Chapter 53: High Temperature, Cellar 2

It was already 1:20 AM when they set out again. Everyone was exhausted, but the thought of the food in the cellar gave them a new burst of energy.

However, on the trip back, they ran into robbers.

"Drop what’s on your backs, and we’ll let you live." The leader of the robbers was holding a gun, pointing it at Officer Graham’s head, his cruel, narrow eyes full of excitement.

He had four cronies with him, each holding a large machete. Their eyes were fierce, their faces ferocious, and they all reeked of a foul stench.

"Boss, they’re carrying rice! I can smell it!"

"And cabbage, and potatoes! Boss, we’ve hit the jackpot!"

"Boss, there are two kids." A scrawny man with shifty, rat-like eyes pointed his machete at Roy Henderson and Owen Chapman, his voice filled with excitement.

He then walked over to Evelyn Ford, his lecherous gaze sizing her up.

"This one even smells good. Boss, it’s a woman."

Hearing this, the robber leader’s gaze shifted to Evelyn Ford. He let out a sinister chuckle and walked up to her, gun in hand.

"Take off her hat and mask."

"You got it."

As the scrawny man moved to grab her, Evelyn Ford whipped out the crossbow hidden behind her back. With lightning speed, she sent an arrow straight through the robber leader’s throat. Fearing he wasn’t dead, she immediately followed up with a second.

The instant Evelyn Ford moved, Officer Graham kicked away the robber holding a blade to his neck. A dagger slid from his sleeve and sliced across the man’s throat. Within two seconds, the man was on the ground, dead.

Evelyn Ford and Officer Graham’s coordination was perfect. Roy Henderson and Owen Chapman didn’t hold them back, either; they instinctively dodged to the side, giving the two adults a clear path to counter-attack.

Staring at the five bodies on the ground, Evelyn Ford’s expression was frosty. She picked up the leader’s gun, glanced at it, and tossed it to Officer Graham.

"It’s a real gun, but there are no bullets." Officer Graham’s tone was laced with scorn after he inspected it. He then handed the gun back to Evelyn Ford.

"Who knows how many evil deeds they committed with this empty gun."

After taking the robbers’ machetes, the group continued on their way. The little episode didn’t seem to affect their mood.

However, upon returning to Building D, Officer Graham stopped them and gave them a serious warning.

"It seems there are still many people in Corinth who haven’t gone to the base. We’ll have to be even more vigilant next time we go out."

"We have to move the supplies from the Temple of Eternal Peace back as soon as possible, before someone else gets to them."

Officer Graham nodded in agreement. "Right. And one more thing, we need to take a different route tonight."

No one objected, and they all returned to their apartments.

After a long night of work, Evelyn Ford was not only exhausted but also starving. As soon as she closed her door, she turned on the air conditioner, unloaded her supplies, and took two boxed meals from her storage space, which she wolfed down.

Her clothes were soaked with sweat and clinging to her skin. Fighting off her exhaustion, Evelyn Ford took a shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes.

In the shower, Evelyn Ford discovered deep chafe marks on her shoulders. Without proper baskets, they had to stuff the supplies into sacks, tie them with hemp rope, and carry them on their backs. She quickly applied some ointment to the abrasions and, without even sorting the supplies, collapsed into bed. She was just too tired and desperately needed to sleep.

When Evelyn Ford woke up again, it was already three in the afternoon. The water in her humidifier had run dry, and her face felt tight. She quickly refilled it, washed her face, and applied a hydrating mask before finally starting to sort through the supplies she had brought back from the Temple of Eternal Peace.

She peeled off the rotten outer layers of the cabbages and stored the rest in her space. Evelyn Ford thought for a long time, unsure how to repay Roy and the others for their kindness in sharing these supplies.

’Maybe I could find a place, leave a few cases of water there, and then lead them to it.’

Evelyn Ford rubbed her chin. ’The idea could work,’ she thought, ’but I can’t be too obvious about it. I’d better wait a while before trying it.’

The next few days were spent in a flurry of activity as the four of them moved supplies. Five days later, they had finally moved everything. On the last trip, Evelyn Ford was the last one to leave the cellar. After the other three had exited, she took the opportunity to move the books from the cellar into her space. ’These are cultural treasures,’ she thought. She’d been coveting them since she first laid eyes on them.

After sealing the cellar, the four of them departed with the last of the supplies on their backs. Everyone was in high spirits on the journey home. Having food meant having a way to survive.

That evening, they gathered at Officer Graham’s apartment for another meeting.

"We have enough supplies to last us a long time now, so for the time being, let’s not go out. We want to avoid running into robbers or getting targeted. There’s another crucial point: if you encounter people who seem very pitiful, you must be extremely wary. Don’t go showing random acts of kindness just because we have supplies now. Roy, Owen, you two remember this: it’s not just adults. In times like these, the more pitiful the elderly and children appear, the more dangerous they often are."

Roy Henderson and Owen Chapman nodded solemnly.

"Second, starting tomorrow, Roy and Owen will begin learning Self-defense Skills with me. Ford, you can already protect yourself—you’re more skilled than any of us—but you’re welcome to join if you don’t mind. These are Killing Skills, designed to counter-attack with technique and speed when you’re unarmed."

Without a moment’s hesitation, the two boys knelt and kowtowed three times to Officer Graham. Just like that, the disciple-acceptance ceremony was complete.

"I know you’ve wanted to learn these things for a while," Officer Graham said, pulling the two boys to their feet and patting their shoulders. "But we were too busy just trying to find food to survive. Now that the supply issue is temporarily resolved, we have to start training our bodies and our skills."

Recalling Officer Graham’s combat prowess, Evelyn Ford decided she was willing to learn from him as well.

In the following days, the group cleaned out an apartment on the eleventh floor to use as a gym.

"Mr. Graham, I’m going to Corinth University tomorrow night to look for some medical supplies. Do you all want to come along?"

Officer Graham knew Evelyn Ford had a background in medicine, and from what he knew of her, she never did anything she wasn’t confident about. He agreed immediately.

The next evening, the four of them set out at 9:30 as usual. The walk from Prosperity Gardens to Corinth University took over an hour, and given the treacherous roads, everyone was exhausted by the time they arrived. This time, Evelyn Ford took the lead, guiding the group onto campus. A stir of emotion welled up inside her as she looked at the familiar yet alien school grounds.

The cafeteria, the library, the dorms, the administration building... The last time she was here, the campus had been lush and vibrant. Now, nothing was left but desolation and derelict buildings.

"The science building is up ahead," she said. "If we’re lucky, we might find something."

Sand and dust in the hallway crunched under their feet. CRUNCH. CRUNCH. Evelyn Ford led the group straight to the top floor.

"Miss Ford, is this your alma mater?"

Evelyn Ford nodded. "Yes, it is. It was a very prestigious university."

A rotten smell wafted out as she opened the laboratory door. Fortunately, there were no signs of the snake infestation here. As she looked at the dazzling array of instruments and the endless bottles and jars inside, a flicker of nostalgia crossed Evelyn Ford’s eyes.