"Regardless, when we get back to the island, I’ll help you get screened for depression. A lot of people have developed psychological issues after the apocalypse, myself included."
Quincy’s eyes widened. "You have depression too?"
"No, but after going through so much, it’s inevitable that your mental state will be affected. It’s called post-disaster trauma."
"If I had to live in a refugee camp, I think I would’ve gone crazy," Quincy sighed.
"By the way, what are we going to do with those three guys?" Quincy glanced at the top of the stairs to the second floor. Ronan Kendrick and Ethan Dawson had been up there for half an hour.
"Once Ronan is done questioning them, we’ll let them go back to the refugee camp."
"Won’t that cause problems later?"
Evelyn Ford shook her head. "No." ’Ronan will scramble their memories. Those three won’t remember this building, much less us.’
A few more minutes passed before Ronan Kendrick and Ethan Dawson came downstairs.
"Here’s the plan for our next mission. Evelyn, Ethan, and I will go to the base. Quincy, you’ll stay here at the house to look after Annie and the three men upstairs."
"Hold on. The three of you are going out on a mission, and I’m staying behind to watch the house. Is that what you mean?"
Ronan Kendrick nodded. "Yes. Give the three men upstairs some water and something to eat later. Don’t let them starve to death. They’re still useful to us."
Quincy finally understood why he’d been brought along on this mission—to be their logistics support and babysitter.
"How many hours will you be gone?"
"Five hours at most." The Second Base and Flumen were quite a distance apart, and the drive alone would take a good chunk of time. A five-hour round trip was optimistic.
"Alright. Be safe."
—
Ronan Kendrick knew the way to the base well, so he drove.
"Will Quincy be okay by himself?" The three men on the second floor posed no threat, but the fear of other thieves lingered. If they had weapons, Quincy would be in for a rough time.
Evelyn Ford smiled. "Don’t worry, he’ll be fine."
"Evelyn, you’re from Corinth, right?"
Evelyn Ford nodded. "Yeah, Corinth is my hometown. Why?"
Ethan Dawson shook his head. "No reason. The three guys upstairs are from Corinth, too. They mentioned it themselves when Ronan was questioning them."
"What a coincidence."
’To think I’d run into people from my hometown here, and three clumsy burglars at that.’ Evelyn Ford couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
"Ronan, you said they were still useful. What do you need them for?"
Ronan Kendrick nodded. "Once we’ve taken care of business at the base, we’ll have them go back to the refugee camp and spread some information. We can use rumors to nip any potential riots in the bud."
Evelyn Ford understood.
"What about the members of The Black Dragon Gang?"
"That gang will cease to exist."
Evelyn Ford raised an eyebrow. "You’ve already made your move? That was fast."
"I took care of it on my way to find them earlier," Ronan Kendrick said, glancing at Evelyn.
"I swiped a map from The Black Dragon Gang’s headquarters. After we’re done at the base, I’ll go with you to the medicinal herb fields to gather plants."
"The herb fields aren’t at the base?" Evelyn Ford turned and leaned back against the seat.
"They’re located three kilometers outside the base." Ronan Kendrick pulled a map from his coat pocket and handed it to Evelyn.
Evelyn Ford unfolded the map. It was hand-drawn but meticulously detailed, with every important location marked in red.
"No wonder the base can run a pharmaceutical factory. The herb fields cover over twenty-six acres, and they’re guarded by official personnel. Barring a natural disaster, not even a fly could get in."
Evelyn Ford had taken stock of her supplies. She already had over two hundred types of medicinal herbs, but two-thirds of them were poisonous. She still needed to find more herbs suitable for medicine.
The car left the residential area and headed straight for the base. Along the road, they could see many people searching for firewood or digging for tree roots. The three of them watched without expression; compared to Quincy, they were all more hard-hearted.
"Why do I feel a little hot?"
Evelyn Ford looked back at Ethan Dawson. "The AC isn’t on. Are you wearing too many layers?"
Ethan Dawson shook his head. He rolled down the window and stuck his hand out.
"The temperature seems to have gone up a bit. It really is getting warm."
Evelyn Ford took a thermometer out of her dimensional space. A few seconds later, the red line shot up from ten degrees to thirteen.
"It really is rising! Is the polar night about to end?" Evelyn Ford tapped Ronan Kendrick’s arm. "Ronan, look! It’s thirteen degrees! The polar night is ending!"
Ronan Kendrick glanced at the thermometer. "A sudden rise in temperature... I’m afraid this could mean some other unexpected event is coming."
Just like that, Ronan’s words wiped the joyful smile right off Evelyn’s face.
’Unusual events are always a bad omen.’ The temperature after the polar night had been holding steady at ten degrees above zero. A sudden spike like this probably heralded another natural disaster.
"Now that you mention it, I have a very bad feeling about this."
Ronan Kendrick pursed his lips. "Perhaps I’m overthinking it."
Evelyn’s eyelid twitched. ’Please don’t let Ronan’s jinx come true.’
Meanwhile, Annie woke up and didn’t see Evelyn, causing him to panic. He huddled under the covers, trembling all over. Quincy could only soothe him with gentle words, promising that Evelyn would be back soon.
As for the three men upstairs, Quincy brought them a pot of water and three steamed buns. After all, Ronan had said not to let them starve.
The men’s hands and feet were tied, so Quincy had to feed them himself.
Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, the three men started trying to get friendly with Quincy, making small talk. Quincy kept a straight face and didn’t respond, no matter what they said.
"I can’t believe we’re getting big, warm steamed buns. You’re a good man, buddy."
Quincy snorted, reluctantly accepting the "good guy" card he’d been dealt.
"Buddy, can you do me a favor? I need to use the bathroom. I can’t hold it anymore."
Quincy ignored him. ’If you want to escape, just say so. Why tell such a pathetic lie? Do I look that easy to fool?’
"For real! I haven’t had anything to eat or drink in a long time. I ate too fast just now, and my stomach can’t handle it. I’m about to burst!"
Seeing that the man’s expression didn’t look fake, Quincy frowned and pulled a gun from his pocket.
"Does it still hurt?"
The man’s face twisted in pain. "It really hurts, I’m not lying! It’s a cramping pain. Oh no, I’m gonna go!"
Quincy’s expression changed. He quickly dragged the man to the bathroom and untied the hemp rope on his hands as fast as he could.
The moment the door closed, a foul stench wafted out. Quincy quickly grabbed a mask and put it on.
The other two men, their faces looking sickly pale, stared at him. "Hey, buddy, we need to use the bathroom too."
Thankfully, the squat toilet could still be flushed. Otherwise, Quincy would have definitely shot these three troublemakers dead.
The entire second floor was filled with an indescribable stench. There was no need to tie the three men up anymore; after several trips to the bathroom, they were completely exhausted.
"Did you put laxatives in the water?"
"What good would it do me to give you diarrhea and stink up the whole house? When Evelyn gets back, she’ll kill me. If you don’t want to die, the three of you better get up and clean this mess up. Now."
’Three clumsy burglars... What a disaster.’
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