With Kai’s observation skill, Keen Sense, he saw the faint movements below.

Then, he also noticed that the walls around the settlement or shelter were cracked, the gates were half‑broken, and there were traces of battle everywhere.

Yet faint movement was visible... There were survivors, and they looked thin and weary as they huddled near the entrance.

"They’re alive," Kai muttered. "But they look like they’ve been through hell."

Ralph tightened his grip on his weapon. "Do we approach? They might think we’re enemies."

Kai nodded firmly. "We’ll check. If they’re in trouble, we can’t just fly past... Wait! Let me check the World Chat quickly."

Everyone’s eyes lit up as soon as they saw it.

Almost three months had already passed, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the people below had already reached Level 20 despite the difficulty.

Soon, Kai saw the latest messages.

[ Hana: Anyone else notice that the Dragoons were moving in dozens lately? ]

[ Connie: Yeah. They nearly drained all our ammo. We’re lucky we have ways of purchasing them in bulk ]

[ Tomas: We’ve been using spears for a while now. Where are you getting your ammo? Did you find the A.I.’s ammunition base or something? ]

[ Eliza: Lol... spears against drones? Good luck. However, I think that raiding their transport van is the fastest way to get Plasma Rifles and other guns. ]

[ Renji: Don’t laugh. Some shelters are worse off than you think. ]

[ Sarah: Anyone trading food? We’ve got spare Energy Cores and even Survivor Medals. ]

[ Tomas: Not me. Food’s too scarce. ]

Kai scrolled further up after not finding anything useful.

Then, as expected, he found what seemed to be related to the people below.

[ Vera: Please... anyone near the northern blue cliffs? We’re starving. No water left. ]

[ Juno: We’ve been raided by Dragoons once again. For some reason, even if there are many deaths, they’re not focusing on killing us. They just wanted to destroy most of our resources. They’d only hit us if we tried stopping them. ]

[ Vera: We can’t hold out much longer. ]

[ Steven: Our location... It’s near the rocky cliffs with blue grass... Haven-17 and Haven-19 are close by. We have broken gates, and our fire just ran out. There should still be some smoke trails left behind. If anyone sees us, we’re not enemies. We just need help. ]

Mei also read the message. Then, she looked around and indeed, there was blue grass not too far from their spot.

"Kai... that’s them. The shelter below. It matches perfectly."

Claire nodded. "They’re begging for help. I think they needed some food and water... If they have Survivor Medals, you can collect them for payment."

Then, a new message popped up, fresh and urgent:

[ Vera: Please! Someone help us! We’re willing to pay you with Medals. We don’t know when the next raid is. Please hurry. ]

Soon, a few messages doubting the legitimacy of this claim appeared. Some Survivors warned that this might be a scam or a method to steal your belongings.

It was a harsh answer, but it showed how careful these people are. Well, they wouldn’t be able to survive this long if they weren’t being cautious.

In any case, the team exchanged glances. They were now aware that the survivors below weren’t just random wanderers... they were the ones crying out in World Chat, desperate and half‑broken.

Kai took a deep breath as he gave a command.

"That settles it. We’re going down. They’re not enemies... they’re survivors asking for help."

The three Dragoons descended with engines roaring as they hovered above the rocky shelter. Immediately, shouts rang out from below.

"They’re back!"

"Dragoons! We’re under attack again!"

Panic spread among the survivors. Some scrambled for cover, others raised crude weapons, with their faces pale with fear.

Kai stood tall on the Dragoon, and he immediately shouted before they could shoot or release any projectiles...

"Hold your fire! We’re humans! Survivors, just like you!"

The words echoed across the rocky yard.

Just like that, the frightened crowd froze as they were confused by the situation.

Still, they listened to his words and observed the situation.

"W-what? You’re riding dragoons..."

"No... You’ve modified them."

"This..."

They were all surprised, as expected.

This time, Mei lowered her Dragoon gently, landing near the cracked gates. Claire and Ralph followed suit with their crafts, settling beside hers.

Kai dismounted, raising his hands to show he carried no hostility.

"We’re not your enemies. We came from Haven‑45. We saw your shelter and wanted to check your situation."

The survivors hesitated, whispering among themselves.

Their leader, a gaunt man with a scar across his cheek, stepped forward cautiously. His voice trembled...

"I’m Steven... Thank you for coming to check on us. But... You... you’re really not with the machines?"

Kai shook his head before gesturing at his flying craft. "No. But we got this after taking them down. And if you’ve been attacked, we need to know what happened here."

The man’s shoulders sagged with relief.

Behind him, the others slowly lowered their weapons, though their eyes remained wary... and hopeful.

Mei glanced at Kai. "Looks like they’ve been hit hard."

Kai nodded grimly. "Let’s hear their story. If Cameron is this way, we need to know what dangers lie ahead."

Still, seeing how thirsty and hungry the survivors looked, Kai reached into his inventory and pulled out a Superior Water Gift Pack.

As soon as he activated it, the items materialized one by one before the stunned crowd.

[ Water Gift Pack (Superior) Contents: atmospheric water generator, portable desalination unit, fire extinguisher, gene stimulant injector, spirit‑boosting potion flask, and stainless steel tumbler. ]

Gasps rippled through the survivors. They had never seen these items before...

But Kai just ignored them and crouched beside the atmospheric water generator, tapping its panel.

"Prepare any containers you have... buckets, pots, even cracked jars. Anything that can hold water."

The gaunt leader, Steven, blinked in disbelief. "You... you can make water?"

Kai wryly smiled, but he nodded. "Yes. This device extracts moisture from the air. It doesn’t matter if the land is dry... it will still produce clean water. I’m selling this for only seven Survivor Medals. But since I’m in a good mood. I just need 5 Survivor Medals..."

Seeing their stunned faces, Kai continued. "Ahem... Of course, you can try it first. Watch closely."