These supplies, if used sparingly, could sustain him alone for several months without issue.
However, aside from the initial excitement upon discovering them, he now felt little joy. In the current circumstances, these were non-renewable resources.
The rice would eventually run out, the water would be drained, and every bite of food consumed meant one less remaining.
The supplies in the entire apartment building were finite.
Having crossed over to this godforsaken place where the city's operations had completely collapsed and factories could no longer produce new processed goods, these provisions were practically collector's items.
Once they were gone, what then?
Han Ning couldn't help but recall scenes from certain apocalyptic novels where a single canned good could trade for a night with a beautiful celebrity.
"At the very least, I need to act faster than the other residents before they finish searching every room in the building and secure as many supplies as possible."
Before his transmigration, Han Ning hadn't been the type to hoard like a hamster. But now, he had no choice but to become one.
He planned to rest briefly before continuing his exploration upstairs, aiming to gather more food and water.
But before his backside could even warm the seat—
Knock… knock knock… knock…
A clear series of raps suddenly echoed from the front door.
He had only just moved to the 8th floor.
"Who is it?!"
The unexpected knocking immediately put Han Ning on edge, his earlier relaxation vanishing. His mind instantly flashed to the Crew Cut Man he'd encountered earlier.
He wasn't surprised the man had found his place.
The drag marks left by moving heavy objects made it easy to trace his location.
If the 7th floor was empty, then it had to be the 8th. Simple deduction.
Han Ning took some comfort in the fact that the apartment's security door was sturdy. As long as strangers stayed on the other side, things were manageable.
As an awakened Druid, he had a degree of confidence in himself.
That's why he hadn't bothered to clean up the drag marks—besides, it would've been difficult to erase them completely.
Silently, he moved to the door, pressing his right eye against the peephole to carefully observe the outside.
In the dimly lit hallway stood several figures.
At the forefront was a young man, appearing a few years younger than the Crew Cut Man—likely in his late twenties.
His features were well-defined, his gaze calm. Dressed in relatively clean dark athletic wear, his hair was neatly trimmed, and unlike the Crew Cut Man's crude aggression, he exuded a composed demeanor.
The young man maintained his knocking posture, as if sensing Han Ning's scrutiny through the door, a faint, amiable smile playing on his lips.
A few steps behind him stood the Crew Cut Man, now meek and subdued, none of his earlier bravado in sight.
A couple of other men of varying heights lingered farther back.
"Friend, sorry to disturb you," the composed young man spoke, his voice carrying through the door.
"We mean no harm. We just want to talk. Would you mind opening the door?"
"Who are you? What do you want to talk about?" Han Ning remained where he was, not unlocking the door.
After a brief pause, the young man's voice, still gentle, replied:
"Let me introduce myself briefly. My name is Liu Feng, and I was originally a resident of this apartment building."
"I understand why you don't want to open the door. If I were in your position, I'd be cautious too."
"But what I'm about to say concerns the lives of everyone in this building—including yours."
He paused, gathering his thoughts before continuing,
"Ever since we arrived in this world, my companions and I have been recording the changes in the water levels every day."
"We've discovered that the rate at which the water rises… is nearly constant, averaging between 20 to 30 centimeters per day."
"Right now, the underground parking lot is completely submerged. At this rate, the water will reach the third floor in at most a month."
"By then, leaving will become extremely difficult. Those Crocodile Lizards, which move effortlessly in the water and travel in swarms, will flood every floor and every corner like a tide."
"Actually… we're already in a pretty dire situation. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to you."
The young man's voice outside wasn't loud, but the information he conveyed forced Han Ning to take it seriously.
Everything the other party said was of great concern to him.
"Friend, you're an Awakened. You must have received the messages left behind by the local natives."
"Leaving this planet consumed by the Black Tide is our only way out. But to reach the center of the continent, transportation is key."
"You know what it's like out there. Even if you're an Awakened, how far can you go alone? How many monsters can you handle? Can you find a safe boat?"
"If everyone continues to fight alone, only looking out for themselves, then there's only one outcome—"
The young man's voice grew solemn,
"Everyone will either drown or be killed by the monsters."
Hearing Liu Feng's words, Han Ning fell silent.
Setting aside his conflict with Crew Cut Man, what Liu Feng said about the rain was undeniably true.
For Han Ning to find a way out alone in this apocalyptic world, surrounded by monsters and endless torrential rain, the odds were slim to none.
After a few seconds of silence—
Click.
The heavy security door slowly opened a crack.
Han Ning stood behind it, revealing only half his face as he warily scanned the people outside before settling his gaze on Liu Feng, who stood at the front.
"Visiting the fourth floor won't be necessary for now."
He gestured to the side,
"The apartment next door is empty. We can talk there."
Uncertain of the other party's intentions, Han Ning didn't dare to go to the fourth floor recklessly—who knew how many people were waiting there?
So he proposed a compromise.
Liu Feng nodded without hesitation. "Fine."
He turned to the others behind him, including Crew Cut Man, and ordered, "Wait outside."
"Brother Feng… he…" Crew Cut Man seemed about to say something, but a calm glance from Liu Feng silenced him immediately, and he lowered his head.
The others quickly stepped back, taking positions on either side of the hallway.
Liu Feng walked alone with Han Ning, one after the other, into Apartment 801.
The spacious living room was sparsely furnished, with only a few pieces of furniture covered in white sheets.
With no electricity, the lighting was exceptionally dim.
Liu Feng casually glanced around before suddenly speaking to Han Ning with utmost sincerity:
"I apologize for Qiangzi's earlier rash actions."
"That Qiangzi is the guy outside with the crew cut. He used to be a security guard in the neighborhood. His buddies had been involved in some shady business before becoming security guards, so they inevitably picked up some bad habits."
"If I were an ordinary person, those supplies would've been snatched right away, wouldn't they?" Han Ning said coldly.
Those crew-cut guys acted like bandits. Han Ning wasn't about to change his opinion of them just because of some half-hearted apology.
Not even regarding their leader, Liu Feng.