Natalie Russell
Tenth Layer of the Supernatural Realm
"Shelter No. 33?" Natalie was puzzled and asked, "Why haven't I heard of it?"
Professor Isabel Granthad also provided extensive information about various shelters. However, there was no information about this "Shelter No. 33."
"Shelter No. 33 was established by my old leader. It's relatively small, so it's normal that you haven't heard of it."
This time, it was Mason Cooper who answered, "If Miss April doesn't have a good place to go for now, you can indeed consider going to Shelter No. 33 to take refuge first. My old leader's ultimate goal is also to head to Thunder God Shelter."
"I heard that a complete ecological system has been established in Thunder God Shelter, allowing for self-sufficiency, so there's no need for shelter folk to go out and risk finding food anymore."
At this point, Mason Cooper's face was filled with envy. The few young people also looked full of longing.
In the apocalyptic environment, a self-sufficient shelter was undoubtedly the paradise that all ordinary survivors longed for.
Natalie thought for a moment and felt that going to Shelter No. 33 with them wasn't a bad idea. Anyway, she had nowhere to go for the time being.
But there were still some questions she needed to clarify. "Where is Shelter No. 33? How far is it from here?"
Seeing that Natalie seemed a bit tempted, Mason Cooper was very happy and quickly said, "It's not far, just in a military base outside the city, about 50 kilometers from here. Even if we walk slowly, we can get there in two or three days."
Natalie nodded and then asked, "Since you know about the existence of Shelter No. 33, why didn't you go there earlier?"
Mason Cooper smiled bitterly and said, "We only recently got a usable radio and received a message from my old leader through the radio channel."
Hearing this, Natalie's heart stirred, "You mean, your old leader is actively sending out messages to take in survivors?"
Natalie's surprise was perfectly understandable because this was what shelters that operated as slaughterhouses, capturing and eating people, did.
Mason Cooper immediately said, "Miss April, I understand your concerns, but please rest assured, my old leader is my old Battalion Commander from the military, an upright and trustworthy person."
It seemed that this old Battalion Commander had left a very good impression on Mason Cooper, which made him trust him so much.
Natalie pondered for a moment, then asked, "When do you plan to set off?"
Mason Cooper immediately said, "We were previously stuck here because of food, but now that we have food, we can depart tomorrow."
After some consideration, Natalie still felt it was better not to go. After all, she knew nothing about the shelter or what kind of scene or people she would encounter there.
Although Mason Cooper trusted his former Battalion Commander, people could change in times like these, and Natalie didn't want to fall into a trap after entering the shelter.
She just needed to stay here and wait for Matthew to arrive. There was no need to take risks.
So, Natalie said, "You can go. I will stay here for a while longer."
"Ah?" Hearing this, many people were very disappointed.
"April, why don't you want to go with us?" Paige Cooper couldn't help but ask.
Natalie said, "I'm waiting for someone."
Hearing this, everyone looked at Mason Cooper.
Mason Cooper then asked, "May I ask when the person Miss April is waiting for will arrive?"
"Probably ten days to half a month," Natalie said.
Mason Cooper seemed to completely give up hope upon hearing this.
"Uncle Mason, why don't we wait here too?" Paige Cooper said.
Mason Cooper shook his head, "The old Battalion Commander plans to set off for Sacramento in a week. We don't have that much time."
Hearing about going to Sacramento, Paige Cooper immediately fell silent. Thunder God Shelter was a place she longed for.
Natalie couldn't help but ask, "Sacramento is so far from here. How can you be sure that the Battalion Commander can take you there?"
"Who can be sure of such a thing?" Mason Cooper smiled bitterly and said, "However, staying here means we'll die sooner or later anyway, so we might as well take a gamble and try. That place is humanity's last hope."
Natalie nodded and said, "Then let's part ways here. You can take more food with you later. Just leave me about half a month's worth."
Hearing this, Paige Cooper seemed very reluctant, so she said, "April, why don't you come to our current bunker first? That bunker is quite safe. Since we're leaving tomorrow and no one will be staying behind, you can use that place while you wait for the person you're expecting."
Natalie showed an interested expression upon hearing this and said, "Alright, then, thank you all."
"April, you don't need to thank us. We thank you for your help."
…
Then the group walked towards the bunker, which was an abandoned factory nearby.
This factory had a sturdy basement for storing goods with a ventilation system.
The basement was later renovated by Mason Cooper and his group. Now, it was a place easy to defend and difficult to breach, and the ventilation system could also serve as an emergency escape route, making it indeed quite safe.
