The rest area had a vending machine.
Empty, of course. Glass smashed. Cans gone. But the machine itself was still standing, and that was something.
Alex sat on a bench, arm bandaged, staring at his system screen.
```
[User: Alex Chen]
Level: 2
Credits: 175/200 to next level
```
Twenty-five credits. That's all he needed.
Twenty-five credits from level three. Ninety levels from the first Legendary Perk.
At this rate, he thought, I'll hit level ten in a month.
He didn't have a month. Vera would find them again. The Road Knights would keep hunting. And somewhere out there, Zero Mile was waiting.
"Staring at the screen won't make it go faster."
Jade sat down beside him. Her rifle was across her lap—still broken, still useless. But she held it like a talisman.
"I know," Alex said.
"Then stop staring."
"Easy for you to say. You're level three."
"I killed people to get there. You won't."
"I killed an Asphalt Creeper."
"One. That's not enough."
Alex looked at her. "You want me to become like Vera?"
Jade's jaw tightened. "I want you to survive. There's a difference."
"Is there?"
She didn't answer.
---
Cole walked over, chewing on something that might have been jerky. "There's a town about ten miles east," he said. "System shows multiple crates. Could be worth the detour."
"What kind of crates?" Sarah asked. She was leaning against the RV, arms crossed.
"White. Maybe a blue. Hard to tell from this distance."
"White crates give fifty credits," Jade said. "Blue give three hundred. We need both."
"We need a plan," Alex said. "Last time we went after a crate, Vera showed up."
"Vera showed up because someone tipped her off," Cole said. "Question is, who?"
Everyone looked at Danny.
The kid shrank back. "It wasn't me. I don't even know how to contact anyone."
"He's telling the truth," Sarah said. "He's been with us the whole time."
"Then it's someone else," Cole said. "Someone with access to the system. Someone who can track unique skills."
"The system tracks everything," Jade said. "Maybe Vera just searched for high-value targets."
"Can you do that?" Alex asked.
Jade shrugged. "I never tried."
Alex pulled up his system. Scrolled through the menus. There it was—a search function. He typed in "unique skill."
```
[System: No results found. Your skill is hidden.]
```
Hidden.
My skill is hidden.
He read it again. "The system isn't telling anyone about me. Vera found out some other way."
"Your mother," Sarah said quietly. "If she was here before... maybe she left traces. Records. Something Vera found."
"Or someone told her," Cole said. "Someone who knew Elena."
Alex's blood went cold.
Someone who knew my mother.
Someone who's still alive.
---
They reached the town at dusk.
Buildings. Real buildings. Houses with roofs and doors and windows that hadn't been shattered.
And crates. Multiple.
Alex counted five white crates and one blue.
"No purple," Jade said. "No gold."
"It's enough," Sarah said. "Five whites is two hundred fifty credits. Blue is three hundred. Total's five fifty."
"Plus whatever's inside."
"Plus whatever's inside."
Alex looked at the map. No other survivors in the area. No Vera. No Road Knights.
Too quiet, he thought. But we need the credits.
"Same play," he said. "Sarah, you stay with the RV. Jade, you take the roof. Danny, you're with me."
"I can fight," Danny said.
"You can carry. We find crates, you open them. I'll watch your back."
The kid nodded. Didn't argue.
Good, Alex thought. He's learning.
---
The first white crate was in a living room.
Front door broken. Furniture overturned. But the crate sat on the coffee table, glowing softly.
Danny crouched beside it. "Ten seconds?"
"Ten seconds. I'll watch the door."
The kid touched the lock.
One... two... three...
Alex watched the street. Empty.
Four... five... six...
A sound. Somewhere in the house. Floorboards creaking.
Seven... eight...
"Almost there," Danny whispered.
Nine...
The lock clicked.
Ten.
```
[System: Common Supply Crate (White) opened.]
Rewards:
– MRE x2
– Water Bottle x2
– Flashlight (batteries included)
– Credit: 50
```
Danny grabbed everything. Stuffed it into his backpack.
