Chapter 106: Chapter 106: What’s More Important Than Being Alive?

The lock on the door fell to the ground. General Aldridge took the lead, pushing open the door and walking inside.

Sierra Sullivan and Jayce followed close behind.

The moment she reached the doorway, Sierra Sullivan was hit by an indescribable smell.

It wasn’t just the stench of feces and urine; it was mixed with something else.

A veritable biochemical weapon.

Yet inside this very room, many people were crammed together.

They were all hugging their knees, curled up in corners.

Even though they had clearly heard the door open and knew someone had entered, not a single one of them looked up.

Their bodies even trembled as they tried with all their might to shrink into a ball.

It was as if this was the only way to avoid being noticed.

This was a completely subconscious reaction, a means of self-preservation.

In their minds, the door opening and someone entering was a dangerous event. It was something they didn’t want to face, yet were powerless to resist.

Understanding this made Sierra Sullivan’s heart grow heavier.

The man walked over, speaking to the crowd in an excited voice.

"Everyone, don’t be scared! Don’t worry! Todd Jacobs and his men are dead! These people were sent by the base to rescue us! We won’t have to live in fear anymore! We’ll never have to go back to how things were!"

After the man finished speaking, someone finally, slowly, raised their head.

When they saw that the people standing in the doorway were indeed not Todd Jacobs and his men, but three strangers they had never seen before, their emotions finally began to stir.

Expressions gradually returned to their once-numb faces.

A flicker of life finally appeared in their eyes, which had been like dried-up wells.

"People from the base? Are you here to save us?"

"Is someone finally here to save us?"

"What took you so long!"

A cacophony of voices rose and fell, echoing in their ears.

Listening to their hoarse voices, which were filled with the sound of weeping but shed no tears, Sierra Sullivan sighed inwardly.

General Aldridge’s voice boomed. "We’re here now. Everyone, gather your things and come with us!"

General Aldridge had just finished speaking when a woman stood up, swaying unsteadily.

Her clothes were so filthy and tattered that their original color and style were unrecognizable.

Her hair was a matted mess, dry as straw, obscuring most of her gaunt face.

After struggling to her feet, she didn’t move right away, likely due to a lack of energy.

After resting for a moment, the woman started walking toward the doorway.

Just as she was about to get close, the woman suddenly sped up, raised her hands, and went straight for General Aldridge’s throat.

She gritted her teeth, looking like a woman possessed.

"Why did you only come now? Why? If you had come sooner, my child wouldn’t have died!"

She shook General Aldridge relentlessly, her voice full of grief. Her eyes were bloodshot, but not a single tear fell.

General Aldridge didn’t fight back, nor did he dodge.

To General Aldridge, the woman’s hands on his neck had no more force than a tickle.

He had no need to dodge.

And he didn’t want to.

The woman kept strangling him for a little while longer before finally exhausting what little strength she had left.

Her hands fell away, and she collapsed to the floor.

Her body trembled as whimpering sounds escaped her lips, like a powerless, caged animal.

Even though she had seen all manner of things in the apocalypse, watching this scene still made Sierra Sullivan’s eyes well up.

But Sierra Sullivan didn’t blame herself for any of it.

What happened wasn’t the fault of the three of them.

’If I blamed myself for everything, there’d be no point in living.’

Seeing the woman’s state, the others seemed to have their own anger and sorrow stirred, and they all began to sob and whimper.

General Aldridge didn’t stop them, merely waited in silence.

Once they had completely calmed down, General Aldridge looked at Jayce. "Jayce, give them some water." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

One look at their pale, cracked lips was enough to know they were severely dehydrated.

At the mere mention of the word "water," everyone turned to look at Jayce, their eyes filled with surprise and hope.

’Did we hear that right?’

’Are they really going to give us water?’

Jayce looked at them. "Do you have any containers?"

"Yes!"

"Yes, yes, we do!"

Anyone who still had a bit of strength, anyone who could still move, got to their feet.

Holding either a basin or a bowl, they all swarmed forward, nearly surrounding Jayce.

Jayce didn’t dodge them, nor did he show any disgust.

For the current Jayce, flawlessly filling all these containers with water at the same time was an effortless task.

The fact that the containers were blackened and stained with unknown substances was the last thing on anyone’s mind.

When even a single sip of water was a luxury, whether the bowl was dirty or not was completely irrelevant.

’What is more important than staying alive?’

’If you can’t even stay alive, what’s the use of being picky?’

Everyone clutched their container, endlessly pouring water into their mouths.

They were frantic and quick, yet also careful.

No one would allow a single drop of water to escape the corner of their mouth.

To them, that would be an unforgivable sin.

A single drop of water could save a life.

They had watched with their own eyes as someone died simply for the lack of one more mouthful of water.

Only after they had drunk their fill and regained a bit of strength did General Aldridge say, "Let’s go! Downstairs to the vehicles!"

This time, no one said another word.

They each gathered their belongings and staggered after the rescuers, heading downstairs together.

Outside, the sandstorm was still raging.

The blowing sand made it almost impossible to open one’s eyes.

Without any prompting from Sierra Sullivan or the others, everyone quickly boarded the vehicles and found a place to sit.

The moment they sat down, everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

For so long, they had been living a life worse than death.

Only now did they finally feel human again, feel that they could live like human beings from now on.

General Aldridge went to find the other members of the rescue team to ask about the situation in the other buildings.

Sierra Sullivan walked over to listen in, and her heart grew even heavier after hearing the reports.

The situation was not good.

The situation in every building was dire.

Although they weren’t like Todd Jacobs and his men, who resorted to cannibalism, mutual slaughter and scheming were still unavoidable.

In basically every building, not many survivors were left.

The building with the most survivors had just over two hundred people.

The one with the fewest had less than a hundred.

Before they came, they had worried there wouldn’t be enough room in the vehicles.

But now, they couldn’t even fill them.

General Aldridge nodded. "Alright, it’s getting late. Prepare to head back!"