Apocalypse: Building And Hoarding My Way Through.
Chapter 167: Reunion.

Chapter 167: Reunion.

{Anyway, I wish you both the best of luck in building the Safe Haven and exterminating the monsters. It won’t be an easy task, but I hope, for your sake, that it gets easier.}

"Yeah, thanks." Scarlett responded with a warm smile. "Once we’ve settled, we’d love to uncover all the abilities we possess."

Ding!

{No problem hosts. Your rewards would be here waiting for you. }

She made her replica disappear by cancealing the spell afterwhich she reached out suddenly, grabbing Garvin’s arm, halting his steps before he could keep walking further.

Garvin raised an eyebrow, confused. "What’s wrong?"

Scarlett turned to face him, her eyes gleaming with realization. "We have a portal."

Garvin’s brows furrowed. "And?"

"And we can use it to travel." Her smile widened. "All we have to do is think of Ryder and Ethan, and the portal will locate them. We’ll be there in the blink of an eye."

Garvin then facepalm himself. "That’s true. How could I forget that? I guess it’s going to take a while before I get familiar with this new me. He said with a light chuckle which Scarlett joined in which soon died down .

Without hesitation, Scarlett extended her hand, summoning the portal. A swirl of blue light erupted from the forest floor, illuminating the surrounding trees with an ethereal glow.

"Let’s go." She grabbed Garvin’s hand with her right and Jaden’s with her left. Together, they stepped into the portal, disappearing into the radiant light.

The moment they emerged on the other side, Scarlett’s breath hitched.

They had arrived.

The house stood just as she remembered, nestled in the clearing, surrounded by towering trees. The place where she had stayed with Ryder and Ethan before they had been separated.

And there they were.

Seated at a wooden table outside, Ryder and Ethan were mid-conversation when they noticed the portal’s light. Their gazes snapped toward the new arrivals, their expressions shifting from shock to overwhelming relief.

Ethan was the first to react.

"Oh my goodness! You’re back. We were so scared. We thought you wouldn’t make it!" His voice cracked with emotion as he rushed forward, wrapping Garvin in a tight embrace before turning to Scarlett, hugging her gently due to little Hope which she held in her arms.

Then, he crouched down, his eyes softening as he met Jaden’s gaze. "I’m so glad to see you again, champ."

Jaden’s face lit up with a warm smile. "I’m happy to see everyone too!"

Nearby, Ryder stood frozen, his entire posture brimming with unspoken joy. He didn’t rush forward like Ethan. He lingered behind.

He wanted to join in the reunion.

But Jaden was new to him as was Garvin. Unlike Scarlett and Ethan, whom he had fought beside, these two were still unfamiliar.

"I’m glad to see that you guys are safe too." Scarlett said with a warm smile as she walked over to the chairs and took a seat. The three men and Jaden followed suit, settling around her. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes flickering between Ryder and Ethan. "I’m sure you both slayed a lot of monsters while we were apart."

Ryder let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "Yeah, but it wasn’t easy." His expression sobered as he continued, "At one point, we almost got pulled into a monster portal. I really thought that was the end for us, but somehow, we managed to break through."

Ethan nodded, adding, "And we found Hunter and Louise." His lips curled into a small smile. "Those two aren’t dead."

Scarlett’s eyes widened in surprise. "Really?!" She sat up straighter, excitement creeping into her voice. "I scented their rank the moment we got here, but I thought I was imagining things." Relief flooded her expression. "I’m so glad we’re all back together. How are they doing now?"

Ethan exhaled deeply. "They’re stable, but just barely." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Honestly, if we had arrived a little later, we wouldn’t have been able to save them. They’re both on their third..." He stopped abruptly, his gaze flickering toward Garvin and Jaden.

For a moment, there was silence.

Ethan hesitated, unsure if he should continue. After all, saying the word "system" in front of non chosen members was impossible and he knew he wouldn’t be able to form the word hence he decided to swallow it.

