Apocalypse: Building And Hoarding My Way Through.
Chapter 168: Is That All It Was To You?

Chapter 168: Is That All It Was To You?

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

Ethan furrowed his brows, his tone laced with skepticism. "A plan? Do we really have one?" He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "We only talked about slaying monsters, we never settled on anything that would actually make it safe or successful. Or are you saying we should just rush out there and start killing them right now?" He crossed his arms before adding, "Ryder and I barely made it back from clearing a specific zone, and it nearly cost us our lives."

Garvin ran a hand through his hair, letting out a deep sigh. "You’re right," he admitted. "We haven’t actually mapped out a real strategy yet. We discussed hunting monsters, but we never talked about the best and safest way to do it. And we’re still depending on elemental powers and not the heavenly blast hence danger is lurking everywhere if we’re not careful. If you’re not careful." His shoulders sagged slightly as if the weight of their situation had just doubled.

Ethan let out a long breath before glancing around. "Well, one thing’s for sure, I’m just glad we’re finally getting out of this damn place." His voice carried both exhaustion and relief. He then turned his attention to Scarlett and stretched out his hand. "We’ve been out there risking our necks, slaying monsters, and we’ve earned a lot of coins.

You should extract them now while we still have the chance."

Ryder nodded in agreement, stepping forward and extending his own hand toward Scarlett. "Yeah, better to get this done now."

Scarlett didn’t hesitate. She reached out and grasped their hands firmly. Almost immediately, a faint blue light flickered to life around them. The energy spiraled in elegant arcs, growing brighter and more intense with every passing second. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the light burst and vanished. Both Ethan and Ryder stumbled slightly, panting as if they had just finished a long sprint.

{Congratulations, Host. Coins have been transferred successfully. You can now purchase items.}

Ethan wiped his forehead and let out a breathy chuckle, though there was still exhaustion in his voice. "Damn... that felt like my life was being drained," he muttered.

A soft laugh rippled through the group, easing some of the tension.

"Anyway," Ethan continued, rolling his shoulders, "the monster hunt starts tonight. No more delays. We can’t afford to waste time. Everyone should use this morning to rest or train, whatever works best for them. We’re not dealing with small monsters as we’re going after the bigger ones. And the bigger they are, the more coins we’ll earn."

Ryder crossed his arms over his chest, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, and earning more coins will help us buy better resources to build the safe haven. But we can’t forget bigger monsters also mean bigger risks. If survivors get trapped with smaller ones, they might have a fighting chance. But against the bigger ones?" He shook his head grimly. "They wouldn’t stand a chance."

Scarlett’s gaze swept over the group, her expression firm and determined. "You’re both right," she said, her voice steady. "We attack tonight. That means we need to be well-rested and prepared. Having elemental powers doesn’t guarantee survival, we all know that by now." She paused, making sure to meet everyone’s eyes. "Our abilities are an advantage, but without real combat skills, they won’t be enough. We need to train to sharpen our techniques, refine our reflexes, and learn how to maximize our strengths. That applies to all of us, including me."

"Making an announcement now to address survivors about the coming war between us and the monsters would only draw monsters toward us. That’s just asking for trouble. We wait until nighttime, right when we’re about to start attacking. That’s when we make the announcement for the other survivors." He leaned forward slightly, his tone sharp.

"The monsters don’t understand human language anyway, so that won’t be a problem. We just tell the survivors to find somewhere safe to hide. That way, even if some casualties happen, it won’t be all of them." He smirked slightly, shaking his head. "But honestly, at this point, only an idiot wouldn’t know how to hide from monsters after everything we’ve been through in this damn apocalypse."

"You’re right, Ethan," Scarlett sighed, gently stroking Hope’s tiny back as the baby stirred in her carrier, on the verge of waking. "We’ll stick to the plan."

Ryder sat up in his chair , arms crossed, his expression contemplative. "Now that we’ve agreed to wait until nightfall before attacking... can someone explain how Garvin ended up as a chosen member?" His sharp gaze flickered between Scarlett and Garvin. "Fine, you said eradicating the organization leaders made it so everyone can now hear about the system without restrictions. People can know about it, hear us say it, without any of those weird blockages." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "If that’s the case, is that how Garvin became a chosen member? If so, then why didn’t Jaden or the other survivors become one too?"

