Thomas considered it for a moment.

There were only two ways someone could pinpoint the movements of a survivor who was actively concealing their actions.

One was through prolonged surveillance, allowing them to track every move.

The other was far more intriguing: someone within that group was constantly feeding information about their coordinates and actions.

Which method was Ghostface using?

That was unclear.

But now that he knew Ghostface was making a move tomorrow, it would be a shame not to capitalize on this intel. It was only right, given the price he'd paid.

"Purchase detailed time and information regarding Ghostface's ambush on the survivors tomorrow, using Apocalypse Coins."

"This information will cost 1,000,000 Apocalypse Coins. Proceed?"

[Yes]

The computer screen refreshed, displaying new intelligence.

[Ghostface will depart for the steel mill outside Reserve Station at 12:30 PM tomorrow. He will observe the survivors' transaction with the Revolutionaries at 1:25 PM. At 1:40 PM, Ghostface will leave the steel mill and head to the Sparrow City Energy Center to set up an ambush. The ambush on the returning survivors will commence at 3:40 PM.]

The intel was detailed and clear.

"Trading with the Revolutionaries... it's gotta be Ben Walker and his team!"

He immediately turned to Tessia Thorne.

"You mentioned yesterday that you'd acquired maps of other districts in Sparrow City, right?"

Tessia quickly replied, "That's right. We have maps of all districts except the central one."

"Bring them to me!"

Almost immediately, Eight Lop retrieved a stack of maps from a small cabinet that had appeared beside the intelligence center.

Thomas hadn't noticed when the cabinet had been added.

Noticing Thomas's gaze, Tessia smiled and said, "I saw this in the warehouse. It was just what we needed to store these intel items, so I had Eight bring it over!"

"Good!"

Thomas took the maps to the dining table and located the area where Reserve Station was situated.

"Help me find the Sparrow City Energy Center. Tell me its location as soon as you spot it."

Tessia was the first to find it. The Energy Center was located at the edge of Reserve Station, likely near the border with another district.

But Thomas was fixated on the names of the streets near the Energy Center. They seemed oddly familiar.

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He quickly pulled out the map of the White Tower District and compared it with the Reserve Station map.

A sudden realization hit him.

"No wonder they wanted Ben to participate in this operation. Reserve Station and the White Tower District are adjacent to each other."

And just a few miles from the Sparrow City Energy Center, inside the White Tower District, Thomas saw a familiar name.

[Ram Station]

"Well, isn't that convenient!"

A plan instantly formed in Thomas's mind. After a quick feasibility check, he turned to Eight.

"How many of each electronic item have you produced from the list at the intelligence center?"

"Four transceivers, five bugs, eight cameras, and five tracking locators," Eight promptly provided the data.

"Give them all to me."

Soon, all the items were stored in his inventory.

Eight then handed two more items to Thomas.

"What are these?"

"Mr. Smyth, these were collected yesterday. I believe they might be useful to you!"

Thomas examined them. They were two rare items.

One was called [Wishful Thinking Compass], and the other was a [MATIS MP Thermal Imager].

[Wishful Thinking Compass]

Type: Rare Item

Effect: Once a day, provides directional guidance to the location of the item the survivor most desires within a 3-kilometer radius.

Uses: 1/day

——————————————

The compass was simple and direct. It resembled a standard compass with a single needle.

Thomas adjusted his position and silently focused.

"Tessia Thorne's location."

As he thought this, the needle on the [Wishful Thinking Compass] spun rapidly, as if attracted by a magnetic force, then stopped.

The needle pointed directly at Tessia.

"Holy crap... it works!"

Thomas stored the two items in his inventory. They might not be of much use to him now, but you never knew.

He opened his private chat with Ben Walker. After a couple of seconds, he typed.

[Thomas Smyth: Free tomorrow around noon? Found a supply cache, could use a hand.]

Ben was currently preparing for tomorrow morning's operation. It was his first contact with other seed members and his first mission. He had a lot to consider.

Not only because of the mission itself but also because it was his first interaction with other survivors. He had to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

He hadn't forgotten about the existence of traitors. Although the Rangers, as a seed member organization of the Blue Star, seemed to have a rigorous vetting process, Ben believed it was better to be safe than sorry when it came to his life.

It was at this moment that Thomas's message arrived.

[Thomas Smyth: Free tomorrow around noon? Found a supply cache, could use a hand.]

???

That was Ben's initial reaction. Legend Smyth was asking him for help?

But how was that possible? During the Polar Blizzard, Legend Smyth had single-handedly taken out an entire refugee camp. What kind of supply cache would require him to seek help?

Ben thought he knew Thomas quite well by now.

He was definitely the type to be extremely cautious, careful, and distrustful of others.

So, his real purpose couldn't be about some supply cache. Then what was his motive for asking him this?

Ben's mind drifted back to Thomas's previous request for him to observe the dealership in the Caban camp.

"There's definitely more to this than meets the eye!"

As for whether Thomas would harm him, Ben didn't think he was after his meager possessions. On the contrary, he might be more valuable to Thomas alive.

He thought about it but couldn't come up with anything.

Not wanting to mess up Thomas's plans by overthinking, Ben decided to be honest.

[Ben Walker: Sorry, Thomas. I'm on a mission with the Rangers to Reserve Station tomorrow morning to meet with the Revolutionaries.]

It took a full half-minute for Thomas's reply to arrive.

[Thomas Smyth: Got it. Stay safe tomorrow. Keep an eye on your surroundings.]

Ben stared at the message, speechless.

He was now absolutely certain that Legend Smyth had received some kind of intel, most likely related to his mission tomorrow.

If he wasn't mistaken, Thomas's unusual invitation was just to confirm whether the intel was related to his mission.

And after receiving his explicit confirmation, Thomas, again acting out of character, repeatedly warned him to be careful and observe his surroundings.

It was a veiled warning.

Why not just tell him directly? Maybe there were still some things that Legend Smyth wasn't sure about.

Having figured this out, Ben replied solemnly.

[Ben Walker: Understood, Thomas.]

Thomas's eyebrows raised slightly as he read Ben's response.

"Sharp as ever," he thought.