Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse

Chapter 142: Dense Fog 3

A few experiments confirmed that the thick fog did indeed accelerate plant growth. Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick moved into an empty villa next door, deciding to grow vegetables and medicinal herbs inside.

Chase Underwood and Serena Lynch also moved into a house behind them. Although they were living separately, they were all still within the same safe zone.

’It’s a shame the signal tower and wind turbine were corroded,’ Evelyn thought. ’Otherwise, I could have put them in my storage space. They might have been useful later.’

Evelyn planned to grow some medicinal herbs. The first-floor floorboards had already been pried up. Fortunately, the soil underneath hadn’t been corroded. Evelyn divided it into square plots to make it easier to plant different types of herbs.

She could plant some vegetables and corn around the perimeter. Evelyn had quite a green thumb. The camellia seeds she had planted in a pot earlier had already grown into a small, twenty-centimeter-tall tree, and the cactus she had brought from Corinth was also holding on strong.

"Evelyn, be careful these next few days. Some people came to steal vegetables last night. There were several of them, but unfortunately, they got away." Quincy came over to Evelyn’s place, his face full of amazement as he looked at the green sprouts emerging from the ground.

"This doesn’t look like wheat. What is it?"

"This whole section is medicinal herbs. Over there, I’ve planted some cabbage and corn. I’ll give you a spray bottle later. It’s filled with pepper water I made. You can use it for self-defense."

Quincy pulled his tattered coat tighter around himself and nodded eagerly at her words. "That’s great. Those guys have probably been watching us for a while. If they come back tonight, we have to teach them a lesson."

Evelyn thought for a moment, then gave him a few more bottles of her special pepper water, asking him to pass them on to Officer Graham and the others. Of course, Taylor Vance and his two companions got some as well.

After moving out, Evelyn felt much freer. Whether eating, drinking, or just going about her day, she no longer had to be so careful to hide things from everyone.

As the rainwater collected and the plants began to grow, everyone’s lives actually started to improve.

The only problem was the oppressive, dark fog outside, which could feel suffocating at times.

If someone came by with wooden planks to trade for food, they would make a trade.

Evelyn looked at herself in the mirror. She hadn’t washed her face in nearly a month. She was dirty enough to join The Beggars’ Sect.

She treated herself, boiling some water for a bath. The dirty water, of course, was saved for watering the vegetables. Ronan Kendrick did the same. He hadn’t been having any extra meals during this time and was doing heavy labor every day.

He was clearly much happier after they moved out.

"What’s for dinner tonight?"

"Grilled fish."

Evelyn snapped her fingers. "You got it."

The villas were spaced several meters apart, and the sour stench from the acid rain still lingered in the air, so the smell of grilling fish dissipated quickly. Besides, Evelyn had a smart range hood.

They closed the doors and windows, filled Mina’s and Lola’s food bowls, and started making dinner.

"Good thing I made so many boxed meals and put them in my storage space."

Ronan Kendrick stared intently at the fish on the grill. When Evelyn spoke to him, he just gave a perfunctory nod.

"The cabbage downstairs is ready to be harvested. We can replant some more after we pick it tomorrow. The medicinal herbs will probably need another month or two before they’re ready."

Ronan Kendrick continued to nod.

"The fog will probably last for a long time. My intuition is usually right. We really need to keep growing the herbs."

"Is it ready to eat yet?" Ronan Kendrick asked, looking at her with a serious expression.

Evelyn huffed. "Go ahead and eat. These are all bighead carp we pulled from the Silver River."

"Are we having fish again tomorrow?"

"Depends on my mood."

Ronan Kendrick knew exactly what to say. "You rest. I’ll do the work."

In the dim yellow light of the emergency lamp, Evelyn pursed her lips into a smile. "Alright, then."

***

The base currently had no administrative staff. Although things had stabilized on the surface, criminal incidents still occurred from time to time.

Taylor Vance and his group had no intention of taking charge, and Evelyn’s group certainly wasn’t going to take on that kind of trouble.

One day, a couple knocked on the door of the villa where Officer Graham was staying. The moment the door opened, they knelt and begged him for help.

Evelyn and Ronan Kendrick had come over to deliver some medicinal herbs and happened to witness the scene.

"Our child disappeared last night! We’ve looked everywhere but can’t find him. Two days ago, a child from next door went missing too. His mother has been searching for two days with no luck. And over the past half-month, five children and two young girls have vanished without a trace. I heard that the people living here are very capable. I’m begging you, please help us find our child. Please!"

Officer Graham had previously saved a child who was about to be dragged away while he was out digging for soil. He was tall and strong, a fierce fighter, but he had principles, which had earned him a good reputation in the base.

Most people didn’t dare to cross him, which was part of the reason the child’s parents had come to him for help.

Officer Graham glanced at Wendy, hesitated for a moment, but still agreed.

"I can help look, but I can’t guarantee I’ll find them. There are still ten to twenty thousand people in the base. Finding someone isn’t a simple task."

His promise to search was enough to make the child’s parents extremely grateful.

Evelyn felt something wasn’t right about this, so she decided to help as well.

With her offering to help, the others naturally wouldn’t stand by. Taylor Vance’s group of three and Wendy stayed at the villa, while the rest followed Officer Graham out to search.

With so many children missing, everyone had their own suspicions. They could only hope those suspicions were wrong. After the apocalypse, fewer and fewer children were being born. Even the most ruthless person shouldn’t target a child.

Although Evelyn hated trouble, this was something she couldn’t just ignore.

Ronan Kendrick stuck to Evelyn’s side, so the two of them searched together. They checked everywhere from the administration building to the entrance of the medical department, the residential areas in all four directions, the laboratory building, the Undercity, and the shopping mall, but found nothing.

’Could they have been taken outside the base?’

The thick fog obstructed their vision, making the search extremely difficult. Staying out in the fog for too long was also physically draining.

The parents of the missing children had all come, but the two missing girls had no family with them, and no one knew their names.

"They lived next door to us. We didn’t really interact much, but they seemed to be sisters."

There were very few useful clues, so they could only continue the search.

After several hours of fruitless searching, Evelyn was growing anxious.

"Can we even find them? You can’t even tell if someone is male or female from three meters away. This is just too hard."

’If only we had a hound.’

An idea struck Evelyn. She went home and brought out Mina.

"Mr. Graham, maybe Mina can give it a try."

Officer Graham immediately understood what Evelyn meant. He had the parents bring an item the child had used and let Mina sniff it.

"Mina, can you help us find this person? Take a good sniff of his scent. Can you help us find him?"

Mina flicked her tail haughtily and began to nuzzle the small, dirty sweater with her nose. After a moment, she looked up at Evelyn and nudged her hand with her head.

"You’ve memorized the scent, haven’t you? Good. Now, lead us to him. If you find the little one, you’ll get an extra treat tonight."