The little girl's way of eating could only be described as frenzied—the kind of eating only someone who has been starving for two months, not dead but barely hanging on, would display.

"Slow down, slow down! Ah, forget it..."

A 400-gram block of luncheon meat disappeared in seconds in the hands of someone starving to the extreme, and then the girl's eyes turned to Henry Clark's backpack.

"Stop looking, I only brought one can as rations. Even if you keep looking, there’s nothing left. But I have plenty at home. Do you want to come with me?"

Henry Clark extended a sincere invitation to the little girl, and he truly had no ill intentions. As a normal person, he needed companionship.

Humans are social animals, so loneliness alone is enough to drive a person mad, even to death.

If it had been a man, no matter how lonely or isolated Henry Clark was, he wouldn’t dare to rashly bring a stranger back to his shelter. But if it was a little girl, especially one who clearly had no ability to survive on her own and seemed harmless, Henry Clark felt bold enough to invite her right away.

Besides, even a frail little girl could help Henry Clark with many things. Two people surviving together is definitely much better than one alone.

"I’ll go with you!"

Choking and rolling her eyes, the little girl still answered Henry Clark's question concisely, then immediately turned her attention to the meat scraps left in the can.

"It’s so delicious! I’ve never eaten anything this tasty before. So this is what luncheon meat tastes like—so good!"

After saying this, the girl couldn’t help but start licking the last bits of meat from the can.

Taking this opportunity, Henry Clark quickly asked, "What’s your name?"

"My name is Ashley Grant."

"Where are you from? Are you from around here?"

"No, I came from the city."

"Are you alone now?"

Ashley Grant didn’t answer, just nodded gently, then whispered, "What’s your name?"

"My name is Henry Clark. I’m alone now too."

Henry Clark didn’t ask where Ashley Grant’s family had gone. There was no need to ask, and it was better not to. This was basic etiquette for those who survived the apocalypse.

The atmosphere grew a bit heavy. After a brief silence, Henry Clark continued softly, "Come with me. I’m alone, but my place is very safe and there’s food. Look, I still have a wild chicken in my bag. I can hunt. I can provide for both of us, so you won’t have to go hungry anymore. I have no bad intentions toward you. I’m just too lonely, I..."

Ashley Grant softly said, "You don’t have to say any more. I’ll go with you."

Henry Clark let out a long sigh of relief, smiled, and nodded. Then he pointed to the house behind Ashley Grant and asked gently, "Where are you staying? Is there anything you need to bring?"

"Yes, there are four cabbages and two radishes. Other than that, just this kitchen knife."

Hearing about the cabbages and radishes, Henry Clark was stunned for a moment, then became excited.

"Cabbages and radishes? That’s great! That’s great! We can have pork stew with cabbage tonight!"

The words "pork stew with cabbage" had a magical effect, making both Henry Clark and Ashley Grant swallow their saliva at the same time.

They exchanged a glance, and Henry Clark immediately said, "I’ll carry the wild boar, let’s go get the cabbages!"

Drawn by the promise of pork stew with cabbage, Ashley Grant didn’t object. So Henry Clark, dragging the wild boar with one hand, followed Ashley Grant slowly to the front of the villa.

It was indeed a villa, but to be precise, it was an unfinished one. Only the main structure was completed; things like doors, windows, and glass were all missing, not to mention any furniture.

In front of the villa were two small annexes. The door and windows of one were tightly blocked with pine branches, which at least kept out the wind—a little better than nothing.

Ashley Grant moved aside a bundle of branches, and Henry Clark poked his head in to take a look inside the annex.

The annex was small and cold, with smoke stains on the walls, but there was no fire burning now. In the corner, however, there were a few cabbages and two large white radishes.

"You didn’t make a fire?"

"The fire’s been out for a long time, and the lighter broke ages ago..."

As Ashley Grant spoke, she looked like she was about to cry. Living without even a fire in this freezing weather was enough to make anyone cry.

Henry Clark sighed, entered the annex, squatted in the corner, and eagerly broke off a cabbage leaf.

Then, Henry Clark put the cabbage leaf in his mouth.

The familiar yet unfamiliar taste—Henry Clark crunched on the cabbage stem, feeling very happy in that moment.

Why was Henry Clark eating cabbage like a rabbit? Because he hadn’t eaten vegetables in two months. Eating only compressed rations and canned food had given him mouth ulcers, so he really just wanted to eat vegetables—any vegetables, raw or cooked, as long as they were vegetables.

"Is it really that tasty?"

Ashley Grant asked Henry Clark in confusion, and Henry Clark replied with a look of satisfaction, "It’s delicious. I haven’t had vegetables in two months, only canned food and compressed biscuits. I can’t take it anymore."

After a moment of stunned silence, Ashley Grant said enviously, "You’re so lucky!"

Chapter 3 This is War!