In the afternoon, snow fell again, forcing everyone to take shelter in their cars, wrapping themselves in blankets for sleep. Alice was about to pull the curtains for a brief rest when she saw Hurley walking towards her, and she opened the car door.
"I brought a Go set. Do you want to play?" Hurley, wearing a thick coat that didn't make him look bulky at all, shook off the snow from his clothes before getting in. His gentle eyes and smile were warm as he asked.
Alice also smiled, reaching for the Go board, "How much can your temperature-controlled box hold, anyway?"
Hurley's eyes flashed slightly, and he chuckled without saying a word.
"I happen to not know how to play Go. Can you teach me?" Alice asserted confidently.
"Sure!"Hurley said
The light inside the car was dim. Alice pulled aside a curtain, and the two sat in the back seat. Hurley's deep voice resonated slowly, "In Go, the player with the black stones goes first..."
On several nearby cars, many people were peering through the open curtains, watching them with envy and jealousy.
Cecilia's car didn't have air conditioning, so for warmth, she had to squeeze into the same car with several other men.The car was crowded, with stagnant air and an unpleasant odor, prompting Cecilia to cover her nose with some disdain. Several men were sneakily glancing at Cecilia. In the supply convoy, there were only two women, and they couldn't approach Alice's group and didn't dare to try.
"Cecilia, surviving as a woman in this world is tough. Why not come with us?" An impatient man hurriedly reached for her hand.
Cecilia quickly avoided him, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes. "No need. Survival is not a problem for me."
Cecilia couldn't stand their lecherous looks, gritted her teeth, and attempted to leave the car. However, two men immediately grabbed her. "Don't go. It's cold in your car. It's warm in the arms of your brothers."
"Let me go, or I won't be polite." Cecilia struggled a bit but couldn't break free due to the cramped space.
The two men held onto her hands, leering and reaching towards her face. Panicking, Cecilia shouted, "Alice, save me!"
Alice, who was playing Go, heard Cecilia's cry for help. She glanced over indifferently, then coldly withdrew her gaze, continuing the game.Calling for her help was as useless . She wouldn't interfere for strangers.
While she was contemplating, Hurley had already made a move. He raised an eyebrow, "Your turn."
Although Cecilia had expected that Alice wouldn't intervene, a strong sense of disappointment welled up within her.
The men became even more audacious, tugging at Cecilia's clothes. In her panic, she screamed loudly, "Help!"
Hearing the commotion, Craig walked over. Seeing them bullying Cecilia, he shouted sternly, "Stop it, all of you."
The prey slipped away at the last moment. The men were somewhat unwilling but still let go of Cecilia.
"Craig, we were just joking."
"Cecilia, sorry!"
"If it happens again, we'll cut our pay in half." Craig snorted.Afterwards, Craig looked at Cecilia again, "Be more careful, especially being a woman. You can't let your guard down with strangers."
"I'll remember."Cecilia knew these people weren't official personnel from the base, just temporarily recruited for the convoy. Craig couldn't punish them.
Cecilia turned and went back to her car. It was as cold as an ice cave inside, but for the sake of her own safety, she would endure the cold for now.In the evening, the snow stopped. Over a dozen villagers arrived at the basketball court, and the members of the grain transport team immediately regarded them with vigilance. The lead villager, Kobe, quickly explained, "Please don't misunderstand. We're not here for a fight this time. After some reflection, we all agree that hoarding the grain from the warehouse is wrong. So, we are willing to talk with you."
Craig, expressionless, asked, "Are you willing to return the grain?"
Kobe replied, "Yes, we've realized that the grain in the warehouse doesn't belong to us. With the harsh weather conditions, and no harvest in sight, even the people from the base are relying on this rice to survive."
The more Craig looked at them, the more suspicious he became. They had killed their village chief in the morning, and now they seemed entirely without resentment?
"The chief was extreme, and we had to follow his orders. Now, the villagers have chosen me as their representative. I don't want conflict with you." Kobe spoke as if he anticipated what was on Craig's mind, sincerely.
Another villager behind him added, "We don't want the grain. Can we stay in the warehouse? Our village has many women and children. We don't want a direct confrontation, we are willing to negotiate."The villagers came empty-handed, without weapons.
Hurley interjected, "So, you admit that the excuse for the missing grain was just a pretext?"Kobe's dark face looked somewhat uneasy. "Yes, the grain is in the warehouse. We were afraid you would seize it, so we wanted to drive you away. But now, we realize our mistake. We want to negotiate, not engage in life-or-death fights."
"We came to invite you to negotiate at the warehouse. We also need to survive, so please leave us some grain."
"We'll discuss it," Craig didn't immediately agree. He couldn't discern the authenticity in their words.
Alice glanced at the simple-looking Kobe. If the grain wasn't in her spatial storage, she might have been fooled by his 'sincerity'.
"What do you think? Should we go?" Craig asked in a hushed tone.They had initially planned to forcefully enter the warehouse tonight. If they went with the villagers, they wouldn't need to go through so much trouble.
"Craig, I suspect they've set a trap. If we go in, they might spring it on us," Alice warned.
"I think we should go. Our guns aren't just for show. As long as we keep them in hand, they can't do anything to us," Hurley suggested.
"I agree to make a trip. Let's see what tricks they have up their sleeves. If things get tough, we can always run," Alice declared emphatically.Craig glanced at her, "Majority rules. Let's go with them."
Kobe and his group stood in the cold wind, patiently waiting for them. Even though their eyebrows and eyelashes were frosted, there was no complaint. Being able to endure to this extent showed sincerity.
Craig walked over, "We're here to negotiate, right? Let's go."
The other members of the grain transport team secured their guns, their sharp eyes fixed on the villagers. Their vigilance was as Kobe expected, and he gestured for them to follow.
The group arrived at the grain warehouse, and the villagers welcomed them in the narrow passage. A young woman greeted them.
Alice noticed that the sentries were gone, seemingly signaling a friendly atmosphere.
Hurley surveyed the surroundings. The last time he infiltrated was at night, and there were many places he hadn't had a chance to inspect.
Kobe led them into a room with a long table, where various foods were laid out—white rice emitting a fragrant aroma, poultry meat giving off tempting scents.
In the middle of the long table was burning charcoal, making the room warm as spring. The members of the grain transport team were taken aback.Weren't they here to negotiate? Yet, they had prepared a meal.
People who hadn't had a decent meal in a long time couldn't help but swallow saliva; it was too enticing. If they weren't controlling themselves, they would have rushed forward to indulge.
Seeing them hesitate, Kobe called out, "I know you're all hungry. To show our sincerity, the villagers prepared this meal together. Let's eat and talk afterward."We're all citizens of the same country. We're not foreign invaders. There's no need for life-or-death struggles, right?"
"We can see that you didn't launch a forced attack, meaning you didn't want to harm the innocent. We understand."Indeed, Kobe was quite adept at speaking. His words made everyone present feel at ease.