Chapter 45 Hope?

On the fourth day since the game's release, the fine drizzle brewed into a pitter-patter of light rain after a day, but the good news was that Bai Xiao hadn't been mistaken—the fog had indeed thinned slightly.

The thinning of the fog was a discovery no less significant than the Lunar New Year. In group chats and online, everyone felt that their hardships were finally coming to an end. Back when they were working, they always felt exhausted, living lives worse than beasts of burden.

This time, because of the fog disaster, they had been stuck at home for so many days. Fear, oppression, anxiety, the depression of confinement, the hunger from impending food shortages, and the panic of imminent power cuts—countless fears of the disaster had shrouded their hearts for over ten days.

Although everyone mocked the doomsday theories online, who didn't secretly start believing them deep down?

How many people had woken up crying from midnight dreams countless times? How many worried that life would never return to normal?

Now that the fog finally showed signs of dispersing, to put it bluntly, if things really returned to normal, even going back to a life of drudgery would be better than this.

...

After discussing it in the group chat all day yesterday, they had agreed to start patrolling today. But seeing the signs of the fog dispersing, some in the group vaguely expressed the idea that patrolling was unnecessary and that the world was about to return to normal.

But as soon as this thought surfaced, it was collectively suppressed. The most persuasive argument was:

The heavy fog had lasted for half a month from its onset; who knew how long it would take to clear? Although it had thinned a bit now, visibility was still very low, making travel impossible.

If it continued like this for a few more days, everyone would eventually run out of food. Many people were already barely getting by on the meager Relief Food provided, unable to withstand even the slightest risk.

Ultimately, the building managers compiled the patrol lists for each building and assigned duty dates and patrol areas.

Bai Xiao found the list in the group chat that afternoon. Her name was prominently featured. The building manager, Xu Zhen, knowing she lived alone, had added her name without even asking whether she would patrol or contribute food, and he even scheduled her for the late-night shift tonight.

Several buildings in the residential area had two elevators and four units per floor. The patrol teams consisted of four people per group, and most people on the same floor were assigned to the same group. Bai Xiao's floor was no exception.

Patrolling with her, besides the bachelor next door, Zhao Fangzhe, were two residents from the western side of the connecting bridge—one named Shi Jun and the other named Yue Jianping. Judging by their names, they were both men. Bai Xiao hadn't met them yet, as she had moved in recently and didn't go out often.

Since power was currently supplied for one hour at 7:00 PM, they agreed on patrol times: the first half of the night from 8:00 PM to 1:00 AM, and the second half from 1:00 AM to 6:00 AM. Each group would patrol for five hours.

Anyone could see that the first shift was better than the second.

Since the arrival of the heavy fog, the temperature had remained low, staying around 18°C for the past few days, and the nights were even cooler.

Bai Xiao wore a set of gray sweats with white sneakers. Her long hair was tied back in a simple high ponytail, making her look neat and refreshed.

Although her left hand always wore the weapon purchased from the Game Mall, she didn't plan on using a sledgehammer to crack a nut and wouldn't use it lightly. As usual, she simply strapped a knife belt under her sweatshirt, took her phone and flashlight, and headed out.

Zhao Fangzhe was already waiting by the connecting bridge between the east and west units. Hearing the door open, he turned and greeted Bai Xiao. She nodded slightly and joined him after locking her door.

Before long, two beams of light shone from the opposite side of the bridge; they were the other two men from the patrol group.

"Brother Yue, Brother Shi." Zhao Fangzhe clearly knew these two men and greeted them familiarly.

"Xiao Zhao, you're out quite early."

When they approached and saw that Bai Xiao was a girl, the two men realized she lived alone, just like Zhao Fangzhe.

Since they hadn't met before, Zhao Fangzhe stood between the two parties and introduced them.

He pointed to Bai Xiao and said, "This is our new neighbor who just moved in not long ago, Bai Xiao."

Bai Xiao nodded to them and said, "Hello."

The slightly younger man on the opposite side, who had a square face and a resonant voice, spoke first. "Hello, I'm Shi Jun. You can just call me Brother Shi like Xiao Zhao does. I know you; weren't you the one who stood up to Xu Zhen and the others in the group chat last time? I didn't expect you to be so bold living alone. My wife and I thought you had a large family and weren't afraid of him."

"I'm Yue Jianping. I'm older than all of you, so just call me Brother Yue." The other man was slightly plump and looked to be over forty. His eyes were weary, and he seemed reluctant to talk much.

They agreed that using all their flashlights at once would waste too much battery. Since the patrol lasted five hours, they would take turns using one for over an hour each to be fair.

They crossed the bridge from the east units to the west units, then went upstairs from the west side, and then patrolled in the opposite direction after reaching the next floor, moving upward in a serpentine fashion.

The night was long. In the stairwell, there was no sound except for footsteps and heavy breathing. After each round, they would randomly find a stairwell to rest for an hour.

It wasn't until after 4:00 AM, while the four of them were resting in the 10th-floor stairwell, that the three men fell asleep leaning against the wall, exhausted.

Bai Xiao had rested during the first half of the night and wasn't tired at all. After drinking the enhancement potion, she could feel mostly refreshed after only two or three hours of sleep, and four or five hours was enough to fully restore her to peak condition.

Everything was silent. Bai Xiao stared blankly at the circle of light from the flashlight out of boredom.

Thud, thud, thud!

A violent sound of metal hitting a door erupted like firecrackers. In the silence of the night, its impact was no less than that of a bomb. Then, a high-pitched alarm sounded, causing the three men to stumble in fright.

By the time they reacted, Bai Xiao had already climbed half a flight of stairs, with only the trailing light of her flashlight visible around the corner.

The three men hurriedly followed.

The sound wasn't far off, maybe two or three floors away. Realizing it might be the 12th floor where their homes were located, the three men were now wide awake and rushed up the stairs.

When they reached the 12th floor, they found Bai Xiao holding the light and checking something on her phone. The three men quickly gathered around.

"Is something happening on our floor?" Zhao Fangzhe asked urgently.

Without needing Bai Xiao to answer, Shi Jun pointed at her door. There were two deep dents from being struck, and the keypad lock on the door also had two gashes.

If this door hadn't been a high-end security door, any of the original doors in the residential area would likely have been more severely damaged.

"Who's so ruthless? They dared to commit a crime even knowing people are on patrol." Yue Jianping seemed unable to believe that such a violent incident could happen in their own building.

"It doesn't feel like an attempted break-in; it seems more like deliberate retaliation. A thief shouldn't be stupid enough to force their way in knowing so many people are patrolling the building," Shi Jun analyzed calmly.

"Then who is retaliating? Could it be Xu Zhen and his group?" Zhao Fangzhe could only think of them; after all, Bai Xiao had only moved in a few days ago and had only had conflicts with them.

At this moment, Bai Xiao, who had been looking at her phone in silence, finally lowered her hand. With a calm expression, she opened the door and quickly walked to the kitchen, bringing out a heavy bone cleaver that was only used for chopping ribs.

Seeing such a delicate girl bring out such a large knife, the atmosphere of their discussion instantly froze.

Zhao Fangzhe said anxiously, "What are you doing?!"