Standing on the boat, the people from the barge stared at the group in front of them. They had been travelling around, saving the few people they could. Everyone was worn down by the times, but these people...

These people looked as if they were out on holiday.

The children were chubby-faced and plump. The adults were wearing clothes that did not have holes. They weren’t discheveld. Their faces were clean-shaven, and there was no exhaustion on their faces.

The contrast was unnerving.

The person in charge heard Kain speak and choked a bit before answering.

"Matlock, Chris Matlock," he extended a hand for Kain to shake.

He saw Kain look at his outstretched hand, then back to his face before slowly extending his hand.

Kain gave one firm handshake before letting go.

"Mr Matlock, how can we help you?" Kain drawled.

Kain had been assessing this man since he came up to them. Discreetly, he wiped his hand on his pants. Not because he thought Matlock was dirty, but because the man exuded a greasy aura.

His eyes appeared sincere, but the way his eyes scanned the women on the boat made Kain unlikely to think of him as anything other than lecherous scum.

Scratching the back of his head, looking sheepish, Matlock replied, "We thought you were looking for rescue. We hadn’t realized you were..."

He didn’t finish the sentence, letting it hang in the air.

"Just out for a stroll," Kain replied languidly.

A stroll? On water?

The answer made Matlock’s jaw twitch.

Kain’s eyes left Matlock and his rescue team and looked at the barge. The name Horizon was visible.

"So, you are Horizon Barge? The one that’s been sending out information?"

"You’ve heard the broadcasts?" Matlock asked.

Kain nodded.

"You’re giving information and saving people. Do you have enough resources for that?"

A plan had begun to form in Kain’s mind. If he could, he wanted to make contact with the people from Horizon Barge. He still remembered the information the system gave him.

Even with the upgrade of the Sanctuary, Kain didn’t want to take the risk. Better to destroy someone else’s home than his own. But he had no intention of being a refugee on their barge.

He needed to make himself indispensable.

Whatever they lacked, if he had, he would provide. That was also the cost of their freedom.

There was no one who could tell Kain that they didn’t already have a hierarchy.

But regardless of what they needed, now was the time to establish a relationship, nothing more, nothing less.

Kain watched Matlock’s eyes narrow as he heard the question. Kain didn’t flinch away from his gaze. He met it with a small smile.

Matlock didn’t reply to the question; instead, his tone became distant. "We do what we can to ensure the safety of everyone we come across. But, I don’t believe you gave me your name."

"Kain Nightfall," he responded. "This is my wife, Amelia Nightfall, formerly Amelia Hartwell."

Hearing the name Hartwell, Matlock took another look at Amelia.

The graceful woman with blonde hair and green eyes. The pride in her bones hadn’t dissipated with everything that had happened; it increased.

As Matlock took in the woman’s form, he unconsciously licked his lips.

"My wife," he said assertively, "has been listening to your broadcasts. The question is simply something she had asked in a previous conversation. I thought that since the people of the barge were here, they could answer. If it caused any offense, I apologize."

Amelia glanced at Kain. When did she ask anything about them?

She pinched him. She did it from an angle others couldn’t see. She didn’t agree with him using her as a scapegoat, but she couldn’t argue with him.

Hearing that Amelia was asking, especially because of the Hartwell name, he thought of their clean clothes and wondered if the Hartwells were living well. They could take night strolls for fun, so they might be a tree he could cling to.

He didn’t know the Hartwells were likely to be dead. But using the name Kain was able to get into their good graces.

"Well...if it’s Ms Hartwell..." Matlock stopped feeling Kain’s heavy gaze on him. "I mean, Mrs Nightfall. If Mrs Nighfall is asking, does that mean she could help us with the food issue?"

Kain nodded imperceptively. There was indeed such an issue.

Amelia stepped forward. Since Kain had put her in this position, she would need to speak. He was lucky she could pick up on what he wanted otherwise...

Anyway, he was willing to give, and they had plenty. Enough to last for several lifetimes.

"While I can’t promise to feed everyone for a lifetime, I’m sure we can come to an agreement of sorts. If we do give you food, you need to have something of equal value to give."

Matlock couldn’t believe his ears. Honestly, they had been rescuing people, and all it had done was deplete their food reserves. If someone were willing to help them take on the burden, that would be wonderful.

Before Matlock’s fantasies could get the better of him, a woman stepped forward.

Her eyes looked at Amelia with undisguised jealousy. She looked between Amelia and Kain, to Kain’s hand touching the small of Amelia’s back, then to Matlock, who looked annoyed at her interruption.

She didn’t care about the look on his face, "Why would you give us food? It’s hard enough to survive now. No sane person would be willing to stick their neck out to give food. Who knows what kind of moldy food you have ready to get rid of?"

Hearing this, Matlock came back to his senses.

The woman was right. No one in their right mind would be willing to give food away.

"As my wife said, we can come to an agreement. Trade with something of equal value. Whether it’s information, gadgets, or otherwise. And by information, we mean things you haven’t told others, not your broadcast information."

The woman didn’t say anything further. Not because she didn’t want to, but because Matlock clamped his hand over her mouth.

Whether the food was moldy or not, Matlock didn’t care; he wasn’t the one who was going to eat it. He only knew the captain had been planning to stop his search. His family hadn’t been found yet.

If the search is stopped, he may never see them again.

Moldy or not, he would take the deal.

While holding the struggling woman in his arms, he spoke, "The barge is still some distance away. I can’t decide this on my own. I would need to talk to the captain. Do you mind waiting here or coming with me?"

Kain didn’t make the decision himself; he looked at the others who had been listening to their conversation. He posed the question to them.

"Wait or go?"