Chapter 129: Chapter 129: Spider Silk Set
"Cheers!"
Everyone was ecstatic.
Because Sue was with them, everyone could always hold onto their confidence. This was a good thing; it kept them from being crushed by the despair of the apocalypse and giving up.
It was very good.
Vincent Lawrence looked gratified.
"Let’s eat! Let’s eat!"
Elliot Lawrence couldn’t wait. He was the first to pick up his chopsticks, grabbing a large roll of fatty beef and plunging it into the spicy red broth. After swishing it around a few times, he eagerly stuffed it into his mouth. It was so hot he hissed, but he couldn’t bear to spit it out. "Awesome! This is awesome! Now this is what I call living!"
Sue Lawrence picked up a few pieces of non-spicy chicken for Leo Lawrence, then cooked some soft tofu and placed it in his bowl. "Eat slowly. No one’s going to fight you for it."
Leo Lawrence chewed in small bites, his eyes curving into crescents. "This is a hundred times better than the food at the base!"
Vincent Lawrence picked up his cup of water and took a sip. Watching the lively scene at the table, the tension that had gripped his face for so long finally eased completely. "From now on, all our days will be like this."
After speaking, he also picked up some green vegetables with his chopsticks, placed them in the clear broth, and ate slowly and deliberately, yet with immense satisfaction.
Everyone else smiled along with him.
Mia Keller cooked a skewer of beef aorta, chewing it with a loud crunch, then picked up a few slices of luncheon meat. "You all say my Luck Value is high, but I think it’s you, Sue, who has the high Luck Value. I’m just basking in your glow."
"The fact that you’re basking in it proves your Luck Value is high!"
Vivian Young roared with laughter from the side, and everyone else joined in.
Vivian Young turned her head and placed some vegetables on Jenny Norris’s plate. "Eat up, Jenny. The team will be counting on you in the future."
Jenny Norris’s cheeks flushed slightly as she answered softly, her eyes filled with a sense of security. "Once the baby is a little bigger, I’ll be able to go out with you all."
During the apocalypse, she had gone through pregnancy and childbirth, and Sue and her family hadn’t let her do a thing. She had felt like a burden, but from this moment on, she was no longer a liability in need of protection, but an indispensable member of this family.
The chicken soup simmered on the side, its aroma mingling with the steam from the hotpot and drifting everywhere.
No one mentioned the zombies outside, the scarce supplies, or the desolate, ruined landscape. The family sat together, their chopsticks dipping in and out of the pot, their laughter rising and falling. The dim, yellow light cast soft, elongated shadows of everyone present.
The apocalypse also represented a new beginning.
However, things weren’t nearly as warm and pleasant over on Jason Sterling’s side.
Some of their supplies had been ruined by water, and they had no choice but to expend effort cleaning up the mess. After clearing out the garbage and taking stock of what was left, everyone realized there wasn’t enough to go around.
This was especially true for the people working for the Sterling Family. Many were former Sterling Group employees, their loyalty held together only by mutual benefit. Now, seeing that Wyatt Sterling’s group was short on supplies and their standard of living was even lower than at Silas Hawthorne’s base, many began to have second thoughts. Those on good terms might say a word before leaving, but many others simply disappeared without a trace. Soon, half the people in his base were gone.
Wyatt Sterling’s expression was grim. Fortunately, they had also managed to awaken Superpowers from Crystal Cores. With powerful Fire Element and Power System users among them, they could at least survive in zombie territory.
"Hmph. If those people want to run, let them. The rest of us need to stick together!"
Adam Zane and the others nodded, but Dominic Trent gave a vague, noncommittal response. Pamela Sutton and her husband exchanged a look, clearly feeling that the supplies here were insufficient.
Pamela Sutton said, "I wonder where Sue Lawrence and her group went. Since they left, they must have plenty of supplies, right?"
Tiana Lynch glanced in their direction.
Jason Sterling frowned as well.
He wasn’t the leader here anymore; he had no say in anything.
James Sterling said, "The Lawrence Family are our allies."
’Allies?’
Pamela Sutton snorted and said no more. ’There’s no reason to stay in this place,’ she thought. ’Sooner or later, Evan and I will leave.’
However, after the meeting was over, Wyatt Sterling suddenly sought the two of them out to ask them something in private.
"Do you know where The Lawrence Family is living now? If they have a lot of supplies, we wouldn’t mind... making an exchange."
’Lots of supplies? An exchange?’
Judging by Wyatt Sterling’s expression, he didn’t look like he wanted to exchange anything. It seemed more like he had malicious intentions.
’Isn’t this playing right into my hands?’
Pamela Sutton beamed. "The next time we’re out killing zombies and see them, my husband and I will go over and ask. You can act as you see fit."
"Good!"
The two sides reached an agreement.
Soon, the once-empty ruins began to fill with people.
Crystal Cores could awaken Superpowers, and the base was also buying them. They could even be exchanged for other goods, which attracted many people to go out and hunt zombies.
Wyatt Sterling’s group was also constantly sending people out to hunt zombies. Their supplies were low, so their demand for Crystal Cores was immense.
Pamela Sutton and Evan Lawrence were also out killing zombies. Evan had acquired a Power Ability, and combined with Pamela’s Healing Power, the two of them worked together seamlessly.
But as they killed zombies, they were also keeping an eye on their surroundings, hoping to find Sue Lawrence and her group as soon as possible.
But they weren’t the only ones looking for Sue. Jason Sterling, Tiana Lynch, and their companions were also hoping to spot her outside, but unfortunately, they never did.
Only once, after climbing to the top of a collapsed building to overlook the ruined city, did they see a Paramount Raider driving past in the distance.
Maeve Walsh had been the one to sign for the vehicle back then. Jason Sterling had never seen it in person, but he knew he had ordered a military green Zenith. From a distance, that vehicle was also military green and had no license plate—clearly brand new.
"Jason, there’s a Zenith over there. It looks just like the one we ordered."
Tiana Lynch said, deliberately watching Jason Sterling’s face. "It couldn’t be... the exact one, could it?"
"Don’t be ridiculous!"
For Jason Sterling, it was more comforting to believe the vehicle was lost than to think someone had taken it.
Tiana Lynch fell silent, and the group watched as the vehicle drove away.
Sue Lawrence’s family just drove off openly like that, and no one paid them any mind.
「Over a month passed in a flash.」
On Sue Lawrence’s side, they had consumed all the Crystal Cores they could find. Although no one’s Superpower Level had increased, everyone could faintly sense that they had grown stronger than before.
But early one morning, Sue Lawrence received a message from Silas Hawthorne.
Silas Hawthorne had sent it directly to the robots Sue Lawrence had bought.
A line of text quickly appeared on the robot’s head.
Silas Hawthorne: Be careful. An Evolved Strain of zombie may have appeared recently. They seem to be faster and stronger. Stay safe.
’Some other base must have discovered these evolved zombies,’ Sue thought. News from Silas Hawthorne’s side always came the fastest.
Sue Lawrence replied: Got it. You be careful too.
There was no further communication after the brief exchange. But before heading out again, Sue Lawrence took out the spider silk they had been stockpiling.
"Mom, how many sets of clothes can you make?"
Over the past year or so, they had only managed to accumulate two sacks of spider silk. Vivian Young examined it and said with some difficulty, "At most, three full sets. If we just make tops, there’s probably enough for one each."
Sue Lawrence thought for a moment. "Then prioritize making the three sets. Whoever is going out will wear them. Dad, let’s go!"
