Chapter 115: A Conflicted Reward

On the ground lay a chaotic pile of firearms, ranging from pistols, light machine guns, heavy machine guns to artillery barrels—everything one could imagine.

[You recognize this as an AK; you recognize that as an M16; you recognize the Gatling gun...]

[You notice they seem to have undergone some optimization and modifications, but without a doubt, you know these are weapons from Earth’s civilization...]

“Do you guys actually still use these things?”

Colin was completely stunned.

He had thought the main differences between the two sides were skills, special talents, and food...

Never did he expect that firearms would be part of it!

“Heh, never seen them before, huh? These were random weapons gifted on the tenth day of signing in. They look small, but their power isn’t insignificant. I myself was shocked by the strength of this little thing back then...” Russell said with a hint of pride. “I don’t even know which civilization invented these weapons, but they’re quite handy to use...

“They use something called ‘bullets’ that can unleash tremendous power. You probably can’t imagine just how powerful a single bullet is...

“If it weren’t for the system suddenly stopping the supply of ‘bullets’ later on, I think we could have held out a bit longer...

“Using these, especially with some specially designed ‘bullets,’ even lord-level mutants can be suppressed or executed.

“I think you guys also got similar weapons from the system?

“Heh, but yours seem a bit crude compared to mine. Let me introduce you to my favorite one...”

At first, he regarded Colin as a “comrade,” which was why he openly asked questions—because in this world, only those from their “Gondor” faction used firearms and artillery...

But before he could continue, Colin interrupted:

“This is a large-caliber revolver, optimized and modified based on the 'Smith 500,' firing 12.7mm caliber bullets...”

“Huh, I’d forgotten what it was called exactly. How do you know that?”

Russell suddenly slapped his forehead. “Oh, right—I can’t open the item information panel anymore, but it seems you guys still can.”

As he spoke, a frown crept across his brow as if recalling something: “Wait, you must have activated some ability, right? I remember you have to touch an item to open its information, and according to your item info description, tsk...”

On this point, their activation conditions were identical: they could only access detailed information after physical contact.

So, he quickly guessed that Colin used an ability; otherwise, there was no way he could know that.

“I don’t know if the boss used any ability, but you guys—”

Beside him, Li Chou exclaimed as if seeing a ghost, “This is a treasure of our culture, damn it!”

Russell was stunned. The gun he was spinning in his hand dropped to the ground with a soft clatter.

After a moment’s pause, he bent down to pick up the revolver, wearing a strange expression he couldn’t quite place: “A treasure of your culture?”

Recalling his own words just now...

He felt an inexplicable awkwardness, a flush creeping over his face, and an itch at his scalp.

“Yeah...” Li Chou scratched his head. “Why is it like this? This is clearly ours—why are you so familiar with it...”

He had never even played with these things, yet someone else had mastered them thoroughly.

And these things should have been theirs!

Meanwhile, Colin suddenly realized a detail: the “previous generation” task rewards all seemed to be items from Earth...

Canned meat, dark chocolate, engineer’s shovels...

But the rewards for their generation were all unfamiliar items from that civilization...

Suddenly, a spark of insight hit Colin. He interrupted their conversation:

“Could it be that the items each generation of survivors receives are actually from other civilizations?

“Have our supplies been swapped?”

“Possible,” Russell agreed.

Because he recalled that their initial task rewards were all unfamiliar items to them.

Though strange, they were still quite practical, and the food tasted decent.

Especially the things called ‘self-heating hotpots.’

“If that’s the case, then who did we swap with?” Li Chou asked, and all eyes turned to Russell.

“Don’t look at me. I don’t recognize the stuff you’ve gotten either. Our civilization’s staple food is a kind of mixed insect biscuit, tasty and nutritious,” Russell shook his head. “Besides, our civilization isn’t weak. We use ‘plasma’ as our main weapon. Its range isn’t as far as yours, but its power and area effect are greater and better suited for this environment...

“And we haven’t seen any of your unique ‘gene mutation potions,’ so it definitely isn’t us...”

If it’s not you, then who?

Colin and the others didn’t focus on their own supplies but fell into deep thought. If this guess was right...

What kind of civilization is this? So damn poor?

All they got was sour, hardened black bread!

[You realize this might be some strange coincidence.]

Some coincidences are so cryptic, they might as well be useless hints... Forget it, no use thinking about it. It is what it is...

Colin rubbed his forehead and stopped dwelling on it, knowing it would lead nowhere.

Besides, this sudden idea probably wasn’t accurate; if it were true, there’d be no explanation for the potatoes here.

Better to leave the mystery for another day...

Now, Colin looked at the pile of weapons on the ground and decided to send them back to their base.

Though they had no bullets, these weapons had all been optimized by the system and might inspire those at the territory in some way.

If it seemed useful but they weren’t sure, better to pick them up and send them to the territory.

“Let’s rest now—eat something, take a break. Oh, some rooms in the level-five territory even have bathtubs or small baths. You can soak later and clean up a little...”

Colin rubbed his forehead—he hadn’t bathed in days, and after intense physical exertion, they certainly weren’t clean.

Except for Shana, who could apply skills to appear cleaner, the others were all grimy and emitted sour odors.

Of course, after a while, one gets used to it.

After all, this world reeked of rot soaked into the soil; compared to that, a bit of sweat wasn’t so bad.

Russell suddenly seemed to remember something: “By the way, friend, we’re almost out of water. If you want to bathe, remember to pay the water fee—about three Mist Points per ton, or the ‘water tower’ won’t release any...

“With so many people, remember to pay enough...

“Heh, come to think of it, I haven’t bathed properly in a long time either...”

“Uh...”

After saying this, Russell called over three maid servants and left, leaving only his back visible.

Seeing this, Colin suddenly felt like he’d been tricked.

Not long after enjoying some food, tidying up their rooms, and soaking in the long-missed bath, Colin lay on his bed, closed his eyes, cleared his mind, and drifted into sleep.

That night was unusually peaceful...

So peaceful it felt unsettling.

After nine hours of sleep, Colin suddenly sat up in bed and opened his eyes.

.
.
.

P.S.: Thank you all for your subscriptions, monthly votes, and recommendation votes.

Thanks also to “Dark Glaze Bloodshed” and “Eternal Silence” for their generous rewards...