Meanwhile, while Cade spoke with Marissa and Jett, others were keeping a close eye on the situation from a distance.Zayne and Russel, the two scouts assigned to New Ark-45, had taken positions near the shelter’s perimeter. They were the ones who had detected Cade’s approach through the surveillance drones under their control, and they had kept him under observation ever since, prepared to respond if he showed any sign of hostility.The scouts were not the only ones prepared for trouble.Five modified Reaper units were concealed throughout the shelter, hidden inside rooms and behind sections of the walls. They were X-02 through X-06, all standing by and ready to activate the moment they received an order.If Cade made even one suspicious move, the Reapers would attack without hesitation.Marissa and Jett, meanwhile, brought Cade into the lounge of the main building.They had a specific reason for doing so.They wanted him to touch the Status Crystal.It was the simplest way to determi

“An A.I. base disguised as a mountain?”Jett asked in disbelief as he listened to Zayne and Russel explain what they had discovered in the shelter’s main hall.Marissa was equally stunned. She had not expected there to be another A.I. base anywhere near them, especially one hidden so carefully.“Tell me about its location again. Leave nothing out.”Zayne and Russel exchanged a quick glance before Russel began explaining.“We followed the Reaper after the battle. It retreated cautiously, almost as if it knew it was being watched. We kept our distance, using the camouflage gear Max gave us. The terrain was rough… We passed through those dry valleys and a meadow… Then, after a few hours… That’s when we saw it.”Zayne continued from there.“At the summit, there was a villa… It looked elegant, like it didn’t belong in this wasteland. At first, we thought it was just a residence or a command post. But then we saw them… Spyder Units are crawling out of the gates. Dozens of them. The villa wa

Hans moved quickly across the battlefield. He was frightened, and his level was still relatively low, but his Quick Feet Talent was not only useful for running away. It could also make him a dangerous fighter when he used it properly.The moment he reached the right position, he raised his grenade launcher and fired.Boom!The grenade struck one of the Xcavators, and the machine erupted in a blast of smoke and flying shrapnel.[ Enemy Unit Destroyed: Digger (C) ][ Experience Points distributed among all participants. ][ +500 Experience Points ]I knew it… I just have to ensure that the grenade enters its internal body through that hole.Hans glanced toward the open hatch on the destroyed machine.The Xcavators had an incredibly tough outer shell, making it difficult to damage them with ordinary weapons. However, their insides were much more vulnerable. If he could get a grenade through the hatch and destroy the gears inside, the machines could be defeated.Unfortunately, eight more

Max stared at the refreshed store list, his attention settling on the first new item.“Pain Suppression Injector, huh…”He could already see how useful it would be for keeping injured fighters on their feet, but that was also what made it risky. The injector only blocked pain. It did nothing to repair the actual damage, which meant someone could continue fighting while making a serious injury even worse. Max felt it would be more appropriate for surgery, emergency treatment, or situations where pain itself had to be suppressed rather than ordinary combat.The second item was far more appealing.“Cellular Regeneration Serum… now this is rare. Cuts recovery time almost completely. If we stock these, even serious injuries won’t keep our people down for long.”Max nodded with satisfaction as he considered it. Leveling up could also restore physical injuries, but that method would become less reliable as people reached higher levels and advancement grew more difficult. They needed proper m

Max focused on the stranger standing beside the Gene Trader.Until now, his Keen Sense had not detected the man at all. It was only when Max got close enough that the stranger’s presence finally registered. That alone told him the man had some kind of stealth ability, or perhaps a skill capable of completely blocking detection.For the moment, Max decided not to contact the others through the radio.If he transmitted his location, the sound could alert the stranger. More importantly, if he told the others about the Gene Trader too soon, everyone might rush here at once. If the merchant had a limit on the number of Auction Tokens he could sell, having all four groups gather around the same Gene Trader would only create unnecessary trouble.It was better to let them continue searching for a few more hours. They might even discover other Gene Traders along the way.For now, Max kept his attention on the stranger.About ten minutes passed before Max realized that the man’s transaction wit