Chapter 234: Chapter 224: The Optimist

"Can I have one of your biscuits?"

The young girl stared covetously at the moldy biscuits Tang Mo had just received and asked bluntly.

"I won’t take it for nothing! I can trade you some of my water for it!"

"Oh, right. My name is Gu Yirou. What’s your name?"

Gu Yirou’s face burned with embarrassment for trying to ask for someone’s food before even introducing herself.

It was the first time she’d ever begged for food, but she had been here for several months, eating nothing but this foul-smelling meat. She really, really missed the taste of biscuits.

"My name is Tang Mo. Trade for water?"

Tang Mo asked, intrigued.

"I’m not trying to take advantage of you. Water is very precious here! Don’t be fooled by this small basin—this is your water for tonight and all of tomorrow. For drinking, for washing, everything is in here."

Afraid that Tang Mo would think she was trying to take advantage, Gu Yirou quickly explained.

"If you give me your water, what will you use?"

’Tang Mo hadn’t realized the water wasn’t just for drinking, but for all daily needs. Forget washing clothes; people were probably reluctant to even wash their faces.’

"I’ll just drink a little less! Besides, there’s no benefit to being too clean here."

Gu Yirou glanced around, then leaned in and whispered in Tang Mo’s ear.

"The cleaner you are, the more dangerous it is at night."

Fear rose on Gu Yirou’s face, as if something terrible happened at night.

Tang Mo looked at the girl’s face. It was a bit grimy.

But the dirt couldn’t completely hide her pure and delicate features.

’It seems Gu Yirou, like me, is someone Brother Hu is saving as a gift for some other purpose, which is why she’s been temporarily spared.’

Gu Yirou’s appearance and temperament were clearly different from the other women here, making her stand out like a crane among chickens. And because she had never been "dragged out," the other women were naturally hostile toward her.

They were all suffering together, but women just love to make things difficult for other women.

Gu Yirou was overjoyed by Tang Mo’s arrival. Regardless of whether Tang Mo wanted her to or not, she moved her bedding to the bunk next to Tang Mo’s.

The two of them lived together in the corner, a natural dividing line seemingly drawn between them and the other women.

After moving next to Tang Mo, Gu Yirou chattered on, telling Tang Mo many things about this place.

It was as if she was letting out all the words she had held back for the past few months.

From Gu Yirou’s words, Tang Mo gained a clearer understanding of this place.

That Sister Ling was one of the gang leader Brother Hu’s lovers. She spent most of her time in the warehouse, watching over the group of women.

Only rarely did she go out, like right now.

Because she was getting on in years and her opportunities to see Brother Hu were fewer now that she was always stuck in the warehouse, she had fallen out of favor.

The woman by Brother Hu’s side now was one who had gotten out of the warehouse. Rumor was, she had been a minor celebrity before the apocalypse.

Thus, Sister Ling vented all her anger on the women here. If something even slightly displeased her, the punishment would be a scolding or a beating. For a more serious offense, she would pick out the women she disliked the most to go out and "entertain" guests at night—and always the old, ugly, and filthy ones.

So whenever Sister Ling was around, everyone here was extremely cautious, terrified of doing or saying the wrong thing.

They were only given one meal a day here, but there were other ways to get more food and water.

For example, being chosen to go out at night to "earn money" for the organization.

Another way was to seduce the men who delivered the meals. As long as you were taken out, you would always come back with a little something extra in hand.

Gu Yirou had been here for several months. Although she’d never been taken out, she had basically come to understand how everything worked.

It was only then that Tang Mo learned what those few High-level buildings, located between the warehouse and the men’s quarters, were for.

They were places for men to have their fun.

’This Brother Hu really is something else. He uses children to run scams for money on one end, and women to earn it on the other.’

’These two warehouses—one holding children, the other women—are all just tools for him to make a profit.’

What Tang Mo found even more terrifying was that Brother Hu had a great understanding of human psychology.

Ever since Sister Ling had left, the women had gathered to chat. Life here was monotonous, so the only thing to talk about was the brief moments they got to go out.

Tang Mo carefully observed their conversations and discovered that although the women here had all been forced into this at first, they had now split into two groups.

The first group was girls like Gu Yirou, who were terrified and repulsed by the idea of being called out at night. They were generally quiet, shrinking into their bunks and not participating in the group chats.

Every one of them had a frightened and panicked look on their faces—except, of course, for the carefree Gu Yirou, who had yet to be violated.

The other group had grown accustomed to this life, even hoping to be sent out more often so they could get a full meal.

This was Brother Hu’s cruel genius.

Every time a woman was called out at night, she would be specially permitted a full basin of water to wash her body and face.

Afterward, she would also be rewarded with a full meal.

Some who performed well, who knew how to please and make themselves presentable, would even be "favored" by Brother Hu himself and then be given extra food.

He acted just like an emperor.

Because of these small favors, the women who had resigned themselves to their fate became like victims of Stockholm syndrome. They began to cast aside all honor and shame, abandoning their initial principles, and started thinking of ways to get noticed more.

’Perhaps if I perform well enough, if I’m enthusiastic enough, some man will take a liking to me and I can finally leave this warehouse?’

It wasn’t without precedent.

There were precedents of both Brother Hu and his clients taking a girl they liked out of here to live with them.

And it was these precedents that gave those women endless hope, causing them to fall completely into the abyss.

Tang Mo couldn’t bring herself to condemn these women. ’Everyone just wants to survive, to live a better life, that’s all. In this man-eating apocalypse, no one can stand on the moral high ground and condemn anyone else.’

In the end, Tang Mo gave the entire pack of biscuits to Gu Yirou, along with the water and the piece of meat.

’I wouldn’t eat this stuff myself, but it’d be a waste to throw it away. I’ll just consider it a trade for all the information she gave me.’

Seeing how generous Tang Mo was, Gu Yirou grew even more embarrassed.

She insisted on taking only two biscuits. She ate one carefully and then meticulously stored the other away.

"Food is hard to come by here, and water is especially precious. Even if you’re not hungry now, you’ll need to eat tomorrow."

Gu Yirou insisted on not taking anything else and reminded Tang Mo again.

Seeing her like this, Tang Mo didn’t press the issue, though she was curious why Gu Yirou had saved the other biscuit.

"I’m saving it for my little sister."

At the mention of her sister, a sad expression appeared on the optimistic girl’s face for the first time.

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