Chapter 48: Enjoying the Feast

When Charles caught the scent of the crawfish, his heart skipped a beat. 

He knew it must be David enjoying the meal. 

He envied him, thinking how wonderful it would be to have such a delicacy in these times. 

He would give anything, even his entire fortune, for such a meal. 

But it was impossible. In this world, hardly anyone could enjoy crawfish under these circumstances.

However, his envy quickly turned to concern about the consequences of the smell drifting down. 

"David... you really have given me a difficult problem," Charles lamented. 

The aroma of the crawfish wafted down floor by floor, tempting even Charles's subordinates. 

The scent was irresistible. The thought of enjoying such a meal seemed worth dying for to them. 

With the intense heat accelerating the spread of the aroma and no other pleasant scents around, the sudden whiff of crawfish was driving them crazy.

Despite their cravings, they showed restraint.

They might not know of David's miraculous abilities like Charles and Jacob did, but they understood their boss's extreme emphasis on the seventeenth floor. 

They knew that the occupant was special, someone who enjoyed lavish meals daily, unlike them, who were akin to refugees.

They could control themselves, knowing that as long as they stayed with Charles, they would have something to eat. Charles had confidence in his handpicked subordinates. Out of his two hundred men, he had chosen around a hundred of the best for the eighteenth building.

Charles had no such expectations for the people downstairs. Once the scent of crawfish reached them, he knew they would become restless. 

They might not revolt immediately, but they would surely remember this incident. They were people on the brink of starvation.

David was aware that his actions would cause a stir downstairs, but why should he change his preferences because of them? 

Should he give up enjoying a delicious meal just because some refugees arrived downstairs? 

Why should he compromise and suffer like them?

They couldn't threaten him. So why should he compromise? 

Clearly, they couldn't make him, so he would continue as he pleased.

After upgrading his windows, David's confidence grew even more. 

He didn't use gloves but directly used his hands to peel the crawfish, sucking the flesh and even his fingers. 

"Delicious! I've missed this taste!" 

Despite having enjoyed various delicacies recently, nothing satisfied his taste buds like the stimulating taste of crawfish. 

He realized it had been a while since he had barbecue. Decided, he would have barbecue tonight!

As he savored the crawfish and watched the reactions from below, it was like watching a movie, and he thoroughly enjoyed it.

Meanwhile, the refugees who had been allocated rooms downstairs were indeed agitated. 

The extreme heat and their severe hunger forced them to lie still in bed to conserve energy.

 Any movement only made them feel hotter and hungrier. They minimized their activities to reduce energy expenditure.

So when the enticing aroma from upstairs wafted down, their reaction was intense.

Although the scent had weakened by the time it reached them, and their rooms reeked of foul odors, they were keenly aware of the delicious smell. Instantly, their stomachs growled.

They had decided to stay still all day until relief food was distributed, but they couldn't help but speak up. 

"Tony, did you smell that?" a bald man asked weakly from his bed. 

"Yeah," Tony responded laconically, not wanting to waste energy on more words. 

"It smells so good, damn it," the bald man lamented, drenched in sweat and with a hoarse voice. "We're suffering here while they enjoy themselves."

"Accept our fate," Tony whispered. "If it weren't for them, we wouldn't even have a place to stay."

"That's true," the bald man admitted. "But in the end, isn't it all because of the soldiers' intimidation? Look how they avoid us; they don't welcome us."

"Whatever," Tony was still brief. "Just wait. The relief food should be here soon."

"Sigh…" The bald man sighed, raising his hand and then letting it fall, his way of venting.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. The bald man sat up with effort, feeling dizzy as he stood up, almost like he was suffering from heatstroke. He opened the door to find two soldiers.

"Today's food is here," one soldier announced.

The bald man and Tony's mouths watered as they looked eagerly, only to receive two bowls of thin soup with a few pitiful grains of rice. Reluctantly, the bald man said, "Brother, we can't survive on just this."

The soldiers, used to hearing such complaints, routinely responded, "We can't help it; there's not much food left. Be glad you have this."

"Brother, look…" the bald man tried again.

 "Can we ask the neighbors upstairs for help? We can smell their crawfish down here. If they can eat that, they must have plenty of food. Can we 'borrow' some from them?"

"We'll pay it back, no, double, once we can plant disaster-resistant seeds!"

The soldiers, too, had smelled the crawfish but had more willpower. 

They were also surprised that someone could enjoy such a 'feast' in these conditions. 

Hearing the bald man's request, the soldiers said with difficulty, "We'll pass your message to our superiors, but it's up to them to decide."