Perhaps this group really did have some kind of luck buff.
Not long after entering the mountains, they discovered several wild fruit trees. The fruits resembled small wild kiwis.
Everyone’s spirits immediately soared.
The group spread out, eagerly searching for anything edible.
Shen Hanyin unzipped her backpack slightly.
At two months old, this was Suisui’s first time outside.
She wanted the little cat to see the world beyond the apartment.
There might not be many opportunities to go out again in the future.
Shen Hanyin wandered leisurely through the forest.
Suddenly, Suisui let out a cry.
Before Shen Hanyin could react, the kitten shot out through the opening of the backpack.
Caught completely off guard, she failed to grab her.
“Suisui! Come back!”
Nearby, Luo Qi and Xu Chengyi stared in shock as a blur of fur raced past them.
He actually had a cat?
Shen Hanyin immediately chased after Suisui.
Luo Qi and Xu Chengyi followed behind.
But the kitten was far too fast.
All they could see was a fleeting shadow darting through the trees.
A few minutes later, Suisui returned on her own.
The moment Shen Hanyin saw the rabbit fur stuck around the kitten’s mouth, she nearly exploded with frustration.
Suisui was usually very obedient.
She had never expected the little troublemaker to suddenly bolt away.
Still, no matter how annoyed she was, this wasn’t the place to discipline her.
In the end, Shen Hanyin could only stuff the cat back into the backpack.
The commotion had attracted several others.
When they saw Suisui, their eyes lit up with the same excitement people reserved for food.
Then they glanced at Shen Hanyin.
The dangerous thoughts that had begun forming in their minds immediately disappeared.
This was Shen Yan.
The grim reaper of Building 9.
A man with both a sword and a gun.
People themselves were starving, yet somehow he had managed to keep a cat healthy and well-fed.
The jealousy was overwhelming.
Seeing the atmosphere becoming awkward, Luo Qi quickly changed the subject.
“There are rabbits around here.”
“We should look for them.”
Shen Hanyin continued wandering through the mountains with Suisui on her back.
Not long afterward, she spotted Luo Qi firing a crossbow and striking a rabbit.
The weapon looked remarkably similar to the one she owned.
She was curious.
Very curious.
But she didn’t ask.
After all, Luo Qi had never asked why she possessed a firearm.
Besides, they weren’t close enough for that kind of conversation.
Without anyone helping them hunt, the residents of Building 9 could only gather edible-looking plants and wild fruits.
Fortunately, what they collected was enough to fill their stomachs for a few meals.
At least the trip hadn’t been completely wasted.
Before heading down the mountain, Shen Hanyin cut several bundles of branches.
She was worried Suisui might get cold.
Tonight she intended to build a fire.
The outskirts were filled with abandoned factories.
The group casually picked one and settled in.
After assigning night watch shifts, everyone began preparing for the evening.
The nights were becoming colder and colder.
Shen Hanyin found a corner and prepared to start a fire.
After the torrential rains ended, temperatures had plummeted so rapidly that many branches remained damp.
They wouldn’t ignite easily.
Instead, she lit some smokeless charcoal first.
The charcoal provided warmth while drying out the branches.
While eating chocolate, Shen Hanyin fed Suisui inside the backpack.
She replaced the kitten’s hand warmer with a fresh one, took out her fleece-lined seat cushion, attached a few heating patches, and closed her eyes.
A while later, Xu Chengyi appeared carrying an armful of firewood.
“Brother, I promise I’ll keep feeding the fire. Mind if I share the warmth?”
“Sure.”
Xu Chengyi grinned.
Immediately, he dragged Luo Qi over.
Li Yuan quickly followed.
Since the fire had been built in a corner, there was still room for two more people.
Two men reacted with lightning speed and claimed the remaining spots before anyone else could.
Both seemed a little nervous.
After all, they had previously clashed with Shen Hanyin.
They worried she might chase them away.
But even after a long time passed, she said nothing.
Gradually, they relaxed.
For a brief moment, they even developed the illusion that the “grim reaper” wasn’t all that difficult to get along with.
The following day, everyone searched the mountains again.
Around noon, they began the return journey.
This time, nobody had gathered much.
Shen Hanyin didn’t need any help carrying her share.
However, Luo Qi approached and asked to borrow her foldable storage box.
In exchange, he offered to haul her supplies back with the rest.
Shen Hanyin saw no reason to refuse such a good deal.
As they neared the city limits, two people wearing roller skates suddenly sped toward them.
Their target was the storage box Luo Qi was pulling.
