“No, Uncle Chen, can’t you tell that the Eagle is just their subordinate? Why are you making things difficult for him?” Taozi was just as starving, but he had no intention of taking their meat.

He had heard the commanding tone of that girl very clearly earlier. Among these people, aside from the Eagle, whom they knew and could deal with safely, the other three carried an aura of killing intent—clearly not people to provoke.

Even the young boy sitting by the fire had a strange gaze, as if he could see straight through a person.

People like them were powerful and moody. In this apocalypse without restrictions, they could wipe out the entire group from the Electromechanical Plant—who had survived through unimaginable hardships—on a mere whim.

Thinking about asking them for food? That was just asking for death.

Mother Fu looked at everyone’s reaction with dissatisfaction, reaching out to pull her son behind her protectively. Then, looking at the old colleague who was obviously hoping her son would help, she said, “They already saved our lives. We can’t expect them to share their food with us.”

Since the apocalypse began, food had become extremely precious—a matter of life and death. How could you just ask for it as if it cost nothing?

“But that tiger was so big, and there are only five of them. They can’t possibly finish it all,” a woman muttered discontentedly.

“Even if they can’t finish it, that’s still their business. Besides, it’s winter now. Don’t you feel ridiculous saying that?” Taozi immediately snapped back.

Since the apocalypse, the people from the Electromechanical Plant had come to understand this group’s nature: they were principled but very clear on rewards and grudges. Pushing them further would only make things worse.

Since they couldn’t get any food, the group could only retreat silently.

The Fu family also quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

“This world has changed. Don’t be soft-hearted easily, or you’ll only make things harder for yourself,” Mother Fu advised her son bitterly.

Seeing his mother’s reaction, the Eagle realized something was wrong. “Mom, what happened?”

His mother had always been a gentle and kind-hearted woman, warm and eager to help others. She would never speak so coldly and clearly unless she had gone through something extremely painful.

Fu Chao put an arm around his mother. “Mom, you don’t have to feel guilty. What happened with Qiuqiu and the others wasn’t your fault.”

The Eagle wanted to ask more.

But just then, a child behind them started crying, followed by adults’ mocking, sarcastic scolding.

“You were never meant to survive anyway, you deserve to starve. What are you crying for?”

“Nobody pities you. Why are you pretending to be pitiful?”

…

The yelling mixed with the crying became deafeningly noisy.

The Fu family looked at their reactions, furious but unable to find a way to intervene.

“How can they act like this?” Even Mother Fu, who was always gentle, turned pale with anger, but there was nothing she could do.

Taozi was also seething with rage, muttering as he watched the expressions of the people by the fire grow colder, “Damn idiots.”

Did they not realize it was the apocalypse? Still trying to emotionally blackmail people? They’d get themselves killed.

Nan Muran swept a cold glance over the scene. The cursing and crying got even louder, clearly meant to put on a show for her.

She stood up and sliced off a massive piece of hind leg meat. The people from the Electromechanical Plant saw her action and nearly jumped up with excitement—even the slightly older children forgot their tears.

But instead of giving them the meat, she turned and handed it to the Wolf King, who was drooling shamelessly.

The Wolf King hadn’t expected the human to walk over suddenly. He couldn’t even raise his elegant head in time to hide his drool, looking very awkward.

Nan Muran smiled and said, “I don’t like noisy environments. Help me deal with it, and this meat will be your reward.”

To keep the meat clean, she even thoughtfully picked a huge leaf from a nearby mutated tree to use as a plate for the Wolf King.

The Wolf King stared blankly at the delicious roasted meat for a moment, then looked over at the few adults and children in the crowd who had been deliberately making noise. He understood Nan Muran’s meaning.

Following the principle of doing the job before claiming the reward, the Wolf King stood up, shook his shimmering white fur, and elegantly walked toward the crowd.

The noisy group froze in terror as the Wolf King approached, growling lowly in warning.

Even the small children, who had been crying without understanding the situation, had their mouths hastily covered by their panicking parents. The Wolf King continued to weave through the people from the Electromechanical Plant, but he never got close to the Eagle’s family or Taozi.

After completing his task, the Wolf King looked back at Nan Muran, asking with his eyes if she was satisfied.

Seeing Nan Muran nod with approval, the Wolf King returned to his meat. Although the mutated beast meat was a bit tough, Jiawu and Si Ye’s seasoning was excellent, so it still tasted great.

Nan Muran herself was quite satisfied too. Then she turned and said to the Eagle, “Bring your family and friends over to warm up and eat something.”

The Fu family was momentarily dazed, looking at the girl’s bright, star-like eyes and cheerful smile.

“This… isn’t it a bit inappropriate?” Mother Fu said hesitantly.

“It’s fine, Auntie. Come and sit with us. You can even try our cooking,” Si Ye said with a smile as he shifted closer to Nan Muran, making room for them.

Not giving his parents, elder brother, or Taozi a chance to refuse, the Eagle directly said to Nan Muran, “Thank you, Sister Nan.”

Watching how the people from the Electromechanical Plant reacted, he gradually understood just how much trouble Nan Muran had helped him avoid earlier with her deliberate command.

“No need to be polite,” Nan Muran said, her beautiful eyes full of laughter.

Although she, Si Ye, and Jiawu had no family left, it didn’t mean they didn’t know how to treat family. That’s why they would treat the Eagle’s family and friends kindly.

But they definitely wouldn’t be blindly kind. From what they saw just now, the Eagle’s family and friends were worthy of their kindness.

Accepting the grilled meat that Si Ye handed over in a disposable plate, Taozi felt a little dazed. It somehow felt… different. These people weren’t at all like what he had imagined.

Mother Fu originally couldn’t bear hearing the children crying, but thinking about how those people had just now made things difficult for her son and caused trouble, she ultimately suppressed the urge to share the food with them.

Si Ye, ever thoughtful, took water from his backpack and handed it to them. Drinking clean mineral water and eating delicious roasted meat—such things were true luxuries in the apocalypse.

The Eagle then told them about his retirement and how he ended up following Nan Muran.

The Fu parents didn’t have many objections and greatly respected their son’s decision. After all, in this apocalyptic world where authority had collapsed and society had crumbled, survival was the most important thing.

At the same time, they also learned what the Fu family had experienced during this time—and finally understood why their once gentle mother had changed so much.