Chapter 388: Saved

Wilson remained where he was, staring at Farrah’s outstretched hand.

For so long, he had been treated as something less than human that he had almost forgotten what it felt like to be treated normally. The simple kindness in her voice was almost harder for him to accept than the experiments he had endured.

He eventually reached out and grabbed her hand.

Farrah pulled him out of the truck.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Wilson instinctively lowered his head. He was still embarrassed by his appearance, and he didn’t want to see the reactions of the people around him.

However, nobody laughed.

Nobody screamed.

Nobody even moved away from him.

Farrah simply released his hand and turned toward the other prisoners.

"Come out slowly. There’s no need to rush."

The survivors began climbing out of the trucks one after another.

There were far more than Wilson had expected. Some were so weak that they needed help just to stand, while others could barely walk after spending so long inside the cramped vehicles. Their bodies had been changed in different ways, and some looked just as unnatural as Wilson did.

Yet despite their appearances, there was one thing they all had in common.

They were starving.

At first, Kai thought they might need medical attention before anything else, but the moment one of the survivors was given a bottle of water, he emptied it almost instantly.

Another survivor saw the bottle and immediately asked for one as well.

Then another.

It didn’t take long for Kai to understand just how hungry and thirsty they were.

"When was the last time you were properly fed?" he asked.

The survivors exchanged uncertain looks.

Some couldn’t remember.

Others said it had been days.

A few admitted that they had been given only enough food to prevent them from dying.

Kai frowned.

He didn’t ask any more questions.

There was no point.

He opened his inventory and began taking out Gift Packs.

Several Enhanced Food Gift Packs appeared on the ground.

The moment Kai opened them, vacuum-sealed rations, canned goods, dried fruits and nuts, instant soup packs, coffee sachets, and portable cooking stoves appeared among the supplies.

The survivors stared at the food.

"You can have them all..."

For a moment, nobody moved.

Then one of them slowly reached for a ration.

He tore open the package and took a bite!

His expression changed immediately and he began eating faster.

That seemed to break the hesitation among the others.

Soon, the survivors were surrounding the supplies and eating whatever they could get their hands on.

Kai had expected them to be hungry, but he hadn’t expected their appetite to be this enormous.

One ration disappeared... Then another.

Several survivors finished entire cans of food within minutes and immediately reached for more.

Wilson was no different.

He had spent so long eating only enough to keep his altered body alive that he had forgotten what real hunger felt like. Now that food was actually available, his body seemed to demand everything it could get.

He finished one ration and reached for another.

Then another.

Even after eating several portions, he still felt hungry.

Wilson eventually looked down at the empty packages around him and realized how much he had eaten.

His face reddened.

"I’m sorry."

Farrah, who was helping another survivor open a can, looked at him in confusion.

"For what?"

"I’ve eaten too much."

He knew that finding food at this time wasn’t easy.

Still, Farrah just glanced at the enormous pile of supplies beside them before looking back at him.

"There’s plenty. You don’t need to worry about that."

Wilson hesitated before slowly reaching for another ration.

Kai watched the survivors for a moment as he continued opening more Gift Packs.

Their appetite should have been concerning if they were ordinary humans. The amount of food they were consuming would have left most people feeling sick, but their bodies had been changed by years of genetic experimentation.

Their metabolism had been altered and their organs had been modified.

Even their ability to process energy was no longer comparable to that of an ordinary human.

The machines had changed them so extensively that their bodies could handle enormous amounts of food without any apparent problems.

If anything, the food seemed to be helping them recover.

Their faces gradually gained color, and some of those who had barely been able to stand earlier were already moving around more easily.

Kai didn’t find it difficult to understand why.

Their bodies had been kept alive through countless experiments, and now that they finally had access to enough food, they could actually begin recovering.

He opened several Enhanced Water Gift Packs next.

Water gallons, filled bottles, collapsible buckets, purification tablets, hydration packs, insulated canteens, and advanced water filters appeared among the supplies.

The survivors immediately began drinking again.

This time, Farrah made sure they didn’t drink too quickly.

"Slow down. There’s enough for everyone."

The survivors listened, although several of them still kept glancing toward the remaining water as if afraid that it might disappear.

Kai couldn’t blame them.

After being deprived of food and water for so long, it was probably difficult for them to believe that they no longer had to fight for every mouthful.

Once everyone had eaten and drunk enough, Kai opened several Superior Survival Tools Gift Packs.

He had specifically chosen the Superior Grade packs because they contained better survival equipment, including proper survival clothing.

The packs produced multi-tools, digging equipment, fire-starting kits, portable fishing equipment, navigation tools, communication radios, emergency repair kits, and even a portable drone scout.

But the clothing was the most important thing here...

The survivors had spent years wearing whatever the machines gave them, and some of their clothes were barely recognizable as clothing anymore.

Kai distributed the new survival clothing sets among them.

"Take these."

The survivors accepted them carefully.

Some immediately began changing.

Others simply held the clothes against their bodies, staring at them as if they couldn’t believe they were actually being given something new.

Wilson was one of the latter.

He looked down at the clean clothing in his hands.

A simple set of survival clothes shouldn’t have meant much.

Yet to him, it was almost overwhelming.

He couldn’t remember the last time someone had given him something simply because they wanted him to be comfortable!

"T-thank you for saving me... I will do anything to pay this debt!"