When Did You Return?

The three found a secluded spot to sit and talk.

Arnold: "When did you come back?"

"Last month. The disaster situation overseas was quite severe. The scientists there analyzed that more natural disasters were coming. The turmoil was worse than domestic, and our organization faced shortages of supplies and unruly personnel. I was assigned a task to come back and find buyers."

The items for sale were, of course, firearms and ammunition. When Bobby mentioned this, his eyes glanced at the soft bread in Arnold's hand. "I haven't eaten for a day. Could you give me some food?"

Arnold handed him the bread and took the opportunity to ask, "We want to buy some guns and bullets. Are you selling?"

Bobby pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Although we mainly handle large orders, there aren't many people with substantial supplies at this time. Even ants are meat."

In the end, Arnold agreed to exchange five bags of rice (100 kg), ten boxes of instant noodles, two boxes of compressed biscuits, two boxes of self-heating hot pots, and twenty kilograms of pork for five automatic rifles and five hundred bullets.

"Come to the self-built building on the first floor of XX tomorrow to find me," Bobby left the address.

Alice noted down his address before leaving with Arnold.

At this time, having a good gun was crucial. She needed to find time to talk privately with Bobby and purchase more weapons.

The siblings returned home at midnight, but it was the liveliest time. It was also the coolest time of the day.

Alice turned off the air conditioner, opened the windows for ventilation, and then comfortably took a bath.

Many people brought chairs downstairs to chat, and some went to work. It was said that some factories were working hard to resume production. However, nobody used cash for settlements anymore; offering some food could attract a large number of workers.

Atticus turned on the TV to watch the news, and the host said, "According to experts in meteorology, geology, and the environment... the extreme heat is expected to last for about one to two years. To cope with the hazards brought by natural disasters, the country has decided to construct twenty-six bases, each named after a letter of the alphabet..."

Alice subconsciously looked over. The host was introducing the planning, locations, and details of the bases. Since they were in the city of m, they referred to the local base as "m base."

The news of base construction relieved many people, and they expressed that the country had finally taken action.

Netizen 1: "Great! We haven't been abandoned. I'll tell my grandparents the good news about building the base!"

Netizen 2: "I'm in a base, should I pack up early to secure a good spot?"

Netizen 3: "Wow, I just found out that e base is near my home. No wonder there have been frequent construction activities there recently."

Netizen 4: "We're in k base. We knew about the construction news long ago. Heard that once you're in the base, you won't go hungry. We can move in within a week at the latest."

"..."

It can be said that the news of base construction was a reassurance for everyone. People discussed what the bases would look like and wondered if they would be filled with high-tech gadgets like in the movies.

Alice silently thought that they were probably expecting too much. A base built in half a month was already impressive if it could accommodate people.

Alice checked the location of the m base, which was being constructed on the premises of a local university. According to the relevant personnel, the capacity of the university was limited, and they were currently accelerating expansion.

After reporting the news of base construction, the host continued with updates on casualties and damages caused by the recent heavy rain and the ongoing extreme heat.

"According to statistics from relevant departments, the nationwide death toll due to natural disasters has reached 300,000 so far. The number of injuries, missing persons, and those left homeless is incalculable..."

Atticus and Blanche couldn't help but gasp in shock when they heard the staggering numbers, once again feeling fortunate that their whole family could be together.

The next evening, while Arnold was not at home, Alice went alone to meet Bobby to buy weapons. Atticus, upon learning about her plan, moved the required supplies into Alice's car and asked, "Really don't want me to accompany you?"

Alice smiled and shook her head gently, "No need. It's just a transaction, not something difficult."

She easily found the location following Bobby's given address. Before she could knock on the door, Bobby had already opened it. "I heard your car."

Alice was not surprised; Bobby being able to work as a mercenary and survive indicated his strong capabilities. "Why isn't your older brother coming?" Bobby lazily inquired.

"He's busy."

Inside the house, Alice immediately saw five guns on the table, each with a box of bullets. "The bullets are all inside. If you don't trust me, you can count them," Bobby added.

Alice raised an eyebrow, "My older brother is very selective about his friends. Since you caught his eye, I trust your character."

There were hundreds of bullets, and Bobby had no reason to cheat Alice on such a small amount. Bobby, unaware of Alice's thoughts, felt elated by her praise. "These are all modern guns. Can you use them?"

Alice had experience using such weapons during her time as an assassin, so it was not difficult for her. She nodded slightly, "I can."

After a while, Bobby looked at her curiously, "Arnold used to tell me that his sister was a delicate little princess. Why do I feel like you're not, and where did you learn your skills?"

When Alice approached him that evening, he didn't sense her presence at all.

"A martial arts instructor," Alice said, half-truthfully. She then asked, "If I want to buy a hundred assorted firearms and a hundred thousand bullets, how much supplies would I need?"

"Are you serious, or is this a joke?" Bobby asked playfully.

Alice looked at him with a serious expression, "I'm serious. Don't worry about why I need so many guns and bullets, just tell me if you can sell them."

Bobby pondered for a moment before nodding, "I can! But it will require supplies equivalent to about two trucks, and at least eighty percent of it must be food. Can you provide that?"

"I can," Alice replied without bargaining. She left him an address, "Come to this parking garage tomorrow morning at seven. Make sure to bring your people and vehicles." She wasn't going to handle the manual labor herself.