Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy! - Chapter 243

Capítulo 243: String Bracelet

An ordinary red string bracelet would have only a simple crimson braided cord.

Yet the one on Wang Ziqing’s wrist was different.

It was threaded with jade and small gold beads. It was precisely because of this distinction that Nanzhi remembered it so clearly.

Before she could dwell further on that thought, Uncle Wang had already hurried to Wang Ziqing’s side, panic written all over his face.

“Daughter-in-law, why are you walking so fast?” he scolded anxiously while supporting her arm. “You should be more careful! What if something happens to my grandson?”

“How can you just disappear without saying a word yesterday?” Wang Ziqing snapped back, her voice trembling with restrained fear and anger. “Do you know how long we’ve been waiting for you—”

Before she could finish her sentence, her throat suddenly tightened.

A wave of nausea surged violently.

“Bluergh…”

Nearby stood a small building. It had once served as an administrative office, and the second floor had been used as a multipurpose hall. Now, its interior had been used as a bedroom.

Uncle Wang immediately panicked.

He half-supported, half-carried Wang Ziqing inside. Without hesitation, he grabbed the pail stored beneath the desk and held it up for her, patting her back gently in a steady rhythm.

Wang Ziqing retched repeatedly. Her face turned pale, her forehead damp with cold sweat.

Watching her suffer like this, Uncle Wang’s eyes reddened. “This is exactly why I went out,” he said, his voice thick with guilt. “I can’t stand seeing you suffer like this. I wanted to find wild vegetables… even wild fruits. Anything that could help ease your morning sickness.”

At first, Wang Ziqing had no trouble eating.

But as the pregnancy progressed, her morning sickness worsened. What started as mild nausea gradually turned into constant vomiting. Even the smell of food sometimes made her feel sick.

Uncle Wang had a close friend who was a doctor.

Because his son was away on an important mission, Uncle Wang took it upon himself to care for his daughter-in-law. Before the apocalypse, he had consulted his old friend extensively, carefully noting what pregnant women needed to eat and what they should avoid.

Unfortunately, when the monsters appeared near their home, chaos erupted.

In his rush to escape, Uncle Wang could only secured instant noodles, bottled water, and canned goods. The supplements, dried vegetables, even basic medicine he placed inside the bags had been ripped apart by the monsters.

Fortunately, Wang Ziqing still had some nutritional tablets with her.

But even those ran out eventually.

His daughter-in-law was now clearly suffering from nutritional imbalance.

When his wife was still alive, Uncle Wang had loved gardening. Back then, his wife had especially enjoyed planting wild vegetables. Their small yard had always been filled with greenery and life.

Those memories lingered painfully.

That was why Uncle Wang wanted to try his luck, perhaps he could still find wild vegetables growing nearby.

But luck hadn’t been on his side.

“Father-in-law,” Wang Ziqing said weakly after the nausea subsided, her voice trembling, “don’t you know how dangerous it is for you to go out alone?”

Her fingers tightened around the edge of the desk.

“Last time, we were just lucky. If something happens to you…” Her eyes grew moist. “How can I have the face to see my husband?”

During their escape, she had witnessed people being chased down and killed by monsters with her own eyes. The scenes were vivid, etched into her nightmares. Often, she would wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in cold sweat.

She couldn’t bear the thought of the same fate befalling her father-in-law.

Uncle Wang fell silent.

Helplessness weighed heavily on his shoulders.

By the doorway, Nanzhi quietly withdrew her gaze.

She had unintentionally overheard their conversation.

If her guess was correct, Uncle Wang must be the close friend her Master had once mentioned.

The world was vast, yet fate had a way of intertwining people’s paths in ways no one could foresee.

Nanzhi turned away, leaving the two alone.

Outside, she surveyed the shelter more carefully.

It was smaller than they had expected.

The only people staying here were Uncle Wang, his daughter-in-law, the two guards, and the children.

“These children are from a nearby orphanage,” one of the guards explained quietly. “After the winter receded, Boss Wang wanted to head to a proper base. But our cars broke down midway.”

He sighed.

“Miss Wang couldn’t endure traveling on foot in her condition, so we had no choice but to find a safe place nearby. Thankfully, we found this park. It was filthy, but after cleaning still livable.”

He paused before continuing, his voice growing softer.

“By chance, just last week, we encountered these children. Their orphanage director had just passed away. They had nowhere to go. So we rescued them and brought them here. In order to survive, the children said they ate papers from their books…”

Weihao and the others looked toward the children playing tag nearby.

They were thin—too thin. Their limbs were bony, their clothes loose on their frames.

The flood alone had been devastating. The brutal winter that followed had only worsened things.

It was nothing short of a miracle that these children had survived.

If the apocalypse had never happened, they would still be living normal lives, going to school, playing in warm classrooms, worrying about homework rather than survival.

The guards sighed.

They were fortunate.

Boss Wang had taken them in during the disaster and shared his limited supplies without hesitation. If there isn’t Boss Wang, they wouldn’t have lasted this long.

Baoyin sighed softly, sadness filling her eyes. “When will this apocalypse end? These children are too pitiful.”

Feng Ran fell silent.

He remembered the games he used to play. Every game had an ending. The storyline would eventually reach its final stage, the playable character would defeat the final boss, and everything would reset or fade to black.

But he didn’t say it out loud.

This wasn’t a game.

This was reality.

Nanzhi clenched her fists.

She and Weihao turned their attention to the perimeter of the park.

A one-and-a-half-meter wall surrounded it, reinforced and raised using whatever materials could be scavenged—slides, vertical poles from the swing set, overturned plastic chairs, bungee cords, and wooden branches.

The structure was crude and uneven.

Gaps and holes were everywhere.

If a Tier One mutant rat appeared, it could easily squeeze through.

As for mutant frogmen?

One coordinated wave of attack would reduce this entire wall to rubble.

Not far from here were abandoned factories—places once used as traps by those same frogmen.

If they ever decided to move toward this area, this small shelter wouldn’t stand a chance.

Uncle Wang is lucky, Nanzhi thought.

But even so…

There was a forest nearby.

A river, too.

Yet there wasn’t a single mutant beast in sight.

Was it really just luck?

Nanzhi asked the guards about it.

They shook their heads.

“Just thinking about those dogs and rats still gives me goosebumps,” one guard said grimly. “I nearly died back then.”

“We were relieved to escape their chase and find this place,” another added. “Of course, we were worried at first. But so far, we haven’t seen a single monster.”

He hesitated before continuing, “We didn’t dare explore too far—just within thirty meters.”

The guard scratched his head awkwardly and laughed dryly. “They say when someone in the family is pregnant, it brings luck. Maybe this luck is because of Miss Wang.”

He glanced toward the building. “I just hope she can give birth to a healthy child.”

The more Nanzhi listened, the more surreal it sounded.

Was there really such a thing as a paradise in the apocalypse?

The guards glanced at the sun overhead.

“Time flies,” one of them said. “It’s already lunchtime.”