Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Underground Cavern
The mayor of Scrap Copper Town had wanted to abandon him outright.
After all, life was hard for ordinary people in the wasteland. A cripple would only be a drain on the town’s resources.
However, everyone had seen Bena’s past contributions. Thanks to that, and his uncle’s family desperately protecting him, he wasn’t cast out in the end.
Of course, this came at a price. His uncle and his two older brothers had to gather even more resources to support him.
Thankfully, Bena’s condition eventually improved. While he couldn’t handle prolonged, strenuous activity, he could at least live a normal life.
But the good times didn’t last. Without Bena, the Scavenger Team’s income steadily declined.
After this happened once or twice, the raiders who collected protection fees were no longer as reasonable as they had been at first.
When they couldn’t collect enough resources, they naturally resorted to taking people instead.
The young men and women who were old enough to work became prime targets.
And Lina, having just turned 16, was considered a prime target.
Lina wasn’t actually Bena’s biological sister, but his uncle’s daughter—his cousin.
Watching more and more people get captured, his uncle knew it was only a matter of time before they took Lina.
Once captured by the raiders, becoming a slave was the best-case scenario.
So, he prepared rations and water for them, urging them to flee before they could be captured.
And although Bena was not nearly as physically capable as he once was, he managed to guide Lina all the way from Scrap Copper Town to this nameless, ruined city through a combination of luck and skill.
As for what they experienced on the road... that’s another story entirely.
Bena carefully swept away a layer of loose dirt in a corner, then picked up a half-broken shovel and began to dig.
A moment later, a small, palm-sized iron box was in his hands.
Bena carefully opened the iron box. When he saw its contents were still inside, he let out a silent sigh of relief.
He then closed the box and carefully tucked it inside his clothes.
He glanced around at the miscellaneous junk in the dugout, then walked up the slope back to the surface without a second look.
Before, he would have considered this junk to be treasure. If he were changing hideouts and wasn’t in a rush, he would have definitely taken it all with him.
But now that he had joined the shelter, these once-precious treasures just looked like a pile of junk.
Back on the surface, he tightened his mask and spoke to No. 1 and No. 2.
"Let’s go, you two."
"I know a hardware store nearby. It’s collapsed, but if the three of us do a little clearing, we should be able to find some good stuff."
No. 1 and No. 2 had no objections, of course. The three of them proceeded with caution and soon arrived near the hardware store.
As they neared the hardware store, a look of delight appeared on Bena’s face.
’A huge cavern!!!’
He could hardly suppress his delight. With the radiation levels in his body dropping again, his special ability had returned.
However, the cavern was some distance from the store. An ordinary person would never have found it.
Bena glanced hesitantly at No. 1 and No. 2, but after only a moment’s pause, he made up his mind.
’The Administrator was willing to use such a precious syringe to treat a cripple like me. If I deliberately ignore this underground cavern just because of my own reservations, how can I possibly be worthy of his trust?’
"No. 1, No. 2, let’s look for an opening nearby. I have a feeling there’s a large cavern right under our feet."
No. 1 and No. 2 tilted their heads in unison.
No. 1 spoke, its voice tinged with confusion.
"Mr. Bena, please reconfirm your directive. This terrain is extremely flat. Normally, even if a subterranean cavity existed, you would be unable to detect it. Such a search would likely waste a significant amount of time."
Hearing No. 1’s question, Bena felt a little exasperated.
’No. 1 and No. 2 were great, but they could be a bit dense at times.’
Bena thought for a moment and quickly came up with an explanation.
"I got a map a while back that indicated there might be supplies hidden here. Let’s see if we can find a way to get to them."
With a plausible reason, No. 1 and No. 2 no longer hesitated and immediately began their search. Bena didn’t stand idly by, either.
Ten minutes later, Bena used his ability to find a passageway formed by a pile of collapsed debris.
Bena carefully cleared the rubble and dust from the entrance to the passage. His movements were meticulous, trying not to attract any unwanted attention.
As an expert in spelunking, he was very familiar with these kinds of subterranean spaces formed from collapsed ruins.
He knew that while the passage ahead looked stable—it had likely existed for hundreds of years, formed during the Great Cataclysm—it was actually held together by a very delicate structural balance.
Accidentally dislodging a steel rebar or a wooden plank could be enough to bring the whole tunnel down.
Bena gave a quiet warning.
"No. 1, No. 2, be extremely careful. Slow your pace as much as possible, and don’t touch the walls of the passage."
No. 1 and No. 2 nodded in unison.
Bena took a deep breath and headed deeper into the passage.
Bits of dirt crumbled and fell as they passed, but the trio managed to reach the cavern Bena had first detected without incident.
With just a brief look, Bena could tell this wasn’t the collapsed hardware store; the store itself was likely obliterated.
The cavern was huge, at least 500 square meters.
This cavern had once been part of some reinforced structure that had simply been buried.
Judging from the defensive layers of metal walls and bulkheads, this place might have once been an important facility—perhaps a shelter’s warehouse or part of a research institute.
The three of them switched on their flashlights and began to explore.
Bena’s heart leaped when his light fell upon some crates, but his excitement quickly faded.
He had found many such gray, text-covered crates before; they were almost always used to hold canned food.
Although the condition of the cans inside was unknown, as long as they weren’t damaged, they could usually be sold for a good price.
But his excitement quickly faded. ’I’m with the shelter now.’
’Precious resources like canned food aren’t that useful to me anymore.’
’I should memorize where these crates are. If I don’t find anything better, I’ll just have to take these.’
Bena approached an open doorway and carefully nudged the door with the butt of his rifle. The bolt let out a grating CREAK.
The sound echoed through the vast underground space. When no mutated creatures charged out, Bena cautiously stepped inside.
