Chapter 327
Once he was certain Noah hadn’t been disturbed, Liam let out a quiet sigh of relief. Luckily, the little guy was a deep sleeper and hadn’t noticed the quiet knocking at all.
Liam sat up, slipped out of bed as soundlessly as possible, and padded over to the door barefoot without putting on his slippers. He cracked the door open with utmost caution.
Leonard stood in the hallway. Seeing him open the door, he offered a warm, quiet smile. "We made some late-night snacks. Want to come out and grab a bite?"
As he spoke, Leonard peeked through the gap in the door, catching sight of the sleeping Noah from his angle. He immediately dropped his voice to a bare whisper. "Oh, is Noah asleep? Sorry about that. I thought he might still be up."
Leonard felt incredibly glad he had kept his knocks so quiet. If he had woken the kid up, he would have felt like an absolute villain.
Liam glanced back into the room and shook his head. "It’s fine. He’s fast asleep. He usually sleeps pretty heavily, so he won’t be waking up anytime soon."
Leonard nodded, then repeated his invitation: "So, how about it? Want to come out for some food? Suzy’s out there too. We heated some things up."
Hearing that Suzy was there, any lingering hesitation Liam had vanished instantly. He nodded. "Sure. I’ll be out in a minute."
Leonard didn’t push further. Nodding, he pointed toward the living room. "I’ll head back first then. Remember to come join us."
"Okay," Liam replied.
Once Leonard walked away, Liam left the door slightly ajar and stepped back into the bedroom. He walked over to Noah’s cot, pulled the blanket up over his shoulders, and did a quick scan of the room to make sure everything was in order. Satisfied, he slipped on his slippers and headed out.
When he reached the living room, he found everyone gathered together—Suzy, Leonard, Derek, and Thomas.
The massive TV screen was playing a popular variety show from before the apocalypse.
Suzy was the first to notice him. Hearing footsteps, she looked over and saw him standing frozen at the edge of the room. She waved him over, her smile brilliant. "Come on in! Come sit with us."
The warm ambient lighting washed over her porcelain-pale, flawless face, highlighting her features and making her look breathtakingly beautiful.
Following her voice, the others turned to look at Liam as well.
"You’re here," Leonard greeted warmly. "Come on over, grab a seat."
The simple, casual invitation made Liam feel as though he had stepped right back into the pre-apocalyptic world. For a fleeting moment, he even wondered if the brutal disasters they had survived were nothing more than a bad dream.
But he quickly shook the thought away. No—even before the world ended, he had never had this many friends. He was naturally aloof and quiet, never one for group gatherings. If he ever hung out with friends, it was always one-on-one over a quiet dinner; he had never hosted a lively crowd like this in his home.
This kind of warm, bustling scene was something he had never experienced, even in the old days.
To find something after the apocalypse that he had never possessed before it filled Liam with a profound sense of quiet emotion.
No one rushed him out of his brief reverie. They simply watched him with easy, welcoming smiles.
Thomas rose from the sofa, walked into the kitchen, and emerged carrying the night’s feast. Within seconds, the rich, savory aroma of barbecue and fried chicken filled the entire room, instantly waking up everyone’s appetites.
"Everything’s heated up and ready," Thomas said, setting the dishes down on the table one by one.
Staring at the spread of skewers and fried chicken, everyone in the room collectively swallowed. It was hard enough to resist cravings in the middle of the night, let alone when confronted with a mountain of hot, high-calorie comfort food.
Liam walked over to the group. Seeing the table practically groaning under the weight of skewers, fried chicken, ice-cold cola, and chilled beer, he was struck by another wave of disbelief. They even have things like this?
Then again, given that the apartment had steady electricity and plenty of fuel, eating fried chicken and barbecue wasn’t entirely out of the question. And compared to the lavish dinner they had enjoyed earlier, this late-night snack was actually quite modest.
Thinking back to that dinner, Liam’s mouth watered all over again. That meal wouldn’t just be considered a luxury feast during the apocalypse; it would have passed for a top-tier spread even before the world ended. There had been braised pork, ribs, pan-seared fish, and all sorts of mouthwatering dishes, alongside vibrant, perfectly stir-fried green vegetables.
Liam couldn’t even remember the last time he had tasted fresh vegetables. Both he and Noah had eaten until they were absolutely stuffed, eagerly polishing off bowl after bowl of white rice.
Though a few hours had passed and he had digested most of it, the sight of the hot skewers and fried chicken made him hungry all over again. His throat bobbed.
Fried chicken—before the apocalypse, he wouldn’t have spared it a second glance. He had always detested greasy, fried foods. Yet now, sitting right in front of him, it made his mouth water. He couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly at his own reaction; he felt like a total country bumpkin who had just laid eyes on a city feast for the first time.
Alongside the main dishes, Suzy had laid out several side dishes—spicy peanuts, smashed cucumber salad, and various other snacks.
"Is there anything else you’d like to eat?" she asked Liam with a smile. She had prepared a spread of everyone’s favorites, but she still didn’t quite know what he liked.
Her question caught him off guard. "I don’t know," he murmured, shaking his head blankly. If asked to name a craving on the spot, he honestly couldn’t think of one.
"Nothing at all?" Suzy asked, surprised. That can’t be right. How can someone have absolutely no food cravings? Does he just not care about food? "Did you not eat out much before?"
Liam nodded in confirmation.
Before the apocalypse, his meals had been strictly managed by a personal nutritionist who prioritized perfect nutritional balance above all else. He rarely touched fried foods, let alone snacks. Trying to recall a favorite food was near impossible, since balanced, health-focused meals were rarely the kind of food that left a lasting, delicious impression.
"What about fruit? Is there any fruit you like?" Suzy pressed. She had a massive stash of fresh fruit in her spatial storage, and even though the space was currently upgrading and couldn’t be physically entered, she could still retrieve items from it at will.
"Fruit..."
Liam murmured, his gaze drifting over to the television screen.
The variety show was currently broadcasting a culinary special, showing a group of celebrity guests taking on a food challenge. At that exact moment, one of the stars was attempting a super-spicy fire noodle challenge.
On the screen, the celebrity was lifting thick, glossy noodles coated in a rich, dark red sauce into their mouth. Though their eyes were watering from the intense heat, they couldn’t stop eating. The noodles looked thick and incredibly springy, each strand dripping with a thick, gleaming glaze.
A generous layer of shredded cheese was melted over the top, stretching into delicate, gooey strings from the heat of the noodles. Beside it sat a soft-boiled egg, its golden, runny yolk slowly oozing out to mingle with the fiery red sauce. To top it off, a handful of crispy, crushed seaweed sheets was scattered over the dish, the dark flakes contrasting beautifully with the vibrant red of the noodles.
Liam’s throat bobbed once more.