Since they had already formed a team, there was no need to hide anything.
Jack dumped all the food he had brought—two entire suitcases full—onto the table.Both Mike and Sakura were surprised when they saw the mountain of food."How come your suitcases are full of food?" Sakura asked as she leaned closer to inspect."Well, in an apocalypse, food is the most important thing, right? Unless you plan on living off gunpowder," Jack replied, half-jokingly."Heh, gunpowder isn't for eating, but it could help you feed me..." Sakura chuckled as she pulled out a gun and pointed it at the self-heating rice on the table. "Now, pass me that box.""..." Jack fell silent as he handed over the rice. He had forgotten that robbery was still a thing in this situation."By the way, don't you guys have any food?" Jack asked as he sprinkled some seasoning on the rice."I've got some compressed biscuits and water," Mike answered casually.Sakura didn't speak. She had only brought one small bag with her, and even if there was food in it, it was probably not enough for all three of them."Mike, are you a soldier?" Jack asked, trying to ease the conversation."Yeah," Mike nodded, with no intention of hiding it."So, what brings you here?" Jack continued."..." Mike paused for a while, then slowly spoke. "This card was actually given to me by my father. He told me to come here, but didn't tell me anything else."Jack was silent for a moment. If this was true, it meant his father had left him with the last hope of humanity."What about you, Sakura?" Jack asked, looking at her."Have you ever heard the saying?" Sakura replied cryptically."What saying?""Heroes don't ask about each other's origins. Before you start asking us, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" Sakura shot back.Jack scratched his head awkwardly. "I'm just an ordinary guy. I make money by writing programs. Nothing special…""Didn't expect my little brother to be a programmer..." Sakura laughed."Then what about you, Sakura?""Well, I'm just an ordinary person too. I like to wander around places," she said with a casual shrug."Ordinary person?" Jack thought to himself. "What kind of 'ordinary' person carries a gun around? Or plays with a knife like it's a toy?"Before he could continue, Mike spoke up coldly from the side."She's an international mercenary. If I'm not mistaken, she's probably part of the Black Rose Organization.""Ah, didn't think the old man had such sharp eyes," Sakura laughed.Mike continued, "The Black Rose Organization is known for assassination, and the rose tattoo on her collarbone is their mark. So, uh... be careful when you sleep."Jack froze for a second. "Wait... so she's a killer??" It all made sense now—why Mike had been so cautious around her.Despite the revelation, Jack tried to maintain his composure and said nonchalantly, "Don't scare me like that. I'll sleep just fine even if Sakura sleeps in my bed."Sakura's mischievous laugh sent a chill down his spine. He quickly realized his words had been a mistake. "Uh, I was just joking, Sakura. Don't take it seriously, haha. Really, don't take it seriously..."Sakura smirked. "Heh, talk big but no guts."Jack thought to himself, It's not that I don't have the guts, it's that I'd be lucky to even survive saying that..."By the way, Linglingyao, how many floors are there in the Tower of Dawn?" Jack seized the opportunity to change the subject.[There are five floors in total.]"So, what are the other floors for?" Mike asked.[Insufficient permissions.]"How do we increase our permissions?" Jack followed up.[Increase the team's level. The team level can be raised by completing team or individual tasks. Team levels range from 1 to 5. Level 1 allows up to 4 members, level 2 allows up to 5 members, level 3 allows up to 6 members, level 4 allows up to 7 members, and level 5 has no limit.]"Anything else we need to know about the rules here?" Mike asked.[Do not disrupt public order. Do not intentionally harm others.]"How do we earn survival points?" Jack quickly asked, now fully aware of how important these survival points were.Just then, a task list appeared on the screen.Task 1: Accumulate 8 hours of training to earn 10 survival points. (Automatically tracked when entering the training area with a magnetic card.)Task 2: Work in the Eco-Industrial Zone for 8 hours to earn 15 survival points.Jack thought about it. While training earned fewer points than working, training also provided personal benefits. He estimated that, if they trained for 8 hours a day, the three of them would earn 30 survival points daily.The only thing left uncertain was the cost of living in the Tower of Dawn. If a single meal cost 10 survival points, they wouldn't have much left after just one day.Jack considered the situation and said, "Looks like we'll have to eat sparingly. Let's start with the food we brought, but we'll need to save some high-calorie, long-lasting food just in case."He began sorting through all the food he had bought: chocolates, compressed biscuits, noodles, beef jerky, sausages, instant noodles, self-heating rice, canned meat, and water. These were all the supplies he had left."Alright, let's eat, then take some rest. Later, we can head to the training area to earn those survival points."With that, Jack flopped onto his bed, exhausted from the day. It didn't take long for him to fall into a deep sleep.Hours Later…In the main hall on the first floor, people continued to arrive. What began as nervousness soon gave way to astonishment and shock, and eventually, it turned to confusion—everyone was left wondering how to face the uncertain future.Jack slowly awoke from his sleep, blinking as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. His body jolted upright in the bed as he realized something was wrong.It took him a moment to remember that he was in the Tower of Dawn. But now, as he looked around, he realized he was completely alone. Mike and Sakura were gone. What's more, the food that had been on the table earlier was now missing!His heart skipped a beat. Had they abandoned him after taking the food? A sinking feeling spread through him as he berated himself for being so naïve.In this post-apocalyptic world, who could he trust? He had no real power, no wealth, just enough food for himself to survive a month. How could he expect others to act as his bodyguards?It seemed the only fool here was him.