Iris remained fully on guard. "What neighbor? I've never seen you before." Roderick explained, "I moved here after the apocalypse started. I'm Mr. Holland's assistant at Villa 1." "Mr. Holland?" At the mention of Cassian, Iris's expression softened. So he worked for Cassian. "Please tell Mr. Holland and Ms. Ashford that I just got home. I'll come thank them when I get the chance." After speaking, she quickly caught up with Bruno ahead of her. Thank them? Roderick was confused. Nadia, who'd been quiet in the back seat, looked at the severed limbs exposed from that huge bundle and asked Roderick nervously, "Honey, what's going on with them?" Roderick shook his head. "No idea." He restarted the engine and drove forward. "Mr. Holland and Ms. Ashford should know." By the time the Normans arrived at Villa 1, Harold, Olivia, and Ghania were already there, bustling about helping with preparations. Though Natalie had organized the dinner, everyone knew food was precious in the apocalypse, so they'd each brought a few dishes to contribute. After Nadia came in and chatted for a bit, she quickly took out the cured meat and spicy vegetables she'd brought. With many hands making light work, all the dishes were soon ready. Natalie opened a bottle of red wine, and everyone gathered around, celebrating their victory and harvest. After eating for a while, Roderick brought up Bruno and Iris. "Ms. Carter specifically said she wanted to come thank you." After hearing this, Natalie sighed. "Looks like her father didn't make it." Thinking of how Iris had struggled with her thin frame to drag that bundle, Nadia felt her heart ache. "You mean what was in that bundle was her father? That's so heartbreaking ... " Natalie nodded. "Since Emerson didn't come back with her, what's wrapped in that cloth is most likely him." She then told everyone about what they'd seen and heard at the Grayhound Sect. Everyone couldn't help but lament. "That Grayhound Sect was truly pure evil!" "The Jensens and the Carters are so pitiful. They were fine at home, then Whitney died and Iris lost both her parents. What a senseless apocalypse!" Hearing about the terrible fate of those children in the labor camp, Olivia was angry. "That leader had a son herself. How could she bear to lock other people's kids in a labor camp? If their parents knew, their hearts would break ... " While everyone sighed, only Dominic kept eating with his cheeks puffed out. He crunched on the vegetables in his mouth while reaching his fork toward the boiled shrimp in the distance. Though Roderick's family situation was better than the survivors down the mountain, it certainly couldn't compare to their pre-apocalypse standard of living. Two meals a day, mostly oatmeal made from mixed grains, noodles, and other staples with vegetables. They could only occasionally have a proper meal. So seeing this table full of meat and vegetables, the child's greedy nature inevitably showed through. Ghania, being older, loved kids. Seeing this, she couldn't help but smile and pick one up for him. "Can't reach? Let me peel it for you." Nadia glanced at her son in embarrasment. "Dominic, you haven't finished the lamb steak on your plate. What did I teach you? Finish what's on your own plate before eyeing what's on the table." Natalie smiled and smoothed things over. "It's fine. He's just a kid!" Then she patted Dominic's head. "Eat whatever you want. If you can't finish it, I'll pack some up for you." Roderick was Cassian's capable assistant and only had this one precious son. Naturally Natalie was willing to show Dominic a little extra kindness. Dominic was quite clever and immediately said sweetly, "Thank you, Natalie! You're beautiful and kind!" He didn't forget Ghania either. "Thank you, Ghania, for peeling shrimp for me!" Ghania's eyes crinkled with her smile. "Such a good boy!" Just then, Olivia teased from the side, "What about me? Am I beautiful and kind too?" Dominic tilted his head and thought for a moment, then blurted out the honest truth. "You're gentle and kind-hearted. But you look like a man." In other words, kind but not beautiful. Everyone at the table burst out laughing. Olivia touched her shaved head and laughed along. "This hairstyle makes it pretty hard to tell, doesn't it?" The atmosphere lightened considerably, but Natalie thought about it and still brought the conversation back to the Grayhound Sect. "Everyone needs to be mentally prepared. Groups like the Grayhound Sect are both cruel and powerful, and will only become more common in the future." Having lived through this once before, Natalie knew very clearly that the future belonged to various organizations and factions. Survivors acting alone or in small family groups would find it nearly impossible to survive. Forget the future—even now, you could barely see any lone survivors anymore. The reason was naturally that they could hardly find any supplies. All resources were in the hands of various gangs, private bases, and the official bases in each region. Though Natalie had her storage space as an advantage, she still felt she should warn her companions about the future situation.