Not Even a Grain of Rice

"Don't bother with them; they probably came to beg for food," Alexander glanced through the gap in the curtains. Seeing that Cornelia and her son were unwilling to leave without a response, Alice acknowledged with a sound, serving a piece of each dish to her parents.

The car was soundproof, so their conversation inside couldn't be heard from the outside. In any case, they chose to ignore Cornelia and left her hanging outside.

Half an hour later, satisfied with their meal, they opened the car window. Cornelia rushed up immediately, observing the empty bowls in their hands and feeling somewhat annoyed.

Alexander opened the car window and asked indifferently, "Is there something you need?"

Ugh, pretending to be indifferent?

She had just shouted so loudly outside; she didn't believe they hadn't heard it."My child hasn't eaten for two days. He's weak, dizzy, and can hardly move. Can you spare some leftovers? We adults don't mind suffering, but don't let the child suffer," Cornelia said with red eyes, looking at them pitifully.

Alice's gaze fell on Claude Rogers. The child was a bit thin, but otherwise seemed fine, clearly not fitting Cornelia's narrative.

"Sorry, we don't want to suffer for your child. If he eats more, we eat less. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being an incompetent mother who can't provide for him."

"The child is pitiful, but he's still fortunate. At least he's alive. Human intelligence and potential are limitless. Keep going."

Listening to their heartless words, Cornelia felt a bit overwhelmed, "You're too heartless. He's just a child. How can you say such things to him? What if you leave him with psychological trauma?"

"Don't bring him over then. If you choose to beg for food, you should set aside your dignity. Nobody owes anyone anything. If you can't provide for your own child, don't expect others to do it for you.""Let's be clear—we won't give you even a grain of rice."

Cornelia looked at their cold expressions and felt a sense of panic in her heart.

Fletcher and the others had been paying attention to the commotion and immediately approached when they sensed that Alice's group seemed upset.

"Smack!" Fletcher slapped Cornelia in the face.You wretched woman! Did I lack food or drink that I needed you to come here and embarrass us?"

Claude Rogers was startled and burst into tears, "Don't hit Mom, I won't eat meat."

Cornelia, after being hit successively, was furious and started to scratch and claw at Fletcher, cursing loudly, "Today, I'll go all out against you. We might as well die together."The couple fought, completely ignoring whether their child would be psychologically affected.

The members of the Allen family watched the spectacle without intervening.

In the end, Fletcher's father came over with two women, restraining Cornelia to prevent further turmoil.

Fletcher quickly apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't know this woman would come here to embarrass us. I apologize to you. I will definitely keep an eye on her in the future."

"Is that so? I hope you do what you say. We all prefer peace and dislike being disturbed. If you provoke us, be prepared for the consequences!" Alice's last words carried a hint of ruthlessness.

"Bang!" Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.

Fletcher and the others were startled, looking toward the source of the sound.

Hurley casually wiped his gun and, noticing their gaze, revealed a serene smile, "Don't worry, it was just an accidental discharge."

Fletcher swallowed hard, his legs trembling. These people were not to be trifled with.He forced a smile, "We'll leave now and won't bother you."

Cornelia was unaware that they had a gun; otherwise, she wouldn't have come forward so recklessly.The family seemed genuinely scared and left in their car that night.

Watching their car disappear into the distance, Alexander clicked his tongue twice, "That was quite frightening."

Hurley stowed the gun back into the storage space, "Good riddance. Saves us from being bothered again."

"I doubt they'll get far," Arnold added.

"Don't say it, but he actually guessed it right. The next day, they drove for less than fifteen minutes and saw Fletcher and his group. They ignored them and accelerated the car. Fletcher and his people quickly caught up.

...

At half-past five in the evening, they finally arrived at Base K. Base K was established on the foundation of a villa area, surrounded by high walls and an electric fence. The European-style gate looked very magnificent, with over a dozen people guarding on both sides. The giant stones originally inscribed with 'xx villa' were changed to 'Base K.'

Seeing them approaching by car, someone immediately came up to stop them, "Where are you coming from, do you have an introducer?" Hurley got out of the car, "Ignatius Collins is my uncle."

The man looked at Hurley and, seeing that they didn't look like refugee escapees, softened his tone a bit, "Wait here, I'll call the Base Commander."

After a while, the man came back and asked, "What's your name?"

"Hurley."

It matched; it was him.

"Mr. Hurley, the Base Commander has been waiting for you... for a long time. Please follow me."

Jerome glanced at Alice and others. The Base Commander didn't say there would be so many people. Wasn't it supposed to be just his nephew? But he didn't ask too much and led Hurley and others to the villa where the Base Commander lived.

"Mr. Hurley, here we are."

Hurley had just gotten out of the car and saw a middle-aged man walking over. He had an average build, a smiling face, giving a friendly feeling.

"Uncle." Hurley's handsome face showed a deep smile. Meeting a relative again after the apocalypse was a huge surprise.

Ignatius patted his shoulder, eyes slightly moist, "You little rascal, I haven't heard from you in so long. I thought..."Hurley laughed, "Don't worry, I'm not that easy to die." Then he introduced Alice, "This is my uncle."

Alice stepped forward, with a smile on her face, "Hello, Base Commander. I'm Alice."

"What's the relationship between you two..." Ignatius's gossiping gaze sized up the two.

How rare! Before the apocalypse, Hurley wasn't interested in any girl introduced to him. After the apocalypse, he found one himself. This one, in terms of looks and figure, is a perfect match!

After introducing Alice, Hurley also introduced the Allen family. His main goal was to make the Allen family familiar in Ignatius's eyes, making it easier for them to seek assistance in the future.

But this move meant something else to Ignatius. He gave Hurley an approving look. Well done, bringing both a girl and family members.Unlike some men, who don't care about their in-laws at all. Whether there was a previous relationship or not, they all turned their backs on them.

"Settle down peacefully in Base K, consider this place your own home, and come find me if you encounter any difficulties," Ignatius said with a smile.

Atticus responded, "Thank you, Base Commander, for your trouble."

"That's being too polite," Ignatius said with a smile. "We're all family, no need for formalities."

Atticus felt a bit strange hearing that.

"Come, I'll have someone arrange rooms for you, and you can stay here from now on," Ignatius warmly invited.

However, the Allen family were people of manners. If they didn't have the capability and had to rely on others, they wouldn't refuse. However, they had resources, and according to the rules of this base, they could easily exchange them for a house.

"Thank you, Base Commander, but we have a large family, so we won't disturb you. We have supplies in our car. Can we exchange them for a house?" Alice politely declined.

Seeing their firm refusal, Ignatius could tell they really didn't want to stay here. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Yes, in the exchange hall. We use a points system here for all transactions."