Turmoil (2)

"No need, we've also secured supplies. By the way, I can see a possibility of heavy rain, so try to stock up on more food," Alice advised.

In the following month, the entire city was nearly submerged by heavy rain. It would be difficult to go out and find food when the time came. Alexander laughed, "Beryl said the same. She's at home counting the supplies, and I'm about to go out again to see if there's anything left to buy."

After hanging up the phone, Blanche and Atticus came down from upstairs. The four of them could distribute and carry the items from the car. Alice conveyed Alexander's message to them. Atticus frowned, and in the end, he said with a sigh, "Let him be."

Alice smiled and pursed her lips. Beryl was very clever, and in her eyes, Alexander had only a role to be utilized. In Alexander's eyes, this was a time to 'share hardships' with his loved one, and he wouldn't abandon Beryl. Therefore, Alice didn't try to persuade him on the phone. Reality would teach him to see through a person.

After bringing all the items home, Alice and Arnold drove the car to a high ground parking lot and siphoned off the gasoline. This time, they were lucky that the car could still run after being submerged in water, but it might not be the case next time.

Arnold glanced behind him and casually asked, "Should we add another lock?"

Alice shook her head, "No need. Without gasoline, they won't be able to drive it away."

She wasn't worried that the people following them would damage the car. It was a modified vehicle that bullets couldn't penetrate.

Not long after the siblings left, five men emerged from a small grove, excitement evident in their eyes. With a car, they could go buy supplies. If they couldn't buy them, it would make robbery and escape more convenient.

"The boss is indeed clever. If we hadn't secretly followed them, we wouldn't have gotten three cars for nothing," one man said, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the luxury cars.These cars were worth tens of millions, far beyond what they could afford. Taking advantage of the chaotic situation, stealing them would likely go unnoticed.

"It's a pity they siphoned off the gasoline," the leader of the group said, somewhat angry.

Others were unconcerned, "Gasoline is easy to get. The problem is how to pry open the locks."

"If all else fails, let's break the windows."

Two men picked up two sharp large stones from the ground and vigorously smashed them towards the car windows.

Dull thuds echoed, and when the others approached to check, they found the car windows intact, with only shallow scratches on the glass.

The window smashers were not convinced and exerted all their strength, repeatedly attempting to break the windows. Yet, the car windows remained impervious.

Soon, the two men, panting heavily, stopped their efforts. "Boss, these car windows must be made of some unknown material. They simply won't break."

"How is that possible? Did you guys not eat enough or lack the strength for the job?"

The leader took one of the stones, disdainfully glanced at one of the men, and said, "Get out of the way; let me try."

A glint of determination flashed in the man's eyes as he heaved the stone toward the car window. However, the result was the same as the others.

The shallow marks on the window seemed to mock the man's overestimation of his strength.

Ten minutes later, everyone had taken turns trying. They switched to different stones, tried various levels of force, but still, they couldn't make the slightest impact.

In the end, the expressions on their faces went from excitement to disappointment and finally turned into anger. Reluctantly, they left.

"Consider us unlucky. Let's go!"

...

The Allen family family sorted the purchased supplies and filled several large refrigerators. After a busy morning, everyone was hungry, and Arnold went into the kitchen to prepare lunch.Alice sat on the sofa, scrolling through the messages in the group chat. The past few days had seen a decrease in messages due to a power outage in the neighborhood. However, today, it seemed like the floodgates had opened, and messages were pouring in.

She scrolled upwards and initially saw messages celebrating the return of electricity. Following that were numerous inquiries about which supermarkets still had supplies.

User in Building 501 in the East: "Did everyone manage to get supplies? I've checked all the supermarkets and markets nearby, but could only find a few pounds of fatty pork."

User in Building 602 in the North: "I was too late. Supermarkets were already emptied out. Some people are really shameless, bringing back three big cars of stuff. Those of us who walked here were lucky to get a bit of seasoning."

User in Building 805 in the East: "Can any kind neighbor who got supplies sell me some? The elderly and kids at home are almost starving. Grateful beyond words."

User in Building 305 in the East: "@Building 501, you got a lot of supplies. Can you sell some to the neighbor upstairs?"

User in Building 902 in the East: "@Building 501, I saw your whole family when you came back—seven or eight bags of rice, lots of meat, and vegetables. Have some pity on the neighbor in Building 602. Sell them a few pounds of rice!"

...

Some were just curious spectators, continuously tagging Cheryl. Even the property management joined in, urging everyone to help each other and build a loving and harmonious community.

Cheryl ignored it all, neither acknowledging nor responding. The apocalyptic atmosphere hadn't engulfed the entire country yet. There were instances of panic buying outside, but it wasn't impossible to find anything at all.

Some people were too lazy to go out and preferred waiting for rescue or sympathy in the group. As long as someone softened their heart, they would succeed.

At this moment, Alexander and a few men returned to Beryl's house. All five of them looked exhausted, their clothes and hair disheveled from the scramble for supplies. These men were from the same school as Alexander, and Beryl expressed that they were all friends who should help each other during times of disaster. Despite any displeasure Alexander might feel, he didn't drive them away.