The next morning, room 2705 woke up earlier than usual.

No one talked too much. After the exploration plan had been confirmed, everyone understood that today was no longer a simple outing to find food or try their luck. This was the first step for room 2705 to leave its passive state and begin entering areas that most Survivors in the apartment complex could only stand far away and look at.

On the living room table sat six [Basic Fog Lanterns].

The bodies were crafted from dark gray metal, standing shorter than knee height. Simple engravings ran along the surfaces, and inside each glass frame was a dim, unactivated core. Looking at their exteriors, there was nothing particularly special about them. Placed beside the strange items room 2705 had previously collected, these six lanterns were even a bit plain.

But everyone understood their true value.

The fog didn’t only obscure vision.

It was also a frightening type of toxin.

Living creatures enveloped in fog for too long would gradually be corroded. Flesh would deform, bones would develop abnormally, and the mind would be dragged into a state of chaos. At a certain point, the living would no longer be people. They would become a part of the fog, becoming monsters wandering in the darkness, hunting anything that still retained warmth.

With lanterns, the situation would be different.

Rover picked one up.

The moment his hand touched the lantern body, an information panel that only he could see immediately appeared.

....

[Basic Fog Lantern]

[Rank: C.]

[Type: Exploration item.]

[Effect: After activation, creates a safe light zone with a 10-meter radius, temporarily pushing back fog and weakening most mutagenic toxins.]

[Maximum operating time: 6 hours.]

[Status: Can be upgraded.]

[Upgrade requirement: 50,000 Omni Points.]

....

Rover’s gaze shifted slightly.

Exactly as he had thought.

The fog lanterns could be upgraded.

He didn’t immediately speak up. Omni Points were his own secret. Even those closest to him only knew he had the ability to make items stronger, not the exact mechanism. Rover had no intention of explaining either. The fewer people who knew the secret, the better.

He looked at the lantern in his hand for a few seconds, then made his decision.

"Upgrade."

[Ding!]

[You have consumed 50,000 Omni Points.]

[Basic Fog Lantern upgrading...]

A stream of pale yellow light appeared from within the lantern core. The simple engravings on the metal surface began to extend, weaving into increasingly complex layers of patterns. The lantern frame thickened. The slightly cloudy glass gradually became transparent. The small flame at the center shifted to a stable yellow-white.

In just a few seconds, the lantern had completely changed.

....

[Intermediate Fog Lantern]

[Rank: B.]

[Type: Exploration item.]

[Effect 1: After activation, creates a safe light zone with a 30-meter radius, pushing back fog and weakening most mutagenic toxins.]

[Effect 2: When abnormal fluctuations appear in the fog, the flame will automatically change color to warn.]

[Maximum operating time: 18 hours.]

[Status: Can be further upgraded.]

[Upgrade requirement: 300,000 Omni Points.]

....

Morie was the first to notice the change.

She stepped forward and bent down to examine the new lantern. Her platinum hair fell lightly onto her shoulders. Her jade green eyes reflected the yellow-white flame. Compared to when she had still been sitting in her wheelchair, Morie was very different now. Not only because her legs could move normally, but because the aura around her had stabilized. She no longer unconsciously placed herself in a position lower than anyone else.

"Thirty-meter radius." Morie said softly. "Eighteen-hour operating time. Just one is enough to serve as the formation’s center. If all of them are upgraded, on the first day we can establish a safe route much longer than planned."

Nanoe stood beside Rover, looking at the lantern that had changed shape. She didn’t ask what he had done. Even a very small change in her expression was enough for her to understand that her earlier speculation had been correct.

Rover could truly upgrade lanterns.

This was far more important than six Rank C lanterns.

The items Otrix had sold them were only basic versions. For other Survivors, ten meters of light and six hours of operation were already precious resources. But when they fell into Rover’s hands, that limitation was immediately pulled up to another level.

Nanoe smiled.

She didn’t say it aloud.

Rover placed the first lantern back on the table, then picked up the remaining five one by one.

Light continuously flashed in the living room.

Each time a lantern changed, the surrounding air became a little brighter. Only a few minutes later, six [Intermediate Fog Lanterns] lay neatly on the table. The flames inside were stable. The lantern bodies were covered in new veining that looked like energy channels engraved into metal.

Rover looked at his remaining points.

....

[Current Omni Points: 1,526,800.]

....

Three hundred thousand points had vanished.

Not cheap.

But worth it.

Because these six lanterns weren’t only helping them step out of the apartment complex. They were also opening up shops, warehouses, basements, parking lots, and structures that had been covered by fog for a very long time. Places others couldn’t yet set foot in very likely still preserved supplies, tools, equipment, and even special items never yet discovered.

