Chapter 240
Hispanion''s body surged with fresh blood, causing him to instinctively turn around in shock.
Momentster, a loud ssh echoed as he copsed, stirring up countless droplets of water.
The two girls were choked, their consciousness muddled. They copsed into the water pool,
gasping for breath. As they saw the bodies in the water, the shock was so intense that their lips
trembled, rendering them speechless.
It was only then that they noticed the fully armed figure standing on the bank, his face obscured.
Worried for Jasper, Ste turned and left without a word.
The girls finally reacted, using their hands and feet to climb out of the pond. They sought cover
nearby, trembling with fear. By the time Ste returned to the bamboo grove, Jasper had effortlessly
dealt with the viins.
Inside the hut, chaos reigned. The air was thick and foul. After rummaging around, they found
several pounds of assorted grains.
Ste drew her samurai sword, easily severing the locks on the two basements on the left and right.
The left basement held six or seven women, their disheveled appearance and vacant eyes a chilling
sight. They sat on the floor, resembling walking corpses, showing no reaction.
The right basement held boys whose terrified eyes revealed that they had not been captive for long.
As for the storage room, Jasper wouldn''t let Ste in.
They didn''t linger. They tossed the grains they''d found onto the floor and left with Cooper.
"Wait!" The two girls who had been choking on water stumbled out, their eyes pleading. "Can you
take us with you?"
"No." Ste raised her crossbow. "You''re capable of leaving on your own."
"But..." the girls begged. "There are evil people outside. Please help us."
"I''m a person, not a god," Ste coldly refused. "I saved you not because you''re pitiful, but because
I detest them. Keep whining, and I''ll send you back to keep thempany."
Sensing her as a woman with a hardened heart, they instinctively turned to Jasper. Soaked and
shivering, they gazed at him with pitiful eyes.
Jasper remained silent, turning to leave.
Cooper growled, seemingly craving a hot dog.
With their ruthless demeanor and weaponry, the girls didn''t dare to follow. One of them helped a boy
who had been scared to the point of wetting himself, and the siblings began to sob.
Another girl noticed the bag of grain on the ground and quickly picked it up. As people slowly
emerged from the cave, her face turned pale, and she ran away with the bag of grain.
After leaving, Ste avoided the path the viins had taken and instead took a detour through other
forests.
Crossing two mountains, they found an abandoned quarry.
After pondering for a moment, Ste asked, "Does the vi in Newtown have a garden wall?"
Jasper had never lived in a vi but assumed it didn''t. Not only was there no garden wall, but they
would also have to provide their windows and doors. It was a basic shell of a house.
Feeling unsafe without a wall, Ste crouched down to pick up stones. And so, the trio and Cooper
spent the night in the quarry, picking up stones the next day. They collected enough to build a
garden wall three to four meters high.
"No," Ste smiled subtly to others’s questin, "we have some family matters to attend to."
Back at Building 5, the rabbits obediently returned to their hut,ying down in frustration. They were
fed up with being taken out and eating grass; hopefully they wouldn''t be called upon next time.
After spending a few days in the mountains where the humidity was high at night and they had to
work during the day, they were exhausted. Home was the mostfortable ce.
Washing up, they crawled into bed and fell into a deep sleep.
After a long rest, they woke up feeling much refreshed.
Ste had beenzing around for two days, and began to get busy again.
She set aside a plot in Arcadia specifically for growing medicinal herbs. Each type of herb was
nted separately, giving them ample space to thrive.
Particrly the Dragonlily Jasper had pointed out, Ste took extra care in nurturing it, hoping to
see if it would truly mutate when it grew.
In less than a month, it felt like the Griffith River was about to be drained by the diligent members of
Eastwood Eden. Every two days, arge truck woulde to collect river sand.
They didn''t want the stones, as hauling them from here to Hope Bay would consume too much fuel.
Many survivors would collect and crush the stones near Hope Bay, then transport them to the
construction site using loaders or wheelbarrows.
The scavenging teams had turned over every stone in the vicinity and had to go further afield. On
several asions, they almost got into fights. If it weren''t for sticking together for survival, it was
uncertain whether they could have made it back.
Mark made a special trip to Hope Bay. Newtown was under construction, bustling with activity and
brimming with vitality.
Not only were refugees being recruited, but there was also a particr need for workers with
construction experience and young people who were willing to work hard. If the returns from
scavenging decreased, they could be arranged to work as construction workers to continue earning
points. At least they would be provided with food and shelter.
The buildings would take at least half a year to bepleted, but it was indeed time to take action.
Storing things in Arcadia and then handing them over all at once would be too conspicuous.
After discussion, they decided to hand over the goods in batches at different times, and the points
should not be assigned to one person.
The vi required 50,000 points. If they were all assigned to Ste, Jasper and Rosie would each
have to save for a two-bedroom property.
So, Ste took their dog, Jasper took his sister, and they set off for Hope Bay in arge truck.
Indeed, many people were out scavenging. Some were saving for a house, others were exchanging
for survival supplies.
Materials were collected in different areas. Ste handed over a truckload of coiled steel. The steel
had been soaked in water and then left in The Garden. Over time, it had oxidized and rusted. To
avoid suspicion, Ste also exchanged a few buckets of mud and sprayed it on with a pesticide
sprayer.
Rusty and muddy, it was an unsightly sight, but it still drew many envious nces.
The staff members were somewhat surprised, but they didn''t question it too much. After all, they
had seen more extravagant scenes, with seven or eight trucks arriving in a row, all belonging to
wealthy people or former businessmen. Given their demeanor, it was likely they came from wealthy
backgrounds.
Once the materials were confirmed to be fine, they submitted their personal details, opened an
ount, and weighed the materials for points.
The staff member reminded them with a smile, "Keep your card safe, and don''t lose it."
Ste put the card into Arcadia and drove to the tile collection area to find Jasper.
Unloading the tiles was a bit of a hassle as they needed to be handled gently. The packaging paper
had rotted away, and a lot of mud had stuck to it. But after washing and inspecting the tiles, they
were found to be of excellent quality. Given the brand, it wouldn''t have been affordable for ordinary
people before the apocalypse.
The warehouse staff counted the tiles and asked, "Do you have more? If so, I''ll set aside a separate
area for them."
"There are about three more truckloads," replied Jasper.
The staff member was pleased. "Alright, please bring them over as soon as possible."
For ount opening and card issuance, they provided service with a smile. "You cane directly
to me next time, no need to queue."
"Thank you," It was better to queue.
After dropping off their load, the duo drove the truck to a secluded spot for a lunch break.
Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
They took a brief respite, loaded up tworge trucks with stones, and continued their delivery, with
the points credited to Rosie''s ount.
Cooper, who had been cooped up in the truck all this time, could only whimper. He knew all too well
there wouldn''t be any points for him.