11: Chapter 11 Waiting for an opportunity!

Day five, noon.

Lin Yuan opened his eyes and looked at the two sisters sleeping soundly beside him.

Ye Qingyue's complexion looked much better.

Although she was still somewhat pale, at least it was no longer that deathly white.

Her breathing had also stabilized.

Ye Qingxue was leaning against the headboard with her eyes closed, seemingly resting.

But Lin Yuan knew she wasn't asleep.

He could tell from her slightly furrowed brows and the occasional trembling of her eyelashes.

Lin Yuan got up quietly.

He walked to the corner and opened the worn-out plastic storage bin.

It was completely empty.

The two bottles of mineral water and three packs of compressed biscuits he gave the sisters yesterday...

...were his last supplies.

Now, there was nothing left.

The water was gone.

The food was gone.

Antidote?

The antidote was indeed infinite.

But that stuff couldn't be eaten as a meal.

Lin Yuan took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He calculated in his mind.

Normally, an adult male can last about five to seven days without eating anything at all.

But that was assuming there was water.

Without water...

...three days at most.

And now it was the Apocalypse.

The temperature was extremely low, over forty degrees below zero.

Even hiding indoors, the room temperature was only minus ten-odd degrees.

To maintain body temperature, the body would consume more energy.

Lin Yuan did an estimation.

He originally had three packs of compressed biscuits, which could have lasted two days.

But they were all eaten yesterday.

Which meant that from now on...

...on his own, he could last two to three days at most.

And Ye Qingxue and Ye Qingyue?

Their constitutions were weaker than his.

Moreover, they were infected with snow poison; although the antidote had controlled it, their bodies were still in the recovery phase.

They probably wouldn't even last two days.

If all three were together...

...everyone would starve to death.

Lin Yuan walked to the window, pulled back a corner of the worn-out curtain, and looked out.

The world outside the window was a blanket of silvery white.

The snow was still falling.

There was no sign of it stopping.

The snow on the streets had already piled up over a meter deep.

The entire urban village was deathly silent.

Lin Yuan's gaze shifted downward.

Downstairs.

He saw a... monster.

It was a wild dog.

At least, it used to be a wild dog.

Now its body had doubled in size, most of its fur had fallen off, revealing the dark red muscle underneath.

Its eyes had turned an eerie scarlet.

Drool dripped from its mouth as it constantly sniffed at something in the snow.

mutant creature.

Lin Yuan had seen reports on the news as early as the second day.

Some animals, after coming into contact with the snow poison, didn't die but instead underwent mutations.

Becoming stronger, more ferocious, and more... bloodthirsty.

Driven by hunger, these mutant creatures would attack any living thing.

Including humans.

Lin Yuan withdrew his gaze and let go of the curtain.

Go out to scavenge for supplies?

The mortality rate was too high.

That Mutated Wild Dog was still roaming downstairs.

And who knew how many more of those things were on the road.

Not to mention, in temperatures of forty-odd degrees below zero, an ordinary person would get frostbite in less than ten minutes outside.

Lin Yuan silently calculated the risks in his mind.

Going out to scavenge, the mortality rate was at least 50%.

Wasn't this just pure suicide?

Anyway, unless he was ninety-nine percent certain, Lin Yuan would never take the risk.

Unless it was a life-or-death situation.

And even if he successfully scavenged some supplies, it would only last a few more days.

It wasn't worth it.

It was far too costly.

He decided not to risk going out for the time being.

Unless...

...unless it was absolutely necessary.

Lin Yuan turned around and looked at the two sisters on the bed.

Ye Qingxue opened her eyes.

She stared at Lin Yuan with a complex look in her eyes.

There was fear, vigilance, humiliation, and also... a trace of imperceptible reliance?

"The water and food... they're all gone, aren't they?"

Ye Qingxue's voice was very soft.

It carried a rasp.

Lin Yuan nodded, not denying it.

"Yeah, gone."

Ye Qingxue bit her lip.

She was silent for a few seconds, then asked tentatively: "Then... can we... could we..."

"Could you what?"

"Could you... let us go?"

When Ye Qingxue said this, her eyes stared straight at Lin Yuan.

"I can give you money. A lot of money."

"My father is the chairman of the Ye Group. As long as you let us go back, I promise to give you a large sum of money. One million? No, five million! It's enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life!"

