The moment Lan Jin spoke, Huang Jinghe and Lao Gao immediately said, "We know. We won't say a word."
In truth, after drinking the spiritual spring water, everyone had already guessed the truth. They just hadn't said it aloud. Now that they had stepped into this space, it was, in a way, a confirmation.
After drinking the spring water, all the wounds on Lao Gao and Huang Jinghe had completely healed.
Feeling once again the miraculous effects of the spring water, Lao Gao said excitedly, "See? I told you it had to be spring water. Nothing else could work like this."
He had read novels before, so he understood a few things. Now that his guess had been proven correct, he couldn't help feeling a rush of excitement.
Lan Jin rubbed her forehead, listening to the roars from outside. "Honestly, when I brought out the spring water, I already guessed the day would come when the space would be exposed. I just didn't think it would happen so soon. But the roaring outside hasn't stopped. I'm worried that soon they'll all rush over to Ling Jiang's place. I have a lot of weapons inside. Let's go check."
"Alright."
At the thought that Ling Jiang might be in danger, Lao Gao couldn't sit still.
Lan Jin led the two men to the place where she kept her weapons. She did have a lot of weapons, and their killing power was decent. But after looking them over, Lao Gao shook his head. "These are all good, but they won't work at close range."
Crossbows were better for mid-distance fighting, and knives could barely harm those people at all.
Then Lao Gao asked, "Where's the exit? Can it be moved?"
Lan Jin replied, "No. We have to go out the same way we came in. And from inside the space, we can't see what's happening outside, only hear the sounds."
In the end, Huang Jinghe decided to keep using his baseball bat. Lao Gao dismantled a shelf from her storage area and picked the longest steel rod. "If it's longer, I can push them back. Sister Lan, if this one bends, pass me another from the rest."
Lan Jin nodded. She herself grabbed a steel plate, and when the roaring outside eased slightly, the three of them took the chance to reappear on the rooftop.
…
There was no scent of aberrations and no trace of blood. No matter how crazed the people had been earlier, their behavior was now a little calmer. They no longer crowded into the rooftop's dead corner, but instead wandered restlessly on the cramped rooftop.
The rooftop was far smaller than the street below. People paced, bumped into each other, and roared in turns, yet they didn't attack one another.
But the instant Lan Jin's group appeared, all seventeen of them turned toward the three as if catching their scent, surging forward at once.
This time, they weren't as foolish as before. The rooftop was small, but there were still gaps between the wandering people. Once they spotted openings, the three began darting around the rooftop.
They couldn't win against all of them together—but split apart? That was a different story. Even if they got hurt, it didn't matter. The spring water could heal them.
Their running wasn't aimless. Once they split the group, they'd shove one aside with a hand, kick another away, each taking down three or four. It took effort, but it was doable.
When only a few remained, Huang Jinghe and Lao Gao pinned them down and shoved salt into their mouths.
Almost the instant the salt went in, their bodies went rigid. They twitched for a while, and before the worms in their mouths came out, the ones they had thrown down earlier were already climbing back up.
This time there were fewer people, and they were much easier to handle.
Half of them were thrown downstairs first, then fed salt.
When the third wave arrived, they were pinned and salted immediately.
Once everyone was lying on the ground twitching, Lan Jin handed out spring water to heal their injuries.
After all seventeen had expelled the worms, they finally returned to normal. But not all of them were still alive. After all, falling from the seventh floor was something no normal person could endure more than once.
Some people got up, others would never rise again.
The ones wearing only thin shirts all reacted the same way—shivering violently.
"So cold!"
"What's going on? How am I here?"
"Cold… so cold!"
The four notorious thugs from Building 12 might never have clashed directly with the rest, but everyone knew each other. Some were already on their feet, some still stuck to the icy rooftop. All of them were asking, "Why are you here? What did you do to us?"
Lao Gao explained, "We didn't do anything to you. You ate insect powder, went crazy, and attacked us. We saved you."
"Insect powder? What insect powder? We didn't eat that!"
"It's the flour they sold at the market. That 'flour' is actually insect powder, mixed with some plant powder. If you eat it, you go into a frenzy. You don't remember, but you can check the radio later and you'll hear all about it."
Then Lao Gao added, "If you don't believe me, look at the worms beside you. Every one of you spat one out. Without that, you'd still be crazed."
The truth was, the three had saved them. But they had no ties. Why save them at all?
"Why would you save us?"
"It's not about wanting to save you. These worms, whether alive or dead, will keep you crazed unless they're expelled. Now that you're fine, please leave quickly."
They had just fought a hard battle. Even though the spring water had restored their strength and healed their wounds, the exhaustion in their hearts was unchanged. They had been on their feet since dawn, and anyone would be tired.
After that, Lao Gao ignored the rooftop crowd and went downstairs with the other two.
When they reached the thirty-second floor, they saw Ling Jiang peeking out from her doorway. The moment she saw they were safe, she boldly opened the door. "Is it over? I didn't hear any more noise."
Lao Gao gave a small nod, clearly unwilling to talk, but instead of going to Ling Jiang's home, they followed Lan Jin back to hers.
Since Lao Gao and Huang Jinghe now knew about the space, there was no need to hide it from Ling Jiang. They also needed to tell her what had just happened.
The whole ordeal could only be described as nerve-wracking.