Chapter 192: Selection and the Mysterious Figure
Marissa’s Talent was Witch Doctor, and she had obtained Gene Skills related to a particular darker side of alchemy, and also, she had a skill called Tracker.
Some time ago, they had decided to place a Tracker on Terrence after he tried to use his Hypnotic Suggestion Skill on Claire.
It didn’t cause any harm, and he may even be just playing a prank since he had basically failed in the process. No one could really know.
However, they could not take that risk...
Since killing him immediately would be a bit too brutal, considering how he had saved Aurora and Jonas, they had banished him instead when he was still Level 12...
"He’s back?" Kai asked after recalling the man.
"Yes... Or not? I don’t think so... He probably just passed by. My Tracker could sense at least about 300 meters with its current level. I think he just left..." Marissa explained.
"Or maybe he’s scouting? Since there’s an upcoming event, he probably wanted a safer location, or maybe he wanted to see if we’ll fall or something." Kai muttered as he was really unworried about Terrence’s presence.
Even if he bore a grudge and wanted to exact vengeance, his Superior Gift Pack would be helping everyone increase their combat abilities soon.
Right now, he planned to open the warehouse for everyone and use their collected Energy Cores and Survivor Medals in exchange for the new items he had taken out from the Gift Packs...
"Alright. Forget about him... Marissa, how about you check the Vault now?" Kai said with a smile.
"Y-yes! But I only have 2 Survivor Medals left. I’m thinking of saving more of them to buy an Alpha Gene Enhancement Serum once the Gene Traders are back." Marissa explained.
Kai shook his head. "No need to make payment. Just study the golden horn and find out how to use that thing. As long as you’re contributing to the development and safety of the shelter, you ought to get paid... For now, you can get five things for free in the shelter. If you give me some good news about the horns we collected, then I’ll reward you even more."
"If that’s the case, then let’s do it!"
Kai motioned for Marissa to follow him.
Along the way, they also met Mila and Irene so Kai invited them.
The three women quickly joined him as they were curious about the new things that Kai had provided to the vault...
As they reached the vault, they found Althea seated at her desk beside the heavy steel door. She was twirling her dagger, her Gene Weapon, between her fingers... She seemed quite bored guarding this vault.
Hearing the footsteps, Althea looked up and nodded.
"Kai. You’re here to open the vault again?"
Kai nodded. "Yes. I want them to take five things each..."
Needless to say, the three of them weren’t the first people to be invited here.
The wall defenders, the scouts, and the trap makers had also received the items of their choice...
As Kai had expected, aside from the Carbine Rifle, most of them selected the Emergency Thruster Pack, followed by the Grappler Launcher, which they could easily equip and allow them to climb atop the walls and roofs a lot more easily.
"Alright... You can take your time."
Althea said as she unlocked the reinforced door.
The vault opened with a low groan, revealing shelves stacked with crates, weapons, gear, and supplies.
The sight alone was enough to make Mila, Marissa, and Irene pause in awe.
Kai stepped inside, gesturing toward the rows of items.
"You already know the basics... food packs, medical kits, survival tools, and others... But I’ve added more. Superior items from the Gift Packs. They’re here. You can check them out."
Kai didn’t even have to explain the new items to them, as they had their own methods of assessing these items.
Soon, the three women exchanged glances, overwhelmed by the sheer variety.
There were just too many new things in front of them!
After some time, Mila’s eyes locked onto the weatherproof clothing set from the Shelter Gift Pack...
She stepped closer, running her fingers over the fabric.
"This... this is perfect. Cooking outside, cleaning, even tending the garden... This will help a lot." As she said this, she started looking at the shelf containing the Survival Tools Gift Pack.
Marissa, however, was drawn to the carbine rifle with spare magazines. She picked it up carefully, testing its weight.
"This one looked easier to handle than the ones we’ve found from the Sentinels." She muttered.
Well, she always relied on her Gene Skills, but this item gives her range. It was certainly a decent weapon to protect herself.
Irene, the nurse, moved toward the shelves stacked with medical gear.
"Right... I’ll supply you with Medical Gift Packs since that’s for everyone’s sake. Just look for other items." Kai reminded.
Just like that, the three of them selected five items, and as expected, they all got at least one weapon.
Furthermore, Kai recommended the gene stimulant injector and spirit‑boosting potion flask... They all realized how valuable it was, and Marissa even used three of her chances to get three spirit‑boosting potion flasks!
"With these potions and stimulants, I think that the next Global Event will be a lot easier," Marissa muttered.
Kai chuckled. This was something that he had planned to happen. He needed to ensure that they stay on top.
Furthermore, he wanted many more Survivors he trusts to reach a high level.
That way, he’d be more at ease leaving this place.
After all, he still planned to visit the Human City he had seen on the map.
***
Just like that, Kai took a few more people to enter the vault.
Of course, he only allowed three to five people to select at the same time, careful not to let the place get crowded.
Then, each group left with their chosen items...
Once the last group exited, Kai finally decided it was time to leave Haven‑45 and return to Freedom Shelter.
After saying goodbye, he mounted the off‑road motorbike and sped across the rough terrain.
A few hundred meters out, Kai slowed as he noticed someone watching him...
On a hill overlooking the path, a lone figure stood...
At first, he thought it was Terrence... But as Kai focused, his eyes widened.
The man actually had four arms!