"Eh? That's our car!"
Liu Xiaolin also saw this and stood up, shouting in distress.
Guan Xin quickly pulled her back down and whispered,
"Forget it. The car is broken anyway, and we can't take it with us. When we reach the new camp tomorrow, we won't need it. Just give it to them. What's important now is to keep a low profile and get through today safely!"
Liu Xiaolin looked at Guan Xin incredulously, about to say something, when Xu Xiaowei, seeing the situation was not good, immediately pulled her aside.
"Why are you pulling me? This Guan Xin is really strange. As soon as we got in the car, she started saying a bunch of weird things... And now it's even more outrageous. Our car has been taken, and instead of helping me, she won't even let me speak!"
"Why is she siding with outsiders? Has she forgotten who helped her when she was in trouble just now?!"
Xu Xiaowei looked at Guan Xin, then at the other survivors resting around them, and whispered,
"Forget it, Xiaolin. We're not familiar with this place, and besides... those people look so fierce and scary... Let's just listen to Guan Xin and try not to cause trouble. If we endure it, everything will be fine when the people from the Revival Camp arrive!"
Hearing her say that, Liu Xiaolin finally noticed.
The people around them were indeed dressed very differently from herself. Many of them looked like vagrants, as if they had never washed their hair. Some people's hair was matted together. Their clothes were dirty and torn. She and her two companions looked like celebrities here, dressed brightly and fashionably. This drew the attention of many people, who kept glancing their way.
Liu Xiaolin quickly messed up her hair a bit more and moved closer to Zhang Wenwen.
*Grumble... Grumble...*
Xu Xiaowei's stomach growled. She smiled sheepishly and said,
"Oh no, I'm hungry again. Ever since my metabolism changed, I feel like I'm never full..."
Zhang Wenwen smiled sweetly and said,
"It's okay, eat if you're hungry!"
As she spoke, she took out a few pieces of bread to share with the three of them.
Seeing this, Guan Xin quickly stepped forward and blocked the bread with her body. Then, she said nervously to Zhang Wenwen,
"Don't take out so much. Just take out one piece of bread, and we can all share it!"
"Huh?" Zhang Wenwen looked puzzled. "But... we have enough food for everyone, and there's still a lot..."
Before she could finish speaking, Guan Xin interrupted her again.
"Do as I say, I won't harm you. Being hungry for a day is better than losing your life!"
Seeing Guan Xin's anxious expression, Zhang Wenwen quickly put the bread back. She only took out one piece. As soon as it was out, Guan Xin snatched it and broke off a large piece.
"You... what are you snatching for!"
"Are you desperate for money?!" Liu Xiaolin grumbled unhappily.
Afterward, she divided the remaining bread equally into three pieces, and the three of them ate. With their increased appetite, one piece of bread wasn't enough for each person. Now, with Guan Xin taking more than half of one piece, each person could only eat one-third of the small remaining portion... This small amount was as if they hadn't eaten anything.
*Grumble... Grumble...*
Xu Xiaowei's hunger was not relieved; instead, she felt even hungrier...
"Maybe... I can take another one?" Zhang Wenwen asked Guan Xin.
"Do you have biscuits or anything? Bread is too conspicuous!" Guan Xin said.
Her act of snatching the bread was to give the surrounding people the impression of a food shortage. Resource-rich people wouldn't snatch. They would line up slowly, waiting for distribution. Because there was plenty of food, those who came earlier or later would receive the same amount. In such a situation, the "politeness of peacetime" would be more evident. Conversely, if the supplies were far from enough for distribution, those who were late would go hungry... In such a scenario, scrambling for resources would become a common phenomenon. Guan Xin wanted to use this behavior to let the people around her know that she and her companions were no different from them. They were also desperate poor souls whose lives were hanging by a thread.
As expected, some survivors who had been watching them intently saw Guan Xin struggling to grab the bread, and the meager amount of food others were eating. They subconsciously stuffed their hands into their pockets and turned away.
"Good heavens, these newcomers are even poorer than us... Let's hope they don't snatch our food!"
Zhang Wenwen also noticed the changes around them and knew Guan Xin was right. So, she deliberately took out a bag of cheap biscuits. There were no patterns, no added sugar, and no milk, just plain, utterly ordinary round biscuits.
"And another bag of these. Let's be frugal, each person take five pieces!" Zhang Wenwen said.
"Wenwen, you too..." Liu Xiaolin felt speechless. Zhang Wenwen used to be very obedient to her. But how long had Guan Xin been here? She had already become the leader of the team. Not only was Xu Xiaowei speaking up for Guan Xin, but Zhang Wenwen was now also acting foolishly with Guan Xin. They clearly had food, but they weren't allowed to eat it, and were being forced to starve. What kind of "good treatment" was this?!
"You guys eat, I'm not eating!" Liu Xiaolin said angrily, throwing her hand up and turning away to sulk.
Xu Xiaowei obediently took five biscuits. Guan Xin and Zhang Wenwen each took five pieces as well before putting them away. After quietly finishing the biscuits, Zhang Wenwen suddenly sighed.
"Sigh... Now I finally understand why everyone in the camp is lying around in broad daylight... Eating this little bit still leaves me hungry. Talking more or making any more movements is just extra!"
Zhang Wenwen took out a moisture-proof mat, placed it on the ground and the wall, and then leaned back with relief.
"Yes, those who went out to kill zombies, although they saved us, they were actually going to plunder resources... At least the energy cores from the zombies could be exchanged for supplies..."
Xu Xiaowei finally understood why those people had saved them. The people in the camp were self-sufficient, and no one cared about anyone else. A few more people didn't matter. It just so happened that there were zombies delivered to their doorstep to kill, killing two birds with one stone.
"Let's conserve our strength and rest well! Don't let us be too weak to walk when the people from the Revival Camp arrive!" Guan Xin said, sitting down next to Zhang Wenwen.
"I think these people need help. If they continue to be so listless, what will happen after the thirtieth day?" Zhang Wenwen muttered to herself. "Why don't we find a way to get them to join the Revival Camp? The more people there are, the greater the strength, and the greater the chance of survival!"
No one responded. The girls were all sitting in their respective positions, seemingly lost in thought, or perhaps conserving energy.
After an unknown amount of time, a savory aroma suddenly wafted over, making Guan Xin jolt!
"Oh no!"