Chapter 56 Standoff

Bai Xiao was also stuck in the lobby and couldn't return. Faced with these stubborn people, she had no choice but to suggest, "Everyone, instead of being deadlocked here, it's better to quickly gather some strong, able-bodied people who can also swim. Going out and searching along the main street might yield results."

Upon hearing this, the group felt somewhat inclined to act, yet they couldn't bear the thought that their own family members were out there facing life and death, while these people could safely return home to rest.

"Fine, but they abandoned the others and came back alone. They can't get off that easily. They have to provide people to accompany us out to search!"

"Right, make them come along!"

He Yuping was furious, her hand trembling as she supported Shi Jun. She had never seen such unreasonable people!

Anger turned into bitter laughter: "We lent the vehicle too. When we returned, they repeatedly warned them. It was those people themselves who refused to listen. Now they're blaming us instead, even wanting us to risk sending people out again to help you search? What a pipe dream!"

Looking at their determined, unyielding faces, she found it utterly ridiculous. Her voice turned cold again: "If you won't let us leave, then we'll all just stay here and tough it out. At worst, we'll just be a bit more tired. I wonder if the people outside still have the *life* to hold on that long!"

"You!" The people opposite were so angry they were speechless, but she had hit their sore spot. They truly couldn't afford to wait it out. Their family members were outside facing unknown dangers. Before long, people began to disperse, cursing under their breath, each going home to find help.

Bai Xiao and the others finally managed to extricate themselves, bidding each other farewell to go home and rest.

...

The tenth day after returning from the game. The rain showed no sign of letting up. Bai Xiao stood on the balcony looking down. The entrance to Building 4 across the way was completely out of sight.

Overnight, the floodwaters had already submerged the first floor!

After everyone returned last night, they only agreed to distribute the public supplies found on the first trip to the wholesale market at nine the next morning. No one continued to pay attention to whether the others from last night had returned.

Bai Xiao opened her phone to check the group chat, but after refreshing the app for a while, it only showed a network error. It wasn't until she saw the empty signal bars that she realized, with a start, that even the mobile network had been cut off at some point.

She hurriedly turned on the bathroom faucet. Water still came out, but Bai Xiao knew that without power, it wouldn't be long before the tap water supply was completely cut off.

At nine o'clock, everyone gathered in the hallway.

Cheng Ru was also there after a few days' absence. Zhao Fangzhe noticed Bai Xiao glance behind him and also turned to look. Seeing it was Cheng Ru who had come out, he said in surprise, "Why are you out? You just got over your fever, you should rest in bed more. Coming out like this, you might catch a chill. Be careful not to get a fever again."

Cheng Ru smiled carefully: "You've been out searching for supplies for two days straight, you must be exhausted. I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help you."

"Everyone, gather around. These seven big bags are the supplies we all found together that day. How about we sort them first and then divide them equally?" Shi Jun brought out the last two bags from his home and called everyone to assemble.

Cheng Ru, thinking she was being considerate, was just about to say something more to win Zhao Fangzhe's sympathy.

But Zhao Fangzhe's attention was quickly drawn away by Shi Jun's actions and he didn't pay her any further notice.

Everyone immediately began sorting the supplies on the floor right there in the corridor.

The acquired supplies were quite varied: some snacks like rice crackers, chips, biscuits, nuts, canned goods, candy, etc.; various beans, mixed grains, oatmeal; and a bunch of dried goods like dried wood ear mushrooms and dried seaweed.

Only about half were ready-to-eat items. To be fair, everyone got a little bit of each item. For the few things that couldn't be divided equally, they discussed and found substitutes.

Their first outing had involved decent cooperation, without any major conflicts. So, twenty or thirty people harmoniously divided the goods in the narrow corridor.

...

Yue Jianping's wife, Xiang Mei, hid behind the door with her son, listening to them divide the supplies, grinding her teeth in envy and hatred.

Her husband was among those who went to the wholesale market for supplies yesterday. Last night, the family members discussed and finally assembled a team of over a dozen people to go out searching.

Not knowing the exact route, they only walked along the main street for over an hour. They truly couldn't figure out the direction and had no choice but to give up and return.

Her man was out there, fate unknown, while Shi Jun, Zhao Fangzhe, and Bai Xiao were here happily dividing things. These two men always thought of that Bai Xiao when there was something good. They were on the same floor! On the first day they went to the wholesale market, the rain wasn't even this heavy, yet they never thought to lend a hand to her family. How could she not hate them for it!

She believed her family deserved a share of those supplies outside too. It was compensation from Shi Jun and the others for abandoning their neighbors from the same building yesterday.

Xiang Mei, her face dark, opened the door and went downstairs. Soon, she gathered a group of family members whose loved ones hadn't returned and went back to the 12th floor to demand an explanation from Shi Jun and Zhao Fangzhe.

"Shi Jun, the people who went with you to the wholesale market yesterday haven't come back. Not only are you not out searching, you're here happily dividing things. Did you deliberately harm them? Are these supplies you snatched from them?"

Shi Jun and the others were simply stunned upon hearing this. They had never encountered such shameless distortion of the truth!

"What nonsense are you spouting? These things we're dividing were brought back the day before yesterday! Which eye of yours saw us snatching them from others?!"

Xiang Mei pointed at Bai Xiao: "With the conditions outside so terrible, what contribution could a little girl like her possibly make? If even she gets to share, why can't we, as the family members of the teammates you abandoned?"

Others chimed in: "Regardless, you all went out together. Everyone else hasn't returned, only you few came back. You must compensate us family members, and you also have to go out again to search for the others."

Bai Xiao wasn't too angered by Xiang Mei's belittling, but the eight people she had rescued at the intersection last night, upon hearing this, reacted as if their tails had been stepped on and started shouting.

"Bullshit! Miss Bai made huge contributions! What do you know!"

"Don't think everyone is useless just because you are. You'd be better off spending this time making a fuss by going out to look for your own family."

Bai Xiao looked past the crowd and met Xiang Mei's eyes, feeling this woman had perfected the art of self-serving opportunism.

Even during the patrol that day, she had thought this family was particularly good at taking advantage. On one hand, they couldn't bear to let their just-adult son take risks on patrol; on the other, they wanted an extra person out there to reduce the number of times their own family had to take a turn.

The lively atmosphere of distributing supplies vanished without a trace. Everyone just felt like they were being harassed by a bunch of scoundrels. It was incredibly aggravating.

Unwilling to waste more words on these lunatics, everyone just picked up their share of the supplies, wanting to leave first.

Xiang Mei and the others blocked the stairwell entrance. How could they let them leave so easily with the goods?

"Put down those supplies! Don't think you can just walk away like this!"

As they spoke, the two groups began shoving. The first group who went to the wholesale market were all young men. The family members demanding supplies, while greater in number, were mostly women and middle-aged people.

One side was physically stronger; the other had greater numbers. Neither side was willing to back down, and a struggle broke out in the narrow corridor and stairwell. The situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

Just as everyone was deadlocked, shouts came from far downstairs, growing closer: "They're back! The people who went to the wholesale market are back! Everyone, come downstairs quickly!"