Jyrus had seen many shelters before, and most of them were miserable places.
He couldn’t help but compare those other places as he walked through Shelter‑45.
Well, in other settlents, filth was everywhere... Trash piled in corners, sewage leaking into walkways, and the stench of human waste was impossible to ignore.
People rarely bathed, saving every drop of water for drinking. Clothes were worn for months without change, so were even stiff with gri and sweat.
The air in those places wasn’t good. It was suffocating, and every step reminded him of how fragile human survival had beco.
But here, it was different.
Even with the rain dripping from the roofs and pooling in the mud outside, Shelter‑45 felt clean. The east building, where Wallace had directed them to set up, was tidy and organized.
No trash littered the floors, no foul odor clung to the walls.
Without a doubt, the survivors here had clearly established routines for hygiene and order. They might even have assigned personnel for cleaning alone.
"But what’s even more amazing is this..." Jyrus muttered as he looked at the walls...
Apparently, what struck him most was the light!
Flashlights illuminated the corridors, and ergency lamps glowed faintly along the walls.
They definitely had access to batteries, and it must be a huge amount!
Of course, it also wouldn’t be surprising if they have access to Solar Generator.
"This shelter is way better than the ones we visited before," Jyrus muttered, and his companions nodded in agreent.
Unlike the dim, foul‑slling shelters he had entered before, this place was bright and clear. It was quite impressive that they had enough batteries to keep the compound lit
Even the air slled fresher...
Then, as he continued setting up their small stall, Jyrus realized that this shelter must have access to antibacterial soap.
It was quite amazing that they had such items to maintain hygiene.
From within, Jyrus couldn’t help but feel excited...
’This place is thriving. I hope I can earn enough...’
***
An hour passed, and the east building had transford into a marketplace.
Jyrus’s team worked quickly, unpacking crates, laying out goods on tables, and arranging their wares swiftly.
Well, they had done this a lot already.
The tarps were pulled back, revealing weapons, tools, clothing, and even luxuries that survivors hadn’t seen in a while.
Jyrus clapped his hands once, satisfied.
"Alright, everything’s ready. Let’s begin."
Victor, already standing nearby, eyed the tables. "So... Survivor dals for the big stuff, right?"
Jyrus nodded. "Correct. Survivor dals, C‑Rank cores from A.I. soldiers, are the only currency we accept for important items. Ahem... Of course, if you’re going to give us those Plasma Rifles... I can consider them."
Victor wryly smiled at this and shook his head. They also needed Plasma Rifles. There was no way he could trade them without Kai’s permission.
Although they do not have enough energy cells or cores to modify and charge these weapons, they were still too precious.
"Understandable. Anyway, Gene enhancent serums, firearms, specialized gear... those require dals or Cores."
He then gestured to another section of the table. "But for basics, we can just barter. Cigarettes, clothes, paper, incense, bells, ingots, jewelry, MRE boxes... all of these can be traded for items we find useful. If you have revolver bullets, smoke grenades, bicycles, so food... it depends on what you bring."
A survivor stepped forward, pointing at a stack of MRE boxes. "How much for those?"
"They’ll expire in a month, and they only contain 12 packs each... So a box of revolver rounds will do." Jyrus replied smoothly. "Fair trade."
Another survivor from the Sanitation Crew leaned closer to a golden ring.
"Jewelry? You’re really trading that?"
Jyrus smirked. "People value such things... Sotis, they want to rember who they were."
The crowd murmured...
Still, none of them purchased anything just yet.
For now, Victor confird that Jyrus was also selling Alpha Gene Enhancent Serums together with Erald and Crimson Gene Enhancent Serums.
"Ohh? Only 10 Survivor dals for the Alpha?" Victor asked. Although it was still more than double the price from the Gene Trader, it was less than what Diego and Santiago’s price!
Jyrus nodded. "Yes! It’s cheaper, right? We managed to find our supplier, and we purchased a lot from them. Since we have a lot of stocks, we’re offering them for a lower price."
"I see... Still expensive, but I understand." Victor said as he stepped back. He wasn’t interested in the items at all. He had already purchased enough Gene Enhancents anyway.
Soon, other survivors began lining up.
Russel ca and traded a smoke grenade for two sets of clean clothes.
Mila from the Sanitation Crew offered a folding bicycle for a set of incense, papers, and a wristwatch, for an unknown reason...
Another survivor nervously asked about what item he could trade for one Survivor dal... Jyrus explained that even if he couldn’t provide a vial of Gene Enhancent Serum, he could offer about 5mL of Crimson Gene Enhancent Serum for one Survivor dal.
"I don’t think you’ll regret this..." Jyrus said as he looked at the Survivor dal.
"I... I’ll think about it." Augustine said... Well, he actually received the dal from Kai himself after he got rewarded for his efforts during the last event.
Just like that, there was suddenly a form of entertainnt within the shelter.
Since it was raining, they couldn’t really hunt for Sentinels outside. Thanks to the presence of the rchants, they weren’t bored anymore.
So wanted weapons, others food, and a few eyed the luxuries he displayed.
But all in all, Jyrus felt really impressed with these Survivors.
All of them looked healthy and clean.
’I should inform the other rchants about this place...’
***
A few more hours had passed, and soon, Wallace and the others realized that Kai’s team hadn’t returned yet.
’Did they encounter strong enemies?’
’No way... Atom is there... They shouldn’t worry about low-tier chanized soldiers.’
’But what if—’
They couldn’t help but worry about Kai’s group.
However, since it was raining heavily and they had no idea where Kai had brought his group, they couldn’t really set out to search for them.
Then, on the next day, they received a ssage from Kai on the radio!
"We’ve claid another base from the machines... I’m about to return. Inform Aurora to get ready... I need her in that new shelter..."
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