The cake was wrapped in transparent plastic and was a pale yellow color, its texture delicate and soft. As soon as it was unwrapped, the unique aroma of the cake wafted out, making the little girl unable to resist swallowing her saliva.
The man gently tore off a small piece with his finger and put it in his mouth to taste. Upon tasting, he was stunned. The cake’s texture was fine; it released a faint scent of eggs and milk, slightly sweet without the cloying taste of essence—clearly a quality item, not some cheap knock-off. Moreover, it tasted very fresh, with no sign of spoilage.
He couldn’t help but glance at Fang Yuxin, who was not far away, thinking to himself that this person was probably more formidable than he had previously imagined. Fearing Fang Yuxin would notice, he quickly looked away and, without changing his expression, placed the cake next to his daughter’s mouth, gently saying, "Huanhuan, this was your favorite cake before, hurry and eat it."
By this time, the others had finished the food they had in their hands. Being adults, a pack of cake or bread couldn’t satisfy their hunger, but they didn’t continue eating. Instead, they divided up the food in their bags and were overjoyed to find a 10-kilogram bag of rice.
Compared to the bread, cakes, biscuits, or instant noodles, the rice seemed far less flashy and more substantial for filling their bellies. With rice, as long as there was clean water, a small handful could cook a large pot of porridge! If used frugally, it could last them a long time. Besides, rice didn’t have to worry about going bad, which made it much better than the other foods!
The problem was that there was only one bag of rice, which was difficult to divide. Everyone hesitated for a moment, each finding a bag to start dividing the rice.
With such a large bag of rice, no one else felt at ease no matter who kept it. After all, they had several cars, and nobody knew what could happen on the road ahead.
Fang Yuxin and Bai Ye were right beside them, so these people didn’t dare to play any tricks or resort to strong-arming tactics. However, they did have some reservations about the middle-aged woman and man infected with the Zombie Virus. While the grandfather-grandson pair was more tolerable, the others felt that it was a waste to distribute the food to the infected woman and man who were practically as good as dead.
Yet such sentiments couldn’t be openly expressed—after all, the two had not yet died, and no one dared to act too egregiously. Provoking them into a "mutual destruction" scenario would not be worthwhile! Moreover, having escaped from the previous Safe Zone together and knowing each other from ordinary days, they had ties and didn’t have the heart to be completely ruthless. At most, they just felt displeased inside and wore slightly grim expressions.
The middle-aged woman was no pushover, and with a large nephew by her side, they’d become a force to be reckoned with, making the others reluctant to deny her a share. And the man with the little girl, though very weak and usually easygoing, had never offended anyone. Yet, this time he unexpectedly stood his ground firmly, refusing to be a pushover.
He knew he was likely on the brink of death, and taking the food would be wasteful, but he had a daughter. Once he died, the food he was allocated could be left for his daughter. So, strictly speaking, it wasn’t really wasted—it was simply a bit unfair to the others.
Had it not been the apocalypse, he would never haggle so shamelessly with others, but he had a daughter to provide for, and for his daughter’s sake, he had to do this!
The middle-aged woman thought similarly. Both had relatives—for if they died, the food they received could be left for their loved ones, so neither was willing to compromise.
Even though the others were uncomfortable, looking at the deathly pale faces of the two, which resembled ghosts, they didn’t dare comment further. They finished dividing the items hastily, and the young man carefully placed his and his daughter’s share into her small backpack. Although the bag of rice seemed a lot, after dividing it into fifteen portions, each was very little, barely more than a pound. They had eaten quite a bit of bread and cake, so each person ended up with just a pack, plus another pack of biscuits and instant noodles.
Each person only had a bottle of purified water, with no extras, so they had to use it sparingly, not daring to drink too much.
After dividing the goods, they prepared to hit the road. However, after the danger they’d just experienced, they didn’t dare to set out on their own and wanted to stay with Fang Yuxin and Bai Ye. Seeing that the two seemed to have no intention of leaving immediately, the rest were eager but didn’t dare to urge them.