Chapter 108: This Is Fate

“I do mind.”

After Jiang Yan finished speaking, she glanced at her with a half-smile.

The question from the other woman left her feeling oddly wistful and exasperated, but of course she couldn’t let her real emotions show so easily.

Wen Wanli’s eyes suddenly reddened. She bit her scabbed lips anxiously and said, a little flustered, “Th-then, please don’t kill us. They say you have a gun, and if you get upset, you’ll just shoot people. We live next door—we won’t do anything to make you angry.”

Jiang Yan: “...” Am I really that scary?

Besides, although the woman looked about her age, her words and mannerisms were more like a child of eight or nine who’d done something wrong.

Combined with the wounds on her body, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but feel a moment of doubt.

But she had no intention of getting too familiar with her. After replying with a simple “Okay,” she lifted her foot and continued downstairs.

Wen Wanli hesitated, as if wanting to say something more, but just then the door upstairs creaked open.

Judging by the sound, it was from 3203.

Heavy footsteps approached the fire escape.

A flash of panic crossed Wen Wanli’s eyes. She nodded goodbye to Jiang Yan and hurried upstairs, clutching her things.

As they brushed past each other, Jiang Yan casually glanced at what she was carrying.

Some boxes of instant noodles, a children’s book covered in muddy footprints, and what looked like half a pack of the cheapest cigarettes.

Meanwhile, Wen Wanli had already rushed up to the fire escape.

“Hey! You’re back, honey! Here, let me help you!” It was Wang Jin’s voice.

He actually sounded gentle and considerate—nothing like someone who’d commit domestic violence.

Jiang Yan didn’t hear Wen Wanli respond.

Bang! The door to 3203 slammed shut.

Jiang Yan frowned slightly and continued downstairs.

Starting from the 31st floor, people were coming down with bags and suitcases.

Almost all of them were young.

But not too many.

There were some elderly people coming out to see them off.

Some recognized Jiang Yan, others didn’t.

But everyone’s attention was focused on the cruise ship that was supposed to arrive soon, so no one paid her much mind.

The ID check and boarding window were both on the 18th floor. Jiang Yan planned to go to the 20th, but when she reached the 21st, she found the way blocked.

Although the ship wasn’t due until noon, people had already lined up early.

Many who hadn’t boarded in the morning had never left, stubbornly guarding their spots.

Jiang Yan had no choice but to go up to the 22nd floor.

The elevator lobby and hallways on the 22nd were packed with people.

These were probably those who’d decided not to go to the official base, or didn’t meet the requirements.

It was nearly mealtime. Two families had joined forces to build a fire and were grilling fish.

They were cooking a lot—clearly more than just lunch.

It was cold outside, but with so many people in the hallway, it was relatively warm.

But the air was damp, so nothing kept well.

They could only cure the fish, or dry it over the fire.

As the flames grew, the smell of sizzling oil and thick smoke began to fill the corridor.

When she entered, everyone looked at her warily.

A few people who’d been sitting on the floor even stood up, fists clenched.

Only when she stopped by the glass window at the end of the hall did people finally relax a little.

The area near the window was empty.

Several panes of glass had been shattered by hail earlier. Someone had taped plastic bags over them, but rain still leaked in from time to time.

The floor was wet, with puddles everywhere.

Jiang Yan glanced outside—a vast expanse of water.

A few people risked their lives fishing in the flood, but it didn’t look like they were having much luck.

The fish and leeches seemed to come in waves.

The water level outside was still rising.

At least the temperature wasn’t dropping any further.

Time ticked by.

“Huh? It’s noon, but the ship still isn’t here!” someone in the hallway exclaimed.

No one had to work or go to school anymore, and most people didn’t have watches. Their phones and computers had long since died, so they’d lost all sense of time.

Most people worked at sunrise and rested at sunset.

Some even went to bed before dark and were still lying down at midday.

Like animals in hibernation.

The less you moved, the less you ate.

That way, you could save food.

“Maybe the rain’s too heavy and they’re not coming?”

“Could it be that old lady from the government was lying? I got so fired up listening to her this morning!”

“I doubt it. With rain like this, who could be exactly on time? Maybe something just delayed them.”

“I don’t know. I saw Xiao Zhang and his wife waiting downstairs all morning. They said their legs were about to give out.”

“Yeah, I heard them say they even held in their pee—they didn’t dare leave, afraid someone would take their spot.”

“Sigh, I hope the ship comes. If it does, we can move into 2204.”

“Yeah, if the folks in 2204 can’t board, our plan to move in is ruined. Maybe we should ask them to let us stay too?”

“Hey, don’t jinx it. Let’s just wait and see.”

The people in the hallway were all those not going to the official base.

But everyone was still interested in whether the cruise ship would come.

On the one hand, if the ship came and some residents left for the base, they could move into those apartments.

On the other, the ship’s arrival would prove the authorities kept their word and were reliable.

In short, it was a sign of confidence.

But now, the ship still hadn’t come.

Some people were clearly starting to panic.

“The ship I’m waiting for still hasn’t come, the person I’m waiting for doesn’t understand me...” someone started singing.

“See, we’ve got it good—eating, sleeping, singing. Those people downstairs are starving while they wait for their savior!”

“Yeah, and if some of those people living in the hallways don’t get on the ship, they’ll come back and find their place gone! Ha!”

There were even some who took pleasure in others’ misfortune.

...

Jiang Yan stood by the window with her arms crossed for a long time.

She had a bad feeling: the ship probably wasn’t coming.

*

An hour passed.

Still no ship.

The confidence and hope that everyone had painstakingly rebuilt that morning instantly sank.

There were sounds of unrest from downstairs.

“Maybe we should just go to the base ourselves!”

“With rain like this, you can’t even see the road. How would we get there?”

“Yeah, it’d be like rowing a rubber dinghy in the ocean—if anything goes wrong, the boat’s done for!”

“Damn! If only I’d lived near the Twin Towers!”

“Yeah, those people are so lucky!”

“Life doesn’t come with hindsight. This is just fate!”"