Resources were important, but preventing monster populations from growing was equally important.

Albert soon spoke up again.

"What we really need right now is to find the correct room."

"The correct room?" Darren asked.

Albert nodded.

"Or perhaps I should say the correct control panel."

He pointed toward the walls around them.

"This factory is far too large to search room by room. Somewhere in this facility should be a master control system that can direct us to storage sections, laboratories, warehouses, and resource vaults."

He rubbed his forehead tiredly.

"If we can find that control center, locating the resources will become much easier."

His expression turned hopeful.

"We’re already fully prepared for transportation too."

"Our transport truck is parked downstairs. Once we find the supplies, we’ll load everything we can carry."

A small smile appeared on his face.

"And when I say everything, I mean everything."

A few minutes later, Erick suddenly stopped walking.

"We should take a break."

Everyone turned toward him.

"We’ve spent hours fighting monsters and searching this damn place," Erick continued. "Our bodies need rest. Charging ahead while exhausted is a good way to get ourselves killed."

The others quickly agreed.

Honestly, they were already tired.

Without wasting any more time, Erick’s team members sat down on the spotless white floor.

Soon afterward, Ivy, Darren, Albert, and Josh joined them.

The enormous corridor became surprisingly quiet.

Only the sound of people stretching their sore muscles and catching their breath could be heard.

Ivy leaned against the wall and released a silent sigh.

I’m only here because of the system mission anyway.

Her gaze became distant.

Capture the United Pharmaceutical R&D Factory and receive the reward: Electronic Butler.

The familiar system notification surfaced in her mind once more.

Every mission given by the system always has a purpose behind it.

She had long since learned that fact.

The system never assigned impossible missions.

If the system gave me this task, then it already knows I’ll be capable of completing it.

That thought alone gave her confidence.

Just then, Nathan placed his backpack on the floor.

Without saying much, he opened it and began pulling out food supplies.

Loaves of bread.

Several tins of sardines.

Bottles of water.

The food was quickly distributed among Erick’s team members.

Soon, everyone began eating.

The smell of food immediately filled the corridor.

However, Ivy quickly noticed something.

The lunch packs contained just enough food for Erick’s group.

Neither she nor Darren had been included.

Not because anyone was trying to exclude them.

There simply wasn’t enough prepared food.

Before Ivy could say anything, Albert suddenly pushed his share toward her.

"Don’t worry about it."

He smiled warmly. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"You can have mine."

He placed a loaf of bread, a tin of sardines, and a cold can of cola in front of her.

"We need our strength before facing more monsters."

Josh immediately did the same.

"Exactly."

He slid his own meal toward Darren.

"Take mine. You guys need energy too."

Darren looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

Josh waved his hand dismissively.

"We can always eat later."

At that moment, Erick walked over carrying a small container.

"Or perhaps you’d prefer some eggs?"

He sat down beside them.

"They aren’t chicken eggs, though."

He opened the lid.

Inside were fried eggs.

"They’re goose eggs. Perfectly safe to eat."

The aroma instantly drifted through the air.

One of the nearby survivors swallowed hard.

"Damn..."

He stared at the eggs with envy.

"Master actually cooked those eggs with sardines and peppers."

His stomach growled loudly.

"Just smelling them is making me hungry all over again."

Another survivor nodded vigorously.

"Seriously. Meanwhile we’re over here sharing plain sardines."

A few people laughed.

Another survivor scratched his cheek.

"Mrs. Ivy should probably have some. She and Darren likely didn’t expect we’d be spending the entire day inside this factory."

"Or possibly several days," someone added.

"Exactly."

"They probably didn’t bring any food."

Another team member nodded.

"Mrs. Ivy has tons of supplies back at her base, sure. But that doesn’t help her right now."

Everyone looked toward Ivy.

Unexpectedly, she smiled.

"Don’t worry about us, Mr. Erick."

The words immediately stunned everyone.

"Huh?"

Several survivors blinked.

She wasn’t going to eat?

The group exchanged confused looks.

One person lowered his voice.

"Is she refusing because the food isn’t up to her standards?"

"I don’t know."

"Maybe?"

Even Erick looked slightly awkward.

"Mrs. Ivy, I understand if this isn’t the type of food you’re used to eating."

A warm smile appeared on his face.

"But unfortunately, there isn’t any pork or beef available right now."

He gestured toward the corridor.

"We’ve spent nearly five hours searching this factory without making any real progress."

His expression became concerned.

"You should at least eat something before we continue."

He chuckled lightly.

"Once you return to your base, you can have whatever food you want."

"I’m serious, Mr. Erick."

Ivy’s smile widened.

"You really don’t need to worry about Darren and me."

As she spoke, she slowly removed the backpack hanging from her shoulder.

Everyone watched curiously.

The bag wasn’t particularly large.

There was no way it could contain much.

Ivy unzipped it slightly before casually slipping her hand inside.

A moment later....

Her hand emerged carrying several large food containers.

The survivors froze.

One container held beautifully braised beef coated in rich sauce.

Another contained tender cheese-glazed ribs.

Steam still rose from the dishes as though they had just been cooked moments ago.

Then came several additional boxes filled with various foods.

Finally, Ivy placed a large container of dog food on the floor.

To everyone else, it looked odd.

But Ivy knew exactly what it was for.

The food was meant for her illusion dogs, creatures that only ability users could perceive.

The entire corridor fell silent.

Everyone stared at the feast in absolute disbelief.

Even Darren was stunned.

He clearly remembered that neither of them had packed any food before leaving the base.

Yet here Ivy was, casually pulling out enough food to feed an entire squad.

However, Darren wisely kept his mouth shut.

He simply swallowed hard and pretended not to notice anything unusual.