บท 47: Chapter 47: The Smell of Crawfish
Alfred escorted the refugees inside, totaling seventeen people, including fifteen men and two women.
They were allocated to the fourth to sixth floors.
Alfred brought twelve soldiers with him, making a total of thirteen including himself, positioned from the third to the fourth floors.
However, these floors had little to offer in terms of amenities. Not to mention food, many rooms didn't even have a bed.
This was not a concern for Charles; the rooms had been in this state even before his arrival.
During the extreme cold previously, in order to keep warm, the building's occupants burned whatever they could find.
The building's resources were insufficient for Charles's group, who had brought and moved items from outside to furnish the upper floors.
Charles was indifferent to the plight of the refugees. He even thought it would be better if they starved or succumbed to the heat, as it would reduce the risk of them causing trouble.
"Charles, they have arrived?" Jacob inquired, descending from the upper floors to meet him on the seventh floor.
"They've been slow enough," Charles responded. "Just ignore them. Let's keep a low profile these days, go out less but stay vigilant. Especially at night, we should have a couple of smart guys on watch."
"The ones on night duty should get extra food."
"Got it," Jacob nodded.
Charles looked around and instructed, "Leave two people here, and the rest should rest early. Tomorrow is a new day, and who knows what will happen. Everyone should sleep well to stay sharp."
"Understood!"
Everyone retreated to their rooms, but people on the seventh and eighth floors likely had difficulty sleeping.
Not only was it too hot, but the noise from below was another issue.
The newly arrived refugees were busy selecting rooms, crying, and venting after entering their new spaces. Their noise was likely to reach the upper floors.
However, this did not affect Charles, who lived on the fourteenth floor. David on the seventeenth floor was even less likely to be disturbed, except by noises as loud as military boat engines.
Downstairs, Henry and his team left, leaving behind a platoon in the area.
The number was small, but it was deemed sufficient.
At least for now, no problems were expected. After their figures disappeared into the night and the engine sounds faded away, David lay down to sleep, comfortably sleeping until nine o'clock.
David's routine was usually regular and healthy, staying up until midnight, waiting for the check-in reward, and then sleeping.
But last night, he had been disturbed, falling asleep around 1:30 am, thus waking up later than usual.
Upon waking, David's first task was to look outside the window, which gave him quite a shock.
A building directly in front of him was on fire. The intense flames licked the staircase, sending waves of heat into the already hot environment. The flames hissed as if purifying the world's sins.
The water level below had also dropped significantly, indicating that the water from the melted ice could completely evaporate today. If this continued, water scarcity could become a major issue.
David realized that extreme heat was even more unbearable than extreme cold. During cold times, people could burn things to keep warm, but in this heat, the lack of air conditioning was excruciating.
Even stripping naked wouldn't alleviate the heat, and the most critical issue was the lack of water.
From his vantage point, David could see the hot air continuously rising from the ground, making even walking on it seem unbearable.
Today's temperature seemed higher than yesterday's, possibly reaching around 65 degrees Celsius.
Suddenly, a loud explosion sounded. Not far from the burning building, another explosion occurred in a different building, followed by billowing black smoke and another fire.
"Poor things..." David shook his head. If there were people in that building, they probably couldn't escape.
It was only the second day of extreme heat, and conditions had already become so severe.
David proceeded out of the bedroom, brushing his teeth and washing his face with a sense of heaviness. Even his upgraded room, which had a temperature control feature, felt hotter than usual due to the external heat.
This felt like being in an un-air-conditioned bedroom during summer. Still, compared to others, he was in a much better situation.
Moreover, David could wash his face and even turn on the air conditioning if it became too hot – a benefit of his check-in system.
After a simple breakfast and his usual exercise routine, despite the heat, David prepared for his lunch.
He planned to have a crawfish feast: premium sautéed crawfish, chilled lemon shrimp, and steamed large shrimp.
He was particularly looking forward to the chilled lemon shrimp, a refreshing choice in the heat, followed by hot dishes to induce sweating.
However, in such hot weather, the molecular diffusion of scents was rapid.
Even during the cold period, the aroma of his meals would spread. Now, with the intense smell of the heavily seasoned crawfish, it was even harder to ignore.
The scent even reached the lower floors where the refugees were housed.
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