Chapter 24


    Hearing about Cody''s predicament, Ang was fuming. "Give him a beating and get him out of


    there!"


    Sure, Cody had made a mistake, but he''d stockpiled all of Ste''s needed medicine – not only was


    it all there, but he''d saved her both money and hassle. As a friend, Ste couldn''t just stand by.


    After all, Cody had taken a beating for her when they were kids.


    Without hesitation, Ang kicked the door in, shouting, "Listen up, you''ve got one minute to clear


    out. If you don''t, you don’t want to know what will happen next!"


    However, the only response was silence.


    Ste handed Ang a crowbar from her bag. Ang, with her brute strength, started prying at the


    door.


    "Who are you?" A voice suddenly echoed from behind them.


    A couple in their sixties were walking up the stairs with a young girl who looked no older than nine.


    They were carrying a hefty bag containing what looked like an intable boat. Spotting the bag,


    Ste immediately recognized it as the one she had anonymously bought for Cody.


    The brand was a professional one, not the sort an average person would choose to buy. In other


    words, these people were not only leeching off of Cody, but they were also hoarding the supplies


    she had bought.


    Ste dragged the young girl by the cor to the door. "If you don''t open this door, I won''t hesitate to


    hurt your parents and your daughter."


    She even pulled out a knife, scaring the girl into tears. "Mommy, mommy..."


    The parents rushed in, stomping and shouting, "Murder! Murder!"


    "Go ahead and scream. Let the whole building know that you''ve taken over someone else''s home


    and pushed them to the brink."


    It wasn''t possible for a single woman to kick Cody out, this had to be a collective effort! Despite the


    girl being only nine, she was mature beyond her years.


    In a world as ruthless as this, a child could be smiling at you one moment, and plunging a knife into


    your heart the next. The purer the smile, the darker the heart. Perhaps they didn''t want to, but when


    hunger struck, it forced people to make choices.


    Ste knew this all too well. She''d experienced it!


    The door finally opened, revealing a middle-aged woman with a sallowplexion who barked at


    them, "What are you doing? We''ve told you we don''t know Cody. If you keep causing trouble, I''ll call


    the police!"


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    Ang threw a punch. "Screw you."


    The woman was knocked to the ground, and her face was bloodied. Several teeth were missing. A


    boy from inside the house screamed and threw a cup of water at them.


    The interior of the house, the clothes in the closet, everything belonged to Cody.


    The boy charged at them fiercely. Ste pped him and pushed him hard against the wall.


    Regardless of what the adults did, the two children were well taken care of. But their survival was


    completely dependent on Cody’s resources. They not only showed no gratitude, but they also


    forced the owner of the house out just to save themselves the effort of preparing meals.


    When the boy came at them, his face was fierce and remorseless. What did that mean? He knew


    what was going on; he was even a part of it, and he had no shame.


    The woman was screaming at the top of her lungs, and the couple was wailing and crying, putting


    on a show. But it was all pointless. Everyone else was half-starved and had no time to concern


    themselves with the fate of others.


    Ang was a skilled fighter and knew where to hit to cause pain without risking a life. A few


    punches left the woman unable to scream, and she was thrown out of the house like a dead dog.


    Ang red at the couple. "I don''t hit the elderly, but if anything happens to Cody, I''ll make sure


    your entire family pays!"


    The house was a mess. The supplies Ste had sent were down to a few pounds of rice and two


    packets of salt. The oil didn''t seem to be touched. Lukas packed everything into a bag, along with


    some of Cody''s clothes and other necessary items.


    The elderly woman, relying on the fact that she was female, fearlessly tried to wrestle the bag from


    Lukas. Ste kicked her down. "He doesn''t hit the elderly, but I do."


    They searched the couple for the keys and found them. Lukas then proceeded to lock the door. He


    also took the intable raft. Without the raft, there was no chance of survival. The old man didn''t let


    go until Ste pulled out a bloody butcher''s knife.


    The family finally showed fear. Their faces turned pale, and they huddled in a corner, trembling.


    Ste red at the middle-aged woman. "You''re a real ck widow, aren''t you?"


    With that, she dragged her up by the cor and threw her out the window.


    "Ah!!!"


    Both Lukas and Ang were shocked.


    The elderly couple clung to the child, howling, and screaming. Ste didn''t blink an eye as she


    walked down the stairs and left. They rowed away in the intable raft, leaving the ck widow


    struggling to swim not far away. What a pity, she could actually swim.


    As for how to deal with her, that was up to Cody. If Cody continued to be foolish then there was no


    need to save him. Even as friends, there was not much they could do. It was the end of the world,


    and everyone had to prioritize their own survival.


    Lukas and Ang discussed, deciding to heading to the Griffith Hotel to look for Cody. Ste was


    torn, but remembering the beating Cody had taken on her behalf, she agreed. By the time they


    reached the Griffith Hotel, it was full to bursting. The staff was overwhelmed by the hordes of


    refugees.


    The city''s systems had copsed, and the water was littered with garbage. The refugees were


    starving. There was no hot water, and food was scarce, leaving a nauseating smell hanging in the


    air.


    Lukas fought his way through the crowd, finally emerging half an hourter, panting heavily. "The


    amodation is divided by area, Cody should be on the 14th floor."


    They couldn''t get any more specific information. After all, the hotel was housing thousands of


    people, and both the inte and power systems were down.


    Ste''s ears were ringing from the noise. "Let''s just try and find him."


    The hotel was massive, with dozens of rooms on each floor. Without any light, the hallways were


    especially dark. But even in the darkness, each floor was crowded with people. A careless step


    could easily result in tripping over someone or something.


    By the time they reached the 14th floor, Ste took out her shlight. She thought that cramming


    five or six people into a room was already too much, but she was shocked to find that some rooms


    were crammed with over a dozen people. The sheets and nkets were dirtier than rags, and the


    air was thick with a foul smell.


    It was so filthy that Ang almost threw up. "This is just too much."


    Despite the poor conditions, the authorities were already doing their best. There were thousands of


    people in the low-rise buildings and factories that needs to be rescued.


    They thought they''d have to knock on each door, but the rooms were so crowded and stuffy that all


    the doors were open, and many people were even out in the hallways for fresh air.


    As soon as they arrived, they could feel countless eyes on them. Despite the darkness, Ste could


    sense a lot of hostility. If it weren''t for the military maintaining order downstairs and dealing with the


    troublemakers in the shelter, they wouldn''t have dared to enter.


    Even so, they couldn''t afford to let their guard down. They searched room by room, seeing many


    faces devoid of life. Ang was filled with sorrow, but all she could do was sigh in her heart.


    After searching over twenty rooms, they finally found Cody. He stood by the window, transfixed by


    the rain outside, lost in thought. He was already thin to begin with, but now he seemed even more


    gaunt, and his clothes were so dirty that their original color was indistinguishable.


    Lukas recognized him instantly - after all, they''d grown up together and shared the same pair of


    jeans. "Cody," he called out.


    It took a few moments before the man by the window turned around, staring nkly at the figure in


    the doorway. Cody looked at the trio. His lips were struggling to form a smile that looked more


    painful than a cry. The state he was in was quite disheartening – he had a grubby face and a


    grease-stained body.