Just then, Ethan cautiously moved toward his own door before slowly unlocking it. The rusty door creaked loudly as he pushed it open and stepped inside carefully, his gun raised and ready to fire at any second.

However, after scanning the entire room thoroughly, he froze.

"...There’s nothing here too."

It was only a single-story room with no upstairs or hidden corners where a monster could possibly hide. The place was completely empty except for old furniture covered in dust.

Ethan immediately stepped back outside.

"Fuck! We should help him!" Josh exclaimed urgently.

The others nodded without hesitation before rushing toward Darren’s door.

Just as they were about to unlock it....

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Loud gunshots suddenly erupted from inside the room, followed immediately by terrifying monster growls that echoed throughout the area.

The team instantly tightened their grips on their weapons.

Then....

Boom!

The door exploded apart violently.

Two horrifying monsters suddenly burst out from inside the room. Their bodies resembled gigantic snakes covered in black scales, while rows of razor-sharp teeth protruded from their mouths.

The creatures lunged toward the group the moment they emerged.

But the soldiers reacted instantly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Multiple bullets pierced through the monsters’ heads simultaneously, blowing them apart before the creatures could even reach them.

"...So easy?" Ethan said first, though his voice lacked confidence.

Despite his words, he quickly swallowed hard and covered his nose with his sleeve as the unbearable stench of decaying monster blood filled the air.

Everyone knew how toxic monster blood could become once exposed for too long.

The others also instinctively stepped back slightly.

Then suddenly...

Footsteps echoed from inside the destroyed room.

Darren casually walked out moments later, completely covered in monster blood from head to toe.

His expression remained calm as though he had merely finished taking out ordinary pests rather than high-level monsters.

Without saying a word, he immediately pulled off his soaked shirt before walking toward a nearby well located directly in front of the five houses.

Ethan stared at him with raised eyebrows.

"Is that water even clean?" he asked skeptically.

Then realization suddenly crossed his face.

"Oh... right. You can purify it with your powers."

Darren ignored the comment entirely.

Stretching his hand toward the well, he activated his ability. Water immediately rose upward from the depths of the well before floating in the air like a giant sphere.

The dirty water gradually became crystal clear under his purification ability.

Soon afterward, Darren flicked his fingers lightly, causing the water to spread above him before falling like rain.

Or more accurately....like a personal shower.

The water continuously poured over his body, washing away the thick layers of monster blood stuck to his skin and hair.

Then, without the slightest embarrassment, Darren reached down and pulled off his trousers as well.

"Oh, come on, man!" Nathan shouted immediately.

"Have some dignity!" Ant added loudly.

The rest of the team instantly turned their gazes away in unison while groaning in annoyance.

Yet Darren remained completely unbothered.

He simply continued bathing peacefully under the floating shower as though he were alone.

After finally finishing, he walked toward one of the houses and returned moments later wearing a clean black shirt and dark trousers he had found inside.

The new outfit fit him surprisingly well.

Meanwhile, he handed over his now washed military uniform to Ant, who used his fire-control ability to dry it within seconds.

However, instead of changing back into it, Darren glanced down at his new clothes before shrugging lightly.

"Yeah... I’m keeping this one," he muttered casually.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Of course you are."

With the monsters eliminated and the mission completed successfully, the group finally prepared to leave the area.

However, just as they began walking away, Ethan suddenly froze mid-step.

"Wait..."

Everyone turned toward him.

Not far away stood a large truck parked beside a damaged wall.

The back boot had been left wide open, revealing stacks upon stacks of supplies inside.

Ethan’s eyes widened instantly.

"No way..." he breathed out before rushing toward it excitedly. "This is awesome!"

The others quickly followed behind him.

The closer they got, the more shocked they became.

The truck was filled with countless supplies....snacks, bottled water, canned food, clothing, blankets, first aid kits, tools, and several unopened boxes.

It was practically a treasure trove in the middle of the apocalypse.

"It looks like whoever was driving this truck was trying to escape somewhere safe," Josh said quietly while observing the surroundings carefully.

"...But they probably got attacked by monsters before making it out alive."

A brief silence fell over the group.

Nathan soon moved toward the driver’s seat to inspect the vehicle properly.

After checking the front carefully, his expression brightened.

"The truck can still be repaired completely," he announced. "Looks like it only crashed into the wall because the driver lost control during the attack."

Then he suddenly paused.

"...Wait."

Nathan leaned further into the driver’s area before letting out a surprised laugh.

"The keys are still here."

Without wasting another second, he inserted the key and turned it.

Vrrrm!

The truck engine roared to life immediately.

"Perfect!" Nathan exclaimed excitedly. "We don’t have to walk all the way back to Mrs. Ivy’s territory anymore."

A grin spread across his face.

"In fact, we can use this truck for every mission from now on. Wouldn’t that make things easier?"

"We should definitely take both the truck and the supplies," Josh agreed calmly after checking some of the boxes. "Everything is still in good condition. The food, medical supplies, clothes... all untouched."

The others nodded in agreement.

Without wasting any more time, they loaded themselves into the vehicle.

Josh eventually took the driver’s seat while the others settled in behind him with satisfied expressions.

Soon afterward, the truck sped away from the ruined area at full speed, carrying both the team and their newly acquired supplies back toward Ivy’s territory.