The Day Love Betrayed Me and Never the Plan 126

Chiara looked up at the man and gave him a smile, but there was a bitterness in her eyes she couldn’t hide. 

“Thanks. But my mom is sick,” Chiara said softly. 

“Don’t you have a twin brother?” the man asked. 

Worry flickered in Chiara’s eyes as she replied, “My brother went out of the base with the scavengers. He hasn’t come back for days.” 

As she spoke, her little head drooped down, heavy with worry. 

She clenched her teeth and bit her lip hard, just barely holding back her tears. 

The man let out a sigh and, without another word, got back to his tasks. 

In times like these, life was tough for everyone. All he could do was lend her a hand whenever he could at work. 

There was nothing else he could do. 

Chiara tore a strip from her tattered clothes and wrapped it around her bleeding hand. She gave her aching arm a few knocks, then went back to work again. 

After hauling a few loads, she heard someone yelling loudly, “The powered human squad is back!” 

Chiara shot up straight, craning her neck to look over. 

She thought, ‘If the powered human squad is back, that means the scavengers following behind might be back, too. 

‘Maybe Filip is among them?‘ 

Chiara stopped someone she recognized from the refugee district. She asked, “Did you see my brother?” 

The guy impatiently shook off her hand and snapped, “No, I didn’t see him.” 

Chiara’s eyes brimmed with tears. She said, “But my brother left with you! You’re back, so why isn’t he?” 

The guy glared at her and snapped, “He’s got his own legs, doesn’t he? He can go wherever he wants. How’s that my problem?” 

Just as he was about to walk off, he suddenly remembered something. He rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger, then shot Chiara a weird look. 

With that creepy stare lingering on her, Chiara felt goosebumps all over. She quickly turned away and got back to hauling bricks. 

After struggling through another exhausting day, she finally got her ration: a small pack of cookies. 

She pressed the cookies tightly against her chest, glancing around with caution. She pretended to eat, but quickly hid them inside her clothes. 

She was just a kid. If she didn’t pretend to eat, someone would definitely take the food from her. 

Posters were plastered everywhere, from the main streets to the back alleys, all showing a photo of a family of three. 

The woman had a gentle, soft look as she stood next to a pair of boy–girl twins. 

13:03 Fri, Jan 2 GR. 

Chapter 126 

The little girl had delicate features; her eyes seemed to speak. She looked a lot like Chloe. 

10 bolche 

The boy resembled his sister quite a bit, though his face was a bit sharper, and he had a playful, mischievous glint in his 

eyes. 

Rows of grim–faced soldiers marched down the street. As soon as these stern soldiers and powered humans appeared, all the refugees in the Refugee District scrambled to get out of the way. 

Each soldier and powered human carried a bunch of missing person flyers, taping them up on every pillar and wall they passed. 

One of the powered humans was holding a megaphone. 

He shouted, “Has anyone seen the people in these pictures? They’re somewhere here in our base. If you’ve got any useful info, go report it at the registration hall!” 

The man swept his gaze across the crowd, his presence radiating a powerful, intimidating aura. 

He added, “These are the people our powered human squad and the military are specifically looking for. Anyone who provides useful information will be rewarded with a pack of instant noodles!” 

Everyone sucked in a breath. 

A gutsy refugee called out, “Wait, we get instant noodles just for a tip?” 

The powered human gave him a chilly glare, and the refugee immediately shrank back, looking like he might run for it any second. 

The powered human said flatly, “As long as your tip checks out, you’ll get your reward. 

“But if anyone tries to scam us for food, don’t blame me if my bullets end up in the wrong body.” 

He fired a shot into the sky, and the crowd flinched, scared out of their minds. 

Chiara was walking along the edge of the crowd when the gunshot startled her. Clutching her chest with her injured little hand, she picked up her pace and hurried away. 

She hadn’t washed her face in ages, and it was streaked with dirt and grime, leaving only her wide, watchful eyes darting about, scanning her surroundings. 

She noticed a group of powered humans putting up posters, but before she could even read what they said, a crowd of refugees rushed over. 

An impatient voice barked, “Move!” 

Then a strong shove sent Chiara crashing to the ground. Chiara caught herself with one hand, instinctively clutching her chest with the other. 

Blood welled up from her palm, seeping out between her fingers. The pain made her eyes sting with tears, and she gritted her teeth, wincing in agony. 

Chiara muttered to herself, “Don’t cry, Chiara. Don’t be afraid. I have to wait for Filip to come home, and I still need to take care of Mom.” 

She took several deep breaths, using all her strength to hold back her tears. 

Suddenly, someone yanked her ear, forcing her to turn her head. 

A man barked, “You little brat, you got the nerve to run into me? I’ll beat you to death!” 

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Chapter 126 

GR 

It was a vicious–looking man, swinging his hand back, ready to slap Chiara. 

Chiara instinctively squeezed her eyes shut and hunched her shoulders, 

She knew she was small and powerless, so all she could do way to get back home in one piece. 

acing for the blow. 

Couchers 

was take the hits in silence and never talk back. That was the only 

She was shaking like a leaf, but there was no way she was letting go of the food she’d busted her back for all day, clutching it tight to her chest. 

No way she was letting anyone see it. 

Just then, a group of soldiers marched over, clutching the missing person flyers. 

One of them barked, “Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” With a swift kick, he sent the thug sprawling to the side. 

“You got a death wish or something?” the soldier snapped. 

The thug saw the soldiers and didn’t hesitate. He turned tail and sprinted off as his life depended on it. 

“Hey, kiddo, you okay?” one of the soldiers asked, concern in his voice. 

Chiara shook her head fiercely, then spun around and took off running, stumbling and nearly wiping out again and again in her panic. 

The more the soldiers shouted after her, the faster Chiara ran, desperate to get away. 

Scraping by on hard labor and barely enough to eat, Chiara was so dizzy and lightheaded she could hardly see straight. She barely managed to stumble out of everyone’s sight, her body on the verge of collapse. 

The sun hadn’t set yet, and most of the refugees were still out working, hustling for whatever supplies they could get. 

There were hardly any people around in the Refugee District. 

Chiara was gasping for breath, her chest heaving. She grabbed a handful of snow from a nearby pile and started eating it. 

She knew a secret. 

When the apocalypse first broke out, the zombie virus was everywhere, contaminating every corner of the world. But after that, the rain and snow that came down didn’t have any virus at all. 

As long as the snow on top looked clean, or if she caught some rainwater, she could drink it without worry. 

She only figured this out a few days ago, when she was so thirsty she had no choice but to eat snow. 

But Chiara kept this secret close to her chest. There’s not a lot of clean snow to go around, and if word got out and everyone started eating it, she’d be out of luck. 

She hid behind a big rock, glancing around to make sure no one noticed her tiny figure. 

She quickly rubbed her hands in the snow to clean them off, then packed some snow into her water bottle. 

She tucked the bottle into her clothes and slipped back into the Refugee District, making sure no one saw her. 

This place used to be an underground mall, but after all the supplies were cleared out, the empty space was turned into the Refugee District. 

With so many people packed in and the place being underground, it wasn’t nearly as cold as it was outside. 

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Chapter 126 

Chiara quickly found the tent where she and Linda were staying, unzipped it, and slipped inside. 

Chiara said quietly, “Mom, check this 

out” 

She gingerly pulled the pack of cookies 

Linda slowly opened her eyes, her farfall 

ICS, careful not to let anyone else notice. 

ghostly pale and weak. She looked at Chiara, her heart breaking. pale and weak. She looked at Chiara, her heart breaking. 

She tried to say something, but her throat was so raw that no sound came out at all. 

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