Xu Yan watched her daughter disappear beside her. Although no longer flustered from the first time, a person vanishing into thin air still made her heart skip a beat.
The next instant, Xu An reappeared in the living room, her disappointment evident on her face.
Indeed, one couldn't be too greedy.
"It seems this space can only be entered by me for now."
"It's alright, it's already great that you can go in."
Xu Yan didn't dwell on it much. For her, it was more than enough. At the very least, her daughter had a final refuge when danger arrived.
After eating and tidying everything up, they prepared to rest.
They had now adapted to this rhythm of life, rising with the sun and resting with the moon.
While Xu An was busy outside, Xu Yan wasn't idle either. She washed all the clothes they had worn, hung them out to dry during the day when no one was around, and quickly brought them back in.
She processed all the ingredients, packed the excess into food containers, and waited for Xu An to return and put them into the spatial dimension.
It was only with her mother's presence that Xu An could venture out without any worries.
She took out her tablet and caught up on a variety show, but halfway through, her thoughts began to wander.
The sudden appearance of two people today made her realize that Linjiang City was no longer safe.
There were likely quite a few escaped criminals from prison, and they were all armed.
In this apocalypse, with the breakdown of law and order, these criminals would undoubtedly become even more reckless.
With natural disasters compounding human calamities, it was easy to imagine how difficult life would be for the survivors.
Not to mention those who were alone; if they were unlucky enough to encounter these people, the consequences would be unimaginable.
After all, not everyone was like Xu An, possessing formidable martial skills.
Today was purely her luck. If those two had accomplices, she wouldn't have been able to escape no matter what.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a chill of fear.
No matter how skilled she was, she was still only one person.
Her ability to kill them today was entirely due to the scarred man betraying his comrade and using him as a shield.
If those two had fought together, Xu An wasn't sure she could have made it out unscathed.
They still needed to get to a sanctuary as soon as possible. Regardless, sanctuaries would have basic social order.
They were much safer than the outside.
With that in mind, she turned on the radio again. It intermittently reported on the distribution of supplies, but there was no news or notifications regarding sanctuaries.
Xu An wondered if the premature volcanic eruption in this life had disrupted the course of the previous one.
The absence of any news about sanctuaries so far made her a little worried.
She feared some unforeseen changes might occur.
Xu An thought that the supply drops had little to do with her. While hugging Gou Dan, she gradually drifted off to sleep under the hypnotic drone of the variety show.
Xu Yan tucked her daughter in and then went to rest on the other bed.
...
Unlike the peaceful life of Xu An, Lin Zhuoran, whom she had met once, was now living a life of extreme hardship.
Her once soft, dark, and shiny long hair had been cut short, and her hair was dry and greasy, looking like it hadn't been washed in a long time.
She wore a quick-dry shirt that was clearly not her size, and the garment emitted a faint sour smell.
But no one cared about that.
At this point, no one would bother whether the other person had washed their hair or changed their clothes.
Lin Zhuoran looked up, her gaze filled with resentment towards the huddled crowd around her, her heart filled with immense regret.
If only she hadn't been so soft-hearted... she wouldn't be so controlled by others now.
She watched as the supplies that rightfully belonged to her were now being squandered with impunity, her molars grinding with a "嘎吱" sound.
She simply closed her eyes to avoid looking.
Supplies could be found again, but if life was lost, then everything was lost.
Keeping the mountains green meant there would be no shortage of firewood. Lin Zhuoran constantly schemed in her mind how to escape.
At first, she hadn't considered calling the police, but soon after, the water and electricity were cut off, and her phone lost its signal.
She looked out the window; the streets were engulfed in smoke, and people were even brandishing cleavers, hacking at each other in the street.
Countless people, like lunatics, stormed supermarkets and malls, plundering supplies with no regard for law or order.
At that moment, Lin Zhuoran knew that even if she could escape to the police station, it would be useless.
The only thing she could do now was save herself.
"What's the situation outside now?" a greasy-looking man in a black tank top asked.
The man's name was Liu Hu, and he held a flirtatious woman in his arms.
"The nearby supplies are getting scarcer. Judging by this, it's likely to descend into complete chaos."
"Damn it, just as I got out, they throw me into the apocalypse. Are they playing with me?"
Two other men echoed his sentiment.
Lin Zhuoran appeared indifferent but was closely observing their movements.
The three men had the same look: a buzz cut, shaved heads, and a look of defiant ferocity.
It was obvious to anyone where they had come from!
While regretting her naivete, Lin Zhuoran couldn't help but curse the three women opposite her for their ingratitude.
They were roommates who shared a rented apartment. On the night of the volcanic eruption, it was she who knocked on each door, waking up the three girls in her room and saving their lives.
But when they encountered robbers, these three bitches sold her out in an instant.
They snitched to the three men, saying she had a lot of supplies.
And so, the current scene unfolded.
To secure their own backing, those three bitches not only sold themselves out but also their bodies.
They were contentedly enjoying the food that belonged to Lin Zhuoran.
This wasn't finding support; it was akin to seeking protection from a tiger!
Watching the leader's hand roam wantonly over one of the girls, Lin Zhuoran felt a surge of nausea. At the same time, she secretly vowed that if she ever had the chance, she would personally deal with these three bitches!
They had exploited her kindness, trampled on her goodwill, and even betrayed her. They were worse than dogs!
Su Youyou hesitated, "Brother Hu, how long can our supplies last?"
Su Youyou was the first woman who had snitched to those men.
Lin Zhuoran felt rage, but she also pricked up her ears. She also wanted to know how long their supplies would last.
These supplies were what she had stockpiled with the bonuses she earned from selling cars to Xu An.
Before, she had enough for half a year for herself.
But now, it was for seven people.
To think she had planned to help these girls; now she realized how naive and foolish she had been.
She kindly wanted to help others, but others were plotting to take her life.
A real-life farmer and snake story!
"As expected! Those 'green tea bitches' are the cheapest!" Lin Zhuoran silently cursed in her heart.