Chapter 270: What Will You Trade?

The sky was a hazy gray, and the black snow had begun to fall again.

To find fever medicine for Simon Lancaster, Sylvia Lancaster bundled up in a down jacket and trudged through the snow, an umbrella held aloft against the storm.

’Fever medicine... where am I going to find fever medicine...?’

In truth, Sylvia Lancaster knew perfectly well that she could buy fever medicine from online platforms and the black market.

But Sylvia Lancaster didn’t want to.

The reason was simple: the fever medicine on online platforms and the black market was just too expensive now.

The massive blizzards and plummeting temperatures had caused many people to catch colds and run fevers. As a result, the price of the already expensive fever medicine had doubled yet again.

On the black market, a single box of fever medicine was being sold for over one hundred thousand!

Most ordinary people couldn’t afford that price. If they got a fever, they had no choice but to rely on their own immune systems to tough it out.

If you made it through, you lived.

If you couldn’t, you died.

Sylvia Lancaster needed to save what little money she had in her account for food, water, and the electricity bill. She really couldn’t bear to spend it on fever medicine.

Besides, she remembered that in her past life, Melody Summers had managed to find fever medicine for Simon despite running out without a single penny to her name.

’If Melody Summers could find fever medicine, why can’t I?’

Sylvia Lancaster was confident that with her abilities, she could find the medicine too. She wouldn’t be outdone by Melody Summers.

Sylvia Lancaster replayed the events in her mind. She figured Melody must have borrowed the medicine from a neighbor back then.

However, she wasn’t sure which neighbor Melody had approached, so her only option was to go door-to-door and ask.

This gated community was prime real estate—every inch of it worth its weight in gold. Before the disaster, it was the most expensive neighborhood in the city. Every single person who lived here came from a wealthy family.

Now, however, the community looked completely desolate.

Since the disaster, many families had gone bankrupt. Their houses were mortgaged and now sat empty, unoccupied.

With the snow starting up again, many others had evacuated early because of the blizzards.

Only a handful of families were still living here.

Sylvia Lancaster pulled her thick, padded coat tighter around herself. Braving the blizzard, she forced her legs to move, beginning her door-to-door search.

The blizzard intensified, and Sylvia Lancaster shivered uncontrollably from the cold.

Sylvia picked out the houses that still had lights on, but after learning why she was there, the people inside all turned her away. Most didn’t even open the door.

Everyone knew how precious fever medicine was now. Who would be willing to lend it to someone else?

Besides, they might call it "borrowing," but in reality, it would never be "returned."

No one was a fool these days. Everyone understood this, so of course, no one would agree to help Sylvia.

Rejected one after another, Sylvia’s initial confidence eroded into bitter disappointment. A growing sense of injustice gnawed at her.

She had lived here for so many years. Many of the homeowners nearby were friends of the Lancaster Family.

Before the disaster, they would often visit each other’s homes, occasionally hosting parties and inviting one another. They all got along so harmoniously.

Most of the neighbors had adored Sylvia, praising her whenever they saw her and saying how they wished they had a daughter just like her.

And now, every single one of them was shutting her out.

Sylvia’s heart ached with despair and a sense of betrayal.

But she couldn’t give up. After all, the Lancasters were waiting for her to bring back the medicine.

If she failed to bring back the fever medicine, Elaine Hughes and Robert Lancaster would never let her hear the end of it.

Besides, Simon was her greatest ally in the Lancaster family right now. She had to save him, no matter what.

And so, she could only press on, knocking on every door, desperate to find a glimmer of hope.

...

Finally, as she knocked on the door of another lit house, it opened.

Thomas Lawson stood at the gate to the villa’s courtyard. Rubbing his bleary eyes, he yawned and asked groggily, "Who is it? What do you want?"

Seeing that someone had finally been willing to open a door, Sylvia was overcome with joy. Her spirits lifted, and the dejection that had plagued her moments before vanished completely.

