Chapter 91: EXP Farm and First Facility Upgrade
"Three defaulters already?" Aiden asked.
When the next pulse went out, Aiden earned a ton of exp. But with that notification came the alert for defaulters. Three people had no exp to pay the rent.
It had already been a few days since the slum dwellers arrived at the apartment. If they didn’t have any exp to give, then it just meant they were idling around.
"Do drifters count as defaulters?"
[No, Host. Only tenants.]
"So, three people other than Rebecca and Milo. Send them to the B1 floor. Let them fight the ghouls."
[Host, how about we make them work on the farm—]
"Make them fight. Also, send a notification to everyone about the fight. Make them place wagers if they like as well. But the wagers must be put in either exp or caps."
[Ah, so you plan to make a colosseum!]
Aiden nodded.
Even if the defaulters didn’t want to pay, he would still make exp off of them. The tenants might not know the value of the exp they possess. Instead, caps were more valuable to them.
Hence, Aiden expected them to place wagers with exp. In return, he would offer them caps or coupons for vending machines and shops.
As for the defaulters, they would gain exp from fighting ghouls, only to take it from them later.
This way, not only would he make exp off of defaulters, but would also cure the boredom of the tenants who just keep working and surviving. It would be a decent stress relief.
See, how great a landlord he was? Where will they find someone like him? Always worrying about his tenants and helping them live their best lives in the apocalypse?
With the matter of the defaulters dealt with, Aiden focused his attention elsewhere. After opening the facilities tab, he navigated to the medicare center open.
A small cubic hologram of the center appeared before him.
+++
[MEDICARE CENTER — LEVEL 1]
Facility Status: Active
Staff:
>> Jewell. Specialization: Surgery. (Daily salary: 10 caps.)
>> Daniel. Specialization: Emergency Medicine. (Daily salary: 10 caps.)
Other staff:
>> Five Nurses (Daily salary: 5 caps.)
Upgrade Condition:
• Progress: 17/100 treatments
OR
• Progress: 0/10,000 EXP
Next level unlocks:
• Automatic Medicine Dispenser: Upon upgrading, one AMD (automated medicine dispenser) will be installed on each residential floor.
Tenants can purchase basic medical supplies from these dispensers using exp or caps. The exp earned from the dispensers would automatically be deposited into the Medicare Center’s upgrade fund.
• One additional staff slot and three other staff slots.
• Better surgical equipment.
• Maternity ward upgrade (needs funds to be built).
• 19% chance of assigned staff awakening/upgrading to a better class related to their job.
+++
"...ten thousand," Aiden mumbled, looking at the meager sum of eleven thousand and nine hundred exp he had collected from the tenants. "Here I thought I would upgrade the medicare center to level three in one go."
[Life is nothing but disappointment disguised as progress, Host.]
"Perhaps I should call you a disappointment then?"
[...]
Instead of bickering with the system, Aiden went through the upgrade unlocks.
The dispensers were a good addition. Seeing how much exp facilities upgrades cost, Aiden was already wondering how he would do around upgrading every utility space. The dispensers eased that burden a bit.
"How much exp would these little things give?"
[The estimated daily income is around 20~50 exp per day per floor.]
"So at least three hundred exp per day... that’s not much. How much exp would the next upgrade require?"
[Fifteen thousand, Host.]
"So, at most, it would take fifty days to get to a level three medicare center?" Aiden frowned.
[Yes. However, you can always add additional exp as you desire.]
[The dispensers are there to ease the burden, not remove it entirely.]
Aiden nodded before going to the next upgrade.
"A new doctor, hm... It would free Jewell and let him focus on testing and developing new stuff like that injector. I’ll wait for it, though. Better ask Milarel to look for an obstetrician in Joan’s clique."
Although neither Alisha nor Karina was showing signs of pregnancy, Aiden knew it was only a matter of time and wanted to be prepared for it.
Then came better surgical equipment. Well, there wasn’t much to talk about it, just like the maternity ward upgrade. After all, it was the primary reason Aiden decided to upgrade the medicare center first.
It was the last part that made him stop.
"Just working at a facility could turn normal people into evolvers?"
[It’s not guaranteed, but there is a chance.]
"I know what percent means. Does it extend to the other staff working there?"
[Unfortunately, no.]
Aiden clicked his tongue in disappointment. He had hoped that with so many people there, someone would definitely awaken a class.
Still, it wasn’t so bad. There was nearly a one in five chance that either Jewell or Daniel or both would awaken a new class tied to their work.
Without any further ado, Aiden hit the upgrade button.
[Proceeding with the upgrade.]
As soon as those words appeared before Aiden, he noticed the hologram of the medicare center expanding. However, the scene wasn’t as pleasant inside the medicare center.
"W-What is going on?" A man with a bandaged arm stammered as the room shook. "An earthquake?"
A nurse grabbed the nearest counter as the room shook. A tray of instruments slid off the table and clattered across the floor. One of the patients yelped, jumping off the cot to hide under it.
Jewell, who was observing the effects of the injector on James, also got up. Sensing the panic outside, he rushed to calm them down. Daniel was right behind him.
"Nobody move!" Jewell yelled over the chaos.
As soon as he said that, the room stopped shaking. At the same time, something felt off.
"...was the corridor always this big?" one nurse commented.
It wasn’t just the hall and rooms; a new door had appeared at the end of the corridor. A few words were scrawled above it.
"Maternity ward...?" Daniel mumbled in confusion.
Jewell walked ahead, tugging at the door handle. However, the handle didn’t budge. He had a feeling it was Aiden’s doing. The images of James’s fall from grace flashed before his eyes.
Aiden’s recklessness had put the lives of the patients in danger, but Jewell did not have the balls to confront him. He could only tell everyone to calm down and focus on their tasks.