Once Ivy and Darren were done defeating Andrew and the other monsters, they made their way back to the survivors they had left behind at the factory.

The moment they arrived and the survivors caught sight of them, everyone immediately moved closer with wide smiles plastered across their faces.

"You’re back!" one of the survivors blurted out excitedly as he stretched out his hands, revealing ten crystal cores resting in his palms.

"We’re done collecting the monster cores from all the dead monsters," another survivor chimed in proudly while holding onto the crystal cores he had managed to gather.

"That’s nice," Ivy replied with a warm smile all while she used her psychic ability to see if anyone is hiding any cores and fortunately none were hiding anything.

Darren then stepped forward carrying a large bag. He opened it and held it out toward the survivors.

"Just drop all the cores inside," he instructed.

Without hesitation, the survivors began placing the crystal cores they had collected into the bag one after another.

Ivy had no intention of allowing the system to extract the cores right now, especially not in front of the survivors who had only recently agreed to live under her protection. Revealing such a secret this early would only raise unnecessary questions.

"Anyways, we should leave now," Darren said seriously once all the crystal cores had been gathered.

The survivors immediately turned their attention toward him.

"All of you will have to manage with the space available in the armored vehicle. Some of you can sit in the back, even if it means squeezing together or sitting on each other’s laps. However, not everyone will be able to fit inside."

His expression remained firm.

"Some people will have to walk, but don’t worry. The armored vehicle will move at a very slow speed, roughly the same pace as a person walking."

He paused before continuing.

"So now you need to decide who will be riding in the armored vehicle with Mrs. Ivy and me, and who will be walking. Hurry up. It’s already getting late."

The survivors exchanged glances before one of the men stepped forward.

"The ladies should sit inside the armored vehicle," he suggested seriously. "Not all of them, of course. The weaker people and the older survivors should be given priority. The rest of us can walk."

"Yeah!"

"That’s right!"

"I agree!"

The other survivors immediately voiced their support.

Soon, several women, along with a few elderly and physically weaker survivors, climbed into the armored vehicle. It was crowded, but everyone somehow managed to find enough space.

Ivy and Darren entered the vehicle as well while the remaining survivors followed behind on foot. They carried makeshift weapons in their hands—mostly sharpened sticks, metal rods, and crude spears.

Before long, they left behind the horrifying mountain of monster corpses scattered around the factory grounds.

The journey had barely begun when an unsettling growl echoed through the area.

GROWL~!

Everyone froze.

Ahead of them stood two horrifying figures.

They were not fully transformed monsters yet, but they were no longer human either.

Their arms and legs had been torn apart. Chunks of flesh hung loosely from their mangled bodies while blood continuously dripped onto the ground beneath them.

Their faces were even more terrifying.

The skin around their mouths had split open, exposing rows of razor-sharp teeth that seemed to be growing unnaturally fast. Their eyes had turned cloudy and bloodshot, while black veins spread across their pale skin like twisted roots.

The creatures staggered forward while emitting distorted growls.

"Wait!" one of the women inside the armored vehicle exclaimed in shock. "Aren’t those the two ladies who left earlier?"

Her eyes widened.

"I recognize those clothes!"

"Oh yeah!" one of the men walking behind the vehicle said. "I remember those outfits too. They belonged to those two women."

A heavy silence fell upon the group.

"They only left a short while ago..." another survivor muttered.

"And they’ve already been attacked by monsters."

The realization sent chills down everyone’s spine.

"Damn..." one survivor whispered while swallowing nervously. "Does that mean if we had decided to leave too, we’d all end up becoming monsters just like them?"

The group fell silent.

Nobody answered because they already knew the answer.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three gunshots shattered the tense atmosphere.

Ivy had already raised her weapon.

The bullets struck the two half-transformed creatures directly in their heads.

Their bodies exploded apart instantly, collapsing into bloody remains before they could move any closer.

The foul stench of decay immediately filled the air.

Several survivors covered their noses in disgust.

"There’s no monster core to collect," Darren said with a scoff as he glanced at the corpses. "They haven’t completely transformed or reached monster level yet."

He shrugged.

"But it’s still better to eliminate them now. They’re already a threat to any human they come across."

The survivors stared at the remains for several moments before sighing in relief.

"Thank goodness we never left."

"Seriously."

"We were lucky."

"I almost considered following them."

Murmurs spread through the group as everyone silently thanked their good fortune.

The encounter had completely erased any lingering thoughts about leaving Ivy’s protection.

Soon afterward, Darren resumed driving while the survivors continued following behind.

Meanwhile...

Inside the armored vehicle, Ivy leaned back against her seat and closed her eyes briefly.

Extract all the monster cores in the bag into the system, she thought inwardly.

DING!

{Congratulations, Host. All monster cores obtained have been successfully extracted into the system.}

A faint smile appeared on Ivy’s face.

Good.

She had accumulated quite a large number of crystal cores from today’s battle.

Convert enough of them into points, she instructed mentally. I want enough points to purchase various types of food from the System Market.

She paused before continuing.

Not just enough for a few people. I want enough supplies to feed thousands for a long time.

Food is important, Ivy continued. More survivors will eventually join my base. I can’t keep wasting time searching for food outside whenever supplies run low.

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

Monster cores can be exchanged for points, and points can buy food, medicine, tools, and other necessities. Building a large reserve now will save a lot of trouble later.

DING!

{Host is correct. Long-term food security is essential for the development and stability of a survivor base.}

{Your request is currently being processed but then your cores doesn’t need to be converted to points and then exchanged for foods.}