Ten more artifacts.
They have found seven Sparklers and three Flashes before a single safe passage.
Which, too, was only three feet wide, so they had to be careful crossing the railways. But—
"Man, this guy has some insane luck," Walther mumbled, watching him pick up all those new treasures. "Though, I guess this is what it means to explore an uncharted area."
Meanwhile, Konrad left the best for last.
"I've seen only two Moonlights so far, but those scientists at the swamp asked way too much for it," Yuri noted. "That single artifact's worth like ten thousand dollars, kid."
Ah, yeah.
And he never even told him how much they estimated the Mama's Beads for.
"So, guess now we'll be able to keep up?" Konrad smirked, holding his biggest prize. It shook him up more than a strong blend of black coffee and a mix of energy drinks ever could.
His fingers never stopped prickling, but he also felt its radiation.
"Let's be real," Walther grunted. "If these areas are so rich in artifacts. Why don't we stay to harvest whatever we can, rather than racing for the stupid reward money?"
"Oh, sure, sure," Yuri responded with a smirk. "And how many have you found so far?"
Yeah. Stalker business wasn't as easy as Konrad made it look.
And he wasn't lucky, either. He was cheating.
"Here, take these Sparklers," he offered to ease his conscience. "We'll keep the heavy hitters, so the Captain and I can keep up with you. But this is way too much, even for my Bubble."
And with that, his popularity shot through the roof.
"Forget Hero of Garbage. This guy's the Hero of the Flash," Walther yelled, greedy hands reaching for the artifacts. And yeah, that did sound better than his previous name.
It was something he could have lived with.
"We'll pay you back, of course," Yuri claimed, taking one from the pile. "But with these, we'll reach Pripyat even faster."
Dmitry also hid his two mid-grade Flashes under his military jacket.
"Wow. I was spitting my lungs out," he yelped. "But now I wanna sprint."
But all the while, the parallel brain remained silent.
'Yes, yes, you were helpful,' Konrad thought, adjusting his gear. 'Thank you. Once again.'
'Nothing special,' the voice responded. But the tone? Like a bragging kid. 'Basic perks of having me inside your head. I bet others would kill for something like this, but you got me for free.'
Ugh. Yeah. One compliment, gone to his head.
But Konrad still felt bad for pissing it off earlier.
If only it had an off-switch for the night—
'Hey,' the brain grunted. 'I did come up with a theory to get your magic back, though.'
Which, again, was super helpful. If it worked.
But why couldn't he theorize alone?!
'Come on. Sleep is for the weak. You supply me with all that energy whether I'm awake or not, so why waste it?' Energy, that, unlike those artifacts, Konrad had never volunteered by the way.
But before that could turn into another argument—
"We'll return for a sweep later," Yuri claimed, dragging him out of his own head.
"Yeah, once we bagged the reward money and bought the latest detectors," Walther agreed.
"And don't forget about the map money, either," the leader reminded his men. "It's our big chance to make it rich, so let's run all the way to Pripyat."
And with one last glance at the anomalous storms, they were off with a flying start.
***
"So there you have it," Hermann finished his joint presentation with Korolev about the Zone. But he went a step further than the old professor. "And you could act like our forward observer."
"I'm baffled how you can trust a stranger like that," Sokolov was still very much against the idea.
But Alex was also taken aback by that offer.
"So let me get this straight," he said, holding up a hand. "I can go on about my business like normal, but also report back anything I find? Like, draw a map for you to follow me later?"
"Yes," the young researcher nodded. "And we provide you with artifacts to treat your wounded."
Which he ought to find more of.
And those artifact things? They were both amazing and very expensive.
"We're more than happy to give your friends a place to rest once you find the rest," Korolev added. "And there is no safer area in the Zone than this, except for the Bar, I guess."
Yeah, he still had three more wrecks to check.
And going around with his rescuees in tow would have only slowed him down.
Not to mention, he had other missions on the side, too.
The scientists' offer was not only tempting but sounded almost more like charity.
"What's the catch?" the Major asked, eyeing the artifacts they talked about with suspicion.
"No catch," Sokolov grunted. "They're this stupid. And too curious for their own good."
"Now, now," Korolev smirked, patting the Corporal's bald head. "Isn't this how you joined our ranks as well, dear friend? Or do you have regrets? Complaints? Let me hear them any time."
"No complaints for myself, but you're too easy to trust," he grumbled, swiping off his hand.
Alex felt like watching a family drama with a rebellious teenager.
Except that the teenager was the only one with common sense. And he could only hope the others wouldn't believe him. His mission and his life might've depended on that.
"It turned out well so far," the old man said.
"And the military tend to be more trustworthy than the average Stalker," Hermann added. "I, for one, never saw a single one of them side with those bandits before."
"Yeah? And you already forgot about the mercenaries you hired?" Sokolov scoffed.
Now, that sounded like an interesting topic, but the response was only deep silence.
"Anyway," the young scientist changed the topic. "With the zombies gone, Sakharov can take his measurements without armed escort. Why don't you go with Major Degtyarev as well?"
He looked at the Corporal, who first turned white, then red.
"Splendid idea," Korolev joined. "Help him find those Hinds of his, and pave the way towards Pripyat. If you're lucky, you might even catch up with that boy, Konrad, and the Captain."
Which, in fact, sounded promising for Alexander as well.
Especially once the younger scientist finished up the offer.
"Once Sakharov finishes his research here and your downed pilot wakes up, he can escort him after you. And we can get some fine, first-hand data without relying on those greedy Stalkers."
"Come on. Shouldn't I have a say in this?" Sokolov protested, staring daggers at the Major.
And yeah, he wasn't completely sold on the idea, either.
While a guide would have been helpful, he didn't want to watch his back the whole time.
Or anyone to watch him, in general.
But worst-case scenario, he could've lost him somewhere, or gotten rid of him by other means.
"I will make sure to mention it in my report," Alex said in the end. "That, without your help, I couldn't have completed my mission. The people of Ukraine will owe you their thanks."
And he could have blended in and found out more about what was going on here.