They had been out for several days without finding any supplies. Lao Gao, looking utterly unconcerned, said, "This complex is huge. There's no way not a single person survived. Let them leave first, then we'll go. No need to take the risk."
But was that really what they should be worrying about right now?
Lao Gao suddenly realized something. "Xiao Huang, we need to hurry back home. With this rain, the top floor might have started leaking."
Whether or not there had been acid rain before, no one could guarantee that the roof could withstand such heavy freezing rain.
Huang Jinghe, however, didn't look worried at all. "The last rainfall was already heavy enough to freeze a thick layer of ice on the roof. You all said the rainwater wasn't drinkable, remember? I poured all the water I collected onto the roof, and it froze into another thick layer. As long as the icicles don't get too thick, they won't break through the roof."
It sounded reasonable enough, but whether it was true could only be confirmed by checking in person.
With the rain gone, the four of them cleared a path and climbed the stairs. When they reached the thirty-first floor, they found more than a dozen people gathered there. So even in weather like this, quite a few had still survived.
But why were these people standing in front of the thirty-first floor fire door?
Could they be thinking that the four of them had died outside and were here to raid their supplies?
That would be far too impatient. Normally, wouldn't you wait a few more days before trying something like that?
…
Seeing the group blocking the door, Lao Gao's expression darkened. He barked, "What are you all looking at?"
The sudden voice startled the dozen or so people, making them flinch. When they turned and recognized the newcomers, their legs went weak. None of them dared to challenge the four. They quickly moved aside, forming a path down the middle.
The moment they saw the four return alive, Qian Jun, who had been glowering earlier, instantly changed his expression to a fawning smile. "No, no, it's just… with the rain so heavy, we wanted to see if you'd made it back."
"You mean you wanted to see if we were dead."
Lao Gao couldn't even look at him without feeling disgust. Unfortunately for them, he and the others had disappointed their little expectations.
As Lao Gao unlocked the door under the stares of the crowd, Qian Jun quickly spoke up. "I wanted to ask you something. Those wooden boards in the building—you were the ones who took them, right? Since they're from the building, they belong to everyone. You can't just keep them for yourselves. It's freezing out, we need firewood too."
Lao Gao glanced at him, then told the three behind her to head upstairs. Only then did she reply, "So what? You planning to take them by force?"
Of course, Qian Jun didn't dare to rob them outright. But he still tried to argue. "Still, the wood belongs to all of us, so you—"
Ling Jiang had been about to go upstairs too, but seeing the scene outside, she changed her mind. She stepped down from the stairwell and peeked out from behind Lao Gao, a smirk on her face. "So what? I can fight. Why didn't you take the wood yourselves when you needed it? Now you want it, so you come to us? We got that wood with our own hands. Why should we give it to you?"
"But—"
"No buts. We have plenty of wood at home. We even brought back more these past few days. If you've got the guts, come and take it. If you can manage that, it's all yours."
The meaning was obvious. She didn't think they could take it, and she wanted to provoke them on purpose.
Sure enough, the group outside was furious, but even together they couldn't beat a single one of these four. They could only swallow their anger.
"But you keep the door locked—how can we take it?"
This came from a younger man in the group.
It was a brainless thing to say, and not only did Lao Gao and Ling Jiang burst out laughing, even Qian Jun's face darkened.
Lao Gao mocked, "What, you want us to open our door for you? Maybe even our home too? Why bother taking it at all—should we just hand it over gift-wrapped?"
He had no patience to keep talking. "If you want supplies, go get them yourselves. Don't think I don't know what's going on in your heads."
Ling Jiang added with a cold threat, "Try causing trouble for us, and see what happens."
With that, the two locked the door and went upstairs.
The humiliated Qian Jun later vented all his anger on the young man who had spoken up. After that, the young man never showed his face again.
…
In the stairwell, Ling Jiang said, "I thought you were going to start a fight today. I sent Lan Jin and Xiao Huang upstairs so I could come down and help you."
"Even if I did fight, why send them away? They're not as fragile as you think."
"I never thought they were fragile. I just thought your hits are too heavy. You'd scare them."
Without waiting for a response, Ling Jiang headed straight home.
When Lao Gao returned and saw the roof perfectly intact, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Huang Jinghe felt the same.
Even though they had been eating their stores for a long time, he still had enough food left for several years. If the roof had been damaged, they could always find another place to live, but if people found out about his stockpile, it would be a whole different story.
Huang Jinghe and Lan Jin thought alike. They could trade supplies with allies, but letting outsiders know about their stash was out of the question. In times like these, with resources so scarce, who could say that no one would try to take it by force?
…
Huang Jinghe stepped onto the balcony and looked down. Icicles had fallen onto the frozen ground, creating a natural, almost artistic scene. Here and there, vivid splashes of red stood out against the white.
Those splashes could only have come from people who hadn't made it inside in time.
From a distance, it was less disturbing. But some had fallen just a single step away from safety, and it was hard not to think what a pity it was.
So close. Just one step, and they might have lived.
Then again, in an environment like this, who could say for sure whether living was really better than dying?
…
After they had all rested for a while, Lan Jin suddenly picked up the walkie-talkie and called the others. "You all there? I have an idea. Lao Gao, that black market you mentioned—still open?"
"It is. I heard people there just two days ago. Why, Sister Lan? You want to trade something?"
"Not exactly. I mean we could trade something. What if we turn all our wood into charcoal, then use the charcoal to trade for food? In this cold, charcoal might be worth more than food."