Chapter 56 This Is My Fate
Alexander listened to Andrew's words and responded with a chuckle, "I've never robbed anyone. In this field, I rely on my reputation."
Upon hearing this, Andrew also gave a somewhat nervous laugh.
The two stared at each other for a while before Alexander sighed and added, "I'm human, too. I need to eat."
"I understand." Andrew nodded after a brief pause.
After driving for another dozen hours, they finally arrived at a planned area near the south. The temperature here was slightly higher and not as cold as the north. Eric was hiding in a place called Emberfall, situated on a plain backed by mountains and not along the main highway. Many people often formed groups to hunt in the mountains, both for their own consumption and to sell in the special district for some cash. Therefore, the environment and security were slightly better than those in Voidreach.
Alexander hadn't spent much time around Emberfall before because the locals were very xenophobic. A hundred people could probably live off the resources from the mountains, but if two hundred, or three hundred, or more people moved in, there wouldn't be enough to go around. So, it was tough for outsiders to settle here.
However, although Alexander hadn't stayed here before, a friend of his had lived here for a long time and had some influence. That was why he had arranged for Eric to stay here.
After the car stopped in front of a house made of wooden planks and mud bricks, Andrew and Alexander got out.
"Can people actually live here?" Andrew looked at the crooked house and the barren land around it, shaking his head in disbelief. "Compared to this, District Nine feels like paradise. Now I get why you adapted so quickly when you moved to Pine City. If you can survive here, you can survive anywhere."
"When you see Eric, don't say anything careless. He's already feeling down, and your words might make him feel worse," Alexander cautioned.
"No worries, if I don't scold him for three days, he feels uncomfortable," Andrew retorted with his hands behind his back.
"You're incorrigible," Alexander said with a helpless smile as he started walking toward the house.
The door was opened first, and Eric, who had heard the car, stepped out and froze when he saw them.
Andrew stepped forward and slapped Eric on the head, shouting, "Hey, did you miss me?!"
"You... you guys... why are you here?" Eric stammered.
"We were trying to reach you for an important matter, but couldn't reach you, so we had to come in person," Andrew said, stepping into the house and calling out, "Auntie, Sophia."
Sophia came out of the room, politely greeting, "Andrew."
"Sophia has grown a bit more, looking plump and fair." Andrew was someone who could joke with anyone.
"Andrew, there you are." An old lady's voice came from inside the house.
Andrew handed a big bag of food he and Alexander had bought to Sophia, saying with a smile, "All of this is for you. There's more food and new clothes in the car. I'll get them for you later."
"Thank you, Andrew." Sophia took the heavy food with a beaming smile and led Andrew into the inner room with her cane.
Andrew sat on the bed, smiling and asking, "How are you doing, Auntie?"
"I'm fine."
"That's great. You should quit smoking and live a few more years. I'm about to become the police chief, and when I do, I'll bring you, Eric, and Sophia back to enjoy life," Andrew chatted with the old lady.
In another room, Eric invited Alexander to sit on the cold bed, smiling. "Let me get you some water."
"No need." Alexander waved his hand. "Sit down."
Eric sat beside him.
"Are you feeling better?" Alexander asked directly.
"All healed," Eric moved his limbs and said gratefully, "Thanks to your friend, Tom Hill, I might have died without him. There's no medicine here. He had someone bring it to me and settled me down in this place."
"Glad to hear it." Alexander smiled.
After some small talk, Eric asked in a low voice, "After I left, did the Patrick family give you a hard time?"
"Yeah, things aren't good." Alexander nodded. "A lot has happened recently. Andrew and I came here because we had no choice. We need to ask you some questions."
"What's up?"
"Think again, before Paul had his accident, did he tell you anything besides giving you that package? Any information about friends, brothers, or anyone you know?" Alexander spoke quickly, "To be honest, the Anderson family is in bad shape, and Samuel was forced to take a side because of you. Terry hasn't retaliated yet only because he caused a big scene on Maple Street recently and needs to lay low, but he'll come after us again. And without a supply channel, Samuel can't form strong connections or help Benjamin get back on his feet. So, Andrew and I came to ask about the supply channel."
After listening to Alexander's detailed explanation, Eric stared blankly at the ground, saying nothing.
"What's wrong?" Alexander sensed something was off and asked.
After a long silence, Eric suddenly stood up, lifted the bed sheet, and pulled out a black leather bag without a word.
Alexander was puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"Open it and see." Eric tossed the bag to Alexander.
Alexander opened the bag, glanced inside, and took out a notebook.
Eric sat back on the bed and, rubbed his face, saying helplessly, "This bag was left to me by Paul. Before he left, he told me that there was a contact inside to reach out to if I ever hit rock bottom. At the time, I was worried about him and still had my job at the precinct, so I didn't take it seriously. Later, when Paul was gone, and William was pressuring me for the supply channel, I recalled the bag. But I had already given it to Ava. When I returned to fetch it, I coincidentally stumbled upon her engaging in an illicit affair with George, and she might have been scared, so she said she threw the bag away. I thought it was lost."
Alexander listened in a daze.
"But when my mom, Sophia, and I escaped here, I found the bag with my mom." Eric turned and smiled. "The bag wasn't thrown away. My mom is frugal. So, she had used it to store her things. When I told her and Paul to flee that night, she packed a lot of stuff, including this bag."
Alexander was speechless.
"What's fate? This is fate, my fate!" Eric's eyes showed a hint of bitterness as he spoke with a cold and sarcastic tone, "When I was desperately looking for this bag, I thought it was lost. But after I killed someone, lost my job, got injured, and fled here with a broken family, it showed up on its own. What a joke on me!"
Looking at Eric, Alexander suddenly felt that although Eric looked the same on the outside, something about him had fundamentally changed.
"I read the notebook. There's only one page with writing. It's a contact," Eric said and turned to Alexander, "But I can't make calls from here. Now that you're here, let's find Paul's friend and secure the supply channel no matter what."
"Are you saying..." Alexander probed.
"I used to look down on Paul, thinking he was irresponsible and only lived for himself," Eric said clearly with a smile on his face. "But now, I want to walk the same path he did. I'll take over his work."
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