Scarlett noticed his hesitation and offered a reassuring smile. "It’s okay. He knows and he’s now a chosen member too." She gestured toward Garvin. "You can say it freely now. The same goes for Jaden, he knows about system but isn’t a chosen member." Her voice softened. "I think eradicating all the organization leaders lifted the secrecy restriction. The system must have recognized that we’ll need open communication if we’re going to address the other survivors as well as build the haven."

Ethan nodded slowly, then finished his sentence. "They’re both on their third system stage. If we had found them any later, they would’ve died. We found them right at the edge of a monster portal, barely holding on. I still don’t understand how they got there, but it’s something we can ask them when they wake up."

He sighed heavily before shifting the conversation. "Where’s Kato though? Is he cleaning up something?"

Scarlett’s expression darkened.

"Kato is dead."

A heavy silence settled over the group.

Ryder and Ethan froze, their eyes widening in pure shock.

"What?!" they both blurted out in unison.

Ryder leaned forward, his arms crossed over his chest. "How? He was with you! That guy didn’t seem like the type to die easily. If anything, I always thought he’d be one of the last people standing." He let out a humorless laugh. "Hell, if escaping this apocalypse were an option, I’d expect Kato to be the first one out so stop this joke."

Garvin spoke up, his voice calm but firm. "She’s not joking. Kato was an organization leader and now he’s dead."

A fresh wave of shock rippled through Ryder and Ethan.

Ethan’s face twisted in disgust. "I knew that guy was shady." He shook his head, his jaw tightening. "I never trusted him. The way he always looked at humans as mere foods to satisfy his hunger." His voice dropped lower, filled with anger. "He feeds on humans flesh and drink their blood as water. That guy was a straight-up psychopath." He scoffed. "Honestly, he is one of those twisted souls who got transmigrated into this apocalypse just to satisfy his sick fantasies."

Garvin nodded. "Not just Kato but every single organization leader is dead."

Ethan and Ryder’s eyes widened further, curiosity and disbelief flickering across their faces.

"How?" Ryder asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

Garvin smirked slightly but shook his head. "Don’t ask yet. You’ll find out soon enough." He then shifted gears. "For now, let’s focus on something more important, the Safe Haven has been found."

A stunned silence followed before Ryder and Ethan erupted in excitement.

"Really?!" Ryder’s voice was filled with disbelief, but his face lit up with pure joy.

Ethan’s reaction was no different. "We can finally go home?!"

Scarlett nodded, but her expression remained serious. "Yes, but before we can transport humans there, we have a big task ahead of us. We need to build the Safe Haven first."

The excitement dimmed slightly as the weight of her words settled in.

"Building it won’t be easy," Scarlett admitted, her gaze flickering between them. "But it’s doable. We’ll still need to hunt monsters to earn coins, but at least now, we don’t have to deal with any more corrupt organization leaders."

Garvin leaned forward. "That’s the key difference." He gestured toward Scarlett. "With all the corrupted chosen members gone, the only ones left are the good ones. That means gathering them will be much easier. We will use the system to spread information to them as well as other survivors."

Scarlett nodded. "Yes. The system no longer restricts certain secrets, which means we can directly reach out to people. Once the remaining chosen members know about our plan, they can also start slaying monsters to contribute their earnings."

She exhaled, deep in thought. "I believe there’s a certain amount of coins required to construct the Safe Haven. If we don’t meet the goal, we won’t be able to transport survivors there." She paused. "The system is a mystery in many ways, but it has been helping us since the beginning of this apocalypse. It doesn’t care about individual lives, but it does care about progress."

Garvin added, "I also believe the Safe Haven’s space will expand over time. From what Scarlett and I have seen, it’s not big enough to house every survivor yet. But I suspect that either coins or another method will allow it to grow."

"That makes sense," Ryder muttered. "The system wouldn’t create something that couldn’t accommodate the people it’s meant for."

Garvin nodded in agreement. "Once chosen members start accumulating coins, they’ll transfer them to Scarlett’s system, and construction will begin." His voice turned more serious. "Now that we have a plan, we need to act fast. The monsters aren’t waiting, they’re still out there, killing survivors."