Chapter 86


    Listening to his description, Ste figured the situation didn''t seem too dire, and asked casually,


    “Have you eaten yet?”


    “Not yet, Rosie''s on it.”


    Rosie cooking breakfast? She couldn’t even reach the stove.


    “She has to learn eventually.”


    True, in a post-apocalyptic world, kids needed to be pragmatic to survive.


    Suddenly, a scream of pain came from Rosie over the walkie-talkie. “What happened?” Ste


    asked. She hoped it wasn’t like when Jasper got burned by hot oil.


    The walkie-talkie went silent.


    Feeling guilty as Rosie was only learning to cook because of her, Ste left her room and headed


    for apartment 1801. “Rosie?”


    After knocking several times, the door finally opened. Rosie was fine. She had volunteered to take


    care of her injured brother and started by learning how to cook breakfast.


    She couldn''t reach the pot, so she stood on a stool. She identally fell off but thanks to her quick


    reflexes, she managed to adjust hernding and didn''t injure herself.


    However, her spirits were low as she sat there. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Sis, am I useless? I


    can''t even make breakfast.” It looked like she was about to burst into tears.


    “No.” Ste consoled her, patting her head. “You''re only five and you''re already learning to cook


    breakfast, you''re doing great. Jasper just started learning recently too.”


    Jasper, who was mentioned, was at a loss for words. Finally, he joined inforting her. “That''s


    right. Rosie, you’re way better than me.”


    Feeling guilty for theck of breakfast, Ste asked, “What do you want to eat, Rosie? I''ll teach you


    how to make it.”


    “Pie.” Rosie finally smiled. “My brother wants some pie.”


    And so, Rosie climbed back onto the stool, with Ste carefully instructing her at the side. Cooper


    got up and leaned against the stove. He wanted to learn too!


    If it weren''t for the apocalypse, Ste would have sent Cooper off to dog college. He might’ve even


    come back with a degree.


    Rosie was surprisingly good at it, from boiling water to washing dishes and wiping the table.


    Ste, however, wasn''t pleased. She looked worried. Jasper was wealthy, so wthere was no way


    Rosie learned these chores out of necessity. She must have been forced by her ruthless uncle.


    Thinking of Jasper''s tough, no-nonsense character, Ste couldn''t help but wonder, what happened


    to his uncle''s family in the end? Of course, that was Jasper’s personal matter, and Ste wouldn''t


    pry.


    As the two of them and Cooper stayed in the kitchen, Jasper stood by the kitchen door. Even


    Jasper himself might not have noticed the slight smile on his face.


    Admittedly, Rosie was a much better cook than Jasper. Feeling proud, she carefully sent a slice to


    Jasper. “Jasper, try the pie I made.”


    She also served Ste and Cooper.


    “I''ve eaten. I’ll pass.”


    Cooper, the greedy dog, ran home and fetched Ste''s washbasin from the bathroom, sort of


    demanding Rosie to “Fill it up!”


    Feeling embarrassed like she had neglected Cooper, Ste tugged his ear. “These are filled with


    chives. You can''t eat them. You''ll get sick.”


    Cooper froze, feeling devastated. Not wanting to die yet feeling unsatisfied, Cooper grabbed the


    washbasin and left.


    Jasper sat at the dining table, firstplimenting Rosie before looking up at Ste. “You sure you


    don''t want any?”


    Ste declined, “I''ve eaten.”


    Even if she hadn''t eaten, she wouldn''t easily ept food from others. In a post-apocalyptic world,


    taking someone else''s food was equivalent to taking their life, even if Jasper was wealthy.


    After Jasper finished eating, Ste finally spoke, “You need to apply some medicinal wine to your


    wound.”


    She was professional about it, but Jasper felt awkward. “I''ll have Rosie do itter.”


    Rosie quickly chimed in, “I''ll help brother.”


    Thankful for his gentlemanly behavior, Ste breathed a sigh of relief.


    Just as they finished eating, there was a knock on the door. Cody and Lukas came over to learn


    how to make bamboo arrows. Seeing Ste there, the two of them didn''t find it strange, and instead


    exchanged nces.


    Though Jasper’s shoulder was injured, he was still able to teach Cody and Lukas in the living room.


    First, they had to cut the bamboo to the right length, shave it round with a knife, and then harden it


    with fire to increase its toughness.


    Since they were all capable, they learned quickly and worked diligently. Cody voiced his doubts,


    “Jasper, crossbows are great, but in winter, people wear thick clothes. It''s hard to prate them


    and cause fatal injuries.”


    “That''s why you need to improve your shooting skills and aim for their eyes.”


    Cody was shocked. How was that possible! The eyes were such a small target, and people were


    moving targets too. It was too difficult!


    What could they do if they couldn''t do it? They had to train hard; it was better than waiting to die.


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    Ste eased their worries. “You can aim for their face. Scarves are rtively thin.”


    Relieved by her words, they both said, “Ste, you''re the best.”


    “Mhm, don''tpare yourselves to me. I''m aiming for the eyes.”


    Cody was taken aback and speechless. He felt like giving up!


    Despite the cold, the three of them joked around and the atmosphere in the room was pleasant.


    Jasper asionally joined in, while Rosie yed with Cooper on the side.


    Lukas casually asked, “Jasper, do you have any spare thermal clothes? Give us a couple, and we''ll


    give you a homemade bulletproof vestter.”


    After some thought, Jasper finally agreed.


    With more hands to help, they quickly made arge bundle of bamboo arrows, but the arrows would


    be used up quickly, and they needed to stock up more for the next few days.


    Jasper’s injured, so training had to be postponed. Ste went home and did some squat exercises


    with Cooper. After a while, she felt something was off, and she quickly went to find Jasper. “I feel


    like Cooper has gotten bigger.”


    “He''s been exercising daily. His muscles have developed.”


    “No, not only is he heavier, but his overall size has increased.”


    Ste was serious, so Jasper asked Cooper toy down and checked his body.


    Cooper was a mature dog, his bones should have stopped growing. Jasper, being a professional


    trainer, had checked this before taking him in. As he checked, his brow furrowed. Compared to a


    few months ago, there was indeed some change.


    Not only Cooper’s bones were bigger, but his fur was also denser. His paws had grownrger and


    the paw pads had thickened.


    Even Jasper couldn''t provide an exnation to these changes. "Faced with the harshest of


    climates, humans use their intellect and resources to protect themselves. When it''s cold, they


    bundle up inyers, and when they''re sick, they take medicine to recover. But animals have no


    choice but to confront the onughts of natural disasters, forcing their bodies to mutate rapidly to


    adapt to the harsh environment."


    Mutation?


    This thought struck Ste like a bolt of lightning. She recalled the roaches from her previous life in


    the south. Their teeth were razor-sharp, and the rats were massive in size. The snakes’


    reproduction rate became astronomical. Without exception, they were all ferocious creatures.


    A chill ran down Ste''s spine. No wonder Cooper''s appetite had been increasing and he was


    bing more aggressive. "Would this evolution cause him to lose his original nature?"


    "Survival of the fittest - most will be more ferocious, but those with higher intelligence can be


    guided ordingly."