Wasteland Queen: My Harvest Power novel Chapter 4

Now that she had money, she needed to stock up on the essentials.

She upgraded things like bug repellent and nutrition bars to mid- and high-grade ones. She also bought one bottle each of various wound medicines, antidotes, and hemostatic medicine.

Mutant bugs out there were nasty. Some bites made wounds bleed nonstop.

If you lost too much blood, you were a goner.

Before, she was too broke to buy decent meds. Now that she had enough, she stocked up on everything she might need.

After all, it was her life on the line.

Reina spent over 3,000 points in one go. She bought one bottle of low-grade hemostatic medicine, one bottle of mid-grade antidote, two bottles of bug repellent, and ten high-grade nutrition bars.

It was her first time buying the high-grade nutrition bar. Since she was hungry, she took a bite.

Honestly? It was pretty good—salty and sweet, almost like there was meat mixed in.

Just thinking about meat made her mouth water.

Luckily, the camp had a cafeteria. She could go try it later.

"Do you have any potions that restore mental energy?" Reina asked, thinking about her 10 Energy points.

Energy was basically the same as mental energy. When people with abilities used their abilities, what they spent was mental energy.

In the past, her account balance was so low she never even had the chance to test it. This time, she decided to buy two bottles no matter what.

If they worked, she could level up way faster.

"Yes, we do!" Blake said with a grin.

Reina asked, "How much?"

"A low-grade energy recovery potion is 3,000 points. A mid-grade one is 5,000."

"What? That expensive?" Reina's eyes widened.

Blake quickly explained, "It's not! These rare potions have prices set by the government. The base sells them for the same price as we do. No difference at all."

Reina hesitated for a second, then bought them.

One low-grade energy recovery potion and one mid-grade one instantly wiped out most of her points.

Luckily, she still had a little left for food and room.

After that, Reina went to the front desk to extend her room for two more days. Her account was left with 1,020 points.

She dropped her bag back in her room, locked the door, and headed down to the cafeteria.

When she walked out of the building, the camp courtyard was crowded with people—men, women, and kids.

From their clothes, gear, and condition, most of them looked like poor residents from the outer city.

Some were setting up tents in the designated zone, while others were cooking over fires in the open area.

On the other side of the yard, the parking area was almost completely full.

Reina checked her watch—6:00 p.m. The cafeteria should be open.

The camp's main cafeteria was in a different building. It wasn't very crowded. The staff had placed several big food trays on the counter.

Reina took a look. Nothing good. Just oat vegetable soup, the kind with mostly vegetables and barely any oats. A big bowl cost ten points. She'd eaten that for eight years and was sick of it.

So she went straight to the ability users' cafeteria.

The moment she walked in, a strong smell of meat hit her nose and made her mouth water.

A few people in camo gear were already in line; they looked like members of a mercenary group.

Reina got in line behind them and ordered a serving of honey-glazed mutant rabbit with pasta. It cost her 350 points.

In the past, she could never afford a meal that expensive. Her mom used to drain her smartwatch account the second she made any money, leaving her just enough for bus fare for the next trip or a few cheap nutrition bars.

Easton didn't seem to care. He kept asking gently, "When did you get here? Have you joined a team yet?"

Reina felt like her food didn't taste as good anymore with him asking so many questions.

But it's hard to be rude to someone who's being nice. And he used to be her class president. So she answered honestly, "Not yet."

"Then join us," Easton said. "We can also see how much your Harvesting Ability has improved."

He sounded gentle, but he was being pushy. He spoke like a big brother. Anyone who didn't know the truth might be fooled by his friendly attitude.

Reina's lips twitched, and she immediately shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm not planning to join a team right now."

She had no interest in joining his team, and she definitely wasn't down to be their free labor.

She had joined their team once. When it came time to split the harvest, she only got two handfuls of wild vegetables with moderate contamination.

Easton had the nerve to say they split everything "based on contribution," and since Reina had the lowest combat power, she got the least.

If she hadn't just transferred from the regular class to the ability class back then and wanted to avoid trouble, she would've flipped the table right then.

After that, Reina kept her distance from Easton and his group.

When Easton saw her refuse, he felt annoyed.

But he kept up the act. "You're going out to the wilderness alone? That's dangerous."

Amber jumped in right on cue. "Exactly. A lot of harvesting teams have been attacked by mutant monsters lately. Even mercenary teams don't dare camp outside anymore. A Harvesting Ability user with no combat power, like you, going alone is basically suicide."

Reina ate in silence. She finished her last bite, then slowly stood up. "Thanks for the heads-up. I'm heading back now. You guys enjoy your chat."

Just then, two more of Easton's teammates walked over carrying their food. Reina took the chance and quickly slipped away.

Watching her leave, Easton's face darkened. "Ungrateful!"

Then he turned to Amber and said, "Tell the other teams not to let Reina join them. I want to see how a harvester like her plans to go into the wilderness alone."