Harold looked a little embarrassed as he took the gifts. "You really didn't need to spend money. I'm just happy you came." He quickly led them inside. When Natalie and Olivia stepped in, Ghania was busy in the kitchen. She poked her head out when she heard them. "Hey, Natalie! Olivia! I've still got two dishes to finish. You three go ahead and chat!" Natalie and Olivia started toward the kitchen to help, but Harold stopped them. "No, it's fine. You're guests. Let me give you a tour of the place." The two women finally began looking around Harold's home. Harold and Ghania owned both units on the 15th floor. The one they were in now—1501—was their living space. The living and dining area had once been large, but now only a small corner was left for the couch and table. The rest of the place was stacked with supplies up to the ceiling. The condo had three bedrooms plus a bonus loft, which made it four rooms total. Ghania had one bedroom. It was neat, tidy, and also packed with supplies. Harold's room looked more like an office, with charts and data taped all over the walls. Another room had been turned into a lab. Shelves were full of jars, chemicals, and metal parts. Clearly, that was where Harold invented his gadgets and formulas. The loft was used as a warehouse, packed solid with food and gear. Harold grinned as he explained, "Most of the stuff here in 1501 came from those guys who used to demand protection for food." Then he motioned for them to follow him to 1502.Natalie and Olivia exchanged a look, both a little hesitant. Natalie spoke up. "We don't need to go in there." They already knew 1501 had plenty of supplies since they'd all helped move some of it in together. 1502, though, was probably Harold's personal stockpile from before the disaster. They were just here for dinner, not to poke through his private stash. But Harold didn't mind. He gave them a wink. "After everything we've been through together, I trust you both completely." He opened the heavy, reinforced door to 1502. "Come on in. You might get some new ideas for how to store your own supplies." Natalie lingered at the doorway, studying the thick door, then followed him inside. The moment they stepped in, Olivia let out a gasp. "Damn! Harold, this is insane!" Even Natalie, who had seen plenty of stockpiles herself, couldn't help but open her mouth in shock. This wasn't an apartment. This was a survival base. The living room had been turned into a full growing area. Rows of vegetables stretched from floor to ceiling, planted in stacked racks at different levels. Every corner was green, except for the space taken up by a generator. Olivia shook her head in awe. "Mrs. Dunn is amazing!" She herself had tried growing food at home, but it was nothing like this. Just a few plants on her balcony, and they didn't grow all that well. Harold smiled. "Some of these are heat-resistant crops I modified. They survive better. When you leave, I'll give you some seeds to try." The dining room and kitchen had been converted into animal pens. The dining area held six full-grown chickens and over 20 newly hatched chicks. The kitchen was filled with more than 40 rabbits.Natalie blinked. "Wait, I thought you only bought one pair of rabbits?" Harold chuckled. "Yeah, but rabbits breed way faster than chickens. The female gave birth to 15 kits in the first month I had her. Then another litter the next month. She hasn't stopped since!" He pointed at the cages. "And soon these younger ones will be breeding too. You've heard of exponential growth, right?" Olivia nodded. "One rabbit has ten babies. Those ten have a hundred babies. A hundred have ... oh my God!" Harold laughed. "And the older rabbits don't stop breeding just because the younger ones start." Olivia whistled. "In another year, you could open a rabbit factory!" Harold shook his head. "I don't have enough feed to raise them all. I'll just keep two breeding pairs. The rest will end up on the table." Natalie grinned. "Remember what that rabbit seller said?" All three of them said it together, laughing. "You'll never finish eating them! Never!" Harold's grin stretched wide. "When you head home later, each of you takes a pair. Then you'll never run out of meat again." Natalie suddenly thought of her two energetic dogs, Lucky and Cash. She wondered what would happen if the rabbits drank the spring water at her place. She agreed right away. Olivia didn't refuse either. Back at the floating market, Olivia hadn't dared buy rabbits. She didn't have enough resources to keep them. But now? Things were different.