Kai held the spare ammunition, and thankfully, it fit neatly into another pocket. It was also secured tightly so it wouldn't spill.
Once everything was in place, he felt ready.
"Alright. Organized."
Now that he knew that the items could not be returned to the Inventory, he made sure not to open Gift Packs unless necessary.
Still, Kai decided to open his Gift Pack Selection panel to store more of them in his Inventory.
[ Inventory:
Energy Gift Pack (Basic) x1
Entertainment Gift Pack (Basic) x1
Food Gift Pack (Basic) x5
Medical Gift Pack (Basic) x1
Shelter Gift Pack (Basic) x1
Stealth Gift Pack (Basic) x1
Survival Tools Gift Pack (Basic) x1
Transport Gift Pack (Basic) x1
Water Gift Pack (Basic) x5
Weapon Gift Pack (Basic) x1 ]
That took quite some time, since there was no bulk selection. He had to select the gift packs one by one.
Still, he decided to stock more Food and Water Gift Packs for obvious reasons.
Once satisfied, he tightened his grip on the hatchet and patted the revolver at his side.
With his gear secured, he rose to his feet and scanned the endless garbage dump. The stench was still overwhelming, but now he felt a little more prepared.
Whoosh!
A breeze brushed past him from the east, and Kai decided to follow it.
'Now, what do we have here… I hope this garbage dump has some hidden treasures or something.' Kai mused as he recalled Atom from a movie he watched before.
It wasn't exactly like this garbage dump, and it was more like a scrapyard… However, he was still hopeful.
That treasure
"Maybe I should find an area filled with broken machines like that scrapyard," Kai muttered as he continued to scan his surroundings while moving.
Well, the piles of spoiled food and decaying waste were also getting unbearable, so he had to move… It was not just for the smell, but for the risk of disease. If he stayed here too long, he might get sick before the real danger even arrived.
The silence pressed on as he walked past mountains of trash, broken furniture, and rusted metal.
After some time, he reached the edge of the dump. A new message appeared before him.
[ Warning: Moving further will remove your Beginner Protection. ]
"Ahh…"
Kai stopped in his tracks. He stared at the invisible boundary and the world beyond it hidden by piles of debris.
"…So this is the limit," he muttered.
He exhaled slowly and turned in another direction, continuing to follow the breeze.
After a few minutes, Kai's eyes lit up.
Farther off, he noticed sections of the dump where twisted metal shone faintly under the gray sky. Indeed, it was the scrapyard he was searching for!
There were shattered appliances, rusted engines, and fragments of old devices scattered in mounds. It wasn't pleasant, but at least it didn't have that rotting smell.
Kai preferred this area, but the presence of stale water and what seemed like lurking insects meant he had to remain vigilant.
Nonetheless, compared to the other area with a rotting smell, this was simply better.
"Better to stick near the machines. Less chance of infection… and maybe I can salvage something useful."
As long as he was careful not to get scratched by these rusted metals, he should be fine.
And since he wasn't hungry yet, Kai focused on checking the scrapyard, carefully noting the layout of the garbage dump.
As he looked around, he noticed some unstable trash mounds that looked ready to collapse at the slightest touch, so he decided to avoid them for now…
"Nothing…"
After a careful search, he left the scrapyard area. Well, he wanted to map the entire place covered by the Beginner Protection.
Whenever he received the warning that he was about to leave the Beginner's Protection area, he would then stop and change direction.
Still, he made mental notes of salvage zones where there were piles of broken machines, twisted scrap metal, and shattered appliances that might prove useful later.
"Aahhh…"
Kai was a bit surprised after noticing some rats scurrying about.
Squeak-squeak!
They darted between piles of debris.
'So I have some neighbors here…'
Their beady eyes shone in the dim light before disappearing into cracks and tunnels beneath the trash.
Kai wrinkled his nose. Without his Infinite Gift Pack talent, he'd probably have been forced to filter or boil the stale water nearby, and maybe even cook rats for meals. The thought alone made him shudder.
He pressed onward, and he felt really thankful for the sturdy boots he had.
He didn't need to worry about what he was walking on because of it. Whether it was rusted fragments, broken glass, or brittle plastic, his boots made him feel safe.
"Hmm?"
Kai paused at a mound of shattered appliances…
He crouched and brushed away dust and grime from a dented washing machine drum. He thought that he saw a snake, but it turned out to be wires that dangled loosely when he tried to lift it.
He continued mapping the area, mentally dividing it into zones.
There were general waste or food rot to the west, insects near stagnant water, unstable mounds scattered throughout, and metal scraps to the east.
It wasn't much, but at least he had a clearer picture of his surroundings.
As he felt that he had completely mapped the area, the rats scattered suddenly, vanishing into the trash as if fleeing from something unseen.
"Hmm?"
Kai felt something was off as he tightened his grip on the hatchet.
Then he felt it… At first, it was barely noticeable, but the vibration grew stronger, sending a shiver up his boots.
'Something's coming!'