"Ha, you cleared the zombies downstairs for us. We have nothing to thank you for. Don't worry about this small favor."
Bob said enthusiastically.
"This is Reine. She's a mid-level manager at Rickman Venture Capital."
As he tore open the seasoning packet, Bob pointed at the OL woman from earlier and introduced her.
Reine gave Lux a polite smile.
"This is Kanu. He's the boss of Kanu Logistics."
Bob then pointed at the middle-aged man who had questioned Lux about the guns earlier.
The man nodded at Lux, clearly lost in thought.
"You already know Drake and Lala. Those two don't usually talk much with us, so I don't really know their background."
After finishing the introductions, Bob looked at Lux. Seeing that Lux still wore a calm smile and had no intention of introducing himself, Bob felt a headache coming on.
It was clearly impossible to get Lux to take them along.
At this moment, the cup noodles Reine had prepared were ready. The salty aroma instantly filled the curator's office, making everyone swallow unconsciously.
"Hey, Sister Reine, let me eat first. You can make another one."
Drake reached out aggressively.
"Make it yourself if you want to eat. This one is mine."
Reine hugged the cup noodles and stepped back, her voice trembling slightly.
"Give it to me when I tell you to!"
Drake stepped closer, glaring viciously at Reine.
Having a gun pointed at his head was a first for him. He didn't dare vent that anger toward HK416, so he naturally took it out on someone weaker.
"Drake, what are you doing? You're going too far!"
Bob roared.
"Tch."
Spitting on the floor, Drake grabbed a cup of noodles and tore open the packaging roughly. Seeing this, the girl called Lala also tore open a bag of chips and started crunching loudly.
"This… this food was supposed to be shared."
Bob sighed.
"My girlfriend and I take one cup of noodles and one bag of chips. You two split the remaining two bags of chips. That's fair."
"Snacks and noodles don't provide the same amount of calories."
Reine said softly.
"What does that have to do with me? Just share yours with them."
Drake squeezed over to the water dispenser, filling his cup while provocatively staring at Lux.
What unsettled him was that Lux completely ignored the provocation, showing not the slightest emotional reaction, as if he were looking at a dead man.
That immediately made Drake's heart skip a beat. Muttering curses under his breath, he carried his noodles back to Lala.
"Sorry you had to see that. They haven't eaten for three days, only drank water. They're a bit irritable."
Bob gave a bitter smile as he placed the prepared noodles on the desk beside Lux.
He didn't dare feed Lux himself, not with two armed, valiant female guards nearby.
"It's fine. I don't mind."
"MDR, you eat first."
Lux said with a smile.
"Yay~ But aren't you hungry, Lux? I can feed you first if you want."
"I'm not hungry yet. You eat."
"Oh! Then MDR won't hold back!"
MDR slurped the noodles loudly.
"Hey kid, what's the situation outside? When will rescue arrive?"
"From what I've seen, basic order has already collapsed. The streets are full of zombies. Rescue will be difficult. On the way here we heard gunshots, then explosions and screams. The rescue teams probably suffered heavy casualties."
"T-then… doesn't that mean there's no hope?"
Bob's hand shook, nearly spilling the seasoning.
"That's right. You'll have to survive on your own."
"Then… how much does your guard service cost per day? I can pay double."
Kanu looked at HK416. From the group's equipment and performance, it was obvious these two armed girls had cleared three floors of the museum. Their combat strength was exceptional.
"We will never betray Lux. Don't think about hiring us."
HK416 said coldly.
"There's eight hundred thousand on this card. Get me to a safe place, and it's yours."
Kanu gritted his teeth and pulled out a bank card.
"Sir, sorry to say, but order has already collapsed. Money is useless now. Take your card back."
Lux cast Kanu a cold glance. Trying to poach his people right in front of him irritated him.
"Then what do you want? Since you protect him, you must want something. Once I'm safe, I can use my connections to prepare anything for you."
Kanu persisted.
"Money is useless, and the people you know may already be dead. Give it up. Surviving on your own is more realistic."
Kanu's expression changed. If the outside world really was like that, his age made survival extremely unlikely.
He wanted to say more, but seeing HK416's finger resting on the trigger, he wisely picked up some snacks and started eating.
"So kid, what do you think we should do to survive?"
Bob asked.
"I'm barely surviving day to day myself. I can't point you to a path. Roughly speaking, gather food and find a safe place to hide."
"Or take risks, kill zombies, and hone your survival skills."
Lux shrugged. He didn't particularly dislike someone like Bob.
This small group clearly relied on Bob to hold together. If Lux were in their situation without a system, he would probably have been looked after by someone like Bob.
"Easy to say. These old bones of mine don't have your strength or skills. You cut down those monsters in just a few strikes."
Bob sighed.
"Meal over! Switch shifts! 416, your turn."
MDR removed the gun hanging from her body and called out.
"Lux… open your mouth."
HK416 twirled some noodles around a fork and brought it to Lux's lips.
"I'm really not that hungry… mmph!"
Before he could finish, the fork was forcefully shoved into Lux's mouth.
"Seriously…"
Lux muttered indistinctly as he chewed.
In truth, his irregular sleep schedule meant he usually ate only once a day, so he really wasn't hungry at this time.