Seducing and Flirting with Boss O While Stockpiling in the Apocalypse (GL) - Chapter 37

Luo Sheng stared at the two messages, unsure how to reply. She glanced at the weather outside; today was indeed the best it had been in a while. The sky looked like a piece of black cloth with a few slits torn into it, letting in scattered fragments of light that felt somewhat surreal.

But Su Rong quickly began tallying the numbers in the group chat, and residents from each floor started reporting in succession.

In some households where no prior agreement had been reached, arguments broke out. Everyone wanted to go, thinking they could scavenge more supplies—after all, who was to say how much they’d actually share once they got back?

However, some of the more timid residents were willing to give up their spots. They didn’t want to take the risk, preferring to eat less rather than face the possibility of a storm outside.

Su Rong climbed floor by floor according to the messages to call people. On several floors where a representative still hadn’t been decided, people were pushing and pulling in the hallways, on the verge of a fight. Accompanied by two others, she kindly persuaded them and dampened their tempers, which cost a significant amount of time.

Currently, seven names were finalized, but there was still no movement from the 15th floor. Su Rong had been there last time; there were only two units on that floor, and the owners had become a couple. Logically, they should have been able to pick a representative quickly. Why hadn’t they sent a message?

Climbing to the 15th floor left Su Rong and the other two a bit breathless. She didn’t dare take the elevator now; even though the power was back for the moment, it could cut out at any second. If they were trapped in an elevator in such a tall building, it would likely be a death sentence.

She stood with her hands on her hips, catching her breath. Before she could even knock, Luo Sheng opened the door. She looked just as she had last time—wearing a mask, her hair messy and obscuring her face, appearing sickly and weak.

It was normal for a cold to heal slowly in this weather, but Su Rong still felt something was off. It was a vague intuition; this owner almost never spoke in the group chat, keeping a profile so low she was practically a ghost. In the midst of this disaster, she seemed unusually calm.

However, Su Rong didn’t dwell on it. She simply told them to finalize a representative so they could depart immediately.

Luo Xiaoli and Nan Shuwan looked at Luo Sheng with concern. No matter how one looked at it, going out carried a degree of danger. How could Luo Xiaoli, as a mother, not worry? She nagged and tried to persuade her to stay, but Luo Sheng had already decided to go and had explained her reasoning to them thoroughly.

Now that the residents of the building were going out to scavenge, this trip would signal to others that her household didn’t have excess food either. It would dispel suspicion and allow her to scout the roads. As long as she returned safely, it would buy 1501 a period of stability.

As for Nan Chu, Luo Sheng chose not to let her show her face. She was to stay home and look after her mother and Nan Shuwan. If anything happened, Luo Sheng would feel more at ease knowing she was there.

Furthermore, with the space in her possession, Luo Sheng could retrieve self-defense weapons, a raft, and a life jacket at any time. The arrow was already on the string; she had to go.

“I’ll go.” Seeing Su Rong’s scrutinizing gaze peeking into the apartment again, Luo Sheng stepped to the side to block the view. She changed her gear and followed Su Rong downstairs.

Before leaving, she patted Luo Xiaoli’s shoulder to tell her not to worry. Nan Shuwan gripped Luo Sheng’s hand, and as they locked eyes, no words were needed; they understood each other’s thoughts perfectly. Nan Shuwan’s gaze was soft as water, yet her voice was resolute: “I’ll wait for you to come back.”

Luo Sheng nodded vigorously.

Having not stepped out in a long time, Luo Sheng felt a strange sensation. This was her first time going out into the apocalypse since her rebirth. The wind, mixed with sleet, felt bitingly cold against her skin. Only after being outside could one truly feel how harsh the weather was—and it was actually much better now that the rain had stopped.

Luo Sheng wrapped herself up tightly, wearing gloves and high-top waterproof boots. She wore a mask, unwilling to have much interaction with the others. Currently sitting on the swaying raft, the water level was so high it felt as if one wrong move would flip them over.

Debris, leaves, and rubble floated everywhere on the water, with broken iron poles occasionally blocking the path. The group rowed hard, slowly moving in the direction Su Rong pointed.

