Seducing and Flirting with Boss O While Stockpiling in the Apocalypse (GL) - Chapter 36

The echoes in the hallway were exceptionally loud. Aside from the few households joyfully welcoming their families back, many residents from the upper floors ran out to watch the commotion. All eight people looked disheveled, their hair plastered to their scalps and their bodies soaked through.

But it was too cold outside. After offering their congratulations, the onlookers soon dispersed. In the dead of night, with no signal or power, no one could ask for details or discuss anything in the group chat. Most people planned to wait until daylight to inquire about the situation.

He Shugen carried several bags inside and hurriedly poured the fish into a bucket. He gave one to Su Rong, and the thick-skinned Zhang Dajiu practically forced him to hand one over as well; He Shugen kept the remaining three for himself.

The fish were substantial and would last a while. He planned to slaughter one and cut it into chunks to share with some of the others who had ventured out today; since he had already made the offer, it was only fair that everyone who witnessed it got a share.

Sun Cuifen watched the fish in the bucket, noting how vigorous they were. They slammed their tails against the sides with enough force to nearly puncture the plastic. She nodded in satisfaction, thinking of brewing a fish soup for her son tomorrow.

He Shugen patted his wife’s shoulder and grinned. “How about that?! You can tell just by looking that the meat is firm! I brought back other food too. We’ll handle the fish tomorrow; let them live for now!”

Sun Cuifen pointed to the pot on the stove. “There are some leftovers; just make do with those. The power hasn’t come back, so they’re a bit cold.”

He Shugen replied, “Fine, I’ll just grab a quick bite.”

Luo Sheng opened the door slightly, and a cold wind immediately blew in. Rubbing her palms together, she stepped out and peered down the stairwell to check the situation, but she only heard the faint sound of muffled conversation. With no other choice, she turned back inside.

“How is it?” Nan Shuwan asked with a yawn, her eyes bleary with sleep. “Did everyone who went out today return?”

Luo Sheng nodded. “It seems so, but I don’t know the specifics. We’ll ask tomorrow.”

After the brief exchange, everyone went to sleep.

The next day arrived quickly, yet neither water nor electricity had been restored. Many people were reaching their breaking point. Seeing that the previous group had returned safely, many residents wanted to borrow the rafts to find supplies.

Since the temperature had dropped so suddenly after the extreme heat, no one was prepared for the cold. They could only pull out winter quilts and clothes to wear. Only some of the older residents had coal briquettes at home to start fires for warmth.

However, burning those can easily lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, so a window must be kept open—but opening a window let in the freezing wind. Under these conditions, the number of people catching colds and fevers continued to rise.

While the power outage was somewhat bearable, the lack of water was critical. Drinking water was in short supply, and they couldn’t even boil water. Yet, the weather made it impossible to go out; gale-force winds and torrential rain persisted, and the rain began to mix with sleet, sizzling against the glass.

Temperatures dropped to near zero over the next few days, and every breath turned into a white mist. The water level continued to rise, but there wasn’t a single bar of signal on their phones. No one knew when the rescue teams would arrive. Luo Sheng couldn’t even check the news. People stopped thinking about mutual aid and began to huddle in their own homes, focused purely on self-preservation.

Mother Wang wanted her raft back and was no longer willing to lend it out, but since it was with the property management and the power was out, she couldn’t contact them. Separated by another building, she couldn’t cross over and could only fret in silence.

The water level was rising rapidly, forcing residents on the seventh floor to move up. He Shugen and Sun Cuifen weren’t as unwelcome as others since they brought supplies with them, but the residents upstairs were still reluctant to take them in. Finally, Qiao Bai softened her heart and let the three of them in, though her girlfriend, Yang Suitong, complained bitterly about it.

The young couple were homebodies who had bought plenty of snacks before. Since they didn’t have large appetites, they had been frugal since the disaster began and were still doing okay.

Taking in Sun Cuifen’s family was bound to be a major hassle. Yang Suitong was angry; her girlfriend was simply too kind, always wanting to lend a hand. While it was a noble trait, it was infuriating in a situation like this. But since they were already inside, she couldn’t say much and could only take things one step at a time.

Wang Zhigang, meanwhile, was in a miserable state. No one would ignore him, so he grabbed a tool and went door-to-door, smashing at them in a rage. In this extraordinary situation, he refused to beg and kept his aggressive attitude, ensuring no one would help him.

The residents knew Wang Zhigang had a violent temper and frequently clashed with neighbors while drunk. Everyone wanted to stay as far away from him as possible; no one was going to go looking for trouble by helping him now.

He cursed as he climbed the stairs floor by floor, but after smashing at doors for a long time, he ran out of strength with no results. He sat shivering in the hallway, not forgetting to kick a door a few times. “Just you wait! I’ll pick all your locks in the middle of the night! I won’t let a single one of you off!”

