Chapter 101: Hail

“Oh right, Jiang Yan, you should be extra careful if you go out these days.

The people left in the other four buildings of Qianshui Bay are all in worse shape than those in Building A. Chances are, sooner or later, they’ll all try to make their way over here.” Sun Jingtao, who was sorting supplies nearby, chimed in.

Having guns was one thing, but you could never guard against a sneak attack.

Jiang Yan nodded.

There were five buildings in Qianshui Bay. Building A had 32 floors, with four apartments per floor and a single elevator. The other buildings—B, C, D, and E—each had only 24 floors, with either two elevators serving six or eight apartments per floor.

With the water rising up to the 16th floor, that meant everyone from the lower 16 floors of those four buildings would have to cram into the remaining eight floors.

And that wasn’t even counting the next surge, which could flood up to the 20th floor in one go.

Sure, the previous heatwave and blood mosquitoes had wiped out a lot of people, but most of the survivors were still around.

You could imagine what the living conditions were like.

When there’s no room to survive in your own area, it’s only natural to start eyeing other places.

And around here, there’s nowhere better than Building A.

If even Building A gets flooded, then there’s nothing left to do but accept your fate and give up.

Besides, there was another ticking time bomb inside Building A.

That was Ma Longbiao and his gang, who claimed to mind their own business up on the 32nd floor.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yan asked, “By the way, has Ma Longbiao and his lot been causing any trouble lately?”

“Not too much,” Su Dai replied, stifling a yawn with her hand. “They snatched a few inflatable boats and have been collecting a lot of supplies these past couple of days. We even ran into them late last night when we got back. They didn’t see you, but they’re still a bit wary of us.”

Jiang Yan responded with a simple “Oh.”

Judging by the heavy dark circles under Su Dai’s eyes, and the exhausted looks on Ye Qing and Sun Jingtao, it was obvious the three of them had been out scavenging day and night lately.

Their sense of crisis was no less than hers.

Time was about up, and Jiang Yan had learned what she needed to know. She got up, ready to say goodbye and head back to her apartment.

“Wait a sec, Jiang Yan,” Su Dai called, getting up and going over to the TV stand. She picked up a large shopping bag and handed it to Jiang Yan.

“We found some stuff over the past couple of days that you could probably use, so we’re sharing some with you. I’ll help you carry the rest of the alcohol stoves and fuel over.

Oh, and these two little bags of toasted rice and noodles—I roasted them over low heat because the weather’s been so damp lately, and I was worried the rice and flour would go moldy. You can eat them as is, or add a bit of water if you’re worried about getting too much heat. Super convenient.”

As she spoke, Su Dai pulled out two bags of golden-brown toasted rice and noodles, packed in ziplock bags.

You could smell the aroma even through the plastic.

Inside the shopping bag, there was also a vacuum-sealed pack of millet, some garlic-flavored peanuts and red-skinned sunflower seeds, a few bags of dried beef, some pickled chicken feet, a pile of instant noodles in various flavors, and a few packs of sanitary pads.

It was clear Su Dai had put a lot of thought into it.

“I really can’t accept this…” Jiang Yan said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

She didn’t actually lack for anything, and she didn’t want to take what the three of them had worked so hard to find.

But refusing everything would make her seem strange.

After all, even though she and Su Dai got along well, it was only natural to keep some guard up.

“No need to feel bad. We’ve got plenty more,” Su Dai said with a big, casual grin, stuffing the shopping bag into Jiang Yan’s hands.

“Well, thank you then. I actually found some supplies on my last trip out too, but I ran into a group of people and couldn’t bring everything back, so I stashed the rest. Next time we can get out, I’ll take you guys to find it,” Jiang Yan replied.

Having lived through all this once before, she knew there was no one worth sacrificing too much for.

But she didn’t want to owe anyone too big a favor, either.

Of course, Su Dai’s gift of supplies had some personal sentiment behind it.

But from another angle, Jiang Yan, with her gun, was a powerful deterrent and protection for the 32nd floor.

In a way, the four of them were in a cooperative relationship.

And any cooperation required sharing resources.

Some resources were out in the open, others were hidden.

Naturally, it was Su Dai’s group who needed Jiang Yan more.

Jiang Yan understood all this, so she didn’t refuse any further.

Su Dai picked up the alcohol and stove, and had Ye Qing bring over some instant noodles and sausages from the official rations, plus a case of water. They walked Jiang Yan to her door, then the two of them sensibly returned to apartment 3204.

Jiang Yan looked at the pile of supplies at her feet, opened the door, and carried everything inside, one by one.

Back home, she finally let her guard down.

There was an indescribable sense of comfort.

No wonder people say, “Gold nest, silver nest, nothing beats your own doghouse.”

It was true.

Looking at the bare, empty living room, she realized she’d packed away every movable supply into her storage space before she left.

She didn’t take anything out right away.

Looking at the torrential rain outside and the cold, damp apartment, Jiang Yan felt she needed to do a little home improvement.

From her memories of her previous life, the water would keep rising after the rain, so it was probably better to live outside than in her storage space.

At least she could keep track of what was happening outside.

Also, she suddenly wanted to light a fire in the fireplace—it would make things feel warmer.

Her apartment had insulation, but it was so empty that it felt cold as soon as she walked in. Su Dai’s place, messy as it was, felt much warmer.

Maybe it was because there were more people in 3204, more life.

Or maybe it was just more “yang” energy.

With a fire in the fireplace, the place felt more alive, less gloomy and damp.

No heater could compare.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yan had a sudden idea and took out her bed, placing it in the living room.

She also took out a dining table and chairs, plus a chaise lounge to put by the fireplace.

The rest of the sofa and TV stand, she shoved into the bedroom.

With the bedroom door closed, the heated area of the apartment was smaller, making it easier to keep warm.

It wasn’t the extreme cold yet, so Jiang Yan only needed one fireplace.

By the time she finished tidying up and got the fire going, it was already four or five in the afternoon.

The rain outside seemed to have eased, and the wind had died down, but the sky was getting even darker.

All she could see were thick, inky storm clouds.

Outside, a few people were returning.

Some wore life vests and floated their supplies on foam boards.

There were also a few inflatable boats, and even some makeshift bamboo rafts.

Without exception, all of them were loaded with supplies.

Two boats had already paddled into the Qianshui Bay complex—looked like they were heading for Buildings C and B.

Jiang Yan went to the window, about to draw the curtains, when she suddenly saw white hailstones, clattering down from the sky.

Some bounced off the window ledge. Jiang Yan glanced over, and her breath caught.

Each hailstone was the size of an egg!

Some were even as big as a fist! Completely outrageous!

The hailstones pelted down like giant, rock-hard bullets, smashing into the water below.

From the water outside, she could faintly hear shouts, screams, and cries of pain.

Most people didn’t have time to take cover, and were struck by the massive hailstones raining from above—heads split open, blood everywhere.

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