"Rex, Ike is right. It was too dangerous yesterday. You can protect yourself, but you can't do anything that risky in the future," Negan said.Everyone's opinion was almost the same, and after summing up, everyone agreed that Rex had taken too many risks."Well, I'll protect everyone! I won't be as reckless as I was yesterday," Rex said, patting his chest."Yes, Rex, yesterday was too dangerous. You can protect yourself, but you can't do anything risky in the future," Negan added.Their concerns had made Rex realize the gravity of his actions the previous day."Now that Uncle Rex has figured it out, I wonder if you two will join me, and we'll get through this together as a family," Rex said."Yes! But I don't have a lot of food in my house, like Negan. I don't have much food on hand," Rex admitted."Being able to fight is also an important resource," Ike said to Rex.Tom chimed in, "Yes, Uncle Rex, you know martial arts! For me and Ike, we learned to be able to protect ourselves and our families. It's also important for our parents to learn a little bit to keep fit. The weather is extreme, and everyone needs to be healthy.""Well, I'll protect everyone!" Rex reaffirmed, patting his chest."Very good," Ike nodded. "It's an honor to be with you. I have nothing in my hand but cash, which probably doesn't buy much with today's purchasing power, so you provide more resources.""Don't say that, boy," Regus patted Ike on the shoulder. "With your IQ, we'll have plenty of places to rely on."Regus was straightforward, and when he had something on his mind, he didn't hesitate to speak up. After observing Ike for several days, he had come to appreciate Ike's calm, rational, and prepared nature.Regus recalled the convenience store incident when Ike had turned the tide with his quick thinking and had defended himself effectively. Regus believed that Ike's actions were more of a reflex to protect himself in a dangerous situation, rather than something premeditated.He admired Ike's calm demeanor in handling various situations and his meticulous planning when it came to shopping trips. However, what impressed him the most was Ike's unwavering commitment to his principles, even in the face of challenging circumstances.Anna then distributed two lists to Rex and Negan, following Ike's suggestion from the previous day. Regus nodded in approval as he reviewed the list. "That's a good idea. You've rarely thought things through so carefully."Nami also examined the list and offered her contribution. "I have a lot of tummy warmer stickers at my house for my period, and you guys might need them when you're away."Ike expressed his appreciation. "This could be a very important item!"Negan, however, expressed some concern. "But I don't have a lot of medicine in my house."Regus assured him, "You don't have to worry about medicine. Anna has a lot, and she bought two bottles of trauma medicine yesterday. I also have a large stock of TDS at home, so we can exchange them in the community when necessary."Nami proposed a practical idea, "I suggest that each of the three families make a list of what they have in their homes. Then, we can compare the three lists and focus on what everyone is lacking."Ike agreed, "Very good. Let's start by comparing our resources."As everyone got back to reviewing their lists, they considered their food supplies:Ike's family had enough food to sustain themselves for more than two months.The Negan family had the most food stock, including over a dozen bags of rice ranging from 20 pounds to 50 pounds, which could last nearly a year if they shared with the other families.The discussion continued as they planned how to best utilize their combined resources and navigate the challenges they would face in the days ahead.The Regus family had enough food for two people for less than two months, but with the Negan family's reserves, they didn't have to worry about staple food. If they needed to buy something, it would be something that could be used as a dish.Negan's family had a variety of spices, but snacks, cans, and other food items had been sold out. Ike's reserves were not as extensive.In terms of water, the Negans had plenty of mineral water, drinks, and milk to last them for six months. Both Regus and Ike had large water pails, but Ike's family had already started using rainwater, while Regus's family had just begun using the water in the pail.As a solution, everyone decided to cook together in the future. The three families would eat together to save resources, water, and fuel.Regarding cooking, they opted for a shared contribution approach. Each person would contribute a portion of the ingredients, and after use, the three families would replenish the supplies together to avoid conflicts.Now, the Ecks planned to pay for the opportunity to go out and buy items that were still scarce in their own homes.Negan's family had rice, guaranteeing staple food for two months. The rest of the Regus family contributed dishes, and Yingli and Linda took on the responsibility of cooking for everyone.In terms of fuel, Ike had two and a half tanks of gas, Negan had one and a half, and Regus had two and a half, totaling four and a half. Their fuel reserves were relatively thin, and if the three families used it together, it would only last three to four months. They needed more fuel.For medicine, Ike's family had a comprehensive supply, including antibiotics, stomach medicine, trauma medicine, headache medicine, cold medicine, and vitamins. The Regus family had a significant stock of trauma medicine. With the $1,000 Ike gave him, Regus had only bought a small amount of cold medicine and spent the rest on food, leaving his grandfather with limited medicine. The Negan family had only basic medicines like cold medicine, fever-reducing medicine, stomach medicine, and Negan's own high blood pressure medicine. To supplement their medicine supplies, they planned to buy cold medicine, antibiotics, stomach medicine, and diarrhea medicine whenever possible.In terms of daily necessities, the Negan family had a significant stock of soap, sanitary napkins, paper towels, disposable bowls, chopsticks, disposable cups, plastic wrap, garbage bags, body wash, and other household items.In addition to groceries, the families also had disposable underwear stocked up. Ike had bought 500 pairs of disposable underwear before and had shared some with the Regus and Negan families.For maintaining their health in the absence of fruits and vegetables, Ike had also given each of the three families 100 vitamin C tablets to supplement their diet.Finally, in the realm of spiritual sustenance, they had cigarettes, wine, and tea. The Negan family had plenty of cigarettes and alcohol, including whiskey, cocktails, vodka, red wine, and beer. However, they only had five boxes of coffee.To address their needs, they decided to venture to the largest wholesale market in the neighborhood, which was about an hour and a half away by car. They hoped to find fuel, especially gas, and other essential supplies there.On October 18th, they prepared themselves for the journey. Tom's discovery of swimming goggles in their house led them to wear simple clothes for the visit to the flooded wet market. This market, which used to be just over 500 meters from Ike's house, had been significantly affected by the rising water.Many houses were submerged, with only rooftops visible above the water's surface. The once-bustling market had turned into a muddy expanse, filled with floating debris, garbage, and waste. They couldn't see any signs of people inside the submerged structures from a distance.Unlike the environment where Regus and his crew rescued people, which was also submerged, the current here looked much smoother.But even so, diving in such an environment was still dangerous."You can't see anything in this water with goggles. It's too dangerous," Ike judged. Regus said, "I can try. I have to try."Negan was more conservative: "There may be undercurrents, but let's go to the big wholesale market." Tom said, "We can find the natural gas building first, and diving down the building should reduce the danger. But the biggest obstacle is that it might be locked. Is their door made of material?"One time when there was no natural gas, the phone didn't work, and Ike went to his store to order natural gas. If I remember correctly, it had a "rolling door.""Rolling shutter doors are easy to deal with. Forget the big iron gates. Iron gates are hard to break in water." The last time those guys robbed the convenience store, the intruders lost an axe, and now it might be useful.So, they decided that four people would put on their ropes and form a string. Regus was at the front, and Tom was at the back.

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