"I knew the former owner of this factory. I even helped out when he built the basement. It was built very sturdily and even included soundproofing. Staying inside is definitely safer than outside."
Along the way, Mason Cooper also explained the bunker to Natalie.
When the basement door was pushed open, they were greeted by a rather pungent smell.
It turned out that quite a few people were hiding in the basement, seven in total, all old and weak people, women, and children.
The youngest was probably only eight or nine.
"Dad!"
Seeing Mason Cooper return, the little girl, who had been somewhat timid, immediately ran out and rushed towards him.
And on the face of Mason Cooper, this tough man, a smile appeared, and he squatted down, opening his arms. The next moment, father and daughter embraced.
Natalie looked at the little girl. She was sallow and emaciated, her hair withered, looking malnourished, and her clothes were quite dirty.
The other people in the basement were like this as well.
And it seemed that all these people were related to each other.
Besides the little girl and Mason Cooper welcoming each other, the other survivors also came out from their hiding places and reunited with Paige Cooper and the others.
Some were parents, some were siblings, all were close relatives.
Only then did Natalie realize that Mason Cooper and the others were actually supporting such a group of relatives.
Supporting relatives in a post-apocalyptic environment where survival was difficult and food was scarce was truly commendable.
"There's food here, everyone, eat something first..." Mason Cooper called out, distributing food to everyone, and then said to Natalie, "Miss Natalie, I hope you don't take this as disrespect, but they haven't eaten anything in a long time."
Natalie shook her head and said seriously, "I actually admire you all."
Then Natalie glanced at the little girl eating bread and said, "Now I understand why you want to take them to Thunder God Shelter."
Mason Cooper nodded and said, "Now, food is getting scarcer and scarcer. Only Thunder God Shelter still offers hope. For her future, no matter how great the difficulties are, I must try."
...
The two sides had a brief conversation, and then each found a place to rest.
Mason Cooper planned to take his family and leave early tomorrow morning, so he needed to conserve his energy now.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Mason Cooper and the others got up, and they prepared to leave.
"April, we're leaving. You must take good care of yourself." Paige Cooper came to say goodbye to Natalie.
Natalie looked at the young girl in front of her, a faint smile appearing on her face.
"Don't worry, I'm an Ability User, and my friend is coming soon, so I'll definitely be fine. But you all, be careful on your journey."
Speaking of this, Natalie seemed to have thought of something and said, "Oh, by the way, take this."
She placed the corpse crystal into Paige Cooper's hand.
Paige Cooper looked at it and said in surprise, "April, this is very valuable. If you take it to a shelter, you can exchange it for a lot of supplies. I can't take it..."
Natalie shook her head, "It is not useful to me. Take it."
"This..." Paige Cooper was actually very tempted. She had long heard about the benefits of the corpse crystal.
There were even examples of ordinary people becoming ability users by eating corpse crystals.
Just as Paige Cooper was hesitating, Natalie had already stood up and walked over to Mason Cooper, saying, "I can't use this much food. You can take another bag."
The previous food was divided into four large bags. Originally, each side had two bags. Seeing that everyone was about to leave, Natalie decided to give them another bag.
It wasn't that she was being overly generous; rather, she believed that once Matthew arrived, food wouldn't be an issue.
Furthermore, it was rare for Mason Cooper's group to maintain their humanity in a post-apocalyptic environment without succumbing to the beast within. For this reason alone, Natalie was willing to support them.
Anyway, it was just a little food.
Mason Cooper, however, looked at the food in front of him, wanting to decline, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
He knew very well that the previous day's haul from the convenience store was not enough to sustain them for long, and to reach Thunder God Shelter successfully, food was absolutely an indispensable resource.
For the sake of his child's survival, Mason Cooper could only say, "Thank you, then we won't be polite."
Natalie smiled and said nothing.
Mason Cooper, however, pulled his daughter and said, "Quick, thank Miss April."
The little girl was very obedient and immediately said, "Thanks, miss."
The other old and weak people, women, and children, seeing that Natalie was willing to give up food, also came near and thanked her repeatedly.
In these times, anyone willing to give food to others was definitely an angel for them.
This, however, made Natalie feel a bit flustered. It was her first time experiencing such a scene.
"Please. That's enough. I understand your sincerity," she said, and only then did the other side stop thanking her.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.210: Problem Knocking at the Door
Ch.211: He's Here, and You're About to Die
Ch.212: Give Him a Painful Death