Chapter 234: Cost Overrun

Gideon carefully read through the list of medicines and equipment Patrick had written down before folding the papers and slipping them into his pocket.

After excusing himself, he walked into the empty room beside the staff office. Once he confirmed no one was inside, he opened the Infinite Store.

Rows upon rows of medical equipment immediately appeared before his eyes.

MRI machines, CT scanners, laboratory analyzers, microscopes, PCR machines.

Along with countless medicines and laboratory supplies Patrick had requested.

Gideon immediately searched for the MRI machine before his attention was drawn toward another panel displayed in front of him.

His expression stiffened.

[PayLater Invoice]

Love Points Required: 500,000

Satisfaction Points Required: 50,000

"..."

His eyes slowly shifted downward.

[Current Love Points: 300,000]

"...Shit."

He rubbed his forehead.

Today was less than a month, yet he had already accumulated half a million Love Points in debt.

Of course, a considerable portion of those points came from purchasing military vehicles, heavy machinery, construction materials, electricity infrastructure, and countless other necessities for Cinders of Dusk.

The bill had simply accumulated so gradually that he hadn’t realized how absurd the total had become until now.

His remaining Love Points weren’t exactly insignificant either.

Most of them had been earned through killing aberrants, receiving rewards from his relationships, and selling the cores of the Devourer and the Wolf, two S-Rank aberrants he had hunted not long ago.

He could have sold even more.

The Devourer’s scales alone were worth a fortune, while the Wolf’s fangs and claws would fetch extraordinary prices inside the Infinite Store.

But he had never seriously considered doing that.

Those materials were far too valuable.

He could use them to develop stronger equipment, while the Artificer Guild would undoubtedly be able to forge exceptional armor and weapons from creatures of that caliber.

Selling them now would only solve a temporary financial problem.

Keeping them would strengthen Cinders of Dusk for years.

"I still have plenty of aberrant cores," Gideon muttered to himself. "The Barrier has been killing them every day, and Piggy has been storing everything in the warehouse."

The thought barely lasted a second before he shook his head.

Those resources belonged to Cinders of Dusk.

Piggy had already been buried beneath mountains of ledgers, taxation reports, and inventory records.

If he quietly emptied the warehouse for his own purchases, she would probably march into his office and strangle him herself.

He let out a quiet sigh. "It’s fine. There are still plenty of Grave Flowers left."

Getting rid of them might earn additional rewards from the system, and he had already planned another expedition into the Deliric Desert.

That place was practically an S-Rank aberrant breeding ground. Finding another target wouldn’t be particularly difficult.

With his mind made up, Gideon stopped worrying about the numbers and began purchasing everything Patrick had requested.

One after another, large wooden crates materialized inside the room.

Boxes filled with antiparasitic medication.

Broad-spectrum antifungal drugs.

Laboratory reagents.

Disposable testing kits.

Protective equipment.

The MRI machine occupied nearly half the room by itself, followed by several smaller diagnostic devices and laboratory instruments.

By the time he finished, only a narrow path remained between the towering stacks of supplies.

Thankfully, the Infinite Store’s medical discount had reduced the overall cost considerably.

Even so...

"...Fifty thousand Love Points is still painful."

He looked around the cramped room before scratching his cheek.

"I think Patrick’s going to need another tent."

The moment the words left his mouth, the door opened.

Patrick stepped inside first before stopping at the sight of the room.

His eyes widened behind his glasses. "Impressive."

Jade entered a second later and immediately understood why.

Medical supplies were stacked from floor to ceiling, leaving barely enough room for three people to stand comfortably.

She couldn’t help letting out a small laugh.

"I think another tent won’t be enough."

She walked between the crates before looking back at Gideon.

"I’ll ask Greg to construct a temporary building instead. It’ll be sturdier than canvas, and we can install proper electrical wiring without worrying about the weather."

She continued, "If Patrick’s team is going to stay here for a while, they might as well have a proper laboratory."

Patrick nodded in agreement. "That would certainly make our work much easier."

Jade turned toward Gideon and smiled. "Don’t worry about everything here. This is still my territory."

She lightly crossed her arms. "I’ll take responsibility for the laboratory, the containment camp, and Patrick’s team’s security. You should head back to Cinders of Dusk before sunset. Traveling through the White Death at night isn’t exactly something I’d recommend."

Gideon let out a relieved sigh. "I honestly forgot about you being the Pathmadre."

Jade raised an eyebrow. "You forgot?"

