Huang Jinghe scratched his head and gave an embarrassed smile before explaining where all these supplies had come from. The very first batch had actually been prepared by his father and mother. Later, he added a lot more himself. By the time that first load was stacked up, there was already quite a mountain of goods.
Even during the insect disaster, when they were reduced to eating boxed meals, he would still occasionally line up with Lan Jin to buy items that could be stored. The last time they went shopping, he and Lan Jin had done a massive sweep of the supermarket. Naturally, the stockpile grew into something substantial.
Later, given the way things turned out, Huang Jinghe had been careful with every bite. No matter how much they had, he rationed strictly. He also managed to get more goods from other places, so now the spare bedroom was still three-quarters full of supplies.
Lan Jin didn't leave behind a single thing the three of them sorted out. She stored everything in her space, setting aside a section for each of them so everyone knew what they had. At the same time, she dismantled her own bed, windows, wardrobe—everything.
Once they left, the place would be completely empty.
By May, Lan Jin had finished packing every last belonging into her space. She was ready to set out.
It was a long journey. Naturally, the elderly and children couldn't be left outside. Lan Jin kept them inside her space. Downstairs at Building 12, she openly brought out her Hummer, and the four of them got in and drove off.
A few people saw the scene. They didn't think the group was leaving for good. Instead, they muttered to each other, "The four of them are gone. Maybe we should rush up there. Could be plenty of supplies upstairs."
"Didn't you see that car just appear out of thin air? That's definitely space ability. If I had space ability, I'd stash all my stuff in there. No way I'd let others sneak in while I was out."
"Space ability… what a good one to have."
Someone sighed. "Why is it none of us got that?"
"So what if you had it? There's nothing left to put in it anyway. I'd rather have an offensive ability—at least you can save your life."
"That's easy to say, but living here, where can you even save your life? We've got nothing to eat. What if we head to the base?"
"The base sounds great, but how are we getting there? Three-plus hours by car. Walking, we might not even make it in a whole day. If something happens along the way, it's not worth it."
"And we'd need food to get into the market. We've got nothing to trade. Even if we reach it, they won't let us in."
"Maybe when the market opens again, we can ask the higher-ups for some leniency. We've got abilities, after all."
"Market?"
"Brother, it's been ages since the market opened. No one even knows if it will again."
They glanced toward the corner piled with insect powder. Someone gritted their teeth. "If it comes down to it, we'll have to eat it. Otherwise, we'll starve."
"Hey, you think those people could at least share a little with us?"
"Why should they?"
…
"Exactly. Why should they?" Lao Gao grumbled as he drove. "I say no."
But Lao Gao wasn't angry about the talk behind them. He was irritated because shortly after leaving, right past the black market, people started jumping into the road to block their way.
They were all used to driving politely before the world ended. And Lao Gao hadn't driven in the apocalypse for a long time. When someone suddenly ran in front of the vehicle, his first reflex was to slam on the brakes.
The first thought was not to hit anyone.
But then he remembered this was the apocalypse. The second thought was for the car. This Hummer burned gas, and Lan Jin only had one. If it got wrecked, what would they do?
Before he could react further, he saw the people outside waving knives and swaggering. That, Lao Gao couldn't stand.
Hurt him if you must, but hurt the car? Absolutely not.
He jumped out, fists swinging, and in just a few blows chased them off. When Lao Gao got back into the driver's seat, Lan Jin frowned.
"Hey, those people didn't have abilities."
If they had abilities, they would have used them to fight back. Unless… they never had any.
Could it be they hadn't eaten insect powder?
"No way. Insect powder's so cheap. Everyone eats it."
Before Lao Gao could try grabbing them for answers, the group had vanished completely.
He cursed and drove on.
Ten minutes later, another person blocked the road—a woman this time.
The first stop had been instinct. The second was pure frustration. After so long without driving, being forced to stop twice in such a short time was enough to sour anyone's mood.
But running her over wasn't an option. And besides, there were questions they still hadn't asked.
This time, they got answers. Yes, people had eaten insect powder, and many had gained abilities. But insect powder had plenty of side effects. During the fever stage, some never woke again. Others survived but still didn't gain abilities. Some, after gaining one ability, got greedy and ate more powder…
That was dangerous. For most, nothing happened. That was because the abilities came not from the insects in the powder, but from the plants mixed in.
To get a second ability, you'd have to find more of those plants. But eating them didn't guarantee anything—no one had tried. Still, hope made people reckless.
The woman's boyfriend had joined others in searching for the plants. He hadn't even confirmed what they looked like before setting off. She'd been drugged with sleeping pills, and when she woke two days later, he was gone. Knowing she couldn't catch up, she hadn't even tried.
But now she'd seen their car. And she wanted to follow.
She was no match for Lao Gao in skill or ability, so she told them everything she knew. She'd heard it all simply because she'd been with a large group of survivors.
"I told you everything. Will you take me with you?"
That was naïve. Thinking a few unverified words could get her a seat in their car.
Ling Jiang slid down the rear window and smiled. "Aren't you afraid we're the bad guys?"