Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

”That woman, Meng Lanfang, cheated on your uncle with her boss while they were still married. When your uncle found out and wanted a divorce, she was completely unrepentant. She even got her friends to go to your uncle’s company and cause a scene twice.”

”Your uncle’s boss got so fed up with the hassle that your uncle had no choice but to resign.”

”You all know what happened after that. Your uncle opened a small auto parts and repair shop, washing and fixing cars for people. He managed to get by.”

”Meng Lanfang cheated, yet she had the audacity to cause a scene at Uncle’s company?” This was a real eye-opener for Xie Ning.

”Yes. At the time, she was trying to fight your uncle for custody of Kexin.” At the mention of this, Song You’ai and He Shuping seethed with hatred.

”Right when your uncle was starting his business, Meng Lanfang took Kexin with her when she remarried into the Huang Family.”

”And here’s where it gets infuriating. That woman fought to have Kexin by her side, but she didn’t even take proper care of her. It was only because she wanted to find a playmate for the Huang Family’s frail and sickly daughter.”

”According to the agreement at the time, we had arranged with that woman that the child had to be brought back to stay with your uncle for a few days every other week.”

”But then Meng Lanfang claimed she was taking the child abroad for a while—a blatant lie—and wouldn’t let us see Kexin.”

”It wasn’t until three months later that we finally saw the child in the People’s Hospital, covered in injuries.”

Wiping her tears, Old Mrs. Song went into the bedroom and came back with a square tin box, placing it in front of Xie Ning and the others.

Everyone gathered around.

The tin box opened, revealing several photos.

A five-year-old Song Kexin, with gauze taped to her forehead and the corner of her mouth, her face a patchwork of bruises, stared into the camera with terrified eyes.

Ji Taixian reached out, picked up one of the photos, and ground his teeth in anger. ”Who did this?”

”Kexin was too young to explain clearly at the time. Based on her fragmented words, we inferred that it was Meng Lanfang who did it.”

Old Mrs. Song was so angry her tears wouldn’t stop falling. ”To curry favor with that stepdaughter from the Huang family, she tormented her own daughter relentlessly. I remember one thing very clearly: back then, Kexin had to accompany the Huang family’s daughter to the hospital for injections every three days.”

”Kexin has been strong since she was little, healthy as a young ox. She wasn’t sick at all, but Meng Lanfang forced her to get injections with the Huang family’s daughter. Tell me, is that something a real mother would do?”

It was utterly shocking. To think such a cruel mother could even exist.

Listening to the story, everyone gritted their teeth and clenched their fists.

Song Shijun exploded in anger. ”That wicked woman! How dare she show her face to my sister, calling herself ’Mommy’ and all that. It’s disgusting!”

”We may be ordinary people, but the police filed a report and treated it as a child abuse case. If it went through the proper channels, even the powerful and wealthy Huang Family would have been in deep trouble.”

”The Huang Family was afraid of their reputation being ruined, so they wanted to settle with us privately.”

”In order to get custody of Kexin back, your uncle had to swallow his pride and endure it.”

”That’s right. At the time, that Meng Lanfang was still clinging to Kexin and refused to let go,” He Shuping said angrily. ”But after that, there was no way we would let her keep the child. The hospital gave us official proof, and several kind-hearted doctors and nurses said they would testify for us.”

”The police also warned Meng Lanfang repeatedly that if this went to court, the Huang Family would undoubtedly lose! They told her she would face legal consequences.”

”That woman got scared right away and finally agreed to give up custody of Kexin. The Huang Family also said they would pay 30,000 yuan in compensation.”

”Over ten years ago, 30,000 yuan was no small sum for a working-class family.”

”Your uncle never touched that money. He was waiting for Kexin to get older to transfer it to her as spending money.”

”I don’t know if Kexin ever spent it. It’s useless now, though.”

”I didn’t spend it, Auntie.” Song Kexin descended the stairs step by step, her face devoid of any emotion.

”Whoa, you successfully advanced to Third Rank!” Song Shijun jumped up and looked Song Kexin up and down, then pouted with a mock-unhappy expression. ”You’re stronger than me now!”

Song Kexin rolled her eyes at him. ”Remember when you skipped a grade past me to become a high school senior? I beat you up for it. Me being Third Rank while you’re Second Order is the natural order of things. If I were Second Order and you were Third Rank, you’d be asking for a beating!”

Song Shijun: ”...”

’Such a heartless sister.’

Xie Ning patted Song Kexin’s hand.

’Gotta beat up your annoying little brother while you can. When they get too tall, it’s harder to land a hit.’

”Don’t worry about me, everyone.” Song Kexin sat down next to Xie Ning and smiled, her face transformed. ”As long as I’m strong like my cousin, no one in this world will be able to bully me!”

”Xinxin’s right.” Ji Taixian nodded emphatically. ”Don’t worry, Xinxin. The whole family is on your side. Do what you think is right. Don’t be afraid even if you stir up trouble.”

Song Kexin’s gloomy mood vanished. She smiled, nodded, and looked at her worried father. ”Dad, I’m not a five-year-old anymore. Don’t worry. They can’t bully the person I am now.”

”Alright! To celebrate the official formation of our Starfire Team, let’s have a special meal tonight!”

”Grandma’s braised pork belly!”

”I want stir-fried squid!”

”Stir-fry your head! Where are we going to find squid now?”

Xie Ning silently took out several frozen packages: squid, razor clam meat, baby octopus, surf clams, cod, and large shrimp—she had it all.

This was all from the six entire freezer chests she and her mom had emptied at the Ai Jia Supermarket at the very beginning.

Xie Ning had discovered long ago.

The freezers placed inside the villa stayed frozen even without electricity.

This meant she didn’t have to worry about expiration dates for anything stored in her Space.

Even if something was stored for three, five, or seven years, the moment it was taken out of the portable villa, it would be in the exact same state as when it went in.

Song You’ai and He Shuping looked at each other, dismayed. ”This is all seafood?”

The two ladies were fine with simple home cooking, but asking them to level up to a seafood challenge was a bit... too much for them.

”We need to find a chef who knows how to cook seafood...” He Shuping covered her face.

”Ask me!” Housekeeper Xiao Huzi stepped forward with a smile. ”I can cook anything. It’s just seafood. Give me an hour, and it’ll be ready.”

A look of pleasant surprise on her face, He Shuping followed him. ”Housekeeper Youen, we can help you with prep work and learn a thing or two.”

”Is this enough?” Xie Ning continued to pull out an endless stream of goods from the freezer.

”Enough, enough, this is more than enough. Aren’t we still having the braised pork belly?”

”That would be perfect for pork buns.”

Xie Ning nodded. ”Eat up. Tomorrow we’re going on a mission to earn Contribution Points. You guys can decide who goes. There are nineteen people in our team. I’ll take eight with me tomorrow. The rest will stay here and guard the base.”

”Me, me, me! Take me!”

A clamor arose as everyone raised their hands, all of them wanting to go out of the base for a look around.

Xie Ning acted as a hands-off manager, letting them assign the spots themselves. As long as she had eight people to set out with tomorrow, she didn’t care.

Song You’ai said with a smile, ”I won’t go tomorrow. I’ll go to the market and see how many Contribution Points I can earn selling ice for a day.”