Cave Refuge

Furthermore, the more they were a blend of technology and hard work before the disaster, the higher the selling price now, with the key issue being that they are priced but not available, remaining out of stock for extended periods.

And those traditional spices that could be grown from the soil, though still not cheap, could be bought in small quantities by ordinary families if they really wanted to try something new, even if it meant squeezing their budget.

Now, in the base, the majority of families use only salt as a seasoning for their daily meals.

The dipping sauces that were once easily made before the disaster had become very precious and rare commodities at this time.

"Alright, alright, let's eat now. We can think about anything else after we've eaten," said Mr. Thompson, as he got up and started tearing the whole roast lamb, which was originally intact, into small pieces.

Although Mr. and Mrs. Thompson had hardly had a proper barbecue since the disaster struck, they still ate their meals leisurely as they were not short of meat, thanks to the regular supplies sent by Zachary.

But Mr. Thompson, who used to drink at every meal, did not bring out the wine when such a feast was laid out, indicating his state of mind in the face of such delights.

The whole roast lamb that Zachary brought out this time was not the kind of lamb weighing around forty or fifty kilograms commonly used in inland areas before the disaster but that of a fully grown sheep weighing eighty or ninety kilograms.

Even after the slaughtering process which reduced its weight, the roast lamb, along with some side dishes, would usually not be finished by about ten people.

However, the roast lamb that would have been enough for around ten people before the disaster did not last long in the Thompson household, and the family of three finished it off amidst laughter and chatting.

Under Zachary's guidance, both Father Dong and Mother Dong had embarked on the path of cultivation, which meant that any ordinary food they ate was quickly digested as soon as it reached their stomachs. Because of this, their appetites were roughly equivalent to ten strong men if they were to consume only ordinary food.

After the three had eaten their fill, as Mrs. Thompson was about to clean up the messy table, Zachary directly said, "Mom, don't bother cleaning up. Just dump the leftovers from the plates onto the tablecloth and throw it all into the trash."

Although almost everything, both the whole roast lamb and the cold dishes, had been eaten by the three, when Mrs. Thompson saw the remaining dipping sauce at the bottom of the dishes,

she couldn't help but scold, "You really are used to being wasteful. You'll never know how expensive household necessities are until you're in charge. There's still so much dipping sauce left in those dishes, and you say just dump it!"

Seeing his mother slightly angry, Zachary was puzzled since before the disaster, he had not seen his family reuse the leftover sauce from the bottoms of dishes – wasn't it always just thrown away?

But seeing his mother a bit upset, Zachary decided not to say more and played the ostrich, letting her tidy up the remnants on the table.

Seeing his son's awkwardness, Mr. Thompson gave Zachary a knowing look, and they both got up and went to the study.

As soon as he entered the study, Zachary could hardly restrain himself and asked Mr. Thompson, "Dad, are you really hooked on fishing?"

Hearing Zachary asking this, Mr. Thompson, somewhat perplexed, replied, "I did indeed go fishing. Of course, it's not just about fishing. Don't overthink it. Let me tell you the truth.

There are hidden cameras all over the base now, so some things can't be done here, like the Enhancement Scroll incident.

Do you think those fools would randomly break into homes? After things got chaotic, they indeed hit every household, not sparing anyone, but in the beginning, those fools did find something in every home they broke into.

The reason those boys could get such accurate information was thanks to the ubiquitous cameras in the base."

Hearing the cave mansion mention this, Zachary grew even more puzzled in his heart, "Dad, what are you up to, and why are you still avoiding official surveillance?"

Before the natural disaster, rabbits and other animals in the zoo reacted differently when they heard that surveillance devices were going to be installed in the zoo; other animals would immediately start protesting, arguing that installing surveillance devices everywhere showed a lack of respect for their personal privacy.

Yet when the rabbits announced that surveillance equipment capable of 360-degree coverage with no blind spots would be installed in their zoo, many of the animals carefully observed the areas covered by surveillance and would even proactively remind the government officials to install surveillance in areas that were not covered.

Therefore, even though most rabbits knew they were constantly being watched by the officials, they didn't mind too much.

After all, everything has its pros and cons. Although omnipresent surveillance severely infringes on personal privacy, it is precisely those everywhere surveillance devices that could lock onto a criminal's figure in real-time and pinpoint their location, leaving the criminals with nowhere to hide.

For this reason, compared to animals accustomed to living in peaceful America, "Eagle Sauce," where gunfights happen every day, the rabbits live in a place where fighting is considered a severe event, so the ubiquitous surveillance "Heaven's Eye" indeed provided many rabbits with a strong sense of security.

Also, for this reason, in the heart of every rabbit, any animal that actively tries to avoid surveillance is up to no good.

Zachary knew his dad very well; Mr. Thompson wouldn't be involved in heinous deeds, so Zachary was extremely curious about why his father would actively want to avoid the cameras.

Seeing the curiosity in Zachary's eyes at this moment, Mr. Thompson hesitated for a moment, unsure where to start.

After organizing his thoughts, Mr. Thompson slowly began to speak, "It's not really a big deal, it's mainly that our family survived that chaos unscathed.

But that chaos made it clear to me, most of the rules set by the officials start off with good intentions, but once those rules are in the hands of certain people, those in charge may have their own agendas.

Even though they say justice will never disappear, think about the chaos; justice that arrives too late may cost innocent lives. What's the use of justice showing up after all those people are dead?"

Watching Mr. Thompson's impassioned speech, Zachary calmly interjected, "And then?"

Seeing Zachary so calm startled Mr. Thompson a bit, but he continued, "I'm not saying the officials are bad, but sometimes it's best to keep some things private, so they do not know.

Lest another chaos arises and it's bad enough if things get stolen, but don't end up throwing away your life and fortune over those things."

Listening to Mr. Thompson's righteous words, Zachary finally summarized calmly, "So, you guys set up a Black Market outside the city?"

Hearing this, Mr. Thompson's expression became choked, momentarily awkward, but under Zachary's intense gaze, he finally nodded somewhat helplessly.

Seeing Mr. Thompson's nod of acknowledgment, Zachary quickly pressed, "Are you just visiting the Black Market, or do you have a regular trade there, or are you one of the managers?"

Seeing Zachary's expression turn serious, Mr. Thompson realized there might be something he didn't know and without hesitation, he directly answered his son's inquiry, "Do I have the ability to manage the Black Market? I just rented a shop there for a bit of small trading."

Hearing Mr. Thompson's understated response, Zachary instantly understood that his father was not being entirely truthful.

"Dad, no one would harm you, and I certainly wouldn't, so you have to trust me and tell me everything."