Chapter 340
That made complete sense—after all, he wasn’t around to hear the conversation that just took place.
Suzy quickly gave Liam a brief rundown of what had happened.
"You’ve all heard the situation now. What do you think?" Suzy asked directly. "Should we head to the base or not?"
Derek was the first to speak up, his tone a bit quicker than usual: "I don’t think it’s necessary. We have everything here—heating, running water, electricity, and plenty of food. Which of those isn’t ten times better than whatever’s out there? Sure, they say the base has perimeter walls and patrol teams, but who knows what’s really going on behind closed doors? If we go and they confiscate all our supplies and restrict our freedom, we’d be way worse off than staying right here in peace."
Leonard nodded in agreement. "I have the exact same concern. We’ve lived in this safehouse for so long; all the facilities are fully operational and our supplies are abundant. Moving to a new place means starting completely from scratch. Besides, places like bases come with endless rules and very little genuine sympathy."
Liam didn’t voice an opinion immediately. Leaning back against the sofa, he tapped his fingers lightly against his knee in a rhythmic, thoughtful pattern.
After a quiet moment, he finally spoke up. "Noah is still young and can’t handle being dragged around. The environment here is stable, and he just barely managed to adapt. Moving him from place to place won’t do him any good."
He phrased it subtly, but everyone understood his underlying point: he didn’t want to leave either.
If this were in the past, Liam would have seized any chance to take Noah to a secure base—in fact, that had been his exact plan early on. But the circumstances were completely different now. He was certain that the conditions at the base couldn’t possibly compete with what they enjoyed on the twentieth floor. Since he was already living in such a comfortable environment, why downgrade to somewhere worse?
Besides, he could tell that no one else in the room was particularly keen on leaving.
Derek added quietly, "And to be honest, the Edison family isn’t leaving just because the base sounds nice. Staying here means running into us every day, which constantly reminds them of Aaron... It just leaves a bad taste in their mouths." He paused, softening his voice slightly. "We don’t owe them anything. If they want to go, that’s their choice. There’s no reason for us to follow."
Thomas had remained silent throughout the discussion. Leaning against his chair with arms crossed over his chest, his gaze remained lowered, as if carefully weighing the options.
After a long pause, he finally opened his mouth. "Everything we know about the base is based purely on word of mouth." His delivery was slow, as if piecing together his thoughts as he spoke.
"Do they actually have walls? Are there real patrols? Is supply distribution truly fair? None of that has been verified with our own eyes. If we arrive only to find out conditions are worse than here, coming back won’t be an option anymore."
"So you’re saying we stay?" Suzy asked.
Thomas fell silent for a second, then looked up at her. "I suggest we observe first. If they manage to send news back after arriving, we can make an informed choice then. There’s no rush to decide right now."
His approach was slightly more tactful than Derek’s flat rejection, but the core message remained the same: they weren’t moving for now.
After hearing everyone out, Suzy leaned back against the couch, her eyes sweeping over each face in the room. Their eyes kept darting back to her; it was clear that everyone was waiting for her final call.
Pulling her gaze back, Suzy spoke up evenly, "I don’t want to go either."
She offered no lengthy explanations, no detailed pros-and-cons analysis, and no grand speeches. The statement slipped out casually, completely at ease. From the bottom of her heart, she saw zero reason to leave. She had poured a fortune into fortifying this safehouse, where she lived in complete comfort with no shortage of anything. There was no point in running off to a base unless staying here became physically impossible.
"Alright, then we stay."
Derek looked at her, the corners of his lips curling into a subtle smile. He didn’t say a word, but the expression spoke volumes. Liam raised his eyes to meet hers as well, his expression softening as if he had just exhaled a heavy breath of relief.
Leonard nodded heartily, "Then it’s settled!"
Though Thomas didn’t say much, his expression clearly signaled his approval of her choice. The consensus was unanimous: skip the base and remain in the safehouse!
"They’re packing up... they’ll probably head out today, so let’s gather some supplies for them," Suzy said to Leonard, recalling what Bill had mentioned earlier.
Leonard nodded. "I was just about to suggest that."
Suzy paused for a second before adding, "I won’t go downstairs with you guys later. Uncle, you three handle it."
Knowing what was weighing on her mind, Leonard didn’t push. "Got it, don’t worry about it."
With the plan set, the group didn’t linger around the coffee table. Liam headed off to check on Noah’s breakfast, while Thomas and Derek prepared to head downstairs with Leonard.
The three went into the storage room to select portable food items and essential supplies for Bill’s family. The provisions sent over previously were likely running low, and since they were departing, giving them an extra boost made sense. After all, who knew when or if their paths would cross again in this apocalyptic world? Despite going their separate ways, they still hoped Bill’s family would survive and thrive.
Suzy helped select a few items and pulled out some diluted spatial spring water. Although diluted spring water lacked the miracle-working potency of the pure version, it was still exceptionally effective at curing minor ailments and relieving physical pain. Providing these supplies was more than generous on her part.
Everything was packed tightly into a heavy-duty backpack, filling it to the brim. Leonard lifted the bag and gave it a test weigh—it carried a solid weight, but was far from burdensome. Slinging the strap over his shoulder, he glanced back at the living room.
Derek and Thomas had already put on their jackets and were waiting by the door.
"Let me know when you’re ready," Leonard said.
Suzy watched the three step out the door. With temperatures recovering, the stairwell was no longer the freezing icebox it had been—the frost clinging to the concrete walls had melted into long, slick streaks of moisture.
Reaching the lower floor, they found the door to Bill’s unit half-ajar. Leonard gave a gentle knock on the frame.
Inside, the family was supposedly packing, though it looked more like they were staring blankly into space. They hardly had anything left to pack in the first place—the only essentials were food supplies and a few basic changes of clothes, and their food stores were nearly depleted anyway.
At the sound of the knock, everyone inside turned their heads toward the door.
"What brings you guys down?" Elijah stood up, brushing dust off his knees.
"Came to drop off some supplies." Leonard set the heavy backpack onto the floor and pulled open the zipper, revealing neatly stacked provisions inside. "Take this for the road. It isn’t too heavy, but it’ll tide you over for a good while."
Elijah stared at the contents of the bag, then looked up at Leonard. His lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
It was Lucas who broke the silence, her voice raspy with emotion: "You should keep it for yourselves. You’ve already given us far too much."
"We have more than enough," Leonard insisted. "You’re hitting the road, and traveling out there isn’t like staying indoors. Carrying extra supplies will give you peace of mind."
Elijah remained silent for a beat before crouching down to zip the backpack closed. When he stood back up, his eyes were lowered. "Then... thank you."
Leonard patted Elijah on the shoulder. "I told you, no need to be so polite!"
"How’s the packing coming along?" Derek asked with a friendly smile.
Lucas offered a wry smile and waved her hand dismissively, "Sigh... there isn’t really much to pack anyway."
This time, they were truly traveling light. After spending half the morning gathering their belongings, they could barely find anything worth bringing—no matter how they arranged it, their bags still looked pitifully empty.