Ivy and Darren got into the armoured vehicle and drove straight toward the Smith Villa. It didn’t take long before they arrived at their destination. After parking the vehicle in front of the villa, they stepped out and made their way toward the family.
anwhile, the Smith couple had already co outside. The loud rumble of the armoured vehicle had imdiately caught their attention, prompting them to leave the house to see what was happening.
"Good morning, Mrs. Ivy," Mr. Smith greeted politely, though the worry in his eyes was impossible to miss. "I hope there’s no problem?"
His wife stood beside him, equally concerned and curious about Ivy’s sudden visit.
Ivy shook her head with a small smile.
"No, there’s no problem at all," she replied reassuringly. "In fact, I’ve co bearing good news."
The mont those words left her mouth, both Mr. and Mrs. Smith visibly relaxed. However, their curiosity only grew stronger. Even Darren, who had accompanied Ivy, looked surprised since she had not ntioned the details of this visit to him beforehand.
Ivy folded her arms and got straight to the point.
"I’ve decided to establish sothing called a point-based exchange system," she announced.
"A point-based exchange system?" Mrs. Smith repeated, blinking in confusion.
Ivy nodded.
"That’s right. Instead of simply handing out rewards whenever I feel like it, there will now be a fixed reward system. The resources you provide will determine how many points you earn, and those points can then be exchanged for goods and supplies of your choice."
The Smith couple exchanged puzzled glances, trying to process her explanation.
Seeing their confusion, Ivy continued patiently.
"For example, if you earn ten points by providing vegetables, you could exchange those points for a bottle of soy sauce if that’s the value assigned to it. If you earn one hundred points, you might be able to exchange them for at or other valuable food supplies. Every item will have a point value, and I’ll be responsible for calculating the points based on the resources contributed."
As she spoke, the couple’s eyes gradually widened with understanding.
Ivy continued explaining.
"Not only crops, but labour and useful resources will also count. Anyone who contributes to the communitynwhether through farming, construction work, gathering supplies, helping with daily tasks, or providing valuable materials will earn points."
She paused briefly before adding,
"You can think of those points as a form of currency. The more you contribute, the more points you earn. Then you can use those points to obtain whatever necessities you need."
Darren’s eyes widened slightly as realization dawned on him.
This was much more than a simple reward system.
Ivy was essentially creating an economy.
A proper system where effort and contribution were directly rewarded.
No wonder she had called it good news.
Mr. Smith looked both shocked and excited.
"So if I harvest more crops, I’ll earn more points?" he asked eagerly, wanting to make sure he had understood correctly.
Ivy nodded without hesitation.
"Exactly."
A smile appeared on her face as she continued.
"Every contribution has value. The more crops you produce, the more points you’ll receive. The harder you work, the more rewards you’ll be able to obtain. Those points can be exchanged for food, seasonings, daily necessities, farming equipnt, clothing, dicine, and other supplies that beco available."
The more they listened, the brighter the Smith couple’s expressions beca.
For people trying to survive in the apocalypse, this system gave them sothing incredibly important.
Motivation.
Hope.
A future they could actively work toward.
Mrs. Smith clasped her hands together excitedly.
"This ans our efforts will always be rewarded fairly!"
"Exactly," Ivy replied. "Everyone will be compensated according to their contributions."
Mr. Smith was practically beaming now.
"Then I’ll expand the farmland!" he declared enthusiastically. "I’ll cultivate every empty patch of land I can find. If more crops an more points, then I’ll make sure this place produces as much food as possible."
The man looked so fired up that it seed as though he wanted to grab a hoe and start working imdiately.
Seeing his enthusiasm, Ivy couldn’t help but chuckle.
"There’s no need to rush yourself into exhaustion," she said with amusent. "The point system isn’t going anywhere. Just focus on maintaining quality while gradually increasing production."
"Don’t worry, Mrs. Ivy," Mr. Smith replied confidently. "I’ve spent most of my life working the land. Growing crops is what I do best."
Mrs. Smith nodded in agreent.
"He’s telling the truth. Once he gets excited about farming, it’s nearly impossible to stop him."
Darren laughed softly at that.
The atmosphere instantly beca lighter.
As Ivy looked at the excited couple, she felt satisfied with their reaction.
As more survivors joined and contributed, the system would continue to grow, eventually creating a stable foundation for the entire settlent.
And once that happened, everyone would have a clear reason to work hard not just for survival, but for a better future.
The points Ivy will also receive from the people contributions could ultimately be converted into resources through the system. It was essentially a win-win situation.
"Alright, we have to get going now," Ivy said as she turned toward the couple. "We’ll see you later, Mr. and Mrs. Smith."
"Take care, Mrs. Ivy."
"Stay safe out there."
The Smith couple waved them goodbye.
Soon, Ivy and Darren climbed back into the armoured vehicle and drove away from the villa.
Their destination was a highway Darren had discovered while hunting monsters during the previous few days.
Back then, he had only observed the area from afar.
The number of monsters occupying the highway was simply too large for him to handle alone. However, after several days of intensive training and countless battles, both he and Ivy had grown considerably stronger.
Now they finally had the confidence to tackle the place together.
After all, the highway was filled with valuable supplies.
More importantly, Ivy had no intention of limiting herself to her current territory.
Expansion was inevitable.
And expansion required resources.
*****
Not long afterward, Ivy and Darren arrived at the highway.
The sight before them was astonishing.
The entire road was packed with abandoned vehicles stretching as far as the eye could see.
Cars.
Buses.
Delivery trucks.
Container trucks.
Refrigerated transport vehicles.
Fuel tankers.
Everything had been frozen in place when civilization collapsed.
From a rough estimate, there were at least fifty large trucks alone.
Each one potentially contained valuable resources.
Even from a distance, Ivy could already feel her mood improving.
Those vehicles represented food, fuel, equipnt, dicine, and countless other supplies.
At the sa ti, however, the highway was crawling with monsters.
Hundreds of them wandered among the abandoned vehicles.
So staggered aimlessly.
Others crouched atop overturned cars.
A few even road between the trucks like predators guarding their territory.
The entire highway had beco a paradise for monsters.
Any ordinary survivor who entered this place would essentially be walking into a dead end.
At best, they would beco monster food.
At worst, they would die and eventually beco monsters themselves.
Ivy observed the situation for a mont before turning toward Darren.
"You clear the road while I search the toll station and collect supplies," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Can you handle that?"
Darren grinned confidently.
"Of course."
He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck.
"Our training these past few days has to pay off eventually."
A faint smile appeared on Ivy’s face.
"Good. Then let’s begin."
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