Gas mileage like that would burn through fuel in no time. She couldn't afford it. The little minivan was still the most efficient. Just as she was thinking that, Olivia spotted a silver-gray Ford Transit parked by the roadside. Her eyes lit up. "Nat, look at that van! A Ford! Tough, reliable, and it can hold a ton of stuff!" Natalie followed her gaze. She had to agree—great minds really do think alike. Her very first car had also been a Ford Transit too. She pulled her vehicle over and let them out. Harold walked around the Ford, checking inside and out. He came back smiling. "This one's in way better shape than the last van we found. And it's got over half a tank of gas left!" Natalie raised a brow. "No keys, though. You can get it running?" Harold grinned. "Piece of cake. Don't worry, Idol. Go take care of your business. Leave this to me." "Alright. Be careful," Natalie told them before driving off again. Following the map, she reached another shopping mall to continue yesterday's unfinished work. Tonight the mall was busier than before. More and more people had realized that nighttime was their only chance to scavenge and survive. The jewelry counters, however, were still quiet and empty—unlike the food court on the fifth floor, which was packed with people. Most of the food there had spoiled, but shelves of bottled drinks and mineral water remained.Those drinks looked sealed, but they weren't perfectly airtight. After sitting in floodwater for so long, dirty water had seeped through the tiny gaps between the caps and the bottles. Now the bottled water was full of visible specks and impurities. But no one cared anymore. Something to drink was better than nothing. They had already swallowed worse—floodwater that had washed over dead bodies. Those who couldn't handle it had died. The ones still standing can drink just about anything. The crowd swarmed the first-floor supermarket and the fifth-floor food court. Meanwhile, Natalie had the second-floor jewelry counters all to herself. In just a few minutes, she cleaned them out completely.At that pace, she moved from one mall to the next, grabbing everything she could. Whenever she passed a jewelry store along the street, she stopped to raid it too. By the time she finished, she had worked for most of the night. The distance she could move items in and out of her storage space had already stretched to 150 feet. Walking out of the mall, she shook out her sore hands and headed toward where her car was parked. But before she reached it, she spotted a skinny little boy standing beside her vehicle, scraping at the paint with a rock. Natalie's brows furrowed. She quickened her steps. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Startled, the boy spun around. When he saw it was a pretty young woman, he grinned. "I'm drawing a picture!" Drawing?Natalie's face darkened. Whose kid was this? Who lets their brat carve up a stranger's car? Good thing she had taken the Knight XV today. If it had been her Ford or RV, the paint would've been shredded to pieces by now. She grabbed the boy by the collar and yanked him away from her vehicle. "Beat it!" Natalie had no patience for kids. Especially dirty, scruffy ones. Even if she saw a well-dressed child running wild in the street, she wouldn't give them a second glance. Dogs were different. No matter if they were ugly or cute, if a stray wagged its tail at her, she couldn't resist giving it a pat. Back in her car, she pulled out a couple of mini bagels for her lunch, trying to get some energy back.But before she could take a bite, an awful screeching sound came from outside. She lowered the window. The kid was still there. One hand digging up his nose, the other dragging a rock across her car. Natalie's face darkened. "Didn't you hear me tell you to get lost? Where are your parents?" The boy grinned, showing a mouthful of rotten teeth. "Please don't bother me while I'm drawing!" Then he went right back to scratching her car, muttering, "What kind of lousy car is this? Won't even let me draw on it." That was it. Enough was enough. Natalie shoved the door open hard, knocking him over. He fell back, clutching his head, and started bawling at the top of his lungs.His thin, sickly face looked even uglier when he cried. With a look of disgust, Natalie grabbed him by the collar and tossed him a few feet away. Just then, a voice shouted from down the road. "Hey! What's your problem? Why are you picking on a kid?" A white SUV pulled up fast, its window rolled all the way down. The driver killed the engine and stepped out. He was a man in glasses, walking toward her, his voice sharp, "Miss, stop this unreasonable behavior right now!" Natalie didn't even glance at him. She yanked the boy back up and leaned in close, her voice like ice. "Come near my car again, and I'll make you regret it." The boy froze, his sobbing turning into terrified silence. Annoyed by the noise, Natalie flicked him on the forehead. "Quiet." The boy instantly shut his mouth. Only then did she release him and turn back toward her car. But the man—Abbott Walker—wasn't letting it go. "Stop right there! What's wrong with you? A young woman like you, looking so decent, and you're bullying a child?"