Chapter 758: A Farce

When they first arrived in Eldoria, Evelyn Ford had helped a father and daughter reunite. The boy from tonight was that girl’s friend. Later, Evelyn had even helped him find a job in the logistics department. Though several years had passed, Evelyn had a good memory. She recognized him at a glance, despite his filthy face.

For a helpless child to have survived in such a harsh environment wasn’t just a matter of luck. Tonight’s events made it clear—the kid was clever and ruthless.

Perhaps it was the canned food, but the rich food upset everyone’s stomachs, and they all came down with diarrhea. Evelyn quickly got up to find some anti-diarrhea medicine for them. The chaos lasted late into the night before everyone finally recovered. Lying in her tent afterward, Evelyn was utterly exhausted.

"The wind outside is so strong. It feels like the tent could be blown away at any moment. The log cabin is so much more comfortable. When we leave this place, let’s find a new spot to settle down, take out the cabin, and we won’t even have to build a house."

Ronan Kendrick wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Alright. We’ll fence off a small yard then, and plant some fruits, vegetables, and your favorite sunflowers."

"We could also dig a small pond and raise a few fish."

Ronan Kendrick chuckled. "Whatever you want. You can do anything you’d like."

They still had to distribute food the next day, so Evelyn drifted off after just a few more sentences. Ronan Kendrick stared at the dark fabric of the tent ceiling, his expression growing heavy.

’Azure has been completely destroyed. If humanity wants to survive, our only hope is probably The Undercity we brought back. The carbon particulates, ash, and dense fog in the air are toxic. While not immediately fatal, living in this environment long-term could cause humans to mutate—distorted features, degenerated limbs, sprouting horns and strange-colored eyes. In more severe cases, it could even be life-threatening.’

He hadn’t told Rhys Chase about The Undercity yet. Ronan planned to find the right time to tell him after they finished dealing with the food.

Ronan Kendrick looked at the sleeping Evelyn, his eyes filled with heartache. ’The yard Evelyn wants will probably be impossible to achieve. I can feel the air quality declining rapidly. Perhaps in another year or so, Azure will become a toxic wasteland, polluted beyond measure. By then, humans will no longer be able to survive on Azure. If the environment can’t be improved, the only thing awaiting humanity is a dead end.’

’The only fortunate thing now is that we found The Undercity. But The Undercity can only hold a few tens of thousands of people at most. A ticket to enter The Undercity is like a ticket for Noah’s Ark. If some get to enter, it means others must be left behind.’

But none of that mattered to Ronan Kendrick. He held Evelyn tighter, and the turmoil in his heart eased slightly. To him, the only thing that mattered was Evelyn.

***

After breakfast, Evelyn Ford returned some of the food to the underground storeroom. A little after six o’clock, Liam Sterling and the others came over to search for supplies. Just as Evelyn had instructed them the night before, their "discovery" of the storeroom’s entrance quickly drew the attention of others. People scrambled into the storeroom, and upon seeing the food and several large barrels of water, they went absolutely wild.

Just as Evelyn had predicted, upon seeing the food and water, everyone wanted to rush forward and fight for it. At that moment, Ethan Dawson and his group brandished their guns, scaring the crowd back.

"We found it, so the food and water are ours." Ethan Dawson was surprisingly convincing in his role as the villain. As soon as he spoke, the crowd erupted in protest.

"On what grounds? This is the base’s food! We saw it too, so we should get a share!"

Ethan Dawson sneered. "And why should we share it with you? This is our food. If anyone has a problem with that, step up. This gun doesn’t have eyes, and if it accidentally goes off and hurts someone, don’t blame me."

"What gives you the right to hoard all the food? If you don’t hand it over today, we’ll fight you to the death!"

The people outside rushed in, jamming the storeroom entrance until it was impassable. Ethan Dawson fired a shot at the door, which fell with a crash. The chattering crowd was shocked into silence.

Just then, Rhys Chase made his entrance with Ryan Rowe and Ronan Kendrick. He used his authority as the base leader to negotiate with Ethan Dawson, demanding that he share the food with the survivors. Ethan refused. Ronan and Ryan raised their guns. The tension between the two sides was palpable, stunning the onlookers.

Finally, Rhys Chase threw open his jacket, revealing explosives strapped to his body.

"As the base leader, it’s my responsibility to make sure everyone gets food. Besides, this was the base’s emergency supply to begin with. If you don’t share it, I’ll light the fuse, and we’ll all die here together."

The onlookers were instantly terrified and scrambled to escape the underground storeroom. In the end, only their group was left inside. Rhys Chase coughed and glanced toward the storeroom entrance.

"They actually all ran. These people are pretty cowardly."

Ryan Rowe’s mouth twitched. "Mr. Chase, those explosives look too real. Who wouldn’t be scared?"

Ethan Dawson was speechless. "The audience is gone. Should we keep this play going or not?"

Rhys Chase gestured for everyone to leave the storeroom and continue the act outside.

When they came out, they saw that, sure enough, the piles of rubble near the storeroom entrance were swarming with people.

On one side stood the "villains"—Ethan Dawson, Peter Owens, Liam Sterling, Quincy, and Miles Vaughn. They held guns and didn’t forget to shout a few provocations, trying to anger the "heroes"—Rhys Chase, Ronan Kendrick, and Ryan Rowe.

Evelyn Ford stood in the crowd, watching the spectacle. ’It’s a good thing Ethan Dawson and his group are fully geared up and have even disguised their voices. If people discovered they were all one group putting on a show, it would be hard to salvage the situation today.’

"I’ll count to three. If you don’t share the food with us, I’ll detonate the explosives, and we’ll all perish together."

The terrified onlookers kept backing away. Someone tried to persuade Rhys Chase not to be rash, saying they didn’t want the food anymore. Rhys righteously refused.

"No! This is the base’s emergency supply. Every one of us deserves our share. As the base leader, if I can’t get you your food, then I’ll die here today." Rhys Chase was so into his role that he scared everyone into retreating even further.

Just then, he pulled a box of matches from his coat, and after lighting one, Ethan Dawson cooperatively raised his hands.

"I surrender! I’m willing to share the food with everyone! Don’t detonate the explosives!"

The survivors were deeply grateful to Rhys Chase. Able to get food, everyone was so emotional they cried.

Rhys Chase immediately announced a new rule: everyone had to register, and after receiving their food, they would get a mark of indelible paint on the back of their hand to prevent anyone from double-dipping.

Able-bodied men and women lined up first to receive food and water, while children and the elderly went to another side to await instructions.

And just like that, the food distribution was a resounding success. The process had been... unconventional, but in the end, the food got handed out.

It took five days to distribute all the food. The elderly and orphaned children were housed separately, and they also received their share of food and water.

During the food distribution, they were also searching for Roy Henderson and his group. Fortunately, on the afternoon of the fifth day, while distributing food to the injured survivors, they finally found Roy Henderson and Owen Chapman. To their surprise, Leo Denton, Flynn Hansen, and Jonas Lucas were also among the injured survivors.