A commotion broke out in the crowd, their faces showing fear and confusion.

"Fairy! Don't abandon us!" a woman cried out, her voice trembling with sobs. "We have nowhere to go! We can't go back to the city, and we can't survive in the mountains!"

"That's right! Fairy! We'll go wherever you go! We'll do anything for you, even serve you like a slave!"

"We'll listen to you!"

Pleading voices rose and fell; they had long regarded this woman, who possessed "divine light," could "conjure objects out of thin air," and carried terrifying weapons, as their only lifeline and hope for survival! How could they possibly let go?

Looking at this group of ragged, emaciated people, whose eyes were filled with only numbness and dependence, Jiang Chan felt utterly overwhelmed! Escaping for their lives in the deep mountains with a dozen or so dependent children? What a joke!

Without another word, she turned and went back to her tent to pack her things. As she packed up the tent, it naturally drew gasps of surprise. Then, she took Xiao Tao's hand and called to Chen Yan, "Let's go."

She chose a direction and went straight into the woods.

Chen Yan and Zhou Shi silently followed.

Behind them, the sound of scattered footsteps immediately followed.

The dozen or so people followed without hesitation, keeping a distance of about ten steps, not daring to get too close, but never falling behind.

Like a group of silent and stubborn shadows.

The mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse. After walking for half a day, as the sun rose higher, fatigue and hunger struck again.

Jiang Chan found a place to stop and rest. She took out food and water from her "bag" and handed them to Xiao Tao, and also shared some with Chen Yan and Zhou Shi.

The others watched from a distance, their stomachs rumbling, their eyes fixed on the food in their hands, their throats bobbing, but no one dared to step forward and ask for some.

They simply sat more silently a short distance away, their eyes filled with despair mixed with a hint of humble hope.

Jiang Chan ate her dry rations, glancing at the hungry figures whose eyes were practically glowing green, then at the small mountain of ten thousand catties of rice and ten thousand catties of meat piled up in her spatial storage…

A strong sense of irritability and helplessness welled up inside me.

I can't shake them off!

They mustn't be killed!

Are we really going to just stand by and watch them starve to death right under our noses?

She grabbed a handful of hair in frustration.

The laws of the apocalypse told her: Mind your own business! The lives of others are none of your concern!

But...those pairs of desperate eyes...

Jiang Chan cursed under her breath, as if she had made up her mind.

She stood up and walked to the front of the crowd.

Everyone immediately looked up nervously, staring at her in awe.

Jiang Chan's gaze swept over them, her voice cold and devoid of emotion:

"Listen! I'm not a god! I don't have the ability to support all of you!"

"Follow me, that's fine. But I only guarantee one thing: one meal a day for everyone! No more!"

"Consider this meal as payment for your work, since there are many of you to keep you safe!"

"But now, you must find wild vegetables, wild fruits, insects, and anything else you can put in your mouths..."

"Think it through! If you're unwilling, leave now! If you don't leave, then this is the rule from now on! Anyone who dares to cause trouble or steal anything, don't blame me for using my 'weapon' without mercy!"

After she finished speaking, she stopped looking at everyone's reactions and turned back to Xiao Tao's side.

silence.

A deathly silence.

Immediately, the crowd erupted in a huge, choked-up response:

"Thank you, Fairy! No... thank you, young lady! Thank you for saving my life!"

"One meal! One meal is enough!"

"You are so kind, young lady! We kowtow to you!"

Suddenly, a group of people were about to kneel down again.

"Don't kneel!" Jiang Chan shouted without turning her head. "Get up! Go find something to eat!"

The crowd scrambled to their feet, their faces filled with unbelievable elation and humble hope for the future. As if injected with adrenaline, they rushed toward the surrounding woods and bushes, frantically searching for anything edible.

Driven by hunger, people unleashed an astonishing will to survive for the promise of a meal.

Jiang Chan watched the group of figures disperse, then took a bite of the dry, hard multigrain pancake with a blank expression.