Chapter 249
When they woke up naturally, it was already ten in the morning.
After washing up and having breakfast, Ste kept flipping through the "Complete Guide to Herbal
Medicine", but she still couldn''t figure out the two nts that she brought back from Mount Murray.
What the hell was so mysterious about these nts?
Unwilling to give up, she continued to scour the resources on botany that she had downloaded
before the disaster, almost driving herself to frustration.
Nevermind, she thought. She''d nt them first and figure them out eventually.
With only two of these nts, Ste treated them with extreme care, gently nting them in her
garden.
She also had hundreds of different types of herbs that she had collected from Mount Greenwood.
She organized them by their medicinal properties and noted them down in her notebook.
Though there were many herbs, not all of them were suitable for treating illnesses on demand.
Ste made a list ofmon ailments and then made corresponding prescriptions. She checked
what she had and what she was missing. To her surprise, she realized that she was missing a lot of
essential ingredients. She made a note of the ingredients she wascking, nning to go out and
find them when she had the chance.
Jasper showed up at dinner time. He came down from upstairs and said, "Those people aren''t
interested in the crops. They''re scouting Eastwood Eden."
Ste thought for a moment, "What do you suggest?"
Did they have to deal with refugees, bandits, or organized crime? She and Jasper could leave
without a problem.
If it was within their ability, they could lend a hand from time to time. If it was arge-scale conflict,
and the enemies were armed, they wouldn''t rush into the fray.
"Did Mark ask you to join?" she asked Jasper.
"He asked for my opinion, but he didn''t ask me to join."
This made Ste feel a little better. She was willing to help in a life or death situation, but she didn''t
want people to take their help for granted.
Dependency could be a habit. If Mark took their help for granted, Ste would refuse, and they
might even move away.
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Actually, some people in Eastwood Eden had suggested that Mark should involve them in the
decision-making process. Mark considered it, but in the end, he said, "Given Jasper and Ste''s
abilities, they won''t have trouble finding a ce to stay. They''re just passing through Eastwood
Eden.
“Besides, they''ve already done so much for us. Thest time the bandits attacked Eastwood Eden,
they saved us. If it weren''t for them, we would''ve been wiped out before the police or the army
arrived.
“They don''t owe us anything. I know you''re scared and want someone to protect you, but they''re not
obligated to do so. We need to rely on ourselves. If you always depend on others, what will you do if
they leave?
“Listen to me, don''t go looking for them. If anything happens, you''ll only have yourselves to me.”
With that, Mark continued to arrange work, "We''ll split into four groups. If ites to a fight,
everyone but the old and the young will have to fight."
...
Ste didn''t openly ask about what was going on in Eastwood Eden, but she kept an eye on things.
When she went downstairs to fetch water, even though people still greeted her with a smile, she
could tell something was off. However, they didn''t say anything, and the old man who fetched water
was the same as always.
On her way back, she bumped into Christian, who was on patrol, "Ste, the Agricultural Institute is
distributing seeds. Are you going to pick them up yourself, or should we do it on behalf of the
community? If it''s thetter, we need to register with IDs."
"I have to go out for a bit these days. I''ll pick them up on the way."
Christian nodded, "Alright, just remember to pick them up on time. I''m worried they won''t distribute
them if you''rete."
At night, Jasper came out of his study, "There are more people outside. They might make a move
tonight."
The midnight sun meant there was no real night, but most people''s biological clocks were still set to
sleep at night, making it the perfect time to strike.
Ste went back to her room to sleep and left Cooper to keep watch on the balcony.
Around three in the morning, she was woken up by the dog''s bark.
Pulling back the curtain, she could see chaos outside. An endless stream of people was armed and
moving towards Eastwood Eden.
She quickly grabbed her binocrs and saw men, women, old, and young, all dressed in ragged
clothes, their expressions numb yet greedy.
Their disheveled appearance made it clear that they were refugees turned bandits, and there were
probably over three hundred of them. With so many bandits gathered in one ce, there was
definitely someone pulling the strings.
Moreover, they clearly knew that Eastwood Eden had gasoline and sprayers. They weren''t
recklessly charging in, but instead adopted a siege strategy.
That was right, they were just surrounding Eastwood Eden at a distance.
Ste was almost angry enough to explode, "What the hell do they want?"
Jasper analyzed calmly, "They''re waiting for the people of Eastwood Eden to fall into their trap."
If themunity members charged out in small numbers, they could surround and kill them. If there
were many, they would scatter. If themunity members didn''te out, they would steal the
crops.
It was a cat-and-mouse game. Themunity members charged out with their makeshift weapons,
and the bandits scattered immediately. As soon as they retreated, the bandits would return.
As long as Eastwood Eden didn''t take action, they would rush into the fields to steal crops. The
bandits had nothing to lose, but themunity members had their homes and food. The
psychological pressure was naturally greater on them. Once they were driven to the point of mental
copse and made a mistake, it would be the end for them.
Ste didn''t know how Mark felt, but she was seething with rage at these damned bandits.
Jasper remained calm andposed. He scanned the dancing bandits one by one with his
binocrs, quickly figuring out the key to the situation. The team''s duties were clear, each taking
charge of a different direction, while the leader took it upon himself to challenge residents in a
relentless round-robin fashion.
"Ste, hand me the sniper rifle."
Rooftop sniping wasn''t an option, so Jasper headed upstairs, "Come on, I''ll show you the ropes."
She''d learned a few tricks before, but had never truly put it into practice. Ste was instantly
intrigued.
On reaching the 10th floor, they flung open the windows, set up the machine gun, and Jasper took
aim, "Eight o''clock, the guy in the orange shirt."
Ste, with her binocrs in hand, confirmed, "Got him."
No sooner had she spoken than the silenced sniper rifle went off with a ''pop.''
The man in the orange shirt fell with a thud, causing the miscreants to stop dead in their tracks.
Jasper gave way, "Your turn."
Ste dly took over the rifle, with him assisting from the side, "Twelve o''clock, the guy in the red
shirt."
The target was constantly moving, making it a challenging shot.
Considering herck of experience and feel, Jasper activated the second1ary scope, "Lock on..."
His sharp eyes remained focused, waiting for the perfect moment, "Fire."
As his words echoed, Ste squeezed the trigger, and the red figure over half a mile away fell
instantly.
Once could be luck, but twice was a clear disy of skill. After two consecutive deaths, the mobs
started to panic, instinctively wanting to retreat to a safe distance.
However, they had clearly underestimated the range of the sniper rifle. Even if they fell back to over
a thousand yards, a third man still toppled over.
Three deaths in a row, all of them leaders.
What did that imply?