The special architectural properties within the Data Layout might be impressive, but in Zachary’s heart, they paled in comparison to the practical benefits of upgrading the Cave again. That was why he had been reluctant to use the Survival Points for so long; he wanted to upgrade the Cave as soon as possible.

Early the next morning, Zachary got up early and took out the breakfast purchased before the disaster from the Storage space.

It wasn’t anything exotic, just a few baskets of steamed buns, deep-fried dough sticks, rice cakes, along with spicy soup and warm porridge.

Mr. Thompson came out of the bedroom and, seeing the breakfast on the table, exclaimed somewhat dramatically, "Wow, buns, dough sticks, and spicy soup! Son, where did you get these from? It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve had a proper breakfast.

Wife, come out quickly and see what our son has prepared for breakfast; look at all this stuff."

Hearing Mr. Thompson’s loud voice, Mrs. Thompson also came out of the room. Seeing the breakfast on the table, she, too, was surprised. At that time, it wasn’t that these breakfast items couldn’t be made, but making them was rather troublesome. Without any special occasion, it was quite rare to eat such things.

However, the parents had long since stopped prying into their son’s affairs, as Zachary would occasionally come into possession of special items. Even though such items were common before the disaster, obtaining them afterward required significant effort.

After washing up briefly, the three sat down at the table. Zachary spoke to his mother while eating, "Mom, I went to Pengcheng yesterday."

Hearing her son say this, Mrs. Thompson had some guesses in her mind, and the bun she had picked up with her chopsticks was placed back down on the plate.

Seeing his mother’s reaction and not wanting to delay her meal, Zachary sped up, "I found the camp where Grandpa and Uncle live. I didn’t go in and see them, but I gathered some information about the environment they’re in now from a distance.

When I was there, Uncle must have been out working. I saw Grandpa sitting at the intersection, chatting leisurely with a group of old men. Judging by Grandpa’s spirits, he seems to be doing alright, at least he’s not starving.

And it seems like Aunt is at home doing housework while Uncle’s out working."

Hearing Zachary’s account, Mr. Thompson asked in surprise, "Didn’t you bring something to go and see your grandpa?"

Mr. Thompson knew his son well and understood that Zachary wasn’t one to be short on items, so he was surprised that his son hadn’t met up with his grandfather.

Confronted with his father’s query and seeing his mother’s staring eyes, Zachary awkwardly explained his reasons, "I was in a hurry yesterday and didn’t think of it. After I was done with my tasks, I just happened to come across a Survivor Camp. Initially, I was simply using an elimination method to find Grandpa’s camp, not expecting that the first camp I entered would be where Grandpa was.

Since I was just passing by and had nothing on me, that’s why I didn’t feel it was appropriate to drop by."

Hearing Zachary’s explanation, Mrs. Thompson’s stern expression relaxed, while Mr. Thompson gave his son a meaningful look.

A father knows his son best. As for Zachary’s explanation, Mr. Thompson didn’t believe it one bit; after all, times had changed since before the disaster, when visiting relatives required bringing gifts. Now, such formalities were no longer expected.

Though the atmosphere had settled again, Mr. Thompson was well aware of the dangers outside. Despite the camps around Pengcheng not being too far from each other, the wilderness was fraught with danger. Being able to visit relatives across camps was already quite remarkable; it was unreasonable to expect others to bring gifts.

Since their son hadn’t elaborated, Mrs. Thompson didn’t probe further, and Mr. Thompson also kept his peace.

"Mom, now that we know where Grandpa lives, if you want to send him something, I can just take it over next time."

Upon hearing her son’s offer, Mrs. Thompson immediately replied, "Now that we know which camp your grandpa is in, why do we need you to deliver things? You father and I can go there ourselves." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

After hearing this, Zachary signaled to Mr. Thompson with his eyes before addressing his mother, "Mom, whatever you want to give Grandpa, let me take it over."

When Mrs. Thompson heard her son preventing her from visiting her father, she felt displeased, "What now, you’ve grown up, and you want to control where I go too...

Before Mrs. Thompson could finish her sentence, she remembered what she had heard the night before during dinner with her lady friends, then she turned to look directly at Mr. Thompson, "Jun, is it extremely dangerous outside now?"

Realizing Mrs. Thompson had dropped the familial term and was calling him by the last syllable of his name, Mr. Thompson knew she was serious. He responded with equal seriousness, "Yes, the outside has become more dangerous again. I haven’t told you much about what goes on outside the camp. It’s very perilous out there now, not just because of the Giant Scorpions that have been around for a while, but also because of the ancient creatures that have been resurrected, and these attacking plants that have suddenly appeared recently."

Hearing Mr. Thompson’s words, Mrs. Thompson looked worriedly at Zachary, who often went outside.

Noticing his mother’s concerned gaze, Zachary, with chopsticks holding a bun and a bowl of spicy soup in hand, reassured her with ease, "Mom, don’t worry. Your son came back in one piece, didn’t he? The outside conditions aren’t much of a threat to me."