Kai was stunned as he imdiately checked the area...
"Four cities, huh..."
Then, he checked the rest of the Mavis Republic... According to the map, there were five other regions aside from the Haven Region where the Haven Shelters are located.
There were Storm, Grid, Frontier, Origin, and Novel Regions.
These were the six regions of the Republic, and according to the map, there were a total of 24 large A.I. Cities within these regions!
Unfortunately, he still couldn’t find the location of their New Haven Shelter. After all, they were not near a huge lake, river, or any iconic location that the map could place.
Still, he’d probably learn more about this soon enough...
He didn’t regret this purchase at all, even if he leveled down in the process.
The information he had gained was priceless.
The locations of the A.I. Cities alone were worth the price, but the map revealed far more than that.
There were notes about ch graveyards, places where the wreckage of destroyed machines lay in piles. Such sites could be dangerous, but they were also treasure troves of salvageable parts, rare alloys, and forgotten technology.
There were also markings for human cities, scattered across the Republic.
Kai frowned as he studied them. "Human cities...? Open ones?" he muttered.
He was skeptical. If there truly were functioning human cities, why hadn’t the A.I. Army destroyed them already?
He had seen the Ascendant Unit with his own eyes. It was a monster capable of fighting multiple high‑level augnted humans at once. If such a weapon existed, then no human city could stand unchallenged.
Kai shook his head. "This map might be outdated. Those cities... they’re probably ruins now."
Still, even ruins had value. They could hold supplies, hidden caches, or even survivors clinging to life. The map also marked resource zones like mines, important factories, and energy stations. Each one was a potential lifeline for rebuilding, or a trap set by the A.I.
Kai exhaled as he rolled his map.
He then turned his gaze back to the Gene Trader. The cloaked figure remained silent, unmoving, as if it had already forgotten the transaction.
Kai bowed slightly, a gesture of respect. "Thank you," he said quietly.
With that, he finally decided to leave.
As he stepped out of the chamber, the dim light gave way to the familiar faces of his companions. It was already quite dark.
Russel and the others were there waiting anxiously.
When they saw Kai erge, their expressions broke into smiles.
They knew. He had succeeded in making a transaction with the Gene Trader.
"Alright... It’s ti to leave." Kai said.
Though he planned to return to Haven-62 to get Alfie and Farrah, that would have to wait until later.
***
Even though the night had already fallen, the team moved without difficulty. Each of them wore night‑vision goggles that all ca from Kai’s Stealth Gift Packs...
Russel, Gabby, and Dylan took the lead, scanning the path ahead...
Then, Atom walked behind, covering their rear.
As for Kai, he stayed in the middle of the formation so he could react properly depending on their situation.
The journey back to New Haven‑45 was quite uneventful. There weren’t any lurking Sentinels, Swarrs, or any chanical Soldiers around.
Yet the team pressed forward cautiously.
Soon, the familiar outline of their shelter ca into view.
New Haven‑45 was dark, with its exterior completely devoid of lights. The blackout was intentional. It was a precaution to avoid detection by the A.I. Army. To the machines, even a flicker of light could be a signal, a target.
Inside the main building, however, several flashlights had been turned on...
They had boxes of battery supplies after all.
Inside, Augustine’s team had already returned, and their expressions were heavy with disappointnt.
As expected, his group had failed to locate a Gene Trader even after a day of search...
However, Kai soon revealed the good news.
"We found one," he said simply.
The words surprised and excited everyone.
Claire, Wallace, Ralph, and Victor all turned toward him, waiting for him to reveal what he had discovered.
First, Kai unrolled the scroll slightly, showing them the parchnt.
"This is one of the items I obtained... A map."
Gasps filled the room.
Then, before they could properly analyze the map, Kai explained what he had seen... the system-like store, the Gene Enhancent Serums, the Gene Weapons, the Pills, and other items that could be bought by either dals or Cores!
He also ntioned the peddling of the Gene Trader that only accepts Experience Points!
"Experience Points?" Claire repeated in shock.
"What? They can take that too? What’s next, our Vitality Points or sothin?" Victor said with a chuckle.
For him, experience points weren’t easy to co by. After all, he wasn’t a combat expert but a chanic.
He also gained experience points for doing his job as a chanic, but the amount was too little if compared to killing enemies...
After that, Kai finally revealed the prices of the Alpha Gene Enhancent Serum...
"Four Survivor dals..."
Claire’s jaw dropped...
The others also looked at Kai, stunned.
After a few seconds, Wallace muttered under his breath, "So Diego and Santiago... they really did overcharge us."
Ralph clenched his fists. "Those wandering rchants sold us Gene Enhancents at ridiculous prices. They sold it for 15 Survivor dals! Compared to this... compared to the Trader’s store..."
He couldn’t even complete his sentence.
Victor shook his head in disbelief. "We were scamd."
Kai chuckled softly, though his tone carried no malice. "Not scamd. Just overpriced. They were rchants, after all. They sold what they had, at the price they thought they could get. The Gene Trader is different. It’s basically part of the system itself."
The others fell silent, digesting his words.
Finally, after everyone cald down, Kai revealed the Status Crystal that he bought for 3 Survivor dals.
[ Status Crystal: A rare crystal that reveals the complete status of the person who touches it. When activated, it displays their na, title, level, skills, and stats for exactly 10 seconds before fading.
Cooldown: After use, the crystal requires 30 seconds before it can be activated again.
Charge: 50 ]
[ Recharge Requirent: Once its charges reach zero, or even before that point, the crystal must be replenished by pouring Spirit Energy into it. Without this infusion, the crystal will remain dormant and unusable. ]
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