Cooking Gourmet Meals in the Apocalypse

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: She’s Crazy and Wants to Kill Me

Yan Caini’s eyes were glued to the meal box in the old man’s hands.

It had been days since the apocalypse began, and she hadn’t had a decent meal in just as long.

’Damn this plague!’

She had been on a diet before all this, so she hadn’t stored any food at home.

When the outbreak hit suddenly, all she had was water.

After starving for a few days, she ran into an acquaintance from her building who was heading to the safety zone, so she shamelessly tagged along.

But this so-called safety zone was a disappointment. The food was just vegetable scraps. Besides the absence of zombies, it had nothing to offer.

She’d wanted to leave for a long time, but she was too afraid of the dangers outside and could only endure it.

Now, looking at that fragrant meal, she really couldn’t take it anymore.

Everyone in the queue was focused on the front; few bothered to look back.

Watching the food supply up ahead dwindle, she felt certain she wouldn’t get to eat today.

’Besides, from the looks of this old man, it won’t make a difference whether he eats this meal or not. Why don’t I eat it and live on properly for his sake?’

When Yan Caini saw the old man struggle to his feet and head toward the building, she immediately abandoned the line and quickly chased after him.

As she passed the old man, she reached out, snatched the box, and kept running as if nothing had happened.

She didn’t even look back at the THUD behind her.

The people in line, however, heard the noise and turned around to see the old man collapsed on the ground. They quickly shouted and went to check on him. ”Someone fell...”

The old man had already been unsteady on his feet. When Yan Caini snatched the meal box, her elbow had bumped into him, causing him to fall.

Due to his advanced age and poor health, the old man was instantly in critical condition.

Fortunately, there was still a nurse in the sanatorium, who immediately ran over to check on him.

Unfortunately, the fall had been too severe, and his body was already too weak. He was beyond saving.

When Chen Xing heard the commotion and turned around, she saw Yan Caini running into the building, holding the meal tray.

She even had a bun stuffed in her mouth, looking completely satisfied.

Seeing Chen Xing looking at her, she chewed faster, a guilty look on her face.

Chen Xing glanced at the meal box in her hand and immediately understood. ”You stole the food I gave the old man?” As she spoke, she tapped Yan Caini on the shoulder.

She couldn’t believe Yan Caini could be such trash as to steal an old man’s meal.

Yan Caini choked, spitting out all the bun in her mouth. ”COUGH COUGH... He said he couldn’t eat it and gave it to me!” Despite her guilt, Yan Caini adamantly insisted the old man had given it to her.

Chen Xing looked past her shoulder and saw a large crowd gathered.

Without another word, she walked up, grabbed Yan Caini by the collar of her shirt, and started dragging her outside.

Chen Xing was strong. With one pull, Yan Caini couldn’t break free no matter how much she struggled, and she even dropped the meal box. ”Ah... my bun... Why are you grabbing me? I told you, the old man gave it to me... Let me go...” She didn’t forget to look back sorrowfully at the food that had fallen on the ground.

Once they reached the crowd, Yan Caini finally saw the old man lying on the ground through a gap between people’s legs.

Her heart skipped a beat. Only then did she realize she had accidentally knocked him over.

’Is he trying to scam me?’

”Sir, why are you lying here?” Yan Caini looked closely at the old man, saw his shallow breathing, and guessed he couldn’t speak. This emboldened her. ”You just gave me this food, right? She thinks I stole it from you. How could that be? Hurry up and tell her you gave it to me!”

If Chen Xing hadn’t been holding her back, she looked ready to rush forward and shake the old man.

”The old man is in this state, and you still have the nerve to say something like that? Have you no conscience?”

Chen Xing didn’t speak, but a few people in the back of the crowd started to criticize Yan Caini. ”Whether you knock someone down on purpose or not, the first thing you should do is check on them.”

Although they hadn’t seen Yan Caini snatch the meal box, they saw her run away quickly and naturally guessed what had happened.

”So I can’t even tell the truth now?” Yan Caini feigned being wronged. ”He really did give it to me...”

