Chapter 404: Gifts

After making sure the newcomers had settled in and received their meals, Kai finally had some time to attend to other matters.

He had been away from the Codebreakers Shelter for quite some time, and although he had remained in contact with his subordinates through the system, there were still many things he needed to address personally.

More importantly, his recent trip to Cameron City had yielded considerable rewards. It would be a waste to keep everything to himself when some of those items could significantly improve the strength of his people.

With that in mind, Kai summoned the shelter’s core personnel to the main meeting room.

Sera, Althea, Claire, Wallace, Victor, Elena, Marissa, Jonas, Aurora, Alfie, and several other trusted members soon gathered inside. Some had been overseeing the shelter’s daily operations, while others were responsible for its defenses, supplies, and the management of its growing population.

Farrah was also present, sitting beside Kai with a relaxed expression.

As everyone took their seats, the room gradually filled with conversation. They had all been busy during Kai’s absence, and seeing him return in person gave them an opportunity to discuss matters that couldn’t easily be handled through brief messages.

"It’s been a while since you two left," Claire remarked, looking between Kai and Farrah. "We received your updates, but hearing about everything through messages isn’t quite the same as having you here."

"That’s true," Althea agreed. "Quite a few things have happened while you were away. The shelter’s operations are stable, but the number of people we’re responsible for continues to increase."

Kai nodded.

"I expected as much. You’ve all done well keeping everything running while we were gone."

He looked around the room, taking a moment to acknowledge the people who had worked hard to maintain the shelter. From managing food production to improving the defenses and keeping everyone organized, they had taken on a great deal of responsibility.

"How have things been here? Have there been any major problems?"

Claire took the initiative to provide an overview. She explained the current state of the shelter, including its supplies, security arrangements, and the recent activation of the illusion device concealing their entrance. Althea and the others added their own reports, covering the areas they managed.

Kai listened carefully, occasionally asking questions when something required clarification.

Fortunately, there were no major emergencies that demanded his immediate attention. The shelter had continued operating smoothly, and the new concealment system had provided another layer of security against outsiders.

Of course, that didn’t mean they could afford to become complacent.

After all, Kai had already learned that someone had followed their convoy and discovered the shelter’s location. Atom had captured the intruder, but the incident was a reminder that the outside world remained dangerous, even when they thought they had taken sufficient precautions.

He made a mental note to discuss the matter with Claire and the others after the meeting.

For now, however, he had something else to take care of.

Once everyone had finished sharing their reports, Kai settled back in his chair and smiled.

"All right. Since we’re finally gathered together again, let’s move on to the main reason I called you here."

The others immediately turned their attention toward him.

During their time in Cameron City, Kai had obtained several valuable items, and he had no intention of letting those rewards go to waste. Some would be useful for the shelter as a whole, while others could directly improve the strength of his trusted personnel.

He raised his hand, and several items appeared on the table.

"First, I have something for everyone who has been helping manage the shelter."

The moment the items appeared, several people leaned forward.

Skill Fusion Crystals!

Even those who hadn’t personally used one were familiar with their value. In a world where combat ability could determine whether someone survived an encounter, anything that could improve their skills was worth taking seriously.

Kai had brought back enough crystals to reward the people who had contributed to the shelter’s development.

"I’ll distribute these according to everyone’s needs and current abilities," he explained. "The goal is to help you improve your existing skills and become more capable of handling dangerous situations. Those of you responsible for security and combat operations should pay particular attention to how you use them."

Sera glanced at the crystals before looking back at Kai.

"Are you sure you want to distribute this many? These aren’t ordinary resources."

"Of course," Kai replied. "Keeping them in storage won’t make the shelter any safer. I’d rather have capable people who can protect themselves and the people around them."

He wasn’t being careless with his resources. On the contrary, he understood their value better than most.

However, he got a nice deal from Cornelio...

Furthermore, a shelter’s strength couldn’t depend on just a few people. No matter how powerful he became, there would always be situations in which he couldn’t personally intervene. His subordinates needed to be strong enough to handle threats without waiting for him to arrive.

After hearing his explanation, Sera nodded and accepted his decision.

The others shared similar reactions. Some looked surprised, while others were already considering which of their skills would benefit most from fusion.

Kai allowed them a moment to examine the crystals before continuing.

"That’s not everything. I also brought back two batches of Skill Crystals that should help improve our overall combat capabilities."

He gestured toward the table again.

"One hundred Strong Spirit Skill Crystals and another one hundred Palm Shock Skill Crystals."

For a moment, the meeting room fell silent.

Then several surprised voices broke out almost simultaneously.

"One hundred each?"

"That’s two hundred Skill Crystals in total!"

"Where did you even get so many?"

Kai simply smiled at their reactions.

Strong Spirit and Palm Shock were different skills, but both could prove useful in combat. Aside from giving more Spirit Points, Strong Spirit could improve a user’s ability to withstand mental and spiritual pressure, while Palm Shock provided a direct offensive technique that could be used in close-quarters engagements.

Their exact usefulness would depend on the user’s compatibility, existing abilities, and combat style. Nevertheless, having access to these skills would give the shelter’s members more options when facing hostile creatures, mutated humans, and machine forces.

"These will be distributed among suitable candidates," Kai explained. "We shouldn’t give them out randomly. We’ll consider everyone’s current skills, combat experience, and responsibilities before deciding who gets them."

Wallace nodded thoughtfully.

"That makes sense. Palm Shock would be particularly useful for people who need a reliable close-range attack. Not everyone has the equipment or ammunition to fight from a distance."

"Yep," Kai replied. "And Strong Spirit could be valuable for those who frequently encounter enemies with mental or spiritual abilities. We don’t know what kind of threats we’ll face in the future, so improving our versatility is important."

Victor gently nodded, clearly pleased with the arrangement.

"With these resources, we should be able to improve the fighting strength of quite a few people. Including me... I just learned a very powerful skill yesterday... You’ll be all surprised... It’s called Dismantle..."