Chapter 29: The Tenth Day
Wealthy heir Xu Hao’s outrageous offer instantly set the group chat ablaze.
"What? 2,000 yuan for a pack of instant noodles? Did I hear that right?"
"Hey, don’t drive up prices like this! I’m really scared now."
So trembled as they spoke, "The snowstorm will pass, right? There’s no need to do this."
The shaky voice ssage revealed the sender's inner panic.
People hadn't completely given up hope. Each morning, they hoped to see the snow stop, the sunrise, and life return to normal.
But the high-priced food transactions between Xie Lii and Xu Hao deeply shook their fragile minds.
Soone tried to stay calm, saying, "Are you kidding? 2,000 yuan for a pack of noodles? Do you really think it’s the end of the world? Hahaha!"
"It's just a heavy snowfall, winter coming early. It’s not like we're facing a zombie apocalypse!"
Zhang Yi read the ssage and chuckled, shaking his head.
A zombie apocalypse?
Don't compare such trivialities to this ice age.
Zombies, though terrifying, could still be fought by humans.
But against the forces of nature, humanity was as fragile as insects before the universe's might.
They still didn’t realize the true scale of the disaster they were facing.
Xu Hao arrogantly said in the group, "Don't worry about it! I have money, and I'm willing to spend it for peace of mind. If you want to sell, private ssage . If not, forget it!"
Xu Hao tried to appear indifferent.
But Zhang Yi saw through his facade—he was terrified.
Otherwise, he wouldn't offer such an exorbitant price for a pack of noodles.
It wasn’t hard to understand.
Though Xu Hao was wealthy, with assets worth billions, in this apocalypse, he couldn’t even order takeout.
Wealth didn’t equate to stupidity. Realizing the crisis's severity, Xu Hao began to buy supplies at high prices from his neighbors.
Xie Lii, the mother, was desperate, "How can you do this? We have no food left. Buying food is a matter of life and death."
Xu Hao replied bluntly, "I’m not competing with you. I just offered a higher price, and it's up to them to decide who to sell to. It's none of your business."
Seeing Xu Hao ignore her, Xie Lii cried in the group, "Please help us. My daughter is only eight months old. Without food, I can't feed her, and we’ll both starve!"
The group remained silent to Xie Lii's pleas.
This was the mont when humanity's selfish nature was most apparent.
Xu Hao's offer of 2,000 yuan per pack of noodles was too tempting.
Xie Lii could only offer half that price.
In Tianhai City, the average salary was about 5,000 yuan.
Who would sell their hard-earned supplies cheaply?
Many privately ssaged Xu Hao, negotiating transactions.
Xie Lii realized what was happening and continued to cry for help in the group.
But no one responded, not even a word of comfort.
People feared that showing sympathy would lead Xie Lii to latch onto them for help.
This helpless mother sobbed uncontrollably.
Taking care of herself was already difficult, let alone caring for an eight-month-old baby.
Zhang Yi rembered Xie Lii from his previous life.
His impression of her was vague, as she always appeared as a weak, pitiful mother, earning sympathy and surviving by exchanging supplies.
But strangely, both she and her daughter survived well into the apocalypse.
Zhang Yi's eyes flashed with insight.
This woman wasn’t as simple as she seed. Beneath the soft exterior was a cunning survivor.
She likely benefited from his death, too.
Zhang Yi understood that in an apocalypse, excessive compassion was a death sentence.
So, he watched Xie Lii with cold indifference.
Too many would die in the apocalypse; he only cared about his own survival. Others' lives or deaths didn’t matter to him.
However, Xie Lii’s cries eventually had so effect.
Uncle You, the security guard, softened and agreed to give her so food.
Xie Lii thanked him profusely, claiming she’d rember his kindness forever.
Through his surveillance, Zhang Yi saw Xu Hao successfully buy supplies
It wasn’t a vast amount, but enough for him and his girlfriend to survive a few weeks.
Zhang Yi sneered, "This is the last warmth money can buy in the apocalypse."
Soon, people would realize that money was worthless and only supplies mattered.
Then, many would regret selling their supplies.
Xu Hao had indeed set a harmful precedent in the group.
Given that many residents in the 25-unit complex were friends or colleagues, Xu Hao’s high-priced purchases affected everyone.
When he used real money to set high prices for supplies, everyone realized how scarce supplies were.
People clung even tighter to what they had.
At the start of the snowstorm, so still shared or traded supplies with neighbors.
But now, they were more miserly than Scrooge.
Even best friends were refused food with various excuses.
The tenth day of the ice age had arrived.
At Fang Yuqing and Lin Cainin's ho, supplies were nearly gone.
Once picky eaters of gourt food, they now fought over a pack of instant noodles.
The food they bought earlier and what Zhou Peng, the simp, brought over was almost finished.
At this rate, they’d starve within a week.
The two sat on the sofa, wrapped in blankets, their faces pale.
On the coffee table lay an opened pack of compressed biscuits.
Lin Cainin looked at the biscuits and said to Fang Yuqing, "Yuqing, this is our last pack of compressed biscuits."
Pain filled Fang Yuqing's eyes.
In the past, she would never touch such coarse food.
Now, she ate every bit, even crumbs that fell to the floor.
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