At that moment, Logan recalled briefly crossing paths with Finn a few days ago but quickly dismissed the thought and looked away. Little did either of them know that their paths would cross again soon.
The supplies distribution point was located in the apartment complex's property management hall. When Logan arrived, another queue had formed, though it wasn't as overwhelming as the one outside the gates. He joined the back of the line again.
Not long after, an older woman hurried past Logan and inserted herself at the front of the line, seamlessly cutting in. Immediately, someone voiced their dissatisfaction:
"Eyy, ma'am, why are you cutting in line?"
The older woman responded confidently, hands on her hips: "I'm a senior citizen, my legs are sore after walking all day. You lad should learn to be considerate. Besides, none of the soldiers said anything, did they?"
The crowd glanced at the soldiers guarding the supplies, whose stoic expressions made it clear they wouldn't intervene. Some grumbled under their breath but begrudgingly swallowed their complaints.
However, one person couldn't let it go.
"All of us have walked a long way and waited in line for hours. Just because you're old doesn't mean you get to take advantage. You didn't look too weak to make it this far," the person argued.
The older woman shot him a disdainful look.
"Young man, no one else is complaining but you. Can't you be a bit more generous? Causing trouble helps no one. There's an old saying: 'Those who don't heed the advice of elders will suffer the consequences.'"
Her words painted the man confronting her as unreasonable, leaving him gritting his teeth in frustration.
"Pfft! Isn't it more like 'those who ignore the elders' advice could have fun for years'?"
Suddenly, the young man standing in front of Logan chuckled and stepped forward, grabbing the older woman by the arm and pulling her out of the line. Everyone was stunned. They didn't expect anyone to actually take action.
Those who had been upset by the woman's behavior now wore amused expressions, eager to see how things played out. They didn't want to cause trouble themselves but were happy to see someone else step up.
Logan watched with interest.
"What are you doing?!" the woman shrieked as she struggled against the young man's firm grip. Despite her resistance, he dragged her out of the line. When she tried to squeeze back in, the people quickly closed ranks, making it impossible for her to return.
Realizing she wouldn't be able to cut back in, the woman turned her fury on the young man, shouting, "What's wrong with you?! I wasn't cutting in front of you! Who made you the line police?"
The young man just smiled, calmly returning to his spot, this time standing behind Logan.
Though the woman was still seething, she didn't dare escalate the situation further. She muttered under her breath as she followed the young man.
The young man leaned toward Logan and asked with a grin, "Mind if I get back in line?"
Logan made a welcoming gesture.
With a smug glance at the fuming woman, the young man stepped back in front of Logan. Logan found him intriguing—not because he allowed him to cut ahead, but because of the young man's attitude and demeanor.
Unlike everyone else, who appeared burdened by the weight of the apocalypse, this young man maintained a carefree, almost playful demeanor. It was as if he hadn't fully accepted the harsh reality of the new world.
Maybe it was Logan's intense gaze, but the young man suddenly turned to face him, blinking with clear, bright eyes. Unlike the others, his eyes didn't reflect despair or fear. Instead, there was something else—something Logan couldn't quite identify.
"Thanks," the young man said with a smile.
Logan nodded and lowered his gaze, dismissing the interaction. No matter how peculiar the young man was, he had nothing to do with Logan's life.
After another half-hour wait, Logan finally reached the front of the line. Like everyone before him, he handed over his metal token. The staff member inspected it before retrieving a black bag from the cart behind them and handing it over.
The bag felt light in his hands, probably no more than ten pounds.
Nearby, a man who had just received his supplies tore open his bag, his face contorting in anger as he hurled it to the ground.
"This is supposed to last us a week?! Are they trying to starve us to death?!"
Logan glanced at the contents. The bag contained a few packs of instant noodles, three loaves of bread, a sausage, two candles, a box of matches, some cold medicine, and a few frostbitten vegetables and fruits.
Grumbles of discontent rippled through the crowd.
It seemed this wasn't the first time people had complained, as soldiers immediately stepped forward and picked up the discarded bag. One soldier, his voice cold and firm, said: "If you don't want it, feel free to find your own supplies. These were retrieved at the cost of frozen limbs from our soldiers, who risked their lives."
Even the soldiers of South City's military weren't fully equipped for the extreme cold. Many soldiers had suffered frostbite, with some losing fingers and toes while retrieving supplies.
Knowing how dire the situation was outside, the angry man begrudgingly snatched his bag back and stormed off.
Logan mused to himself, Considering the circumstances, having these supplies is already fortunate. In a few months, we might not even have these.
Before leaving, Logan noticed a large notice board on one of the walls in the hall. A huge poster detailed the exchange rates for contributing materials and the items that could be bought using contribution points. Next to the board, pens and paper were provided for people to copy the list.
Logan grabbed a sheet of paper and copied down the details:
• 100 kg of sand: 5 contribution points
• 100 kg of cement: 10 contribution points
• 100 kg of steel bars: 20 contribution points
...
The list went on, detailing various construction materials. Below that were items like undamaged circuit boards, electrical appliances, car parts, precision instruments, and wires.
However, what truly caught everyone's attention was the list of items that could be bought with contribution points: ...