Chapter 170: More Refugees

Evelyn Ford examined them again. They had no external injuries; the main issue was prolonged starvation, which had left them all somewhat stupefied.

"Where did you come from?"

"Silvana Base," one of them answered. Evelyn glanced at him. He had long, slender limbs and was about five-foot-eleven, but his vocal cords were damaged, making his voice extremely hoarse.

"Silvana Base? Good heavens, that’s over a thousand kilometers from here. Did you walk all the way?"

The man nodded. "Silvana Base originally had three hundred thousand survivors. After the acid rain hit, many people died—over two hundred thousand. Most people were working outside that day, but we were indoors, so we were spared. When the acid rain stopped, a dense fog rolled in. We held out at Silvana Base for another year, but then an earthquake struck. It killed many more and all the houses collapsed. We had no choice but to flee the base. We’ve been walking for about seven months to get here."

After he finished speaking, he broke into a fit of violent coughing. Just then, a few of the neighborhood women brought in food. The newcomers’ expressions changed in an instant. Like wolves spotting prey, their eyes gleamed with a ravenous light.

"Easy, easy, there’s food for you."

The moment they heard they could eat, they lost all reason. They grabbed at the food with their bare hands, stuffing it into their mouths and wolfing it down without a care for whether it was scalding hot.

"So pitiful. It’s a good thing we never left the safe zone."

"Excuse me, where is this place?"

"This used to be Wyrmrest Base, but now it’s a safe zone. It’s a similar story to Silvana Base. After the acid rain, many people died or left. We then endured dense fog, torrential downpours, and collapsing buildings. We’ve only just managed to find some stability recently."

Among the seven people, there were three women and four men. When Taylor Vance asked their ages and learned they were all students from Silvana University, only in their early twenties, everyone was stunned.

These seven looked to be in their forties, at least. No one could believe they were actually so young.

"Can... can we stay? I have my ID card here. It’s useless now, but it can prove that everything I just said is true. We’ve walked over a thousand kilometers, and this is the only place we’ve seen with plants."

"How did you make it here?"

"We started with a lot of supplies and a pushcart. When the food ran out, we ate rats and ants we could catch, and any dead birds or snakes we found along the way. But the further we walked, the more exhausted we became, until we couldn’t carry anything anymore and had to start abandoning our things. We hadn’t eaten for three days before we got here."

Whether they could stay had to be decided by a vote of all residents. Evelyn Ford didn’t participate, instead standing in a corner to observe them. They showed no signs of lying; the exhaustion, defensiveness, and panic in their eyes couldn’t be faked.

"This place isn’t like the outside. To live here, you must follow the rules, work hard, and be united."

"We will, we promise. It’s all sandstorms out there. We really don’t know where else we can go. Please, we’re begging you, let us stay."

Taylor Vance wasn’t a ruthless person to begin with. Although he had his reservations, he ultimately agreed to let them stay.

Their names and information were recorded. For now, they were assigned just one room. Taylor Vance also lent them some grain and work tools.

Evelyn Ford later examined the three young women. The toll on their bodies was immense. The prolonged starvation had caused them to stop menstruating, and all of their hair had even fallen out.

The fish in the safe zone’s pond were communal property, and anyone could go fishing. The newcomers were also allowed to catch two fish per day.

After resting for two days, the seven of them began to till the soil and work. Learning that plants grew quickly here, they planted all the wheat Taylor Vance had given them.

"Evelyn, do you think more refugees will come? If they do, is the safe zone going to keep taking them in? What if they have bad intentions and try to harm us?"

Serena Lynch didn’t agree with taking them in. The mountains three kilometers away had lush grass and a water source; they could have been sent to live there instead.

"When people have lived stable lives for too long, it’s easy for them to become soft-hearted. But I’ve observed them, and they weren’t lying. As for whether they have ulterior motives, I think Mr. Lowell and the others have a good sense of it and won’t let anything like that happen."

Serena Lynch still felt uneasy. "I’m worried they’ll take in other refugees in the future. The safe zone is only so big, and we only have so many resources. If other people move in, aren’t they just taking a share of what we have?"

’But on second thought, if I were the one fleeing and I finally found an oasis, I’d want to stay too. If I were driven away, I might lose all hope of survival. I’m so conflicted. I don’t want them living here, but I can’t bring myself to drive them away.’

"Your feelings are perfectly normal. It’s necessary to be wary of strangers."

Serena Lynch sighed.

Evelyn Ford smiled. "Don’t worry. I trust Taylor Vance and the others to handle it well."

"Evelyn, having you here really makes me feel safe."

"What about Chase Underwood?"

"Him? All he does all day is eat, eat, eat. He’s such a glutton."

Back at home, Evelyn told Ronan Kendrick about Serena’s concerns.

"There are definitely many more refugees out there."

"But how many oases are there out there?"

"Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on them. If anything’s not right, I’ll take care of it."

"If something’s not right, we’ll tell Taylor Vance and the others, not take care of it ourselves." Evelyn didn’t want Ronan Kendrick to get into trouble.

"Okay, I understand."

Over the next month, however, the seven of them were extremely well-behaved, working even harder than the original residents. They did chores for the community—chopping firewood and fetching water—in exchange for vegetable seeds and sweet potato leaves, and they managed to start building a life for themselves, stumbling along the way.

Taylor Vance later gave them another room so the men and women could be separated. After planting their grain and vegetables, they started trading for other things, like clothes and cookware.

The three young women even came to Evelyn’s place to trade for some Gold and Silver Flower and a few articles of clothing.

In less than two months, they had not only put down roots in the safe zone but had also integrated very well.

"I finally understand something now. I see why Mr. Lowell and the others are the leaders. They’re better at reading people than we are, and they’re bolder and more tolerant."

"But your concerns weren’t wrong, either. In a world like this, it’s better to be safe than sorry." Evelyn meant it. Taylor Vance and the others had paid the price for their mistakes before. In this world, vigilance was more important for survival than so-called tolerance.

Serena Lynch now had more grain on hand and planned to make some malt candy for Annie, so she came over specifically to learn from Evelyn.

The two of them were busy in the kitchen, while Ronan Kendrick was in the backyard expanding the shed.

In the afternoon, the three young women who had come to trade for clothes before came again.

"Dr. Ford, this is for you."

Evelyn Ford looked at the green vegetables they had grown and didn’t immediately take them.

One of the women noticed Evelyn’s hesitation and quickly said, "Dr. Ford, we wanted to ask you... is there any cure for hair loss?"