"Hey... Don't try to be cool," Tom said, a little annoyed. Distracted by the lack of provisions at home, Ike didn't hear Tom.

"...It doesn't matter." Tom reluctantly put his arm on Ike's shoulder. "I understand you."

Ike wasn't heartless. He was doing it for his family. He only cared about the people within his circle. Ike broke into a smile.

He didn't need other people's understanding, he just needed to stick to his principles and be as uncompromising as possible.

It was nearly dawn when they arrived home.

Not only Linda, but even calm people like Nami were anxious, fearing that something would happen to them while they were out.

Yingli was most worried that Ike would get caught up in something and be delayed at the police station. It was only when they returned that they realized the rescue had been delayed.

"It was so sudden... You have no idea how poor those people are," Negan said with relief. He felt that saving people was not so difficult now, but facing the worries of his family still made him a bit scared. Ike was fine, but Yingli and Anna were most worried that he would be detained by the police. Now that they were safe, they felt relieved.

Yingli held Ike by the shoulder. "You just came back, but don't take so long next time. We were so worried. I couldn't go out and find you."

"Yeah, I didn't know where to find you either." Anna took Ike's arm and buried her face in his shoulder. She cried.

She didn't know why she was crying, it was just a false alarm. But even false alarms can be terrifying as if she became sentimental after the power outage. Before, she would hide in her quilt and cry secretly, but why couldn't she help it today?

However, the most furious expression at the scene was on Nami's face.

If her eyes could kill, she would have killed Regus over a hundred times by now. Regus was a little afraid to face Nami.

Well, Regus was fine out there, but when he returned home, he would have to deal with the aftermath. "Will you stop being so selfish?" Nami reproachfully said to Regus.

"So capricious..." That was a harsh word to use on Regus's old face... But Regus stood his ground this time. "I couldn't let it happen."

Nami sneered. "Ah. Who do you think you are, God? A savior? With you?"

"Stop right there." Nami's voice was cold. "As soon as I called for you, you hid in the toilet. When were you planning to answer me?"

Regus's back froze. "Why was I hiding? Can't I go to the bathroom?" "The toilet is clogged."

Regus's skull throbbed with pain. "Life cannot be like yours. If you can do something but choose not to, won't your conscience condemn you? Nami, I taught you..."

"I just want my father to live," Nami said.

The rest of Regus's words were stuck in his throat, unable to be said or swallowed...

"And another thing. You heard me last night and you didn't call me. You were close with Ike's sister and you were going to let Ike get hurt? Is your relationship with Anna so good? Nami... How can a human be like this?"

Because there was nothing else to say, Regus had to bring up the old story, intentionally changing the subject.

Nami's expression flattened slightly. It seemed that Regus's words had made an impact.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Regus suddenly felt some relief. "If Ike is hurt, his sister Anna must be very sad. Then, how will you face her? Nami, sometimes we should not be too individualistic. Friends, even if not friends, cannot shirk the deed of righteousness. And I am your father. I have the ability, why don't I do it?"

Regus thought to persuade Nami, but Nami suddenly got naughty.

"If you're so capable, your wife ran off with someone else." Nami deliberately mocked her father. "..." Regus was speechless once again.

The next day, it was a heavy rain. It was the 32nd day of the power outage.

The store Ike and his team went to yesterday had all visible large items such as milk, mineral water, bread, biscuits, instant noodles, and rice noodles almost all sold out.

In addition to the two bottles of trauma medicine, the rest of their trip resulted in finding a box of candy in the corner.

Ike gave Anna the candy.

"Wow... Would it be too extravagant?" Anna hadn't eaten candy for a long time, and they had to carefully consider eating half a piece of bread at home. They couldn't casually drink coffee either. It felt greedy to drink even half a cup.

Maybe right now, many people couldn't even have a mouthful of hot water, and here she was with so many snacks!

"During this time, I will continue to go out to buy things. You can rest assured to eat," Ike said to Anna.

Anna said nothing.

"Now the situation outside is getting more and more serious. The public security system is overloaded, the banks are closed, the shopping malls have no channels to buy goods, and sooner or later, the social order will not be maintained once the shopping malls and banks cannot survive," Ike continued.

"Will someone rob the mall?"

"There must be. There have been robberies, but only a few. As long as the mall is running out of supplies, the crowd can't take it. The monetary system will collapse, so we need to run out of money ahead of time."

'Ah! Anna thought of it. "Yeah, if everyone started robbing, money wouldn't be traded..." "Yeah, you just thought of it." Ike poked Anna in the head.

Anna covered her head. "I don't go around much. How would I know? How much money do we have left?"

"More than fourteen thousand dollars." Ike divided the money in his hand into two stacks. "The emergency cash you prepared for me yesterday was quite useful. I used it for masks. Please help me prepare it again," Ike said.

"OK, no problem, as long as I can help you."

Anna went to get the masks, and this time she put four in, each individually wrapped in plastic wrap. Packing up, Ike went downstairs to talk to Negan and Rex.

Ike thought back to his conversation with Anna the night before.

A meeting of Ike, Rex, Negan, Tom, Yingli, Anna, Nami, and Linda began in the first-floor living room of Rex's house.

This was their makeshift team.

...

"As I just said, once the government collapses, the currency is useless. Money will be wasted if it's not spent," Ike offered his opinion.

Rex took a deep breath and said, "How can that work? After all, this is your family's money. How can our family take your money for nothing?"

Ike said, "Not for no reason, but you must have understood after the last home invasion. There is strength in numbers, and the more we have, the safer we are. The more united, the greater the strength."

If there hadn't been seven of them, two or three of them, even if they were armed, Ike wouldn't have played chicken from the start.

Therefore, having more people, first of all, made them psychologically intimidating to gangsters. When the gangsters wanted to make a move, they started with the weakest.

"In addition, Uncle Negan's home has a lot of rice and mineral water. These things are no longer available outside. When necessary, we can carry out internal exchanges. It is also one of the important resources. Uncle Rex, your family doesn't have much, but you know martial arts. You can not only protect us but also teach us defense skills. These are important resources," Ike said.

"My money may look bigger, but its purchasing power is very different now. It can't buy much," Ike continued.

"If you like, our three families can each do our part to get through this disaster together. Sooner or later, the banks and the shopping malls will collapse, and the social order will be much more chaotic than it is now. It will be safer for us to work together." Everyone listened quietly to Ike.

"But I also have some preconditions. What I did was to protect my family and myself, and I hope you feel the same way. Every decision was made with the safety of your own life and that of your family in mind. I hope you can understand that I am a selfish person and would never risk my life to save someone who has nothing to do with it," Ike added.

Regus's eyes flashed. "You boy, I was just about to say you were generous. Helping others is my own business, and you may rest assured that it will not endanger you at any time."

Ike said, "If Uncle Regus will join me, your life will no longer be your life alone. If Uncle Regus won't join me, your life can only be your own if Nami agrees."

Regus got a headache when he heard that. Why is Ike saying the same thing as Nami?

At this time, Nami's eyes also drifted to Regus, as if in a bit of schadenfreude. "The feeling of being educated by the younger generation is not good. There are limits to helping others, and we cannot ignore our safety."