There wasn’t the slightest trace of disappointment in his voice.

"You don’t trust me completely yet."

A small smile appeared on his face.

"And honestly, I don’t blame you."

His expression became thoughtful.

"Trust is one of the most dangerous things in the apocalypse."

He shrugged.

"No sane survivor would hand it out freely."

Ivy remained silent.

Desmond suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Oh, right."

He snapped his fingers.

"There’s a large supermarket nearby."

Immediately, Ivy’s attention sharpened.

"A supermarket?"

"Yep."

Desmond nodded enthusiastically.

"It’s packed with supplies."

His eyes lit up.

"Food."

"Drinks."

"Medicine."

"Daily necessities."

"Pretty much everything a survivor could need."

He folded his arms.

"The problem is that nobody can actually collect anything."

"Why?"

Darren asked.

"Because the place is crawling with monsters."

Desmond laughed bitterly.

"Most survivors don’t have the weapons needed to deal with them."

His gaze moved toward Ivy’s rifle.

"But your weapons..."

A serious expression appeared on his face.

"They’re completely different."

He shook his head.

"Those aren’t normal guns."

"They feel more like portable cannons."

A hint of admiration entered his voice.

"The way they blow apart monster heads is honestly terrifying."

He pointed toward the distance.

"So I was thinking..."

"Maybe we could go there tomorrow and collect supplies."

His smile returned.

"We’ll need them eventually anyway."

Ivy pretended to think about it.

Then she nodded.

"Sounds good."

Desmond froze.

"...Really?"

His eyes widened.

"You’re actually agreeing?"

A look of excitement immediately spread across his face.

"We’re really going tomorrow?"

"Of course."

Ivy smiled.

"After all, you’re the one who provided the information."

Desmond’s smile grew even wider.

"And don’t worry."

Ivy continued.

"If we find anything valuable, I’ll give you one-third of the supplies."

Desmond blinked.

"A third?"

"That’s right."

Ivy nodded.

"You discovered the location."

She crossed her arms.

"You deserve a larger share than usual."

For a brief moment, genuine surprise flashed across Desmond’s face.

Then he laughed.

"Now that’s generous."

"Get some rest."

Ivy pointed toward the factory entrance.

"There’s food, water, and other necessities inside."

"We’ll return tomorrow morning."

Desmond smiled warmly.

"I’ll be ready."

"Good."

Ivy nodded.

"Enjoy the rest of your day."

"You too."

Desmond waved as they climbed back into the truck.

Moments later, the engine started.

The vehicle slowly pulled away from the factory.

Desmond remained standing there until the truck disappeared from sight.

Only then did he turn around.

A satisfied smile slowly spread across his face as he walked toward the factory entrance.

****

The next day arrived in what felt like the blink of an eye.

Early in the morning, Ivy and Darren set out once again in their truck.

The journey wasn’t particularly long, and before either of them knew it, the familiar grain factory came into view.

As the truck approached the entrance, they immediately spotted a lone figure standing outside.

Desmond.

He was already awake and waiting for them.

The moment he noticed the truck approaching, a bright smile spread across his face.

"Good morning!"

He raised a hand and waved enthusiastically.

"You two are right on time."

Darren parked the truck near the factory entrance before shutting off the engine.

The three exchanged a few greetings before climbing back into the vehicle and setting off toward the supermarket Desmond had mentioned the previous day.

Throughout the journey, Desmond remained unusually cheerful.

Meanwhile, Ivy sat quietly in her seat, occasionally glancing at him.

She still hadn’t lowered her guard.

Not even slightly.

A loyalty score of fifty-nine wasn’t enough to earn her trust.

Not even close.

Eventually, the supermarket came into view.

The building was enormous.

Several floors tall and surrounded by abandoned vehicles.

Broken shopping carts littered the area around the entrance.

Most importantly...

Monsters.

Dozens of them.

The creatures roamed around the supermarket grounds aimlessly, growling and occasionally bumping into one another.

The moment the truck came to a stop, several monsters immediately turned toward them.

Their eyes locked onto the vehicle.

A chorus of growls echoed through the air.

The monsters charged.

Unfortunately for them, they had chosen the wrong targets.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The thunderous sound of gunfire erupted.

Ivy and Darren didn’t waste a single second.

The moment the monsters entered their range, both of them opened fire.

One monster after another collapsed.

Heads exploded.

Brains splattered.

Bodies fell heavily onto the ground.

Within minutes, the entire area fell silent once more.

Not a single monster remained standing.

Desmond watched the slaughter with an impressed expression.

Even though he had already witnessed their weapons before, seeing them in action again was still shocking.

Those guns were absurdly powerful.

Far beyond anything an ordinary survivor should possess.

Meanwhile, Ivy wasn’t worried about the lingering monster aura in the area.

She naturally possessed monster immunity.

Desmond was in a similar situation.

As a Half-Monster, ordinary monster contamination and low-level monster pressure had little effect on him.

Once the outside area had been completely secured, the trio finally stepped out of the truck.

Together, they made their way toward the supermarket entrance.