It Was You

Gladston and Darcy approached, each holding a steaming sweet potato in their hands.

Darcy: "It's so cold. The boss is really amazing, getting so many warm clothes and blankets. Tonight, we can sleep well."

"That woman is quite something. As long as we follow her lead, there will be an endless supply of resources." Gladston's face was full of admiration.

Darcy glanced at him, "You believe everything she says. Are you stupid? Haven't you thought about how these supplies came about?"

"Do you know?" Gladston looked at him in confusion.

"Squeezed from the kidnapped woman's home. I suggested going directly to that house and robbing them, but she refused. She's overly cautious, telling us not to reveal our whereabouts. Women are timid and can't achieve big things." Darcy said contemptuously.

Gladston pondered, "Later, when we interrogate that woman, we can pry her home address out. We'll go rob them ourselves, and then all the supplies will be ours."They burst into laughter.

"Snapped!"

A sudden sound came from behind the water tower. Both of them turned to look, alert, "Who is it?"

Gladston and Darcy exchanged glances, cautiously moving step by step towards the source of the noise.

Just as they were about to reach the side of the water tower, a dark figure flashed by. They paused for a moment, about to track the figure, when suddenly their necks felt a sharp pain. Both of them fell flat on the ground.

Alice clapped her hands, dragging them behind the water tower. To prevent them from waking up midway, she took out some ropes and rags from her space, tying them up and gagging their mouths.

About to leave, Alice's gaze fell on Gladston. After hesitating for a moment, she took off the man's hat and coat. Alice dressed in his clothes, pulled the hat low to cover her eyes, donned a black mask from her space, and walked down the stairs boldly.Alice nodded at the two guards as she walked down the stairs.

"Gladston, where's Darcy?" one of the guards shouted, stopping her.

Alice cleared her throat and adjusted her voice, sounding impatient, "Smoking upstairs."Having said that, she walked away briskly. She quickly assessed the situation; although the building had only two floors, each floor had more than ten rooms, and there were two people smoking near the stairs on the first floor.Roughly estimating, there were less than ten people inside, making it easier to deal with.

The bees buzzed ahead, waiting for Alice. She hurried to catch up, and the bees stopped in front of an iron door.

Inside the room, Cecilia tossed a ragged cotton jacket to Blanche and sneered, "Put it on."

Blanche, who had lost weight, stared coldly at Cecilia and casually threw the dirty and torn cotton jacket aside.

"What's wrong? You want to freeze to death? Let me tell you, it's not that easy. Now you're my long-term meal ticket. As long as you're in my hands, everything in Alice's space belongs to me." Cecilia laughed sinisterly, her face distorted, devoid of the once innocent and lovely appearance.

Blanche, sitting in the corner in thin clothing, asked, "How did you find out about Alice's space?"

"What does it matter if I tricked the information out of you? You won't escape for the rest of your life." Cecilia, wearing a thick cotton jacket obtained from Alice, spoke with a gloating tone.

Blanche looked up at her and sneered, "What if I commit suicide?"

Cecilia, leading an unsatisfactory life, had become twisted. Instead of letting Alice support her for nothing, she preferred Blanche to die. If she were to be imprisoned by Cecilia for a lifetime, it would be no different from death, and it might as well save her from burdening her children.

"If that's what you want." Cecilia's face suddenly turned dark, and her gaze swept over Blanche's hands and feet."You...what do you want to do?" Blanche, seeing Cecilia approaching her, retreated in panic. She wasn't afraid to die; she feared being tortured by Cecilia until she couldn't bear it anymore.

Cecilia calmly produced a large cleaver, revealing a cold and cruel smile. "Just cut off your hands and feet, problem solved, right?"She had to thank Blanche for the reminder; otherwise, she might have overlooked this solution.Blanche couldn't die; otherwise, all her efforts would be in vain.

"Don't come any closer." Blanche, spotting a half-brick nearby, considered using it to fight back.

Cecilia swung the large cleaver towards Blanche, but the next second, a brick flew towards her face.

Quickly using the cleaver to block it, Blanche seized the opportunity to run.

With a loud bang, the door was kicked open from the outside, and a 'man' walked in.

Blanche, startled, quickly moved aside, watching Cecilia and the man at the door warily, her heart pounding.

Cecilia, seeing 'Gladston' at the door, halted her pursuit of Blanche. "You've come at the right time. Hurry up and catch that woman for me."

Blanche, back against the wall, eyed the man at the door, moving cautiously. Suddenly, she accidentally stepped on a stick and stumbled.

The 'man' immediately approached her, intending to help.

Blanche struggled to back away, her tone filled with fear. "Get away, don't touch me."

"Mom, are you okay? Did you get hurt?" A clear voice echoed in the room, full of deep concern.

This familiar yet unfamiliar voice stunned both Blanche and Cecilia.

Alice removed her hat and mask, revealing a fair and delicate face.

Cecilia stared wide-eyed, her expression tense. "Alice?"How did she find this place? Weren't those people supposed to lead her away?After helping Blanche up and realizing she was shivering in her thin clothes, her cheeks red from the cold, Alice furrowed her brows. She immediately retrieved a thick coat from her space and draped it over Blanche.

Once done, Alice turned her attention to Cecilia, a mocking smirk playing on her lips. "I never expected you to be the hidden puppet master."

Cecilia, holding a handgun aimed at Alice, gritted her teeth. "Now that you've found out, just hand over the supplies. Otherwise, neither of you will leave here alive."

Alice looked at her as if she were a clown, calmly pulling out a submachine gun. Her eyebrows raised in a taunting manner. "How could you be so foolish to think my space doesn't contain weapons?"The small handgun and the submachine gun were not in the same league, and the visible advantage shifted towards Alice.

After a brief standoff, Cecilia slowly lowered her handgun. Her face twitched, lips turning ashen. "I never intended to harm your mother. I kidnapped her for supplies and survival. I'll give you back the supplies. From now on, we can go our separate ways."

Blanche, indignant, retorted, "Don't believe her nonsense. She was planning to cut off my hands and feet a moment ago. She wanted to control me completely, threatening you. She's inherently wicked, don't let her off easily."Being merciful to the enemy was being cruel to oneself!

Alice didn't respond but instead looked at Cecilia impassively. "How did you know about my space?"

"I overheard it from Beryl."Cecilia had deliberately approached Herschel and gained Beryl's trust, intending to take advantage of their resources. One day, Beryl let slip about Alice's space. At first, Cecilia thought it was nonsense, but in this post-apocalyptic world, anything seemed possible.

Alice, contemplating her words, sneered, "So, your contact with my mother from the beginning was all for your hidden agenda."

With the truth exposed, Cecilia had no reason to continue pretending.