Natalie didn't say anything. She simply accepted the drink Olivia handed her. Then she asked, "So, how'd things go last night? You didn't run into any more trouble, did you?" Olivia shook her head. "No more highway robbers, at least. Harold and I found some metal barrels at an abandoned factory and kept collecting fuel. But the haul wasn't as good as the night before—we barely filled two truckloads." Natalie frowned. "How come?" "Too many people out there hunting for fuel, just like us," Olivia explained. Natalie wasn't surprised. "Makes sense. They've finally realized how valuable fuel is. From now on, the competition will only get tougher." Olivia looked nervous. "Then we'd better start working faster."Natalie gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. Gather what you can, but don't push yourself too hard. The heat's brutal—you still need to take care of your health." "I know," Olivia said. "Honestly, if I ration it carefully, the fuel I've got will last me for months. But who knows how long this apocalypse is going to drag on? The more we store, the better." Natalie thought for a moment, then suggested, "You should try heading further away from the city. There are big trucks out there, and a single tank can hold more than several cars combined." Olivia's eyes lit up. "That's smart! I'll switch areas tonight." "Just be careful with how you store it," Natalie warned. Unlike Natalie, who had her storage space, Olivia had to keep the fuel in her apartment. That much fuel could turn the whole building into a fireball if something went wrong.Olivia gave a playful wink. "Relax, I'm not careless. At first, when we couldn't find metal barrels, we didn't even risk using plastic ones. Now every drop is sealed in steel drums, locked in a shaded room far from any sparks." Natalie nodded approvingly. But then Olivia's face darkened, as if remembering something. "Oh—yesterday at noon, a few groups of people came knocking. Some of them had heatstroke. They kept saying they knew there was a doctor on the 14th floor." Natalie frowned. "What's that about?" "I have no idea!" Olivia said, frustrated. "They started calling for Dr. Solace as soon as they showed up. Some wanted me to treat them; others begged for water. I sent them away." Natalie's eyes hardened. "Next time, don't even answer. And if anyone pushes too far—make an example of them." Olivia nodded seriously. "I didn't recognize any of them. Still, they knew exactly where to find me. Someone told them I was here." Natalie narrowed her eyes. "Who in this complex knows you're a doctor?" "I never told anyone," Olivia said. Then she hesitated. "Well, last year my mother-in-law stayed here for a while. She liked to chat with the neighbors. She probably mentioned it to many people." Natalie leaned back, thinking. "But only a handful would know you actually moved to the 14th floor." Olivia's face grew troubled. "That means it's likely someone in this very building." A name suddenly came to Natalie's mind. At the same time, Olivia's eyes widened with a thought. "Wait! Could it be Owen?" Natalie nodded slowly. "Very possible." Olivia frowned. "But why? He hates me. Why would he send sick people straight to my door?" Natalie, having lived through this once before, knew Owen's style too well. "He's not trying to help them. He's trying to cause trouble for you." "With heatstroke this bad, treatment is almost impossible," Natalie said seriously. "If you take patients in and they don't make it, people will blame you. But if you refuse to help, they'll hold a grudge against you anyway." Owen. What a snake! Just thinking about him made Natalie's stomach turn. He hadn't personally caused her trouble yet, but his sneaky way of doing things disgusted her. Olivia already had a score to settle with him. Natalie knew that much. But she wasn't going to step in and fight Olivia's battles. Everyone carried their wounds, and only by facing them head-on could they truly heal.Olivia scowled. "I haven't had the chance to deal with him yet, and he hasn't forgotten me for a second! That man is sly and cruel. I can't beat him in brains or in strength. But I will find a way to get justice for my husband." Natalie could see that no matter how hard Olivia worked to gather supplies and survive each day, hatred still weighed heavily on her heart. She reminded her gently, "He's sharp and calculating, always watching his back. Be careful. Don't get reckless." Olivia nodded. She would never underestimate him. Owen was as slippery as they came, cautious to the extreme. Taking him down wouldn't be easy. But it was something she had to do. "When I'm done stockpiling fuel," she said firmly, "I'll find a way to send him straight to his grave."The two women talked a little longer before finally heading to their apartments. Natalie flopped down on her bed and let her gaze wander into her storage space. There, stacked high, were mountains of jewelry. She couldn't help but sigh. Before the apocalypse, she would have been a wealthy socialite with a collection like this. Nearly all the city's jewels now sat inside her storage space. Even if she wore a new set every single day, she would never get through them all. Smiling at the thought, she eagerly used her mind to shift the jewelry into the mansion's bathtub. Turning on the faucet, she rinsed the pile with cool water. The jewelry was caked with grime left behind after the floods—especially the gold pieces with carved patterns. Every little groove was filled with dark stains.