Rover closed the information panel.

"The formation changes slightly."

Everyone immediately looked at him.

Rover pointed to each person.

"Me, Nanoe, Selina, Elith, Sunako, and Rilia go outside."

Monica slightly frowned. Nanami also immediately raised her head, her gaze clearly showing disappointment that her name hadn’t been mentioned.

Rover looked toward the remaining people.

"Morie stays to manage the room. Monica, Nanami, and Thunder Dragon coordinate with her."

Nanami pressed her lips together.

"Can’t I come along?"

Nanoe gently rubbed her younger sister’s head.

"Your body just stabilized. The first day isn’t the time to take risks."

Nanami looked at her older sister for a few seconds, then obediently nodded. She was energetic, curious, and wanted to see the world beyond the fog, but wasn’t someone who didn’t know what mattered. If she became a burden, Rover and Nanoe would certainly have to split their attention to protect her.

Morie looked at the formation Rover had just chosen and quickly analyzed it.

"Rilia knows the area outside and can move in fog without needing to rely on lantern light. Elith handles scouting. Selina is the mobile combat force. Sunako has [Gemstone Hands] and can help identify special materials. Sister Nanoe comes along to assess resources and handle situations that require immediate decisions."

She paused for a moment.

"And I guard the room."

No hesitation.

No reluctance.

Morie understood her position clearly.

Room 2705 was the foundation. The people inside were its most important assets. If all the strong combat forces left the room, some Survivors quietly watching from the sidelines might very well try their luck. More importantly, during the seven days of rest, the system wasn’t necessarily going to be completely quiet. If a Fortuitous Encounter or special area opened somewhere in the apartment complex, the person staying behind had to be strong enough to claim it in Rover’s place.

Rover opened room 2705’s authority panel.

[Do you wish to grant Tenant Morie free entry/exit rights and partial control over building structures?]

"Confirm."

[Ding!]

[Tenant Morie has received free entry/exit rights.]

[Tenant Morie has received control rights over Blood Spike Soul-Sealing Door.]

[Tenant Morie has received control rights over Titan Soul-Sealing Tower.]

Morie looked at the notification panel, then walked over to stand beside the [Titan Soul-Sealing Tower].

She was no longer in a wheelchair.

Her slender legs stood firmly on the floor. Her figure was still small. Her skin still carried that pallor that easily made others want to protect her. But the moment Morie placed her hand on the tower body, that feeling immediately vanished.

The Titan runes lit up simultaneously.

BOOM!

A heavy rumbling sound rang out in the corridor outside.

The air vibrated slightly.

Two massive Titan hands slowly appeared beyond the room door. They didn’t fully condense into matter, only resembling two massive shadows formed from azure blue glass with orange-red lava flowing within. But the pressure they radiated still caused tiny cracks to appear across the corridor floor.

Sunako swallowed.

Thunder Dragon, lying on the sofa, also opened its eyes and observed the two hands for a moment, then let out a sound.

"Krit."

Sunako immediately nodded with a very serious expression.

"I understand. Great Lady Morie has officially entered the list of people absolutely not to be provoked."

Morie paid no attention to her.

Her gaze only rested on Rover.

"You all go."

Her voice was gentle.

But without a trace of wavering.

"Nothing will happen to room 2705."

Rover looked at her for a few seconds, then nodded.

He believed her.

Dokai had been pinned down both physically and spiritually by these very hands, then had his core crushed before all the Survivors. Those who wanted to exploit Rover’s absence to try breaking through room 2705 were only seeking their own death.

Rover picked up one lantern. Nanoe and Elith each carried two more. The final one was carefully cradled by Sunako as if she were holding something fragile.

The group left the room.

The heavy door closed behind them. Blood spikes retracted into the door’s edge. The soul-sealing runes slowly darkened. But the two Titan hands still lingered in the corridor for a few more seconds, as if coldly surveying the surrounding room doors.

No one opened their door.

No one dared make a sound.

Rover watched that scene, then turned to walk toward the staircase.

He didn’t know how many resources the first outing would find.

Didn’t know what the fog was concealing.

But that didn’t matter.

Because room 2705 now had lanterns.

Had people to lead the way.

Had combat strength.

Had a rear guard.

And from today, they would no longer sit in the apartment complex, waiting for the system to throw food to the door.

They would proactively walk into the fog.

Take what needed to be taken.

Kill what needed to be killed.

Swallow clean every benefit that could be swallowed.