Apocalypse Arrives: I Become a Powerhouse by Scavenging

"You completed the mission, but you didn’t leave."

Kai York nodded. "That’s right, I didn’t leave. It’s because I refused."

He said it nonchalantly.

"Not only did I get nothing out of this game, but I almost lost my life. You tell me, how could I be willing to just up and leave?"

As he spoke, his face filled with indignation.

Moira Lynch: ...

"No, wait. Actually, it wasn’t a total loss."

Kai York suddenly remembered something. He pulled Moira Lynch into a corner, made sure the other survivors couldn’t see them, and took a brown box out of the Space Button he carried.

"What’s this? It looks pretty high-end."

The surface of the brown box was decorated with various patterns and lined with silver trim.

"Right? When I went in to set the fire, I saw a group of people lining up to load these boxes onto a vehicle. They were being so careful about it, I figured the boxes must have something good inside. So, during the chaos, I took the opportunity to get on the vehicle and take all the boxes."

As he spoke, Kai York picked up the box and examined it carefully, but he couldn’t find a way to open it. "It’s just that this thing seems to need a password or a key to open," he said.

Moira Lynch scanned the box with her spiritual power and said, "It’s probably not a combination lock box."

’If it doesn’t have a combination lock, then this should be easy.’

Moira Lynch extended her spiritual power into the box. With a few "CLICK CLACK" sounds, the closed box suddenly opened, revealing twelve neatly arranged Ariel Crystals.

Their deep purple color was even more intense than the Ariel Crystal Stones Moira Lynch had previously collected.

Considering the meticulously packed box, it was clear at a glance that these Ariel Crystals had been hand-picked.

"Patience, these Ariel Crystals must be very valuable, right?" Moira Lynch asked.

[Unh-hunh, they’re very valuable. True top-grade Ariel Crystals are extremely rare. You can think of it like the price of jade on Caelus.]

Moira Lynch abruptly looked up at Kai York. "Did you say you collected a lot of these boxes?"

Moira Lynch’s stare made Kai York feel a bit weird, but he still answered honestly, "Yeah, probably several dozen. By the way, are these things Ariel Crystal Stones or Ariel Crystals?"

"Ariel Crystals. Name your price. I’ll take all the Ariel Crystals you have," Moira Lynch declared, her tone magnanimous.

’And that was without even considering her current assets. Not long ago, someone had been willing to offer half their family fortune just for her to treat them.’

So, Moira Lynch felt no hesitation in saying it. She also didn’t think Kai York would try to rip her off.

But when he heard Moira Lynch’s offer, Kai York didn’t answer right away. Instead, he asked, "What do you need so many Ariel Crystals for?"

’Even if Ariel Crystals were a type of gemstone, buying so many at once was a bit over the top, wasn’t it?’

’Besides, he, Boss, and Grandpa Hugh Finch had given her plenty of nice things before, including all sorts of gemstones and jade, yet he’d never once seen Moira wear any of it.’

"I want to open a shop," Moira Lynch said, telling him the truth. "I’m treating these as my startup funds."

"Open a shop? Here?"

By "here," Kai York naturally meant out in the galaxy.

Moira Lynch nodded.

"Alright then. These things are useless in my hands anyway. You can have them. Don’t worry about the money. Just consider it my investment."

Their long time together had given Kai York an almost blind faith in Moira Lynch.

’In his eyes, whatever Moira Lynch set out to do, she would never fail. Investing now was a surefire deal, a guaranteed profit.’

Besides, he had "found" these things himself and hadn’t spent a single cent. Even if it all went south in the end, he wouldn’t have lost a thing.

Moira Lynch, for her part, had no problem with this. An investment? She agreed.

With that, the matter was happily settled. Kai York handed over all the boxes he had to Moira Lynch.

Moira Lynch then had Patience store the boxes, instructing it to send them to Cloudsea Planet once the game ended.

Just then, a young survivor walked over.

She came to Kai York’s side and asked in a timid voice, "Are you planning to abandon us?"

The frail sound of her voice caught their attention.

Turning to look, they saw a figure in pink who exuded an air of elegance and nobility. Even in her slightly disheveled state, she couldn’t conceal her dignified air. She was like a princess who had fallen to the mortal world, emerging from the mud yet remaining unstained.

At first, Kai York was so captivated by her big eyes that he didn’t really hear what she was saying. Only one thought occupied his mind: ’Wow, her eyes are huge. They take up nearly half her face!’

Seeing this, Moira Lynch slapped away the girl’s hand that was clutching at Kai York’s clothes. Her expression was stern as she said, "This isn’t about abandonment. We’re strangers. The fact that we rescued you means we’ve already done more than enough."

Seeing Moira Lynch’s firm attitude, a look of unwilling resentment flashed in the girl’s eyes.

Unwilling to meet Moira Lynch’s gaze, she turned her large, teary eyes to Kai York, who had been pushed away, as if hoping he would stand up and speak for her.

However, Kai York’s reaction was bound to disappoint her.

"You’re safe now. The remaining food is enough for you to last until rescuers arrive. We have more important things to do, and more people to save."

Kai York’s words were tactful, but his tone was firm.

A flicker of regret crossed the girl’s face. She then took out a pink, transparent, crystal-like leaf from behind her back. "Please take this as a token of my gratitude for saving me. You must accept it."

"That won’t be necessary," Moira Lynch said, speaking up again. "Saving you was the right thing to do. We can’t possibly take your things."

A faint smile played on her lips, but her eyes held no trace of warmth—only a subtle warning.

The girl apparently caught the warning in Moira’s eyes and realized that Moira had already guessed her identity. Her expression became a bit stiff.

"If that’s how it is, then never mind."

After a brief farewell, Moira Lynch and Kai York left.

On the way, Kai York asked, "Moira, why were you suddenly so hostile to that person just now? Was there something wrong with that leaf?"

Kai York could sense it. At first, Moira Lynch had merely been wary, but the moment the girl produced that pink leaf, her wariness had instantly morphed into hostility. He’d even felt a flicker of killing intent.