Luo Qi reacted instantly.
He kicked the box toward Xu Chengyi.
At the same time, he pulled a crossbow from his backpack.
Thwack!
An arrow struck one attacker in the thigh.
At such close range, the bolt’s power was devastating.
The man immediately lost his balance and crashed to the ground.
The second attacker saw the crossbow and abandoned his companion without hesitation.
He turned and fled.
Another bolt flew through the air.
It pierced straight through the man’s chest.
If they had been facing ordinary people with no ranged weapons, grabbing the loot and running would have been a smart strategy.
Unfortunately for them, today they had encountered Luo Qi.
Both attackers carried backpacks.
The contents were likely stolen from previous victims.
Luo Qi walked over calmly.
He took their bags, searched their bodies, then stripped away their hats, scarves, and even their shoes.
Everything was tossed onto the storage box.
Only then did he wave for everyone to continue.
The residents of Building 9 stared at the two bodies.
Several seemed like they wanted to say something.
Luo Qi understood immediately.
“I’m not a good person.”
“None of this is being shared with you.”
“If you can’t accept that, we can part ways here.”
“I’m leaving.”
Without giving anyone a chance to argue, Luo Qi and Xu Chengyi continued forward.
Shen Hanyin had originally been walking at the back of the group.
She immediately bypassed everyone and followed after them.
At negative forty degrees?
Even half a second of hesitation was disrespectful to the weather.
Luo Qi definitely had his own motives.
The distance between the city and the mountains was simply too great.
Even if he and Xu Chengyi managed to secure food, transporting it alone would be dangerous.
The others might not possess much combat ability, but numbers were an advantage in themselves.
At the same time, Luo Qi had indeed helped them find food.
These people were foolish and hypocritical.
Hopefully, they would learn to see the world for what it had become sooner rather than later.
Luo Qi glanced back.
“I was wondering whether you’d follow.”
“My stuff is with you.”
Luo Qi laughed.
“Do you want it back?”
Although he said that, he made no effort whatsoever to release his grip on the storage box.
It was obvious he already knew she wasn’t here to reclaim it.
“If you’re willing to keep dragging it, you can keep it.”
Luo Qi chuckled.
“Originally, I was planning to give them some grand speech about reality.”
“Then I realized it would be pointless.”
Shen Hanyin paused slightly.
In some ways, Luo Qi really resembled her.
His thoughts mirrored the person she used to be.
The others eventually followed behind at a cautious distance.
Luo Qi simply smiled and ignored them.
Back at home, Shen Hanyin decided punishment was necessary for Suisui’s little adventure.
She gave the kitten a thorough lecture.
Then she administered Suisui’s second vaccine injection.
To make matters worse, she confiscated the kitten’s dried fish snack for the night.
Five days after returning from the mountains, the temperature dropped to negative forty degrees Celsius.
It was time for Shen Hanyin to go out and “search for food” again.
Some people had started fishing through the ice.
During the torrential rain period, fish populations had exploded.
When the freeze arrived, many became trapped beneath the ice.
People smashed holes through the frozen surface and used nets to pull up considerable catches.
When Shen Hanyin arrived at Times Square, she found a large crowd gathered there.
Curious, she walked over.
People had laid out signs advertising trades.
Antiques and paintings exchanged for food.
Homemade slingshots exchanged for food.
Gold and silver jewelry exchanged for food.
After making a complete circuit, Shen Hanyin lost interest.
She lacked almost nothing.
Well…
Almost.
What she truly lacked were yachts.
Aircraft.
Submarines.
Gasoline.
Diesel fuel.
And skilled operators capable of using them.
With a sigh, she turned to leave.
Someone suddenly grabbed her.
Instinctively, she nearly struck back.
Then the man hurriedly asked,
“Brother, what are you looking to trade?”
Apparently he had mistaken her for another trader.
A thought suddenly flashed through Shen Hanyin’s mind.
The things she wanted weren’t listed because nobody had written them down.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t search for them herself.
The chances were slim.
Still, she had nothing better to do.
Her space contained alcohol and cigarettes.
Ordinary survivors wouldn’t care about those.
But perhaps some wealthy former executives or influential figures might.
Maybe she could trade for fuel or transportation.
When she mentioned that she had two bottles of liquor available, the man interrupted before she could even explain what she wanted.
“Not interested.”
The rejection was immediate.
Shen Hanyin wasn’t offended.
Finding someone wealthy enough to trade for alcohol and cigarettes in a frozen apocalypse required a fair amount of luck.