Morning came, sunlight filtering through the cracks in the boarded-up windows. Uncle Lin rose up, his internal clock honed by decades of his work at the restaurant. His daughter Lin followed minutes later, both moving quietly to avoid disturbing their guests.

As they descended the stairs to begin breakfast preparations, Lin’s daughter froze mid-step, spotting Ethan sitting cross-legged near the window, eyes alert and scanning the street.

“You’re already awake?” she asked, genuinely surprised.

Ethan nodded. “Never really slept.”

“Why?” She asked, feeling slightly worried about him.

“Just didn’t feel like it.” He shrugged, before standing up.

Lin nodded, not pressing on the issue.

“Food will be ready soon.”

“Thanks,” He nodded.

Ethan rose fluidly, crossing to where Hong Wei was buried under blankets, only a tuft of hair visible. He looked at the boy for a moment, then unceremoniously yanked the blanket away.

“Gah!” Hong Wei flailed, arms and legs pinwheeling before he tumbled onto the floor. “What the—Ethan?!”

“Breakfast,” Ethan stated simply.

Hong Wei groaned, rubbing his eyes. “There are nicer ways to wake people, you know.”

“Yeah, but they aren’t efficient.” He smiled.

The boy grumbled, but the smell of cooking food quickly transformed his mood. He sniffed appreciatively, stomach growling loudly enough to make Lin’s daughter laugh.

Ethan moved to the storage room door, knocking three times. No response. He knocked again, louder.

“Tiana. Food.”

A muffled thump sounded from inside. “Just a minute!”

Hong Wei sidled up beside Ethan, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as he eyed the food.

A few minutes later, Tiana opened the storage room and got out.

“Good morning,”

“Good morning,” They all replied back to her.

Uncle Lin came from the kitchen, carrying a steaming pot to the table.”I made some rice porridge with preserved vegetables and a bit of salted fish. Good energy for difficult times.”

The group gathered around the table as Lin’s daughter distributed bowls.

“I haven’t had your porridge in ages,” Tiana said, accepting her portion gratefully.

Hong Wei shovelled a huge spoonful into his mouth. “This is amazing!” he declared, cheeks bulging.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Tiana scolded automatically, falling into the familiar role of older sister.

“Okay!” Hong Wei retorted, deliberately taking an even bigger bite.

The conversation flowed around Ethan as he observed them, these people who trusted him without fully understanding what he was becoming.

“Ethan’s not eating much,” Lin observed, pushing the pot closer to him. “You need strength more than any of us.”

“I’m fine,” Ethan replied, but took another small portion to appease the older man.

“He’s always been a light eater,” Tiana explained. “Even at the orphanage, Mrs. Chen had to practically force seconds on him.”

“Meanwhile, Hong Wei could eat his body weight daily,” Ethan added unexpectedly, drawing surprised looks at his participation in the reminiscing.

Hong Wei grinned, not denying it. “I’m a growing boy!”

“Growing in which direction is the question,” Tiana teased.

After they finished breakfast, Ethan turned to Uncle Lin. “Do you need any supplies?”

The older man nodded, already mentally cataloguing their resources. “Water, most urgently. And flour if you can find it—we can stretch our meals with bread.”

“I’ll try to bring some back,” Ethan said, rising from the table.

He moved to the door, removing the makeshift barricade of tables and chairs with ease. Before stepping out, he turned back to the group. “Place the barricades back after I leave. And don’t open the door until you know it’s me. Understand?”

They nodded, Hong Wei’s expression suddenly serious.

“Be careful out there,” Tiana said, concern evident in her voice.

Lin’s daughter added “See you soon,”

“I’ll be fine,” Ethan replied simply, slipping through the door into the morning light.

Hong Wei’s “Don’t do anything stupid!” followed him as the door closed.

Outside, the usually bustling streets of District Three stood nearly deserted. Market stalls remained unassembled, shops locked tight behind heavy shutters. The few people moving about hurried with heads down, glancing nervously toward the city walls.

‘Everyone is afraid,’ Ethan thought, scanning the empty streets.

Finding supplies would be difficult with businesses closed. He needed an alternate source.

The military dormitory came to mind. Jack might be able to help—he wasn’t a close friend, but he’d been decent to Ethan during his time as a scout. More importantly, he had access to the military supply depot.

It was a risk, certainly. But it was worth the shot.

Besides, if things went poorly, the base’s inhabitants couldn’t stop him from leaving anymore.

He moved through back alleys and side streets, avoiding the few patrols present. His speed made the journey quick, bringing him to the dormitory’s rear entrance within minutes.

Ethan hesitated, staring at the scanner. His crystal might have been flagged in the system. Only one way to find out.

He pressed the crystal against the scanner, preparing for alarms.

