Kai’s eyes lit up when he saw Galatea’s result.

Two passive skills... one for sewing and one for acupuncture. That was rare.

He smiled faintly, but he didn’t stop there. He wanted to see if there were more surprises.

Just like that, he continued checking the rest of the survivors.

Most of them were ordinary, with no special talents. Farmers, cleaners, cooks. Useful, but not remarkable. Then, one more caught his attention.

His name was Silas.

[ Name: Silas ]

[ Title: None ]

[ Level: 7 ]

[ Health: 180 / 180 ]

[ Spirit: 50 / 50 ]

[ Physique Rating: E ]

[ Active Skills: None ]

[ Passive Skills: Gearhand Lv1, Engine Sense Lv0, Salvager’s Instinct Lv0 ]

[ Gearhand (Level 1): Improves efficiency in repairing and maintaining machines. Reduces time needed to fix mechanical tools and vehicles. ]

[ Engine Sense (Level 0): Grants basic intuition for diagnosing problems in engines and generators. Slightly increases success rate when restoring damaged machinery. ]

[ Salvager’s Instinct (Level 0): Enhances ability to dismantle mechanical items and reuse parts. Slightly improves yield when salvaging A.I. soldier components. ]

Kai couldn’t help but feel impressed with this person.

"Three passive skills... all related to mechanics. You’re amazing..."

Silas scratched the back of his neck, looking a little embarrassed. "I got lucky and had a few sips of a gene enhancement liquid... Anyway, I was always been the one taking care of the generator here. The motorbikes too. And when we fought the A.I. soldiers, I dismantled them. Their parts were useful for blades, tools, and other things. Of course, I had help from some of Angelo’s Foreign Survivors. They had skills too, so together we managed to make weapons."

Kai nodded, impressed. "That’s valuable. Mechanics are rare. You’ve been keeping this place alive."

Silas gave a small smile. "I did what I could. But... there’s something else."

Kai tilted his head. "Go on."

Silas hesitated, then spoke.

"In my free time, I’ve been working on a side project. I wanted to gain control of the Sentinels. I tried hacking them. If I could turn them against the A.I. Rebel, we’d have powerful allies. But... my knowledge isn’t enough. I don’t have the right tools, and I don’t know enough programming. Whenever I activate one, it still obeys the A.I. Rebel. I’m stuck. Angelo had given up on this side project, but I think that we just need the right person to head this project."

Kai’s lips curved into a smile. "That’s ambitious. And maybe possible."

He glanced at Mei, who was listening quietly.

"We’re both programmers. With your mechanical skills and our coding, we might be able to make progress. Not now, but later. For now, just keep your notes and your parts safe. We’ll do something about it."

Silas’s eyes widened. "You mean... you’ll help?"

Kai nodded firmly. "Yes. If we work together, we might succeed."

Indeed, Kai already had a few items he needed to complete this project. He wasn’t sure how far Silas had gone with this, but with his technical skills and the circuit boards in his possession, it might be possible.

Silas looked relieved. It seemed that his dream wasn’t impossible.

Kai then turned his attention back to Galatea, the seamstress.

She was standing quietly with her hands folded in front of her.

She looked nervous...

"Galatea," Kai said gently. "Tell me more about your acupuncture techniques."

She blinked, surprised that he was interested.

"It’s simple, really. I learned it from my grandmother. She taught me how to use special needles to ease pain. Well, they’re different from the ones in my work... But I can press certain points to reduce fatigue, help someone sleep, or calm their breathing. It’s not strong healing, but it helps."

Kai nodded. "That’s useful..."

Galatea continued as she realized that Kai was genuinely interested about her skills.

She wasn’t really talking about this with other people, so talking to someone with the same interest made her a little happy...

"I’ve used it on the workers here. When they were too tired from farming, I eased their muscles. When someone had headaches, I pressed the points to relieve them. It doesn’t cure wounds, but it helps the body recover faster."

Kai leaned closer...

"Can you show me?"

As he said this, Claire and everyone else who were looking around also got curious. None of them had ever seen these ancient techniques after all. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

They might have heard of it or seen it in the movies, but never in real life.

It was the same for Kai. According to what he heard, it shouldn’t be a painful experience. And since Galatea had the Gene Skill to back it up, he felt a bit more at ease to get tested...

After seeing so many people looking at them, Galatea felt a little nervous and hesitated... But then, she pulled out a small pouch.

Inside were thin needles, carefully wrapped.

"Uhm... I’m not sure if I should try it on you." Galatea said after seeing Kai removing his cloak.

Kai paused, but before he could insist, Galatea stepped toward one of the injured workers who had a strained shoulder.

She spoke gently while gesturing at the man, "Please, let me treat him instead."

Kai nodded, putting his cloak back on. "Alright..."

Just like that, Galatea instructed the man.

"Please, sit down. Relax your shoulders."

The man obeyed, lowering himself onto a wooden stool nearby.

Galatea placed a hand on his arm to steady him.

"Lean forward a little," she said, making sure he was comfortable.

Only then did she prepare the needle. With gentle hands, she pressed it into a point near the man’s neck.

The worker winced at first, then sighed in relief. His shoulders loosened, and his breathing grew calmer.

"It feels... lighter," he whispered.

Kai watched closely. "So it works."

Galatea nodded. "It’s not magic. It’s just technique. But combined with rest and food, it helps people recover faster."

Kai nodded as he felt satisfied with this performance.

"Galatea," Kai said firmly, "your skill is important. You’ll be helping us from now on... No, all of you will be part of my Clan to some degree. To celebrate that, we’ll have a feast tonight!"

Just like that, while Victor and the others were busy trying to build the Barrier Generator, Kai and the others were here celebrating...