She spoke to Thomas Lawson, her voice full of excitement. "Excuse me, is the owner of the house home? I need to ask for their help with something."

At her words, Thomas Lawson shot Sylvia an impatient look. He was about to curse her out and tell her to scram if she didn’t have any real business, to stop disturbing his sleep.

But once he got a clear look at Sylvia’s face, the impatience vanished, replaced by an expression of stunned admiration.

Thomas Lawson then smiled, taking a few steps forward. "Well, if it isn’t Miss Lancaster," he said. "The master’s not here. You can just tell me what you need!"

The owners of this villa were the Jenningses. When experts predicted the impending blizzard, the Jennings Family moved out.

Thomas Lawson was a servant for the Jennings Family, left behind by his employers to look after the house.

His daily job was to clear the snow on a regular basis to prevent it from damaging the property.

Thomas Lawson had been with the Jennings Family for many years, so of course he recognized Sylvia, who was a frequent guest at their home.

Hearing this, Sylvia asked, "Someone in my family has a fever that won’t break. We’re out of fever medicine... could you please lend me some?"

After she spoke, she looked at Thomas Lawson with expectant eyes, waiting for his answer.

Thomas Lawson’s shifty eyes roved over Sylvia’s beautiful face. He stared at her eyes, teary from the cold, and her bright red lips. For a moment, his mind began to wander.

Her cheeks were especially striking, flushed red from the cold, giving her the appearance of being aroused...

Gazing at Sylvia like this, Thomas Lawson’s heart began to race.

He let out a dry, lecherous chuckle. "Yeah, I... I have some," he said to Sylvia. "Yeah! I’ll lend you some!"

He then turned to the side, gesturing for Sylvia to enter. "The snow’s coming down so hard, Miss Lancaster. Don’t just stand out there in the cold. Come on in!"

Sylvia hesitated. She had lived through three years of the apocalypse in her past life and had even dated the shady Flynn Adler for a while. She had seen all sorts of people, good and bad, and had learned to be at least a little wary of strange men.

Plus, the way Thomas Lawson was looking her up and down made her deeply uncomfortable.

She gave Thomas Lawson a polite, forced smile and shook her head, answering cautiously, "No, thank you... I’m... I’m covered in black snow and my shoes are filthy. I shouldn’t go inside. Could I trouble you to bring the medicine out to me, please?"

Thomas Lawson’s brow furrowed slightly. He hadn’t expected that Sylvia wouldn’t take the bait.

’These girls nowadays are way too cautious!’

After a moment’s thought, Thomas Lawson nodded. "...Alright. You wait here. I’ll go get the medicine for you!"

With that, he turned and walked into the house.

For some reason, watching his retreating back made Sylvia’s skin crawl.

The look he had given her just now revealed an undisguised greed and cunning.

Sylvia suddenly felt the urge to leave.

But she couldn’t run. She had already made a full circle of the neighborhood, and Thomas Lawson was the only person who had been willing to open their door.

’If I leave now,’ she thought, ’I’ll almost certainly go back empty-handed...’

Just as Sylvia was wrestling with her decision, Thomas Lawson returned.

He strode quickly toward her, holding up a box of fever medicine. With a leering "heh-heh," he said, "Miss Lancaster, is this the kind you need? Is one box enough?"

The moment she saw the fever medicine in his hand, Sylvia’s eyes lit up.

One box contained twenty-four pills! That was enough for Simon, with some left over to store just in case.

’I can’t believe he’s being so generous!’

Sylvia nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes, that’s it! One box is plenty! Thank you!"

With that, she reached out to take the medicine.

But the instant her hand touched the box, Thomas Lawson abruptly snatched it back, leaving her grasping at empty air.

Sylvia stared at him, bewildered, not understanding why he had suddenly gone back on his word.

Thomas Lawson shoved the medicine into his coat. He then fixed her with a greasy, lecherous stare, deliberately deepening his voice. "Miss Lancaster, you can have the medicine, but not for free... What are you going to trade me for it...?"