“I’m stuck staring at this damn screen every day. This life is so boring. I want to go to a concert, go karaoke singing, and have hot pot. How long is this damn life going to continue?” Shirley muttered with a sad expression. At her age, she should be enjoying herself, going shopping with friends, dancing at clubs. But now she had to strive for survival in this world.
“Sigh, as long as we’re alive.” Shirley let out a sigh, the disappointment evident on her fair cheeks. .
Suddenly, a hawk flew in through the window and landed on Shirley’s shoulder. Looking at the hawk, Shirley softly spoke, “Sky fire, where have you been causing mischief again?”
Upon hearing Shirley’s words, the hawk named Sky fire flapped its wings twice and let out a soft cry. Hearing that sound, Shirley smiled.
“Did you go out to play with friends? You know, you’re a commander-level beast, while they are just ordinary birds. How can they match you? But I guess it’s true, you also need friends if you stay here all the time.” Shirley sympathetically reached out and stroked the feathers on Sky fire’s body, slowly speaking.
This hawk was her beast partner named Sky fire, and it had also reached the commander level. It was Shirley’s only companion in daily life. At the same time, she glanced at the screen, where the nine locations remained quiet. Occasionally, a few low-level crystals passed by, without causing any ripples.
Suddenly, at the bottom of the screen, three figures appeared. One of the men stood there, directing a man and a woman in killing zombies. There was a black dog by the man’s side, wagging its tail around him.
“Beast?” Shirley exclaimed in surprise as she saw the black dog, even though it was only on the screen. But because Sky fire was a commander-level beast, Shirley was particularly familiar with this aura. She even felt that the level of this beast might be higher than Sky fire’s. Moreover, looking at the man’s demeanor, he seemed to be a formidable person.
This instantly confused Shirley. She didn’t know that such a person existed in this city. Although she had seen other awakened ability survivors before, most of them were around the second level. The aura they emitted was not as powerful. But looking at this man, Shirley could clearly sense a surge of power.
“How strange, who is he?” Shirley muttered as she looked at the screen.
At this moment, Captain Duane shouted from the kitchen, “Shirley, come help me serve the food!”
Shirley responded with a sound, temporarily setting aside her doubts and running into the kitchen. There, she saw a wild rabbit in Duane’s hands, transformed into two dishes—one grilled and one stewed. As she smelled the aroma of the meat, Shirley couldn’t help but smile.
“It smells amazing!” Shirley’s eyes gleamed as she smelled the delicious scent in the air. Being able to enjoy such food in this world was like finding water in the desert.
“We should be grateful that we can still enjoy such delicacies in this world. It’s a blessing from above,” Alvin said slowly, looking up at the sky outside.
After hearing those words, Duane and Shirley nodded in agreement. They believed it was indeed a blessing from above. Since the apocalypse, too many people had died in this world, and the survivors lived each day in dire circumstances. There was no food, no water source, and no resources to protect their lives. In the face of this world, they were defenseless, like prey that could be hunted by zombies at any moment. So they were grateful that they could still sit in a sturdy base and eat rabbit meat and drink soup.
After reflecting for a while, the three of them finally started eating. Duane picked up a rabbit leg and placed it in Shirley’s bowl. “Shirley, eat more. You need strength,” Duane said with a smile.
Shirley nodded without hesitation and started eating. As she savored the tender and elastic meat of the rabbit, she nodded in approval. “It’s so delicious! Captain, did your cooking skills improve again? We’re so lucky to have you as our captain!” Shirley said with her mouth full of meat, complimenting Duane.
“Hahaha!” Hearing Shirley buttering him up, Duane couldn’t help but laugh.
“You mischievous girl, always saying nice things to me. If you slack off during the next surveillance of the outside, I’ll give you a punishment!” Duane said, causing Shirley to pout.
Duane said this because the last time it was Shirley’s duty to monitor the zombie situation outside, she ended up playing around instead. As a result, a group of zombies surrounded their base. If Duane hadn’t noticed in time, it wouldn’t have been long before more zombies were attracted. At that time, the three of them would have been surrounded by zombies.
“Captain, I only slacked off once! Why do you keep bringing up this matter?” Shirley said, and Alvin furrowed his brows first upon hearing Shirley’s words. He put down his chopsticks and sternly said to Shirley, “If it weren’t for Duane’s timely discovery last time, the three of us would have been besieged by zombies. Have you forgotten that the rule of survival in this world is to be vigilant? Don’t think that making a mistake once means it’s not a mistake. If we want to survive, we cannot afford to make even a single mistake.” Seeing Alvin starting to lecture again, Shirley became a bit frustrated.
Every time Alvin spoke, Shirley felt like she was in a classroom listening to a teacher’s lecture. She could only nod helplessly.
“I got it, I won’t slack off next time.” Seeing Shirley’s expression, Duane smiled.
“It’s okay. When you truly grow up, you will understand the wisdom behind Alvin’s words. You’re still young, and as long as we protect you, it’s enough. You won’t have to be on duty anymore; I’ll handle it,” Duane said, doting on Shirley as she was the youngest member of the entire Phoenix Rising team.
Shirley herself knew this well, so she put down the rabbit leg in her hand and quickly stood up, shaking her head. She said to Duane, “Captain, you already work hard enough for our team on regular days. How can you sit in front of the screen every day? Don’t worry, I promise you I won’t make any more mistakes in the future. Otherwise, you can punish me by making me copy the Book of Changes a hundred times!”
Seeing Shirley’s serious expression, Duane nodded with a smile.