Waldo spotted a new business opportunity in the chat channel. The current survivors were all troubled by the scorching hot weather. Since he had a refrigerator, he could make his own ice cream and sell it to the survivors.
He was confident that the ice cream would sell well. With so many survivors, there would always be someone unable to resist the heat and willing to buy ice cream to cool down.
Waldo immediately called Alanna and discussed the idea with her. They excitedly prepared to mass-produce simple ice cream.
They would pour soda or other beverages into homemade molds, place a wooden stick inside, and adjust the refrigerator temperature to the lowest setting. It wouldn't take long for a large box of ice cream to be ready.
Waldo opened the chat channel and announced:
ID 10086: Hey guys, who wants to have some ice cream? (Attached a picture of ice cream)
ID 348458: Seriously? You're at it again, 10086! Can't you just stop attracting hate?
ID 834674: I love eating ice cream during summer. Please, 10086, can you give me an ice cream? Good people will have a blessed life!!
ID 34582: In this chaotic world, can you spare a moment and give me an ice cream?
ID 10086: Stop with the nonsense. I've listed them on the trading platform. If you want, go buy them.
Even some survivors privately messaged Waldo.
ID 34543: Hey, show me something nice, and I'll give you two ice creams.
Shortly after, Waldo received a picture from that survivor. It was extremely explicit. The survivor had lowered her shirt collar, revealing her ample cleavage. However, Waldo remained unfazed and even smirked.
He thought she was trying to bribe him with seductive images, thinking he was still the same Waldo who used to joke around in the group for a mysterious link. Little did she know, he wasn't tempted at all.
With a teasing tone, Waldo replied to the survivor's message: "What can I see from that? Take it off if you want."
To his surprise, the female survivor, solely driven by the desire for a few ice creams, sent him an even more explicit and indecent picture. It was evident that she was experienced in using her body to obtain goods.
Otherwise, she would have hesitated, at the very least. Soon after, she even sent a short video, teasingly touching herself and gasping seductively, saying, "Hey there, if you want me to enjoy something else on a stick, it's not impossible."
Waldo looked at the unattractive face of the stranger, devoid of any emotional reaction. He even considered closing the conversation.
However, he still wanted to promote his product: "Oh, is that it? If you want to have ice cream, let's stick to material trade. Considering your efforts, I can offer you a discount."
ID 34543: Damn it! Why didn't you say so earlier? You wasted my time!
Waldo simply replied with a smiling emoticon and didn't say much more. He wasn't angry, but rather felt a sense of resignation.
It was the first time he had encountered such a situation where people exchanged goods for favors. It felt somewhat strange. Perhaps, it was just a common weakness among men.
In this world, it's hard to say who's right or wrong; it's just that everyone has their own way of living.
Waldo suddenly reached out and affectionately touched Alanna's head, who was diligently scanning the trading platform for deals. He said, "Having you as my wife is the best, isn't it?"
Hearing Waldo's unexpected sentiment, Alanna blushed a bit. "Who said I'm your wife? I haven't agreed to that yet."
Although they hadn't known each other for many days, they naturally gravitated towards each other. After all, in this post-apocalyptic world, emotions ignited like wildfire. Regardless of the future, if they wanted to be together, they would naturally be together.
In the past, adult relationships carried too many burdens, burdens that could crush young people. However, in the post-apocalyptic world, Waldo and Alanna didn't need to consider these things.
They didn't care about their past identities or class differences. Here, they had a relationship where they could bare their backs to each other without reservation, relying on each other.
Waldo smiled and said, "It's nothing. Just now, a woman sent me some suggestive pictures, hoping to exchange them for ice cream. I dismissed her without even looking. Impressive, right?"
Alanna rolled her eyes. "Waldo, I've noticed that your shamelessness is increasing."
Waldo burst into laughter and hugged Alanna. "Haha, really? I didn't realize it."
Instead of saying that Waldo was becoming shameless, it was more accurate to say that he was showing his true self in front of Alanna.
If possible, Waldo even fantasized about finding an idyllic paradise with Alanna in this zombie-infested world, living a simple life together. It didn't sound too bad.
Unfortunately, such a beautiful vision could only exist in their imagination. After the extreme heat subsided, Waldo and Alanna resumed their intense mission of gathering supplies.
With more and more survivors coming to the villa area where they were located, Waldo became increasingly aware of the impending crisis. He knew that once there were too many survivors, the day would come when they would turn against him as a group.
As someone with abundant resources, he was like a boss in a game that required players to team up and defeat him to obtain all the supplies. The fortified walls, the P92 pistol, the gasoline generator, and even Alanna—everything would be taken by others.
Such an outcome was unacceptable to Waldo. Therefore, he exhibited an even more anxious and urgent attitude than before, just to gather more, higher-level, and useful resources. This way, he could withstand the danger when it arrived.
Out in the wilderness, a few zombies were attracted by Alanna's crossbow arrows but suddenly fell to the ground with blood flowing from the back of their heads. Waldo emerged from behind the zombies.
Since learning the skill of stealth, Alanna took care of attracting the attention of a small number of zombies, while Waldo approached and either shot or stabbed them at close range. Due to the proximity, Waldo's accuracy soared, significantly increasing their efficiency in hunting zombies.
Alanna approached and asked, "Waldo, should we continue?"
Waldo glanced at the time and shook his head. "No, let's head back. It's almost noon, and we need to rest and replenish our supplies at the villa."
While driving back, Alanna looked at the content in the chat channel and teasingly said, "It seems like 10086, who has been disturbing everyone's peace of mind, has fallen out of favor. People haven't mentioned you much these days. It's unlike a few days ago when everyone was cursing you. So annoying."
Waldo, gripping the steering wheel, nonchalantly said, "It's good to have a lull. It gives us an opportunity to gather more supplies while our attention is low. But I'm still curious, is this person called the Sheriff really that formidable?"
Alanna smiled and said, "No matter how formidable they are, they're not as formidable as you."
Waldo thoroughly enjoyed Alanna's affirmation. No man would be dissatisfied with validation from their own partner. Waldo maintained a calm facade and said, "Well, that's true."