The next morning, the moment Shawn woke up, he went straight to find Michael. He was vibrating with excitement, desperate to share the midnight brainstorm that had kept him awake.
"Good morning, everyone! Regarding our missing loot problem—I've got the perfect solution." Shawn found Michael outside the main briefing hall, deep in conversation with Hank and Selena.
"Oh? Let's hear it," Michael raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued, while Selena and Hank leaned in to listen intently.
"Alright, it's pretty simple," Shawn grinned, looking at Michael. "We establish a dedicated committee to evaluate and fairly distribute all the loot we acquire. Underneath that, we build a Contribution System and a Loot Shop. The more you contribute to the group, the more points you earn, and the higher the tier of items you can purchase."
Shawn paused to let it sink in before expanding. "Think about it. Right now, most of our loot comes in the form of chests, right? And those chests have a high probability of turning out completely empty. This committee will buy unopened chests from survivors in exchange for immediate, guaranteed Contribution Points. Then, the committee opens them and lists the actual items in the shop based on their true value."
"I think that's an incredible idea!" Selena clapped her hands in delight, openly praising Shawn's tactical thinking. "That way, our frontline fighters are guaranteed to get exactly what they need. Plus, it gives everyone a tangible goal—like saving up for a specific skill book or a high-tier weapon—which will drastically increase their willingness to fight."
"Exactly," Hank nodded firmly in agreement. "And down the line, this system can completely replace the old world's economic structure within our community. Contribution points will effectively become our official currency."
With unanimous agreement, the core team decided to implement the system immediately, planning to officially unveil it to the broader group during the upcoming afternoon meeting.
"Now, back to our primary issue," Michael turned his attention to Hank, his expression turning serious. "Hank, how long do you think it will take for you and the mechanics to get the buses fully operational?"
Hank massaged his forehead, a tight grimace forming on his face. "It's a lot harder than I initially thought. We can get the buses running without electricity, but it'll only be a temporary fix before they break down completely. The real terrifying part is that there's no way to predict exactly when the engines will give out and leave us stranded."
"Yes, that's the exact logistical nightmare that forced us to stay cooped up inside the university until now," Selena added, nodding in validation of Hank's technical assessment.
"So? Are you saying there's no hope at all?" Shawn held his head in his hands, despair creeping into his voice at the bleak news.
"Well... there is one way," Hank scratched his hair, looking thoughtfully at the map. "But it's going to be brutal, and it's definitely not without its risks."
"Travelling a full fifty kilometers with these modified buses is a suicide mission. But... I can guarantee they will hold together for at least the first twenty kilometers," Hank explained, laying out his vision. "We can drive out through the university's back entrance. From there, we take the direct route straight into the Industrial Zone. The population density there is incredibly low. We settle down, fortify a sector, and establish a permanent stronghold. Once we are secure, we can launch coordinated rescue operations into the deeper city districts from there."
Michael and Shawn fell into deep thought. On one hand, this was objectively the most logical, low-risk strategy for the survival of the group. On the other hand, the agonizing reality of delaying the rescue of their families tore at their minds.
"I'm in," Selena shrugged, breaking the silence. "The odds look good enough to bet on."
"I agree too," Michael finally sighed, concluding the fierce internal debate raging in his mind. He locked eyes with Hank. "How long until your modifications are finished?"
Hank ran some rapid mental calculations before answering. "Given our current rate of progress, and the fact that we have to completely swap out the engines and internal combustion systems to make them purely mechanical and manual—bypassing any electrical components—I'm going to need about five more days."
"Perfect. That gives us more than enough time to get everyone packed and combat-ready for the evacuation," Michael muttered, relieved that the timeline wasn't as extended as he had initially feared.
"Alright, enough serious talk, gentlemen... are we opening these chests or what?!" Shawn suddenly clapped his hands together, rubbing them like a thief eyeing a bank vault.
"Bro, you look like an absolute degenerate right now," Michael chuckled.
Everyone burst out laughing at the sarcastic jab as Michael began manifesting the treasure chests from his spatial bracelet one after another, until a literal mountain of wood and iron piled up on the floor.
"Let's start with the most valuable assets first." Michael retrieved the three metallic chests, sliding them toward Hank, Selena, and Shawn, gesturing for them to do the honors.
"Well, now this is a bizarre skill," Hank remarked as he popped his chest open. Inside lay a skill book radiating an eerie, ominous purple glow, its cover adorned with the imagery of a pitch-black skull.