The floor creaked again.
Alex turned.
A figure stood in the kitchen doorway. Tall. Thin. Eyes wide.
Not a survivor, Alex realized. A monster.
The Asphalt Creeper lunged.
---
Alex shoved Danny behind him. The tire iron came up.
The Creeper's claws scraped the metal. Sparks flew.
"Run!" Alex shouted.
Danny ran.
The Creeper swung again. Alex blocked. The impact jarred his injured arm. Pain shot through his shoulder.
He gritted his teeth and swung back.
The tire iron caught the Creeper's jaw. Bone cracked. The thing screeched—high and thin—and stumbled back.
Alex didn't wait. He swung again. Again. Again.
The Creeper fell.
```
[System: Asphalt Creeper (Level 3) defeated.]
Reward: 25 credits.
```
Alex stood over the body, breathing hard.
His arm was bleeding again. The bandage was soaked.
But he was alive.
Danny appeared in the doorway. "Is it dead?"
"It's dead."
"Your arm..."
"I know."
The kid's face was pale. But he didn't run. Didn't cry. Just stood there, holding his backpack full of loot.
Tough kid, Alex thought. He'll make it.
---
They found the other four white crates without incident.
Each one gave fifty credits. Each one gave something small—food, water, a box of ammo that fit Jade's rifle, a roll of duct tape that made Sarah's eyes light up.
By the time they reached the blue crate, Alex had enough.
```
[User: Alex Chen]
Level: 2
Credits: 375/200 to next level
```
"Level up available," he said.
Sarah grinned. "About time."
"Save it," Jade said. "Blue crate first. Then level up."
"Why?"
"Because blue crates sometimes give skill boosts. Could make your level up stronger."
Alex didn't know if that was true. But Jade had been on the road longer than any of them.
"Fine," he said. "Blue crate first."
---
The blue crate was in the town's church.
Stained glass windows. Wooden pews. An altar at the front.
And on the altar, glowing blue, the crate.
"Feels wrong," Sarah said. "Looting a church."
"The church isn't real," Jade said. "The crate is."
Alex approached the altar. The crate was warm. Pulsing.
He crouched beside it.
"Ten seconds," he said. "Watch the doors."
Sarah took the left. Jade took the right. Danny stood behind Alex, knife in hand.
One... two... three...
The crate hummed.
Four... five... six...
A sound outside. Footsteps.
Seven... eight...
"Someone's coming," Sarah said.
Nine...
The lock clicked.
Ten.
```
[System: Rare Supply Crate (Blue) opened.]
Rewards:
– Advanced First Aid Kit
– Fuel Canister x4 (+40% fuel)
– Skill Book: "Quick Hands" (Unlocks faster crate opening)
– RV Module: "Reinforced Windows" (Requires Level 15)
– Credit: 300
```
Alex grabbed everything. The skill book was small—paperback, like something from a gas station checkout.
He opened it.
```
[System: Skill learned – Quick Hands (Level 1)]
Effect: Crate opening time reduced from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.
```
"Eight seconds," he said. "That's not nothing."
"It's not much," Jade said.
"It's a start."
The footsteps outside were closer now. Multiple sets.
"Time to go," Sarah said.
Alex nodded. "Level up first."
He pulled up his system.
```
[System: Level up available. Current Level: 2. Next Level: 3.]
Confirm?
```
He pressed confirm.
```
[System: Level up complete. Current Level: 3.]
[System: 175/400 credits to next level.]
[System: 7 levels until Legendary Perk selection.]
```
"Seven more," he said.
"Seven more what?" Danny asked.
"Seven more levels until I get my first Legendary Perk."
The footsteps stopped outside the church door.
Alex turned. The door creaked open.
A woman stepped inside. Not Vera. Someone new. Young. Dark hair. Armed with a bow.
"I'm not here to fight," she said. "I'm here to trade."