Chapter 7

Woolf dialed the emergency number, but it was always busy, which added to Bai Yi's growing unease. Because of the incident with the large dog biting someone, Woolf and the others inspected the small courtyard, blocking any gaps where animals could easily squeeze in. Bai Yi, on the other hand, quietly went out to check the situation in the food market.

It was almost midnight, but the food market showed no signs of quieting down. The number of people buying food was several times more than in the evening. Moreover, even the vendors were gradually feeling something was wrong, and some were considering not selling anymore.

With food but no intention to continue selling, and people driven mad by hunger... the situation was almost at the point of no return.

This is not good!

Bai Yi saw the market becoming increasingly chaotic, with occasional looting. Only the long-standing moral standards prevented it from getting worse. However, Bai Yi knew how unbearable extreme hunger could be, and he estimated that this fragile stability would soon be broken.

Sure enough, as Bai Yi was thinking this, a commotion broke out at a shop in front.

"What do you mean you're not selling? I'm not refusing to pay. Even if the price of food is dozens of times higher than usual, I can still afford it. What more do you want?" A man, two meters tall and heavily built, spat as he cursed. Intense hunger was gnawing at his mind, making him feel as if a devil inside him was eating away at his body after consuming all the nutrients.

Cannibalism—when the body lacks nutrients, active cells will automatically break down muscle, fat, and other tissues to absorb the nutrients.

"Get out of the way, I need food!" The heavily built man, driven by hunger, grabbed the chest of the shop assistant in front of him and pushed him away forcefully.

With a loud crash, the assistant hit the door and then slowly slid down.

This sudden change even startled the heavily built man himself; he hadn't used that much force.

What the man didn't know was that while the active cells were extracting nutrients, they were also producing a large amount of exotic energy, which was much more advanced than biological heat energy, giving him immense strength. Using his old habits, the heavily built man naturally caused such a situation.

To hell with it, no matter what!

Since it had come to this, the man no longer held back. He grabbed something and smashed the shop door, then rushed into the food store and started moving the food. With such a leader, the others couldn't bear it either and joined in the looting. This trend seemed to be spreading to the surrounding areas.

Bai Yi emerged from the crowd and returned to Woolf's shop. At this time, Woolf and the others were still preparing food, and the dead assistant was still lying where he fell, as the body couldn't be moved.

"Bai Yi, you went outside. What happened?" Woolf asked.

"Woolf, things are getting bad. The market is already in chaos, and many people are fighting over food. It will likely spread here soon."

"Stealing, aren't they afraid of breaking the law?" Santos asked, puzzled.

"Breaking the law is indeed breaking the law, but do you think stealing a pig's leg will result in a prison sentence?" Bai Yi said with a laugh. After this, Woolf and the others understood. Stealing food, while illegal, wouldn't lead to imprisonment.

"They are still constrained by rationality and common sense, but soon someone will realize this. Even if they are sentenced, it's better than starving to death," Bai Yi explained.

"What should we do?"

"There's a basement in the shop, right? Try to move the food there, somewhere hidden. Santos, you go outside and watch. If you see a crowd coming, report it immediately. When they come to loot, we will resist, but not too obviously. Let them take what they want, as long as no one gets hurt," Bai Yi instructed. Woolf and the others, being rough and not very smart, followed Bai Yi's orders. After all, Bai Yi was from Waikato University, even if he was just a chef.

...

Sure enough, the chaos in the food market soon spread, and Woolf's shop was no exception. Since the evening, no one had come here after Bai Yi's intervention.

A large group of people burst through the door, rushing around to find the food storage.

People, though usually rational, become very simple-minded when agitated. These people not only looted the food storage but also ran to the back rooms, almost like burglars. However, when they rushed into the small courtyard, they immediately saw an Asian man standing in the middle. Next to him lay a figure, drenched in blood, clearly dead.

Bai Yi held a cleaver in each hand, his eyes slightly lowered, his entire body shrouded in shadow. Next to him, Sharpy was tense, and Momo was hiding in the back room, quietly observing.

"I won't say much about looting food, as I'm hungry too and can understand. But if any of you lose your heads and think breaking into a home is justified, I will defend myself, and the consequences may be more than you can bear," Bai Yi said calmly, but the two bloodied cleavers he slowly raised immediately frightened the leading group.

Damn, is the guy on the ground really killed by this man?

Fortunately, this group hadn't completely lost their minds. After Bai Yi's warning, they slowly retreated, afraid that the cleavers would cut them. Soon, the people who rushed into the courtyard were all gone. A few more came in later, but seeing the dead body and Bai Yi, they quickly retreated.

...

After a chaotic looting and resistance, the entire warehouse was emptied. The shop, after being looted, looked desolate and messy. Santos, holding his bruised chin, came over to clean up but was stopped by Bai Yi. Instead, Bai Yi took a few chairs and started smashing the intact doors and windows.

"Bai, Bai Yi, what are you doing?" Woolf was dumbfounded.

"Make it look worse. This way, when people come here, they'll see that the shop has already been looted. Only then will they not come back, and we can survive for a few days with the food in the basement," Bai Yi explained to Woolf. At that moment, a window fell and crashed to the ground.

Looking around, the entire shop looked like a girl who had been repeatedly violated.

Woolf and the other two assistants couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. This was Bai Yi's plan. Indeed, even they, seeing the shop's current state, would think it had already been looted. After this struggle, they realized they were hungry again, despite having eaten a lot earlier.

When they returned to the back, they found Momo quietly standing at the door, waiting for Bai Yi, and Sharpy squatting beside her, like a loyal bodyguard.

"Daddy!" Momo saw Bai Yi and immediately rushed over, hugging his leg.

"It's okay, it's okay!" Bai Yi comforted Momo.

...

Although the food in the warehouse was looted, there was still plenty left in the basement and the inner room. With no food at home, Bai Yi decided to stay here temporarily with Momo. The shop was spacious, just a bit crude.

Since Bai Yi was here, cooking was naturally his responsibility. At first, Bai Yi prepared the food normally, making it delicious and fragrant. But soon, Woolf burst in.

"Bai, Bai Yi!"

"What's wrong, Woolf?"

"Don't make it so fragrant. Make it tasteless, quickly."

"What's the matter?"

"The smell is too strong. I could smell it from outside, and others can too. We won't be able to hide," Woolf explained nervously.

Bai Yi was taken aback for a moment, then laughed. He was afraid the food would be too fragrant and attract others. Woolf, despite his roughness, had a keen sense. However, Bai Yi, who had always learned to make food look, smell, and taste good, found it difficult to make it tasteless.

"I'll try," Bai Yi replied.

"That's good," Woolf said, looking at what Bai Yi was cooking and swallowing hard. Bai Yi's food was already quite tasty, and with the intense hunger, it was even harder to resist. Sharpy, sitting on the side, had his tongue out, drooling.

...