6:00 a.m., he'd lost 18 dozen eggs and five crates of greens.
Kai didn't curse. He didn't punch anything.
He stood in silence, staring at the broken wire.
Not from weather.
Not from wear.
This was sabotage.
⸻
No cameras. No witnesses. And no time to dwell.
He rerouted the route map, salvaged what he could, and moved quickly. The first five customers still got fresh product. The next seven got apologies, refunds, and a written credit for double next week's order.
They didn't argue.
Because nobody else in the county sold food that felt like fuel for warriors.
⸻
By noon, the farmers' market was buzzing.
But something was off.
People walked past his stand carrying egg cartons with black initials.
His initials.
M.G.
Merge Grown.
But not his.
Kai left the stand and walked down to the end of the market strip.
There, under a cheap vinyl tent, stood a slick-looking guy in tight jeans and a branded apron. He was handing out samples of over-scrambled eggs on paper plates.
A sign above the booth read:
Merge Gardens – "Real Strength in Every Bite"
Kai didn't speak.
He just watched.
⸻
The man noticed him and grinned.
"You must be the guy they keep whispering about. You're the 'egg king,' right?"
Kai's eyes didn't blink. "Where'd you get that label design?"
"Oh, these?" The man picked up a black-stamped carton. "Found the idea online. It's eggs. Can't trademark the alphabet."
Kai stared at the booth. The logo. The mimic of his paper slips — now with QR codes and flashy slogans.
"You selling out here every week?"
"Starting this week," the man said. "Lots of folks like what you're doing. But you know how it is — the market gets hungry, and the smart ones find a way to feed it better."
Kai said nothing. He didn't need to.
He turned and walked away without a word.
⸻
Back at his booth, he opened the notebook and wrote:
⸻
SABOTAGE = SIGNAL
They're watching. They're copying.
Control packaging.
Control cold chain.
Control trust.
Plan:
• New packaging with tamper-proof seal
• Handwrite initials on each carton
• Start in-person loyalty code system (no digital footprint)
• Develop "Farm Source" labels with delivery date, feed type, and batch
• Build second cooler from scratch – internal lock, battery alarm
⸻
He turned to the system tablet and checked the latest route report:
Mobile Cooler: Compromised
Fuse Status: Disconnected
Merge Option: Install Secondary Node Lock – requires:
• 1 x Digital Fuse
• 2 x Internal Circuit Merges
• 1 x Reinforced Shell Unit (available via vehicle merge)
Suggested Action: Merge Truck + Scrap Van (Found: Local Yard)
→ Upgrade to Tier 2 Mobile Distribution Unit
Features:
• GPS-locked route protocol
• Cold Storage Auto-Balance
• Alarm Trigger on external tamper
• Brand Visibility: +40%
• Range Increase: 120 mi
Kai stared at the alert.
"They want my eggs… now I make them chase my truck."
⸻
That afternoon, he drove down to Earl's Salvage Lot with $300 in hand and a plan in mind.
An old utility van sat rusted in the back row — dented doors, no rear seats, foam lining still intact.
"Does it run?" Kai asked.
Earl spit his gum. "Barely. You want it, I'll give it to you for $250 flat."
"Title?"
"Clean enough."
⸻
Back at the farm, he scanned both vehicles.
Merge Truck + Utility Van?
Estimated Completion Time: 3 hours
Result:
Tier 2 Mobile Distribution Unit – "Ghost Cart"
Specs:
– Cold storage w/ dual-zone cooling
– Lockable crate bay
– Route security tripwire
– Interior battery relay
– Noise-dampened drive
– Internal system auto-sync (limited)
He tapped MERGE.
The two machines glowed in the barn like molten steel being cast into something new.
When the light faded, the truck stood taller, sleeker, cooler vents visible behind tinted windows. Inside, the storage rack had LED-coded labels for routes, batch codes, and customer groupings.
No one could copy this.
⸻
That night, Kai sat in the truck bed under the stars, watching his chickens peck and settle.
His phone buzzed again.
Another email.
Subject: Product Feedback – Merge Grown Lettuce
From: Daniel R.
Kai,
Been eating your greens for three weeks now. My doctor just asked if I changed my diet — blood pressure's down, joint pain fading, and I haven't touched caffeine all week.
Whatever you're doing out there, don't stop. I'd pay triple for this.
– Daniel
Kai stared at the screen for a while.
Then opened the Merge System and checked the Consumer Trend Report:
Total Subscribers: 51
Reported Wellness Improvements: 43
Avg Reported Energy Increase: +13%
Mood Stability: +11%
Digestive Efficiency: +19%
Top Product Impact: Gourmet Cluster Lettuce (Merged Tier 2)
⸻
He smiled faintly.
"They're not just stealing eggs.
They're chasing results they can't copy."