13 Rest and Raid

When they got to the gate, they quickly learned that all planes had been grounded. No planes were allowed to fly in or out until the situation on the ground was confirmed. All planes that were flying in had already been rerouted.

Seeing the two approach, a figure hidden behind a pillar quickly disappeared. Aida felt a gaze on her back but was too lazy to turn around and identify the person. There was no one nearby that could threaten her anyway.

There were about 30 people gathered in the general vicinity. Most of the people sitting around were airport employees. There were also a group of three kids who were lucky and strong enough to break through the hoard of Enraged and escape the city.

Aida silently nodded in approval. Despite being young and inexperienced, they quickly adapted to circumstances and looked alert unlike the airport employees who just lounged around and chatted.

Rubbing her temples, Aida walked over to an empty corner away from everyone else and sat down. She figured this would happen. The moment the government realized the severity of this virus, it would forcefully shut down all possible routes to the safe zone. That was the only way the rest of the population could continue to stay intact.

After a whole day of running and fighting, Aida realized she was famished. She got up and told Ace to sit there and watch her luggage. Ace carelessly waved Aida off as he was too exhausted to even move a muscle now that they were in a "safe" area.

She pursed her lips in displeasure, Ace took this safety for granted and was not alert at all. It looks like she needed to train him. Feeling a sinister glare aimed at him, Ace shuddered and looked around cautiously, but Aida had already left.

She walked along the terminal, evaluating the different options for food. All the places were closed, but that didn't stop her.

She had read many light novels about apocalypses and knew that hoarding food and water was essential for survival.

She selected a deli store as her first location to raid. Taking out the mini-blades stored in her sleeve, she picked the locks. Grabbing a backpack and duffel bag, she began loading up on food. First priority was bottled water, then high calorie foods like chocolates, then any other random snack that appealed to her. She also grabbed an extra bag to fill it with perishable foods to eat along the way. Most of the food would go bad in the next week, so it would be a waste to not consume it while it was edible.

On her way out, she made sure to lock the store doors and fences so no one else would be able to break in easily. Walking back to the Gate, she handed Ace a sandwich and banana to eat. "Eat and then rest. We will need the energy. I have a feeling things are about to get much worst."

"Master, with you around, there's only good, better and great."

"..."

They ate in silence. Aida did not forget to feed Xiao Ai as well, she made sure to plug her into the wall. "We'll take shifts. I'll take the first half of the night, you can take the second. Remember, don't let anyone within 5 meters of where we are. They aren't hungry yet, but when they run out of their food supply they will surely come for us." Aida glared at everyone at the Gate like they were her enemies.

Nodding, Ace curled himself up and went to sleep. If only he had ears and tail, then he would truly look like a dog. He was sound asleep and snoring in no time.

Seeing his actions, Aida wanted to shake him awake and teach him how to be more vigilant even while sleeping. But after some thought, she let him get a good night's rest. He had demonstrated loyalty uncharacteristic of human nature and had gone through a lot today. Teaching can wait.

This was a good opportunity to weed out the troublemakers among the group.

Aida also closed her eyes, leaning against the wall. Her appearance made it seem like she was sleeping, but all her muscles were actually poised to fight if needed.

Closing her eyes increased the range of her perception. While most humans were extremely reliant on their eyes, most animals had much stronger senses by relying on all senses except the eyes. In reality, having eyes was a major inhibitor to gaining awareness of the surrounding.

Around midnight, she heard a bit of shuffling. Opening her eyes, she saw the group of kids packing their items and moving away. Aida was mildly curious about where they were going, but not curious to actually make a move. She shrugged and closed her eyes again.

At the dead of night around 2am, there was movement again. This time, the movement clearly indicated that someone was sneaking around. They were definitely up to no good.

A few men in black hoodies were sneaking around the Gate, rummaging through each person's bag.

Whispering to each other, she heard them say, "That's the one Boss wants, let's get her last."

Soon, they arrived at the corner that Aida and Ace were sleeping at. Aida was tempted to just murder them on the spot, but that would not be beneficial for them since they were using the airport as shelter.

Instead, she pinched Ace on the thigh. "Arghhhhhhh," Ace suddenly screamed out. He shouted so loudly, it reverberated across the entire Terminal. Aida was clearly getting revenge for the time in the lobby where his scream gathered all the Enraged to their position.