Ten days into the apocalypse, Elijah and the others had finished all the vegetables they had on hand, except for potatoes.
Usually, they had canned meat, mushrooms, pickled cucumbers, and various other preserved foods.
They rotated their meals, as having the same thing every day wouldn't be enough.
But now, on the table, there were stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers, tomatoes and eggs, "di san xian" (a Chinese dish with potatoes, eggplant, and bell peppers), beef stew with potatoes, and so on.
Although it looked simple and lacked extravagant dishes or large amounts of meat, it was the most abundant meal the group had seen in recent days.
Apart from rice, there were also pancakes and pan-fried dumplings made by Hannah, along with some pastries she had made earlier.
The only downside was perhaps the lack of variety in ingredients.
This reminded Elijah that eggs and milk could still be found, but meat would soon become scarce.
They could only rely on canned sausages and preserved meat; fresh meat was unattainable.
It seemed they would have to start raising poultry and livestock themselves in the future.
Daisy had been eagerly eyeing the food and wasted no time picking up her chopsticks once everyone was seated.
"Finally, time to eat! I'm starving! Don't be polite, everyone's family here!"
Her impatience brought smiles to everyone's faces, instantly lightening the atmosphere.
"Bella's dishes are as delicious as ever!"
"Hannah's cooking is also excellent!"
Daisy's praises flowed continuously, without reservation.
Lunch was quickly devoured, and all the women seemed very satisfied with their meal.
After lunch, Fiona, Daisy, and Charlotte volunteered to help clean up the dishes while Bella, Hannah, and the other two relaxed.
After the cooking session at noon, Bella, Hannah, Grace, and Katherine had become acquainted.
Especially with Hannah, the two of them discussed pastry-making techniques during the meal.
Hannah, usually reserved, was now seen laughing and chatting with Bella from time to time, catching Elijah's attention frequently.
"How about that, Hannah looks pretty when she smiles, doesn't she?" Fiona teased him.
"I'll tell you a secret, Hannah has never had a boyfriend before. Do you have any thoughts?"
Elijah glanced at her, wondering why she would even sell out her own friend and what she was scheming.
"I'm most interested in you right now! I heard you've never had a girlfriend either? Hmm~" Elijah gasped suddenly. "You two beautiful ladies, not young anymore, and never had boyfriends? Could it be you two are into same-sex relationships?"
Fiona didn't seem offended by his words, instead, she wore a seductive smile.
"Aren't we both yours now?"
"Then when I go to your room that night, we shouldn't just talk, right?"
"Okay! As long as you promise me one thing!"
"What?"
Elijah seemed eager, but his mind was suspicious. This woman always had something up her sleeve.
"Tomorrow, when you go to that mall, there's a commercial building next to it. Can you help me find someone there?"
"Is it your family member?"
"Yes!"
This woman's schemes were like layers of traps.
She must have been planning this ever since she heard about our expedition to gather supplies!
Elijah fell silent for a moment.
"You don't have to go to such lengths. If you're looking for family, just tell me directly, I won't refuse."
Fiona's coquettish expression faded upon hearing this, replaced by a genuine smile. "Thank you."
"No need for thanks. So, about tonight, is it still on?" Elijah questioned.
Fiona rolled her eyes. Just a moment ago, she was feeling some affection for him.
"Yes! Once you're back safely, come to my room tonight!"
Fiona snickered inwardly. What will you do then, with both Hannah and me sleeping in the same room?
If there's nobody else in the room, how will you handle it?
Fiona showed Elijah the exact location and a photo of the person she wanted him to find.
As he suspected, it was Fiona's father, the chairman of Prosperous Strength Group.
"Don't get your hopes up too high," Elijah advised. "Office buildings are dead zones, densely populated with zombies. Even if you manage to survive, there won't be much food or water. Those who can escape from there are either incredibly lucky or have a strong will to live."
"I know, but I still want to make sure," Fiona replied determinedly.
Elijah didn't say anything further.
At this moment, Gabriel and Emily finally arrived. Fiona had left a message for them at the hotel entrance, informing them that everyone was here.
When Gabriel and Emily entered, Elijah clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention.
"Now that everyone's here, let's officially hold a meeting. Firstly, we'll introduce ourselves to each other, and secondly, we'll announce our future plans and personnel arrangements!"
Elijah briefly introduced Bella and Charlotte to Gabriel and Emily.
Learning from Daisy's lesson, Gabriel was very humble and addressed each of them respectfully as "elder sister."
Once everyone was acquainted, Elijah announced the matters discussed at noon with Fiona and Charlotte and assigned specific tasks to everyone.
Elijah and Daisy formed one group and were temporarily responsible for gathering supplies outside.
Abigail and the mutated female zombie would accompany them.
Grace was in charge of maintaining the island's facilities, while Katherine was responsible for vegetable cultivation and care.
Bella served as a part-time doctor and was responsible for cooking for everyone, with Hannah assisting her.
It was then that everyone learned Bella's awakened ability was healing.
Especially witnessing her demonstrate it publicly, with wounds healing completely without a trace, brought joy to everyone, particularly Grace and Katherine, who secretly pulled Bella aside to confirm something.
Elijah overheard bits about past injuries and scars and whether they could be healed.
Scars couldn't be healed; wounds had to be remade.
Women would endure any suffering for beauty, even Charlotte seemed tempted. Elijah shook his head. source-at-NovelBin
He intentionally showcased Bella's ability and assigned her to logistics to maximize her safety.
Her ability to heal spirit plants was crucial.
Hannah's ability was well-suited for combat, so Elijah planned to train her as a reserve combatant, with Charlotte overseeing her development and personally mentoring her for a while.
For now, she would focus on training and assist with cooking. Charlotte was in charge of island defense and training everyone.
Fiona oversaw material management and, when Elijah was away, managed everything on the island with Charlotte.
Gabriel and Emily were responsible for defense and vigilance in the coastal service area, managing their own food.
There was a cafeteria on the coast, and they would be allocated some supplies.
Since neither of them were ability users, and there weren't many hands available, their main task was vigilance.
If things went awry, they could immediately retreat to the island.
"That's about it! If anyone has any good suggestions, feel free to speak up."
"No more. Can we move on to learning some body-enhancing techniques? I'm eager to get started!" Fiona rubbed her hands together.
Elijah had already discussed what he had just mentioned; she was just eager to move on to the next step.
"Alright, then Charlotte will take over from here."
Elijah smacked his lips, feeling a bit reluctant, but stepped back, leaving Charlotte to take charge.