Despite his bravado, he had to find a way indoors. Sitting in the 12th-floor hallway, he pulled his hat tight, thinking he needed to find someone to provide relief, but the whole building looked down on him. Just as Wang Zhigang was at his wit’s end, someone came down from upstairs.

He looked up and saw Zhu Peng, the hawk-nosed man with the buzz cut.

“Owner has successfully signed in for 60 consecutive days. Space level upgraded to 7.”

After the upgrade, Luo Sheng chose to add a point to her Speed. She now possessed three points of Strength and one point of Speed. Her physical power was now beyond what an average person could contest. She had sparred with Nan Chu yesterday and found that the other woman was already struggling to match her.

Since He Shugen’s group returned, the weather had become increasingly severe. Others who had planned to venture out were pinned down, waiting for the rain to lessen.

Fortunately, water and power flickered back on the day before yesterday. Every household rushed to boil several large kettles of hot water as backup. He Shugen joyfully slaughtered a fish, freezing half in the fridge and boiling the other half with a few seasonings.

Sun Cuifen, however, was wary. she claimed the fish was to nourish her son’s health and that they could share other dishes with Qiao Bai, but not the fish. She even grumbled that the food was brought back by the previous group and shouldn’t have to be shared.

While she said this, she was really just trying to prevent Qiao Bai and her girlfriend from eating. He Shugen wasn’t that stingy; considering they were living in someone else’s home, he busily invited Qiao Bai and the other to eat together.

Qiao Bai didn’t mind; hearing it was for the child, she didn’t pick up her chopsticks. Yang Suitong, however, found the whole family nauseating and had no intention of eating their food.

If Sun Cuifen was overtly stingy, He Shugen was a “smiling tiger”—outwardly friendly but incredibly calculating and unwilling to lose a cent.

Then there was their son, a spoiled brat who refused to eat this or that. He would throw tantrums and toss things if he wasn’t satisfied, and sometimes he would aim a slingshot at the two women. Yang Suitong had wanted to discipline him several times.

But Sun Cuifen would never let anyone bully her “precious baby,” claiming with a dark face that all children were naughty and adults shouldn’t hold it against them. It was the first time they’d seen someone act so arrogantly while living in someone else’s house. Yang Suitong was finally learning the meaning of “easy to invite a god, hard to send one away.”

Just then, someone knocked. Qiao Bai opened it to find Mother Wang from upstairs. He Shugen immediately went to the kitchen, grabbed a plastic bag, and handed it to her. He had promised to give her half a fish upon his return, partly as thanks for lending the raft.

Mother Wang looked in the bag and was satisfied. She waved her hand with a smile. “Hehe, Old He, you’re generous. If you ever run out of space, you’re welcome at my place!”

He Shugen nodded repeatedly. This was exactly what he wanted. The water was rising fast, and they might have to move up again soon. Finding a spot in advance saved them from begging later. “Sure, Sister Wang! Take care!”

Yang Suitong dropped her chopsticks, having lost her appetite, and went into the bedroom. Qiao Bai knew she was in a bad mood, gave an apologetic smile to the three at the table, and followed her immediately.

Luo Sheng exercised for a bit and took a shower in the space. As she came out, Nan Shuwan emerged from the kitchen carrying noodles. Today was her turn to cook, and she had made a massive portion of double-pepper chicken tossed noodles—much simpler than making several side dishes.

It was nice to change the flavor after eating rice every day. A basin of tossed noodles sat in the middle of the table. Nan Shuwan had arranged the four sets of bowls and chopsticks perfectly—everyone had their own dedicated set.

Nan Chu unceremoniously twirled a few mouthfuls and slurped them down, finding the taste quite good. “The situation is getting worse. Yesterday someone climbed up to our floor to beg for food. You and Nan Shuwan were in the space, and Auntie was napping. I turned him away, but I forgot to tell you!”

“That happened?” Luo Sheng looked at her. “With the frequent outages and the weather making it hard to go out, people are bound to get restless.”

Nan Shuwan added, “Everyone needs to be careful. Don’t open the door easily for anyone.”

“I really wonder when this rain will stop… It’s starting to snow now. If this continues, who knows how many will die…” Luo Xiaoli murmured to herself, sighing.

The meal finished quickly, and another two days passed.

Luo Sheng woke up to find a few bars of signal restored. She turned on her data and received a flood of messages. The group chat was a mess. Su Rong from property management said the weather was decent today and a group could go out.

Going floor-by-floor was too slow in this emergency, so she decided each floor would send one representative. This way, everyone could get a share, though the representative who went out would get a larger portion.

Luo Sheng got out of bed and pulled back the curtain to find the rain had actually stopped. A thin layer of ice floated on the water, and the sky was much clearer, with a hint of dim sunlight breaking through.

Just then, Qiao Bai sent a private message.

[Sister Luo, the weather is good today, it’s a great opportunity. The management said one person per floor, and it just got to the 15th. Eight people in two rafts. Is your floor sending you?]

[If you’re going, sit with me, how about it? Let’s go together and find some supplies!]