Dang! Someone else got here first. Natalie had no choice but to keep driving forward. The next two gas stations she reached were already stripped bare—nothing left but giant holes in the ground. She refused to give up and pushed ahead to the next one. Finally, it wasn't just another empty pit. Instead, she found a brightly lit work site. Natalie had no words. What on earth—another construction crew? She watched them carefully. The way they worked was almost identical to the last group. Even though the men were so hot they'd taken off their shirts, their outfits didn't reveal much. But the way they worked was nearly the same, and in the corner, the boxed meals and bottled water were all the same brand. Clearly, these crews were funded by the same boss. Natalie sighed and drove on. But the farther she went—even into the next city—it was always the same: either the gas stations had already been gutted, or they were crawling with workers. Whoever was behind this had sent out multiple teams at once, digging everywhere. She did get lucky at two stations that hadn't been touched yet. Natalie swooped in fast, grabbed what she could, and scored about 3,000 gallons of fuel. As she worked, she muttered, "Luckily I came today. If I'd waited until tomorrow, there wouldn't be a drop left." Clearly, she and that mysterious boss had thought alike—same plan, same timing. But those crews were ruthless, digging in a sweep so thorough they didn't leave even scraps behind.So greedy! This guy is going too far! Natalie fumed for a second and then let it go. After all, she had already collected 90,000 gallons of fuel—more than enough for herself, with plenty left over for trading. In times like these, anyone who could hire that many skilled workers, run large operations, and still have the power to bargain with the government later had to be someone with real strength. There was no point clashing with a big boss like that. Better to stay out of their way and keep her own peace. Natalie rubbed her sore shoulders. After a whole night of hard work, her body ached all over. That's enough. Time to go home. ... By the time she stumbled through her front door, it was already dawn. She crawled straight into bed and knocked out. Natalie slept straight through until noon, only to wake up drenched in sweat.Beside her, Lucky pawed at her nonstop, whining for her to get up. Natalie opened her eyes, her forehead wet and sticky. What's going on? Did the AC break? She wiped her face, turned the air conditioner down a few more degrees, and finally felt some relief. Still suspicious, she grabbed a thermometer, cracked open the window, and checked the outside temperature. It was already 120°F. No wonder it felt like an oven. The ground had to be pushing 160°F. Natalie got up, washed her face, and filled Lucky's food bowl. Then she pulled out a smoothie bowl from her storage space, paired it with an icy soda, and sat down to eat. She enjoyed her smoothie bowl while watching a goofy comedy show on her tablet.Natalie had just finished when someone knocked on the door. It was Olivia. Olivia didn't have a dog or any real company. Whenever she needed someone to talk to, she came looking for Natalie. "Nat, this is insane. It's only been three days, and the temperature jumped from 60°F to a 120°F! It's terrifying!" She held out a glass to Natalie and said, "I made lemonade. Drink some to cool off." Natalie didn't take it. The Great Heat had officially begun, and water would soon be the rarest resource of all. With no city water running, people would sweat themselves dry, collapse from dehydration, and some would literally shrivel up after death. Natalie was different. Her mansion had a constant supply of clean water, and her storage space was stocked with crates of bottled water from supermarkets. She had no shortage. But Olivia had limited supplies; every sip she drank made her stash smaller. "I just ate," Natalie said. "I'm too full. You keep it." "Oh, come on. This helps with heatstroke. It's not the same as food. You really don't want to mess around with that." Olivia pressed the glass into her hands despite her turning her down. Natalie thought for a second, then gave in. She took the lemonade back inside, but when she came back, she was holding a 1-gallon jug of bottled water. She offered it to Olivia. Olivia waved her hands quickly. "No, no! It's just a little lemonade. I saved some for Harold, too. You don't have to give me anything. Besides, you already treated me to barbecue the other night." Natalie shook her head. "That's different. With heat like this, something to cool you down is priceless."When Olivia still refused, Natalie smiled faintly and said, "Then let's do it this way. You make the lemonade, and I'll give you the water. You bring the lemon, and I bring the water. Fair trade." Olivia hesitated but finally took the jug. She knew Natalie was helping her. In truth, water was worth far more than lemon. Natalie could see the emotion in her eyes and sighed inwardly. If I gave this water to anyone else, they'd snatch it with joy—or worse, try to steal it from me. But Olivia's the type to refuse it, worried about taking advantage. She really is a good person. But good people deserved to be treated kindly. If Olivia was too shy to ask, Natalie would still give. And if someone else came begging or scheming, she wouldn't budge an inch. Natalie studied Olivia and asked, "Did you manage to find an air conditioner?" Olivia nodded. "Yeah. The night we talked, I went searching in the complex. It took me less than half an hour to score one. I even found an extra box fan. But ... "