Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 106: Fishing Squad

If they were going to catch all the fish, they’d have to stay on the bank for a while. In her spare time, Evelyn Ford chopped down the nearby trees. Strangely enough, while Broken Cloud Mountain had been hit by fireballs, Evelyn saw no trace of them having fallen in the Silver River region.

The area was still blanketed in pristine snow, with no bonfires or giant craters left by fireballs.

Luckily, she had bought a lot of Styrofoam coolers and water tanks while she was hoarding supplies. The now-empty water tanks were perfect for storing fish.

In the afternoon, the two of them continued fishing.

As they chiseled more and more holes, a large section of the ice suddenly collapsed. Evelyn took out a fishing net, and with a single cast, she could haul up a hundred or two hundred pounds of fish.

Evelyn even kept the small fish. Their current philosophy was one of scorched earth—take everything and leave nothing behind.

Evelyn took out an inflatable boat and launched it to check on the schools of fish.

"Ronan, there’s a ton over here! Come get them!"

"There are a lot over here, too. They’re all silver carp. Each one weighs fifteen to eighteen pounds."

Most of the time, however, Evelyn stayed on the bank cleaning the fish. Because she was wearing such thick clothes, she was clumsy on her feet and kept either tripping or falling into the water.

And besides, her period was due soon. Evelyn ultimately agreed to stay safely on the bank and stick to cleaning the fish.

Evelyn had made short work of the trees on the bank, too. She’d been overflowing with energy lately, feeling an inexhaustible strength in her body. She grew restless and uncomfortable whenever she was idle.

Ronan said it was a genetic mutation. Evelyn checked herself in the mirror every day, worried she might be becoming deformed. Luckily, aside from her irises lightening in color, she hadn’t noticed any other abnormalities. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"We’ll have to move tomorrow. Let’s go about two miles downstream."

Ronan took a sip of fish soup and gave a perfunctory nod.

Another fruitful day came to an end.

After moving downstream, Evelyn discovered that the fish here were even larger. Many of them were species she had never seen before.

"This fish must weigh fifty or sixty pounds."

"That’s the smallest one. There are even bigger ones in the water."

Evelyn, wearing a thick, warm hat, stared in shock at the giant fish Ronan had just hauled up.

"This has to be an arapaima, right?" ’It looked similar, but Evelyn wasn’t certain.’

Ronan couldn’t care less what kind of fish it was. All that mattered to him was whether it was edible and if it tasted good.

"Does it taste good?"

Evelyn nodded. "I’ve heard it’s delicious, but I’ve never tried it."

"Were you poor before?"

Evelyn fell silent. ’That stings.’

"Just a normal family."

Ronan had no concept of what a "normal family" was. But since Evelyn had never eaten it before, he decided he should catch plenty more so she could have her fill.

Evelyn was thrilled. As she watched basket after basket of fish disappear into her storage space, she felt like she’d leaped from being a mere landowner to the wealthiest person alive.

That evening, Evelyn set aside one of the arapaimas. She’d never cooked one before, but it was still a fish. ’The preparation should be more or less the same as any other,’ she figured.

The arapaima was so large that one fish yielded enough meat for a steamed portion, a braised portion, and even some spicy boiled fish slices.

"Let’s have hot pot tomorrow."

"Alright."

Unfortunately, her period arrived right on schedule the next day, so she had to be careful about what she ate.

The two of them ended up staying by the river for twenty days. By then, every container in her storage space was completely full.

One day, while Evelyn was chopping wood in the forest behind their camp, she heard a noise. She scrambled up a tree, quickly pulling out her binoculars. About a mile and a quarter away in the mountains, a large group of people had appeared. They seemed to be heading for the Silver River. Evelyn hurriedly gathered her wood and ran back.

"Ronan, someone’s coming! Quick, put in your colored contacts. I’ll put the fish away. I think they’re a fishing party from a base. There must be four or five hundred of them."

Ronan’s expression was calm, but he had no idea how to put in the contacts. Evelyn had to help him, and even then, he barely managed it.

"They’re uncomfortable."

"Deal with it."

Evelyn put away everything of value from the tent, leaving out only the tent itself, two tattered quilts, a bucket, a shovel, a kettle, and an iron pot.

"Your face isn’t dirty enough."

Ronan took the mirror from Evelyn and glanced at his reflection. He pinched a bit of dirt from the ground and smeared it casually across his face.

"Put on this tattered cotton jacket. And wear your hat, keep your face covered. Stop standing up so straight. In this cold, you should be hunched over."

"Why don’t we just go around them?"

Evelyn shot him a glare. "Because I want to gather some intel."

Evelyn glanced at his current getup. ’Perfect,’ she thought. ’He looks exactly the same as when I first met him.’

Evelyn, not to be outdone, pulled out her own dirtiest and most tattered overcoat. Combined with her superb acting and a timid, hunched posture, she looked just like a refugee on the brink of starvation.

Ronan went back to chiseling holes in the ice to fish, while Evelyn gathered firewood on the bank. A few minutes later, a large, dense crowd of people approached from the distance.

"Oh my god, there are people here! Captain Collins, get over here! Someone’s fishing!"

"Look, there’s another person on the bank, and a tent! Captain Collins, we’ve got survivors living here on the riverbank."

"Quick, let’s go check it out. Hurry!"

Evelyn’s hearing and sight were sharp; she spotted the men leading the group from a great distance.

"Hey! You two! Get over here."

Evelyn glanced at Ronan. Their eyes met. After a moment of stunned silence, Evelyn made as if to run in fear, but one of the men quickly moved to block her path.

"What are you running for? We’re not bad guys. We’re The Hunting Squad from Wyrmrest Base. Where are you two from? What’s your relationship? How long have you been here?"

A barrage of questions hammered down on her. Evelyn just stared at them in terror, remaining silent. Just then, two men escorted Ronan over.

He was holding the shovel and carrying a bucket half-full of small fish.

"Are... are you really not bad guys? You’re really from Wyrmrest Base, here to fish?"

"Yeah, we’re all survivors from Wyrmrest Base. This is the commander of The Hunting Squad, Captain Collins. From your voice, I can tell you’re a woman. Are you two a couple?"

Ronan was so tall his gender was unmistakable. Even though he’d followed Evelyn’s advice and hunched his shoulders slightly, he still towered over everyone else.

Evelyn choked. Before she could answer, Ronan let out a low, guttural "Yeah."

"Where are you from?"

Afraid Ronan would blow their cover, Evelyn quickly grabbed his arm, putting on a look of terror and unease.

"Corinth. We were trying to get to a base, but we got lost. Since you’re survivors from Wyrmrest Base, can... can we go back with you?"

After she spoke, Evelyn let out a few weak coughs. Captain Collins sized them up, then sent a man to inspect their tent. The man found a scruffy little squirrel and a small bird by the fire pit, much to everyone’s surprise.

"Are these your pets? Your pot is empty, but you’re still keeping pets?" a young woman asked, grabbing Mina with a curious expression. Evelyn rushed forward and snatched the squirrel back.

"We found them in the mountains. They keep us company."

"We can take you to Wyrmrest Base, but you’ll have to hand over these two little critters."