The road home felt ten thousand times longer than the way out.
Every step on the rubble felt like walking on knives. The aftereffects of the lightning strike kicked in fully. My muscles twitched uncontrollably, like tiny electric eels dancing in my nerves. The sensation was indescribable.
Shadow wasn't doing much better. Despite his mutant recovery, the Wind Cannon plus tanking the Tyrant had drained him. Tail dragging, panting three times for every step. The arrogant pride was gone.
"Are we there yet..." Shadow's tongue lolled out. "If we don't get there, I'm going to starve to death on the road."
"Almost... around that bend..."
I gritted my teeth, using the wall for support, shuffling like a geriatric patient. The burning hot C-Rank core in my chest pocket was the only thing keeping me moving.
Finally, the familiar underground garage entrance appeared.
Looking at the blast door we repaired ourselves, I almost cried.
Home.
In this man-eating world, the only place we could close our eyes.
"Open..."
I pressed my hand on the panel.
Beep!
Green light. Hydraulic hiss. The heavy door slid open.
Air smelling of motor oil and disinfectant hit us. It smelled like safety.
We rolled into the control room. SLAM. Locked it.
Silence.
I slid down the door to the floor. Didn't want to move a finger.
"Alive... feels good."
I took out the C-Rank core. Under the bright lights, it was mesmerizing. Crystal clear, with a miniature lightning bolt sealed inside.
"That thing is worth 500 Energy." Shadow lay nearby, eyes glued to it. "Plus what we earned killing zombies and the quest reward... we're rich."
"Yeah. Rich."
I grinned. It hurt my face. "But first, food. I'm starving."
"Me too." Shadow said weakly. "But I don't want biscuits. I want meat."
"Me too."
I remembered the [Territory Expansion] quest mentioned a "Storage Area".
Sector C-03 was a military shelter. It couldn't just have guns. It had to have supplies.
"Shadow, where's the warehouse?"
"B3." Shadow pointed at the floor. "Entrance is behind the control room, but..."
"But what?"
"Locked." Shadow said. "Needs independent power. And the control circuit smelled burnt earlier."
"Burnt?"
I struggled up. "Let's look."
We went to a heavy metal door behind the console. Labeled [Strategic Reserve Storage (Class A)]. Keypad lock and an external power slot.
Indicator light was dead.
System prompt: [Storage Access Malfunction Detected.] [Cause: Short circuit. Backup battery destroyed.] [Repair Required: Replace fuse, rewire, provide startup voltage.]
"Fixing circuits again..."
I laughed bitterly. Buying that Basic Electrical Repair book was the best investment of my life. Destined to be an electrician.
"Can you fix it?" Shadow asked.
"Yeah." I rolled up my sleeve, revealing the lightning scars. "Don't forget, I'm carrying current now."
I unscrewed the panel.
Wiring was a mess. Fuse blown.
Ignoring the numbness in my fingers, I stripped the burnt insulation, twisted the copper wires together. No fuse, so I used a piece of copper wire to bridge it.
"Wired."
I wiped sweat from my forehead. "Just need juice."
Usually needs a battery. But now...
I looked at my hand. Took a deep breath.
"Shadow, back up. Testing the new skill."
"You sure?" Shadow eyed me skeptically. "Don't blow yourself up."
"Relax."
I placed my right hand on the two contact points.
Closed my eyes. Felt the residual current swimming in my meridians.
"Come out..."
I guided the numbing energy to my palm.
Zzz-zap!
Blue arcs danced on my fingertips.
"HA!"
I pushed the current.
SNAP!
A bright spark. The indicator light turned from red to green instantly.
Beep—Authority Confirmed. Opening Storage.
Hiss... Pressure release sound. The door, sealed for who knows how long, slid open.
Dry, stale air rushed out.
We held our breath, shining flashlights inside.
Beam swept the room.
First thing we saw: rows of neat metal shelves.
Shelves stacked with green wooden crates.
I pried open the nearest one.
Crack.
Lid off.
Inside... rows and rows of canned Spam!
"MEAT!!!"
Shadow howled like a wolf and pounced.
My hands shook. Not a few cans. A whole crate! And looking at the shelves... dozens of crates!
This wasn't a warehouse. This was a granary!
"Jackpot! We hit the jackpot!"
I opened the second crate. Compressed biscuits.
Third. Medical kits.
Fourth...
"What is this?"
Deepest part of the room. A standalone safe fixed to the wall. Looked fancy.
"Good stuff?"
Shadow trotted over with an unopened can of meat in his mouth. "Smells like... metal. Heavy."
I pried the lock with the Tang Dao.
Creak—
Door open.
Golden light blinded my dog eyes (and Shadow's dog eyes).
"Holy..."
The sword clattered to the floor. Shadow dropped his can on his foot. Didn't react.
Inside the safe... not guns, not meds.
Gold.
Standard 1kg gold bars. Stacked like bricks. At least twenty of them!
Next to the bars, velvet boxes. Diamond necklaces, jade bracelets, ruby rings... glittering luxuriously.
"This... the shelter's reserve fund?"
My voice trembled.
"Pre-apocalypse 'hard currency' stored by the rich or officials," Shadow calmed down fast. He didn't care about gold, but he knew its value. "They thought gold would save them. They died. Money stayed."
Twenty kilos of gold.
Current market price in Reality...
I calculated fast. 400+ per gram. 400k per kilo. 20 kilos...
Eight million?!
Plus the jewelry...
Multi-millionaire?!
I couldn't breathe. Legs gave out. Sat on the floor clutching a gold bar. Cold touch confirmed it wasn't a dream.
"Haha... Hahahahaha!"
I laughed like a maniac. Tears streaming down.
Yesterday I was stressing about rent. Crying over takeout prices. Today, I'm sitting on a mountain of gold.
Is this fate? Is this the wealth you buy with your life?
"Stop laughing. Sounds awful."
Shadow looked at me with disdain. Pawed the jewelry. "Can you eat these shiny rocks?"
"Can't eat them." I wiped my eyes. Eyes shining scary bright. "But they can buy infinite meat! Infinite gear! We can live like Kings in this apocalypse!"
I stood up. Stuffed the gold and jewelry into System Space.
"Shadow, get ready."
"For what?"
"Going home."
I patted my bulging pocket.
"We're going back to Reality. This time, I'm going to make everyone who looked down on me open their eyes wide!"
"And..." I smiled brilliantly at Shadow. "I'm buying you a feast. Real, fresh-cooked feast!"
"Deal." Shadow's tail wagged like a propeller.
We exited the warehouse. Locked up.
Back in the control room. System Panel.
[System Energy: 680 (Kills + Quests + Core Value Estimate)] [Return Cost: 100]
"System, open Return Channel!"
[Confirm Return.] [Destination: Reality · Skyhaven City Rental.]
The familiar blue pillar descended.
No fear. No confusion.
I looked at my shelter. My gold. My pride surged.
Apocalypse, I'll be back. But now, time to enjoy the fruits of victory in the real world.
"Let's go!"
Flash of light. Man and dog vanished.
Leaving only the locked vault door in the dark, silently guarding the remaining secrets.