Luo Sheng’s raft carried four people, while the other carried five; Su Rong had squeezed onto the second one to lead the way.

Qiao Bai’s face didn’t look as gloomy as the others. Instead, her eyes were bright; she was convinced she could bring back plenty of food this time and even get some snacks to coax Tongtong. Her girlfriend had been angry and cold lately, which made Qiao Bai feel a bit uneasy.

However, she didn’t regret helping others. In Qiao Bai’s eyes, this was normal behavior. Since the situation was extraordinary, shouldn’t it be a time for unity and mutual aid? If they didn’t help each other, how could they have rafts to search for supplies? Wasn’t this action made possible by unity?

Thinking of this, Qiao Bai rowed even harder. She was determined to bring things back quickly and prove to Yang Suitong that she could protect her during this disaster.

Luo Sheng rowed while observing the surroundings and memorizing the route. Most of the buildings nearby were residential, mostly over ten stories high. There were many houses; getting out required careful navigation.

She looked toward the southwest; the terrain there was more open and higher. After making a mental note, she focused on moving forward with the group.

The raft jolted with the rise and fall of the water, but since it wasn’t raining, progress wasn’t as difficult as imagined. Su Rong had been out once before, so she was much more familiar with the route this time, and the lack of rain provided better visibility.

After an unknown amount of time, Luo Sheng’s group was nearing the department store.

But the scene before them was unexpected. The few times they had come before, almost no one was around. Today, however, a dozen rafts of all sizes were gathered nearby.

Behind them, two more rafts were slowly approaching—likely residents from their own community. Over the past few days, these people had noticed the owners of Building 03 using rafts to scavenge, so they had rummaged through their homes and found their own means of travel.

The water was crowded with people rowing toward the department store building. The entrance was narrow—located at a high-floor window—and since this floor was also flooded, those who arrived before Luo Sheng’s group had already broken open another window.

Everyone was squeezed there, each person wanting to get inside first to seize the initiative. Now that the snack floor was waterlogged and the items were unsalvageable, supplies were becoming scarcer as the water rose. Whoever entered first would get more.

The four people on Luo Sheng’s raft put in more effort. Su Rong directed them to row forward in one go, but Luo Sheng didn’t actually want to rush to the front. She had only come out today for appearances and to scavenge a small amount of goods. With so many people, a collision could easily flip the boat, which would be a net loss.

Luo Sheng cautioned Su Rong, who wasn’t reckless; she actually listened and had everyone slow down. They waited for one group to exit before maneuvering their way in.

In the department store, long-lasting canned goods and filling biscuits were mostly gone. Only food with shorter shelf lives remained. However, some clever people grabbed piles of lighters and candles to stuff into their bags; these would be useful if the power went out again.

Fortunately, there was still plenty of bottled water. Everyone tried to load as much as they could. Luo Sheng simply picked up a few random items, using black plastic bags to keep others from seeing what she took.

People were scattered across the upper floors of the building, each grabbing as if their lives depended on it. After scavenging for about half an hour, Su Rong called everyone to gather for the return trip.

They hadn’t rowed far from the exit when another group prepared to enter. A person standing on the other raft cried out, “Crap! Is our boat leaking??”

The muscular man in the lead looked down and saw that it was true. Their raft had been sliced by something on the side, and it was visibly deflating. The people on the boat were stumbling, looking like they were about to fall into the water.

In a moment of desperation, they frantically rowed forward. Driven by the current, they crashed directly into Luo Sheng’s raft. The massive impact caused their raft to lurch and sway. Luo Sheng’s side dipped, submerging half her body in the water; she gripped the handle on the edge tightly to keep from being washed away.

Getting back in was a struggle. The others ignored her, but suddenly, Qiao Bai reached out. Her pale face was covered in dust as she lay flat against the raft. “Sister Luo, quick, grab me! Get up here!”

A fleeting touch of emotion flashed through Luo Sheng’s heart. In her previous life, she had been soaked in floodwaters during disasters as well, but no one had ever reached out to help. This was perhaps the first time someone had actively tried to save her in the apocalypse.