Ethan raised an eyebrow at Garvin, his expression suddenly turning mischievous. He had a theory. Even though he already knew that sexual intimacy between chosen members could transfer powers, he also knew Scarlett was the queen of monsters and the same theory doesn’t apply to her. That meant Garvin’s situation might be... different. But if it wasn’t, that meant he had slept with a female chosen member.

Ethan smirked. "Did you sleep with a female chosen member?" he asked bluntly, watching Garvin closely.

Garvin, in the middle of drinking water, choked violently, coughing as the liquid went down the wrong way.

"I knew it!" Ethan declared triumphantly. "A male chosen member must have turned a woman into a chosen one, and then you, wanting powers, slept with her to become one yourself! That’s how it happened, isn’t it?" He grinned knowingly. "Your expression says it all!"

Garvin shot him a glare, still trying to suppress his coughing fit, his face burning red with embarrassment. "Can you just shut up?" he snapped, his voice hoarse.

His eyes darted toward Scarlett, but to his growing frustration, she looked entirely unbothered. She simply sipped her tea, her expression unreadable, as if this entire conversation had nothing to do with her.

Scowling, Garvin abruptly stood up and stormed out of the compound.

Ethan frowned, watching him go. "Where’s he off to?" he called after him but got no response. He scoffed, shaking his head. "Is he angry? Why should he be? He’s a man, and it’s normal to have sex. Hell, living without sex is unhealthy." He leaned back lazily. "I started masturbating more since the moment...."

He abruptly stopped mid-sentence, his gaze flicking to Scarlett.

Her expression had turned deadly serious.

A heavy silence settled over them.

Ethan coughed awkwardly, suddenly finding his drink very interesting.

Without a word, Scarlett stood, adjusting Hope’s carrier. She gently lifted the baby out and handed her to Ethan. He hesitated for a second before taking her, cradling her carefully in his arms.

"I’ll be right back," Scarlett said simply. "Take care of Louise, Hunter, Jaden, and Hope while I’m gone."

Before anyone could respond, she turned and walked out of the compound, following the same path Garvin had taken.

Ryder watched her go, then exhaled, shaking his head. "What the hell is wrong with them?" he muttered under his breath.

Scarlett didn’t stop. She moved quickly, her feet carrying her forward with quiet determination. She could sense Garvin’s emotions, anger, embarrassment, frustration. She had felt them earlier but hadn’t acknowledged them.

Now, she would.

As she turned a corner, she spotted him leaning against a tree, his back to her. His posture was tense, shoulders squared as he stared into the distance.

"Garvin," she called softly.

He turned around, and to her surprise, he gave her a small, forced smile. "You decided to go for a walk too?"

"No," Scarlett replied, stopping a few feet from him. "I’m here because I want to talk to you."

Garvin’s smile faltered slightly. "About what happened back there?"

Scarlett gave a small nod.

He let out a humorless chuckle, shaking his head. "You mean Ethan and Ryder talking about how I became a chosen member?" He exhaled sharply. "I didn’t tell them the truth because I figured you wouldn’t want me to. You might prefer to keep it a secret."

She tilted her head slightly, watching him. "Oh, I see." She moved toward a nearby rock and sat down, resting her hands on her knees. "Well, there’s no point telling anyone, after all." She shrugged. "We did what is required to unlock the safe haven and defeat the organization leaders. That’s all there is to it. I see it as... fulfilling our duties. It’s not something that needs to be discussed."

Silence settled between them.

Scarlett kept her gaze lowered, staring at the ground, but she could feel Garvin’s eyes on her.

When she finally looked up, her breath hitched.

His expression was wounded. Deeply.

"What’s wrong?" she asked, brow furrowing.

Garvin let out a bitter chuckle, but there was no amusement in his eyes, only hurt. "Is that all it was to you?" he asked quietly, his voice edged with sadness. "Just a duty?"

Scarlett blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Garvin scoffed, shaking his head. "You really don’t get it, do you?" He ran a hand through his hair, frustration lacing his voice. "You just said it yourself, you only did it because it was required to defeat the organization leaders as well as open the safe haven . That’s all it was to you. A task. A mission. Nothing more?" His jaw clenched. "Did it mean nothing to you at all?"

Scarlett hesitated, searching his face. She had never seen this expression on him before.