At first, Hurley was worried that Alice didn't have enough to eat and tried various ways to bring her supplies. Later, he discovered that the Allen family had abundant resources. Things that couldn't be produced anymore were unexpectedly present in their home. He was initially puzzled, but today he finally understood what was going on.
Alice raised an eyebrow in surprise and teased, "No wonder when you transported food, so many things magically appeared from your temperature-controlled box."
At that time, she didn't consider that she might not be the only one with a space. She thought Hurley had the ability to bring in so many supplies. Considering his identity and abilities, any loopholes seemed ordinary.
After a pause, Alice asked curiously, "Back in Peach Blossom Village, why didn't you confiscate our weapons?"
Hurley sighed, "Although I have a storage space, it's not very large, only ten square meters. When the disaster struck, it was filled with food, and there was no extra space to store weapons."
He then asked, "How big is your space?"
"Infinite," Alice curved her lips..
Hurley's eyes showed a hint of envy. Alice continued, "How did you get your space?"
Hurley didn't hide anything, "It's a ring passed down from my grandfather. I accidentally opened it before the disaster, and it was previously used to store important data."
When the disaster first began, he vaguely felt that something was about to change. So, he stocked up on food. With the additional storage later on, the things in his space were enough for him to eat for a long time. Due to the limited size of his storage space, even if there were more supplies, they couldn't all fit. He could only eat while hoarding, estimating that it would last him for about ten years.
"We'll split these things evenly, quickly stash them into our spaces before anyone notices," Hurley reminded.
Without further ado, the two quickly divided the supplies between them and stored them in their respective spaces.Alice had an abundance of food in her space, especially staple foods like rice, so she gave the main food items to Hurley. One minute later, the supplies in the room were emptied by the two, and they continued to search for Blanche.
Rows of makeshift houses were not easy to find, but they focused on finding those guarded by people. After a thorough search, there was still no sign of Blanche.
"It seems my mom wasn't kidnapped by this gang," Alice analyzed.
"Then let's move on to the next one," Hurley suggested. "There's another gang near the staff dormitory. They teamed up with the management before the chaos in the base. With the protection of base personnel, no one knew what they were up to in secret."
Alice couldn't help but look at him and chuckled, "You seem to know quite a lot."
"No choice. The base was just established not long ago, and there are many issues with the management. I need to find out as much as I can; you never know when it might be helpful to oneself," Hurley shrugged. Being inside the base made it easier for him to gather such information.
In addition to internal information, Hurley also learned many shortcut routes. With Alice in tow, he quickly reached the staff dormitory.
The management-level personnel in the base lived better than ordinary people. They had been transformed from the original school dormitories. This place had electricity, water, a small garden, and was spacious. It also had dedicated guards.
Alice was thinking about bypassing the guards and climbing over the wall when she saw Hurley calmly walking forward. Hesitating for a moment, she followed him.
"Mr. Hurley, who are you looking for today?" The guard was familiar with Hurley and knew he often came to see a certain leader. The higher-ups had instructed not to stop him.
"I'm here to see Director " Hurley said calmly, walking towards the staff dormitory.
Alice walked behind him with composure.
"Wait a moment!"
The guard suddenly spoke up and walked towards them. Alice's gaze sharpened. Had they been discovered?Hurley turned his head calmly, his voice tinged with impatience, "What else do you want?"
The guard smirked and said, "I forgot to tell you just now. The director is not in the dormitory. He hasn't returned since he left yesterday."
Hurley nodded, "I'll report to someone else then."
Without looking back, he walked into the dormitory building. Alice secretly breathed a sigh of relief and followed him.
The original dormitory building had fifteen rooms on each floor. After the base took over, they knocked down the walls, combining three rooms for each person.
Only five high-ranking individuals lived on this floor.
As they reached the second floor, a well-dressed middle-aged woman happened to walk out. Her eyes lit up when she saw Hurley. "Hurley, who are you looking for today? Do you want me to take you there?"
Alice noticed the woman's eyes lingering on Hurley without any disguise.
Clearly, she was interested in him. For some reason, Alice felt a bit uncomfortable.
"No need," Hurley casually declined.
Mrs. Lesley didn't mind Hurley's cold attitude. Her face, covered in makeup but unable to hide the crow's feet, revealed a meaningful smile. "The base hasn't distributed food, and your family probably doesn't have much to eat. If you need anything, you can come to me, darling."
Alice's mouth twitched. This woman was really bold. However, she glanced at Hurley's devilishly handsome face, thinking that women of any age probably couldn't resist.
A hint of disgust flashed in Hurley's dark eyes. "Not needed. However, there are plenty of people in the base who can't have a proper meal. I'm sure they'd willingly let you manipulate them."
Seeing him unresponsive, Mrs. Lesley's smile faded, replaced by a proud expression. "Don't act high and mighty. If it weren't for your good looks and the potential to be a little gigolo, I wouldn't even spare you a glance if someone else licked my boots in front of me."
"Madam, forgive my frankness, but you're too old. You might not even be able to swallow with your eyes closed."Upon hearing Alice's words, Mrs. Lesley finally noticed her. After sizing up the two, she sneered, "Do you still think Hurley is a promising researcher from the institute? Following him will only lead to starvation. Should I introduce you to some wealthy men? Though they might be a bit older and less attractive, following them guarantees a life of luxury and indulgence."
Upon hearing this, a cold murderous intent gathered in Hurley's eyes, and a chilling aura emanated from him. Alice, however, smiled and said, "Sure, make sure to find me the one with the most wealth. I won't settle for less."
Hurley suddenly looked at her, his eyebrows furrowing with disapproval evident in his eyes. Sensing his displeasure, Alice subtly signaled him with her eyes.
Mrs. Lesley, oblivious to the silent communication between the two, heard Alice's agreement and displayed a face full of contempt, believing that love was worthless in the face of survival.
Staring at Alice with apparent displeasure, Hurley questioned in a cold tone, "Are you serious?"
Alice shrugged playfully, feigning remorse, "One must look out for oneself. I apologize to you. From now on, let bygones be bygones, and our paths shall not cross again."
Even though he knew she wasn't serious, Hurley couldn't help but feel extremely displeased at her words. He pressed his lips tightly, restraining himself.
"Fine, I respect your choice. I hope you won't regret it," Hurley's handsome face was filled with disdain and anger.
After giving Alice a cold glance, he turned around and walked away.
Mrs. Lesley, without suspicion, mockingly looked at Alice, "You're wise, knowing how to look out for yourself."
"Enough talk, let's go. I'm eager to start a good life," Alice said urgently.
"Follow me."
Mrs. Lesley revealed a sinister smile in the shadows. Those wealthy old men did have deep pockets, but they were stingy and, in certain ways, extremely twisted. Falling into their hands might not only lead to death but also to losing half a life.