Chapter 61: CH-61: Such a pain to be here!

Reed’s words, once dismissed as a peculiar proposition, now echoed in the hollow spaces of her mind.

"It will only worsen.

The certainty in his voice had been unnerving then, prophetic now.

She had initially dismissed his offer as a ploy, a calculated move for some unknown advantage. But with each passing hour, with every desperate plea for a morsel of food, a different possibility took root: he knew.

He possessed information or foresight or maybe both. Perhaps even had a hand in the unfolding chaos.

As for what was that man’s goal... No can say. She racked her brain dry but couldn’t find any reason. They got no supplies, no beauties, no nothing.

She reluctantly admitted that she herself was an average looking woman.

A grudging acceptance settled over her. Whatever his game, whatever his secret, she had reached the end of her own resources, of her own sanity.

She had to try and so she did. With a leaden weariness that settled deep in her bones, she pushed herself from the desk.

Her feet carried her down the familiar corridor, each step a testament to a desperate hope. She stopped before his door, her hand raising to knock.

*THUD**THUD*

The sound, dull and heavy, seemed to absorb into the thick wood. She waited, her breath held tight in her chest. The silence stretched, then the lock clicked.

The door opened a sliver, revealing Reed’s face, his eyes still unreadable, his expression calm. He didn’t speak, simply gestured her inside.

She stepped past him, the room’s air cool and still.

Before he could close the door, before he could utter a word, she spoke, her voice raspy from disuse.

"Can you please tell me what’s your plan and how certain you are that this situation will only get worse??"

"100% sure. As for what’s my plan... I want manpower, but i will also provide sufficient supplies for you, so you don’t have to worry about it."

He closed the door, the soft click a punctuation mark to her question.

He turned, facing her, his hands tucked casually into his pockets.

She watched him, searching his face for any hint of deception, any crack in his composure.

She asked again, her voice hushed, the questions coming in a quiet torrent, each one a desperate probe into his certainty. He answered patiently, his responses concise, devoid of embellishment.

Then the room fell into complete silence. Then with a long sigh of acceptance, she agreed.

"Ok, I agree. But I hope you will keep your promise as well."

"Hmm. Oh by the way, what’s your name?"

Reed said with a tone of amusement, making her embarrassed at herself.

The question caught her off guard as a flush crept up her neck, a sudden, unexpected embarrassment.

In her desperation, her caution, her fear, she had forgotten the most basic courtesy. She had faced this man, discussed her future, without ever offering him her name.

She was being so cautious that she even forget to mention her name before the man in front of her.

"Haha, um... Jia Ning, I am Jia Ning."

"Oh, such a good name. Then I hope it applies to me too."

Reed’s words felt like black pepper, causing the already blushing girl to turn into a ripe tomato, as if she had swallowed a ton.

[A/N: Jia Ning(佳宁) generally means auspicious and peaceful in Mandarin. XD]

"Come on, i’ll take you somewhere special."

He began walking out as he said that, to which Jia Ning obediently followed behind.

She was a bit puzzled as to where they were going, but she didn’t spoke it out. As they made their way to the storage basement, Jia Ning guessed he wanted to check if there were any supplies left.

She thought of reminding him but then decided it was better to just show him the barren basement.

She got in front of the door and opened it up, then stepped aside as she softly uttered without even looking inside.

"I guess you’ll be left disappointed."

"And I guess you’ll be left shocked."

Reed intoned with a smirk, urging her to peek inside. Puzzled, she looked inside, only to find the basement filled to the brim with food and other daily necessities.

Mind you, this much supplies is enough for them to go on for a month at the very least.

"HOLYC—"

Stunned, she cursed out loud, only for Reed to cover her mouth with his hands.

"Shhh, do you want everyone to know about this?!"

*GULP*

Taking in a mouthful of drool, Jia Ning finally calmed down after a couple of deep breaths.

"Ree— i mean, Boss, where did you get these supplies and how did you even tranfer it here, without even my knowledge??!"

Still surprised by the scene in front of her, she asked softly. Even her way of addressing Reed changed, which he clearly noticed.

