5 Fighting for Food

The night passed without any incidents. Yang Xiao sat on the large rock halfway up the mountain until a little past 5 AM. As the night gave way to dawn, he finally lay down on the rock and began to sleep.

After sleeping for an unknown duration, Yang Xiao felt the harsh sunlight and opened his eyes, sitting up.

It was already noon, with the sun beaming down from the sky. Sunlight pierced through the cracks in the bushes, casting its warm glow on Yang Xiao.

He got up, walked about ten meters away to relieve himself, briefly checked the surrounding forest for any signs of deadly snakes or insects, and then returned to the large rock. Opening his backpack, he took out a bottle of water, a bag of beef jerky, and the remaining half of the cookies he had eaten yesterday.

While he ate, Yang Xiao observed the playground below through the gaps in the bushes.

The number of people gathered in the playground had doubled since yesterday, estimated to be around seven to eight hundred individuals.

These people surrounded the orange Gene Store, engaged in discussions.

The smarter ones began taking food and requesting to join Xiao Zhe's group. Xiao Zhe only accepted those who had sufficient food. The group had now expanded to about 150 members, with seventy percent of them being young men.

Today marked the second day since the disaster. Most people managed to find food and water, though it was no longer as easy as it had been the day before. Anxiety had started to creep into the hearts of many as they began collecting food and water to carry with them.

However, the available food wouldn't last for seven days.

The long-awaited government rescue team had yet to show up.

Some bold individuals ventured out of the campus. However, upon their return, they brought grim news. The entire city had been nearly destroyed, with few survivors.

Most people didn't fully believe what the little old man, Gu Bo, had said about biological mutations occurring seven days later. Nonetheless, it had instilled a significant amount of panic in everyone's hearts.

What provided some solace was that they were in a city, free from the threat of large beasts. Even if biological mutations occurred, they were unlikely to pose a danger.

During the second night, as Yang Xiao gazed at the moon in the sky, noise erupted from the playground below.

Some individuals took advantage of the darkness to snatch food from others, resulting in a fight. Eventually, bystanders managed to intervene and put an end to the fight.

This was the first conflict sparked by food disputes, as if a small stone cast into a calm lake, creating significant ripples in everyone's hearts.

Without rescue teams, food would steadily diminish. Of the over 2,000 survivors of the university, less than half could endure seven days, which meant over half would starve. 

Xiao Zhe had sensed the looming crisis. Now to join his team required sufficient food and able-bodied males.

The rest of the people also began to form small groups on a limited scale, with three to five classmates or individuals from the same department, coming together to create small teams where they could assist each other.

Food and physical strength became two crucial assessment factors.

Females became the vulnerable ones, though pretty girls never lacked gallant protectors. The remaining scattered individuals were mostly thin and weak men with little food and some average-looking women who also lacked food.

Facing survival, humans reverted to selfish primal nature.

Discarded timber was everywhere. Xiao Zhe sent people to light two bonfires. One was for illumination and to boost morale, and the other was for warmth. September was in the autumn, and the nighttime temperature was only around ten degrees Celsius, so there was a bit of chill in the air.

Others followed suit, soon dozens of bonfires burning on the playground.

A huge lamp sat outside the Gene Store, neither oil nor electric, yet bright enough to illuminate a 30-meter radius.

Many small groups and survivors without teams gathered around the Gene Store.

In the middle of the night, Yang Xiao ate another bag of chicken wings and drank half a bottle of water. When he finished the chicken wings in his hand, he felt a strange sensation in his body, like a faint electric current, moving through various parts of his body. It lasted for several minutes before gradually fading away.

What was that about?

Yang Xiao checked himself in surprise but found nothing unusual.

Maybe just tiredness?

He suddenly thought of his parents. How was his hometown now? Did it also experience a great disaster?

Now that the city had been destroyed, and there were no suitable means of transportation to go home and check, all he could do was pray for the safety of his parents and siblings.

When the sun rose, Yang Xiao fell asleep again.

"Go die! I'll kill you!"

A sharp cry jerked Yang Xiao awake.

He bolted up, grabbing his steel pipe.

The shouts came from the playground below. Peering through bushes, he saw two people chasing each other on the field.

This was the second incident of food disputes, and it was more severe this time. The physically stronger one managed to overpower the other, leaving the opponent injured and bleeding.

The girls in the vicinity screamed and pleaded, hoping to stop the fight. Many boys observed from a distance while guarding their own food.

Ultimately, the weaker man was knocked to the ground, his backpack stolen. The snatcher glanced at the fallen boy, leaving behind a bottle of water and a bag of biscuits before departing with the stolen backpack.

A hushed silence fell over the onlookers. The apprehensions that had been lurking were now materializing. Even Xiao Zhe, who currently commanded the largest group, couldn't help but worry. Although he had over a hundred people, including dozens of robust young men, a scenario where this group turned desperate from hunger and collectively attacked to seize food was unimaginable.

Xiao Zhe also couldn't help but think of Yang Xiao.

Had this guy mysteriously vanished or left the academy?

Xiao Zhe chose to keep the team at the playground. He shared the same concerns as Yang Xiao. This mysterious Gene Store might become their last refuge if a genetic mutation occurred seven days later.

Yang Xiao sat on the rock, silently observing everything happening at the foot of the mountain. Though he had anticipated that incidents of fellow countrymen turning on each other would occur, witnessing such scenes still evoked a sense of melancholy.

The ugliness of human nature would be even more vividly displayed in the coming days. Selfishness, fear, greed, and cruelty would all be exposed one by one.

Yang Xiao drank half a bottle of water, ate a piece of chocolate, some biscuits, and then consumed half a bag of beef jerky. 

He temporarily stored the empty water bottles in his backpack, thinking they might come in handy later. He had ten bottles of water in total, but he restricted himself to drinking only one bottle per day.

With enough food in his backpack, he didn't hesitate to nourish himself. He needed to preserve his strength for the impending, more brutal struggles.

After finishing a bag of beef jerky, the strange sensation he had experienced the previous night resurfaced within his body.

An electrical current seemed to rise from within, coursing through various parts of his body, persisting for several minutes before gradually fading away.

This time, the sensation was even stronger than the one he had experienced last night

"What on earth is this?"