Chương 18: An Unexpected Windfall

Before Jack could ask, the system continued.

"Special equipment detected: Micro-Class Autonomous Terrain Excavation Unit, Civilian Edition."

"This unit supports remote operation. The actual biting force of its digging arm is far higher than its appearance suggests. It can cut into the hardened reddish-brown surface in this area. The crawler tracks provide strong traction and can handle loose sand and low-angle slopes."

"The bucket supports basic fixed-point digging and trenching along a set line. Estimated runtime on a full charge: eight hours. Estimated charging time: four hours."

"Old World usage classification: children's electric construction toy." Jack: "..." Children's toy? You called something that could cut through hardened ground a children's toy? Jack lowered his head and looked at the little yellow excavator on the floor. Slowly, the look in his eyes changed. To Cass and the others, this thing might just be a toy left behind by the Old World. But to him, it was completely different. Not having to stand outside in that heat and dig with a shovel was already worth it.

And that was not even counting what he could do with it later if he needed to clear the ground around the convenience store or plant something. The more he thought about it, the more uses started popping up in his head. The pit outside was still a mess. The Dustchucks had dug it fast, but they had not exactly made it neat. The sides were uneven, the bottom was rough, and if he really wanted it to hold water later, he would have to reshape it properly. Doing that by hand sounded like torture.

But with this little excavator, things were different. He could smooth out the slope around the pit. He could dig shallow channels around the store so water did not just sit wherever it landed. If he ever built a shade structure outside, he would need holes for the posts too. Even planting potatoes would be easier if he did not have to stab at the hardened ground with a shovel one hole at a time. Sure, it looked ridiculous.

A bright yellow child-sized toy with crawler tracks and a tiny seat did not exactly scream "wasteland survival equipment." But if it could actually cut into the ground here, then Jack did not care what the Old World had called it. Toy or not, this thing could save him hours of work. More importantly, it could let him work outside without actually being outside. That alone made it valuable. Then one thought pushed itself to the front. Potatoes. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Jack's eyes lit up. He could plant potatoes! When the time came, he could stay inside with the air conditioning on and let the excavator dig holes outside. Wasn't that much better than standing under the sun with a shovel and scraping at the ground himself? The idea made Jack more excited by the second. Cass, Reed, and Vane stood beside him, confused by the way his expression kept shifting. Wasn't it just a toy? Did he really need to be that happy? Cass asked carefully, "So… can it be traded?"

Jack snapped back to himself and immediately said, "Yes. Of course." Cass froze for a second at his reaction, but Jack was already smiling.

"What do you want for it?" Cass quickly looked toward Vane. Vane was silent for a moment before saying, "Water. Food. And… anti-inflammatory medicine." Cass and Reed nodded along.

"Sure," Jack said without hesitation.

"How much do you need?" This time, the three of them were the ones who got stuck. They had only come here hoping the thing might be worth something. If Jack was willing to trade for even a small amount of supplies, that would already be more than enough. None of them had dared to expect much on the way here. Cass hesitated, then said carefully, "Five loaves of bread, two large bottles of water, and one box of anti-inflammatory medicine. Do you think… that would be okay?" Jack frowned. Cass's stomach dropped.

Too much. He knew it. Even they did not think this thing was worth that much. And Jack had everything here. Why would he be willing to trade so many supplies for an old toy? Cass quickly changed his words.

"Then three loaves of bread, one bottle of water, and one box of anti-inflammatory medicine would also be fine." After saying that, he looked at Jack nervously. Vane also fell silent. Reed stood to the side, his expression clearly uneasy. But Jack's frown only deepened. Their hopes sank. Cass opened his mouth, ready to say they could forget the trade if it was too much, but Jack spoke first.

"That's too little." Cass froze.

"Huh?" Jack looked at them.

"Forget what this thing is worth for a second. Three loaves of bread and one bottle of water? How many people is that supposed to feed?" Cass, Reed, and Vane just stared at him. Jack gave it a moment of thought.

"How about this? I don't have that much bread, so I'll give you two loaves first. On top of that, twenty potatoes, ten bottles of water, and one box of anti-inflammatory medicine." He paused, then added, "And one bag of salt." The store fell silent. Cass's eyes widened. Vane also raised his head. Reed even stammered.

"B-but this thing is just a toy. And it needs to be charged. How can it be worth that much?" Jack only smiled.

"That's not how this works." He patted the little excavator.

"To you, maybe it's just a toy. Something awkward to keep around because you have no real use for it. But for me, it's different." His smile widened a little.

"So if I say it's worth that much, then it's worth that much." Cass still looked unsure. Jack waved it off.

"Just take it. And if you find anything similar in the future, bring it over. As long as I can use it, I'll make sure you get a fair deal." With that, he turned around to get the supplies. Cass, Reed, and Vane exchanged blank looks. They had expected a small trade at best. A little water. Some food, if they were lucky. Instead, Jack had accepted the excavator without arguing and offered far more than any of them had dared to ask for. Cass was still trying to process it. Was this thing… really worth that much?

Jack came back with the supplies a short while later. Near the checkout counter, he noticed that none of the three were looking at what he had brought. They were all looking at his lunch. Cass, in particular, could not seem to take his eyes off the steak. His throat moved once, then again, and he did not even seem to realize it. Jack almost laughed. He patted Cass on the shoulder and handed him the supplies.

"Wait here." Cass looked up blankly.

"Huh?"

"I'll get three more servings," Jack said.

"We'll eat together." The three of them went still. Cass quickly raised his hands.

"No, no, that's not what we meant—" But Jack had already turned and started walking upstairs. Without looking back, he said, "Relax. It's on me." The three of them stood where they were. No one spoke. After a long while, Cass slowly turned his head and looked at Reed and Vane. It seemed they had finally realized something. The "toy" they had brought might really have opened a new path for the settlement. When they returned, they had to explain this clearly to Elias and the others.

Maybe, in Jack's eyes, many of the old things they had long since learned to ignore still had value.