She tried to break free from Chen Xing’s grasp, but her struggles were futile.

”A few of us saw you run away...” someone said, unable to watch any longer.

To steal from an old man was one thing, but to knock him down afterward was another.

Just then, a person in charge arrived—it was Captain Chen from the unit headquarters.

He didn’t bother looking closely or investigating. Instead, he impatiently told everyone to disperse. ”Break it up! Nothing to see here!” ’People die every day now. Why make such a fuss?’

The one who died was an old man who couldn’t care for himself, so in a way, it was one less burden for them.

The moment Yan Caini heard they weren’t going to pursue the matter, she tried to shake off Chen Xing. ”Captain Chen... It’s me, Yan Caini! She’s crazy, she’s trying to kill me... Help me!” she cried out in feigned terror.

Captain Chen’s attention shifted from the old man to Chen Xing.

At this moment, the look in Chen Xing’s eyes was clearly different from before.

It was not just sharp but also fierce, completely devoid of her previous naive and innocent appearance.

”Why are you trying to kill her?” With a single glance, Captain Chen concluded that Chen Xing had murderous intent.

Chen Xing was disdainful of Captain Chen for siding with Yan Caini. She squared up, ready to confront him, but just as she was about to speak, Captain Lu pushed through the crowd. ”She isn’t trying to kill anyone. She’s just getting justice for the old man whose meal—a meal she gave him—was stolen.”

Captain Chen and Captain Lu had never gotten along. Seeing him defend Chen Xing, he naturally lumped her in with Captain Lu’s faction. ”Plenty of people saw her grabbing Miss Yan by the collar. That certainly looks like attempted murder.”

”She’s the one who stole the old man’s food and knocked him down, killing him!” Xiao Wu hadn’t gone far and saw the whole thing. He had immediately run to report it to Captain Lu, which was why Captain Lu knew the general situation.

Captain Chen was startled, but anything that put him at odds with Captain Lu was, in his mind, beneficial to himself.

For years, he had been held back by Captain Lu’s excellence.

If the apocalypse hadn’t started, he would still be a vice-captain with no chance of promotion.

Now that he had finally been promoted, he wanted to get rid of Captain Lu, this thorn in his side.

”And did you, Captain Lu, see this with your own eyes?”

”No!” Captain Lu, being an upright man, was unwilling to lie.

”If you didn’t see it, on what grounds do you claim Miss Yan is at fault?” Captain Chen, banking on the fact that no one had proof, said smugly, ”We can take this to the Military Brigade Commander for judgment!”

”The Military Brigade Commander is not in the safety zone!” Captain Lu felt a headache coming on from Captain Chen’s unreasonable behavior.

Even though the two of them were like fire and water, they shouldn’t drag others into it—especially not when someone had died.

Captain Chen’s expression changed slightly, his voice tinged with disbelief. ”The Military Brigade Commander isn’t here? Where did he go?” He just didn’t get it.

On Captain Lu’s last mission, he had failed in his duty and his entire unit was nearly wiped out. Yet the Commander had only given him a verbal reprimand, and he was still managing affairs as usual.

’Such a major event as leaving the safety zone, and he, a proper captain, doesn’t know about it?’

’Yet a demoted captain is in the know? This is outrageous.’

”Does the Military Brigade Commander need to report his whereabouts to us?” There was no way Captain Lu would tell him the truth.

The Military Brigade Commander had received orders from above and had taken the majority of his forces to the National Capital Safety Zone.

Worried that Captain Chen would cause trouble after he left, the Military Brigade Commander had told Captain Lu to claim that he was only away on temporary business.

Captain Chen knew the Commander was biased. ”Then we’ll wait for the Commander to return! You, let go of Miss Yan...” He reached for Chen Xing’s arm as he spoke.

Naturally, Chen Xing wasn’t going to let him touch her. She took a step back without loosening her grip in the slightest.

Pulled by Chen Xing, Yan Caini lost her balance and stumbled sideways. Because Chen Xing’s grip was so firm, she didn’t fall completely.

But this was hardly any better. The cloth of her collar choked her, turning her face beet red as she gasped for air.