Although the divider in the middle of the bed was just a fitted board that could be removed easily, the surrounding frame was thick and sturdy. Add in the freezing temperature, and it had become solid as stone.
The bedroom doors were the same. Normally, they looked like they were made of cheap material, but when it came time to dismantle them, they turned out to be thick, heavy, and stubbornly hard to break apart.
At first, the women had planned to break these things down into smaller pieces for easier transport upstairs. But even after hacking off a corner with a knife, the wood remained solid and unyielding.
It wasn't that they didn't want to use an axe — they simply didn't own one.
Lan Jin suddenly thought aloud. "We don't have an axe, but there should be one in the fire hydrant cabinet."
Fire axes were indeed kept inside, but she had thought of it too late. A long time ago, the residents had already taken those axes and repurposed them as weapons for self-defense. Even if they wanted to find one now, it wouldn't be easy.
After chopping away for a while, Ling Jiang finally gave up. "Forget it. This is impossible. Everything's frozen solid. Let's just carry it upstairs as it is. We shouldn't waste so much time in other people's apartments."
Lan Jin agreed. "Alright. Let's move it first. The door to 3201 is already gone. We can put everything inside there. If it doesn't fit, we still have three other empty units on these two floors. We can break down one unit per floor so it's easier for everyone to get charcoal later."
Storage space wasn't an issue. Breaking things apart could wait until later.
With that, they switched plans. The task was no longer dismantling, but moving.
From a little past ten in the morning until after three in the afternoon, the four of them worked nonstop, finally clearing all the usable wood from the 24th and 25th floors. But just as they were carrying the last load upstairs, they seemed to hear faint noises outside.
Ling Jiang turned to Lao Gao. "Did you hear that? Sounds like someone talking out there."
Lao Gao nodded. "Yeah, pretty close too."
He quickly set down his bundle and went to the balcony. Sure enough, he saw a few figures near the entrance of their building, cautiously testing the frozen surface of the water outside.
Huang Jinghe arrived a moment later, just in time to see them step onto the ice. He frowned in curiosity. "They're walking on it? Maybe after freezing all night it's already thick enough to hold people."
Lao Gao's voice was firm. "No way. This water's deep. No matter how cold it gets, it can't freeze solid enough for that in one night."
The words had barely left his mouth when the sharp sound of ice cracking echoed across the air.
His face changed immediately. It was one thing not to notice, but hearing it and saying nothing was impossible. He cupped his hands to shout at them. "Hey! Stop walking! Get back! The ice is breaking!"
There were five people on the ice — four men and one woman — all bundled so heavily they looked like balls of cloth. Hearing Lao Gao's shout, they froze, scanning for the voice's source.
The man in the lead spotted him and scoffed. "He's so far away. How could he hear the ice cracking? Don't listen to him. Probably just scared and doesn't want us to leave. Let's go. I'm done staying in this complex."
But not everyone was so reckless. The three men at the back hesitated, unwilling to take another step. They hadn't gone far, and one muttered timidly, "Maybe we should head back. If he says he heard it, maybe he really did."
The leader shot him a glare. "Are you stupid? We've lived here this long. How can you trust what these people say?" Without slowing, he strode forward.
The only woman in the group wavered, glancing between them. After a moment of indecision, she slowly followed the leader.
The three men at the back decided otherwise. "Let's just go back. We can leave later. Been here this long anyway. If the ice really breaks, I'm dead for sure. I can't swim."
"You idiot, even if you could swim, you'd be finished in this weather," one of them said — which only made them more determined to retreat. They turned and walked quickly back into the building.
They had only gone a few steps when they were safely back inside.
Out on the ice, the leader turned and, seeing they hadn't followed, spat on the ground. "Cowards. No guts at all. Worse than a woman. Your mothers should never have—"
He never finished the insult. The ice beneath his feet split with a deafening crack. He froze in shock, but before he could move, the surrounding sheet fractured entirely. One slip of his foot and he plunged into the dark water. He didn't even have time to struggle before vanishing.
Lao Gao shook his head. "No saving him. He really brought it on himself."
If he'd done like the three at the back, he might still be alive.
The woman still on the ice panicked when she saw the man vanish. She spun and ran toward the building, but the ice couldn't handle such sudden force. Two steps from safety, it tilted sharply. She lost her balance and fell straight into the water.
The slab righted itself again, neatly sealing the hole as if nothing had happened.
Inside the building, the three men had seen everything. The realization hit hard — if they hadn't listened, they would have shared the same fate. Their legs gave out, and they sat down on the floor, pale and shaken.
As for saving the woman… they had no way to even try.
The ice near the building had a thin layer covering the surface, which clung instantly to anything that touched it. When the three men fell earlier, their gloves and coats had stuck fast to the ice.
Thankfully it hadn't been bare skin. They stripped off the frozen clothing, hurried back to their apartments, and bundled up again, chasing away the bone-deep chill.
Once the scene was over, there was no reason to keep watching.
"Let's go," Lao Gao said quietly. "Time to head home."
They left, but the images from that moment would stay in their minds for a long time.