She walked over before placing a hand on his shoulder, giving it an exaggerated squeeze.

"Then I suppose I’ll just have to make myself more memorable."

Gideon chuckled. "I think your grip is memorable enough."

Patrick watched the exchange with an amused smile before returning to the matter at hand.

"I’ll remain here tonight and begin organizing all of this. If possible, I’d like to examine the controller myself once I arrive at Cinders of Dusk tomorrow."

Gideon nodded. "That’s fine. I’ll wait for you before conducting any major interrogation."

"The first priority is making sure he’s completely contained. I don’t want him interacting with anyone until we’ve learned more about how this parasite works."

"I agree."

Patrick adjusted his glasses. "Fortunately, the personnel in Cinders of Dusk are remarkably disciplined. I noticed they follow procedures almost mechanically. The controller will have a much harder time manipulating people there than he would here."

Gideon smiled faintly.

Patrick wasn’t wrong. The armed personnel stationed inside Cinders of Dusk were system soldiers.

In a sense...

They really were no different from puppets and for the first time, Gideon found himself genuinely grateful for it.

He was finally able to ride his vehicle. The sky that usually turned orange was now locked beneath a permanent blanket of dull gray clouds, making it impossible to tell how much daylight remained.

It didn’t matter.

He intended to hunt before returning to Cinders of Dusk, and Percy had already found the perfect target while surveying the surrounding terrain from the defense tower.

The canyon rose like a frozen scar through the White Death. Towering cliffs stretched hundreds of meters into the sky, their walls coated with patches of white lichen that blended almost seamlessly with the snow. At first glance, the cliff appeared lifeless.

Until Gideon looked closer. Dozens of circular tunnels riddled the canyon wall.

Some were barely large enough for a person to crawl through. Others were wide enough to swallow a truck.

"They drilled all of these..."

The hornets hadn’t built a hanging nest like ordinary insects. Instead, they had hollowed out the canyon itself, transforming solid stone into an enormous underground fortress.

He parked his vehicle several hundred meters away before retrieving his shotgun and slinging it over his shoulder. The unbreakable sword rested against his back while several blocks of C4 hung from his tactical vest.

His gaze slowly climbed toward the highest tunnel.

"No point being subtle."

Heat gathered inside his palm.

A sphere of crimson fire rapidly expanded before he thrust his hand forward.

The fireball streaked across the snowy canyon and exploded against the tunnel entrance.

Boom!

The stone shattered. A deafening screech echoed throughout the canyon.

The entire cliff suddenly came alive. Hundreds of hornets burst from the tunnels.

Each was nearly as tall as Gideon, their translucent bodies revealing faintly glowing organs beneath white exoskeletons covered in patches of pale green lichen.

Thin mistletoe vines wrapped around their abdomens and legs, blooming with clusters of white berries that pulsed faintly with aberrant energy.

The first hornet descended almost silently.

It was the scout, based on Percy’s explanation, they were the group that explored to find the bee colony and mark them with pheromones.

Its wings barely produced any sound. Its nearly transparent body disappeared against the falling snow, leaving only its pale blue eyes visible.

A crack echoed through the canyon.

Bang.

He shot once, the scout’s head exploded before it reached him.

"Easy peasy." He thought.

Its corpse tumbled into the snow.

Three more emerged immediately afterward. Gideon fired twice before putting down his gun and drawing his sword.

The first worker lunged with serrated forelegs strong enough to carve through stone.

His blade sliced through both arms before continuing into the hornet’s chest without slowing.

Green blood splattered across the snow.

Another worker attacked from behind. Mistletoe vines suddenly shot from its abdomen, twisting toward his legs.

Gideon ignited his free hand. The vines curled into ash before they could wrap around him.

He stepped forward and drove his sword upward through the creature’s neck.

The canyon erupted into chaos.

Workers poured from every tunnel while scouts circled high above, marking his position with strange clicking sounds.

"So that’s how they coordinate."

More scouts. He raised his rifle once more.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

Each shot removed another observer from the sky before they could retreat deeper into the canyon.

Without their scouts, the workers attacked recklessly.

Exactly what he wanted. Gideon reached for the C4 attached to his vest.

"If you’re going to build your nest inside a mountain..."

He armed the explosive before throwing it into one of the largest tunnels.

"then I’ll bury it with you."

The explosion thundered through the canyon.

Rock collapsed inward, crushing dozens of hornets beneath thousands of tons of stone.

Their furious screeches echoed from the depths.

"It would be great if the queen died with them." He murmured.