After handing out food and water, Kai and the rest checked the notifications they had received after killing the three leaders.
Obviously, the messages weren’t the same for everyone, since their participation had been different this time.
Damon was killed by Wallace alone, a clean shot straight to the heart. Keagan had fallen to Ralph, who fired at him before the bat could land. As for the two guards, Ralph, Claire, and Victor had cooperated to bring them down.
Finally, Kai himself had killed Julian.
Each of them had played their part.
As for Kai, he had a new achievement.
[ First Solo Kill Achieved. ]
[ +60 Experience Points ]
[ Bonus: Stat Increase - Spirit +1 ]
This time, there was no reminder about how killing humans yielded low experience points or that they should focus on the true enemy. Instead, the system highlighted the bonus stat.
"I got an increase in Spirit," Kai muttered, glancing at the notification.
"Ohh. Me too!" Wallace said quickly after checking his own.
"Yep, I got it too... Maybe Claire and Victor will get theirs once they make their first solo kill," Ralph added, realizing how the system worked.
They could have kept talking about experience points and rewards, but their attention shifted to the small iron key. Julian had died clutching it, and now it was in Kai’s hand.
They wanted to know more about this so-called gold liquid.
But, before they could discuss further, Augustine and Russel approached. The two men, who had first found and brought these five survivors into Haven‑45, couldn’t hold back their emotions.
They were relieved.
The three leaders were finally gone. More than that, they were moved by the fact that Kai’s group had chosen to share food and water with everyone instead of ruling them through fear with their guns.
That single act of generosity had already won their hearts.
"You... you saved us," Russel muttered with his voice trembling. "I thought Haven‑45 was finished. But now... now we have a chance."
Augustine nodded firmly beside him.
They knew better than anyone how dire the situation of the shelter truly was. The food supply was dwindling, the pillars holding the underground chamber were crumbling, the bitter cold of winter was approaching, and the A.I. army above was growing more active with each passing week.
All of these problems had to be addressed. But the three leaders had never been capable of solving them.
Now, with Kai’s group here, Augustine and Russel felt, that survival might actually be possible.
"You can trust us... We will make this shelter more livable." Kai promised.
Then, after a few more minutes, when the tension eased, he finally asked the question that had been bothering him.
"What do we do with these corpses? Five of them... the three leaders and their two guards."
Russel answered without hesitation. "We’ll use them as fuel in the boiler room."
The five didn’t expect that at all. However, it somehow made sense since there was probably no graveyard here.
Then, seeing that they have several questions in their mind, Russel quickly called for Gabby, one of the operators in charge of the Boiler Room, to give more details.
Gabby arrived, a thin man with soot-stained clothes, though his hands were surprisingly clean. Everyone could see that he had just gobbled up a granola bar.
Nonetheless, he bowed slightly before speaking.
"The boiler room has an advanced tech obtained from the A.I. Base, the elder said to me before. It doesn’t produce smoke, so the shelter isn’t discovered from above. That’s why we can keep burning waste without alerting the Sentinels."
Kai and the others listened carefully. They weren’t familiar with how the boiler worked or what it could do. Still, it seemed that they had to visit it later.
Gabby continued, "We incinerate everything here, trash, scraps, even human waste. It keeps the shelter clean and provides steady heat. We could also boil water with it, but we don’t bother. The well water is drinkable enough. Even if it has bacteria, everyone here has consumed at least three drops of gold liquid. That’s why our bodies can endure it."
Kai nodded slowly. It was practical, though grim. Using the corpses as fuel meant nothing went to waste.
Then, Gabby continued to explain that the boiler was also being used to produce electricity.
The heat converted into steam drives turbines, and it was not much, but enough for lights, ventilation, and some machines.
After being satisfied with this explanation, their attention shifted back to the iron key Julian had died clutching.
Russel pointed toward the far side of the chamber.
"There. That vault contains the gold liquid."
The group moved closer.
The vault was built into the wall with its surface scratched and dented from years of use.
Soon, Kai inserted the key, and with a heavy click, the lock disengaged.
Clank!
The door creaked open, revealing ten small vials inside... However, there were only three of them with remaining gold liquid. Even the third one only had half of it left.
Well, it was already surprising that the three previous leaders didn’t consume it all despite looking so greedy.
’Maybe there’s a penalty or something?’ Kai mused.
Then, at that moment, the system reacted.
[ Congratulations! You have discovered Alpha Gene Enhancement Serum! ]
[ +10 Experience Points ]
[ Alpha Gene Enhancement Serum: Rare genetic resource developed by the fallen World Government. ]
[ Effect: Permanently increases base stats upon consumption. Small chance of awakening a Gene Skill. ]
[ Warning: Excessive use may cause instability. ]