Chapter 374: Miracle Of Repair Room

It was noon once again.

After his Plant Essence had finally surpassed the six-digit mark, Vikram was no longer worried about wasting it.

At this moment, he was using a large amount of Plant Essence to continuously transform Territory 2 into a true Plant Territory.

One Plant after another was directly planted through the Plant System.

Thornvines, Bloodvines, Demonvines, Spikevines, towering ancient trees, and countless other special plants rapidly spread throughout the entire territory.

From above, Territory 1 and Territory 2 had almost completely merged into a vast forest.

The dense canopy blocked out most of the sunlight.

Even if someone passed by from outside, they would never imagine that hidden within this endless forest was a powerful Shelter.

Compared to the two forest territories, Territory 3 presented an entirely different scene.

Instead of being covered by vegetation, it resembled a village built along the edge of the forest.

However, unlike an ordinary village, everything here appeared far more advanced.

Rows of sturdy buildings stood neatly arranged.

Training grounds had been specially constructed for the Survivors to practice every day.

A vast farmland stretched across one side of the territory, already waiting for future crops.

Several observation towers stood at different locations, allowing guards to monitor every direction.

On top of the perimeter wall, twenty armed members continuously patrolled with firearms in their hands.

Whenever an insect or Zombie entered their attack range, gunfire immediately rang out.

The threat was eliminated long before it could approach the wall.

Looking at the increasingly complete Territory, Vikram nodded in satisfaction.

Compared to when he had first arrived in the Wasteland, his Shelter had undergone earth-shaking changes.

However... After observing it for a while longer, he gradually frowned.

The Territory had become too large.

Although the various facilities were already complete, the number of people was obviously insufficient.

The wide streets, numerous buildings, and spacious training grounds all appeared somewhat empty.

With the current size of the Territory, it would require at least two to three hundred permanent members before it truly felt lively.

At present, there are barely over eighty people living here.

It was still far from enough.

Thinking of this, Vikram couldn’t help clicking his tongue.

"Those idiots from Blue Frost Shelter really ran away at the perfect time."

"If they hadn’t fled to Aurora Shelter, this place would’ve been much livelier by now."

Although he wasn’t particularly concerned about those fence-sitters, they could still have served as laborers and guards.

Now, they had all become someone else’s people.

Vikram’s gaze slowly drifted toward the direction of Brown Wood Shelter.

A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

"If I can absorb everyone from Brown Wood Shelter as well... This Territory should finally have enough people."

After thinking for a moment, another name surfaced in his mind.

Aurora Shelter.

Ever since Brandon mentioned it, and after hearing about the people who had defected from Blue Frost Shelter, Vikram had become increasingly curious about this mysterious Shelter.

He had a feeling... Sooner or later, they would inevitably cross paths.

Without hesitation, Vikram called Rocky, Ron, and several other members over.

After everyone gathered, he looked around before asking calmly,

"Regarding Aurora Shelter... What else do you know? Tell me everything."

This Aurora Shelter was extremely elusive and deeply hidden. Vikram had never once seen any member from this Shelter speak in the chat channel.

However, the fact that its name was so widely spread throughout the Wasteland proved that it was by no means an ordinary force.

This was also evident from the fact that members of the Savage Wolf Shelter, Blue Frost Shelter, and Brown Wood Shelter had all been unknowingly contacted by them.

"Uh... Boss, actually, we don’t know much either."

"What we generally know is that many Survivors claim life inside Aurora Shelter is a paradise in the Wasteland."

"As long as you enter Aurora Shelter, food, water, supplies, and even women are provided in abundance."

"They even say you don’t have to worry about insect tides or Zombie attacks anymore."

"And indeed, Survivors who enter Aurora Shelter are almost never seen appearing outside again."

"A good number of Survivors speculate that life inside is simply too wonderful, so those who get the chance to enter never want to return to the harsh life outside."

Vikram was initially somewhat curious about this Aurora Shelter, but the more he listened, the stranger his expression became.

"What the hell?"

"You’ve all survived in the Wasteland for so long, and you actually believe this nonsense?"

"Forget ordinary refugees. Even the leaders of many medium-sized Shelters can’t enjoy such treatment."

"Yet they’re supposedly providing all of this for every Survivor who joins?"

"The more I hear about it... The more it sounds like some cult making up fairy tales to recruit followers."

Rocky nodded in agreement.

"Of course I don’t believe it either, Boss."

"But according to the rumors, not everyone can enter Aurora Shelter."

"They first conduct a strict examination. Only those who pass are considered qualified to join."

Vikram raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"What kind of examination? Tell me."

Rocky scratched his head awkwardly. "Boss, I never went there myself. How would I know what kind of examination they conduct?"

"I only know what everyone else has been saying."

Vikram clicked his tongue.

"Tsk."

"Looks like asking you guys won’t get me anything useful."

Seeing there was nothing more worth asking, he waved his hand.

"Alright. Go back to your work."

The group acknowledged his order before dispersing throughout the Territory.

Left alone, Vikram stood on the observation platform, looking toward the distant horizon.

"Aurora Shelter... A paradise in the Wasteland?"

"What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that?"

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand what the mysterious Shelter was trying to accomplish.

After all... In a world where everyone struggled just to survive each day, a place that supposedly provided everything for free sounded far more suspicious than believable.

