Apocalypse: Building And Hoarding My Way Through.
Chapter 112: A Billion Coins, My Foot.

Chapter 112: A Billion Coins, My Foot.

Victor smiled faintly and followed her inside, closing the door firmly behind them. The two guards remained by his side, their presence as imposing as ever. They watched as the woman walked away, still holding little Hope tenderly in her arms.

As Victor and his men settled on the cold floor, one of the guards leaned closer and whispered, "Should we start gathering information now, boss?" His voice was low and serious.

Victor’s eyes scanned the room, observing the other survivors who were cautiously watching his group. "We’ll wait until morning," he replied in a hushed tone. "Let them grow familiar with us. It’s too dark to get a proper look at this place anyway. Once the sun is up, we’ll assess the building and our surroundings. If we can’t get anything useful out of them by then... kill them all. I despise wasting time on useless people."

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Meanwhile, Scarlett and her group trudged through the relentless rain, their footsteps splashing against the muddy ground. The cold, unyielding drizzle seemed to sap their strength, but they pressed on until they stumbled upon an abandoned railway.

"I hate railways nowadays," Louise muttered under his breath, letting out a heavy sigh. His eyes scanned the desolate tracks, the eerie silence amplifying his unease. "Railways during an apocalypse feel like the most dangerous places. Or am I wrong?"

"Relax," Ethan said with a light chuckle. "No monsters have jumped out yet."

Their pace slowed as they came across several buses parked haphazardly along the railway. The vehicles were in various states of disrepair, windows shattered, doors barely hanging on their hinges. The rusted shells of the buses seemed to tell stories of survival and loss.

"What do you think happened here?" Garvin asked cautiously, his voice barely audible over the rain.

Kato crouched beside one of the buses, examining its interior. "It looked like an ambush," he said, his voice tinged with suspicion. "Maybe a group of survivors was attacked by monsters or humans. There’s no doubt people stayed here for a while before things went south."

"Judging by how rusted these buses are," Ethan added as he settled on the ground with a sigh, "it’s been a long time since anyone was here. The survivors probably abandoned this spot, looking for a safer haven hence I don’t think there was an ambush."

Garvin smirked. "They might’ve ended up at Austin’s organization. It makes sense. That area was free of monsters, thanks to Austin capturing and containing them. And now, thanks to us, those monsters are gone for good."

Scarlett remained silent, her gaze fixed on the derelict buses. She exhaled heavily, lost in thought.

Kato broke the silence. "If the survivors abandoned this railway, we could use this spot tonight. These buses might be rusted, but they were once homes. That means we could create something even better, a large, modern bus equipped with everything we need, like a real home on wheels."

Scarlett looked up at the sky, the rain still pouring relentlessly. "It’s late," she said. "The rain won’t stop anytime soon, and this area seems abandoned. Let’s stay here for now and get some rest. In the morning, we can reassess."

Kato nodded, his eyes gleaming with determination. "We could also create a separate bus for traveling, something we can use to hunt monsters in more dominant areas. We earn rewards that way, and we’d cover more ground."

Ethan chimed in, his gaze directed at Scarlett "You should use your map to check the area’s size. If I’m right, this world has two sides separated by the ocean. Each side is massive like an entire world of its own. We’ve barely scratched the surface. We can focus on clearing this side while leaving the other to those with powers who live there."

The group nodded in unison, their spirits lifting despite the relentless downpour.

Alright, everyone," Kato said firmly, his sharp eyes scanning the rusted buses once more. His voice carried authority and determination. "Let’s get ready. First of all, we need our own bus, fully stocked with all the appliances, food, and essentials we’ll need. There’s no way we’re spending the night in these rusted wrecks."

Scarlett nodded, stepping forward. "Agreed. Those of us with powers will take turns providing all the materials needed for the setup." She raised her hand slightly, summoning her system with ease. A shimmering light appeared before her, and within moments, a pristine, state-of-the-art bus materialized. It was equipped with a bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom.

"I’ll handle the furniture," Ethan volunteered confidently, stepping up. He activated his system, navigating to the inventory. However, as he attempted to purchase the necessary items, an error message appeared: Insufficient Balance.

"What’s wrong?" Garvin asked, his brow furrowing with concern as he noticed Ethan’s puzzled expression.

"I don’t know," Ethan replied, his tone edged with frustration. "We killed countless monsters back at Austin’s organization. I should have enough coins, at least a billion, considering the number of monsters we defeated."

A realization suddenly dawned on him, and his eyes widened. "Wait a second... Scarlett killed those monsters. The system must’ve allocated all the coins to her."

"That makes sense," Larry chimed in with a resigned sigh. "None of us landed a finishing blow. Scarlett did all the heavy lifting. That’s probably why she’s the one holding all the coins."

All eyes turned to Scarlett, who raised an eyebrow but said nothing. With a slight shrug, she stepped forward. "I’ll handle it then," she said, summoning her system mentally.

Loading host information...

STATS

Name: Scarlett Jenkins.

Species: Human, Monster.

Spirit: 100

Physical Strength: 100

Agility: 100

Defense: 100

Health: 100

Intelligence: 100

SKILLS

Affinity: Water, Fire, Earth

Title: Queen of Monsters

Overall Rank: SSS

COINS OBTAINED

Silver Coins: 20,000,000

Gold Coins: 10,000

Copper Coins: 2,000

Scarlett smirked, her gaze lingering on the coin totals. "A billion coins, my foot," she muttered under her breath, amused. "We haven’t killed every monster in the world yet. Nice try, Ethan."

She focused on her system, issuing a mental command: Provide all the necessary items to set up the bus.