Without hesitation, she grabbed Qiao Bai’s hand and climbed back onto the raft.

The muscular man saw that his own raft was failing. Without it, the three of them wouldn’t be able to get back. Being trapped in the department store was out of the question, and since some of them couldn’t swim, falling into the turbulent water would be a death sentence—especially with the rain likely returning soon…

No, he couldn’t let that happen.

At this thought, a flash of ruthlessness appeared in his eyes. In this day and age, who cared about rules? He decided to go all the way. He shot a look at his companion, a woman with dyed yellow hair. She understood immediately and, after steadying themselves against the other raft, took a deep breath.

Then, in the next instant, both of them kicked out simultaneously toward Su Rong’s raft.

Unprepared, the group was caught off guard. Two people were knocked into the water. Unable to swim, they struggled desperately, screaming for help.

The muscular man and the woman didn’t give Su Rong’s group a chance to breathe. They followed up with several punches to the faces of the others, intent on driving everyone off the raft. Even the slowest person realized: they were stealing the raft.

Zhu Peng was punched so hard he fell back, his teeth bleeding instantly. Su Rong was terrified, her heart racing. As the muscular man’s fist was about to hit her face, she ducked and slammed her oar hard against his head.

The blow left him seeing stars, but it also successfully enraged him. With a face full of fury, he pulled a dagger from his pocket and raised it to stab at Su Rong.

Suddenly, Qiao Bai shouted, “Sister Rong, jump over here!”

Snap out of it, Su Rong leaped onto the other raft, and Zhu Peng followed. The muscular man’s group only wanted one raft; having seized it, they didn’t want to continue the struggle and rowed toward the department store.

The two people who fell into the water drifted further away with the current. Qiao Bai wanted to save them, but Zhu Peng grabbed an oar and started ordering the rest to row away immediately.

Luo Sheng’s eyes darkened, but she didn’t stop them. She had no interest in the others right now and only wanted to move, but there were now six people on the raft. The extra person made the boat unstable and prone to flipping.

Seeing Qiao Bai still trying to row in the opposite direction to save people, refusing to move with the group, Zhu Peng cursed, “Damn it! Screw you! Go join them then!”

With that, he delivered a flying kick to Qiao Bai. She tumbled and fell directly into the water. Now the number of people was right, the “dead weight” was gone, and the boat could travel normally.

A contemptuous smile appeared on Zhu Peng’s lips as he told the others to row fast. Su Rong felt a bit guilty but said nothing.

As the boat began to pull away, Qiao Bai’s head bobbed in the water, and she choked on several mouthfuls. Thinking of how Qiao Bai had just saved her, Luo Sheng hesitated for a few seconds before delivering a powerful kick to Zhu Peng.

With the three points of strength added by her space, she was more than a match for these people. The force of the kick was so great it nearly cracked Zhu Peng’s tailbone, leaving him splashing and howling in pain in the water.

Luo Sheng quickly extended her oar for Qiao Bai to grab and finally pulled her up. Qiao Bai’s face was pale as she sat on the raft, coughing incessantly. Su Rong felt ashamed; this girl had just invited her to jump over, yet she had been prepared to leave her behind…

After a few seconds of recovery, Qiao Bai watched Zhu Peng struggling in the water, and a hint of soft-heartedness appeared in her eyes again. Luo Sheng frowned slightly. Seeing this, she patted Qiao Bai’s shoulder and whispered seriously in her ear:

“Kindness is a good thing, but being too kind can sometimes become the knife that stabs you…”

The words clearly referred to what had just happened, but at the same time, Luo Sheng was speaking to herself.

In the apocalypse, death and injury were normal. At this moment, they couldn’t afford to worry about anyone else.

The day grew late, and the rain began to fall again. The drizzle showed signs of intensifying. Qiao Bai fell silent and didn’t speak again.

The other two on the boat didn’t dare make a sound.

Under Luo Sheng’s direction, the people left on the raft quickly rowed back home with their supplies.