Chapter 28: "Exchanging More Than Just Words"
Su Chen paused for a moment before understanding exactly what was happening.
Ah Biao had taken control of the supplies and stopped distributing food. In order to survive, the survivors had no choice but to go out under the cover of night to search for resources.
However, he couldn't help but wonder how many of them would actually find supplies and make it back alive.
Shaking his head, Su Chen saw that the black water tank had finished draining. He restarted the Normadison and headed back to the underground parking lot.
At the same time, Zhang Mingyuan, Yang Zhen, and the others followed close behind.
But in contrast to other groups, which sent strong, capable adults to scavenge, Zhang Mingyuan's team consisted of pampered young masters and weak women who could barely lift a finger.
Not long after leaving the parking lot, Zhang Mingyuan's group was quickly left behind.
To avoid getting lost and to scavenge as much as possible, they had to pick up the pace.
Although the sun had set and there was no direct sunlight, the ground was still unbearably hot from the day's heat.
The air seemed to swirl with heat, making it hard to think straight.
"Huff... huff..." Zhang Mingyuan gasped for air, his heart pounding. He felt weak, drenched in sweat, as if he had just climbed out of a swimming pool.
He regretted coming out. Had he known how bad it would be, he would have stayed in the underground parking lot.
But now, there was no turning back. He had no choice but to keep moving forward.
Yang Zhen, Xiao Mei, and Liu Ling'er weren't doing much better. They were all sweating heavily, their faces pale and drained.
Thankfully, the convenience store wasn't far from the parking lot. After walking a little further, Zhang Mingyuan and his group saw a few survivors rushing back with bags of supplies.
The survivors glanced at them briefly but didn't stop.
Zhang Mingyuan's group quickened their pace, feeling a glimmer of hope.
After a short while, they arrived at the street corner and saw the convenience store that Yang Zhen had mentioned.
Most of the survivors who had arrived first had already raided the store. They were now heading back, carrying bags of supplies.
Desperate, Zhang Mingyuan's group rushed into the store, but when they stepped inside, they were stunned.
By the light of the moon, they could clearly see that the store was in chaos.
The shelves that should have held everyday goods were mostly empty—there wasn't even a single item left.
Frustrated, they searched the store for a while, sweating in the stifling heat, and finally found a few packs of instant noodles, some sausages, and a few bottles of drinks.
"D*mn it! What was the point of this?!" Zhang Mingyuan fumed.
The people who had raided the store earlier were like bandits, showing no morality at all. At least they could have left some supplies for others.
"Something is better than nothing. Let's just take what we can, Zhang Shao," Yang Zhen said, stuffing the supplies into his backpack.
In this heat, every second spent outside was pure torment.
The group turned around and began walking back to the underground parking lot.
But halfway back, they heard a sudden "thud"—one of the young men in their group collapsed to the ground.
"Li Lun! What's wrong?!" Yang Zhen exclaimed in shock, rushing to help him up.
Li Lun's eyes were closed, his lips pale, and his breathing weak.
Li Lun had been pampered his whole life, and with no food for days, he had grown incredibly weak. The heat from the day and the long walk had taken its toll.
"I… need… water…" Li Lun mumbled weakly.
Hearing him, Yang Zhen hurriedly reached for his backpack to get some water.
But just as he was about to hand it over, Zhang Mingyuan stopped him, shaking his head.
"Zhang Shao, what… what are you doing?" Yang Zhen was confused.
"His condition is too severe. Even if you give him water, without medicine, he's not going to make it," Zhang Mingyuan said coldly, glancing down at Li Lun's body.
"Rather than wasting the water on him, we might as well save it for ourselves!"
"Zhang Shao, he's… he's one of us!" Yang Zhen exclaimed in surprise, trying to reason with him.
"One of us?" Zhang Mingyuan scoffed, releasing his hold on Yang Zhen's hand.
"Fine. If you really care so much, you can carry him back yourself."
Yang Zhen hesitated, torn.
Though he hadn't collapsed like Li Lun, his body was in no better condition. If he had to carry Li Lun back alone, he would likely collapse too.
But when he looked around at the others, they all turned their heads, avoiding his gaze.
It was clear—if Yang Zhen wanted to help Li Lun, he would have to do it himself.
In the face of death and the looming apocalypse, self-preservation was the strongest instinct.
Although Zhang Mingyuan, Xiao Mei, and Liu Ling'er might not actively harm Li Lun, they wouldn't risk their lives to help him either.
Seeing Yang Zhen still hesitate, Zhang Mingyuan didn't waste any more time. He grabbed his backpack and started walking back toward the parking lot.
The others followed behind, not sparing a glance for Li Lun.
Yang Zhen stood frozen for a moment before sighing, leaving Li Lun behind.
Once they returned to the underground parking lot, the group divided the spoils.
But each person's share of food and water barely covered three days' worth of survival—this was with the portion they'd taken from Li Lun.
Though the others were unhappy, they had no choice but to accept.
After the distribution, they returned to their spots, eating their meager portions.
Despite the instant noodles being tasteless and hard to swallow, after a day of hunger, Zhang Mingyuan, Xiao Mei, and Liu Ling'er ate like they were savoring the finest gourmet meal.
But even with the noodles and sausages, their hunger wasn't truly satisfied.
To survive, they had to ration their food, leaving some for later.
"Ling'er, do you think Su Chen is just relaxing in that RV right now?" Xiao Mei leaned against the wall, sipping some mineral water. Her eyes lingered greedily on the Normadison.
"I don't know, but he's definitely doing better than us," Liu Ling'er shook her head, her expression numb with regret.
"I'm going to find Su Chen if things don't get better soon," Xiao Mei suddenly said, resolutely.
"You really think he'll help?" Liu Ling'er asked, bewildered.
"I used to have a thing with him. If he didn't help me, what makes you think he'll help you?" Liu Ling'er said, her voice tinged with bitterness.
"What if I offered him my body in exchange?" Xiao Mei said, her tone a bit too casual.