Chapter 23: Fake Sisterhood
Zhang Mingyuan staggered to his feet and wandered over to Ah Biao.
Ah Biao was fiddling with a pile of parts alongside two of his underlings.
Ever since the power outage, even the base station near Phoenix Mountain had stopped functioning.
Although people could still charge their phones inside vehicles, with no signal, the phones were now nothing more than toys.
Ah Biao had dismantled a car's radio, trying to see if he could modify it to receive signals from the outside world.
After all, being trapped here indefinitely was not a viable plan.
When Zhang Mingyuan walked up, Ah Biao greeted him politely enough.
"Young Master Zhang, what can I do for you?"
"Well, here's the thing, Brother Biao," Zhang Mingyuan said, putting on a friendly face. "The food we're distributing each day is just too little. Xiao Mei and Ling'er can't even fill their stomachs."
"Do you think you could spare them a bit more?"
Ah Biao frowned slightly and gave a half-smile.
"Have I shorted you on food these past few days, Young Master Zhang? You haven't gone hungry, have you?"
"Of course not," Zhang Mingyuan quickly replied. "But they're women…"
Before he could finish, Ah Biao cut him off roughly.
"If you're so worried about them, why don't you share your own food with them?"
Zhang Mingyuan was rendered speechless.
There was no way he'd give up his own food for Xiao Mei and Liu Ling'er.
"If you're not willing, then shut your mouth. There are plenty of people starving," Ah Biao said coldly.
Hearing the veiled threat in his tone, Zhang Mingyuan opened his mouth but didn't dare speak further. He slinked away, dejected.
"Ha! Thought he was some high-and-mighty rich kid," one of Ah Biao's men sneered.
"Yeah, still thinking about chasing girls in a time like this. What an idiot."
"Pretty boy like him—if food runs out, we should eat him first!"
The group laughed loudly and without restraint, not caring in the slightest if Zhang Mingyuan heard them.
Zhang Mingyuan quickened his pace, fear creeping into his heart.
Only now did he truly realize—status and wealth meant nothing in the apocalypse.
Only strength mattered.
The only reason he hadn't starved was because Ah Biao still believed this crisis would pass soon.
If things dragged on, Ah Biao would probably stop protecting him altogether.
Worse—just as his men said—he might become their food.
"Young Master Zhang, how did it go?" Xiao Mei and Liu Ling'er looked at him expectantly when he returned.
"No. Now get lost!" Zhang Mingyuan snapped, taking out his frustrations on the two women.
"Huh?" they both froze.
"Seriously? With the two of you looking like this, it's already generous of me to help at all, and now you want more?"
"Let me make something clear—I only helped because I wanted a threesome. You really think I care about either of you?"
"Especially you, Xiao Mei—you're nothing but trash. At least Liu Ling'er is still somewhat attractive."
At this life-or-death moment, the viciousness buried deep in Zhang Mingyuan's heart was laid bare. He lashed out at them without restraint.
Seeing the once-dashing Zhang Mingyuan turn into a raving madman, the two women were stunned into silence.
They didn't dare say anything more and returned to their seats.
"Mei'er, I'm so hungry… what do we do?" Liu Ling'er whispered pitifully.
"What's that got to do with me? I'm starving too!" Xiao Mei snapped.
"You're supposed to be the charming one, right? Why don't you use that pretty face to get us some food?"
Xiao Mei was in a foul mood after getting chewed out by Zhang Mingyuan.
What irritated her most was that he had insulted her while complimenting Liu Ling'er.
That stung her pride deeply.
Fueled by jealousy, she couldn't hold back her bitterness.
"Mei'er, you…" Liu Ling'er hadn't expected Xiao Mei to turn on her so quickly.
Stunned for a moment, she shot back:
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be stuck here in the first place!"
"You're the one who chased vanity and dragged me into this!"
Truthfully, there were many girls like Liu Ling'er—sweet and gentle on the surface, but when it came to fighting with other women, their combat power was second to none.
"Me? Chasing vanity?" Xiao Mei's eyes widened with fury as she sneered.
"Like you're any better! If you weren't, why did you break up with Su Chen?"
"Don't blame it all on me. If you were really some innocent flower, why did you look down on him?"
"And don't forget—I was the one who introduced you to Zhang Mingyuan. You didn't exactly say no, did you?"
Their fragile sisterhood shattered under pressure, and their true colors came out.
If the heat hadn't been so unbearable, the two of them might have come to blows right then and there.
"Hmph!"
After a round of verbal sparring, the two women turned their backs on each other and sulked in silence.
But after a while, Xiao Mei couldn't take the hunger anymore.
Her eyes darted slyly before she sidled back over to Liu Ling'er.
"Ling'er, I was too impulsive earlier. I'm sorry…"
Liu Ling'er didn't want to respond at first, but seeing Xiao Mei's pitiful expression, she softened.
"Sorry… I shouldn't have argued with you either."
"Given our current situation, we need to stick together if we want to survive."
"Do you have any ideas?"
"I've been thinking," Xiao Mei said, "If what Su Chen said was true—if this really is the apocalypse—then he must have prepared thoroughly."
Thinking back to all the supplies she had seen in his RV, Liu Ling'er nodded in agreement.
"In the end, he was your ex. Why don't you go talk to him? Maybe he'll let us in."
"I've thought about it," Liu Ling'er said with a sigh. "But I'm afraid he'll say no."
"You won't know until you try," Xiao Mei urged.
Thinking about the cool air and cold Coca-Cola in Su Chen's RV, Liu Ling'er gritted her teeth.
"Alright."
By now, dusk had fallen.
After days of use, most of the emergency lights in the underground parking garage had run out of power, leaving only a few still working.
The already dim parking lot became even harder to navigate.
Under the faint lights, the two women cautiously made their way toward the RV.
Some people noticed them, but after several days of hunger, they couldn't be bothered to care.
Inside, Su Chen had given up on Elden Ring after failing to beat the first boss.
As he was debating between playing Persona 5 or Civilization VI, there was a knock at the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Who is it?" Su Chen stood up and asked impatiently.
"Ah Chen… it's me…"
Seeing Xiao Mei and Liu Ling'er outside, Su Chen shrugged.
"You two again? Aren't you tired of this?"