Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

The killing spree in the lower deck lasted over two hours.

No one knew exactly how many died, but every cabin was drenched in blood, with corpses hanging from every corner of the compartment.

Only when the commotion finally subsided did the crew member monitoring the cameras report the incident to Old Tian.

After hearing the news, Old Tian knocked on Zhang Yi's door.

"Mr. Zhang, the situation below has..."

Old Tian whispered a few words into Zhang Yi's ear.

Zhang Yi's expression remained completely impassive. "I see."

His gaze shifted toward Zhu Yunque's adjacent cabin.

Since she was the one who allowed the stowaways aboard, this mess naturally fell to her to clean up.

Zhang Yi had made this perfectly clear from the beginning.

In fact, if not for Zhu Yunque's intervention, Zhang Yi wouldn't have taken any of the lower deck passengers at all.

Old Tian nodded in understanding.

Returning to his room, Zhang Yi flashed Zhou Ke'er - who was wearing a silk nightgown - a peculiar smile.

"Get dressed. I'm taking you to see something interesting."

Zhou Ke'er widened her beautiful eyes. "Something interesting?"

Meanwhile, Old Tian had already knocked on Zhu Yunque's door.

Zhu Yunque looked exhausted.

She and Su Nuanxi had just managed to put Tommy to sleep in his makeshift crib.

Seeing Old Tian so early made Zhu Yunque suspicious.

"Old Tian, what brings you here at this hour?"

Old Tian's face was grave.

"Ms. Zhu, there's been trouble in the lower deck! The original passengers and the later stowaways started fighting!"

Zhu Yunque frowned. "Why would they fight over nothing? What a nuisance."

"Handle this yourself. Don't bother me with such trivial matters."

Old Tian continued, "But this has escalated badly. Many have died!"

Zhu Yunque paled. "What? People died? How could this happen!"

Old Tian said nonchalantly, "Seems it was over food shortages. The stowaways' identities being exposed also caused resentment."

"These things happen often at sea. Nothing unusual."

Zhu Yunque's face turned ashen, her already tired complexion from lack of sleep now looking even more haggard.

She staggered backward, nearly fainting on the spot.

"Ms. Zhu, are you alright?"

Zhu Yunque couldn't comprehend that people had died in the lower deck over food shortages.

How could anyone kill over something so trivial?

She couldn't process it.

Worst of all, this might have happened because of her.

If people died, wouldn't that make her responsible?

"No, that can't be right. Maybe they fought over something else entirely. Perhaps they had prior conflicts."

Zhu Yunque muttered to herself, unwilling to accept she might have made such a grave mistake.

Old Tian pressed on relentlessly, "The situation down there is chaotic. You need to come handle this!"

Zhu Yunque massaged her temples. "I can't go. Take this to Mr. Zhang instead. Let him deal with it."

She wanted no part of this gruesome affair.

Old Tian smiled slightly. "The captain said since you approved bringing those people aboard, their problems are yours to solve. He won't intervene."

Zhu Yunque couldn't believe her ears.

"He actually said that? He's... he's the captain! How can he shirk responsibility like this?"

Even the worldly Old Tian was taken aback by Zhu Yunque's words.

This level of obliviousness was beyond his decades of experience.

At that moment, Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke'er emerged from their cabin, dressed and ready.

They overheard Old Tian and Zhu Yunque's conversation.

Zhang Yi mocked, "What's wrong, Ms. Zhu? Forget what you did and now trying to shift blame onto others?"

Old Tian had to show Zhu Yunque some courtesy, but Zhang Yi felt no such restraint.

Stung by Zhang Yi's taunt, Zhu Yunque flushed with anger.

"I...I never said I wouldn't handle it. I've just been unwell lately from caring for the baby."

The last thing she wanted was to see blood.

Zhang Yi showed no mercy.

"Like that's my child you're caring for. Nobody asked you to do this."

"If all you can do is talk big but can't follow through, just admit it. I'll handle this - it's just cleaning up a mess."

"But remember this - next time, keep your opinions to yourself."

Zhang Yi smiled meaningfully at Zhu Yunque, his eyes full of scorn and disdain.

Nothing infuriated Zhu Yunque more than this.

Her blood boiled with rage. "Who says I won't go? Fine, let's go! I'm not afraid!"

She slammed the door shut and dragged Su Nuanxi along, making her change clothes to accompany her.

Su Nuanxi, who'd overheard most of it, asked fearfully, "Did...did many people die?"

Zhu Yunque said, "It's nothing serious. Probably just a minor scuffle over food. Who would kill over something so trivial? They must have had prior conflicts."

"That Zhang just wants to laugh at me. Well, I won't give him the satisfaction!"

Zhu Yunque remained completely unaware of the situation's severity.

Unlike her, Su Nuanxi had witnessed darker realities on Rockflow Island.

But with Zhu Yunque insisting, she had no choice but to comply as her current follower.

After changing, the two women emerged.

Zhang Yi, Zhou Ke'er and Old Tian were already waiting outside the cabin, chatting leisurely.

Seeing Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke'er, Zhu Yunque's expression soured.

She was convinced Zhang Yi was there to mock her.

Which, in fact, he was.

Old Tian led the way, soon encountering armed crew members standing guard.

Old Tian deliberately asked one, "How's the situation below?"

The crew member glanced at Zhang Yi and Zhu Yunque before answering, "Lots of deaths. It's a bloodbath down there - too gruesome to look at."

Zhu Yunque and Su Nuanxi's hearts sank.

Could it really be that bad?

Zhu Yunque unconsciously rubbed her arms. Things had spiraled far beyond her expectations.

She'd been so preoccupied with Tommy lately, assuming nothing major could happen below deck.

How had things deteriorated so badly in just a few days?

Author's Note