Chapter 450: Chapter 450: Stupid Fool
Despite being slapped in front of so many people, Ivy Draper didn’t fly into a rage or burst into tears.
It was as if she was used to being hit. Though her face was etched with grievance, she didn’t say much, simply lowering her head to silently arrange her bedding.
What she failed to notice was that the man with glasses and the long-haired man lying opposite her were staring at her hands, which were covered in jeweled rings. Their eyes were filled with greed.
The long-haired man and the man with glasses exchanged a look of unspoken understanding. Then, the man with glasses got up and walked over from his own bunk toward Ivy Draper.
He walked up to Jim Sheffield and Ivy Draper and flashed them a grin. "Hey there," he said. "You just moved in, so you probably haven’t gotten today’s food yet, right? Take these two sand vine cakes and eat up. You can finish unpacking after you’ve had a bite!"
Seeing the two dry, cracked sand vine cakes offered by the man with glasses, and the hand that held them—its fingernails caked with grime—Ivy Draper wrinkled her brow in disgust.
’This is absolutely disgusting! Who would eat something like this?!’
Resisting the urge to tell the man to get lost, Ivy Draper shook her head and replied coldly, "No, thank you. We don’t need it. You can keep it."
The man with glasses was rebuffed. His face fell, but he didn’t say anything, merely returning to his spot with the sand vine cakes, looking resentful.
After making the bed, Ivy Draper felt a little hungry. She rummaged through her suitcase, pulling out a small bag of compressed biscuits and a packet of pickled chili mustard greens.
She tore open the packet of mustard greens, and the rich, pungent aroma of pickled chilis immediately filled the air, drawing the gazes of everyone in the room.
At the sight of the mustard greens and compressed biscuits in Ivy Draper’s hands, the others in the room subconsciously swallowed. It had been a long time since they had eaten normal food. Most of them survived on sand vine cakes; rice and flour were luxuries, to say nothing of processed foods like compressed biscuits and preserved vegetables, which had all but vanished.
Before the disaster, nobody would have given these things a second glance, but now they were delicacies that money couldn’t buy.
Staring at the food in Ivy Draper’s hands and smelling the sharp scent of pickled chilis that stung their nostrils, the people in the room could only watch, their eyes wide with envy.
Seeing everyone in the room staring at her with envy, Ivy Draper couldn’t suppress a feeling of smugness. ’She knew it. She was different from these refugees.’
’They’re here to survive. I’m not. I’m just here for the heat!’
When she saw Maisie Lynch staring at her with the same envious expression, Ivy Draper lifted her chin like a triumphant victor.
She shot Maisie Lynch a sidelong glance and said in a condescending tone, "What are you looking at? There’s none for you! It’s your own fault, you stupid girl. You should have swapped spots with me when you had the chance!"
Maisie Lynch swallowed hard and gritted her teeth. "I-I don’t want any! So what if it’s compressed biscuits and mustard greens? They’re dry, hard, and taste awful. I wouldn’t eat them if you paid me! If you’re so great, why don’t you pull out something actually good!"
As if provoked by Maisie Lynch’s words, Ivy Draper tossed aside the biscuits and mustard greens. She turned back to her suitcase, rummaged around, and pulled out two more cans: one of pork belly and one of fruit.
’In truth, they’d once had plenty of food. Jim Sheffield had worked in a government department, in charge of supplies, and had skimmed a lot off the top.’
’Unfortunately, Jim Sheffield had gambled most of it away. Just two days ago, in a gambling frenzy, he had taken their last two cases of energy bars and canned beef to bet with. Ivy Draper had tried to stop him and earned several slaps for her trouble.’
’This little bit of food was all Ivy Draper had managed to hide away for herself.’
Ivy Draper proudly waved the cans at Maisie Lynch, gloating, "See this, you stupid girl? I’ve got plenty of food, all things you could never afford to eat! You’re destined to gnaw on sand vine cakes, you pathetic, low-life refugee!"
Watching the scene unfold, Chloe Sharp and Frank York, who were lying by the window, couldn’t help but exchange a look. Chloe Sharp couldn’t stop herself from muttering, "What an idiot."
’Showing off her supplies in front of all these people? Is she *trying* to get robbed?!’
Frank York, on the other hand, secretly turned on his camera. His influencer’s intuition told him he was about to get some great content.
They weren’t wrong. Just as a smug Ivy Draper was preparing to enjoy her feast, the man with glasses from before suddenly strode over.
Before Ivy Draper could even react, the man bent down, snatched the compressed biscuits she had tossed aside, ripped open the packaging, and began to wolf them down.
Ivy Draper froze for a second, then let out a piercing shriek. "AHH—!"
She stared at the man in disbelief. "How can you steal my food!" she shrieked. "Give it back!"
Jim Sheffield, who had been resting nearby with his eyes closed, sat up abruptly. He yelled at the man, "What do you think you’re doing? This is robbery! It’s a crime! I’ll have you arrested!"
The man with glasses completely ignored them. In just a few motions, he stuffed the entire bag of biscuits into his mouth, then snatched the packet of mustard greens from the floor, tore it open, and began cramming that into his mouth as well.
Seeing this, Ivy Draper shouted frantically, "What are you doing! That’s mine! You can’t eat that!"
When the man ignored her, she turned to the other people in the room, her face a mask of panic. "He’s robbing me! Are you all just going to stand there and watch? Somebody, help!"
The words had barely left Ivy Draper’s mouth when the long-haired man and another man in a black down jacket stood up and walked over.
Ivy Draper thought they were coming to help her, but she never expected they were coming to join the robbery.
These two were even more brazen than the first man. They scrambled to snatch the cans from Ivy Draper’s hands, then shoved her and Jim Sheffield aside and began rummaging through their suitcases, hoping to find more food.
The scene descended into chaos. In the blink of an eye, two more men joined in, and soon five people were tearing through Ivy Draper and Jim Sheffield’s luggage, their actions punctuated by the couple’s frantic screams.
Nearby, Maisie Lynch, terrified of being dragged into the fray, shrank back into a corner, trembling as she hid beside Chloe Sharp and Frank York.
The room was a whirlwind of chaos. Aside from Maisie Lynch, Chloe Sharp, and Frank York, everyone else had joined in the plunder.
Jim Sheffield yelled curses and tried to fight back, but he was hopelessly outnumbered. The long-haired man and the man with glasses ganged up on him, pinning him down and beating him. Someone kicked him several times in the chest, and the man in the black down jacket slapped him hard across the face.
Ivy Draper fared even worse. The jeweled rings were stripped from her fingers, her pearl necklace and gemstone earrings torn away. The man with glasses took the opportunity to grope her, shoving his filthy hands under her clothes. Ivy shrieked, trying to twist away from his touch.
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Jim Sheffield struggled free and made a break for the door, trying to get outside and call for help from the emergency office.
But he only made it to the doorway before the long-haired man and the man with glasses grabbed him.
The man with glasses slammed several vicious punches into Jim Sheffield’s stomach, then slapped him hard across the face again and again!
Jim Sheffield SPAT a mouthful of blood. Two of his teeth had been knocked out.
