Henry Clark laughed, then he sheathed his knife and said, “This knife... I’ve gotten really used to it.”

After putting away his own knife, Henry Clark picked up the small knife and handed it to Ashley Grant, saying, “This knife was bought, it’s a Swedish Mora, stainless steel, Scandinavian grind, very sharp—best for working with wood. Of course, you can also use it to eat meat or peel fruit.”

The short knife looked quite ordinary, with a plastic handle and plastic sheath, looking just like a fruit knife.

Ashley Grant drew the short knife and looked at it, saying, “It’s not as good-looking as the one you made.”

“It’s not pretty, but it’s practical. This is a utility knife, something you’ll use every day in your life, so keep this knife on you as well. You’ll find this is the one you’ll use most often.”

Clapping his hands, Henry Clark said, “I really do feel a bit reluctant to give away my knife. Alright, now I’ll give you something else.”

Henry Clark took a waist pouch out of his backpack. Holding it in his hand, he said, “This is a PSK waist pouch. Inside there’s fire starter, allergy medicine, anti-diarrheal, cold medicine and fever reducer, a small box of water purification tablets, three pieces of chocolate, a whistle, band-aids—this is my everyday PSK. You can take it on the subway and bus without issue, though there’s less stuff inside because of that. If you’d had this bag earlier, you wouldn’t have had such a hard time these past days.”

With a look of emotion, Henry Clark handed the bag to Ashley Grant, who exclaimed in surprise, “You actually carry this bag every day?”

“Yes, that’s why people think I’m crazy.”

With a self-deprecating spirit, Henry Clark laughed.

“You look pretty handsome when you laugh... Thank you.”

Tears were already glistening in Ashley Grant’s eyes. She said softly, “Thank you. Besides my parents, you’re the best person to me in the world.”

Henry Clark waved his hand and said, “Don’t thank me yet, because there’s still a lot more you’ll want to thank me for. Save it all for the end.”

After a moment’s thought, Henry Clark looked as if he’d made up his mind and said, “Come with me. Oh, and put the knives on now—the big one on your belt, the small one can go on the waist pouch strap.”

Once he saw Ashley Grant had the knives sorted, Henry Clark led her out of the house, then pointed to an abandoned pigsty and said, “There are Type 90 compressed biscuits hidden in there—sixty-four boxes. Each box has four small pieces. If one person eats two pieces a day, that’s enough calories. There are also twenty cans of 400g beef, Russian-made. Not tasty, but real meat.”

Ashley Grant looked shocked again. Henry Clark pointed to the other side and continued, “Behind that ruined house, on the cliff face, there’s a small hole behind a bluestone slab. Inside are fifty cans—luncheon meat and domestic military rations.”

He then pulled Ashley Grant a few steps further, to a shed behind the house they lived in. Henry Clark bent down, lifted a few pieces of wood, and revealed a bicycle underneath.

“A bicycle. Tied to it is a large bug-out bag, with enough food and water for a week, a tent, a set of clothes, an axe, a long knife, two short knives, a saw, lots of fire starters, lots of medicine, two bottles of alcohol, two packs of cigarettes, two cans of small-packaged tea, and dozens of boxes of various medicines. I bought all this not long before the disaster, so the shelf life is still long. Plus, a lot of the stuff inside can be used as currency.”

Pointing to a backpack hanging on the front of the bike, Henry Clark said, “Fixed on the front is a Bob backpack, as a backup. Inside there’s three days’ worth of food and water, a knife, and an axe. If you run into danger and have to escape, and there’s no time to take anything else or push the bike, just grab this backpack and run.”

Under Ashley Grant’s stunned gaze, Henry Clark used wood and branches to hide the bicycle again, then patted the dust off his hands and said, “Besides that, the tools we have and are using include a spear, a long-handled axe, a short-handled axe—the one on my belt—a folding saw, an entrenching tool, and some rope. Oh, and we have some other good stuff.”

“What!”

“Twenty toothbrush covers, small soaps, shampoo and such, and also two rolls of toilet paper!”

Ashley Grant’s eyes widened. Henry Clark said a bit sheepishly, “Yeah, toilet paper is really precious. I’m giving it all to you. Don’t use it normally—save it for your period.”

Ashley Grant stared blankly at Henry Clark, and then her tears started to fall again.

Today, Ashley Grant just kept crying.

“Why are you crying again?”

Ashley Grant started sobbing aloud, choking out, “You’re too good to me. This isn’t a ‘nice guy’ card—I’m just really moved. And right now, I feel so happy. You must have been sent by heaven to save me.”

Crying, Ashley Grant suddenly hugged Henry Clark, resting her head on his chest and began to sob loudly.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry. If you feel so happy, shouldn’t you be smiling...”