Chapter 58


    "Hey, sis Ste, I know." Rosie raised her hand to answer first, "Cooper caught the fish, and he


    won''t let us eat it."


    What? That was strange. Ste was utterly confused. How could her adorable puppy be so selfish?


    "Woof!" Cooper tugged at her sleeve and pulled her towards the dining table. A big bowl of fried fish


    fillets sat on the table, their aroma making her mouth water.


    Cooper stood on his hind legs, leaning on the table and nudged the bowl of fish forward: ‘Here,


    have some!’


    Ste looked puzzled, turning to Ang and the others for answers.


    After they finished marinated the fish chunks, Ste hadn’t returned. They thought they couldn''t rely


    on her for everything, so they put their heads together and managed to whip up the fried fish.


    But then Cooper fiercely guarded the fish, not allowing anyone else to touch it. He was drooling


    himself, and yet, he wouldn''t let anyone else have a bite.


    They were usually democratic. After all, Cooper was the one who had caught the fish. And right


    now, he was the the big boss with maxed-out survival skills in their group, so no one dared to cross


    him. Despite their hunger, they had to hold back.


    Cody was so hungry he was pleading, "Hurry up and eat. We''re starving."


    Ste chuckled, "Our Cooper is so great. He''s even taking care of me now."


    Cooper barked excitedly, "Woof!" His eyes sparkled as if he were saying: ‘Hey, I''m taking care of


    you!’


    Ste grabbed a piece of fried fish and took a bite. It was crispy, fresh, and delicious. Their survival


    group had finally started to make progress in cooking.


    Watching the clever dog, Ste decided to tease him, "Cooper, I''ve had my share. Who''s next?"


    "Woof, woof!" Cooper wagged his tail vigorously, drool dripping from his mouth.


    Ste understood and put a piece in his bowl, "Who''s next?"


    Cooper tugged at Rosie''s pant leg. One by one, he chose Ang, Cody, Lukas, and finally Jasper.


    Cooper seemed quite pleased with his decision and started to eat.


    Jasper, who was pushed to the back of the line, let out a sigh. He could understand being ranked


    lower than Ste, and he could understand Cooper favoring the kid. As his trainer, he was strict


    during their lessons, but he always rewarded Cooper forpleting his tasks. He never expected to


    be Cooper''s least favorite person. Jasper was confused and began to question his life.


    Everyoneughed as Ang brought out a pot of hot soup. They all enjoyed their meals and


    discussed their tasks for the next day. Yawning, they all went their separate ways.


    Ste, the recipient of Cooper''s undivided attention, was in high spirits. She took out two smart


    bathtubs filled with hot water from Arcadia, sprinkled them with dried rose petals, yed some


    soothing music, and closed her eyes to enjoy her rxing bath.


    Cooper, with bubbles on his head, was lying in the bathtub, cocking his head to look at Ste. His


    bright dog eyes were full of stars. Yes, he too was a dog who had enjoyed a floral bath.


    After the bath, they both snuggled into their nkets and fell asleep.


    In her drowsy state, Ste heard a soft buzzing sound, "Ste, are you awake?" Her eyes would not


    open, and the low voice was intermittent. Ever since Cooper arrived, her quality of sleep had


    improved.


    The rm clock went off and Ste woke up. It was four thirty in the morning. She got up groggily to


    change her clothes and the walkie-talkie buzzed again. It was probably Jasper reminding her that it


    was time to leave.


    She searched for the walkie-talkie but couldn''t find it. That was strange, where did it go?


    She saw Cooper lying in his dogbed, not moving, andined, "Cooper, don''t just stand there.


    Help me find it."


    Cooper didn''t move, maintaining hiszy and graceful posture.


    "Buzz...buzz..."


    Where could it be? It was right by her bed. How could it disappear?


    Ste started to search under her bed and the doghouse.


    "Move aside."


    Cooper didn''t move, continuing to lounge.


    Ste narrowed her eyes in thought. She bent down and picked him up. Sure enough, the walkie-


    talkie was under his butt.


    Cooper blinked his innocent eyes: ‘Huh, how did the walkie-talkie grow legs?''


    Ste was in a dilemma. The walkie-talkie that had been covered by Cooper had a smell. Should


    she still use it?


    She used alcohol spray to disinfect it, then wiped it clean with a tissue, "Roger that, leaving now."


    Facing the mischievous Cooper in the early morning, Ste didn''t know how to respond, "Are you


    staying home oring with us?"


    Cooper ran to the living room and dragged hisbat gear over. Ste quickly helped him put it on.


    As they rushed out the door, Jasper and Cody were already waiting. Ang was holding a still-


    sleeping Rosie and whispered to them, "Be careful."


    They quietly left the residential area, with Mikey and his family waiting on an intable boat.


    It was dark and they couldn''t see clearly. Their shlight swept over, vaguely seeing Mikey’s parents


    Joey and Amber, both in their forties, both looking quite refined.


    They attached the intable boat to their assault boat and set off towards Ivywood Estates. By the


    time they arrived, it was almost seven o''clock and the sky was starting to light up.


    They packed up their things and trekked through the rain in the mountains. Cooper led the way,


    bounding ahead. ‘Another day, another chance for Cooper to feed them!’


    The visibility was poor, and the mountain road was rugged. Ste slipped, her body falling


    backward. Jasper was right behind her, instinctively reaching out to support her waist, "Be careful."


    Ste was steadied and quickly clung to a nearby tree. She couldn''t help but admire him. What a


    strong waist. He was carrying the assault boat, and also had to support her and the intable boat


    she was carrying. He truly had a strong waist.


    Jasper warned the others, "Be careful. The mud slope is slippery."


    At the same time, he gave an order to Cooper ahead, "Cooper, don''t show off and lead us astray."


    The rest of the journey was smooth and easy.


    Walking in the rain was slow, and it took them about two hours to finally see the vast reservoir


    among the mountains.


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    Cooper, brave as ever, asked Ste to take off his raincoat and dived into the water. A few minutes


    later, he resurfaced with a struggling fish in his mouth. He walked over to Ste and dropped the


    fish into her hand. ‘Here, have some meat!’


    "There''s fish. There really is fish."


    Amber''s voice trembled, her eyes fixed on the fish.


    "Let''s eat first, then we can work."


    Exhausted from climbing the mountain, they took shelter from the rain under a tree.


    Ste put the fish into a stic bag and took out some bread to share with Cooper. Jasper ate


    compressed biscuits, while Cody had toasts.


    The Moore family each had a sweet potato, eating slowly, not daring to peel the skin. It seemed that


    the Moore family was indeed at the end of their rope. But so what? In a world where every grain of


    rice, every loaf of bread, was a symbol of struggle, Ste had no intentions of seeking charity. They


    had to earn their own keep.


    After finishing their meal and regaining their strength, Mikey hoisted the fish finder onto their


    intable raft, "Let''s give it a try first. The sound can be a bit harsh. You might want to cover your


    ears if you''re not used to it."


    Ste lodged earplugs into her ears, all the while cradling Cooper in her arms. A dog''s hearing was


    highly sensitive; the noise would be even more jarring for them.


    She covered Max''s ears and held him close, not letting go.