Cassian asked, "What thoughts?" Natalie shot back, "Thinking about getting yourself beaten up." She ignored him after that and called into the courtyard. After just a couple of shouts, Olivia came rushing out. "Natalie!" She opened the gate and pulled her inside. "Come on in." Natalie and Cassian followed her into the house. The living room had already been cleaned spotlessly by Olivia and Ghania. Natalie took off her mask and looked around. "Where's Harold?" Ghania replied, "He's in the back room doing experiments." She gestured for Natalie and Cassian to sit down on the couch. Olivia held Natalie's hand. "I noticed you two came in with gas masks. Did you also figure out the fog's not normal?" "Also?" Natalie frowned at her. "You've noticed it too?" Olivia nodded. "Yesterday, Ghania had an episode, and even the chickens and ducks were acting strange." Natalie turned to Ghania. "Are you okay?" Ghania gave a small smile. "Don't worry, Olivia did needle therapy on me yesterday. I'm fine now." Natalie nodded. "That's good." She pulled out three more gas masks and two walkie-talkies from her backpack, handing them over."I came to bring these. If you need to go out, remember to wear the masks. Otherwise, the fog might mess with your head and make you do something reckless." In the apocalypse, people's minds were already fragile. In her previous life, many who were mentally weak had ended up self-harming or even killing themselves under the fog's influence. But Ghania waved her hand, pointing toward a shelf in the distance where several gas masks were neatly placed. "No need. We already have masks. Olivia just ran out too quickly when she heard your voice and forgot hers." Natalie glanced at the masks and relaxed. "Then at least keep the walkie-talkies. That way, it'll be easier to stay in touch." This time, Ghania did not refuse and accepted them with thanks. After all, their small group was built on mutual support, and communication was crucial. If something unexpected happened, they needed to warn each other quickly. Just then, Harold walked out from the back room, looking thrilled when he saw them. "My idol! Cassian! You're here!" Cassian gave him a nod as a greeting. Natalie, meanwhile, asked, "You were doing experiments?" "Yeah," Harold replied, "I collected some samples of the fog and analyzed them. I found compounds like methylhexanamine and ephedrine—substances that can mess with the brain. "The mix is too complex to fully break down. I tested it on a few rabbits. So far, if the intake is low and stopped quickly, they return to normal. But if it's long-term and heavy exposure, it could cause permanent nerve damage. "Just not sure what counts as 'long-term' yet—the experiments haven't gone on long enough."Permanent damage? Natalie's mind flashed back to her previous life. After the fog appeared, she often had migraines, and her emotions were less stable—anxiety and depression creeping in out of nowhere. She had thought it was just the stress of surviving the apocalypse. She asked, "So the gas masks work, right?" In her previous life, people fought over them like treasure. Even this time, she and Cassian had worn theirs the whole way here, and neither of them had felt any odd mood swings. "That's exactly what I tested," Harold said, making everyone look at him seriously. "But masks only block about ninety percent of the harmful stuff. They can't filter everything out." Natalie frowned. "So even with masks, we should still minimize going outside?" Harold nodded. "That's right." The room instantly grew heavy. Still, Natalie did not seem too worried. In her previous life, she had survived without even a mask. So, she smiled, comforting the others. "We don't need to be too pessimistic. Maybe the fog will clear up soon." Cassian, uncharacteristically, spoke too. "Things always work themselves out." Having already endured two or three years of the apocalypse, everyone quickly adjusted their moods. Then, Ghania warmly invited, "Enough about that. Let's eat first. Natalie, Cassian, stay for dinner." They immediately declined.In times like these, food was hard to come by. Ghania's group had limited supplies, and it was better not to impose. But Ghania insisted, "You two came all the way here to warn us and even brought walkie-talkies. I haven't given you anything in return. Sharing a meal is the least I can do—you can't refuse." Olivia chimed in, "She's right! Besides, with the fog outside, who knows when we'll be able to gather like this again?" Natalie and Cassian exchanged a look. Knowing they could not turn down such heartfelt kindness, they finally nodded. "Alright then."