Plaintext
[Skill Book: Rise of the Dead — Tier 1] Enables the user to temporarily resurrect any corpse that has been dead for less than 15 minutes. The resurrected entity will execute all commands flawlessly, provided that the structural damage to its heart and brain does not exceed 5%. [Quality: Epic] [Mana Consumption: Scale-to-Target (Based on corpse level)] [Cooldown: 1 Hour] [Max Controlled Entities: 2]
"Are you telling me this skill allows us to literally control zombies?!" Shawn gasped. Everyone was visibly stunned by the horrifying description of the ability, especially given its Epic quality—a tier none of them had encountered until now.
"Guys, I want this one. I'm willing to forfeit my entire share of the remaining loot from today's haul for it," Michael said, his voice deadly serious as he stared at the book.
"I'm ready to make the exact same offer, Michael. I'm not letting a broken skill like this go without a fight," Selena countered with a sly smile, refusing to let him walk away with such a powerful asset so easily.
"Alright, how about we draw straws?" Hank intervened quickly to diffuse the rising tension. "The winner gets to learn the skill. But honestly, don't hold your breath; there's a very high probability that neither of you possesses the affinity required for necromancy."
Hank supervised the drawing of the straws. After a tense moment, Selena pulled the winning marker.
"You know, thinking about it... this really isn't my style of magic anyway. Here, you can keep it this time." After winning the draw, Selena didn't even attempt to learn it. Instead, she casually tossed the Epic book to Michael, leaving the rest of the room staring at her in absolute bewilderment.
"I owe you one," Michael said genuinely.
He lost no time, immediately activating the book to learn the skill. The massive influx of foreign magical knowledge instantly began printing itself directly into his consciousness. But before he could fully process the data, a violent wave of dizziness and a pounding migraine slammed into his skull, bringing him crashing to his knees.
Plaintext
[Warning: The user has reached the maximum skill capacity for their current Rank (5/5). Cannot learn any additional skills.]
"Whoa, Mike! What's wrong?!" Shawn lunged forward, catching Michael before he hit the floor too hard.
"I'm fine... it's just..." Michael downed a handful of water, slowly regaining his focus before explaining the system's hard cap to the others.
"We seriously need to pay a visit to that Dimensional Gate," Selena murmured quietly, her words registering with everyone in the room.
"For now, let's finish what we started so we can head to the general assembly."
The four of them systematically opened the remaining hoard. Selena and Shawn's metallic chests yielded two solid Tier-1 weapons: a massive Greatsword and a polished Magic Staff. Meanwhile, the final tally from the forty wooden chests brought in 7 standard weapons, 5 various active skill books, 3 class scrolls, and a whole lot of empty air.
"I'll take the Magic Staff and the [Blink] skill book. You guys can distribute the rest or dump them into the Contribution Shop, I don't care," Selena stated, picking the items that perfectly aligned with her build before heading back into the main hall.
"I'm locking in the Greatsword and the [Summon Shadow Wolf] skill. The rest is all yours," Shawn added, rapidly absorbing his new ability before heading out to test his new blade alongside Yoo-Min.
Plaintext
[Skill Book: Shadow Wolf — Tier 1] Allows the user to temporarily summon a Shadow Wolf from an alternate dimension. The Shadow Wolf is entirely under the user's mental command, and its combat power scales dynamically with the user's level up to a specific threshold. [Quality: Rare] [Mana Consumption: 20 MP] [Cooldown: 30 Minutes]
"What about you, Hank? What do you need?" Michael asked, turning to the engineer.
"Well, I think I'll take the [Mana Shield] book and that [Wind Mage] class scroll," Hank replied after a moment of deliberation, selecting a common defensive skill and a rare class archetype. Michael found the choices slightly unusual but didn't pry.
"Fair enough, that's your call." Michael shrugged, sweeping the remaining weapons, scrolls, and empty chests back into his storage bracelet to preserve them until the official launch of the shop.
... ...
An hour later, Michael convened the mandatory general meeting inside the large tiered lecture hall to brief the combined factions. He laid out the evacuation strategy in meticulous detail to both his original group and Selena's survivors.
"I know all of you are feeling deeply anxious and terrified about this step. I know a part of you wants to stay right here because it feels safe," Michael began his speech, his tone transitioning from solemn empathy to absolute, unyielding resolve. "But you must understand that this university is not a permanent sanctuary. We cannot afford to stay here indefinitely. At any given moment, we are one wandering horde or one rogue Giant Monster away from complete annihilation."
