Chapter 396: New Item

"What problem?" Maris asked.

Mila pointed toward the large cooking area.

"We don’t have enough ovens."

Maris blinked.

"What?"

"We can prepare twenty chickens, but roasting all of them is another matter."

Mila gestured toward the kitchen.

"The shelter’s cooking equipment was originally set up for our existing population. We have enough pots, pans, and stoves to prepare ordinary meals, but roasting twenty whole chickens at once would take much longer than you think."

Maris looked toward the single large oven.

It suddenly seemed much smaller than before.

"Can’t we just roast them in batches?"

"We can."

Mila sighed.

"But then the first batch will be finished long before the last one. By the time everything is ready, Kai and the new survivors might already be starving."

Maris couldn’t help but laugh.

"Of all the problems we could have tonight, we ran out of ovens."

Mila looked completely serious.

"And considering how much Kai likes giving people ridiculous amounts of food, I have a feeling this won’t be the last time."

Maris was about to respond when she suddenly remembered something.

"Kai’s Gift Packs."

Mila’s eyes widened slightly.

"Do you think he has something that can help?"

Maris smiled.

"With Kai? There’s a good chance. We should ask Sera about it..."

Sera was one of the trusted people guarding the vault where Kai’s Gift Packs were stored. If they informed her of their predicament, they were sure that she’d be willing to assist them.

However, before either of them could say anything else, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the kitchen.

Someone was running toward them.

"Everyone!"

She turned around.

A messenger rushed into the kitchen, breathing heavily.

"We found a Gene Trader!"

Maris’s expression immediately changed.

"A Gene Trader?"

"Yes! One of the patrol groups discovered him nearby. He’s not too far from the outer checkpoint! If you have Survivor Medals, you can visit it and trade something!"

Mila looked at Maris.

Maris looked back at her.

The kitchen problem was suddenly forgotten.

A Gene Trader had appeared near the shelter at almost exactly the same time Kai was returning with fifty-eight rescued survivors.

That was far more interesting than twenty chickens.

"Nice! I have 15 Survivor Medals here! I want another batch of Alpha Gene Enhancement Serum!"

"Me too..."

"Not everyone can go! Just let a couple of people purchase what you want!"

Just like that, Maris immediately left the area as she took out her 15 Survivor Medals!

***

Maris soon followed several other survivors from the Codebreakers Shelter as they made their way toward the location where the Gene Trader had been discovered.

The patrol that found the mysterious merchant had marked the route carefully, and it did not take long before Maris and the others reached the outskirts of the area.

An abandoned building stood ahead of them.

Most of its windows had been shattered, and weeds had already grown through cracks in the walls. The surrounding streets were eerily quiet, with only the occasional sound of wind passing through the ruins.

However, there was something strange about the area.

Several people had gathered around the building, but none of the ordinary residents of this world were approaching it.

Well, the Gene Trader’s unique nature made it impossible for native survivors to freely approach him.

Whenever a native resident came too close, mutated creatures would eventually be attracted to the area.

Because of this, only Foreign Survivors were allowed to approach the Gene Trader safely.

People who had come from Earth and been brought into this world by the System could enter without triggering the same reaction.

Maris was one of them.

She looked around and quickly recognized several familiar faces from the Codebreakers Shelter.

Wallace was standing near the entrance, discussing something with Victor.

Ralph was nearby, carefully counting the Survivor Medals in his hand, while Aurora and Elena were already looking through the available items displayed by the Gene Trader.

"So you’re thinking about buying the Alpha Gene Enhancement Serum too?" Victor asked.

Wallace nodded.

"Of course. Four Survivor Medals for something that can improve our physique and potentially awaken a Gene Skill is worth it."

"I agree," Ralph said. "But I’m actually considering the Gene Skill Crystal. If I get lucky, I might awaken something useful."

"How many medals do you have?" Aurora asked.

"Twenty-three."

"Then don’t waste them all," Elena immediately warned him. "The Gene Trader might have something even better later."

Ralph scratched his head.

"That’s exactly why I’m having trouble deciding."

Maris smiled faintly as she approached them.

"You all got here quickly."

Everyone turned toward her.

"Maris."

"You’re here too?"

"Did you bring your Survivor Medals?"

Maris nodded.

"Fifteen."

"I have the same amount," Wallace said. "I’m planning to buy three Alpha Gene Enhancement Serums."

"Me too," Maris replied. "I came here for the same reason."

The group continued discussing their choices while several other Foreign Survivors entered the abandoned building one after another.

Inside, the atmosphere was completely different from the outside.

The building was dark, with most of the sunlight blocked by pieces of cloth and broken wooden boards covering the windows.

At the center of the room sat a mysterious cloaked figure.

His face remained hidden beneath the hood, and several strange items were placed around him.

The moment Maris stepped closer, a familiar System interface appeared before her.

[ Gene Trader’s Store ]

[ Survivor Medal Items ]

Various items appeared on the display, and Maris immediately recognized many of them.

Alpha Gene Enhancement Serum.

Prime Gene Enhancement Serum.

Super Gene Enhancement Serum.

Gene Stabilization Pills.

Gene Skill Crystals.

Status Crystals.

Limb Reconstruction Capsules.

There were even several weapons and strange pieces of equipment.

Maris looked through the list carefully.

She had already decided what she wanted.

Three Alpha Gene Enhancement Serums.

That would cost her exactly twelve Survivor Medals, leaving her with three.

It was a simple choice.

The Alpha Gene Enhancement Serum had already proven itself valuable to the shelter, and with the number of survivors they had, strengthening more people could make a significant difference.

While Maris was preparing to make her purchase, she suddenly heard a surprised voice from deeper inside the building.

"Wait!"

Everyone turned toward the sound.

"What?"

"Did you see this?"

"What’s wrong?"

The voice came from one of the survivors standing closest to the Gene Trader.

The man stared at the System interface in disbelief.

"There is a new item!"