January 16
The kitchen was full of smoke.
Kyoko was cooking on a gas stove, using propane tanks she had taken from nearby apartments. She did not dare store too many at once—one tank at a time was enough. Yesterday's gas explosion had been lesson enough. The surfaces of the nearby buildings were still pitted and scarred from it.
Since the range hood had no electricity, it was useless, and the whole kitchen was hazy with smoke. On a rack beside her, Kyoko had lined up all the seasonings she had scavenged. As for cooking oil, after previously using edible oil to burn infected, she had now brought back several unopened jugs from other people's homes.
Before Huaxiu woke up, Kyoko had carefully planned out a recovery diet for her, only for the system to bluntly inform her afterward that Huaxiu could eat normally.
So much for that effort.
Still, it was not a total loss. At least it spared her from fussing over all the details. Now all she had to do was make sure Huaxiu ate well. And where had all these ingredients come from?
Naturally, Kyoko had spent a small fortune buying them from the system shop.
She washed the ingredients, thawed the fresh food, mixed the sauces, and set out the plates.
Oil crackled in the pan.
When the temperature was right, she added the aromatics, poured in the sauce, then slid in the main ingredients.
By the time she pushed aside the kitchen curtain with the final dish finished, the table outside was already covered in food—some of it made from ingredients that would have been almost impossible to find in the apocalypse.
The last dish, braised shrimp, was done. White steam rolled out with her, and the rich smell of food drifted all through the living room.
"Dinner's ready! Huaxiu, go wash your hands!"
"Okay, Kyoko, I'll be right there."
Because Kyoko had not yet completed the water storage system, all the water they were using now came from non-potable freshwater she had found in other residents' homes. She had purified it by boiling it, collecting the steam, and condensing it again. For now, that was their household water supply.
A pot of cooked rice porridge sat alongside an extravagant spread: fish and shrimp from the water, lamb and beef from the land, potatoes from the soil, eggplants from the trellis, crisp white radishes. Eight dishes in total, plus the staple food, crowded the table. At first glance, it seemed like an impossible amount for two people to finish.
In reality, with bodies already strengthened by the virus, it was hardly a challenge.
Even before the apocalypse, this would have counted as a fine meal. In times like these, it was almost unthinkable.
Huaxiu stared at the feast in disbelief. Being able to eat like this in the apocalypse—was that even real? She was full of questions, but Kyoko was not explaining, so Huaxiu wisely kept quiet.
Children who asked too many questions tended to make themselves annoying.
Meals should be eaten in silence. Chew slowly. Don't talk with your mouth full. That was the proper way to eat.
In her previous life, Kyoko had gone through school under conditions that practically challenged human biology—ten minutes to line up, get food, eat, walk back, maybe use the bathroom if you were lucky. Even doubling that time would barely have been enough. After three years of middle school and three years of high school like that, it had been no surprise when she developed stomach problems.
Having learned her lesson, the Kyoko of this life had chosen a far more comfortable way of living: no rushing, no scrambling, no fighting, just freedom.
By high school, she had completely let herself go. Advancement, jobs, romance—those things could all go to hell.
The lamb soup tasted excellent with the radish, though Kyoko skimmed off some of the fat with a strainer. The braised vegetables were too sweet; she had definitely overdone the sugar.
They did not linger over the meal. In just over half an hour, the table was reduced to scraps.
Cooking it had taken Kyoko more than three hours.
After eating, Huaxiu firmly forbade Kyoko from standing up. Cleaning up was now her job. Sitting on the sofa, Kyoko felt that life was actually pretty wonderful. Did this not count as happiness?
A capable wife—Huaxiu.
A harmonious household.
A stable life.
A steady job—going out to scavenge.
Friendly neighbors—well, the neighbors had become infected, but their belongings were now in Kyoko's house, so that still counted for something.
Thinking about it that way, apart from the lack of internet, life had not changed all that much.
The infected crisis had eased for the moment. It was a rare stretch of peace.
There was not even a shadow downstairs now. Any infected cries came only from other apartment buildings nearby.
