Chapter 81: Chapter 81: What Are a Lone Man and Woman Locking the Door For?

Silas Hawthorne’s words were forceful and decisive. After he spoke, Evan Lawrence was completely dumbfounded, and even Pamela Sutton was stunned.

The oranges from Meal Plan A? The... the fruit that came with the meal??

She had been making a scene here for ages over a few oranges, but the moment the truth was revealed, she was utterly mortified.

’So much for "supplies the Lawrence Family was hoarding."’ ’This is clearly just the fruit from Meal Plan A, and anyone who contributes to the base can get it...’

Evan Lawrence’s face flushed red with embarrassment, and the onlookers couldn’t help but chime in.

"That’s right. They did give out oranges with Meal Plan A last night."

"Didn’t Mr. Lawrence’s family eat their oranges?"

"Oh, I asked yesterday. Ms. Vivian Young said she was saving them for her daughter and son to eat together when they got back."

"What a close-knit and loving family."

The crowd couldn’t help but whisper among themselves, which indirectly confirmed that these were not, in fact, hoarded supplies.

Silas Hawthorne shot him a cold look, and Evan Lawrence quickly stammered, "It’s... it’s all a misunderstanding..."

"Cut the crap."

Sue wasn’t about to let them off the hook. "I just want to know who told you we had supplies."

’Someone must have instigated this. When our family entered the base, we were with Pamela Sutton. We threw away all our luggage, and both Pamela and Evan saw it. Why would they think we still had supplies?’

The color drained from Evan Lawrence’s face. Pamela Sutton scrambled to her feet and immediately hid behind him.

Evan Lawrence frowned and glared at Pamela Sutton, as if blaming her for running her mouth. He could only force a laugh. "Haha, it must have been a mistake!"

"Right, right! I just saw the oranges and thought you had other supplies. I really don’t know anything else!"

’Don’t know anything?’

Sue narrowed her eyes.

Even without asking, she could guess who was behind this. It had to be Tiana Lynch.

"Uh, well, we just remembered we have to sign up for a mission. If we’re late, we won’t get a spot..." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Evan Lawrence grabbed Pamela Sutton and hurried away.

He was afraid that if they stayed any longer, they would make a bad impression on Silas Hawthorne, and then it would all be over.

Soon, the crowd dispersed. Silas Hawthorne looked over at Sue. The woman stood there with a calm expression, one hand holding her son Leo Lawrence’s shoulder tightly.

Silas Hawthorne stepped forward. "Ms. Lawrence, may I speak with you alone for a moment?"

Elliot Lawrence and the others instantly looked over, their faces filled with worry.

"Of course."

Sue nodded, released her son’s shoulder, and followed Silas Hawthorne.

"Dad..." Elliot Lawrence said, worried.

Vincent Lawrence shook his head. "Silas Hawthorne won’t harm her. He must have taken an interest in one of Sue’s Abilities. Let’s wait and see. Your wife is pregnant, and your mother needs to stay here at all times to look after her and Leo. The rest of the work will have to be done by us."

"Uncle, I can help too."

Mia Keller said, patting her chest. Vincent Lawrence nodded. "Good girl. If you have time, you could apply to learn some prenatal and postnatal care from the doctors here. I would be very grateful."

"Don’t worry, Uncle. I know what to do."

The family’s division of labor was orderly and efficient.

Vincent Lawrence and Elliot Lawrence were responsible for accepting and completing missions each day. Sue was also usually out and about. Vivian Young was to look after the pregnant Jenny Norris and little Leo, while Mia Keller would study nursing to ensure Jenny’s delivery went smoothly.

Pamela Sutton and Evan Lawrence breathed a sigh of relief only after they returned to their own tent.

"Damn it. There’s no way to ask about anything in a place like this."

Pamela Sutton clenched her fists, her expression ugly. She wanted to ask about her son, but there were ears and eyes everywhere here.

Evan Lawrence frowned as well. "We failed to do what Ms. Tiana asked. For now, let’s just figure out how to get our supplies for tonight."

Besides the base’s meals, they could also receive a share of supplies from Tiana Lynch. The reason given was that Donovan Lawrence had contributed to the team, so some was allocated to them.

Pamela Sutton and Evan Lawrence were both very grateful. In comparison, Sue’s family seemed like a bunch of cold, heartless, and ungrateful wretches. They were supposed to be relatives, yet they were less helpful than an outsider.

"Hmph, your brother is an ungrateful wretch! You saved his life, and he wouldn’t even spare us a single one of those oranges!"

The angrier Pamela Sutton got, the tighter she clenched her fists, grinding her teeth. Evan Lawrence, however, was silent for a moment before saying, "Let’s just wait and see. The Sterling Group is still no match for the Lawrence Group right now. My brother is a smart one, after all. He donated half his supplies before the apocalypse, getting himself noticed by the higher-ups. Now even Silas Hawthorne favors them. At this rate, we might have to go back to Vincent Lawrence..."

"Go to him? Didn’t you see how his family treated us just now? You think they’ll be pleasant to us?"

Evan Lawrence scoffed. "We’re his own flesh and blood. He’ll have to help us whether he wants to or not!"

After speaking, he stretched lazily. A commotion erupted from outside the tent. "New mission’s been posted!"

"Let’s go, we’ll take a look."

The mere thought of those oranges made Evan Lawrence’s mouth water. They were just ordinary fruit before, but after going without for so long, even a few oranges seemed like a rare delicacy.

Meal Plan A comes with a piece of fruit every day. Fruit!

’I want some so badly.’

The couple walked out of their tent and, sure enough, saw a new mission posted on the large screen.

[LATEST MISSION: SNOW CLEARANCE. MINIMUM DAILY SUPPLY: MEAL PLAN B. ONE MEAL PLAN A EVERY THREE DAYS. ONE PIECE OF FRUIT DAILY, TYPE VARIES.]

Snow clearance gets you Meal Plan B? Even though it’s not Plan A, it’s still better than the Meal Plan C they were currently eating. Plus, you get one Meal Plan A every three days, and most importantly, a piece of fruit every single day. Fruit was what everyone wanted most—even more than meat!

It couldn’t be helped. After living in an era of peace and safety with an abundant supply of fruits and vegetables, and then being suddenly thrown into an apocalypse with nothing, it was that sweet, refreshing taste that people missed the most.

"Hurry and sign up, or all the spots will be taken!"

The base was crowded, and upon hearing the news, everyone rushed to the registration point, afraid they’d miss their chance and get no fruit.

Meanwhile, Wyatt Sterling was also taking stock of his group’s supplies.

Excluding what was hidden in the mine, the supplies they had on hand were not substantial.

"This snow clearance mission is perfect. Jason, take Dominic Trent and use the mission as cover to stockpile supplies from all over. The snow has buried the entire city, but many things should still be edible."

"Yes, I understand."

The snow clearance mission was clearly just a task Silas Hawthorne had created for the purpose of stockpiling supplies. It wasn’t just the Sterling Group; many others had the same idea. Naturally, the sooner they acted, the better.

Meanwhile, Sue had followed Silas Hawthorne to a quiet, empty room.

Silas Hawthorne’s men all remained outside. The man closed the door and turned the handle.

CLICK. It was the sound of the lock engaging.