Unable to figure it out for the time being, Vikram simply shook his head and temporarily pushed the matter to the back of his mind.

This Shelter never discussed matters in the channel; it seemed they lured these Survivors by adding them as friends privately.

---

In the afternoon, Vikram once again led a team out of the Shelter.

Legendary-level resource points were indeed extremely rare. On Vikram’s map, apart from the Hospital resource point and the Public Security Bureau resource point, all the remaining locations were either small or medium-sized resource points.

This time, Vikram led his subordinates to clear a medium-sized resource point that resembled a small residential area.

Although it was called a residential area, it actually consisted of only two apartment buildings, with the tallest being merely three stories high.

After eliminating all the Zombies and insects inside, Vikram led everyone in searching the buildings from top to bottom.

Apart from collecting a large number of useful daily necessities, there were no particularly valuable gains.

Seeing that there was nothing else worth staying for, Vikram immediately led everyone back to the Shelter before nightfall.

After dinner, Vikram waved his hand and called his women over.

The five of them then entered the bedroom together.

As for what happened afterward...

There was no need to guess.

However, while Vikram was busy enjoying himself, his subordinates were equally busy elsewhere in the Territory.

As more and more women had joined the Shelter, many members had gradually formed couples.

Now that everyone no longer had to worry about food or safety every day, they naturally began seeking some simple entertainment during their free time.

At this moment, the Repair Room finally began showing its true value.

[Repair Room: A special functional room capable of repairing most electrical appliances and mechanical equipment with the assistance of the Metal Mage. The Plant System automatically analyzes the item’s damage level and calculates the required repair cost. The heavier the damage, the more Plant Essence or repair materials are consumed. If sufficient repair materials are available inside the Shelter, Plant Essence consumption is greatly reduced or even completely waived.]

Ever since the Repair Room had been built, nobody had seriously tried using it.

Now, Ron suddenly remembered the pile of damaged electrical appliances stored inside the warehouse.

After rummaging through the pile for a while, he found an LCD television that was still in fairly good condition.

Carrying it on his shoulder, he walked straight into the Repair Room.

Inside the room, the surroundings looked more like a futuristic workshop than an ordinary repair shop.

Numerous metallic vines extended from the walls, while countless tiny mechanical roots intertwined across the ceiling.

At the center stood a large biological repair platform, covered with glowing green patterns that continuously pulsed with Plant Energy.

Standing quietly beside the platform was Steely, the Metal Mage.

After constantly creating buildings, defensive walls, and various equipment over the past few days, he had unknowingly reached Level 10.

Now, only a Metal Core Orb was needed for him to evolve into a Metal Treekin.

Seeing Ron carrying the television over, Steely gently placed it onto the repair platform.

Immediately afterward, countless metallic vines extended from the platform and wrapped around the damaged television.

A faint green light swept across the entire appliance.

Soon, a notification appeared.

[LCD Television. Damage Level: 8%. Repair Cost: None]

After seeing the result, Steely nodded slightly.

He stretched out one hand.

The metallic vines immediately began repairing the damaged circuits and broken components inside the television.

Within less than a minute, the green light slowly disappeared.

The once-damaged television looked as good as new.

Ron immediately carried it to the Shelter’s common living area and plugged it into a power outlet.

The screen lit up instantly.

Although there was no television signal in the Wasteland, leaving only black-and-white static on the screen, Ron’s face was already filled with excitement.

"It really works!"

Hearing his shout, many other members hurried over.

Soon, everyone began searching through the warehouse, bringing over one damaged electrical appliance after another.

Fans. Electric kettles. Rice cookers. Microwave ovens. Even a few desktop computers.

As long as the damage was below 10%, the Repair Room restored them almost instantly without consuming any Plant Essence.

For appliances with more severe damage, only a small amount of Plant Essence was required.

Moreover, because Steely had already received Vikram’s authorization to use Plant Essence for repairs, the system automatically deducted the required amount.

If enough replacement materials were available inside the Shelter’s warehouse, even that small Plant Essence cost could be completely eliminated.

After getting those repaired appliances, Ron distributed them among most of the Shelter’s members.

The way these subordinates looked at Vikram’s Territory became even stranger.

Originally, they had only admired the Shelter’s safety and strength.

But now, seeing electrical appliances that had been abandoned as useless in the Wasteland actually working again, they suddenly felt as though they had returned to civilization.

After a moment of silence, the expressions in everyone’s eyes gradually changed.

The respect they held for Vikram became even deeper.

At this moment, Vikram also arrived after tiring his all women.

Seeing his subordinates surrounding the pile of repaired appliances like a group of children who had just received new toys, he wasn’t too surprised.

Electrical appliances had always been extremely common at resource points.

However, apart from light bulbs and a few simple items, he had rarely heard of anyone successfully repairing or using other electrical appliances.

Realizing this, a thought suddenly appeared in Vikram’s mind.

He personally had no use for these appliances.

After all, there was nothing more comfortable than his Treehouse and all the facilities it already possessed.

However, that didn’t mean other Survivors had no need for them.

Especially those top-tier Shelters whose food and security had already stabilized.

As time passed and they accumulated more wealth, entertainment and convenience would naturally become their next pursuit.

Televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, computers...

These things would undoubtedly become luxury goods in the Wasteland.

For Vikram, however, repairing an appliance required almost no cost.