After obtaining the information he wanted, Kaito took the weapons and ammunition from him and rejoined Misuzu and the others.
After confirming no one else was coming, they began collecting all the weapons and ammunition from the bodies of the previously fallen enemies.
They had already collected some earlier; the rest took about half an hour to gather.
As for the supplies in their armored vehicle, some were medicine, some were canned food, compressed biscuits, and military rations, some were crystals, and the rest were various daily necessities.
It seemed they had specifically dispatched people to search for supplies in unscavenged parts of the city.
Depending on the situation, they might have also killed some survivors to take their crystals.
For no other reason, the number of crystals was over 300.
Among them, over 200 were first-grade crystals, over 100 were second-grade, and there were only three third-grade crystals.
As for the effects,
If a human's maximum attribute value was 100, a first-grade crystal would give a +1 to all attributes, so 100 crystals would give +100 to all attributes.
Second-grade gave +5, third-grade gave +10.
And so on. Currently, the highest found was a fifth-grade crystal, originating from an "alien" or a colossal ferocious beast.
By the way, "aliens" could also be humans who had transformed.
For humans, 200 attribute points meant a first-grade powerhouse, 500 points meant second-grade, 1000 points meant third-grade.
Currently, their strongest member in the Wuming City United Chamber of Commerce was third-grade, with attributes reaching 4000 points, just a few hundred points short of what they called fourth-grade (5000 points).
Translated, that was the combined strength of over 40 people?
Next, there were 20 days left until the next full moon.
"This haul is enough to last us about 10 days."
For these people, collecting food and daily necessities was secondary, something they grabbed if they saw it. Their main search was for important and expensive medicines.
But these medicines were useless to Kaito. Since they were already in the vehicle, he couldn't be bothered to move them.
"Let's go back."
Driving the slightly larger truck modified with thick iron plates as armor, Kaito drove back to the luxury complex, closed the main gate after entering, and returned to the largest and most luxurious standalone villa.
He went personally to the underground shelter, called the others to help move the supplies, and then started preparing everyone to use the crystals to strengthen themselves.
Since they had a 10x enhancement effect, they only needed 10 first-grade crystals each to become what was called a first-grade powerhouse.
The method of use required dissolving them in boiling water for an hour, then drinking the mixture.
However, there were side effects. After taking it, the body would feel very uncomfortable, and it could even cause deformities, such as one arm longer or shorter, or one thinner.
In short, absorption was uneven.
It wasn't noticeable in the short term, but it would become apparent over time.
At least 50 first-grade crystals were needed for such changes.
But if they absorbed it through a bath, they would only feel warm. The maximum was 10 crystals per bath, lasting 10 minutes each.
They could only take a maximum of 5 baths per day.
By the way, the man Kaito had interrogated earlier was a first-grade powerhouse, having used over 120 crystals.
That's why he could still answer questions after being beaten down several times.
The bathroom in this shelter was quite large. It seemed the rich prioritized comfort before practicality.
So the bathroom area was 30 square meters, and the bathtub could hold over ten people...
Wait a minute, maybe they used it for water storage?
After all, Kaito saw a water filter placed on the bathtub. Perhaps...
Hmm...
Better not think about it!
"Anyway, to save time, let's all go in together!"
Naturally, for optimal absorption, hair couldn't be submerged in the water, otherwise it might become like rope.
So, undergarments couldn't be worn either.
"Cough cough... um, is this really okay?"
Ah, it turned out it wasn't Kaito who suggested saving time, but Misuzu!
Oh, okay then.
See, Kaito didn't propose it, so what reason did he have to refuse?
"Uh, well..."
Obviously, Tearju, Mamako, Chiyo, and Mikoto hesitated.
Sephie didn't refuse, Mika was excited, and the others didn't speak.
"Sigh, it's just me being the odd one out. How about you all go together? I'll do it alone tonight. It won't take much time anyway."
Heart aching, feeling the pain.
But he really couldn't do that, nor was there a need to.
Because in the shelter, he felt like he was seeing the FBI waiting outside the villa again.
"Phew... Th-then, let's do that? We all need to take turns keeping watch anyway, right?"
Tearju nervously agreed with Kaito's suggestion.
In the end, they all went to bathe, but they all used only first-grade crystals.
One person needed 10, so 10 people needed 100!
With only about 200 total, it would take at most 20 minutes.
The remaining hundred second-grade crystals and four third-grade crystals, they all chose to let Kaito use.
If they couldn't finish today, they would continue tomorrow.
For them, Kaito was the backbone of the team. The stronger Kaito was, the more protection and security they would have.
Whether they became strong was a matter of time.
Whether they had enough security was an urgent matter!
The fact that a large number of mutated creatures entered the city every night made them extremely nervous.
Perhaps the original owners of this place had moved away because they sensed the mutated creatures getting stronger and couldn't bear it anymore?
"..."
On the villa's balcony, Kaito, who had voluntarily missed the opportunity, lit a pack of cigarettes from the collected supplies.
But he didn't regret it. After all, some things couldn't be rushed. He always needed to give them some...
"Hmm!?"
"A little girl taking a walk in the neighborhood?"
Before he could even sigh, Kaito's sharp eyes immediately spotted the figure of a little girl slowly walking out from a villa...