Chapter 141

Silence settled between them, thick and lingering, as if even the air itself had grown hesitant to move.

Suzy reached out at last, her touch gentle, almost tentative, as she patted the girl’s shoulder. The small gesture carried a quiet reassurance, a fragile attempt to anchor them both in the moment.

"What are you planning to do next?" she asked, her voice soft enough not to disturb the stillness too much.

Gloria lowered her gaze, shaking her head slowly. There was a hollow distance in her expression, like someone adrift with no shore in sight. "I don’t know..." she murmured. "I’ll just... stay alive for now."

The words felt thin, like they barely held together.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about revenge—she had, more times than she could count. The idea burned quietly in the back of her mind, a stubborn ember that refused to go out. But reality was cold and unyielding.

With the strength she had now, going up against them wouldn’t be revenge.

It would be suicide.

They were too many. Too strong. Armed with real weapons and the kind of ruthlessness she couldn’t yet match.

So she would wait.

She had to.

"...Alright," Suzy replied after a moment, her tone careful, as if she understood more than she let on.

A brief pause passed before Gloria lifted her head again, curiosity flickering faintly through the haze of her thoughts. "And you, Miss? Why are you here?"

Suzy exhaled quietly, then offered a simple explanation.

"I came out with a friend to look for supplies," she said. "There’s acid rain outside—we passed by this building and came in to take shelter. I didn’t expect to run into you here."

For a heartbeat, Gloria didn’t react.

Then her eyes widened abruptly, shock breaking through her exhaustion. "Acid rain?" she echoed, her voice rising slightly. "It’s... raining acid outside?"

She had only ever read about such things in fantasy books.

Suzy nodded.

"How... how did it come to this..." Gloria murmured. "What is going to happen now?"

Wasn’t acid rain supposed to happen only in severely polluted places?

Things were getting worse with each passing moment, as if the world itself were unraveling thread by thread.

But Gloria forced herself not to linger on that thought. There was no use dwelling on despair; it would only drag her down.

She drew in a quiet breath, steadying herself, and shifted the conversation. "By the way... what are you looking for?" she asked, her tone lighter, though a trace of curiosity lingered beneath it.

"Gold," Suzy replied, without hesitation and without the slightest attempt to conceal it.

Gloria’s eyes flickered, a brief spark of surprise flashing across her face.

She leaned in instinctively, lowering her voice as though afraid the walls themselves might overhear. "That’s perfect," she whispered, "Miss, I know there’s a gold supermarket on the fifth floor. I’ve been there before—there’s still a lot left."

She didn’t fully understand why Suzy wanted gold—whether it was for trade, survival, or something else entirely.

But it didn’t matter.

Not to her.

After all, Suzy had saved her life. And that alone was enough to pay her back with information.

"If you know where it is," Suzy said, meeting her gaze, "can you take me there?"

"Of course," Gloria replied quickly, almost eagerly. Then she hesitated, as if remembering something important. "I just need to tell Curtis first."

Suzy’s eyes narrowed slightly, thoughtful. "Will they agree?"

"They will," Gloria confirmed, her voice firm and certain this time, leaving no room for doubt.

Food would be another matter.

But gold? To them, it was worthless.

Luxury items meant nothing now—not even compared to a pack of tissues.

If Suzy wanted it, she could take it.

"Wait here, I’ll go talk to him."

"Thank you," Suzy said.

Gloria smiled. "No need to thank me, Miss."

She ran off.

Suzy returned to Thomas’s side.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

He looked at her, his dark eyes steady. "I’m fine. Thanks to your treatment, it doesn’t hurt as much anymore."

After a pause, he added, "Finished talking to her?"

"Yeah." Suzy crouched beside him. "She knows where a gold supermarket is. She’s going to take me there."

"Go ahead," he said. "I’ll wait here."

"You’ll be okay on your own?" she asked, still uneasy.

He gave a faint, amused look. "I’m not that fragile."

Meanwhile, Gloria was negotiating with her group.

Curtis had no objections. But Victor did.

"Why does she even want gold? Instead of food? That’s weird. What if gold becomes valuable again later? Maybe we should keep it," he argued.

Gloria frowned immediately. "Even if it does become valuable, it’ll be more useful in her hands. And don’t forget—you just shot her friend."

Victor bristled, ready to argue, but Curtis stopped him.

"She’s right," he said calmly. "Even if gold has value, what can we do with it now? We need food, water, medicine. Can gold feed us? Heal us?"

Victor fell silent.

"And besides," Curtis continued, "you shot her friend. If it were someone else, we’d already be in a fight. They didn’t hold it against us. The least we can do is be reasonable."

Victor hesitated.

"But what if gold really becomes valuable later..."

"So what if it does?" Curtis cut in. "Do you think we’ll even live long enough to see that day? And even if we do, do you think we can keep it? That group out there is watching us every day."

He placed a hand on Victor’s shoulder.

"I know you’re hurting. Your brother was taken. Anyone would feel the same. But that’s exactly why we can’t afford to make more enemies."

Victor lowered his head.

After a long silence, he nodded.

"...Fine. I’ll listen to you."

Curtis exhaled in relief and turned to Gloria. "Go ahead. Take her there. Be careful."

"Got it!" Gloria beamed and ran off.

Back in the hall, Suzy was still crouched beside Thomas, speaking quietly.

Gloria hurried over, slightly out of breath. "Miss, it’s settled! Let’s go!"

Suzy stood and glanced at him.

He gave a small nod.

Go ahead.

"I’ll be back soon," she said.

"No rush," he replied, the corner of his lips lifting slightly. "Bring back more."

She couldn’t help but smile.

Then she followed Gloria out.

They moved down the corridor, footsteps echoing softly.

"The place is just ahead," Gloria whispered. "I found it when I came here looking for food with Victor. No one’s touched the displays yet."