Chương 59: Hope

"The world is beginning to fill with color."

"Hidden Mission: Give This World Some Color completed."

"Mission reward unlocked."

"Please select one resource currently available in the convenience store to convert into unlimited supply." Jack hadn't expected the mission to be completed so suddenly. Before he could ask LOSS what had triggered it, Hal's excited shout came from the growing area.

"It worked! It really worked!" Jack and Cass immediately forgot about the submachine gun and hurried over. Hal and Marg were beside the test plot when they arrived, both focused on something in the soil.

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"Come look!" Hal said. A tiny sprout had broken through the ground. It was easy to miss, but against the endless reddish-brown soil, that single touch of pale green stood out clearly. Jack finally understood.

"The potatoes sprouted?"

"They did," Marg said.

"We really managed to grow one."

"And earlier than we expected," Hal added.

"There's only one so far, but if the other seed pieces are healthy, more should sprout soon." A wide smile spread across Jack's face. Now he understood what Give This World Some Color meant. In a world covered in rust-colored dust, even the smallest touch of green was enough. Word quickly spread, and the others gathered around the test plot. Soon, everyone was staring at the tiny green sprout. As the crowd pressed closer, Elias stopped them.

"Everyone, stay back. Don't step into the growing area." Once the space around the test plot was clear, he prepared to assign someone to guard it, but Mort spoke first.

"I'll take the day shift. Reed and Harvey can take turns at night." His attention remained on the sprout.

"If anyone—or any mutant beast—comes near it, I'll make sure they never leave." Mort grinned at Reed and Harvey.

"I have more experience with that kind of work." Reed accepted the arrangement without complaint. Harvey, however, was still staring at the tiny sprout in disbelief and didn't seem to hear Mort at all.

"All right," Elias said.

"Mort will guard it during the day. Reed and Harvey will handle the night shifts." He then told the others to speed up construction of the trading post. Once that was finished, they would use bricks to enclose and protect the growing area. Jack finally interrupted them.

"Wait. Aren't you taking this a little too seriously? It's only one sprout." Elias focused on the tiny patch of green rising from the reddish-brown soil. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"To you, it may be nothing more than a potato sprout. To us, it's hope—the hope that we can keep living." The surrounding conversations stopped.

"If this sprout survives, then we'll know the land isn't completely dead." Mort added quietly, "I followed Valkyrie and became a raider because I wanted to survive." Jack had no answer to that. He raised both hands in surrender.

"All right. If you think it's necessary, go ahead." Jack was about to leave when he noticed Gordon and Harvey still standing near the test plot. Both brothers were still staring at the sprout in disbelief, though Harvey also seemed a little regretful.

"Is it really that surprising?" Jack asked.

"Of course," Harvey said.

"If we'd known things could actually grow here, we would've brought back the seeds we found in those ruins." That immediately caught Elias's attention.

"What seeds?" Hal, Marg, and the others who had been preparing to leave all stopped to listen. Harvey hadn't expected such a strong reaction.

"Gordon and I once found some ruins that used to sell farm products and tools. There were a lot of seeds inside."

"How many?" Hal asked.

"How should I know? We saw several large bags, but there might have been more." The place had already been searched many times before the brothers found it. They had spent most of a day searching but found nothing they considered useful. All that remained were unwanted farming tools, damaged goods, and the bags of seeds.

"Some of the bags were torn open," Harvey added.

"A lot of the seeds had spilled onto the ground." Hal winced at the thought.

"You should have brought them back."

"How were we supposed to know they might be useful?" Harvey said helplessly.

"Even if we had taken them, neither of us knew how to grow anything." Marg understood their decision. When people searched ruins for supplies, food and water always came first—not seeds that might already be useless. Even so, everyone was disappointed to hear how many had been left behind.

"Actually… I took some," Gordon admitted. That immediately lifted everyone's spirits.

"You really took them?" Hal asked.

"A little of each kind. Not much."

"How much?" Elias asked.

"I'm not sure. I put them in a metal box after we got back and haven't touched them since." Harvey stared at his brother.

"When did you do that? Why didn't I know?"

"When you were searching the back of the building. The seeds all looked different, so I collected some of each."

"I like collecting things," Gordon added when Harvey kept staring at him.

"You already know that."

"The junk you brought back nearly filled our entire shelter," Harvey complained.

"We had to make room for it just to sleep." Gordon wisely stopped defending himself. Elias brought the conversation back to the seeds.

"Are they still at your settlement?"

"They should be. Like I said, I stored them in a metal box and never opened it again."

"How far is the settlement?"

"About half a day if we move quickly. No one lives there now. It was only Harvey and me."

"Then you'll go back for the seeds tomorrow morning," Elias decided.

"Reed will go with you. If you run into danger, don't try to fight. Come straight back."

"I will," Reed said. Jack, however, was thinking about the ruins.

"How far are they from your settlement?"

"Another full day to the west," Gordon said.

"Then I'll go too. Once we reach the settlement, Reed can bring the seeds back. I'll continue to the ruins with Gordon and Harvey."

"You've never traveled that far through the wasteland," Elias warned him.

"I'll be fine. Besides, I want to see what's out there. I can't stay here forever." Jack tapped the submachine gun hanging across his chest.

"And now I have this." Elias remained unconvinced.

"Mort will go with you. Don't argue. Your safety is more important than anything else." He turned to Mort.

"Keep him safe." Mort sighed and asked Vane, "Do you still have my weapon?"

"I do." Jack: "…" Once the arrangements were settled, Cass gave Gordon a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Who would've thought your habit of collecting junk would actually be useful one day?"

"I don't collect junk. I collect supplies."

"What's the difference?"

"There is a difference."

"No, there isn't," Harvey cut in.

"He tries to take everything he sees. Last time, he found a useless metal plate and made me carry it for half a day." That drew laughter from the group, including Elias. With everything arranged, the others returned to work on the trading post while Jack went inside to prepare for the journey. This would be his first time truly venturing into the wasteland. He gathered enough bread, canned food, and water for five people, along with several cans of pepper spray and a few solar-powered lights.

They would spend at least two nights outside, and the wasteland became almost completely dark after sunset. Jack had no intention of wandering around without being able to see what was nearby. He also loaded a full magazine into the MP5A5 and packed an extra box of ammunition. Once everything was ready, Jack filled his own backpack and divided the remaining supplies into four separate packs. He carried them outside and called Gordon, Harvey, Mort, and Reed over.

"These are for tomorrow. One pack each." Jack also showed Gordon and Harvey how to use the pepper spray. The two brothers examined the cans with obvious interest before taking their supplies back to work. With the preparations finished, Jack checked the time and started toward the Dustchucks. Before he had gone far, Cass called out from behind him.

"Someone's approaching."