The Endgame Chronicles (by Hugh White) novel Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Hayley was just 40 crystal cores away from unlocking the next big reward.

She hesitated for a second, then decided not to trade in the level–2 mutant zombie’s crystal core.

Sure, a level–2 core would be worth more points, but it wouldn’t count as extra quantity, so she figured she’d save it for later.

When she checked her total points, her eyes widened. After expanding her territory and trading in today’s crystal cores, she now had 18,045 points!

She tapped the screen and immediately bought the thing she’d been eyeing for weeks–an AK rifle.

When it materialized in front of her, Hayley felt an almost ridiculous sense of satisfaction.

What a beauty. She finally got her hands on it!

Then, she remembered there was that special store that cost 5,000 points to unlock.

She opened it.

As soon as the interface loaded, she noticed that every item had a timer counting down.

The first thing on the list caught her attention immediately—it was marked in gold.

[Evolution Extractor. Price: 10,000 points! Countdown: 180 seconds!)

Hayley froze.

An evolution extractor?!

She opened the details and read the description carefully.

[Evolution Extractor: Safely extracts 100% of the energy from a crystal core. The resulting evolution serum can be used to enhance gifts.)

Hayley stared at the screen, stunned.

This was exactly what she had been wondering about all day–the secret behind how the Gifted kept evolving!

With 170 seconds left on the timer, she didn’t hesitate another moment and hit purchase.

Sure, it would leave her with only 45 points afterward, but it was worth it.

Right after the transaction, the spot where the machine had been listed turned into a “cooldown” window.

So the items here weren’t unlimited–they refreshed randomly.

Other than the extractor, there weren’t any more gold–tier items–just regular building supplies like steel plates, reinforced panels, floor tiles, rebar, cement, and heavy doors.

They were cheap, costing one point each. They were available for a limited time but not limited in quantity.

Hayley thought about how flimsy Leonard’s cabin was, so she went ahead and ordered a batch of steel panels, tiles, and a solid door for him.

Only after buying them did she notice something interesting: they all came with attributes. Each one boosted her base’s defense rating by one to ten points.

+25 Bonus

Her eyes lit up.

If she rebuilt her entire base with these materials, it would basically turn into a real iron fortress!

A brand–new plan started forming in her head.

She spent her last 45 points without hesitation. Then, she stared longingly at all the other items she couldn’t afford yet.

“Don’t worry,” she muttered under her breath. “I’ll be back for you soon.”

Exiting the system, Hayley turned her attention to the thing she was most excited about the Evolution Extractor.

With a flash of gold light, she pulled it out from her inventory.

It was a small, compact device that could sit on a table. On top was a lid where you placed the crystal core, and below it was a small spout for the extracted liquid.

Hayley took out the level–2 mutant zombie’s crystal core she’d saved earlier and carefully placed it inside. Then, she set a clean cup under the spout.

After plugging in the power, the machine lit up with a soft blue glow.

In less than two seconds, a stream of clear liquid poured neatly into the cup.