Her voice grew more urgent as she spoke.

"And my father knows many people; he has connections and resources! In the Apocalypse, these are the most important things, right? As long as you let us go, I promise not to hold you accountable for... what you did to us. We can act as if nothing ever happened!"

After listening, Lin Yuan let out a cold laugh.

"Do you think that given your current state, you could even make it to your house?"

"I... we can call someone to come pick us up..."

"The phone is dead."

Lin Yuan interrupted her, "And with the way things are outside now, do you think your father's people could even get here?"

Ye Qingxue was speechless.

She of course knew it was difficult.

But she still wanted to try.

"We can wait... wait for the weather to get better, wait for it to be safer outside..."

"By the time that happens, you'll have long since starved to death."

Lin Yuan's voice was calm, but every word stabbed into Ye Qingxue's heart like a knife.

"I doubt you could even make it out of the building."

"You saw outside the window just now, didn't you? Those mutant creatures specifically hunt living humans."

"You two girls lack the physical strength, speed, and combat ability."

"Going out means death."

Ye Qingxue fell silent.

Because what Lin Yuan said was the truth.

She had also seen outside the window.

She had seen those terrifying creatures roaming in the snow.

She had seen the ice-sculpture-like corpses scattered everywhere.

This world...

...was no longer the world she knew.

Just then, Ye Qingyue moved on the bed and opened her eyes.

She looked much better.

At least she had the strength to open her eyes.

"Sis..."

Ye Qingyue called out weakly.

Ye Qingxue immediately turned around and grasped her sister's hand.

"Qingyue, you're awake? How do you feel?"

"I... I feel much better..."

Ye Qingyue's voice was very soft, but it was much stronger than yesterday.

"It's just... I'm still a bit cold... and a bit hungry..."

"Endure it for a bit, Big Sister will find a way..."

As Ye Qingxue said this, her tears nearly fell.

What way?

What way did she have?

Ye Qingyue looked at her sister, then at Lin Yuan standing by the window.

She seemed to sense the unusual atmosphere.

"Sis, when... when can we go home?"

Her voice carried an innocent confusion.

As if she were just asking a very simple question.

Ye Qingxue and Lin Yuan exchanged a glance.

Neither of them spoke.

Go home?

How?

Ye Qingyue noticed her sister's evasive gaze, and a sense of unease rose in her heart.

"Sis... is it... is it that we can't go back?"

Ye Qingxue grit her teeth, trying hard to control her emotions.

"We will go back, Qingyue. Big Sister will definitely take you back."

But these words were spoken with so little conviction.

She didn't even believe it herself.

Lin Yuan looked at the pair of sisters and spoke calmly.

"It's too dangerous outside."

He walked to the bedside, his tone still cool.

"Going out means death."

"The only thing we can do now is wait."

"Wait for the number of mutant creatures outside to decrease."

"Wait for the weather to improve slightly."

"Or..."

Lin Yuan paused, looked at the sisters, and said meaningfully:

"Or think of another way."

He didn't finish his sentence.

But that look made Ye Qingxue instantly understand his meaning.

Another way.

What way?

What other way could there be?

Ye Qingxue gripped her sister's hand tightly, her nails digging into her palm.

Lin Yuan turned and walked back to the window, continuing to observe the situation outside.

The room fell into silence.

There was only the sound of the wind and snow howling outside.

Looking at her sister's weak face, Ye Qingxue felt as if her heart were being wrenched.

She remembered what Lin Yuan had said to her last night.

"I want you to be willing."

She knew then that this man wouldn't let them go easily.

And now...

...the supplies were all gone.

All three of them would starve to death.

Unless...

Ye Qingxue didn't dare think any further.

She closed her eyes, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

Lin Yuan stood by the window, watching the snow outside.

He was waiting.

Waiting for them to despair.

Waiting for them to break.

Waiting for them to take the initiative and compromise.

Time was on his side.

Hunger was also on his side.

And he still had the antidote to sustain his life.

Although the antidote couldn't be used as food, it could at least maintain basic life functions.

He held an antidote in his mouth; the faint medicinal effect circulated through his body, barely suppressing the feeling of hunger.

Ye Qingxue and Ye Qingyue didn't have this luxury.

They would only grow weaker and weaker.

More and more despairing.

By then... a cold sneer curled at the corners of Lin Yuan's mouth.