Chương 46: Two Rewards

Meanwhile, Jack slowly opened his eyes inside the convenience store. The lights overhead were painfully bright. He squinted and lay still for a moment until his head cleared. He tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his chest.

"Hiss…" Cass had been keeping an eye on the store. As soon as he saw Jack move, he shouted, "Susan! Jack's awake!" Susan was still tending to Mort's wound and couldn't step away, so she asked Ray to check on Jack first. Ray nodded and hurried inside. When she reached the folding cot, Jack was already trying to push himself up. She quickly went over and helped steady him.

"Don't move. Susan just finished treating your wounds." Once Jack was sitting up, he asked weakly, "How bad is it?"

"You have several claw wounds across your chest. One of them is pretty deep, but nothing vital was damaged," Ray said.

"Susan cleaned and disinfected them. As long as they don't get infected, you should be fine." Relieved to hear that the wounds weren't fatal, Jack finally let out a breath. A short while later, Susan finished tending to Mort and came back inside. She checked Jack's condition, then said, "Try not to move around too much for the next few days. And don't force yourself up like that again. If the wound reopens, it'll be a real problem." Jack nodded obediently.

"Got it."

"And if anything feels wrong, tell me right away," Susan added. Jack nodded again. Only then did he notice that Susan's and Ray's clothes were covered in blood. There were dried bloodstains on their hands as well. Jack felt a little guilty.

"Why don't you two go wash up and change?" Susan and Ray looked down at themselves. They had been so busy treating Jack that neither of them had paid attention to the blood on their clothes.

"There should be some clothes in the bedroom upstairs," Jack added.

"Ray, could you find something for both of you to wear?" Ray looked at Susan. When Susan didn't object, she turned and headed upstairs. She returned a little later with two sets of clean clothes. Before leaving with Ray, Susan reminded Jack once more not to move around. Once they were gone, Jack reached out to the system in his mind.

"LOSS."

"What?"

"Didn't you promise me a submachine gun and a thousand rounds of ammunition?"

"I did. They're already under the bed upstairs." Jack's mood immediately improved. Even the wounds on his chest seemed to hurt a little less.

"LOSS, you kept your word. Not bad."

"Of course. I always keep my promises," the system replied, sounding pleased with itself. Then it added, "Human, you still have two unclaimed mission rewards." Jack paused.

"Two?" He remembered that he still hadn't claimed the reward from the hidden mission. But where had the second one come from?

"Why are there two? I thought I only had one left." The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"The emergency mission to eliminate the threat of the Crag Lynx has been completed. Its reward remains unclaimed." Jack frowned.

"Weren't the submachine gun and ammunition the reward?" The system answered with obvious disdain.

"Those were an additional reward from me. They had nothing to do with the mission reward." Jack's eyes lit up.

"You gave me a bonus?"

"This was a one-time exception. Do not expect another." Jack had been about to ask if there would be more bonuses in the future, but the system answered before he could say anything. It had clearly guessed what he was thinking. Jack pursed his lips.

"Stingy." The system: "…" Since the system refused to respond, Jack let the matter drop and turned his attention to the two rewards. After learning about the conditions at Cass's settlement, he had planned to use his remaining reward on tents, giving everyone a proper place to sleep. Now that he had a second reward, he could take care of their food needs as well. So far, potatoes and canned beef were the only foods he had in unlimited supply.

Potatoes could fill their stomachs, but they couldn't eat them at every meal. He needed another staple food that was easy to prepare. Jack thought about the food stocked in the store. Bread, pasta, rice… It didn't take him long to decide.

"LOSS, I want to claim both rewards." The system responded at once.

"Basic supply permissions have partially unlocked."

"You may choose two existing resources and convert them into unlimited supplies."

"Outdoor tents and packaged bread," Jack said. Rice and pasta both needed to be cooked. Bread could be eaten straight from the package. It could also be paired with canned beef to make simple sandwiches. It was convenient and filling.

"Selected resource: outdoor tents. Confirm?"

"Confirm." The next second, another identical tent package appeared beside the one in the storeroom.

"Selected resource: packaged bread. Confirm?"

"Confirm." Another identical package of bread appeared on the shelf. Jack suddenly grinned.

"That means every model and size of tent is now available in unlimited quantities, right?" Before the system could answer, Jack added, "And bread too. Every kind of bread already in the store counts, right?" The system fell silent. Only then did it seem to realize that Jack had chosen two entire categories—tents and bread—instead of one specific product from each. Several seconds passed before it reluctantly answered.

"Yes." Jack burst out laughing. The sound drew Vane into the store.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, nothing." Jack couldn't stop grinning.

"I'm just in a good mood all of a sudden." Vane rolled his eyes.

"You're acting weird." He turned to leave, but Jack quickly stopped him.

"Wait. Go to the storeroom and bring out the canopies. Find a place to set them up." Jack thought for a moment, then added, "Try to cover as much ground as possible. We'll need plenty of shade before we start putting up the tents." Vane nodded and went to the storeroom. He soon carried several large canopy packages outside. He unpacked one and tried to set it up, but it was far too large for one person to handle. He turned toward Mort.

"Mort, give me a hand with this." Mort immediately put down what he was holding and went over to help. When Susan and Ray returned after washing up, they saw the two struggling with the canopy and joined them. It took the four of them quite a while to connect the canopies and secure them in front of the store. Once the last rope was pulled tight, a large patch of shade covered the ground. There was finally a sheltered area in front of the convenience store where everyone could gather.

By the time they finished, it was already afternoon. Jack's stomach suddenly growled. He was about to get something to eat, but the moment he tried to move, pain spread across his chest. He had no choice but to call outside.

"Ray, could you come in for a second?" Ray soon appeared in the doorway.

"What do you need?" Jack looked a little embarrassed.

"I'm hungry, but I can't get up right now. Could you bring me some bread and a can of beef?" Then he added, "Get some for everyone else too. There's no need to ration it. Take as much as everyone can eat." Ray nodded.

"Thank you, Jack." Ray soon returned with bread and canned beef for Jack, then took more food outside and shared it with everyone beneath the canopies. Mort carefully took a bite of the bread. The bread was soft, and the beef was rich and savory. He had never tasted anything like it before. He paused, then took a much bigger bite. It didn't take him long to finish both the bread and the beef. Mort looked toward the convenience store. The decision he had made became even firmer.

Meanwhile, Elias and Reed returned to the settlement. Marg came out of the shack and frowned when she saw them.

"Why are there only two of you? Where's Vane?" Elias didn't answer her question. Instead, he turned to everyone in the settlement.

"There's something I need to tell all of you. I've decided to move the settlement to Jack's place." Everyone fell silent. Marg hadn't expected him to return with such news.

"Why so suddenly?" Elias explained Jack's offer. Marg thought about it for a moment, then nodded. She understood better than anyone how vulnerable the settlement was. If they stayed, they would only be waiting for the next threat to find them. Marg and Thomas agreed to the move, and Reed had no objections either. There was no need to ask Ava. Wherever Vane went, she would go with him. The other members of the settlement, however, remained silent.

They had grown used to living there and didn't want to move somewhere unfamiliar. Elias didn't pressure them.

"We've lived together for a long time. If any of you run into trouble, you can come to the convenience store and find us." They nodded but said nothing. Elias turned to Marg and Thomas.

"Pack everything we need today. We leave tomorrow morning." The settlement quickly became busy. Ava stood near the entrance with her few belongings in her arms. From time to time, she looked in the direction Vane had gone. The temporary settlement had sheltered them for a long time. Tomorrow, some of them would leave it behind.