Chapter 26: Stay Safe

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Stay Safe

Symbolically grabbing a plastic bag, Chen Momo took out her flashlight and prepared to head downstairs to Room 908.

Passing by Xu Xiaoka’s apartment, she knocked on the door. A voice from inside called out, "Coming!" and Xu Xiaoka walked out shortly after.

The two seemed to have developed a tacit understanding. Xu Xiaoka linked her arm with Chen Momo’s, and they headed downstairs together.

"Hey, hey, let’s hurry up! Those two women in front have a flashlight!" Yang Hong spotted Chen Momo and Xu Xiaoka the moment she stepped out of her room. Knowing they both had flashlights, she urged Zhang Qiang to pick up the pace.

The stairwell remained pitch black. Chen Momo was about to turn on her flashlight when Xu Xiaoka beat her to it.

"Sister Momo, I brought a flashlight today too," Xu Xiaoka said.

As Chen Momo and Xu Xiaoka descended the stairs, the heavy THUMP THUMP of Zhang Qiang and Yang Hong running echoed behind them. It sounded as if the couple feared they wouldn’t be able to grab anything if they were even a second late.

In the narrow stairwell, Zhang Qiang and Yang Hong pushed past Chen Momo and Xu Xiaoka.

"Make way, make way! Don’t block the path!" Yang Hong yelled, bumping into Chen Momo as she hurriedly rushed down the stairs.

"Sister Momo, are you okay?" Xu Xiaoka immediately asked with concern.

Chen Momo shook her head. "I’m fine."

Xu Xiaoka scoffed, "Look at those two, absolutely no manners. Always panicking like crazy every day."

Talking all the while, they arrived at the ninth floor.

Rooms 908 and 909 were adjacent. Both households had perished the night before. A long queue had already formed in the corridor, but the crowd was dead silent. Everyone’s eyes looked hollow and dull.

It was as if the Grim Reaper were playing a twisted game of tag—whoever was singled out would depart from this world. Everyone was terrified. No one wanted to be next, but no one knew if their turn was coming. The crowd remained silent, already accustomed to the presence of death. No one wanted to speak; only through silence could they conserve a little bit of energy to live a little longer.

"Queue up, everyone," Wang Jian Country said, maintaining order in the corridor.

Finally, someone asked in a low voice, "Where is Sister Wang?"

Wang Jian Country glanced at the person. The speaker was a frail, thin woman. She was staring blankly at Wang Jian Country with wide, lackluster eyes.

Wang Jian Country pondered for a moment before saying, "She caught a cold. Everyone must take good care of your health and avoid catching a cold."

As soon as Wang Jian Country said this, he began to regret it, knowing it was utter nonsense. How could anyone take good care of their health in this kind of weather? Not only did they have to endure hunger, but they also had to fight against the increasingly plummeting temperatures!

The couple, Yang Hong and Zhang Qiang, started clamoring again, craning their necks to look endlessly toward Rooms 908 and 909.

"When does it start?" Zhang Qiang asked.

"Why aren’t you letting us in yet?" Yang Hong also asked, poking her head out.

These two only had grabbing things on their minds, completely indifferent to the deceased residents. The people of Building Five were all extremely annoyed by this couple now, and Wang Jian Country was no exception. He completely ignored Zhang Qiang and Yang Hong, acting as if he hadn’t heard anything at all.

After a while, the last two households finally arrived. Wang Jian Country did a head count and started lining people up to let them in. It was still seven or eight people per group, with five minutes for each group. After five minutes, it would be the next group’s turn.

Before dying, the household in Room 908 had hoarded a lot of cured meat—a full several dozen large boxes of it.

Cured meat was dry and tough, needing to be boiled before it could be eaten. After the water and power were cut off, this air-dried meat was like stone, impossible to bite into.

When Chen Momo and Xu Xiaoka’s group entered the room, the other residents saw the piles of cured meat stacked in the corner. Those who needed it grabbed a box. Some residents opened it, saw it was cured meat, shook their heads, and said regretfully, "This stuff is inedible. Without water or electricity, we can’t boil it, and we can’t bite into it. Even if we eat it, we’ll die from the saltiness." After saying that, they went to get other things.

The other people in Chen Momo’s group originally wanted to take the cured meat, but after hearing this, they felt it made sense. Abandoning the meat, they started searching for other items in the room.

Taking advantage of no one paying attention, Chen Momo started frantically collecting the cured meat.

One box, two boxes... She took eight boxes in one breath, stowing all of them into her spatial dimension. She didn’t take the remaining boxes; after all, taking too much would arouse suspicion.

Besides the eight boxes of cured meat, Chen Momo also scavenged cotton quilts, down jackets, a television, a refrigerator, a sliding-door wardrobe, and other items from the room, tossing them all into her dimension. In the plastic bag in her hand, she symbolically placed a few eggs. When Wang Jian Country shouted, "Time’s up," she followed the crowd to the next household.

After Room 909, they went to Room 110. She collected quite a few things from these three homes today.

As for Xu Xiaoka, she also reaped a good harvest: two jugs of mineral water that had frozen solid long ago, a down jacket, as well as some eggs, tofu skin, instant noodles, sausages, and more.

Zhang Qiang and Yang Hong grabbed even more. In order to let Yang Hong snatch more things, Zhang Qiang waited outside; whatever Yang Hong grabbed, he would take and hold. The couple carried things by hand and on their shoulders, hugging and lugging a huge haul of items.

When brushing past Chen Momo and Xu Xiaoka, Yang Hong deliberately stared at Chen Momo’s hands for a moment and said dismissively, "Tch, just that tiny bit of stuff."

Zhang Qiang also glanced at Chen Momo and Xu Xiaoka. Knowing that both of them were single, a flash of lechery crossed his eyes.

Especially Chen Momo. Zhang Qiang had never looked closely at her before, but seeing her today, he surprisingly realized she was quite attractive. And the young woman beside Chen Momo didn’t look bad either!

Zhang Qiang’s greedy eyes lingered on Chen Momo and Xu Xiaoka. If Yang Hong hadn’t urged him to hurry up and leave, his neck might have snapped from craning so hard.

Xu Xiaoka and Chen Momo soon arrived at their doors. Seeing that Chen Momo had only grabbed a few things in her bag, Xu Xiaoka enthusiastically offered to share some of her own items with her.

Naturally, Chen Momo rejected Xu Xiaoka’s offer.

How could she have only grabbed the little bit of stuff in her hands? This small amount was merely for show. The bulk of her haul was safely stowed away inside her spatial dimension!

Thinking of Zhang Qiang’s malicious gaze, Chen Momo instructed Xu Xiaoka, "Remember to lock your door securely once you get home, and make sure to check the lock before you go to sleep tonight."

Touched, Xu Xiaoka nodded. "I know, Sister Momo."