Su Ling brought Gu Shangse down from the third floor and they climbed the stairs directly to the rooftop.
When the two appeared on the rooftop, Xu Lin and the other two were preparing dinner.
They were all happy to see Su Ling return.
However, this happiness was slightly dampened when they saw Gu Shangse, whom Su Ling had brought back.
Fatty and Skinny didn't react much; they simply thought of her as another teammate.
Only Xu Lin's joy, both on his face and in his eyes, truly faltered.
He was a man, a normal man with feelings for Su Ling, and he could naturally see Gu Shangse's intentions towards her.
He didn't know what had happened while Su Ling was away, but he knew he had cause for concern.
Gu Shangse had assumed Su Ling lived alone on the rooftop, but she was surprised to find she had friends.
Before Su Ling could introduce herself to the three, Gu Shangse proactively introduced herself to them: "Gu Shangse."
Her friends were his friends.
"Xu Lin."
"Just call me Fatty (or Skinny)."
With Gu Shangse taking the initiative to integrate, Su Ling took the opportunity to relax. She washed her hands and brought the cooked dishes to the table.
Pulling up a chair and sitting down, Su Ling looked at the table full of delicious-looking food and felt hungry.
Gu Shangse brought her rice and sat next to Su Ling, handing her a bowl.
Su Ling took it and picked up her chopsticks to grab a braised pig's trotters.
As the days passed, the quality of meat declined.
Even with generous spices to mask the taste, a peculiar odor could still be detected. But Su Ling didn't mind; she found it delicious, especially the gravy mixed with rice, which was very fragrant. She cherished such days, as they would soon be difficult to enjoy.
She possessed a portable space and had stockpiled a considerable amount of supplies before the end.
However, until she could ascertain whether Gu Shangse and the others were trustworthy, she would not easily reveal the secret of her portable space. Possessing such a treasure invited unwanted attention, and she did not want to be conspicuous.
Fatty spooned some gravy from the braised pig's trotters onto his rice and picked up a piece of trotters. He looked at Su Ling, took a bite of the already-tasting trotters, and smiled, "Starting from tomorrow, we probably won't have any more meat."
Due to power outages and insufficient supply, frozen meats had thawed and were now spoiling.
Especially in this season, with hot and muggy weather, high temperatures would rapidly accelerate the decay of meat.
Their future meals would primarily consist of long-lasting food items.
Things like potatoes, onions, yams, pumpkins, carrots, winter melon, and sweet potatoes would be on their menu three meals a day.
"And our supplies are dwindling," Skinny said, picking up some vegetables. He also looked at Su Ling. "The number of survivors in the supermarket downstairs is increasing, and supplies are decreasing at a visible rate. We'll have to search for supplies outside from now on."
Fatty and Skinny's words were within Su Ling's expectations.
"Understood," she replied to the two. Su Ling picked up some sour and spicy shredded potatoes. After thinking for a moment, she explained to them, "I won't be leaving here for the time being. I'm waiting for two people. They should arrive in about five to six days."
"Until they arrive, I'll be waiting here for them. If you feel you can't wait, you're free to leave. But if you choose to stay, I'll take care of the supplies. Your task will be to practice fighting zombies in this building. Once you've cleared the zombies in this building, then go outside."
"Since we chose you, we will persist, unless we fail your assessment," Xu Lin said, then looked at Fatty and Skinny. "Right?"