LOSS System: Last Store Standing

“Human, a hidden mission has been detected.”

“Hidden Mission: On the Same Wavelength.”

“Time limit: Thirty days.”

“Success: Basic Animal Affinity will be granted.”

“Failure: One resource currently available in unlimited supply will be revoked.”

Jack frowned. Another hidden mission with no explanation?

Before he could ask, the system paused. When it spoke again, its voice carried the same familiar frustration.

“Hidden Mission: On the Same Wavelength completed.”

“Basic Animal Affinity unlocked. Please claim your reward.”

Jack stared blankly for a moment before remembering what had happened with First Foundation Stone. This was already the second time a hidden mission had been completed the moment it appeared.

He struggled to hold back a laugh.

“LOSS, you’re pretty annoyed right now, aren’t you?”

“Human, mind your language,” the system replied coldly.

“Still pretending? This is the second time.” The more Jack thought about it, the funnier it became. “Looks like your creators didn’t like you very much either. Why else would they create a separate mission system that bypasses you and gives me rewards directly? It’s almost like they designed it just to annoy you.”

The system: “…”

Jack finally burst out laughing.

Elias looked over from nearby. “What are you laughing at?”

Jack quickly pulled himself together. “Nothing. I’m just happy that everyone has moved here.”

“Give me a break,” Cass said. “I’ve seen that look on your face several times already.”

Jack tensed but quickly covered it with an annoyed expression.

“Why do you care what I’m laughing about? Maybe I just like to laugh. Is that a problem?”

“Not at all.”

Cass chuckled and let the matter drop.

Jack didn’t want Cass asking any more questions, so he turned to Elias.

“By the way, has everyone been assigned a tent for tonight?”

“It’s all arranged,” Elias said. “Susan and Ray each have one of the two tents at the back. Marg and I will share one. Cass and Vane have the two facing each other, while Reed and Thomas are on the other side.”

He glanced toward Mort. “The tent at the outer edge of the living area is his.”

Then Elias looked into the convenience store with a smile.

“As for Ava, I doubt she’ll want to leave her little place tonight.”

Everyone laughed, but Ava didn’t seem embarrassed at all.

“I’m sleeping with the bear tonight,” she announced seriously, holding out her hands to show everyone how big it was.

Vane smiled at her.

Mort, however, looked surprised. “There’s a tent for me too?”

“Of course,” Elias said.

“But I…”

Elias stopped him before he could finish.

“You know where you stand. That’s enough.”

Mort fell silent. A moment later, he gave a slow nod.

The mood had grown a little heavy, so Jack clapped his hands.

“All right, everyone. We’ve been busy all day, and there’s still plenty to do tomorrow. Let’s get some rest.”

Ava immediately grabbed Jack’s hand and urged him to return to the convenience store, completely forgetting about Vane.

Vane’s mouth twitched at how quickly his daughter had abandoned him.

The others burst out laughing before heading back to their tents.

With Elias supporting him, Jack returned to the convenience store and lay down on the folding cot.

He still had no idea what On the Same Wavelength meant or how he had completed it. The only possibility he could think of was the Dustchucks. After all, the reward was Basic Animal Affinity, and he hadn’t interacted with any other animals.

Jack’s guess was completely wrong.

The hidden mission had nothing to do with the Dustchucks.

After learning why Jack wanted a separate trading post, Elias and the others had arranged the tents to protect both the store and the place they now called home.

No one had needed to say it aloud.

That unspoken understanding was what completed On the Same Wavelength.

Since the reward was already his, Jack decided not to waste any more time thinking about it.

“LOSS, I want to claim the reward.”

“Confirm acquisition of Basic Animal Affinity?”

“Confirm.”

“Reward granted.”

A gentle force immediately flowed into Jack’s body. The feeling was so comfortable that he closed his eyes and let the energy settle within him.

When the feeling finally faded, Jack opened his eyes and tried to sense what had changed.

Nothing seemed different.

“LOSS, why don’t I feel any changes?”

“What kind of changes were you expecting?” the system asked.

Jack thought for a moment.

“I thought I could focus on the Dustchucks and sense where they were or what they were doing.”

The system suddenly adopted a serious tone.

“Human, the cross-species emotional resonance threshold reduction mechanism corresponding to this ability is strictly limited to the dynamic enhancement of bilateral affinity parameters within physical interaction range. Its underlying operational logic involves low-intensity coupling calibration between the host’s bioelectric field and the target organism’s neurotransmitter sensitivity range. It does not rely on remote neural coupling, spatial information transmission, or any form of active consciousness projection—”

“Stop, stop, stop!”

Jack hurriedly interrupted it.

“What are you even talking about? Speak normally!”

The system was silent for a moment.

“Human, did you mistake this ability for mind reading?”

Jack opened his mouth.

“I…”

Elsewhere, Marlin, Gordon, and Harvey finally reached the first settlement on their route.

Night had already fallen by the time they arrived.

The settlement sat between several connected ruins. Metal frames and broken boards formed a crude fence across the entrance. Beyond it stood more than a dozen shelters made from old cloth, sheet metal, and wood, with dim firelight shining through the gaps.

The sound of someone approaching put the night guards on alert.

“Who’s there?”

Marlin stopped his handcart outside the fence.

“It’s me. Marlin.”

The guards relaxed when they recognized his voice. They moved the fence aside, and several people came out to meet him.

Their attention quickly shifted to the supplies loaded on his handcart.

“It’s been a while since you last came by. What did you bring this time?”

“Let me inside and give me a chance to breathe,” Marlin said. “I’ve been walking all day. My legs are about to fall off.”

The others laughed and let them through.

Gordon and Harvey followed Marlin into the settlement, taking in their new surroundings.

The settlement leader soon came to greet them. He was an old man in his seventies. After exchanging greetings with Marlin, he noticed the two brothers.

“Your group has gotten bigger, Marlin.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” Marlin said with a laugh. “Do I look like I can afford to feed this many people? I met them on the road.”

Henry laughed and led the three of them to the fire without asking anything more.

“So, what did you bring us this time?”

Marlin opened the bags on the handcart and placed the canned beef and drinking water Jack had given him beside the fire.

The surrounding conversations stopped.

Henry stared at the supplies.

“Where did you get all this?”

“That’s not important,” Marlin said. “What matters is whether you want it.”

“Of course we do. Who wouldn’t?”

Marlin explained Jack’s offer and the work available at the convenience store.

Instead of reacting with excitement, the people around the fire exchanged doubtful looks.

Henry frowned. “You’re not joking, are you?”

“How bored do you think I am?” Marlin rolled his eyes. “Why would I walk all the way here just to play a joke on you? I’ve delivered the message. Whether you believe it is up to you.”

Henry fell silent and considered the offer.

Marlin didn’t try to convince him. In the wasteland, anything that sounded too good to be true could easily turn out to be a trap.

“Take your time, Old Henry,” Marlin said. “We’ll stay here tonight, but I’m heading to another settlement in the morning. It’ll be a few days before I pass through here again.”

He packed the supplies away.

“You can give me your answer when I return.”

Henry thought for a moment.

“All right. We’ll discuss it.”

He asked someone to find a place where Marlin, Gordon, and Harvey could spend the night.

No one noticed the other old man standing in a dark corner beyond the crowd. He had been watching Marlin the entire time.

The firelight flickered across his wrinkled face, revealing the calculating look in his eyes.