The door clicked, unlocking without incident.

‘They didn’t remove me. Interesting, it seems like the system is very primitive,’ he thought, slipping inside.

The corridors stood mostly empty. Night shift workers would be sleeping, day shift already at their posts. Ethan made his way to Jack’s room on the third floor, recalling the man’s schedule as a scout.

‘He should be inside, probably sleeping after wall duty,’ Ethan reasoned, approaching the door.

He knocked three times.

The door cracked open, revealing Jack’s sleepy face, which immediately transformed into wide-eyed shock.

“Ethan?” he hissed, glancing frantically up and down the corridor.

Before Ethan could respond, Jack grabbed his arm and yanked him inside, shutting the door with a soft click.

“Are you insane?” Jack whispered fiercely, running a hand through his dishevelled hair. “Half the city guard is looking for you!”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “I need supplies.”

Jack stared at him incredulously. “Supplies? You need to be halfway to the next city by now! Do you have any idea what’s happening?”

“I have some idea,” Ethan replied calmly.

“What did you do, Ethan?”

Ethan studied the man before him, assessing trustworthiness. Jack had always been straight with him, but he didn’t need to know.

“I didn’t do anything. But you know how this city works, if someone with enough power wants you dead. You need to be dead.”

“You-” He cut himself off, taking a deep breath. “Okay. Okay. What supplies do you need?”

“Water and flour, specifically,” Ethan confirmed.

Jack dropped onto his bed, laughing in disbelief. “You’re either the bravest or craziest person I’ve ever met.”

“Neither.” Ethan leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “Will you help or not?”

Jack studied him, noting the changes since they’d last met—the different posture, the cold confidence, the eyes that seemed older somehow.

“You’re different,” he observed. “Something happened to you.”

“Many things,” Ethan acknowledged.

Jack studied him for a moment longer, then seemed to reach a decision. “I’ll help you. The military implemented a new rations system recently. You can buy supplies with cores.”

Ethan nodded, reaching into his pocket. “Here, take these.” He casually withdrew two high-iron cores, holding them out like they were copper coins.

Jack’s eyes widened dramatically. Every scout knew that their monthly salary amounted to a handful of low-iron cores at best. Two high-iron cores represented wealth beyond most soldiers’ imagination.

“This… is too much,” Jack stammered, staring at the glowing cores.

“It’s fine,” Ethan said with a dismissive wave. “Just buy me as much as you can and keep the rest for yourself and your family.”

Jack hesitated, clearly torn between necessity and pride. Finally, he reached out and accepted the cores.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you too,” Ethan replied, clapping him on the shoulder. “Let’s meet at the abandoned tannery near the west wall. Two hours from now.”

Jack nodded. “I’ll be there in an hour and a half.”

“No problem. Take your time,” Ethan said, already moving toward the door.

He slipped from the room like a shadow, leaving Jack staring at the cores in his palm, wondering what exactly he’d gotten himself involved in.

The abandoned tannery stood like a ghost of former prosperity, its crumbling walls barely holding on.

Ethan arrived early, positioning himself on the building’s second floor where he could observe all approaches without being seen.

Ninety minutes later, Jack appeared, lugging a large canvas bag over his shoulder.

Ethan dropped silently from his perch, landing beside Jack without warning.

“Gah!” Jack nearly dropped the bag. “Make some noise next time!”

“Sorry,” Ethan said, not sounding sorry at all. He gestured to the supplies. “You got everything?”

Jack lowered the heavy bag to the ground with a grunt. “This is 30kg of flour and five five-liter bottles of water. Would’ve gotten more, but it’s difficult to carry due to their size.”

“This is perfect,” Ethan said, examining the supplies. The amount would keep everyone fed for at least a few weeks if rationed properly.

Jack fished in his pocket and extended his hand, offering several cores back to Ethan. “Here. This is what’s left over.”

Ethan shook his head. “Keep it. Consider it payment for the risk.”

“But—”

“You have family to take care of,” Ethan interrupted. “And I may need your help again.”

Jack reluctantly pocketed the cores. “There’s something else you should know.”

“What’s wrong?” Ethan frowned.

“The monster activity increased overnight. Something big is coordinating them. The wall might get attacked later today. So be careful.”

“Three of them,” Ethan finished for him. “I know.”

Jack blinked in surprise. “How do you—”

“Doesn’t matter. When you see the walls getting attacked…run. Because they are trying to use you guys at the front as fodder and information gatherers. The general in charge of our direction will not act until the silver ranks appear, and when they appear. Even he won’t be able to win.”

“So I advise you to find some excuse to run when you sense something is wrong. If this city was worth protecting, i would have told you to stay and fight for your honour but this city is corrupted. Take care of your family. That’s more important.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep