No Nonsense, I Accept All

Seeing this scene, Ignatius finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that they might take advantage of the situation and try to snatch the food when they weren't looking.

Half an hour later, the aroma of the porridge filled the air as the pot bubbled away, with dried vegetables and cured meat added to it. The onlookers salivated at the sight.

"Get your bowls ready, line up. Today, you'll eat until you're full," Ignatius called out.

The crowd was overjoyed at his words, applauding enthusiastically.

Especially when they saw the second pot of porridge already cooking, they knew Ignatius wasn't fooling them, and their faces lit up with smiles.

The people in charge of serving the porridge were generous, filling the bowls to the brim.

Soon, the first pot of porridge was distributed, and the second pot was just being served, while the third pot was getting ready to cook.

"The Base Commander is reliable. He keeps his word. I went for a second bowl, and he still gave it to me."

"Yeah, even though we don't eat well here, at least we're not starving. Knowing that many of us don't have credits anymore, they just distribute it for free."

"I've decided. I'm sticking with the Base Commander. Wherever he goes, I'll go."

Ignatius helped himself to a bowl of porridge and sat under the eaves, enjoying his meal.

Hurley handed him a packet of pickled vegetables. "Want some?"

"No nonsense, I accept all," Ignatius replied.

Seeing that some people who had already eaten their fill were still trying to hide away an extra bowl, Ignatius sighed and put down his own bowl, his expression darkening as he walked over.

"I've opened up for you to eat, but wasting food is unacceptable. If I catch anyone being greedy and hiding food they can't finish, I'll directly revoke their eligibility for free food distribution."

"The base's food supply is limited. If anyone wastes it, then in the end, we'll all go hungry together. I hope you can weigh the consequences and mutually supervise each other."

It wasn't that Ignatius was being stingy and not allowing them to take leftovers; it was just that the storage conditions were limited, and if not consumed promptly, the food would spoil.Those who had ulterior motives hesitated upon hearing Ignatius' words.

"I know everyone wants to store food for themselves, feeling secure with grains in hand. But the base's food cannot be evenly distributed, and we can only help everyone get through this crisis in this way," Ignatius earnestly persuaded.

Some of the people in line left with their bowls. In reality, they had already eaten their fill but wanted to keep an extra bowl, fearing that the porridge would spoil by the next morning and they wouldn't be able to eat it, risking disqualification if their wastefulness was discovered.

After some contemplation, they decided to abandon this idea.

Ignatius nodded in satisfaction, at least knowing that they weren't beyond redemption.

---

The next day, Alice resumed her post.

Horatio handed her a packet of dried fruit, smiling, "Try it, it's been a while since you've had any, right?"

"Thank you, but I don't like dried fruit." She preferred fresh fruit.

"No need to be polite with me. Let's just consider it as making friends." Horatio had a dark complexion and seemed somewhat simple-minded.

Alice wasn't naive; she knew that people didn't give things away for nothing. There must be some ulterior motive.

With no intention of wavering, Alice calmly declined, "I don't accept things from strangers. You keep it for yourself."Whether the gesture was genuine or not, as long as she didn't accept, she wouldn't owe anyone anything.Seeing her insistence, Horatio reluctantly took back the dried fruit, smiling lightly, "No problem. I'm a sociable person by nature."

Alice wasn't one to engage in unnecessary conversation. There was no need to force interaction.She closed her eyes, listening to the sounds around her.

Horatio silently watched her for a while, feeling somewhat disappointed.

Ten days later, the typhoon subsided.

Two weeks later, the rain stopped.But the seawater that had flooded the area showed no signs of receding, forcing everyone to continue staying in the refuge on the mountainside.The office building operated as usual, with Alice diligently carrying out her daily tasks. Occasionally, Hurley would transport supplies up the mountain. Days passed relatively peacefully. 

On this particular night, Alice was on night duty. Just as she settled in, cries of alarm echoed from downstairs, "Thief! Be on guard!" Before she could react, the entire building erupted with the blare of alarms. 

Alice remained at her post, vigilant, scanning her surroundings, ready to reach for her gun at a moment's notice. Everyone rushed out, shouting, "Where's the thief?" 

"I saw a figure heading that way just now, not sure if it's the thief." 

"Quick, let's chase!" 

"It might not be a thief, could be pirates." 

"Let's split up, five people per floor." 

The entire office building buzzed with activity as people scurried around searching for the thief. Horatio was assigned to the twelfth floor. When he arrived and found Alice still there, he anxiously asked, "Have you seen the thief?" 

"Not yet. The twelfth floor is secure for now," Alice replied, her expression serious. 

Horatio pursed his lips, his dark eyes filled with concern as he looked at her. "If there's any danger, shout, and we'll patrol downstairs." 

Alice nodded. "You all be careful." 

Horatio hadn't been gone long when a man dashed up the stairs and unexpectedly met Alice's gaze. The thief turned and ran, with Alice in hot pursuit. 

As the two chased after each other, a few men climbed in through the window at the stairwell, swiftly picking the lock with their tools. Once inside the storage room filled with supplies, their faces lit up with greed at the sight of the stockpile. 

Without a word, they efficiently began moving the goods, their movements synchronized and silent.

Just as they were about to take the goods away, they noticed a woman leaning against the railing in the corridor. Alice stood with her arms crossed, her gaze icy as she addressed them, "You have two choices: either willingly leave the goods behind, or I'll take you down and reclaim the supplies myself."

The thieves were clearly caught off guard by Alice's sudden return, exchanging glances but refusing to relinquish the goods. Several men glanced at each other before reluctantly placing the goods on the ground and slowly backing away.

Suddenly, one of the men pulled out a gun without hesitation and fired. "Bang!" Despite their slow reaction, Alice was quicker on the draw. The men were startled and turned to flee. Alice immediately gave chase, catching one of the men. He struggled fiercely, breaking free from Alice's grip and jumping out of the window.

Without pursuing further, Alice frowned as she watched the fleeing figure disappear into the distance. News of the office building being attacked quickly reached Ignatius's ears, prompting him to rush down from the mountain.

"Alice, were the supplies stolen?" Ignatius asked urgently upon arrival.

"No, I caught onto their diversion tactic in time and came back," she replied.Alice realized something was amiss as she ran out; while everyone else was searching the floors for the thief, none had been caught, indicating it was a diversion tactic. Upon returning, she found the thieves in the act of stealing the supplies.

Grateful, Ignatius looked at her and said, "Alice, thanks to you, we didn't lose those supplies. Otherwise, this base would have been in trouble."

Ignatius promptly called a meeting, determined to apprehend the thieves.