CHAPTER 333: CHAPTER 333: STARFELL

In Starfell Base.

6 months before.

There lived a pair of sisters, Maxi and Moona. Just like every other day, they trudged back under the scorching afternoon heat, their faces flushed and their clothes clinging uncomfortably to their skin.

Their hands clutched the pitiful handful of zombie crystals they had managed to gather.

With prices soaring higher with each passing week, even a single loaf of bread couldn’t be exchanged for a hundred crystals anymore.

For a moment, despair washed over the two sisters. It had become a familiar companion in their lives, yet it never hurt any less.

They had been orphans since childhood, abandoned before they could even remember what parental warmth felt like.

Back then, there had been moments, many moments, when both of them had contemplated giving up.

But every time one fell apart, the other pulled her back together, as if their shared suffering had woven an unbreakable bond between them.

Despite their hardships, they studied diligently and eventually earned admission into a good university. They dreamed of joining a major firm after graduation, hoping their lives would finally smooth out.

But the moment their studies ended, the apocalypse descended mercilessly upon the world.

Moona and Maxi truly had no one left to curse.

They had even entertained the idea of ending everything, wondering bitterly,

’Why is our life so cursed? Why can’t we have even a moment of peace?’

Yet, they forced themselves to continue, to adapt, to survive. They searched desperately for a safe place and eventually found their way into the base they now lived in... Starfell Base.

The base had been established by a self-made millionaire, a man who had hoarded a staggering amount of food before everything collapsed.

When Moona and Maxi learned about this, hope bloomed for the first time in months. Without hesitation, they went to the food exchange center.

They handed over the last bit of gold they had saved, twenty grams.

That gold had been set aside either for their startup capital after graduation or for survival if they ever settled somewhere.

But now, survival itself required sacrifice.

The person in charge clicked his tongue when he weighed the gold.

"Only twenty grams. In exchange, you’ll get five kilograms of rice," he said, not bothering to hide his disdain.

Moona and Maxi agreed immediately. As long as they received food, they didn’t care about the attitude.

Their stomachs had been growling since morning. They accepted the five kilograms of rice and hurried home, a fragile happiness warming their tired hearts.

On the way, Moona glanced at Maxi and muttered,

"We really must have some kind of shitty luck. Why do we always end up in situations like this?"

Maxi laughed, though there was no real humor in her voice. "Maybe God just doesn’t like seeing us happy."

Hearing her sister’s sarcasm, Moona felt her heart tighten.

’Indeed... what kind of enmity does God have with us? Why don’t we get even a single day of rest?’ But she pushed down the sadness and forced a determined look.

"We should try to fight more zombies tomorrow," Moona suggested.

"If we collect enough... maybe ten thousand crystals... at least then we can buy another five kilograms of rice. With that, we won’t need to worry for the next four weeks."

Maxi nodded, agreeing silently.

They returned to their small, dimly lit room. Maxi immediately moved toward the small stove, determined to cook just enough to keep them from starving.

She dared not cook too much, only one bowl for both of them.

As long as they had something in their stomachs, they could survive.

After all, during their orphanage years, they had survived on a single loaf of bread for three days. Compared to that, a bowl of rice felt like luxury.

But when Maxi finally cooked the rice, she frowned. It looked strangely sticky. Something felt off.

Curiosity turned into suspicion, and she sifted through the cooked grains. Her eyes widened as she picked up a suspiciously smooth, shiny piece.

It was plastic.

Her heart sank. She checked again and again. More than half the rice wasn’t rice at all. It was white plastic, shaped and polished to look like grains.

For a moment, she couldn’t breathe.

"Moona! Come here!" Maxi’s voice trembled.

Moona rushed over immediately and stared at the contents of the pot. The sight made her feel dizzy. The realization hit them at the same time.

The five kilograms of rice they had bought... was mixed with fake plastic grains.

Rage surged through Maxi. She grabbed the rice bag without hesitation.

"I’m not letting them get away with this," she hissed, her eyes blazing.

Moona followed behind her, trying her best to calm her down. "Maxi, wait. Don’t make it worse. Maybe we should..."

But Maxi was already marching toward the food exchange center, her steps loud and furious against the pavement.

Upon arriving, she slammed the pouch of rice on the counter, the loud thud snapping everyone’s attention toward her. The chatter around them quieted instantly.

Moona grabbed her arm nervously. "Maxi, please... let’s not make a scene."

But Maxi refused to back down. She pointed at the pouch and declared loudly,

"This bag has white plastic instead of white rice. Care to explain?"

The person in charge, a man with dirty blond hair reaching his shoulders and an ugly scar running from his left forehead down to his right cheek, frowned.

"How do I know you didn’t mix the plastic yourself to frame us?" he sneered.

Maxi barked out a laugh. "Really? Then let’s check someone else’s rice."

She pointed at a man in line holding a similar bag. "Open it. Right here. Right now."

The man hesitated, fear flickering in his eyes. If Maxi was telling the truth, then they had all been eating poison. Trembling, he tore open his bag. His face drained of color.

"It... it’s plastic," he whispered. "There’s plastic mixed in."

Panic rippled through the line. Others hastily opened their bags, and the horror spread as each discovered the same thing... fake rice. White plastic blended in with real grains.

In seconds, all eyes turned toward the person in charge, burning with outrage.