Chapter 349 Waiting for an Opportunity
The meeting concluded successfully, and everyone had no objections to Steven's arrangements.
At noon, the group gathered to welcome Lily to their team.
The dining table was steaming with an abundance of delicious food.
These tasty dishes would even be served at Steven's house on regular days.
But for Lily, these foods made her salivate uncontrollably, and her hands trembled as she ate.
Even when she was at the second Life Warehouse of West Mountain Base, she had never enjoyed such a lavish meal.
If people outside in the freezing cold saw this meal, they would definitely be insanely jealous.
In the post-apocalyptic world, people would risk their lives for a hard, cold piece of bread.
But Steven and his group lived so luxuriously; the contrast was truly stark.
Although she was reluctant to admit it, Lily secretly felt grateful that she had made the right choice.
She enjoyed the meal immensely, her taste buds hadn't experienced such pleasure in a long time.
She accidentally ate too much, ending up with a bloated stomach and digestive issues.
Lily clutched her stomach, her face turning pale.
Everyone was stunned for a moment and quickly went over to check on her.
Elinor suddenly realized and slapped her forehead. "It must be because Ms. Evans ate poorly before, now her stomach can't handle it."
They usually ate like this, so they subconsciously ignored Lily's dietary condition.
Elinor quickly helped Lily to her room to lie down and gave her some stomach medicine.
"It's okay, just rest for a bit and you'll be fine!" Elinor said with a gentle smile, then tucked Lily in.
This warm feeling made Lily want to cry.
Since the apocalypse, this was the first time she felt cared for by someone else.
Her dependence on the shelter grew stronger, and her mindset underwent a dramatic change in just one day.
'Actually, this isn't so bad,' she thought.
After lunch, Nora, Elinor, and Emilia were responsible for cleaning up.
Steven noticed Aubrey's strange expression, as if she was a bit upset, so he called her over with a smile.
"Aubrey, what's wrong? I noticed something was off with you during the meal," Steven said.
Aubrey waved her hands repeatedly and replied, "Steven, I'm fine! Really."
Steven smiled faintly and lightly flicked her forehead. "Why are you being mysterious with me? Just say what's on your mind. Remember, we are family. There shouldn't be any secrets among family, got it?"
Hearing this, Aubrey looked around to make sure no one else was nearby before relaxing.
She looked up at Steven and quietly asked, "Steven, why did you agree to protect those students? They're really bad!"
So that's what it was about. Steven couldn't help but laugh.
Aubrey looked a bit upset. She said, "You must have seen what happened back then. Those guys are not good people. After the apocalypse, Cindy and I were bullied terribly. So I really don't want to see them."
Although Aubrey was usually carefree, she was just an eighteen-year-old girl, passionate and straightforward. She had a strong aversion to those classmates and couldn't forget what had happened.
Steven's smile grew wider.
At that moment, Cindy, who saw them talking, walked by from a distance.
Cindy and Steven exchanged a meaningful smile before she left.
Many times, Steven and Cindy had the best understanding of each other.
Because Cindy was very smart, and the smarter someone is, the more they can use reason to suppress their emotional side.
So Cindy, like Steven, always considered things from the most beneficial angle for themselves and the shelter.
Steven affectionately put his arm around Aubrey's shoulder and led her to a corner of the room.
He whispered, "Aubrey, if I completely ignored your classmates, what do you think Ms. Evans would do?"
Aubrey frowned slightly and said, "Knowing Ms. Evans's personality, she would probably choose to leave the shelter! Then go protect them or take them to another safe place."
Steven nodded with a smile. "Exactly. Although I don't care about the lives of your classmates, Lily is very useful to us, so we need to keep her here."
Aubrey suddenly understood. "I get it now, you did it to keep Ms. Evans!"
"But are you planning to support them forever?" Aubrey pouted, clearly unhappy. "Those awful people don't deserve your help! Why should you support them?"
"Don't worry, it won't be for long. The environment outside is so harsh, those useless people will freeze or starve to death sooner or later. And, I have some plans," Steven said with a smile.
He thought of the Psychic he had killed from Silverlake Base.
The loss of a Psychic was a big deal for any faction.
This would accelerate the contact between the shelter and external forces.
Steven had told Lily that he would protect those students if there was danger. But if a conflict really happened, he would naturally have a thousand reasons to explain it.
After all, Emerald Estate and Cox Town were far apart, and he could easily delay long enough for external forces to kill them all.
Aubrey's eyes lit up; Steven never disappointed her!
She wanted to ask more, but Steven gestured for her to be quiet. He said, "Some things are better not discussed at home. Tomorrow we'll go out to find materials to repair the shelter. I'll tell you the details then."
Although Lily was resting in her room, just in case, it was better not to discuss specific plans at home.
Aubrey's concerns were eased, and she smiled again. "Okay! But where are we going to find the materials?"
Steven said, "There's a materials factory not far from here. We can check it out. It's still within the West Mountain Base's territory, so it should be safe for now."
"Alright, I'll go prepare the materials list." Aubrey immediately went to the workshop to get ready.
Watching Aubrey leave, Steven started to ponder.
His plan was simple: use external enemies to deal with the students Lily left outside. He had no intention of supporting freeloaders.
Moreover, those students seemed like a big hassle to Steven. Uncertain factors were best eliminated.
On the other hand, this would also be a way to avenge Cindy and Aubrey for what happened before.
'However, people from other factions are not my subordinates; they won't just follow orders. Now I can only wait for the right opportunity!' he thought.
Although he wanted to use other factions to get rid of the students from Cox Town, Steven wouldn't actively provoke other factions.
His own safety was the top priority, and when those students died wasn't the main concern.
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