Reborn in the Apocalypse :The son In-law's revenge

Chapter 5: The System Shop and the Strategist

The System Shop was overwhelming.

Leo sat alone in a supply closet on the third floor of the hospital, the door barricaded with a metal shelf. The others were downstairs, distributing gear and tending to wounds. He needed a moment to think.

[System Shop – Tier 1 Access]

[Available Points: 500]

The shop was organized into categories: Weapons, Armor, Consumables, Skills, and Special. Leo scrolled through the options, his eyes widening with each new item.

Weapons:

· Iron Edge (Tier 2): 50 points. +5 Strength.

· Hunter's Bow (Tier 2): 75 points. +7 Agility. Ranged.

· Blade of the Fallen (Tier 3): 200 points. +15 Strength. 15% bleed chance.

Armor:

· Reinforced Jacket (Tier 2): 60 points. +5 Vitality.

· Shadow Cloak (Tier 3): 180 points. +10 Agility. Reduces detection by enemies.

Consumables:

· Health Potion (Tier 2): 25 points. Restores 50 HP.

· Stamina Elixir (Tier 2): 25 points. Restores 50 Stamina.

· Experience Boost (Tier 3): 150 points. Double XP for 1 hour.

Skills:

· Power Strike (C-Rank): 100 points. Devastating melee attack.

· Dash (C-Rank): 100 points. Instant burst of speed.

· Scan (D-Rank): 50 points. Analyze enemies and items.

Special:

· System Map (Tier 1): 200 points. Reveals all dungeons and safe zones within 10 miles.

· Companion Slot (Tier 1): 300 points. Allows one sidekick to gain shared XP.

Leo's mind raced. He had 500 points. He could buy the Shadow Cloak and the System Map. Or he could buy the Blade of the Fallen and the Scan skill.

He needed to think strategically. The First Wave was coming in 72 hours. He needed to be stronger. He needed his team to be stronger.

He made his decision.

[Purchase Confirmed: System Map (200 points).]

[Purchase Confirmed: Companion Slot (300 points).]

[Remaining Points: 0]

The System Map downloaded into his mind. Suddenly, he could see the entire city in his head—a glowing holographic layout of dungeons, safe zones, and monster nests. There was a massive cluster of red dots three miles south. A Tier 4 dungeon. And beyond that, a huge concentration of monsters. The First Wave.

He assigned the Companion Slot to Lily. Now she would gain shared XP from every kill he made. She would level up faster. She would become a stronger healer.

It was an investment. And Leo was playing the long game.

---

He found Natasha in the hospital lobby, sharpening her fire poker with a whetstone. She looked up when he approached.

"Good timing," she said. "I found something you need to see."

She led him to a storage room behind the reception desk. Inside, a woman was tied to a chair. She was thin, with glasses and messy brown hair. Her clothes were torn, and she had a bruise on her cheek. But her eyes were sharp. Calculating.

"Found her hiding in the basement," Natasha said. "She's not a fighter. But she knows things."

Leo knelt in front of the woman. "What's your name?"

"Dr. Elara Vance," the woman said, her voice steady despite her situation. "I was a researcher at the Meridian Institute. Before all this."

[System Alert: NPC detected – Dr. Elara Vance. Class: Strategist (A-Rank). Loyalty: 0%. Status: Captured.]

An A-Rank class. That was rare. Leo's interest sharpened.

"What did you research?" Leo asked.

Elara hesitated. Then she spoke. "The system. Before it activated, my team was studying anomalous signals from deep space. We predicted something like this would happen. We just didn't know when."

Leo's eyes narrowed. "You knew about the apocalypse?"

"We knew something was coming," Elara said. "The signals were too regular to be natural. Someone—or something—was broadcasting. And then the system activated, and I realized what it was."

"What?"

Elara leaned forward. "A test. The system isn't random. It's designed. Structured. Someone is watching us. And the First Wave? That's just the first filter. The weak die. The strong advance."

Leo was silent for a moment. This confirmed his suspicion. The keycards. The collars. Someone was running this.

"Why should I trust you?" Leo asked.

Elara met his gaze. "You shouldn't. But you need me. I can analyze the system's patterns. I can predict where the next wave will hit. I can help you survive."

Natasha snorted. "She could be lying."

"I could," Elara admitted. "But I'm not."

Leo considered his options. He could kill her and move on. Or he could use her. An A-Rank Strategist was too valuable to waste.

"Untie her," Leo said.

Natasha raised an eyebrow but complied. Elara rubbed her wrists, her eyes fixed on Leo.

"I'll give you a chance," Leo said. "But if you betray me, I won't hesitate."

Elara nodded. "Understood."

[Dr. Elara Vance's Loyalty has increased: 0% → 10%.]

---

That night, Leo gathered his core team in the hospital lobby. Lily. Natasha. Elara. Bruiser and Kevin stood nearby, along with the five men who had joined from Derek's group.

"We have 72 hours until the First Wave," Leo said. "The system says everyone needs to be Level 15 or higher, or the safe zones will be purged. We're not ready."

"We have no choice," Natasha said. "We fight."

"No," Elara said, stepping forward. "We don't. The First Wave is a filter. It's not meant to kill everyone. It's meant to push survivors toward specific locations."

Leo frowned. "What do you mean?"

Elara pulled out a crumpled map of the city. She spread it on the floor and pointed to a location in the city center. "The Meridian Institute. That's where my team was based. The signals were strongest there. If the system is broadcasting from anywhere, it's that building."

Leo's eyes widened. He pulled out the two keycards. They both had the same logo—a stylized 'M' inside a circle.

"Meridian," he whispered.

Elara nodded. "The keycards you found? They're access cards for the Institute. Tier 4. That means whatever is inside is valuable. The First Wave isn't just a test. It's a push. The system wants survivors to converge on the Institute. Something is there. Something important."

Leo looked at the map. The Institute was three miles south. Deep in the heart of the Tier 4 dungeon zone.

"So we go there," Leo said. "We clear the dungeon. We reach Level 15. And we find out what's inside."

Natasha grinned. "Now that's a plan."

Elara looked at Leo. "There's one more thing. The Institute has security systems. Even before the apocalypse, it was one of the most secure buildings in the city. We'll need more than just strength to get inside. We'll need access codes. Biometric data. Someone who knows the layout."

Leo turned to her. "You."

Elara nodded. "Me."

[New Objective: Reach the Meridian Institute within 72 hours. Survive the First Wave. Uncover the truth.]