As she organized her equipment, Kyoko kept wavering over whether or not to buy the exoskeleton still sitting in the system shop.
Single-Soldier Tactical Exoskeleton:
Fully functional, equipped with a tactical support AI, ergonomically designed to enhance carrying capacity, and protected by aluminum alloy armor over the whole body. Its only weakness was battery life: lithium-sulfur batteries provided 10 hours in power-saving mode, 6 hours in balanced mode, and 4 hours in performance mode. Charging specs: 32Ah battery capacity, 60V output.
Price: 12,500 points
Time remaining: 4 days
The problem was simple: she had no way to charge it.
Their solar setup barely produced enough electricity for the drone and the building's lighting. Spending such a huge chunk of points on something she could not reliably power felt reckless. At the moment, the exoskeleton was exactly the kind of thing that was hard to justify buying but equally hard to give up on.
She sighed.
Fine. She would decide by January 20. Four more days to think.
Just then, a loud rumbling came from outside, mechanical and heavy.
Her thoughts jumped instantly to the fighter jet from yesterday. Could it be that the human military's counteroffensive had finally reached this area?
"Could it be the army? Is the steel tide rolling back in? Huaxiu, hurry, let's go look!"
"Coming! Slow down, Kyoko!"
Kyoko dragged Huaxiu up to the rooftop to check. There was nothing on the ground, so it had to be in the sky—maybe helicopters.
She craned her neck upward, but thick clouds smeared over the sky and visibility was terrible. She could hear the aircraft, but she could not see them.
"Huaxiu, do you see anything?"
Huaxiu shook her head. She saw nothing either.
Still unconvinced, Kyoko pulled out her monocular and searched for the aircraft. But the roaring overhead was already moving farther away.
Just as the two of them, disappointed, were about to head back downstairs, a gap opened in the clouds in the distance.
Now they could see them clearly without any binoculars at all.
A formation of CH-47JA Chinook transport helicopters and OH-1 light attack helicopters circled in the air—around twenty of them in all. They did not stop here. Instead, they continued flying northeast.
"They're not here to rescue us? Why didn't they notice the huge SOS on our roof?"
"Maybe they've got another mission. Besides, even if they were here to take us away, I'd be reluctant to leave everything behind. Especially my lovely Huaxiu."
"Stop it! Don't pinch my face!"
"Huaxiu, look! What's that?"
Kyoko saw something drop from one of the helicopters. She quickly raised the monocular again. Through the circular opening below, boxy shapes with parachutes were descending slowly.
Airdrops.
And not just one.
The nearest one was falling toward—
Damn it.
Near Kyoko's old high school.
"Huaxiu, that drop is really close to us!"
"Kyoko… are you thinking of going after it?"
Huaxiu looked worried. There was nothing in the house they urgently needed. If Kyoko succeeded in retrieving the airdrop, it would just be a bonus. But if anything happened to her…
Huaxiu did not even want to imagine it.
"I know the route really well. On foot it's just over twenty minutes. Round trip, I should be back in two hours."
"Do you really have to go?"
"I want to see what the surviving government is dropping. There might be something important—vaccines, current information, who knows. Don't worry. I'll come back safe."
Huaxiu hesitated.
"Then… can I come too?"
"You stay here. Help me tune the radio first. Then take out my paracord and tie those sticks from my workbench together. Make a ladder."
She assigned Huaxiu to stay behind and handed her the crossbow, just in case infected gathered downstairs and started making trouble.
Then Kyoko stepped into the equipment room and began gearing up.
She put on the stab-resistant vest and fastened her helmet. Spare magazines went into her rig, medical supplies into a side bag, and a large backpack onto her shoulders. A Miaodao hung across her back. Rifle, pistol, knife—everything came with her.
At the seventh floor, she lowered the metal ladder and climbed down to the outer fifth-floor platform. From there, using the rope she had already rigged, she slid down to the solid concrete ground below.
The special airdrop operation had begun.
Join here to read ahead.
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