April Jones emerged from the blue membrane, jumping back into her home. A black cat approached and meowed, "Meow~."

April Jones proudly said, "Cola, look what I found! A pack of cookies, unopened! I'm the best!"

Although April Jones had teleportation abilities, she didn't have any combat skills. The outside world was too dangerous, and she didn't dare to wander around. Her situation was actually quite dire. She managed to have some food, but it was challenging to feel full.

The black cat, Cola, rubbed against her legs with its tail up before lazily lying on the floor, seemingly uninterested in the cookies. Cola didn't lack food. The cat food had spoiled, but April Jones had stocked up on canned cat food during last year's shopping sprees, which was still edible. As a result, the black cat had no interest in cookies.

During her hungriest moments, April Jones had relied on cat food to survive, much to Cola's displeasure. This two-legged creature was so foolish! Couldn't even hunt!

April Jones took out a pack of disposable rubber gloves from the freezer, donned a new pair, and used scissors to make a small opening in the cookie packaging. She took out half, then immediately resealed the package with a simple heat sealer and placed it back in the freezer. This practice minimized bacterial contamination, slightly extending the shelf life of opened food. It was safe for at least 8 hours, but beyond that, she couldn't be sure.

With that, she happily began munching on the cookies. Previously scorned for their high sugar and fat content, these cookies had become priceless delicacies.

April Jones lay comfortably on her bed. "Cookies are so yummy!"

After resting a bit, she checked the freezer again, worriedly telling Cola, "We only have two sausage links, a pack of instant noodles, and half a pack of cookies left. We'll have to find more food, but it's getting tougher to find anything now."

The black cat didn't even raise its head, "Meow~."

I've got enough to eat, just don't steal my food.

April Jones pondered for a moment, "I believe Emma's house should still have food, but it was too dark tonight for me to stay long. I'll go back during the day for a more thorough search."

April Jones decided to search around the building. Even if she couldn't find an opportunity, she'd locate an unoccupied room and teleport in to scavenge for food.

The black cat lazily flicked its tail.

Grasping her twin tails, April Jones pondered aloud, "It should be okay. It's a residential building over there, so it shouldn't be too chaotic."

She shivered at the memory of the chaos she had witnessed in Sam's Club Plaza just yesterday. The last time she had been scared off by the large ginger cat from there, she had gritted her teeth and gone back again, only to stumble upon a group of survivors heading the same way. When she landed, someone threatened her with a knife and robbed her of her backpack, leaving her with nothing.

The memory still made April Jones shudder. "Right, tomorrow I should disguise myself a bit, make myself look older, and wear Mom's old clothes so I won't catch anyone's attention!"

Tugging at her hair, April Jones planned, "And if I find clean water, I must bring it back. With the water and gas out, we'll have to rely on bottled water."

The black cat was almost asleep.

April Jones felt her responsibility heavily, resolutely nodding, "Don't worry, Cola, I can manage it!"

...

At Sam's Club Plaza.

Anna Karenina and her brother hid in a deserted baby food store. In the darkness, she checked her phone once more, feeling despair. "No signal! Why is there no signal at all?"

Jackie Won nervously eyed the outside. "Keep your voice down! Don't let that cat hear us!"

Anna Karenina shivered. Ever since the ginger cat appeared, it hadn't left. It seemed to treat humans like mice, playing with them in the dark plaza as its playground. At least several hundred people were trapped inside the store. Anyone attempting to escape was killed by the ginger cat.

Even more worrisome was hunger; those who came seeking food found little, if any, sustenance; not even water. The whole place was filled with thirsty, starving survivors. Besides the siblings, two other groups were hiding in the store: a couple in a corner, with the woman gravely ill after being bitten by a large mosquito, her face swollen, suffering from fever and chills with dangerously high body temperature. The other group consisted of three young men, one of whom was deeply dehydrated after trying to drink some tap water and had been unconscious ever since.

Anna Karenina was parched, looking at the food photos James Lon had previously sent in their group chat, and began crying. "Why! Why won't he save me? Why give food to those lowly women! I'm supposed to be his girlfriend!"

In the dark, a man growled, "Shut up! If you want to die, go somewhere else; don't drag us down! You there, shut your woman up, or I'll kill you!"

"Don't be mad, Boss!" Jackie Won nervously placated, urgently addressing Anna Karenina, "Sis, stop crying! Please, stop!"

Anna Karenina, overwhelmed by her emotions, continued sobbing. Jackie Won, terrified, slapped her across the face. Slap!

Stunned, Anna Karenina looked at her brother, "Did you hit me?"

Jackie Won, in a fury, "Stop wailing! You'll get us all killed! Do you want to bring that cat here?"

He hit me too! Anna Karenina felt so wronged she wanted to die but dared not continue crying. She stared hopelessly into the darkness in front of her. It was all James Lon's fault! If he hadn't refused to give me food, I wouldn't be in such a dire state, regardless of the breakup. How could you be so heartless! Isn't it your fault we broke up anyway? Why couldn't you be more ambitious!

...

James Lon, using his sense of awareness, descended the stairs step by step. There wasn't a single survivor on his way down until he reached the 24th floor, where he "saw" a group of people sleeping in the hallway. No one dared separate; they huddled together. It was very dark with only faint moonlight seeping through. Most people were asleep, while a few were whispering among themselves. Upon seeing James Lon approach, they stood up warily. They recognized this convenience store clerk; just a few days ago, he had casually killed the robust Zhou Tianhao—definitely someone not to mess with.

Banging his fist heavily on the fire door, James Lon announced, "Starting now, I'm the building manager here. Who agrees, who opposes?"

The crowd's expressions changed. They were all displeased, but no one dared voice opposition. Looking over the group, James Lon observed that their auras had shifted from yellow to a faint red: "Seems like many of you have opinions. Speak up now, if you do..."

Yet still, nobody spoke. Not even the sturdier men dared make a move. Knowing they were no match for Hawson Wer , they wouldn't provoke James Lon.

Then, a middle-aged woman stood up and said, "In that case, I think there should be a vote..."

Slap! James Lon's left hand swung out, twisting the woman's neck like a pretzel, sending her spinning mid-air before she landed heavily on the ground, unmoving.

James Lon grinned charmingly, "Oh~ you actually spoke up."

Everyone inhaled sharply.