"Therefore, the core leadership has officially decided that we will evacuate this campus in exactly five days. We will be moving to the Industrial Zone, located roughly 20 kilometers from our current position. This area has a drastically lower population density, meaning fewer zombies. Furthermore, it contains factories, machining workshops, and warehouses that will provide us with the raw materials, tools, and heavy weaponry we desperately need. Most importantly, it will serve as our permanent, fortified staging ground to launch armed rescue teams into the city to bring back your families and friends."
"To ensure we can make the journey safely, our engineering team is currently working around the clock to modify our transport buses into purely mechanical vehicles capable of operating entirely without electrical systems," Michael added confidently.
"These buses will be heavily fortified and packed with enough rations to sustain us until we establish our new base. We will move in a tight, armed convoy along a pre-scouted, low-density route that completely bypasses the congested city center. If we don't run into any major complications, the drive should take roughly two hours."
"I am fully aware that this plan isn't 100% foolproof, and that it carries immense risk. But this is the absolute best option we have right now. In fact... it is our only option." Michael concluded his address, his tone leaving absolutely zero room for argument.
When Michael finished speaking, a heavy, suffocating silence gripped the lecture hall. Everyone was processing the gravity of his words, forcing themselves to swallow the reality of abandoning the campus that had protected them for weeks. Some faces twisted in sheer terror of the unknown; others flickered with a sudden, desperate spark of hope for the future.
"Any questions?" Michael shouted across the hall, shattering the quiet.
Instantly, dozens of hands shot up into the air. A barrage of questions flew toward the podium, ranging from the mechanical stability of the buses, the exact layout of the Industrial Zone, to potential zombie encounters along the road. Michael fielded every inquiry with immense patience and transparency, reassuring the crowd that every variable was being accounted for.
After an hour of intense briefing, the meeting officially concluded. Michael thanked the crowd for their cooperation, reminding them to spend the next five days packing light and mentally preparing for deployment.
He then exited the hall alongside Shawn and Hank, stepping into an adjacent private faculty room before instructing Theodore to quietly gather everyone who had fought on the front lines during the library siege.
"Well, part one went smoothly enough," Shawn said with a grin as the door clicked shut.
"I wouldn't say that if I were you. Quite a few people down there are distinctly unhappy with Michael's sudden dictatorship," Hank chuckled softly. Shawn burst out laughing, while Michael awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed.
"Honestly, times like these require a dictator far more than a democracy. As far as I'm concerned, I don't mind it one bit," Zola remarked, nodding firmly as he walked into the room.
"Yeah, my thoughts exactly," Jin added, stepping in right behind Zola as the rest of the frontline combatants began filing into the enclosed space.
"Alright, I won't waste your time," Michael stepped back, gesturing to the engineer. "Hank here is going to break down how our new Contribution System works."
Hank took center stage, clearly outlining the structural pillars of the system he and Shawn had designed.
"Can we actually see what's available in this Contribution Shop right now?" one of the fighters interrupted, leaning forward as Hank brought up the inventory.
"Yes, absolutely." Hank produced several handwritten copies of a master catalog, detailing every available skill book, tier weapon, and its respective point value, passing them around the room.
"Alright, I've got my eye on this sword right here... but how exactly are we supposed to get enough points to buy it?" another combatant asked, staring at the hefty 100-contribution-point price tag attached to a standard Tier-0 blade.
"Earning points is straightforward, and we've designed multiple avenues for it," Hank explained, nodding at the valid question. "You can earn them by executing specific faction missions, trading valuable resource materials, or directly selling your acquired loot chests to the committee."
"I want to sell this chest right now. What's it worth?" one of the survivors stepped forward, manifesting a wooden chest from his inventory as a test case.
"Standard wooden chests are valued at a flat rate of 50 Contribution Points. Keep in mind, prices for items and chests are subject to market volatility and can fluctuate based on group supply and demand," Hank clarified.
As the technicalities cleared up, a significant number of the combatants voluntarily stepped forward, opting to sell the wooden chests they had covertly pocketed during the battle in exchange for immediate, liquid points. The hidden loot issue dissolved seamlessly without a single accusation being thrown.
"Alright. Now that everyone understands the architecture of the system," Michael stepped back up, a warm smile on his face. "As a direct baseline reward for your sheer bravery and flawless defense of the library last night, every single person in this room is being credited with an immediate bonus of 100 Contribution Points. Consider it a personal gift from me."
The room instantly lit up with grins and murmured thanks as the combatants immediately began plotting how to optimize their newfound wealth in the shop catalog.
"Theodore, here—this one's for you," Michael called out, tossing a skill book through the air.
Theodore caught it deftly. Looking down, his eyes widened as he read the title: [Ice Wall]. He thanked Michael profusely before immediately crushing the book, absorbing the spell on the spot.
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