The next morning, Thomas instinctively checked his messages. He closed his eyes and lay back down. Two seconds later, he bolted upright, reopening his inbox. His jaw dropped.
Ben had sent him over a hundred messages during the night. Mostly pictures, with a few captions thrown in. "Holy crap…what did this guy do last night?" Thomas muttered. "Why is he telling me the dealership refugees got wiped out?"
He scrolled back to his last message to Ben. Two hours later, the photo stream began. The first few seemed to depict Mad Dog's approach to the dealership. But why the stealth? And the sheer number of men seemed excessive.
Through Ben's photos and captions, Thomas pieced together the story: how Ben's first shot had disrupted Mad Dog's ambush, sparking a full-blown clash between the two refugee factions. The result? Caban, shielded by his men, escaped through the sewers. Mad Dog's forces, decimated, retreated to their base.
Thomas felt like he was dreaming. "This guy is a freaking genius!" he exclaimed. Whose lieutenant was this, anyway? He'd always thought Ben was capable, someone worth befriending. These past few days had confirmed his suspicions. But he never imagined Ben would pull off something this audacious. Instigating a conflict between nearly three hundred refugees? And succeeding?
Thomas could only offer one response: "Awesome!"
He immediately messaged Ben, expressing his astonishment. He figured Ben would be asleep after being up all night, but a reply came quickly.
[Ben Walker: Haha, Legend Smyth, awesome, right?]
[Thomas Smyth: Amazing! Any idea how many men Mad Dog brought and how many returned? Even a rough estimate would be helpful.]
As he sent the message, Thomas checked the virtual map of the Sparrow City Trading Center. His eyes widened. "Holy crap…"
The map, which had been swarming with red dots yesterday, now showed only forty or so, clustered on the twentieth floor, likely recovering or resting.
Ben, seeing Thomas's question, felt his suspicions confirmed. Legend Smyth's next move was definitely connected to these guys. Luckily, he'd anticipated the question and had already compiled the data.
[Ben Walker: Legend Smyth, the attackers brought roughly 90-110 men. Around 20-30 made it back alive. My numbers should be fairly accurate.]
[Ben Walker: The dealership had about 130-150 men. Maybe a dozen or twenty escaped.]
[Ben Walker: The dealership actually had the upper hand initially. They even had landmines! They caught the attackers completely off guard. If it weren't for a particularly powerful Cultist Priest on the attacking side, they wouldn't have broken.]
Thomas's eyes narrowed at the mention of the Cultist Priest.
[Thomas Smyth: Cultist Priest? I know about cultists, but what's a Priest?]
[Ben Walker: It's normal you wouldn't know, Legend Smyth. This is insider information, only shared with seed survivors in the base cities. Cultist Priests are cultists, but their abilities are magnitudes stronger. They lead the rituals. They're rare, but incredibly dangerous.]
Thomas immediately recalled the black dot he'd seen on the subway map a few nights ago. "So there are higher-ranking cultists," he thought. He'd suspected as much, so Ben's confirmation wasn't entirely surprising. Another detail, however, piqued his interest.
[Thomas Smyth: Seed survivor? What's that?]
[Ben Walker: Haha, no need for secrecy now. You know how the world basically lost the concept of nations after the apocalypse? The 100 Bronze Base Cities are each independent, trying to find a way to survive the Apocalypse Game. The "Seed Project" is a human survival plan developed by all 100 cities. I'm a seed survivor from Base City 99. We're specially trained and given access to information ordinary people don't have. We're basically combat survivalists bred for the Apocalypse Game.]
[Ben Walker: It costs a fortune to train a seed survivor, so the program can't be extended to everyone.]
[Ben Walker: Our mission is to use our knowledge and skills to become powerful if we're ever drafted into the game. We're supposed to survive as long as possible, like seeds taking root, to give Earth a better chance.]
Thomas was deeply impressed. This explained the source of the graphics card and Apocalypse Coin information. More importantly, it explained Ben's access to rare items and blueprints. Clearly, professionals had an edge. Come to think of it, Ben had provided the items that helped Thomas overcome several crucial hurdles. The Paralyzing Toxin. The Nourishing Mutton Stew recipe. As a seed survivor, Ben likely had more tricks up his sleeve than Thomas realized.
Ben's value in Thomas's eyes increased significantly. But Thomas wouldn't let it go to his head. Ben had his skills, and Thomas had his…cheat. He'd gotten this far through his own wits and his cheat. He wouldn't underestimate himself or anyone else.
His thoughts returned to Mad Dog. According to Ben, Mad Dog had suffered heavy losses. Thomas had a theory about Mad Dog's obsession with Caban. It almost certainly revolved around Stephen Chow, aka the Sparrow City mastermind's younger brother. His nephew had been killed under Mad Dog's watch, and now his brother too. If Thomas wasn't mistaken, Mad Dog had been responsible for Stephen's safety. With two family members dead on his watch, Mad Dog would face the mastermind's wrath upon his return. That explained Mad Dog's seemingly reckless actions. He had no other choice.