"Magic."

He replied with a wink as his signature smirk remained plastered to his face.

Rolling her at him, she swiftly ran inside, grabbing a box of chocolates, she hurriedly unwrapped a packet and swallowed it whole, almost chocking on it.

"Eat slowly, it’s not going to run away."

He reminded from the side but she just didn’t listen, eating mouthful of this then eating mouthful of that as tears ran down her cheeks.

It’s been days since she had a complete meal, and to top it off the people residing inside the hotel were almost driving her insane.

Only when Reed appeared did she feel a sense of security and the hope of life.

...

A few days passed in a blur of reorganization.

With the food as leverage and Reed’s presence as a silent, looming threat, the power dynamic in the hotel shifted overnight.

Inside Reed’s private suite on the top floor, the air was cool, filtered by a portable purifier he’d somehow "magicked" into existence.

Reed was slumped leisurely on a plush velvet armchair, his legs crossed at the ankles.

Jia Ning sat across from him, looking like a completely different person. Her hair was washed, her face clean, and she wore a fresh tactical vest over a dark shirt. On her hip sat the heavy, cold weight of the semi-automatic pistol Reed had given her.

"Boss, the situation has been completely stabilized," she reported, her voice steadier than it had ever been.

"A few of the guys tried to revolt when I told them we have ample amount of ration, but thanks to the pistol you gave me, I handled it cleanly. No one got shot, but I think they understood the trajectory of their lives if they tried again."

Reed chuckled, the sound a low vibration in the quiet room.

"You’ve got a natural talent for middle management, Jia Ning."

"I’m just doing what’s necessary."

She said, her eyes drifting to him. The way he looked at her always made her feel like the one she was sitting with wasn’t an ordinary human.

To be fair, not like he was.

Breaking the peace, Reed told her something important.

"In a few days, the Solar flare will cease to exist."

"Hein?!?"

Jia Ning’s brain short-circuited as wild thoughts erupted like a volcano in her tiny head.

’The heatstroke is going to end, t-then i threatened all those people, with an non-licenced gun on top??!’

’No! I don’t wanna go to prison, god, please save me!!’

A trail of thoughts followed as her face turned pale with freight.

"Hey, what are you thinking? I said the solar flare is going to end, but the situation isn’t going to be any better than now."

Reed pulled her out of her messy thoughts, earning a sigh of relief from her.

But then she became awkward again, all cause she was getting happy that the apocalypse is going to continue, has she gone insane?

Putting aside her crazy thoughts, she quickly inquired.

"Then, boss... what’s coming after that??"

"Most likely heavy raining and floods."

Reed answered calmly, only to be locked on by Jia Ning’s suspicious gaze.

"H-how do you know that??"

But he already had a perfect excuse for that, without breaking a sweat, he countered.

"It’s pretty easy to guess, unless someone’s an idiot. Due to the intense solar radiation, the antarctican glaciers will most likely melt. Then what will happen if the glaciers melt??"

"Tsunamis and heavy rainfall!"

She exclaimed, even though she felt by saying this she just slapped her own face hard. Probably her imagination, yes, just her imagination.

"When that time comes, i’ll leave for a while, so you better not make any mistake, got it?"

"Roger that!!"

Outside, news anchors sweated on live television before broadcasts cut out entirely, global markets crashed, governments issued emergency declarations, forcing people to stay home while simultaneously trying to maintain order and control over people.

Inside the mountain estate, Sophia brewed tea while Suzie sprawled on the couch with ice cream from an overstocked freezer.

Reed monitored global reports calmly.

Elise floated upside down near the ceiling.

"This isn’t so bad, don’t you think so? But why do they trust you so much?"

"Well, i don’t know the answer myself."

Reed replied, unsure of the reason for the Mother daughter duo’s immense trust.

But it warmed something inside him that had been frozen for ten years.

Outside, temperatures peaked at unprecedented levels.

And the first to suffer in this traumatizing heat, were none other than the poor, for they had no Anchor for support.