Chapter 139: Life-saving Food

Evelyn Ford had been waiting for this moment for the past few days. She wanted to know just how much Zion Lowell had in his supposed fallback plan.

At midnight, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick followed behind Zion Lowell and Secretary Hawthorne. The four of them were fully prepared, carrying plenty of rope and burlap sacks.

Evelyn was a little surprised when Zion Lowell led them to the Undercity. She hadn’t expected the supplies to be hidden here.

The Undercity had been completely ravaged. All the floor tiles had been pried up just to dig out the soil underneath.

The pits from digging were already over ten meters deep. All the equipment inside, including the streetlights and trash cans, was gone.

Secretary Hawthorne was clearly hit hard. He hadn’t said much since waking up, and his hair grew whiter by the day. The same went for Taylor Vance.

The four of them wound their way to a laboratory, which had also been emptied. Watching Zion Lowell’s back, Evelyn Ford narrowed her eyes. ’He hid it so well.’

There was a hidden room inside the laboratory, but the supplies weren’t in it. They were in a basement beneath the hidden room.

After three layers of security, they finally saw sacks of rice and wheat, along with cases of water.

Zion Lowell looked tired. He looked at Evelyn Ford and said earnestly, "Take some for yourselves. I’m going to distribute the rest to the survivors who stayed here. This is the last of our reserve food and water. It’s all the three of us can do."

Although Evelyn had suspected as much, hearing him say it still moved her.

The previous parasite incident had made Evelyn highly critical of the base’s management, but it was clear now that the officials were still trying to live up to their roles.

"How are you going to distribute it? If you just take this out there, they’ll swarm you and tear you apart."

Zion Lowell rubbed his temples. "Let’s just leave it here. We’ll write some signs and post them outside to make sure everyone knows. If we try to hand it out ourselves, it will definitely cause a lot of trouble. There’s a lot of stuff, and moving it all out would be a hassle too."

Evelyn nodded. Although she thought the method was rather ineffectual, they had made their decision, so she didn’t object.

Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick took two sacks of rice, two sacks of wheat, and four cases of water.

Zion Lowell and Secretary Hawthorne each carried two sacks on their back and two in their hands, with a case of water hoisted on a shoulder.

The four of them made five trips, and there were still plenty of supplies left. Evelyn wrote dozens of signs and had Ronan post them all over the base, ensuring everyone would see them.

Back at the villa, everyone was stunned when they saw the food and water that had been brought back.

"This is our shared property. There isn’t much, so we need to be frugal. The road ahead is still difficult. I hope everyone will keep their spirits up so we can overcome these challenges together and survive." After Evelyn finished speaking, everyone gathered around, touching and feeling the supplies.

"It’s real food! The wheat smells so good."

"Evelyn, we’ll leave the supplies with you. You’ll be in charge of them," Officer Graham said. Right after, Zion Lowell suddenly raised his hand.

"You can store our things with yours as well."

"No," Evelyn refused directly.

"The three of you should keep your own supplies. It might not be safe to leave them with me."

Zion Lowell wanted to say more, but Taylor Vance stopped him.

"Listen to Ford."

Evelyn smiled and continued, "Thanks to you three, we were able to get these provisions. We’re very grateful. This is life-saving food."

"There’s still a lot left, but the other people need to survive too. The rest is for the other survivors."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Evelyn had Ronan move the supplies into a room, and then they all dispersed.

「The next morning」

News that food had been found spread to every corner of the base. Everyone flooded toward the Undercity. The first to find the supplies were five middle-aged men. To maintain order, the five of them used weapons to organize the distribution of food and water. No one was allowed to take more than their share: five catties of wheat, five catties of rice, and six bottles of water.

「Two days later」

All the supplies had been distributed. Although quite a few disputes arose in the process, they were all handled perfectly. The five men split the remaining three sacks of rice and five cases of water among themselves.

After all, maintaining order wasn’t easy.

Every survivor received food and water, and their hope for survival was rekindled.

In the following days, the survivors began searching the base for hidden rooms, basements, and secret passages, hoping to find more food. But even after turning the place upside down, they never found anything else.

Some people also left, one after another. Those who remained began their difficult life at the base.

The villa next door became vacant, and Zion Lowell and his two companions moved in.

The vegetables Officer Graham had planted in the living room began to sprout green shoots. Mina and Lola were also allowed to come out and play. Wendy usually played with them while the others continued to go out and scavenge, collecting even single seeds they found.

What was worth celebrating was that half a month after the acid rain ended, a light rain suddenly began to fall. Although the rainwater was a bit dirty, it wasn’t toxic. The survivors used buckets and basins to collect it. The rain only lasted for a few hours, but it gave everyone another glimmer of hope.

People also found many tattered clothes from various places. After dusting them off, they were still wearable. No one cared about them being dirty anymore; as long as they provided warmth and cover, it was enough.

Zion Lowell, Taylor Vance, and Secretary Hawthorne found the bodies of some of their deceased subordinates. They dug a pit outside the base and gave them a simple burial.

Betrayed by their own people, ending up in this state, and causing the deaths of countless others.

Taylor Vance was filled with resentment. He wanted to find the Holloway and Hooper Families and take back the supplies, but the distance was too great. His enemies were probably hundreds of miles away by now.

How could he possibly catch them on his own two feet? How could he get everything back?

"Are you saying that if we decide to leave, you three want to travel with us?"

Evelyn Ford hadn’t expected Taylor Vance to come to her about this.

"Yes. I know I’m a burden, but Secretary Hawthorne and Zion Lowell are skilled fighters. They’re trained. Moreover, I can see that you’re the one in charge of your group of nine. They all listen to you. If you agree to take us, they won’t object."

Evelyn smiled. "And why do you think I would agree?"

"I can’t be sure you’ll agree, but I can offer you a suggestion. The topography and geography of the Northwest are unique. Most importantly, the Northwest is vast, and there are no nuclear power plants there."

The idea of going to the Northwest coincided with Evelyn’s own plans. However, Taylor Vance’s goal was to find the Holloway and Hooper families for revenge, while Evelyn simply wanted to escape and find a suitable place to live.

"We can travel together, but I won’t get involved in what you’re planning to do. None of us will."

Taylor Vance was a little confused. "What if you could gain a lot from it?"

"I don’t need it. I just want to live. I didn’t save the three of you out of kindness, but for the supplies you had. We’ll all get along better if we maintain clear boundaries."