A smile crept across Thomas's face. Thanks to Ben, Mad Dog's planned ambush had been foiled. If it had succeeded, Caban's forces could have been crippled before they even reacted. It would have been a one-sided massacre, with minimal casualties for Mad Dog. Instead, both sides were weakened. Ben's single shot had changed the entire course of the battle. A true "golden shot."
And it had significantly reduced the risk of Thomas's planned operation tonight.
He contacted Ben again, sending him ten bowls of Nourishing Mutton Stew.
[Thomas Smyth: Thanks for your hard work, buddy. Eat up! Let me know when you're done!]
Ben stared at the ten bowls of stew, then grinned, understanding Thomas's gesture. He glanced at his hideout, overflowing with weapons, equipment, and ammunition – spoils of last night's battle. A haul he wouldn't have dreamed of before.
He rummaged through his inventory and sent Thomas a message.
[Ben Walker: Haha, thanks, Legend Smyth! Thanks to your tip, I made a killing last night. Even took down a cultist. This might be useful to you. Consider it a gift!]
A trade request followed.
Thomas accepted, studying the item description. His eyes lit up.
[Thomas Smyth: Nice! Thanks!]
He ended the conversation, a pleased expression on his face. He stowed the item away and turned to his tasks for the day. He planned to finish all his preparations by noon, rest in the afternoon, and be ready for tonight's operation at the Trading Center.
The temperature in his hideout had dropped further. He could see his breath. He shivered, ate a quick meal, and replenished the supplies consumed by the kitchen and bathroom last night. The lighting and ventilation had both reached level 3. He upgraded the hideout security. After filling the fireplace, he headed to the medical station.
Today's refresh was excellent: an Epinephrine Injector, a valuable high-tier medical supply. He carefully stored it away, then retrieved the medical and surgical kits he'd crafted, restocking them with basic supplies and setting new production queues. Thanks to the medical station's constant operation, he had a decent stockpile of high-tier medical supplies. This was mainly due to the station's level 3 perk: a 20% chance of producing an extra item. The odds were low, but with constant production, the extra items added up. And these were bonus high-tier supplies, not basic ones – a crucial difference.
Next, he checked the daily intel from the Intelligence Center.
[At 11:00 PM, the polar blizzard will reach peak intensity. However, fifteen minutes later, there will be a brief two-minute lull in the wind before the blizzard returns to maximum strength and then begins to weaken.]
Thomas frowned. This aligned with the weekly intel about the Calamity Relic, the Polar Snow Lotus, appearing at the blizzard's peak. But today's intel offered a crucial new piece of information: a two-minute window of calm at 11:15 PM, followed by the storm's gradual decline. This meant that surviving past tonight would essentially mean surviving 70% of the calamity!
Realization dawned. This was vital information. Today was the last day to effectively trade Nourishing Mutton Stew. Tomorrow, once the blizzard weakened, demand would plummet unless someone was truly on death's door.
"Damn it," he muttered.
He quickly listed the upgrade materials he needed for his hideout. He had to capitalize on the blizzard's peak intensity to acquire the remaining materials for upgrading the Intelligence Center to level 2, the generator to level 3, the hideout walls to level 2, and building the holographic barrier. Fortunately, he'd already gathered most of the materials. With a little effort, he should be able to get the rest today.
Once the Intelligence Center reached level 2, he could finally build the Refugee Loot Box, the blueprint for which he'd found alongside the Intelligence Center. He'd already gathered the materials. All he needed was the level 2 Intelligence Center. After witnessing the power of the Intelligence Center, he was practically drooling over the Refugee Loot Box.
He was so close.
He compiled a list of needed materials and posted it to the world channel, along with his entire stock of stew – around 120 bowls. He was still producing eight bowls per hour, so he should be able to keep up with demand. He was determined to trade for everything he needed, regardless of the price, as long as it wasn't outrageous.
[City - Thomas Smyth: "Image of Nourishing Mutton Stew" Folks, the temperature's dropping further today. Get your stew while you can! Limited supply. Today, I'm buying: low-tier medical supplies, low-tier food and drinks, chemical materials (nitric acid, sulfuric acid, etc.), confidential intel, graphics cards, Apocalypse Coins, rare items. DM me if you have any of these!]
Many survivors had been waiting for this. After yesterday's low-tier material purchases, everyone was curious about his targets today. They weren't disappointed. Many grinned, recognizing items they possessed. Especially the survivors in the mining districts. Several had found explosives workshops and collected chemical materials. These materials had been useless until now. The chance to trade them for the highly sought-after stew was a godsend.