If it was like before, the woman wouldn't bat an eye on a tasteless food like plain biscuits but now she would eat even if expired bread is given to her!
Driven by hunger, the woman devoured the two packets of biscuits in big bites and drank half of the bottled water in one chug, coughing in the midst.
The woman wiped the biscuit crumbs off the corners of her mouth before she looked at person who had given her the food.
Her stomach that had been empty for two days was finally filled and she regained a bit of her lost stamina.
The awful memories of what happened before she ended up in this roof surged in her mind and she couldn't help cover her face and started sobbing loudly.
"There is a fish monster in the water. Your cries might make it come back."
Only after Nanzhi said this that the woman swallowed her cries but her tears kept falling from the corner of her eyes.
She had seen that fish too.
Last night, among the three people who fled from the building, only she managed to escape alive. A giant fish emerged and the other two were dragged to the water and never resurfaced.
If she wasn't skilled in swimming, she might have also lose her life.
Thinking of those horrible people, the rims of her eyes turned red.
The woman had a delicate and charming appearance and when she cried, her looks are capable of invoking pity.
Just then, the woman saw something had fallen onto her lap. It was a pale pink handkerchief.
She looked at Nanzhi, whose eyes were staring elsewhere. She said in a small and shy voice, "Thank you."
The woman wiped of her tears and spoke, "I don't know why you saved me but once we get out here, I'll pay you back."
She didn't recognized Nanzhi at all but why was she kinder to her than her ex-boyfriend who didn't hesitate to sell her for a bottle of water!
"I saved you because you looked like someone I know." Nanzhi replied.
Yu Baoyin.
A month after the encounter with the cannibals, Nanzhi learned her lesson not to travel alone and applied to join a team on her next mission.
At that time, Tier 1 to Tier 3 monsters had become rampant and plants also started to mutate turning into predators.
Awakeners also started to be in the limelight.
But joining a team of awakeners was very difficult if you're a non-awakener. She was treated as a burden.
Nanzhi understand this and told them that she will be responsible for her life.
She just wanted to survive. Every place that can be looted near the base had been emptied and if she doesn't go on the mission and earn points, she could only wait to starve to death.
Robbers and lone alien beast least likely to target teams and Nanzhi was aiming for that in exchange for 50% of her contribution points.
Even though she had cut her hair and dressed as a man, and change her voice, mimicking a man's as well, those team of awakeners actually said, "Why would you risk your life? You look young, if you find a sponsor in the base; surely you'll live well for at least a month. Ha ha ha."
"Hey, rather than find someone else, how about serve us brothers instead! We'll treat you really well! Ha ha ha!"
Because there was a policy preventing base residents from harming the awakeners, Nanzhi suppressed her emotions from hacking those people's mouth.
Even if she's at her lowest, she will not sell her body and soul!
She found other teams but got rejected too.
With her future very bleak, she had no choice but to gamble.
She went ahead and accepted a gathering mission and didn't expect to run into the same group of people.
Knowing she was alone, these people actually wanted to capture her.
Nanzhi run for her life but she was no match for their enhanced physiques.
In her desperate moment, she broke free and run to a Tier 2 Alien Beasts territory.
Those people were afraid and didn't chase her anymore.
Nanzhi fought for her life and barely clung onto it. She dragged her tired and injured body back to the base but midway, she collapsed.
Yu Baoyin together with her team members found her and brought her to another base and seeing she was tactful, quiet, and knows a little about mutated plants and basic medical treatment, Nanzhi was accepted into the group.
They shared many life and death moments together until the day before she died. Nanzhi didn't know how Yu Baoyin had fared after. She just hoped that this girl didn't recklessly avenge her death.
Those people are not easy to be trifled with.
After reminiscing, Nanzhi leaned on the chimney and glanced at her past teammate.
Although Yu Baoyin was very chatty, there had never been a time where she shared what happened to her in the early days of the disaster and whenever Nanzhi asked, Yu Baoyin would avoid it.
As a respect, she didn't ask again.
Yu Baoyin sniffled.
During the storm, she despised her looks.
Because of it, she became a target for those perverts but now she didn't expect her face would be the one saving her in the end, too.
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"My name is Yu Baoyin. My mother calls me Jade. You can call me that too." Yu Baoyin squeezed a smile, revealing the two dimples on her cheeks, making her lovelier.
Lu Nanzhi heard it and hummed. Baoyin also said the same thing in the past.
Nanzhi's hum alone already made Yu Baoyin very satisfied but she didn't expect to receive a proper response.
"Lu Nanzhi."
Yu Baoyin was a bubbly girl and even when she experienced something horrible, she still keep a positive outlook in life. That was her main strength.
Yu Baoyin inched herself closer to Nanzhi and said, "Our age doesn't seem to be too far. Can I call you Sister Nan?"
Nanzhi was about to reply when both heard something.