Half an hour later, Thomas Smyth looked up, a confident smile playing on his lips.

"Stephen, hand over the hospital's secret room safe code and key to me now..."

After ten minutes or so, Thomas Smyth meticulously detailed the plan to the three. Once he was sure they understood, he handed them electronic devices made by the [Intelligence Center] before dismissing them.

Then, with Scorpion's help, he easily slipped out of the Pinewood Hotel.

He found the evacuation teleportation point without a hitch and returned to his hideout.

Tessia Thorne, who had been waiting for him, spotted him immediately. Thomas Smyth also noticed Eight Lop still sprawled on the workbench, sound asleep beside her.

Drool glistened, soaking the fur on his arm.

"You guys don't have to wait up for me. Get some rest. You'll need the energy for tomorrow's work."

Tessia Thorne shot a helpless look at the slumbering Eight Lop, pouting slightly. "I want to sleep too! This little guy is like a kid, always worrying about you. I can't just leave him here alone to wait for you, can I?"

Thomas Smyth shook his head with a sigh.

Tessia Thorne picked up Eight Lop and headed downstairs.

Eight Lop was clearly exhausted, or maybe he finally felt safe enough in Thomas Smyth's hideout to let his guard down. He didn't even stir when Tessia Thorne laid him on the bed.

"Alright, you get some sleep too! We've got a lot to do tomorrow."

Tessia Thorne nodded softly.

Thomas Smyth went back down to the basement level and sat at the workbench.

He held a white card in his hand.

It was the [Laboratory Access Key Card]. He activated the [Replica Item Creation] skill and quickly found the materials and process for making the key card.

Thomas Smyth immersed himself in the meticulous crafting process.

Tessia Thorne appeared at the top of the basement stairs, one hand on the railing, her gaze fixed on Thomas Smyth, who was hunched over the workbench, completely absorbed in his work.

Her eyes flickered.

It was around 3:30 AM when Thomas Smyth finally looked at the white card in his hand, exhaling a long breath.

"No surprise, crafting things other than valuables has a much higher failure rate. Even with the workbench's help, I still screwed up a bunch of times."

But looking at the replica, identical to the [Laboratory Access Key Card], a grin spread across Thomas Smyth's face.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Alright, it's late. Gotta make this quick."

It was past midnight, and the daily station teleportation had reset.

By the time he returned to the hideout, it was 5:10 AM. After nearly twenty hours of non-stop work, Thomas Smyth didn't even bother to wash up. He collapsed onto his heated炕 bed and fell into a deep slumber.

The aroma of food eventually roused him. He opened his eyes to see Eight Lop holding a fragrant platter of lamb chops, a cheerful grin on his face.

Seeing Thomas Smyth awake, Eight Lop chirped, "Mr. Boss, Sis Tessia asked me to get you for food."

Thomas Smyth stretched, feeling completely refreshed, and turned to Eight Lop.

"What time is it?"

"It's 1 PM..."

One in the afternoon, no wonder...

Thomas Smyth quickly got up and went to the second floor with Eight Lop.

Tessia Thorne had already prepared all the food.

As they ate, Tessia Thorne and Eight Lop filled Thomas Smyth in on the morning's events.

Eight Lop was doing well with the hideout's work. He had planted all the vegetable seeds in the hydroponic farm, as Thomas Smyth had instructed, to diversify their diet and replenish essential vitamins and dietary fiber.

After all, he had been in the Apocalypse Game for almost half a month, and most of his meals had consisted of [Nourishing Mutton Stew] or other meat dishes.

Without an influx of vitamins, his body would start to break down.

With a three-day growth cycle, they would be eating fresh vegetables the day after tomorrow. Thomas Smyth was looking forward to it.

After Eight Lop finished, Tessia Thorne reported on the [Flea Market].

As Thomas Smyth had anticipated, after yesterday's trial run, the number of merchants with substantial survival supplies in the [Flea Market] had swelled to over a dozen.

His market share from yesterday had shrunk by a third.

But Thomas Smyth had expected this. As long as his share wasn't completely swallowed up, it was fine. For now, his gun modifications were still quite popular.

Currently, he still held about 13% of the market share.

Thomas Smyth was actually pleased to see more competition. The more active the market, the higher the turnover, and the more wealth points he would earn from transaction fees.

Today was only the second day of the [Flea Market]'s operation; it hadn't fully unleashed its potential yet.

Besides those with a natural talent for business, many were still observing and hesitating. Only when all the survivors and individuals started trading on this platform would the [Flea Market] truly reveal its money-making power.

After eating, Thomas Smyth went to the [Intelligence Center] and activated the information link. After a brief signal search and connection, the computer screen displayed over a dozen surveillance feeds. Another page showed intercepted audio recordings.

The video feeds showed the streets around the Pinewood Hotel, while the audio recordings were from Mad Dog's office.

This was the handiwork of Scorpion and Black Dog yesterday. The cameras around the Pinewood Hotel were all day-night models, providing clear views of the streets even at night.

He put on the headphones and listened to Mad Dog's situation for a while, only to hear him cursing the [Black Market Merchants]. He closed the page.

He handed the computer over to Tessia Thorne.

Thomas Smyth approached the newly built [Hideout Holographic Barrier].

The barrier's core was a virtual digital platform, above which hovered a holographic projection of the entire hideout.

Thomas Smyth opened the [Hideout Holographic Barrier] panel to check the details.

[Hideout Holographic Barrier]

Type: Hideout Facility

Effect 1: The holographic barrier will envelop the entire hideout, providing a highly realistic camouflage, blocking thermal imaging, sonar detection, and optical detection.

Effect 2: The holographic barrier provides a water-repellent effect to the hideout, enabling it to withstand water pressure at a depth of 3280 feet (1000 meters).

Effect 3: The holographic barrier provides moderate protection to the hideout, capable of withstanding heavy weapon attacks for approximately 15 minutes. It also offers microbial and radiation protection.

————————————

Thomas Smyth stared at the panel, surprised. These effects far exceeded what the blueprints had initially described.

His gaze shifted to the nearby [Medical Station], his heart pounding with excitement.

"The [Oceanborn] gene evolution potion..."