Chapter 57 The People Who Didn't Return

The people upstairs, upon hearing that the large group missing for a day had returned, no longer cared about the standoff. They hurried downstairs happily to greet them.

The people who had come to seize supplies scattered in a rush. Those who had originally come to legitimately receive their share of supplies also took the opportunity to take what they got back home, fearing that the group might turn back and rob them again.

In the blink of an eye, only Bai Xiao and a few others remained standing in the corridor on the 12th floor. Shi Jun brought out the Compound Bow he had borrowed yesterday and the remaining arrows from his home and returned them to Bai Xiao.

Then he dragged out a large bag and noisily poured the supplies from it onto the floor.

On the floor was a pile of colorful items, most of which were unrecognizable. Seeing Bai Xiao's confusion, Shi Jun pointed at the things on the floor and began explaining.

"The wholesale market didn't have professional watercraft. Xiao Zhao and I only managed to find these: inflatable rafts, inflatable banana boats, swimming rings, life jackets. Take a look and choose whichever you want directly."

Bai Xiao looked at the pile of items on the floor. Honestly, she had no use for any of them because the water equipment she had stored was far more professional and abundant.

But she knew Shi Jun and Zhao Fangzhe meant well, and these items were extremely precious to them. She had considered that they might give her a couple of things to repay the favor of lending the bow, but she hadn't expected them to be so forthright, laying everything out for her to choose from.

She was slightly moved. However, she couldn't reveal anything about her storage space. She simply said, "I don't need these. You keep them."

Seeing this, Zhao Fangzhe also urged, "How can we accept that? Brother Shi and I borrowed your bow and promised to help you find things. If you don't need these, then take more food."

Bai Xiao shook her head. "There will be plenty of time ahead. Let's go downstairs first and see what's happening. It's been chaotic in the building lately. We should pay more attention to their movements."

Seeing her insistence on refusing, Zhao and Shi had no choice but to put the things away for now. The few of them went downstairs together to first investigate the situation.

...

They were delayed for a while. By the time they reached the second floor, they found the first floor flooded. Dozens of people were crowded in the stairwell leading to the second floor and the corridor, crying and wailing.

It turned out that of the forty-some people who went out yesterday, only Shi Jun and seven others returned last night. Now, another twenty had returned, meaning over a dozen were still missing.

Of the more than ten who didn't return, some were separated from the group at a large intersection, others were swept away by the floodwaters one by one, and some, exhausted, had disappeared silently at some point.

Last night, it was dark and the rain was heavy. They were powerless to rescue those swept away. It wasn't until they realized nearly half their number was gone that they understood they couldn't risk going further. So, the remaining people found a street-side shop, broke down the door, and spent a rough night on the second floor, waiting until daybreak today to make the difficult journey back.

Those helplessly crying and shouting now were the ones who had just learned their family members had been swept away by the water.

Yesterday, when no one had returned, everyone was worried. But knowing the group was large, they all assumed they were just temporarily stranded. Today, hearing the tragic news suddenly, the last bit of hope in their hearts vanished, and everyone broke down in tears.

The families of the missing knelt on the ground, begging everyone to go out and search again. But outside, the rain was heavy and the water deep, making the hope of finding anyone slim. No one was willing to go out and take the risk.

"It seems Xu Zhen and his gang didn't come back," Zhao Fangzhe said, scanning the crowd and not seeing Xu Zhen or his loyal followers.

Shi Jun felt that with that group gone, the building would be much more peaceful. However, they weren't exactly heinous criminals either. With them meeting misfortune, he couldn't bring himself to kick them while they were down. He only sighed, "Fortune or misfortune, it's all fate. There's nothing any of us can do."

Bai Xiao didn't give a second thought to whether Xu Zhen's gang existed or not. She just stared blankly at the water below the building, lost in thought. She was thinking about how fast the water was rising, wondering how much longer it would take for the water level to reach the 12th floor. She didn't know if she could stay here long enough to participate in the third game. If not, where could she find another safe place?

"The building manager is here, the building manager is here! Everyone, listen to what the building manager has to say first."

Shen Xiang felt utterly exhausted from being the building manager. His own family's supplies weren't plentiful, and he had to spend a considerable amount of time every day adjudicating these endless disputes.

"building manager, you have to stand up for us! Our people are gone, but they also contributed to finding supplies for the collective. We can't lose both people and supplies!"

"That's right! They must share these supplies equally with us. Otherwise, no one will have it easy!"

"They know exactly where our family members went missing. The building must send people out to search! We need to see them alive or find their bodies! We can't just let this go!"

The families of the missing were emotionally charged, their eyes wide with fury, looking as if they could eat someone alive.

Shen Xiang was caught in a dilemma, only trying his best to maintain harmony within the building.

"Out of humanitarian spirit, how about every household that participated in the supply search these past two days contributes one jin of food as a gesture of comfort to the families of the victims?"

Outside, the rain poured incessantly, and no one knew if they could even go out to search for food in the future. Let alone one jin of food, most people weren't willing to give even a single liang.

No one responded to Shen Xiang's words. Some even subtly retreated to the back of the crowd, trying to slip away unnoticed.

There were over a dozen families of the victims, but the number of other households was greater. In recent days, it was no longer about who was pitiful and therefore had the right to speak. It purely depended on which side had more people; that side would hold the upper hand.

Shen Xiang's words went unheeded. He felt helpless but also thought it might be good to be relieved of this burden. He clearly knew that from this moment on, no one would come to him seeking justice. Justice would completely vanish starting today. From now on, the world would operate solely on capability—the survival of the fittest.

From now on, conflicts would be laid bare. All notions of neighborly friendship, harmony, patrols for collective safety—from this instant, they would all vanish into thin air. Everyone would fend for themselves for survival.

The crowd still dispersed. No one paid attention to the pleas of these vulnerable people.

...

The families of the more than ten victims were completely disheartened. They couldn't persuade anyone to go out and search, nor did they have the power to threaten others into handing over supplies. Starting from nightfall, they took turns wielding kitchen knives and wooden clubs, violently hacking and smashing the doors of other households. Their motto was: if they couldn't survive, no one else would have it easy either.

Bai Xiao couldn't escape this either. Almost every few hours, someone would come to violently pound on her door. Everyone in the entire building was tormented, unable to sleep peacefully.

This group had completely mastered the essence of guerrilla warfare. In groups of three or five, they would emerge unpredictably to take turns harassing every household. If the harassed residents came out to chase them away, they would quickly turn tail and run, hiding back in their own homes to avoid confrontation. Once people dispersed, they would come out again to continue the harassment. There was no pattern to it.

They were organized and premeditated. Although few in number, their methods were oddly effective. They successfully disgusted everyone in the entire building.

Even though the others had greater numbers, they hadn't formed a strong organization and, for the time being, had no way to deal with them.

In an unnoticed corner, several households from the flooded first floor, the leaking second floor, and the Third Floor at risk of flooding quietly occupied the temporarily vacant rooms on the higher floors. Taking advantage of the chaos, they acted overnight. Because they were already awake, they ironically weren't harassed by these frenzied people.

Early the next morning, the residents who had been kept awake by the harassment got up and quickly spread the word, planning to unite and deal with this group. But before the morning was even over, the situation took an unexpected turn.