Chapter 113: The Insatiable Ronan Kendrick

"Miss Serena, are the vegetables grown at the base for sale?"

"They are. There’s a villa behind the base’s mall that specializes in selling vegetables and fruits. They also have rice, flour, oil, salt, liquor, and other beverages. However, most of the people who shop there are researchers and the upper echelons of management."

"But I’m telling you, the things there are really expensive. I wouldn’t recommend buying anything. A single head of greens costs thirty points."

"Is it run by the administration?"

Serena Lynch nodded. Evelyn understood. ’So that’s why the base mall doesn’t sell vegetables or grain,’ she thought. ’The administration has monopolized the business.’

She decided to invite Officer Graham and his friends for a meal. She could use it as an excuse to bring out supplies from her space, claiming she’d bought them. She wasn’t a sucker; there was no way she’d waste her points like that.

When she got back to the apartment building, Evelyn saw Ronan. Even bundled up, he still stood out in the crowd.

"Evelyn, your boyfriend must be really handsome."

Evelyn was really starting to regret this fake relationship with Ronan. She was thick-skinned, but being constantly reminded of it still made her feel a bit awkward.

"He’s alright."

"I’m telling you, there was this one incredibly handsome guy who caught Miss Holloway’s eye, and she just took him away. You’d better keep a tight leash on your boyfriend."

’Miss Holloway?’

Evelyn gave a dry laugh. ’Who could possibly ’take’ Ronan?’ she thought. ’With his violent personality, anyone who tried anything would probably get their neck snapped.’

"Ronan."

The moment she reached him, he gave her a woeful look. Evelyn understood instantly. He was either hungry or disgusted with the base’s food.

"How was your day?"

"It was alright. And you?"

"I’m exhausted. There were too many patients, it was overwhelming."

"You should eat more later," he said, completely serious.

Evelyn snorted with laughter. "Is that your attempt at comforting me?"

"It is."

After parting ways with Serena Lynch, the two of them went straight back to apartment 601. Evelyn checked on Mina and Lola. Thankfully, the two little ones were in high spirits and hadn’t torn the place apart.

Evelyn washed her hands, took off her hat and coat, and pulled out a grill pan. She also grabbed her miraculous smoke extractor.

"We’re having barbecue tonight."

Ronan’s eyes lit up. He immediately sat up properly, waiting to be fed.

"Evelyn, I took down a wild boar by myself today. I earned seven hundred points, all on my own. They’re all yours."

Evelyn huffed. "What’s there to show off about? I earned almost a hundred points myself today. I performed two surgeries, you know."

Ronan pressed on. "I’ll give you all my points every day. In exchange, can I have barbecue every day?"

Evelyn shot him a sidelong glance. "Deal."

’Points can be used to buy things, too.’ Evelyn decided she would go on a major shopping trip once a week to spend her points. That way, if she ever needed to leave, she wouldn’t be stuck with a pile of useless points and no supplies to show for it. That would be a terrible waste.

"By the way, I’m planning to have a few of my friends over for dinner. Do you want to come?"

Ronan gave her a dark look. "You weren’t planning on feeding me?"

’That wasn’t what she meant at all. When they met Quincy yesterday, Ronan hadn’t said a single word. He completely ignored the man. Anyone who didn’t know him would have just assumed he was extremely introverted.’

"I was just worried you’d feel awkward."

Ronan shook his head. "I want to eat."

’All he ever thinks about is food. Why would he feel awkward?’ Evelyn realized she was overthinking things.

"Alright. I’ll let you know once Quincy gets back to me with the details."

Evelyn pulled out several platters of meat and arranged them on the table: beef, lamb, and even black bear. She didn’t care if mixing so many kinds of meat would cause her to "overheat" and get a nosebleed—satisfying her cravings came first.

"How many people are on your team?"

"Eight."

Evelyn was surprised. "But I thought you had to split the rewards from a hunt with the whole squad?"

Ronan stated matter-of-factly, "They’re hopelessly stupid. Not even as capable as you. I have to work alone."

’Oh, thanks so much for the compliment,’ Evelyn thought, rolling her eyes.

After they were full, Ronan took care of the cleanup while Evelyn gave Mina and Lola a bath. The two little ones had gotten filthy during their journey, and Evelyn had been so busy the day before that she’d completely forgotten.

Ever since arriving at the base, Mina and Lola had been surprisingly well-behaved. They probably sensed the overwhelming number of humans, which made them uneasy.

Once Ronan finished washing the pot and bowls, he went back to 602. Evelyn washed up and lay down in bed. She noticed the temperature had risen to minus thirty degrees Celsius. It seemed the extreme cold would soon be over.

「The next day」

The next day, as soon as Evelyn arrived at the medical department, she saw Quincy. He’d finally changed into some clean clothes, and he looked to be in pretty good spirits.

"I didn’t see you yesterday."

Quincy sighed. "I was out on a mission with the Hunting Squad again. Their work is dangerous, and they often get bitten by their prey. Without a doctor, some of them would die on the spot, so the base assigns a medic to accompany them."

"I thought you were the doctor for the fishing team."

Quincy smiled. "This brother wears many hats. When the fishing team is on break, I go out with the other hunting squads. The fishing trips involve trekking through mountains and across rivers; they take several days, so it’s not like they can go out on a mission every single day."

’That makes sense,’ she thought. ’They have to travel on foot to places the vehicles can’t reach.’

"By the way, did you tell Mr. Graham and the others?"

Quincy nodded. "I did. They’re all free tomorrow."

"Great. Tell them to come to my place for dinner tomorrow night."

"How are you going to cook? You don’t have a kitchen or any cookware, and you’d have to buy all the ingredients. You don’t need to go to all that trouble." Quincy looked at her disapprovingly. "Don’t put yourself through that. We’re all so exhausted from work; just getting together for a bit is enough."

"I have my ways. Don’t worry about it. Just have everyone come over after work tomorrow."

Quincy couldn’t win the argument, so he had to let her have her way. Evelyn changed into her protective suit and began her day’s work.

After work that afternoon, Evelyn took a detour to the villa behind the base’s mall. A long line had formed outside. Many people were shivering violently in the cold, clutching grocery baskets as they waited to buy things.

The selection was surprisingly rich. They had all kinds of meat, as well as fish, shrimp, and crab. The vegetables included greens, eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, tofu, and chili peppers... all relatively easy-to-grow varieties. The Undercity had greenhouses, so they were having a bumper crop.

Evelyn now had a better idea of what to do. Most of the items in her space could pass for things she’d bought here. Still, she shouldn’t make the meal too extravagant, or it might make Officer Graham and the others feel uncomfortable.

When Evelyn returned to the sixth floor, she saw Ronan standing in front of her door.

"What are you doing here? Why aren’t you in your own apartment?"

Ronan pursed his lips. "I saw you coming back. I’ve only been waiting for two minutes."

Evelyn gave him a key to her apartment. It wasn’t like she had anything valuable inside, anyway. Besides, Ronan had given her all his points, so she trusted him.

"Sometimes I really question your intelligence."

Evelyn unlocked the door, giving him an exasperated look.

The moment Ronan stepped inside, he plucked out his colored contact lenses.