Ding!

{Scanning of the nineteen survivors completed, Host. No one is infected with Monster Syndrome, and no dangerous individuals have been detected.}

A small smile appeared on Ivy’s face.

Good.

{Identity cards have also been created for all nineteen survivors. None of them currently possess an awakened ability. If they do have abilities, they have not awakened them yet.}

I see. Thank you, System, Ivy replied inwardly, a sigh of relief escaping her.

Truthfully, she had already begun preparing herself for the possibility of finding someone infected among the group. Even worse, she had worried that one or more of them might be dangerous individuals hiding behind innocent faces.

If that had happened, she would have been forced to make a difficult decision.

Fortunately, it hadn’t come to that.

None of them were infected.

None of them posed a threat.

That alone removed a huge burden from her shoulders.

Returning her attention to the real world, Ivy looked toward Mr. Smith.

"Alright, Mr. Smith," she began calmly. "You can assign four villas to them on the right-hand side of the compound."

The survivors immediately focused on her every word.

"The men will stay together in two villa, while the women and families can occupy the others. As for the rooms, keep them organized. Four or five people per room depending on the available space."

The moment those words left her mouth, the survivors froze.

For a brief second, silence filled the air.

Then they all dropped to their knees once more.

Several of them broke down into tears.

"Thank you so much, Captain Ivy!"

One woman cried.

"Thank you for accepting us!"

Another survivor added.

"It’s alright," Ivy said gently while gesturing for them to stand. "Please get up. There’s no need for all of this."

The survivors slowly rose to their feet.

Many of them still had tears gathered in the corners of their eyes.

For the first time since arriving at the villa, genuine hope could be seen on their faces.

"Follow me, everyone," Mr. Smith said with a warm smile. "I’ll show you where you’ll be staying."

The group nodded repeatedly.

Several of them bowed one last time toward Ivy before following Mr. Smith deeper into the compound.

As the group disappeared from sight, Ivy finally released a long breath.

The tension she hadn’t realized she was carrying slowly left her body.

"Feeling better now?"

Darren’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.

Ivy turned toward him and found him smiling warmly.

"A little," she admitted.

Darren’s gaze drifted toward her leg.

"And your leg? How’s it holding up?"

A small chuckle escaped Ivy.

"Oh, that?"

She shifted her weight slightly.

"It’s completely healed. I already told you the System took care of it."

Darren nodded.

"Good."

Just then, footsteps approached.

Both Ivy and Darren turned to see Mr. Smith walking back toward them.

In his hands was a large sack filled with various items.

The man carefully placed it on the table before taking a seat beside them.

Darren stared at the sack.

"And what’s all this?" he asked curiously.

Mr. Smith smiled.

"These are supplies I’ve gathered for exchange."

His eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"And that brings me to my next question."

He leaned forward slightly.

"When exactly is the market opening?"

Ivy exchanged a brief glance with Darren before smiling.

"Oh, I see."

She leaned back in her chair.

"Well, technically, shopping can begin anytime."

Mr. Smith blinked.

"Anytime?"

His eyebrows rose.

"How soon is anytime?"

Rather than answering immediately, Ivy slowly turned her gaze toward a large building situated near the center of the compound.

It was the biggest structure within the villa grounds.

More importantly...it was the only building she hadn’t assigned to any residents.

Darren followed her gaze.

A realization immediately appeared on his face.

Ivy rose to her feet.

"Why do you think we gathered so many supplies today?" she asked with a knowing smile.

Mr. Smith’s eyes widened.

"The supermarket..."

"Exactly."

Ivy nodded.

"The building is already suitable for the job. It used to be a supermarket before the apocalypse, so most of the layout is already there."

She pointed toward the structure.

"However, a few adjustments still need to be made. Some shelves need repairs. Others need replacing completely. We also need proper sections for food, medicine, clothing, tools, and trading goods."

Mr. Smith looked increasingly excited.

"And after that?"

"After that," Ivy replied, "the supermarket officially opens."

A huge grin immediately spread across Mr. Smith’s face.

Beside him, Darren looked equally pleased.

Everything suddenly made sense.

Back when Ivy had instructed him to continue loading supplies into the truck, he hadn’t fully understood her plan.

What confused him even more was the fact that no matter how many supplies they unloaded from the truck, the amount inside never seemed to decrease.

If anything, it looked as though more goods kept appearing.

Of course, Darren already knew the truth.

The System.

It was obviously the System’s doing.

Several survivors had even approached him earlier to ask why the supplies aren’t reducing.

Each time, Darren had simply looked away and ignored the questions entirely while continuing his work.

Now, however, the purpose behind those endless supplies was finally becoming clear.

"There isn’t any reason to wait any longer, Mr. Smith," Darren said firmly as he rose to his feet.

The excitement in his voice was impossible to miss.

"Gather as many capable men as possible. We’ll start working on the supermarket immediately."

He pointed toward the building.

"Everything needs to be completed today."

Mr. Smith nodded enthusiastically.

"Agreed."

"If we work fast enough," Darren continued, "the supermarket can begin operations before nightfall."

The thought alone brought excitement to everyone involved.

A functioning supermarket.

A proper trading center.

A place where survivors could exchange goods instead of relying solely on distributions.

It was another step toward rebuilding civilization.

"Right away!" Mr. Smith replied energetically.

Without wasting another second, he hurried off to gather volunteers.

Watching him leave, Ivy couldn’t help smiling.

"Looks like someone’s excited."

"He should be," Darren replied.

Moments later, both he and Ivy began walking toward the supermarket building.

There was still a lot of work to do.

And by the end of the day, the villa would have something it hadn’t possessed in a very long time....

A real marketplace.