Chapter 493 - 487: Besiegement 2-3

"Excuse me, everyone. I don’t suppose you..."

"Dad, why are you being so polite? Didn’t those other people just say so? The Capital sent a lot of rescuers this time. They must be some of them."

"They’re so late! Their response time is pathetic!" Chen Jiajia said furiously.

"Exactly," Li Shasha’s mother sneered, glaring viciously at Gu Chen and his group. "Over a year ago, at that grocery mart, we ran into some thugs. You people were sluggish and useless then, and you’re still slow as molasses now."

Gu Chen was utterly speechless.

’He genuinely couldn’t remember how he’d ever offended this old woman.’

Xie Ning, however, did recall it. Back when they were scavenging at a small grocery mart outside the Song Family Pavilion, she seemed to remember seeing Chen Chong’s little group.

’But that was ages ago. Who would’ve thought Li Shasha’s mother had such a good memory.’

"Stop talking nonsense with them," Chen Jiajia snapped, her face cold. "Got any food? Hand it over. Now."

"Right, right, right! The food, and the water! Take it all out," Li Shasha’s mother chimed in, nodding eagerly.

The teammates behind Xie Ning all stared at them as if they were complete idiots, remaining silent for a long moment.

Chen Chong was probably the only one in their group with a functioning brain.

Seeing this, he couldn’t help but give an embarrassed smile. "I’m sorry. We’ve been stuck in the medical clinic’s workroom for almost seven days. We’ve completely run out of supplies."

"Dad, why are you wasting your breath on them? Their job is to rescue us! The survival rate of the people they rescue has to be tied to their performance stats! If we die, they won’t be able to hit their targets!"

Everyone else was speechless.

’Hitting targets? What the hell? That’s a first in this apocalypse.’

Chen Chong gave his daughter a helpless look. "Jiajia, that’s enough."

He then turned to Xie Ning, addressing her apologetically. "Sorry, young lady. We’ve truly run out of food and water. The situation is pretty dire."

Amidst this chaotic exchange, several of Song Shijun’s classmates had already gathered around him, eating and crying. "SOB... Shijun, it’s so good to see you."

"You’re a true brother. Don’t worry, once I start killing zombies and trade my Contribution Points for food, I’ll definitely pay you back."

The speaker, Gao Dapang, was crying while munching on a block of instant noodles.

They were sharing a single pack among several people. Song Shijun could barely stand to watch.

"You don’t have to share. I’ve got more bread right here. I told you, just take it and eat."

"No, Shijun, this is enough. If we eat too much, we won’t be able to repay you... SOB..."

The whole situation was just tragic.

’How did things get so miserable?’

’Ningning, three Alien Species went into the lab next door.’

The sudden mental message from Cres made Xie Ning jolt.

"Xiao Gu! Xiao Lu!" she called out, then turned and ran toward a private room in the adjacent lab.

The two reacted in a flash, immediately breaking into a run to follow her.

Chen Jiajia and Li Shasha’s mother tried to block them, but the quick-reflexed Song Kexin swatted their hands away.

"What do you think you’re doing?" Chen Jiajia erupted, turning to Song Shijun. "What is this? Do you rescuers play favorites?"

Song Shijun couldn’t be bothered to answer her. He turned to his classmates. "Is it just you all? Where is everyone else?"

"Teacher Zhou is sick," a long-haired female student sobbed quietly, trying hard to swallow.

"It’s a long story," Gao Dapang sighed. "After we split up with you at the competition grounds, it took a monumental effort to get back to West City."

"Teacher Zhou and the others helped us form a small team. We originally wanted to go house to house to rescue people. But, as you know, things developed too quickly. There wasn’t enough time. All our plans were just wishful thinking."

By the end of their explanation, the students were all choked with emotion.

The weight of a global crisis falling on the shoulders of ordinary people was an extraordinary burden.

Especially since they were just high school seniors at the time—truly just a bunch of flowers raised in a greenhouse before the apocalypse.

Song You’ai quickly handed a pouch of Energy Water to each of the students, earning a round of grateful looks.

"Who else is in there?"

"Teacher Zhou, Mr. Yang, and some people infected by sand worms. We don’t really know some of the others."

Song You’ai started walking inside. "Let’s go in and take a look."

"Hey, you—" Chen Jiajia started to yell again, but a sharp glare from her father made her reluctantly shut her mouth.

Chen Chong hurried after her, a wide smile plastered on his face. "Ma’am, could you spare some food supplies first?"