Chapter 55 Waterlogging

Descending to the first floor, the situation was indeed grim. When they had returned last night, the water seeping into the unit lobby was only a shallow layer. After just one day, the water had already risen past a person's hips.

Even so, quite a few people had gathered in the lobby. Those waiting were the family members of those who had gone out to search for supplies.

Faced with such a situation, Bai Xiao had no good solutions either. Although she had equipment and knew the direction of the wholesale market, with it being so dark and the rain so heavy outside, she wasn't confident she could find anyone.

He Yuping also understood this. She simply felt powerless. Her husband had mentioned Bai Xiao's deeds several times and had instructed her before leaving that if she truly felt she couldn't hold on, she should sincerely seek help.

Shi Jun could see that although Bai Xiao was indifferent to everyone and didn't wish to form deep connections, she was definitely not a heartless or cold-blooded person. Threats would have no effect on her. However, if someone was sincere with her and interacted without the slightest concealment, she wouldn't stand by idly.

It must be said that Shi Jun was very perceptive. This was indeed Bai Xiao's only current soft spot. She truly found it difficult to refuse someone who treated her sincerely and with not a hint of concealment or ulterior motives.

Bai Xiao's gear was all professional outdoor grade. Her flashlight was also much better than what ordinary households typically kept on hand.

The dedicated outdoor flashlight was both bright and had a long beam, easily illuminating the residential compound's gate two to three hundred meters away.

While the family members here were still anxiously waiting, commotion broke out again on the Second Floor.

The water in the unit lobby was already half a person deep. Since the afternoon, the homes of the first-floor residents had started flooding. Seeing the water rising more and more, they had no choice but to pack their belongings and move upstairs.

They still had belongings at home and didn't want to go too far, hoping to first stay temporarily with someone upstairs. The Second Floor residents, of course, were unwilling, and one after another shut their doors, refusing to come out.

Only two households lived on the first floor. These two households took turns knocking on the doors of the four households on the Second Floor, banging violently on the doors.

When no one on the Second Floor responded, they knocked on the Third Floor. They went up and down, struggling until evening, but still failed to secure a place to stay.

The building manager, Shen Xiang, had been summoned by someone and was currently on the Second Floor listening to everyone arguing and complaining to each other.

The noise from upstairs gradually faded, but it was unclear what agreement was ultimately reached.

He Yuping had no mind to listen to the commotion upstairs. Her eyes were filled with anxiety as she stared outside the door, hoping to see a beam of light appear at the main gate.

Her anxiety made it impossible for her to wait any longer. She said to Bai Xiao, 'Can I borrow your flashlight? I want to go to the gate and take a look.'

Bai Xiao saw that she was only wearing an ordinary cloak-style raincoat, with clothes and pants made of ordinary fabric. Having stayed on the first floor for so long now, her shoes and pants were already soaked through.

The area near the gate was a downward slope, the terrain even lower. It was unknown how deep the water was there. If she went out like this, her upper body would get soaked too.

'I'll go take a look. Your clothes aren't waterproof.'

'I should still go with you!' He Yuping felt bad letting Bai Xiao take the risk alone.

Bai Xiao placed a hand on the open unit door, blocking her steps. 'Don't go. I can move faster alone.'

With that, she paid no further attention to He Yuping and went out alone.

The downpour was torrential, the heavy raindrops pounding painfully on one's head. Fortunately, her raincoat was hardshell, its stiff hood both waterproof and providing some cushioning.

She half-waded, half-swam towards the gate. The terrain at the entrance was low, and the water was already deep enough to submerge a person's stomach.

If not for the surrounding residential buildings, anyone looking would think the road ahead wasn't a road but a rushing river.

Outside the residential street, where it connected to the main road, there seemed to be a few faint lights flickering with the water. The rain was too heavy for Bai Xiao to see clearly.

She swam forward over a dozen meters before discovering seven or eight people, arms linked, struggling to move and trying to get back onto the residential street.

Unfortunately, the main road's terrain was even lower than the residential area's. The water flow rushed down the residential street and, at the turn, converged into a powerful circular current with immense force, trapping the group firmly at the street entrance, unable to come up.

It was Shi Jun, Zhao Fangzhe, and the others!

It was unclear how long they had been trapped. The journey back from the wholesale market had already exhausted them, and now they lacked the strength to push forward.

Bai Xiao, her hand hidden underwater, pulled out a safety rope stored in her storage space.

She quickened her pace, swimming towards them. Seeing her approach, the group on the other side became excited, waving as if they had seen a lifeline.

Bai Xiao threw one end of the safety rope to them. Amidst the deafening roar of the heavy rain and rushing water, she shouted across the few meters, 'Tie the rope around your waists! I'll pull you up one by one!'

At this moment, no one was thinking about how a seemingly petite girl could possibly pull a grown man against the current. They simply felt that if she said she could do it, then she could.

The man closest to her securely tied the rope around his own waist. He was still hesitating about whether to first remove the large pack on his back.

Seeing this, Bai Xiao shouted, 'No need to remove it.'

Under the man's half-doubting, half-trusting gaze, she braced one foot against the roadside curb, stepped back with the other, leaned her body back into a bow shape, and with a great pull, hauled both the man and his pack up.

After pulling one person up, it became easier to pull the others. With multiple people working together, they managed to pull all eight people up in three attempts.

The nearly exhausted group, connected by the safety rope, supported each other and struggled back into the residential area.

The long-waiting family members, seeing someone return, excitedly crowded around. But when they saw no one else appearing behind the eight, their joyful smiles froze on their faces.

The eight entered, removed their packs, and slumped against their families, unable to get up. Some had even lost their raincoats and were shivering uncontrollably from the cold.

The others, however, paid no mind to this and only anxiously questioned them.

'Why are only you eight back? Where are the others?'

'Yeah, where are the others? Why didn't you come back together?'

Shi Jun, having served in the military before, had the best stamina. Only he could still speak coherently.

'When we left, the others were still at the wholesale market. We don't know where they are now.'

'What do you mean you don't know? Why did you abandon them and come back on your own?'

Even with his good temper, Shi Jun was furious now. 'What do you mean we abandoned them? There were twenty or thirty of them, and only eight of us.'

He gasped angrily, rainwater still in his mouth making him cough violently. After catching his breath, he said, 'The water on the road was deep today, very difficult to traverse. We only reached the wholesale market around noon. In the afternoon, seeing the water inside the market getting deeper and deeper, we were worried we wouldn't be able to return if we stayed too late. We tried our best to persuade everyone to go back. But they all felt they hadn't been there long and hadn't finished searching the market, so they were unwilling to come back with us. What could we do? We couldn't even get our own vehicle back.'

He Yuping stroked her husband's back, helping him calm his cough. Her eyes full of heartache, she supported Shi Jun with both hands to stand straight, not wanting her husband to exert himself further. 'Come, let's go home and get warm first.'

Seeing this, the other men's family members also helped their own men stand up properly, all wanting to hurry home to rest.

The crowd, already frantic with anxiety, couldn't possibly let them leave. Even knowing it was useless, they blocked their way, not allowing them to depart.

They were numerous and powerful. The eight who returned, plus their family members, weren't many. The two groups thus reached a stalemate.