Everyone inside the car heard Zhao Lin's stomach growl loudly.
Last night, she had barely eaten anything, and now the gnawing hunger was making itself known. She swallowed to moisten her dry throat, trying to ignore the discomfort.
Suddenly, she felt Nanzhi move beside her and place sothing in her lap. "Eat."
To her surprise, it was two bottles of water, a self-heating spicy chicken-flavored rice, and a peach bun-flavored sandwich. It was the most luxurious al she had had in a long while!
Zhao Lin's throat tightened as she swallowed again, but she shook her head and pushed it back. She was not like Helen Wu, who had a shaless skin and took everything for granted! Zhao Lin had struggled for every morsel of food she had ever gotten.
"This is too much," she murmured.
"It's not for free," Nanzhi replied, her eyes gleaming with intent. She had been eyeing Zhao Lin's jade bracelet since they had t.
A mont later, Zhao Lin reluctantly began to eat.
Once comfortable around people, Zhao Lin beca talkative.
"I'm friends with Tang Xue from college, Jade City University. Coincidentally, when the classes were suspended, one of our classmates was celebrating his birthday. A few of us got together at the Paramount Hotel to celebrate. We thought the weather would improve, but in the end, it was just wishful thinking," she said with a sigh. "We stayed there for a month, only leaving once the flood had receded."
Zhao Lin paused, her gaze distant. "On the way, we t Wu Hao, Brother Cho Jin, and that woman…" She faltered. At the ti, she hadn't yet seen Helen's true nature.
"Cho Jin was reliable, well-known, and knowledgeable. He beca the pillar of our group…" Zhao Lin's eyes clouded with the mory. They had originally planned to head to Pearl City, where they had heard there was a military base. But monsters had ambushed them, forcing them to take a detour to the suburbs where they spent the winter.
The journey hadn't been kind to them. They lost comrades along the way, and the group had dwindled further due to a strange sickness.
When spring finally ca, they continued their travel.
They stopped at an abandoned farm where Tang Xue perished.
Zhao Lin's hand froze as she recalled the ti she had spent with Tang Xue, her sister in arms, through thick and thin.
The farm was not far from the small base.
So that's how they t Nanzhi's group.
The road to the Longn Base was filled with ruins—collapsed buildings and streets buried under mud and debris.
The Lu Family had been responsible for at least thirty percent of the city's major architectural projects, including roads.
Unfortunately, most of their projects were shoddy, and after the heavy rains and floods, the foundations had weakened, causing structural instability and sinkholes to form in the roads.
Thankfully, the Lu Family hadn't completed the majority of their projects, and those that had been finished collapsed only after the people had evacuated.
Knowing there would be an entrance fee at the Longn Base, Nanzhi noticed Zhao Lin's anxious gaze lingering on the shops still stocked with supplies.
"Let's stop here," Nanzhi suggested. They would search the shops and avoid explaining the origins of their supplies.
Perhaps because of the exorbitant prices for the entrance and accommodation of teh last base, Feng Ran, Baoyin, Hei Qian, and Bingwen were all notably active.
After clearing the area of alien beasts, they scoured the stores like thieves.
They spotted Cho Jin shalessly stepping forward to loot the supplies, especially dicines for his injuries, with Helen Wu limping behind him.
"Helen, my arm hurts. Open the bags," Cho Jin grunted.
Helen Wu looked displeased as she examined Cho Jin's injury, but she still obeyed. As she opened the bags, Zhao Lin walked past, her eyes narrowing in a glare at Helen.
Helen's condition wasn't much better, and the trauma she'd suffered the night before weighed heavily on her. She didn't say anything, simply staring at Zhao Lin's retreating back.
When her eyes t with Nanzhi, Helen shuddered and instinctively hid behind Cho Jin.
Nanzhi gave Helen a cold, dismissive glance before stepping into a nearby jewelry shop. If she had been Zhao Lin, she would have ended Helen's life last night.
Helen peered toward the shop where Nanzhi had entered. Once Nanzhi was out of sight, Helen's courage returned, and she sneered, her lips curling into a mocking smile.
She acted so pure, but in reality, she was just another vain woman.
As Nanzhi's team approached, the towering stone gates of Longn Base ca into view. Despite the apocalypse, the historical site still stood—its ancient carvings barely visible beneath the gri of disaster. The walls had been reinforced with scrap tal and barbed wire, transforming the once-proud landmark into a fortress.
Even though it was still early morning, a long line of survivors, both walking and in vehicles, stood waiting for entry outside the gates.
Nanzhi was suddenly hit with nostalgia. This was where she had first t the person who taught her dical skills. Back then, life had been harsh for ordinary people like her, and that person had been her guiding light.
Lin Weihao had never passed through this place in his past life. He had only heard of it through rumors. His eyes scanned the surroundings, absorbing every detail.
"Entrance fee is five kilograms of food or five Tier 1 spars per person," the guard announced.
Feng Ran, by this point, was no longer surprised by the steep prices.
The main gates creaked open, revealing the inside of Longn Base.
Imdiately, Nanzhi's group was surrounded by people.
"Two packets of biscuits, and I'll show you around," one man said eagerly.
"Pick ! I'll do it for just one bottle of water!" another voice called out.
Among them was a little boy—no older than ten. His face was streaked with dirt, his clothes hanging loosely off his thin fra.
"Big Sister, Big Brother! Please, do you have food?" His voice was hoarse and tired. "I can show you the best places inside!"
Nanzhi glanced at the patch on his clothes and selected him. The others backed away reluctantly.
"Okay, here's the advance," she said, handing him a biscuit and a bottle of water.
The boy clutched them tightly, stuffing them into his small, worn-out bag.
Nanzhi spoke again. "I suggest you eat here. Otherwise, you won't have the energy to show us around."
The mont her words left her lips, Nanzhi noticed the greedy and hungry looks from the people in the slums who were eyeing the boy. It was clear that once they left, those people would try to rob him.
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