Now that the group had escaped the greatest danger, it was time for the next part of the plan.
Paul was torn between either getting more important resources like food, water, and gasoline or bringing friends from the surrounding area to build a large but familiar and organized group of survivors. Normally, this might not be a good idea because it would mean needing more food, but not in this case. Paul had his system, and all he needed was money, and he already had an idea.
"What should we do first? Pick up the others and then get more food, or get the food first?" Paul asked.
"Let's go home first. We can decide from there," Hannes suggested.
"Alright, but let's pick up Eric and Arne on the way. They're on the route."
The group took an hour to first get to Eric's and then Arne's house and convince them to come along. Thore simply told them what he had seen. At first, they didn't believe it, but when everyone confirmed what had happened and Paul showed his gun, they were convinced. They also convinced Arne's and Eric's parents and siblings to come along, even if it was just a prank; they could always go back the next morning.
After a 10-minute drive from there to home, Paul brought the parents to his house.
Paul's parents were, of course, surprised why he came home with so many people, but after he explained everything, they agreed. Paul was surprised that everyone took the news of the apocalypse so well, considering that the entire civilization was collapsing.
With that settled, Paul gave Hannes and Thore the task of using his parents' car to gather other school friends and sports friends, as well as their families.
"Hannes, take the gun with you. It might help convince them."
"Yeah, I'll do that," Hannes replied with a smile.
"You can keep it if you want, but I need something from you in return."
"What is it?" Hannes was happy to keep the gun, but what could Paul possibly need from him in such a time?
"I need all your cash. You can't do anything with it, but I can. If you really need it back, I'll give it to you."
"._. If that's all, no problem. It's all in my room upstairs."
"Good, then go before the virus starts spreading in the small towns too, and tell everyone to bring all important things: clothes, food, and money," Paul said, relieved that the exchange was so easy.
For Paul, the gun was of little value; it had only cost him 25€. But for Hannes and the others, it was of enormous value, especially in such a time.
At home, excluding Hannes and Thore, there were now 12 people: the parents of Arne, Eric, Paul, and Hannes, and Eric's sister had joined.
Paul decided to ask the group, "Who else wants a gun? But only in exchange for cash."
It didn't take long for the first responses to come.
"Justin and I both want one," Max said, eagerly awaiting his own gun.
"We have a total of 150€. Is that enough?" Max asked.
"Yes, that should be enough," Paul replied after taking the money from both of them. He then exchanged the 150€ for 30 SP, went back to the shop, and exchanged 11 SP for 2 [Steyr M9-A1] pistols and 50 rounds of ammunition each. This exchange gave him a profit of 19 SP.
Eric's and Arne's fathers also wanted a pistol each. Eric's father had 110€ for Paul, while Arne's father had 240€. After the exchange, Paul had a profit of 59 SP from both of them.
"System, shop, search, money printing machine."
Paul had a plan. He wanted to buy a money printing machine and then use the money from the machine to buy more machines, creating an endless cycle that would make him rich.
Of course, he was sure it wouldn't be that simple. Either the prices would be high, or maybe he couldn't use the money, but he had to try!
A wide selection of different money printing machines appeared before Paul. After some searching, he found one that caught his eye.
[Compressed Money Printing Machine]
[A money printing machine that is compressed to the smallest size but does not lose any efficiency. From the world 2120, invented by Jeramaier Ebendorf.]
[Info: The electricity consumption rate is 2000 watts per hour (Wh), the size is 1m × 1m × 1m]
[Quality: Common]
[Quantity: ∞]
[Cost: 100 SP]
[Buy] [Back]
This was it, the machine Paul wanted: small but effective. His next goal was 100 SP. He currently had 78 SP.
Before he could continue his quest for money, he needed to take care of the missing resources. It was now 1 AM, and his next target was the supermarkets. There was only one supermarket nearby, and it was a 10-minute drive away. He needed to go there and take as much food as possible.
"Eric, Arne, Max, and Justin, we need to get the food we will need. I suggest we go to the nearest store and take as much as we can."
"I'm in," "No problem," "Can we do that?"
"No one will care about laws when hell breaks loose tomorrow. We should take as much as we can and then come back," Paul said. He understood why the others had concerns but knew they wouldn't pose a threat.
"Eric, you and Arne take your parents' car. Max, Justin, and I will take mine. We need to take as much as possible."
Minutes later, the five of them drove towards the supermarket. Once there, they got out and broke a window of the store using axes Paul had bought through the system. All five axes cost only 5 SP, which Paul could afford.
Inside, an alarm started to sound, but the others didn't mind. They had expected it wouldn't be completely quiet. They took as much as they could carry: canned food, water, and so on. In the end, it was all free.
Paul, however, ran straight to the store's office, looking for the money the supermarket usually counted and stored after closing.
Once there, he turned the whole room upside down, searching for cash. And there it was, Paul's solution to his search: a 1-meter-high steel safe that could only be opened with a special key. Paul now faced a problem. He couldn't just blow up the safe; who knew what would happen to the entire building? No, he needed another way.
"The system is the solution, a magical key that can open any lock."
"System, shop, search, universal key."
Paul didn't have to search long before he found his solution.
[Universal Key]
[A key that can pick any lock.]
[Info: If the lock is magical, the key is useless.]
[Quality: Uncommon]
[Quantity: ∞] [Cost: 50 SP]
[Buy] [Back]
Paul now had to take a risk. 50 SP was not a small amount, and what if the key didn't work or the safe was empty?
Paul didn't spend much time thinking about it. Even if the safe was empty, he would still have the key and enough opportunities to regain his points. He could also exchange items from his inventory for SP in the [Exchange].
Paul bought the key and inserted it into the lock. He turned it, and it clicked once. Then he pulled the lever of the safe and opened it.
In front of him, the contents of the safe were revealed. There were four shelves; the top two were filled with sacks, while the bottom two were empty.
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6," Paul counted six sacks full of money. The contents varied; some sacks were labeled 500€, while others were labeled 1000€.
"Store," Paul said, storing all the sacks, and then made his way to the supermarket exit, where he met the others.
The others were loaded with food and items like clothing and tools. They took everything important they could carry.
The whole operation took just 10 minutes. They loaded the items into the car and headed back to the shelter.
Once home, the food was safely stored in a dry chamber to keep it fresh for as long as possible.
The others seemed tired and exhausted. The day had probably been too strenuous, and it was already late to be precisely half past one.
"Go to sleep. I can handle the rest alone, and tomorrow won't be any more relaxing, so you better rest," Paul said.
With 10 of Paul's remaining 23 SP, he ensured that each family had a large tent, as well as mattresses, blankets, and pillows. But tonight they still had to sleep sleep in the house, because of the Rain.
Paul decided not to sleep yet. First, because Thore and Hannes hadn't returned, and second, because he couldn't afford to waste any time.