Capítulo 83: How to Find Them
Atticus's heart sank. "They left no clues. How do we find them?"
Arnold consoled, "Dad, we can be sure those people are still in the base. We'll slowly investigate and search. They won't only ask for supplies once; sooner or later, they'll reveal a flaw."
"They only asked for a hundred kilograms of rice and fifty kilograms each of meat and vegetables. Either it's their first extortion attempt, and they dared not ask for too much, or there are not many of them, and they can't carry too many supplies back," analyzed Alice.
Yesterday, she and Hurley had searched the base for gangs, eliminating them, leaving only two possibilities: either a small group committed the crime or an individual acted alone.
The first encounter didn't yield much, so they could only wait for the second letter.
The next day, as Alice left to investigate, she saw Hurley approaching from a distance.
"Any news, Auntie?" Hurley quickly asked.
Alice, touched by the sincerity on his handsome face, shook her head and recounted yesterday's events.
Hurley observed the surroundings, ensuring no one passed by, then took out a bottle of white liquid from the space.
"Next time they try to extort supplies, sprinkle this on them."
Alice took it and sniffed carefully; it had no noticeable odor.
Hurley then presented a perforated transparent box containing a thumb-sized bee.
"This is a tracking bee. The bottle contains a special liquid. If you sprinkle it on the supplies, the bee can track it by scent."
Alice felt a surge of gratitude; this was a significant help.After a moment, she realized something. "Your space can actually store living things?"
Hurley, surprised, asked back, "What, can't yours?"He assumed all spaces were the same and hadn't thought about this aspect.
Alice shook her head. "My space can't store living beings."After a pause, she looked up at him and asked, "Can your body enter the space?"
"No," he replied.It was a pity. If the physical body could enter the space, there would be no need to worry about safety issues.
The two discussed the issue of spaces for a while. In the post-apocalyptic world, having such a "divine tool" was already a heavenly gift. They didn't dare to ask for more.
"Next time they send you a letter demanding supplies, come and tell me," Hurley reminded.
Alice agreed.
As they were about to leave, they suddenly felt the temperature drop sharply, as if they were in an ice cave.
"The temperature control shed has failed?"Hurley immediately realized. After pondering for a moment, he muttered, "It shouldn't happen so soon..."
"I'll go see what's going on. You go home first. The temperature is dropping again. Be sure to keep warm."
"You too. While no one is around, quickly take out your clothes and put them on."Alice said
Hurley nodded and left quickly.
The failure of the temperature control shed threw everyone back into reality. The extreme cold didn't let up, and a bitter cold once again enveloped the entire base.
The temperature dropped back to minus fifty degrees overnight.The only good thing was that the heavy fog dispersed.People who were accustomed to living in the temperature-controlled shed couldn't adapt for a while, and soon a large group fell ill.The management team fled, and chaos engulfed the entire base.
The Allen family anxiously awaited the letter from the kidnappers. Atticus said with concern, "It suddenly became so cold outside. Your mother is in great danger."
Arnold comforted, "Dad, the failure of the temperature control shed might not be a bad thing. Those people can't stand the cold. They'll probably come to demand warm clothing."
Alice, sitting across from them, agreed with a nod. "Exactly, I guess it'll happen in the next two days."
Just as they were talking, Alexander, who had returned from outside, opened the iron gate and saw a letter dropping out.He picked it up and glanced at it, then rushed into the house, "Little sis, those people sent another letter."
Alice took it and quickly opened it to read. The letter stated: "I know there are cotton jackets and quilts in your space. Deliver fifty jackets and fifty quilts to the auditorium by six o'clock this evening."
"They want it today evening, they seem to be in a hurry. It looks like those people are really unable to bear the cold," remarked Alice.
"Fifty jackets and fifty quilts, that group must have a considerable number of people," said Atticus.
Alexander added, "It might not necessarily be the actual number of people. What if one person gets two quilts?"
"..."
Shortly after receiving the letter, Alice immediately went to find Hurley, planning to borrow his tracking bee.
Hurley was quite idle; the failure of the temperature control shed had left him without much to do. The research institute at the base had disbanded, and there was no point in trying to fix it now that everyone who could run away had left.
When Alice arrived at his home, Hurley was practicing calligraphy. The room had a comfortable temperature, and the man was dressed in a short-sleeved shirt, his focus on the brush, with a beautifully defined jawline and tight lips.
"You seem to be quite free," Alice remarked.
Seeing her, Hurley flashed a hint of a smile. He set down the brush and explained, "The base's research institute has disbanded. I have nothing to do, so I can only practice calligraphy to cultivate my sentiment."
Getting straight to the point, Alice said, "Those people contacted me again. I want to borrow your tracking bee."
"I'll go with you," Hurley immediately offered.
Alice pondered for a moment before nodding slightly.
As the agreed-upon time approached, Alice went to the auditorium. Inside, it remained empty, giving off an eerie feeling. She took out the requested jackets and quilts, and Hurley sprayed some colorless liquid on them. The sprayed liquid wasn't much, and it didn't appear suspicious.
Having completed everything, they left the auditorium.The two of them found a hiding spot. With so many items, the group couldn't possibly move away without making any noise.
Half an hour later, three tall and robust men walked into the auditorium. They soon emerged carrying several bags of blankets and clothes.
Hurley assessed them with a glance, then turned to Alice, "How could those people come out so openly? I suspect it's intentional for us to see. Here's the plan: I'll follow them, and you can keep the tracking bees."
This idea aligned with Alice's thoughts. She nodded slightly, "If there's an ambush, just run and ensure your safety."
It was a matter of gratitude; she couldn't let him get into a dangerous situation. As long as there were resources in her space, she would eventually lure that person out.
To deceive the enemy, Alice pretended to follow Hurley to track the men. Just shortly after the two of them left, a few men entered the auditorium from another direction.
After five minutes of chasing, Alice abruptly turned back. She quietly entered the auditorium, only to find that all the blankets were gone.
She took out Hurley's bees, opened the box, and let them fly out. Alice then sprayed a substance in front of the bees.
Two bees, upon smelling the substance, suddenly flew in another direction. Without hesitation, Alice immediately followed.
The bees flew over the nearby dormitory building, cafeteria, and finally arrived at a two-story dilapidated building.
The building was old and rundown, with unpainted external walls revealing its brick structure. The second floor had a small window, presumably for scouting the surroundings.
Alice quietly bypassed the people guarding the entrance and approached the back of the house. Fortunately, the building wasn't tall, and she easily climbed to the rooftop.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz." The two bees flew back to her, hovering in front of her.
Alice breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the real kidnapper was here. She wanted to see who dared to provoke her.
Just as Alice was about to quietly descend, she suddenly heard footsteps. Glancing around, she spotted a water tower not far away and quickly hid behind it.
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