Chapter 142


    Ste, with a nonchnt tone, called out through the walkie-talkie, "Hold on, guys, I''ve got


    something for you."


    She headed over to apartment 1803 with a bundle of clothes in her hands. "Made these myself,


    come on, try them on."


    Cody and Lukas were taken aback. The heat was unbearable, they were barely managing in their


    boxers, and she wanted them to try on full suits?


    But they had to respect Ste''s efforts. The surprise gesture almost brought tears to their eyes.


    Ste might seem harsh and sarcastic, but deep down, she cared a lot about them. They hadn''t


    expected her to go the extra mile and make clothes for them. After all, no one made clothes


    themselves these days.


    Despite the risk of heatstroke, the two men tried on the suits. This felt hot... wait, it felt a bit cool.


    Then, it got cooler and cooler.


    Lukas'' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he eximed, "Honey, you''ve got to try this!"


    Cody echoed his surprise, "Ste, what kind of sorcery is this?"


    After trying on the suits, they were all at a loss for words. It felt as though the temperature had


    dropped by a dozen degrees. It was like standing in an air-conditioned room, with the cooling


    setting on. They couldn''t help but shiver.


    Ste smirked mysteriously, "Do you want to know what I traded to get this fabric?"


    "What?" They all asked in confusion.


    Ste made a gesture with her hands, "Two of these."


    They couldn’t believe it. She traded guns for this? Those were life-savers.


    After a dramatic pause, Ste began her tale, "It was seventy below zero, and I was nearly frozen


    solid. My mind was so sluggish I fell for a trick. They said the fabric was thermo-regted,


    maintaining afortable 25 degrees year-round. I traded in a haze, made a suit when I got home,


    but still nearly froze to death. I regretted it so much back then. I tried to return it, but the traders


    disappeared. I found it when I was sorting out my winter clothes the other day. I tried it on and, to


    my surprise, it really was thermo-regted."


    She told her story so convincingly, and she almost believed it herself. Finding excuses to give things


    away was really not easy.


    She mentioned the temperature range in a spective manner, "It maintains a temperature of


    around 25 degrees. You guys can test it out when you get the chance."


    The trio didn''t think twice; they were too excited. This was a lifesaver. The only downside was the


    cost. She had to trade two valuable firearms to get it.


    Theymunicated silently, then Lukas took out his gun, "Ste, this one''s for you."


    "What are you doing?" Ste responded, unimpressed. "When we were dealing with Gregory''s


    crew, Jasper and I took all their guns. We got four in total, not many bullets though. We thought the


    empty shells were useless, so we tossed them at home before heading to Unity Vige. We forgot


    about them afterwards. The extra two guns aremunal property. We just used them to get the


    thermo-regted fabric. You don''t need to contribute anything else. But the fabric we got was just


    enough to make these suits, so take care of them. If they wear out, that''s it."


    Lukas grinned, "Don''t worry. We''ll cherish them. We won''t wear them unless absolutely necessary."


    These suits were not only cooling miracles, but they improved their moods as well.


    After Ste left, Lukas hugged his wife and mused, "Sweetie, do you think meeting Ste is the


    result of good deeds from our past lives?"


    Ang didn''t believe in reincarnation, but she did agree that the trio shared a deep bond. "Maybe."


    "Ste may seempetitive, but she''s actually the most insecure one among us. When she''s nice


    to someone, she goes all out. When she''s not, she could be really harsh."


    This reminded Ang of a long-standing question, "Ste is so shrewd and tough, how could she


    have been fooled by Hector?"


    When it came to love, Lukas was the expert.


    "Honey, I was smitten the moment I saw you."


    "Cut it out. That wasn''t love at first sight. You were just..."


    Ang wasn''t fooled; Lukas wasn''t love-struck when he first saw her. He was just taken aback by


    her audacity.


    And the reason she fell for Lukas was...


    Ang paused, now understanding what Lukas was trying to say. Ste''s feelings for Hector


    weren''t love. He possessed something shecked, something that she desperately craved.


    The more wecked something, the more we desired it. Many times, we even lost our rationality


    and pursued it at all costs.


    Ang contemted, "Jasper is a good guy. I hope he is serious with Ste."


    At dinner that evening, Rosie was constantly scratching her arm.


    Ste asked, "What''s the matter?"


    "It''s itchy."


    Ste rolled up Rosie''s sleeve to see arge, red, swollen bump, obviously a mosquito bite.


    The stagnant water was a breeding ground for bacteria, and the mosquitoes were mutating. Those


    living on lower floors were at a greater risk of getting bitten. The bites would swell up and itch


    terribly. Soon, pests would be a major issue, causing many to contract dengue fever.


    Despite the efforts of the government to fumigate the area, the heaps of trash and the constant


    production of waste made it impossible to prevent thispletely.


    However, preventive measures were still necessary. Such as cleaning up the dead bodies to


    prevent the spread of diseases.


    Just having a mosquito wasn''t enough. The mutated mosquitoes would venture out in broad


    daylight, let alone at night.


    Ste applied some ointment on Rosie''s bite. The low-toxicity mosquito repent wasn''t very


    effective, so she lit up a mosquito coil instead. At the same time, shemunicated with the guys in


    1803 through the walkie-talkie, advising them to use mosquitos, mosquito coils, and long-


    sleeved clothes.


    As for face-to-face discussions, she should save it for when it was absolutely necessary. She


    showered every day, but she didn’t use any shower gel or shampoo in fear of Cody and the others


    finding out.


    Also, she deliberately kept a couple of sweaty clothes from her training sessions with Jasper


    unwashed, ready to be worn out to ward off people if necessary.


    She believed this was why Jasper handed over the walkie-talkie to 1803. They couldmunicate


    through it instead of knocking on doors all the time.


    She sprayed pesticide in every corner of the apartment. Preventing dengue fever was everyone''s


    responsibility.


    The scorching heat persisted. The sun-baked walls were still warm by the time the sun rose the


    next day.


    Lukas managed to fix a broken car fridge. He stored some cooling herbal tea in it to help beat the


    heat, and he didn''t forget to inform Ste through the walkie-talkie, "The fridge is in the hallway, so


    help yourselves if you need anything."


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    Ste wasn''t idle either. She brought out some items she found in the office building: milk tea


    powder, coffee, ice cream powder, various tea mixes, and so on.


    These stuff didn’t have a strong smell. She watched some tutorials and let Jasper do the work.


    She demonstrated once, and Jasper picked it up right away. Then, he would teach his younger


    sister, while Ste sat back and supervised.


    Well, who said he had no talent? Ste, eating her ice cream, asked, "Did you do it on purpose


    before?"


    With a calm demeanor, Jasper responded, "Nah. You''re just a really good teacher."