Collecting Supplies

Herschel clearly wasn't a newcomer; he could gather so many people at the base, indicating a considerable amount of resources. The hired hands ran faster than anyone, completely forgetting about the existence of supplies.

Alice noticed a locked room and walked over, forcefully kicking the door open. Inside, indeed, were stocked supplies. There were over thirty bags of rice, two sacks of instant noodles, three boxes of bagged instant noodles, five boxes of cup noodles, a box of green bean cakes, two bags of sugar, ten bottles of soy sauce, fifty packs of salt, three boxes of various sausages, a dozen boxes of cigarettes and alcohol, and six bottles of cleaning detergent.

Alice collected all these supplies, ensuring that this trip wasn't a fruitless one.After gathering the supplies, she walked out of the courtyard and casually noticed a red car, which she also decided to take.

Half an hour later, the escaped hired hands sneaked back. They listened for any sounds outside and, confirming that there was no one inside, walked in with confidence.

"Move quickly. Take as much supplies as possible. Herschel usually keeps everything to himself, but now, it's all in our hands."

Several men headed towards the warehouse. However, the next moment, they were dumbfounded. The warehouse door was wide open, but it was completely empty inside, not even a grain of rice left for them.

"What... What's going on?""Could Herschel be playing a trick on us? There were clearly supplies last time I checked!"

"Impossible! I distinctly remember seeing a room full. Herschel must have moved them somewhere else. Let's keep searching."

The group searched inside out, but they found nothing. A strong sense of disappointment washed over them.

"Stop searching. I think we should go back to the base."

They thought they would have a good time following Herschel, but now, everything was lost.

Alice returned home and took out the supplies she had gathered today. Blanche, seeing Alice carrying boxes of items, asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"

"The 'ill-gotten gains' from today's robbery. Let's have something good to eat today," Alice replied, taking out even the beef.

"You went out today?" Blanche, organizing the items, remarked, "I heard downstairs that several girls from the base went missing today. I don't know if it's true."

Alice, having the most authority on this matter, asked, "Is it true?""Did you encounter them, and then you drove them away, collecting their supplies?" Blanche asked.

Alice had to admit that Blanche had an impressive ability to speculate. She nodded slightly, "It was Herschel's doing. He was recruiting people at the base, preparing to establish a refuge for himself. Unable to recruit women, he resorted to despicable means, kidnapping people. Of course, I was also his target, with the aim of getting the resources in my space."

"But according to Herschel, Beryl didn't tell him about my space. She only mentioned that I had hidden a large amount of supplies. In the end, I killed Herschel, and their warehouse was emptied by me."

Worried, Blanche said, "We don't know how much Beryl might have leaked. What if someone else comes up with the idea of targeting you next time?"

Alice chuckled, "Then we'll snack on peanuts." However, she also seriously considered the issue. She believed Beryl wouldn't reveal the fact that she had a space. Beryl was after the resources, and disclosing it would mean more competition. She shouldn't be that foolish.

But such matters were unpredictable. There were no absolutes in the world, and one had to be cautious.

In the evening, Alexander cooked stir-fried beef and tomato beef brisket, filling the air with a delightful aroma. Alice enjoyed two full bowls of rice, and the family laughed and chatted, a rare scene in the post-apocalyptic world.

Later in the night, Alice casually enjoyed a scoop of ice cream. With the temperature-controlled greenhouse, she no longer needed the electric blanket on her bed.Sometimes, when it got too hot, they would have to turn on the air conditioning for cooling. If there was no smog, it might be the most comfortable state.

Currently, even during the day, it was foggy. Inhaling too much fog could lead to coughing, and almost everyone in the base wore masks.

The higher-ups at the base were discussing ways to deal with the smog. Many placed their hopes on the researchers at the institute. If there were no visible results, they would vent their frustrations.

Alice later browsed through the forum, and the comments were infuriating, especially the harsh criticisms directed at Hurley."What are those useless people in the institute doing? Why haven't they come up with a solution after so long? Is there any progress? Can you report on the progress?"

"Hurley used to brag about being the youngest scientist, professor, and now he can't research anything, wasting the base's food."

"He's so young and good-looking. I really doubt how he got such a good position."

"I bet the temperature-controlled greenhouse wasn't even researched by him. He must have connections above, deliberately putting the credit on him."

"The higher-ups also have women. Or in other words, the wives of the higher-ups are all women. Those who understand this phrase know what it means."

"..."

Seeing these comments filled with foul language, Alice immediately reported them.After she reported quite a few, upon refreshing the page, she found that those comments had disappeared.Was the base's system so efficient? They deleted them as soon as she reported them.

Without those comments, Alice felt much better. She didn't know what had come over her, but she couldn't stand seeing Hurley being criticized. Those comments were like needles to her eyes.

The people behind the posts, seeing their comments deleted, felt very aggrieved. They were about to continue posting when suddenly they realized their phones couldn't connect to the internet.

The next day, news of the signal interruption spread throughout the entire base. The base staff also confirmed the situation: currently, phones couldn't connect to the internet, and the forum was inaccessible.

Many people were dumbfounded. Although other software on their phones had stopped working a long time ago, the base's forum had barely provided them with some entertainment. Now, with no way to post comments, a strong sense of loss welled up in many people's hearts.From that day on, life in the base became monotonous and numb under the dense fog, accompanied by a surge in criminal activities. Despite having its own security, the base couldn't prevent all crimes. Some attackers would stab someone and then quickly escape, making it nearly impossible to apprehend them. The security concerns within the base were escalating, demanding urgent solutions.

In response, the base set up guard booths along the roads, spaced two meters apart, with guards armed with guns. The base issued a warning that if any more stabbing incidents occurred, nearby guards would immediately open fire. With these decisive measures, the base managed to suppress the dark forces.

Alice wasn't afraid of sudden attacks; she had already dealt with anyone who might entertain such thoughts. However, she knew this couldn't go on. For the first time, she entertained the thought of leaving the base. There were a total of twenty-six bases nationwide, and with her resources, she could survive in another base. Perhaps, when the thick fog cleared, she would consider leaving.

...

Half a month later, Alice walked through the dense fog. She had just come from Hurley's place, seeking information about the base's situation. Hurley had access to people at the top of the base hierarchy, making him a valuable source of information.

Suddenly, screams echoed from ahead. "Run! There's a giant rat!"

"That must be a cat. There's no rat that big."

"I didn't make a mistake. It's a rat larger than a cat."

Alice halted in her steps. She heard the sounds of people gasping for breath beside her, and someone shouted at her, "There's a giant rat ahead. Don't go any further."

Hearing this, Alice's expression turned grave. The appearance of giant rats indicated a mutation in animals. The faint, fragmented sounds continued, accompanied by something crawling on the ground.