Chapter 391: Fixed and Atom

Kai approached the damaged trucks and began examining them one by one.

Most of them were in terrible condition. Several had been damaged during the battle, while the others had clearly been through countless journeys before being used by the machines to transport prisoners. Their engines were old, their tires were worn, and some of their electrical systems had been damaged beyond repair.

Fortunately, Kai wasn’t alone.

"Chamber, can you check which ones are still usable?"

[ Already scanning the vehicles. ]

A moment later, several sections of the trucks were highlighted in Kai’s vision.

[ Truck One: Engine damaged. Fuel system intact. Electrical system partially damaged. ]

[ Truck Two: Engine functional. Transmission damaged. ]

[ Truck Three: Severe structural damage. Not recommended for transportation. ]

[ Truck Four: Engine functional. Minor electrical damage. ]

[ Truck Five: Engine damaged. Repairable. ]

Kai nodded.

"Then we’ll use Truck Two and Truck Four."

[ Confirmed. ]

Kai opened his Inventory and took out a Superior Transport Gift Pack.

One of the items inside was exactly what he needed. There was an off-road motorbike, several fuel reserve containers, protective riding gear, a repair kit containing various spare parts, a collapsible canoe, an emergency thruster pack, and a compact grappling launcher.

Kai ignored most of them and immediately took the repair kit.

"Let’s see if these parts are compatible."

[ Analyzing components. ]

Chamber quickly scanned the spare parts.

[ Compatibility confirmed. Several components can be used to repair the damaged vehicles. ]

"Perfect."

Kai immediately got to work.

He opened the damaged engine compartment of the first truck while Chamber guided him through the repairs.

Well, he wasn’t exactly a mechanic... He was only aware of the basics, and this truck wasn’t exactly a normal kind, especially given how it was being used by the A.I. Civilization.

[ Remove the damaged fuel injector. ]

Kai followed the instruction and removed the damaged component.

[ Replace it with the component on your left. ]

"Got it."

He grabbed the replacement part and installed it.

[ The transmission housing has sustained minor structural damage. Use the reinforced coupling from the repair kit. ]

Kai retrieved the part and installed it as instructed.

With Chamber providing precise instructions, the repairs became much easier. Whenever Kai encountered a damaged component, the A.I. immediately identified the problem and suggested a suitable replacement. When the original parts were beyond repair, Kai simply used components from the Transport Gift Pack.

The work still took some time, but eventually, Kai closed the engine compartment.

"Let’s try it."

He climbed into the driver’s seat and turned the ignition.

The engine coughed several times before finally roaring to life.

Vroom!

Kai smiled.

"One down."

He immediately moved on to the second truck.

All of this was being watched by Farrah, Xian, Xinyi, and all the others. They couldn’t help but feel truly impressed seeing how Kai was able to fix a vehicle that was modified by the A.I. or high-tech robots...

Nonetheless, Kai just continued working, unaware of their stares...

The second vehicle was in slightly better condition. The transmission was damaged, but most of the other systems were still functional, allowing Kai and Chamber to finish the repairs much faster.

By the time Kai was finished, both trucks were running properly.

However, he didn’t immediately let the survivors board them.

"Chamber, run one final inspection."

[ Full vehicle inspection initiated. ]

A few seconds later, another notification appeared.

[ Truck Two: Operational. ]

[ Truck Four: Operational. ]

[ No critical mechanical issues detected. ]

"Good."

Kai stepped out of the truck.

This was the only time he realized that the rescued survivors had been watching him throughout the entire process.

To them, it was almost unbelievable.

They had spent years surrounded by machines capable of repairing themselves and constructing entire facilities, yet seeing a human casually bring two broken trucks back to life still felt strange.

Wilson, in particular, couldn’t stop staring at the vehicles.

As a former mechanic, he was naturally interested in what Kai had done.

"You repaired both of them that quickly?"

Kai looked at him.

"Chamber helped."

Wilson glanced at the trucks again.

"I’d like to take a look at the engines later."

"Sure."

Kai smiled.

"You can help maintain them once we get back to the shelter."

Wilson’s expression brightened slightly.

"I’d like that."

While Kai was repairing the trucks, the survivors had also begun cleaning the vehicles.

The interiors were filthy. There was dust, dirt, dried blood, and the remains of whatever the machines had previously been transporting inside them. After years of being used as prisoner transports, the trucks hardly looked suitable for carrying people anymore.

Fortunately, they now had plenty of water.

Using the supplies Kai had provided, the survivors thoroughly cleaned the interiors and removed the dirt and blood until the trucks were finally usable again.

The change was surprisingly noticeable.

What had once looked like filthy prison transports now looked like ordinary old trucks.

More importantly, they no longer felt like cages.

They were vehicles taking the survivors somewhere safe.

As evening approached, the temperature began to drop.

The weather had been getting colder lately, and the survivors quickly noticed the change. Many of them had spent years inside underground facilities and transport vehicles, where they had rarely experienced the outside world.

Kai immediately took several portable cooking stoves from the Enhanced Food Gift Packs.

Just like that, their containers were filled with water and placed over the flames.

The survivors gathered around them, enjoying the warmth.

When the water finally began boiling, Kai distributed coffee sachets among them.

"Coffee?"

One of the survivors stared at the sachet in his hand.

"I haven’t had coffee in years."

"Me neither."

Another survivor carefully opened the package as though he were afraid it might disappear.

Soon, the smell of freshly prepared coffee spread through the area.

Several survivors sat around the trucks while holding warm cups in their hands. The simple warmth seemed to affect them more than Kai expected.

Some quietly enjoyed their coffee while others talked among themselves. A few simply stared into their cups without saying anything.

For people who had spent years inside cold laboratories and dark transport vehicles, something as ordinary as drinking coffee beneath the open sky felt almost luxurious.

Wilson sat nearby with both hands wrapped around his cup.

He took a small sip.

The warmth spread through his body.

For a moment, he closed his eyes...

"Haaa~"

It was just coffee... Nothing special.

Yet he couldn’t remember the last time he had been able to sit somewhere peacefully and drink something simply because he wanted to.

It was the same for Hanabi. She was sitting nearby as well, carefully holding her own cup. Every now and then, she glanced at the Limb Reconstruction Capsule beside her.

Soon, she would have legs again...

The thought still felt unreal.

Kai looked around at the survivors.

There were fifty-eight people in total.

Men and women of different ages, all of them carrying the scars of the experiments they had endured.

Some were heavily mutated.

Others looked almost completely normal... But every single one of them had survived.

Then, as Kai thought that the day would end just like that, Atom started walking toward him...