Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 128: The So-called Truth

"She told me you were college classmates, roommates even. She said she was your best friend, and that the other girl had died. I was afraid something would happen to her, so I agreed to bring her here. I didn’t think I’d end up making things worse with my good intentions again."

"Evelyn, I’m so sorry."

"It’s fine."

Arriving at the administration building, Evelyn Ford was alarmed by the long queues.

’So many people actually bought the canned food. Times are tough now, so most people who bought it were reluctant to eat it right away, and they might have dodged a bullet. But most people gave the cans to their children.’

’The base management was afraid that if the residents found out about the cans, it would cause riots and rebellion. They were also afraid that if they did nothing, more and more people would die. So the only middle ground they could find was to recall all the canned food, dispose of it, and destroy the evidence.’

Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick got in line. One can could be exchanged for a small bowl of rice, or for compressed biscuits, vegetables and fruit, cold medicine, clothes, sanitary napkins, and household items.

More and more people came to make exchanges. The queue split into five lines, and Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick stood one behind the other.

The middle-aged man in front of them turned to glance at Evelyn, then deliberately took a step back, brushing his arm against her shoulder.

Before Evelyn could even make a move, Ronan sent the man flying with a kick.

"What’s going on here?" A patrol officer walked over. The man was lying on the ground, wailing, and was the first to play the victim.

"He attacked me for no reason! Officer, my stomach hurts so bad! You have to arrest this guy!"

Ronan stared at him without saying a word.

"Is that so? Did he really kick you for no reason? If you hadn’t been harassing me, sizing me up with that disgusting look in your eyes, would he have kicked you?"

The man’s face flushed with anger. Ronan’s kick had been too powerful; he wailed on the ground for a long time, unable to get up.

"Nonsense! You’re picking on an honest man! Officer, these two are lying! I didn’t even touch this woman. She’s wearing a mask and her hair is so short, I thought she was a man! Am I sick in the head? Why would I harass a man?"

"Maybe you’re just that kind of pervert," Evelyn said, her face turning cold.

"Did anyone here see this man harassing anyone? You can step forward as a witness." The patrol officer scanned the people in the surrounding lines, but everyone’s expression was numb. Not a single person came forward.

"Even if I were going to harass someone, I’d go for a curvy young lady. A tomboy like you? I wouldn’t want you even if you were free."

As he spoke, the man touched his neck, then continued to mock Evelyn.

The patrol officer told Evelyn to take off her mask to confirm her gender. Because Evelyn’s voice was rather deep, and seeing how she was bundled up in drab, dusty clothes and was also very tall, the officer wasn’t sure if she was a man or a woman.

This was the first time Evelyn had ever encountered a situation like this. But to avoid holding up the line, she silently took off her mask and held Ronan’s hand to keep him from acting rashly again.

Upon seeing Evelyn’s face, both the patrol officer and the man on the ground were left speechless.

She wasn’t wearing a disguise today. Her face was completely clean, making her already exquisite features appear even more stunning.

"Can I put my mask back on now?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The patrol officer nodded. He then walked over to the man. For malicious harassment and provoking a disturbance, he was dragged away.

Ronan reached out and pulled Evelyn’s mask up a little, almost covering her eyes.

Evelyn looked back at him and asked in a low voice, "The needle?"

"I gave it to him."

The corners of Evelyn’s lips curved up. "Good job."

The line quickly returned to order, and soon it was Evelyn and Ronan’s turn to exchange their goods.

"What are you trading for?"

Evelyn glanced at a plastic basin behind the counter and placed all of her meat cans inside it.

"I want to trade for a basin or a water bucket."

The person handling the exchanges counted the cans—thirty-five in total—and gave Evelyn two plastic buckets.

The lines behind them were still long. Some people had only a single can, while others carried a large bag full of them.

Just as Evelyn and Ronan were about to leave, a commotion broke out at the front again.

"The meat cans are made from diseased pigs! There are worms in the cans! People who eat them get infested with parasites! The base management has no conscience, making us eat bad meat and killing tens of thousands! The dead are thrown into a giant pit on the east side of the base! It’s a mass grave, not a cemetery! The rotting flesh has seeped into the groundwater! The base’s water is corpse water!"

A man was screaming himself hoarse. The residents in line heard him and were stunned, rushing toward him to find out what was going on.

BANG! BANG! BANG! After a few loud shots, the man, now hit with several bullets, collapsed into the crowd, still clutching a banner that read "JUSTICE, TRUTH" in blood.

"Was what he said true? Why would the base do this? Why are they trying to kill us?"

A woman rushed to the front, grabbed a patrol officer by the collar, and began to shriek questions at him.

The others, also shocked senseless by the news, all surged forward. They wanted to storm the base and demand the truth.

"My daughter ate just one can! It was her birthday, so I bought her a can, and it killed her! I want all of you to die and be buried with my daughter!"

"My son was only three years old! He was only three!"

They had survived the natural disaster, but not the base’s negligence.

The frenzied crowd stormed into the building, smashing things and roaring in anger. The patrol officers fired into the air, but they could no longer suppress anyone’s emotions.

Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick stood at the edge of the crowd, watching everything unfold. They felt an indescribable mix of anguish and anger.

’But what could be done?’

’Not a single person from the management has shown their face. They don’t even have the courage to face the public’s fury.’

’Evelyn didn’t know how many people had died in this parasite crisis, or how many more would die. The dead weren’t just numbers; they were lives.’

’First it was the elderly, then the children, then the young adults...’

Reinforcements from the patrol unit arrived. They carried electric batons, taking down anyone who rushed forward in an attempt to make an example of them.

"Let’s go."

Ronan Kendrick took the buckets from Evelyn’s hands and pulled her away through a side path. Even after they were a good distance away, Evelyn could still hear waves of mournful cries.

"Evelyn, that was terrifying just now. Are you two okay?"

Serena Lynch and Chase Underwood ran to catch up with them. Seeing the compressed biscuits in their hands, Evelyn Ford shook her head.

"We’re fine."

"How did this suddenly get exposed? It’s all over now. This has caused a panic and public outrage. I don’t know how the base is going to handle this. If more people die, I bet everyone will leave the base."

It was rare to see Serena Lynch so serious, but her analysis was correct. If the base couldn’t resolve this within three days, the residents might just leave in droves.

"Evelyn, are you guys going to leave?"

’Even if the base announced that they had successfully purified the water, would anyone dare to keep living here? Would anyone dare to drink the water?’

But Evelyn Ford always felt that a greater disaster was still to come. Her intuition told her that, for now, staying at the base was the safest option.

"We’re not leaving."