Chapter 115: No Choice But to Obey

“I don’t think so,” Ye Qing shook her head.

Jiang Yan agreed as well.

At a time like this, they’d definitely put the bigger picture first. Some people would have to make sacrifices, whether they liked it or not.

“So, I guess we’re actually the lucky ones! At least we have a place to live, food to eat, and clothes to wear! Even if the flood reaches us, we’ll be among the last. Worst comes to worst, we’ll just pull a Robinson Crusoe—grab a kayak and drift out to sea.

Other people talk about drifting in Beijing or Shanghai, but we’ll be real sea drifters! No need to worry ourselves sick!” Sun Jingtao slapped his thighs, sat up straight, and declared passionately.

Jiang Yan knew the rain would stop once the water reached the 20th floor, but she couldn’t say that outright. So she said,

“Maybe the heavens will have mercy and the rain will stop in a few days. Let’s not worry too much.”

She tried to reassure the others, but inside, her heart sank.

Most people thought that once the rain stopped, the disaster would be over.

Only she knew—that was when an even greater catastrophe would begin.

And for the people of Anming, who were used to a warm climate, that disaster would be even more deadly.

Many who still clung to a shred of hope for the future would completely break down in despair at that point.

Su Dai had always quietly looked up to Jiang Yan as her idol.

If her idol wasn’t afraid, then she wouldn’t be afraid either. “Yeah, exactly! Do what we can, and leave the rest to fate!”

They say that in difficult times, confidence is more precious than gold.

But really, confidence is something you have to give yourself.

“That’s right, that’s right. Life and death are up to fate, wealth and honor are in the hands of heaven!” Tian Jiliang laughed. “Now that we’ve had our chicken soup for the soul, let me check if the noodles are ready.”

“No need, we can check ourselves.” The others laughed as well.

They were all people who’d seen their share of storms. A few words were all it took to convince themselves.

Instant noodles already had flavor, and now they’d been simmering in a rich, fragrant broth for a while. The smell was just incredible.

No one said much more. They all dug in.

A few minutes later, even the soup in the pot was gone.

Su Dai got up to fetch water, pouring some into everyone’s cup.

She also brought out a plate of sunflower seeds and peanuts.

By now, it was getting dark outside, so she simply lit the alcohol lamp.

The light was dim, but better than nothing.

Only then did Su Dai remember what she’d wanted to say.

“Oh, right—I just realized, Zhou Wei and his wife actually have a son.”

She didn’t know why, but ever since Zhou Wei and his wife broke open the fire door last night, and with their odd behavior just now, something just felt off.

She couldn’t put her finger on it.

When Jiang Yan and Su Dai were talking to Zhou Wei and his wife at the door earlier, Sun Jingtao and the others inside had heard everything clearly.

They weren’t far away, after all.

Sun Jingtao grabbed a peanut. “I heard the little girl has an older brother?”

“Yeah, but when they moved up last night, I didn’t see any boy.”

Tian Jiliang leaned in. “Maybe he’s still downstairs and hasn’t moved up yet?”

He’d heard Sun Jingtao mention the new neighbors in 3203 earlier.

“I doubt it. What kind of parents would leave their kid behind?”

Tian Jiliang pushed up his glasses and analyzed, “Maybe the boy went to his grandparents’ place before the heatwave and couldn’t make it back. I remember the heatwave hit in July, right when kids are on summer break.”

“What do you think, Jiang Yan?” Su Dai and Sun Jingtao both looked at Jiang Yan.

After all, she lived on the 32nd floor with them. If there was a problem with the neighbors next door, they’d be the ones most affected.

If Zhou Wei’s family had been long-term residents, at least they’d know what to expect.

But none of them had ever seen these people before.

If they were just regular tenants, fine. But what if they were “plants” sent by Ma Longbiao’s gang?

“The kid seemed polite and at ease, which means Zhou Wei and his wife probably raised him well. As for Wen Wanli and Wang Jin…”

Jiang Yan recalled the scars and strange behavior on Wen Wanli’s arms. “That, I’m not so sure about.”

Listening to the analysis, Tian Jiliang couldn’t help but laugh at himself. “Are we too bored? A new neighbor moves in and we’re acting like detectives.”

“Well, we are bored. Before, we had to deal with annoying bosses, clients, coworkers, mortgage payments, car loans, credit cards. Now, we worry if the rain will stop, if the neighbors are trouble, what we’ll eat when the food runs out…” Su Dai gave a wry smile.

“Speaking of which, has Ma Longbiao’s gang quieted down lately?” Jiang Yan suddenly asked.

She remembered Sun Jingtao telling her that Ma Longbiao’s group used to throw their weight around downstairs.

But when she’d gone down recently, everything seemed normal.

“Yeah, probably. Now that the official rescue boats have arrived, they have to behave.” Su Dai said.

They’d all been busy searching for supplies these days, and only ran into that group once, late at night.

Plus, Ma Longbiao’s group had made it clear they wouldn’t mess with them, so they hadn’t paid much attention since.

“No, you’re way off!” Tian Jiliang pushed up his glasses and continued,

“From what I know, they’re not afraid of the official boats at all. In fact, they even reported Jiang Yan for having a gun. And what happened? The officials just said they’d ‘report it to the relevant department’ and that was it.

So now, they’re probably getting even bolder. It’s just that their influence hasn’t reached up to our 29th floor yet.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

Su Dai was stunned. “I heard they were acting like tyrants below the 20th floor. Didn’t anyone report them when the official boats came?”

“Nope. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down—no one dares. Besides, they reported Jiang Yan for having a gun and the officials brushed it off, so what’s the point?

Those officials have quotas for rescue and evacuating able-bodied people. They’re not about to risk their jobs to play judge and jury for you.” Tian Jiliang shook his head and sighed.

“Couldn’t the people downstairs band together? There are a lot of them.” Su Dai was even more surprised.

“They did band together,” Tian Jiliang frowned even deeper, “but they banded together under Ma Longbiao’s control.”

Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Sun Jingtao, Ye Qing, and the others all frowned instinctively.

“I only found this out today when I went downstairs and asked around. Basically, Ma Longbiao’s group has taken control of the people downstairs.

Now, all the supplies in every household are managed and distributed by them. Starting tomorrow, they’ll assign tasks to people, like going out to look for supplies.

They seized some inflatable boats and send a few people out every day, rain or shine, to search for supplies and bring them back. Ma Longbiao’s group gives them a little, but keeps most of it for themselves.

You could say they’ve secretly set up a small private base—it’s just a small scale.”

Sun Jingtao was confused. “With rain like this, going out in a rubber boat is almost certain death. Why would people obey them?”

“They have no choice. Most of the people under their control have families. Their kids are in Ma Longbiao’s hands. The adults have no choice but to obey.”

As Tian Jiliang finished, his eyes behind the glasses dimmed."