Apocalyptic Terror

Chapter 9

Rina spoke up first.

"Ethan, you asked me to check on our food situation. We've finished counting. Not including... the meat, we have twenty-two cans, two boxes of crackers, and a bag of flour. There are four pieces of candy and a quart of milk."

Rina carefully opened her hand like she was presenting a treasure, revealing the cheap candies.

Before the apocalypse, these artificial sweets might have been ignored if dropped on the ground. But now, everyone swallowed hard at the sight.

Hearing Rina's report, Ethan's heart sank. He'd expected it, but he was still shocked.

These supplies wouldn't feed the whole group for even a week.

What's more, with his enhanced body needing several times more food than normal, this wouldn't be enough for him to regain full strength.

Lawrence had three dozen men, yet could only find this much. The situation in the whole refuge must be dire.

Seeing Ethan's hesitation, Rina panicked.

She thought he suspected they were hiding food.

"Ethan, we're not lying. This is really all we have. No one dared hide anything. We... we haven't had a full meal in so long..."

Afraid Ethan wouldn't believe her, Rina's voice quavered, near tears.

Though these supplies were pitiful, they weren't even allowed to eat them. They survived on spoiled scraps hidden during supply runs.

Ethan didn't know she hadn't eaten in two days. She had survived on water alone. That almost moldy cracker was her secret stash she couldn't bring herself to eat.

Ethan blinked, realizing Rina's misunderstanding. He sighed inwardly, took a candy, and looked at her seriously.

"I believe you. I'll take some of this, and you can share the rest. I dealt with those two thugs, so you don't need to worry anymore."

He didn't plan to take everything. Ethan needed to get to Steel Haven, and carrying all this would be inconvenient. Once at the refuge, he could get food easily with his abilities.

This was his final act of kindness.

As he finished speaking, everyone's faces changed. Rina went pale.

"Ethan, you mean you're leaving? Did I do something wrong? Please don't go. I don't want you to leave."

Rina grabbed his arm frantically, her eyes pleading. The others also panicked, clearly not expecting Ethan to depart.

For Rina, though she'd only known Ethan for hours, after all they'd been through, he'd become her anchor.

"Mr. Whitman, you can't leave. Are you worried we'll slow you down? We eat very little. Please stay. We'll do anything."

The middle-aged man behind Rina spoke incoherently, his eyes red as he looked at Ethan.

He had planned to ask Ethan to be their leader. Only someone like him could help them survive.

Seeing everyone's distress, even Johanna's daughter crying in fear, Ethan could only smile wryly.

He didn't see them as a burden. But he needed to go to Steel Haven, learn the military's whereabouts from Steel Wolf, and possibly confront them.

"What I need to do next might be very dangerous. It might not be good for you to come with me."

"Dangerous?"

Rina froze. Johanna, holding her child, seemed to realize something and pushed to the front.

"Mr. Whitman, I don't know what you're planning, but if it's dangerous, you'll need weapons."

Johanna took a deep breath, as if making a big decision.

"Remember those weapons Lawrence was asking me about? I know where they're hidden. They're in Steel Haven. If you'll stay, I'll take you to get those weapons. Consider it thanks for saving us."

Everyone looked at Johanna in shock.

Ignoring their surprise, Johanna kept her eyes on Ethan. The weapons' location was crucial—not just for Lawrence, but for the big shots in Steel Haven, too.

Before her husband died, he hid the weapons somewhere in the refuge. She couldn't access them, only keep the secret to protect her daughter. But after all this, she realized she couldn't guard it forever. Better to give them to Ethan than let those scumbags take them. She chose to trust Ethan.

"There are weapons in Steel Haven?"

Ethan paused, his gaze turning serious.

He did need weapons and equipment. In the apocalyptic world, their value was immeasurable. Catching that military squad would be too hard with bare hands.

But with weapons, it would be different.

Especially since these weapons were hidden in the refuge.

After a long moment, Ethan took a deep breath. Meeting their pleading looks, he nodded firmly.

"Alright, I'll take you with me. But honestly, you'll be in danger with me. I can only try my best to protect you."

"Mr. Whitman, don't worry. We understand. We won't be a burden. If we face real danger, we won't blame you even if you have to leave us behind."

With Ethan's agreement, people cheered. Even Rina's pale face broke into a smile.

As the excited crowd dispersed to prepare, Ethan remained much calmer.

Getting those weapons from Steel Haven wouldn't be easy, especially with Lawrence's familiar teams likely still there. Once they realized Lawrence was gone, trouble would follow.

Thinking of Lawrence's men's description of Steel Haven, Ethan prepared for anything.

He turned to Rina, who hadn't left, intending to ask more about the refuge.

"Rina, how well do you know the refuge? Besides Steel Wolf, do you know any other leaders connected to the military?"

Regarding the military that took Anna, Ethan's tone was serious. Though he knew about Steel Wolf's military ties, more options were always better.

"Other groups with military connections? Let me think..."

Rina blinked, looking at him curiously. She could clearly hear Ethan's interest in military information.

"If anyone else has military ties, it's probably the guy called Firearm. He used to be a mechanic. As the apocalypse first hit, he used his factory knowledge to form a group.

"A month ago, when the military passed through, one of their helicopters crashed. They had to stop at Steel Haven to recover. That's when Firearm fixed some of their aircraft.

"I think Firearm, like Steel Wolf, probably met some..."

"A helicopter crashed?"

Before Rina could finish, Ethan's expression changed dramatically. He grabbed her shoulders.

Never having seen Ethan react so intensely, Rina was startled. Seeing his reddened eyes fixed on her, she felt an indescribable pressure that left her breathless.

"Yes... one crashed. What's wrong, Ethan? Did I... did I say something wrong?"

Rina swallowed hard, her mind in chaos. At that moment, Ethan seemed like a wild beast about to pounce.

"Which helicopter? Did you see the tail number? Was there a little girl on board?"