Chapter 68: Here for the Buffet |
"Is it a holiday like Halloween?" Lucy asked.
"Close enough." Bai Mu fastened the scavenged belt around his waist to hold his bullets and magazines, tucking the bloodstained baseball bat into it like a sword.
"I see." Lucy nodded.
Lucy was only nine years old. Having lived in this world for less than a decade, she naturally had no idea if the holiday Bai Mu spoke of was real or fake, as she had never participated in one.
Judging by her expression, she seemed to believe him. The gas mask isolated her from the outside air, preventing her from smelling the metallic tang of blood. To her, she could only catch glimpses of the scenes outside, and even then, not much. By Bai Mu's side, a sense of order still remained.
Bai Mu could feel her tense body relax slightly.
It was also possible that deep down, she hoped the holiday Bai Mu described was real. She desperately wished that everything she had seen was just a prank, that by evening, everything would return to normal and her mother would come to take her home.
Bai Mu decided to simply use this excuse to placate her, leading her through unpopulated alleys toward the Crown District.
Whenever he needed to use a gun or his baseball bat, Bai Mu would give her a hand signal, and she would cover her ears and squeeze her eyes shut on her own.
Perhaps she subconsciously already knew that all of this was real, but she much preferred to believe in the holiday Bai Mu had told her about.
People always stubbornly cling to what they hope for. It was like flipping a coin to decide whether to have a bland dinner of boiled vegetables and water or to reward yourself with fried chicken and a burger. When the coin landed on the side you didn't want, you would find all sorts of excuses to flip it again and again, until you finally got the result you wanted.
Bai Mu did not shatter her illusion. The naked, ugly reality was not something a child should have to face. She still relied entirely on her guardians for basic survival; how could she possibly handle such cruel truths?
However, strictly speaking, she truly hadn't encountered anything terrifying while staying by Bai Mu's side.
Bai Mu led her through deserted alleys. The screams outside were loud, fires had broken out in places, sending plumes of black smoke into the air, and car horns blared continuously. Yet, none of that had anything to do with them.
Bai Mu moved through the labyrinth of old houses as if navigating through an uninhabited wasteland.
He had scavenged a piece of iron wire and a metal strip to use as lockpicks. Lockpicking Mastery (Lv. Max) was a passive skill he had trained up himself. As long as he wasn't dealing with electronic alloy combination locks, he could rapidly pry open almost anything using just the crude tools in his hands.
The houses here were from 2009 and all used iron locks with incredibly simple mechanical structures. In the face of an expert like him, these locks might as well not exist.
He cut straight through the middle of the buildings, parkouring his way across. Balconies of all sizes, barred windows, and outdoor air conditioning units served as his stepping stones. Even while carrying a nine-year-old girl, she didn't slow him down in the slightest.
The special effect of his rare equipment, Dance of Elvis, greatly enhanced his physical agility, giving him more than enough dexterity to handle this complex urban terrain.
As he trespassed through the residential homes, Bai Mu continuously scavenged for supplies.
Although items from the Script couldn't be brought back out, candies could serve as replenishments for his Candy Box. He used the fruit drops, toffees, and milk candies he found in the houses to restock the Candy Box to its maximum limit of 30/30.
He stuffed the excess candy into his pockets. His trench coat had massive pockets capable of holding a lot of things, and he packed them so full of scavenged sweets that the coat bulged outward.
Relying on his exceptional vision and listening for any movement inside, he could easily detect whether a house was occupied. Along the way, he only parkoured through empty homes.
While at it, he also replenished his Satiety, snagging some ready-to-eat bread, fruit, and pastries from the refrigerators in the empty kitchens.
At this moment, he found himself on the second floor of a residential home decorated with marble and white porcelain. A minute ago, he had leaped from the window of another apartment building onto the balcony of this house. Then, in a matter of seconds, he had used his wire and metal strip to pry open the handle-style window, breaking straight into the kitchen.
This was the household with the most lavish spread of food he had encountered so far.
Next to the microwave sat unopened boxes of roast chicken, pizza, french fries, and chilled colas. Opening the refrigerator revealed cream cupcakes, sliced smoked sausage, and fresh strawberries and grapes.
The sweet and tart aroma of the strawberries and grapes was distinct. The roast chicken and pizza weren't frozen dinners, but freshly made; the packaging bore the letters "CFK," suggesting it was takeout ordered by the owners.
It looked as though the family had been planning to throw a small party. The food and drinks were all fully prepared, and the living room was even decorated with streamers and balloons.
When he opened the boxes, hot steam wafted up from the roast chicken and pizza. The rich aroma of grease and savory honey glaze filled the air. The slight, crispy browning on the chicken skin looked incredibly appetizing.
Despite the meticulous preparations, the house was completely empty. For whatever reason, the party had never started, and the residents were nowhere to be found.
Food with no one to enjoy it was simply a tragic waste.
Bai Mu had been quite active. Although Lucy wasn't heavy, weighing roughly thirty kilograms, carrying her while climbing up and down doing parkour had still drained a considerable amount of his stamina.
He felt hungry, and as luck would have it, a sumptuous feast was laid out right in front of him.
"Are you hungry?" Bai Mu asked Lucy.
Lucy stared intently at the roast chicken. Bai Mu could hear a soft gulp.
She shook her head and said, "Not hungry."
"It's alright, today is a holiday," Bai Mu said gently. "During the holidays, you can eat whatever you want."
In the earlier cutscene, Bai Mu had noticed that Lucy barely touched her lunch. She had eaten almost nothing at the amusement park, and it was now around four in the afternoon. Just looking at her, it was obvious she was starving.
"During the holidays, are you allowed to eat other people's food?" Lucy tilted her head up to look at Bai Mu.
"Of course," Bai Mu replied. "They're practically begging us to. This food was prepared exactly for us. Right now, they're out there eating other people's food, too."
'Though they might actually be eating other people,' Bai Mu added in his mind.
Lucy was tempted. Bai Mu pulled the gas mask off her head, tore off a chicken leg, and handed it to her. Unable to resist any longer, she finally took a massive bite of the meat.
The savory juices burst in her mouth. Bai Mu popped a straw into a cola and squeezed out a dollop of ketchup as the two of them enjoyed this lavish buffet together.
The fries were perfectly crispy, and the cheese on the pizza was delightfully gooey. The roast chicken was the absolute best part; the meat was tender, succulent, and packed with flavor from the sweet honey glaze. The cakes and fruits were also top-tier, incredibly fresh and sweet.
Bai Mu simply packed the rest up and tossed it into his inventory. He continued to feed her as they parkoured along, only wiping her hands and mouth with a tissue once she was completely full.
"I really can't eat another bite." Lucy patted her slightly bulging little tummy, looking wonderfully satisfied yet still a bit reluctant to stop.
The streets outside were still chaotic and noisy, but the chaos remained far away from them. The two of them were purely here just for the buffet.