Everyone was huddled in the cramped room. It still bore the marks of a fire, with black soot floating in the air. A large spiderweb hung in a corner of the ceiling.

About half an hour later, Officer Graham, fully equipped, opened the door a crack to check the situation outside. However, the moment he did, a swarm of mosquitoes flooded in.

Quick as a flash, Evelyn Ford sprayed insecticide, driving the insects back five meters. Another thick layer of mosquito corpses coated the floor.

Evelyn Ford quickly slammed the door shut. The group was stunned into silence by the swarm outside.

"Oh my god, there are so many... It’s triggering my trypophobia." Serena Lynch scratched her arm, her face deathly pale. Annie, who was hiding in her embrace, was also badly frightened.

"Don’t go out for now," Evelyn said. "The room next door is empty. If you need to use the restroom, go over there, and take the insecticide with you."

Evelyn Ford placed the can of insecticide in the center of the room, but there wasn’t much spray left in it.

A thought suddenly struck Evelyn Ford. ’I can’t believe I forgot something so important.’

"They might be afraid of fire."

Luckily, a small bundle of Pine Torches they had chopped down on their journey was tied to the cart. Although the torches burned quickly, they produced a thick, acrid smoke. Evelyn Ford took one out, pulled a magnesium rod from her bag, and lit it.

"Let me take that."

Ronan Kendrick took the Pine Torch from Evelyn Ford and went to the door to test it. Sure enough, the moment he opened the door, the mosquitoes tried to pour in again. But the light and heat from the torch made them wary, and they all retreated another five meters.

"It works."

Ronan Kendrick closed the door, blew out the torch, and returned to Evelyn’s side.

"But in Danver, I doubt we’ll be able to find a single piece of firewood," Taylor Vance said, his expression troubled.

"Not necessarily."

Evelyn Ford motioned for everyone to take a good look around the room. "The fire in Danver, just like the one in Corinth, happened before the earthquake. It was likely caused by a chemical plant explosion or some other form of spontaneous combustion. Although the city was burned, many buildings survived. Look at the windows and doors on that building—you can even see half a curtain still hanging there. Without firefighters, a fire that large couldn’t have been extinguished. There’s only one explanation: the torrential rains that came with the earthquake put it out. After the downpour, the temperature plummeted, and it started to snow."

Quincy’s brow relaxed. "So, we can definitely find unburned houses in Danver. And wood, possibly even cars... and maybe a water source."

Not wanting to dash their hopes, Evelyn Ford simply nodded.

"I still have two protective suits from Corinth. In three hours, Ronan Kendrick and I will go out to scout the area and look for wood. The rest of you stay here. Don’t go outside for any reason other than using the restroom."

"Evelyn, let Quincy or my brother go out with Ronan. You should stay here and rest." With several grown men present, Wyatt Vaughn couldn’t stand the thought of Evelyn going out into danger.

"I agree. I’ll go with Ronan," Miles Vaughn said, readily agreeing. He also wanted a chance to look for a few of his friends.

Quincy felt that everyone had a very superficial understanding of Evelyn Ford. ’A woman who could save me from two robbers can’t handle a few mosquitoes?’ he thought.

"I think it’s better if Evelyn goes," Quincy said. "It’s not that I’m lazy or scared. It’s just that if I go, I’d probably be a burden to Ronan. And Miles, even though you’re strong, you and Ronan aren’t in sync. If the two of you went out, could you even communicate properly? I doubt Ronan would want to talk to you at all."

Everyone fell silent after Quincy spoke.

"Let’s have Ronan and Evelyn go. I trust their abilities," Taylor Vance said, making the final decision. No one else objected.

After resting for three hours, Evelyn Ford pulled two wrinkled protective suits from a burlap sack. Once they had changed, the pair left the hotel.

Evelyn Ford left the insecticide for the others. ’After all, I have plenty more in my storage space,’ she thought. ’And I’m perfectly safe in this protective suit.’

Under the oppressive shroud of mosquitoes, the endless daylight had turned to night. Danver, once a city ruined by fire, now felt more like a ghost town.

"Let’s head south. The ground is higher over there." With the swarm of mosquitoes blocking their view, Evelyn Ford had to use a compass to navigate.

"Evelyn, you know a lot about these mosquitoes," Ronan said.

Evelyn paused for a moment, then gave a slight nod. "Of course. I studied medicine, after all."

Evelyn reached out and snatched a handful from the air. When she opened her gloved hand, it was filled with a squirming mass of mosquitoes. She and Ronan exchanged a look.

There were so many mosquitoes that a single swipe of the hand could catch a whole cluster.

"These are very different from ordinary mosquitoes," Evelyn began. "They’re several times larger, with longer antennae and big, pointed wings. Their eyes have a small red dot and bulge out more. Their bodies are a mix of black and red, and their legs are long and thin. Mosquitoes will probably never go extinct. There are over 3,600 species in the world. They lay eggs that hatch into larvae, and a single female can lay an incalculable number of eggs at once. Plus, they can transmit diseases like yellow fever, malaria, dengue fever, and filariasis."

Evelyn crushed the mosquitoes in her gloved hand, and the two of them walked on.

Evelyn remembered that Aeridor was two cities past Danver, and there was a survivor base there.

After navigating through collapsed ruins and past rows of abandoned streets and buildings, the pair arrived at their destination.

"This place must have been a shopping mall," Evelyn said. "Look, there’s a sign for a movie theater over there."

"Are we going in?" Ronan asked.

Evelyn nodded. "There aren’t many signs of fire here. Let’s go in and see if there’s anything useful."

Even though it had been spared from the fire, not many of the buildings were stable enough to enter after the earthquake.

Some were still teetering, looking like they could collapse at any moment.

Evelyn found an opening, and they ducked to get inside. It was a good thing they were wearing protective suits and masks. The air was thick with choking dust, and Evelyn started sneezing uncontrollably.

Evelyn pulled out a pair of night-vision goggles and put them on. She gave a quick spray of insecticide, and her view of the interior immediately sharpened.

"Ronan, I see a clothing store over there. I’m going to check for any clothes; we need to bring some back with us."

Ronan pointed to the right. "I’ll head that way and look for some planks."

"Alright. Let’s split up."

Evelyn kept her eyes fixed on the ground, worried about stepping on a stray nail.

When she reached the clothing store, Evelyn pulled a floral dress from the rubble.

’My luck is pretty good,’ she thought. ’This would look nice on Serena.’

Evelyn took out a flashlight and strapped it to her head like a headlamp. The bright beam made it much easier to search.

Even though several years had passed, the clothes were still in good condition. Evelyn collected half a sackful and moved on to the next shop.

But after a full sweep, she didn’t find anything else of value. The place had likely been picked clean by other survivors. The clothes she found were probably too flashy or flimsy for them, so they had been tossed aside—which was now to her advantage.

"Ronan! Ronan, where are you?"

Ronan let out a short whistle. Evelyn immediately pinpointed his location and started walking toward the sound.

Ronan had gotten lucky. He’d found a good number of wooden planks and even a hammer in a utility room. Unfortunately, the hammer was severely rusted.