Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 58: High Temperature, Trade 2

’Right, I can also make some more mung bean soup and iced sweet dumplings.’

The ingredients in her space were abundant, almost untouched. Evelyn Ford decided to prepare enough cooked food to last for a year or two.

That evening, just as Evelyn Ford finished cleaning the kitchen, there was a knock on her door. It was a good thing she had moved the air conditioner into her bedroom. The living room remained hot, so when she opened the door, a blast of cold air wouldn’t escape—something she’d have a hard time explaining.

Quincy stood in the hallway. His face was crudely bandaged, making him look utterly ridiculous.

"You actually look like this?" Quincy said, his face a mask of disbelief upon seeing Evelyn Ford’s.

"Hearing your voice, I thought you’d be really ugly. Sorry, that’s not what I meant. I mean, from your voice, I thought you’d look pretty average. It’s just so deep, more masculine than mine. I never expected you to be so beautiful. Are you a celebrity or an internet influencer or something?"

"What do you want?" Evelyn Ford asked, crossing her arms and looking at him coldly.

"I came to ask you, when are you going to get those things?"

Evelyn Ford was silent for a few seconds. "You tell me where her place is. I’ll go by myself."

Quincy thought he must have misheard. "You’re not taking me with you?"

"Didn’t you injure your foot? You want to slow me down?"

"But... what if you get the stuff and then go back on your word?"

Evelyn Ford scoffed. "I wouldn’t stoop to ripping you off. But if you’re lying to me, you might as well start digging your own grave."

"I never lie." Faced with Evelyn Ford’s distrust, Quincy was both angry and helpless.

In the end, he gave Evelyn Ford the address. He knew he would only be a burden, so it was best for her to go alone.

Back in her apartment, Evelyn Ford started packing her gear. ’Sleeping by day and active by night... my schedule is pretty much the same as a bat’s now,’ she thought.

The address Quincy had given her was quite far; it would take three or four hours just to walk there and back. Evelyn Ford changed into a pair of combat boots. They were hard and thick, and she slipped a thin board under the insole to protect against stepping on any more nails or rebar.

After bundling up tightly, Evelyn Ford grabbed her keys and backpack and headed out the door.

She left at 9:30 PM and didn’t reach her destination until 11:30 PM. Staring up at the high-rise apartment building, Evelyn Ford wiped the sweat from her face with a tissue. ’The twenty-second floor... this is going to kill me.’

A team from Wyrmrest Base had already searched this area. It had been picked clean, you could say. Other than some large pieces of furniture, anything that could be moved had been taken.

Evelyn Ford headed straight for the twenty-second floor. Her legs were trembling, and her head was starting to feel fuzzy. She’d wipe the sweat from her forehead, only for it to start dripping again. Her clothes stuck to her skin, an incredibly uncomfortable feeling.

The door had been torn from its hinges, and the floor was so filthy and cluttered there was barely a place to stand.

Evelyn Ford rested at the doorway for two minutes before carefully stepping around the filth on the floor and making her way to the kitchen.

After moving two large refrigerators, Evelyn Ford felt along the wall. She took out a small knife, made two cuts, and tore away the wallpaper. A small door appeared before her. It had three combination locks and was made of thick iron. Evelyn Ford sighed, took some tools out of her space, and started to pry the locks open.

’High-end combination locks often yield to the simplest, most brutish methods.’

Twenty minutes later, the secret room’s door opened. It was less of a room and more of a small chamber, about five square meters.

There wasn’t much inside, but just as Quincy had said, it was all weapons.

This trip wasn’t a waste. Evelyn Ford decided she’d give Quincy a bigger share.

She stored everything in her space without lingering and left immediately.

On the way back, Evelyn Ford encountered two vultures. Dawn was approaching, and they were out hunting for food.

They seemed not to have found prey in a long time, excitedly flapping their wings and circling above. Listening to their sharp cries, Evelyn Ford stealthily retrieved a crossbow from her space.

Animals have a keen sense for danger. The instant Evelyn Ford raised the crossbow, the two vultures suddenly dove at her. Unflustered, Evelyn Ford quickly fired a Crossbow Arrow. After a few real battles, her accuracy was now at one hundred percent.

The Crossbow Arrow pierced one vulture’s abdomen. The pain made it let out a sharper, more piercing shriek. But Evelyn Ford didn’t get off easy either; the vulture’s talons raked across her shoulder and arm, leaving several gashes deep enough to reveal bone.

Evelyn Ford rolled into the sandy dirt, taking cover behind a rock. She had hit both vultures with an arrow, but a single shot wouldn’t be enough to kill them. She had to find the right moment to counter-attack.

Blood was pouring from her wounds. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Evelyn Ford fired another Crossbow Arrow in the nick of time. As the vulture crashed to the ground, she pulled out her combat knife, lunged forward, and decapitated it with a swift motion.

A gust of wind blew past. Evelyn Ford lay in the sand, the two vultures now dead beside her. Her vision was blurry. Sweat soaked the sand, and blood still trickled from her wounds. The stinging pain from the scratches was turning into a dull numbness.

’I really have to thank Officer Graham. If it weren’t for all the speed training I did with him, I would’ve been a goner tonight.’

’In the end, I’m just an ordinary person.’

’The kind who gets scared and wants to retreat every time danger strikes, but has no choice but to push through, breaking my own limits time and again, just struggling to survive one crisis after another.’

Evelyn Ford’s hands were shaking violently, and a dull ache throbbed in her chest. When the vulture had clawed her, its wing had also slammed into her. Just that one hit felt like it had knocked all her internal organs out of place.

She took a handful of painkillers from her space and swallowed them all at once. A suppressed cough escaped through her fingers.

Once the pain subsided a little, she struggled to her feet and continued on her way, leaning on a hiking pole.

The two vultures had cost her a lot of time. Fortunately, the sky hadn’t fully brightened by the time she got back.

"You’re finally back." Quincy had been pacing in the tenth-floor hallway. He was startled when she suddenly appeared.

"What are you doing here?"

Quincy huffed. "What do you think? I was worried about you. Wait, are you hurt?"

Evelyn Ford waved her hand, stopping him from grabbing at her arm.

"It’s a small wound. Why aren’t you asking about the stuff?"

Quincy shook his head. "The fact that you could get it at all means you’re incredible. Anyway, right now I just want you to be alive. We’ve known each other for a bit, after all. Your life is more important than that stuff."

Evelyn Ford looked at him, speechless.

"I got the stuff. But I need to go home and treat my wounds first. I’ll bring your share over later."

Evelyn Ford glanced at his sweat-drenched appearance and waved a hand at him. "Go back and rest. Don’t just stand here."

Quincy nodded. "Okay, you go treat your wounds and get some rest. I’m not in a hurry. Oh, by the way, Mr. Graham and the others are back. He told me that once my injuries are a bit better, I can go out with him to look for supplies."

Evelyn Ford nodded to show she understood. After opening the door and going back inside, she quickly treated her wounds. Looking at the gashes in the mirror, Evelyn Ford once again felt lucky to be alive.