Stockpiling in the Apocalypse: Supplies Forging a Legend of Survival

The food that Kong Rui brought was for the people in his team and these survivors.

People like Liu Ruyan and Zhang Yuan, who came to do the task together, could only eat the dry rations they had brought themselves.

The survivors who had been huddled in various corners had now gathered around to wait for the food to be served. Liu Ruyan and Zhang Yuan found a corner near the door and sat down.

Being close to the door meant it was cold, and the survivors were unwilling to stay here, so there was nothing much around this area.

Liu Ruyan put her backpack beside her and took out a compressed biscuit from it.

As soon as she looked up, she saw that Zhang Yuan also took out a bag of compressed biscuits from his backpack.

The two of them exchanged a glance and silently opened the packages and started eating.

This was the first time Liu Ruyan had eaten compressed biscuits since the apocalypse arrived.

When buying compressed biscuits, Liu Ruyan had bought all the brands and flavors available on the market.

The one she took out now was the salt and pepper flavor.

It tasted crispy and had a good texture. It wasn't that difficult to swallow either.

Liu Ruyan ate it in small bites. Just as she was about to pour a cup of water, she saw a steaming cup of water being handed to her.

Looking up, it was none other than Zhang Yuan who was holding the cup.

"Drink it quickly, or it'll get cold in a while." Zhang Yuan urged.

Hearing this, Liu Ruyan didn't say much. She took the cup and took a small sip.

On such a cold day, it was already very hard not to be able to eat hot food. If she didn't drink some hot water, she would be frozen stiff.

The compressed biscuits were quite filling. After eating one biscuit and drinking some hot water, her stomach felt full.

But although her stomach was full, her mouth wasn't satisfied.

Liu Ruyan remembered that before the apocalypse, when she was surfing the Internet, she had read a comment made by someone.

That person said that they had always suspected that they had two stomachs, one for meals and one for snacks.

If they didn't have two stomachs, how could they eat some fruits, snacks, and drink some beverages right after having a full meal?

Liu Ruyan deeply agreed with this suspicion.

Just like now, she knew that she was already full, but her mouth felt bland and she always wanted to eat something more.

Liu Ruyan smacked her lips and quietly peeled a fruit candy and put it in her mouth.

When peeling the candy wrapper, Liu Ruyan didn't look at it. It wasn't until she put the candy in her mouth that she tasted that it was orange-flavored.

Liu Ruyan liked oranges.

She liked juicy, sweet, and fresh oranges, canned oranges, and orange-flavored fruit candies.

When eating something she liked, her mood would naturally become better.

Even though she didn't like the environment she was in now or the many people around her, her eyes still curved a little.

Liu Ruyan held the fruit candy in her mouth and looked around.

This place should have been the lobby of the holiday villa before. It was big enough and had a relatively open view.

However, the originally retro and elegant decoration in the lobby could hardly be seen now.

All the parts that could be removed had been taken down and used to make a fire for warmth.

The pillars and the roof were all blackened by the smoke and couldn't be seen in their original appearance.

The whole lobby should be five or six hundred square meters. Except for the area near the door where there were few people, the other places were all crowded with people.

A rough estimate showed that there were at least three or four hundred people.

Plus those of them who had just arrived, nearly five hundred people were accommodated in such a small place.

Just thinking about so many people staying in a closed space made one's scalp tingle, not to mention that Liu Ruyan was really staying here at this moment.

Those people who had gathered to get the food went aside to eat after getting it.

The sounds of people slurping porridge could be heard one after another in the room.

Kong Rui stood beside the big pot. The firelight shone on him, making him clearly visible.

"Don't eat too fast, everyone! Be careful of getting burned! There's still more food. Don't worry!"

Kong Rui repeated these words again and again, but not many people listened to him.

These people were obviously extremely hungry. Now that they finally had food, they just wanted to get it into their stomachs as quickly as possible. Who cared about getting burned?

After all, only the food in the stomach was truly one's own!

More than ten minutes later, the fragrance of the food in the lobby gradually dissipated, and everyone had already eaten the food they had been served.

Liu Ruyan saw that many people licked their bowls clean, which were even cleaner than those washed with water.

After these people finished eating, they looked at Kong Rui eagerly and kept shouting that they were still hungry, wanting Kong Rui to cook some more food for them.

But Kong Rui refused.

The supplies they had brought were limited, and they still had to stay here for two or three days. If they ate freely now, everyone would go hungry later.

However, Kong Rui's words were still very pleasant.

"It's too late today. Everyone, just go to sleep after eating. We'll cook more tomorrow morning! I'll serve you more then!"

Hearing that there would be more food tomorrow morning, many people felt relieved.

However, some people were still worried and deliberately took their things and sat closer to Kong Rui.

They probably wanted to keep an eye on Kong Rui, afraid that Kong Rui would leave quietly at night.

Although Liu Ruyan knew that their worry was unnecessary, she could understand why they did so.

People who had walked on the edge of life and death would surely hold on tightly to that life-saving straw!

There were quite a lot of people in the lobby, but everyone was very quiet.

Having eaten and drunk enough, and it was already completely dark outside, it was naturally time to go to sleep.

Liu Ruyan opened her backpack and took out a blanket from it.

Zhang Yuan beside her did the same. He also took out a blanket from his backpack and wrapped himself up tightly.

Actually, Liu Ruyan had brought a sleeping bag, but under the current circumstances, she couldn't use it at all.

So many people were sleeping huddled up. If she took out the sleeping bag ostentatiously, she would immediately become the target of public criticism.

Fortunately, she was dressed thickly. Before getting off the car, Liu Ruyan had put on new warm patches.

Now, wrapped in a windproof blanket, she didn't feel cold either.

Liu Ruyan and Zhang Yuan put their backpacks together and rested leaning against the backpacks.

"You sleep first. I'll keep watch." Zhang Yuan whispered to Liu Ruyan.

Hearing this, Liu Ruyan looked at Zhang Yuan in surprise. She had been thinking about this very thing in her mind!

When away from home and with so many people around, it was impossible for Liu Ruyan to fall asleep at ease.

Since Zhang Yuan had spoken first, Liu Ruyan didn't stand on ceremony and agreed directly, "I'll take over in the second half of the night."

Rather than arguing about who would keep watch first, it was better to seize the time to sleep for a few more minutes.

The comfortable life in the past year or so hadn't made Liu Ruyan lose her vigilance.

She fell asleep, but it was only a light sleep.

Estimating that the time was about right, Liu Ruyan opened her eyes.

She took out her pocket watch from her arms and took a look. It was just past twelve o'clock. The time was just right!

Liu Ruyan looked at Zhang Yuan and happened to meet Zhang Yuan's gaze looking over.

In the dim light, Zhang Yuan's eyes were black and shiny.