Chapter 27: Forming a New Family

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Forming a New Family

Xu Xiaoka felt a surge of emotion and nodded. "I know, Sister Momo."

The blizzard had been raging for a full month, turning the entire city into a ghost town. Echoes now rang through the hallways, and people had transitioned from panic to a numb acceptance regarding the continuous deaths around them.

Every day, Wang Jian Country and Wang Liping organized the survivors to go door-to-door, scavenging food from the homes of the deceased.

The snow had piled up as high as the sixth floor, burying nearly half the building. At first, some people organized daily efforts to smash the snow blockages, hoping to keep the building’s entrance clear so a rescue team could get in. Eventually, they stopped doing so. For one, the snow outside was packed so tightly that it had hardened into thick, impenetrable blocks of ice. For another, smashing the snow simply took too much effort. To conserve energy and live just a little bit longer, it was better not to waste their strength.

The living survived on the dead.

When people crossed paths, they no longer exchanged greetings. Instead, they stared at each other with vulture-like gazes, silently calculating when the other might die and what supplies could be looted from their home afterward.

This time, the deceased were the residents of apartments 204 and 215. Both households had frozen to death. They were both families of three, and the bitter cold had caused their children to catch severe colds. To give their kids a chance to survive, the parents had given them their meager remaining food, along with all their cotton coats and blankets. Tragically, the children hadn’t made it, and the parents had frozen to death as well.

When Chen Momo and Xu Xiaoka went to line up in the hallway, only a sparse group representing about thirty households was left. As for the others, some were too afraid of the extreme cold to venture downstairs, but the vast majority had already perished in the disaster.

Wang Jian Country and Wang Liping grew increasingly silent as they watched the dwindling numbers. Over the past month, both of them had lost a significant amount of weight. Wang Liping, in particular, had lost the lively glow on her once-chubby face; her cheeks were now completely hollowed out.

While Xu Xiaoka and Chen Momo were waiting in line, they heard a woman muttering behind them.

"It’s so strange. So many people have died, yet the people in 1608 are still alive and well!

"Not just alive and well, but you can smell them cooking every single day! Damn it!"

Chen Momo lived in 1608. She turned her head and saw that the speakers were none other than Zhang Qiang and Yang Hong.

Xu Xiaoka frowned in anger and wanted to confront them, but Chen Momo held her back. With so many people waiting in line, everyone was solely focused on supplies. In this situation, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

In the past, they had formed groups of seven or eight to scavenge, but today, the groups only had four or five people. After everyone lined up and received their share of supplies, Wang Jian Country and Wang Liping asked them to stay. The property management had discussed matters and had a new plan to announce.

"There aren’t many of us left in the building," Wang Jian Country said, his voice hoarse and his eyes red. "We have to stick together to stay warm so that more of us can survive until the rescue team arrives."

In the hallway, the survivors merely stared at him with numb, dead eyes. In the past, they would chatter and ask when the rescue team would finally arrive. Back then, everyone still had faith. But now, no one bothered to ask anymore. They no longer believed in any rescue team.

Wang Liping cleared her throat and continued where he left off. "To maximize the chances of survival for everyone in the building, property management has decided to let you voluntarily reorganize into new families. That means every two households can merge into one. This will maximize warmth and save supplies. Of course, this is entirely voluntary. We won’t force you if you aren’t willing to merge with another household."

Hearing this, Chen Momo looked at Xu Xiaoka, who instinctively looked back at her. Chen Momo’s guard against others was incredibly high, so the moment their eyes met, she quickly looked away. She had already stockpiled enough supplies; she didn’t need to team up with anyone.

When Xu Xiaoka saw that Chen Momo had no intention of teaming up, a faint trace of disappointment flashed across her face. However, she quickly collected herself. She could understand Sister Momo. In this apocalyptic world, it was a matter of life and death. No one would carelessly team up with someone when the stakes were so high—what if they ended up dragging you down?

Other families began discussing potential mergers. The corridor, previously so quiet that a pin drop could echo, was finally filled with the low hum of conversation.

Zhang Qiang and his wife, Yang Hong, were also discussing whether to team up.

"Team up for what?" Zhang Qiang said. "There’s no need. Our family is fine on our own."

Yang Hong rolled her eyes at him. "Why are you so dense? If we form a new group and live with another family, we can get double the supplies! I’m pregnant. I struggle every time we fight for supplies and only manage to grab a little bit. If we have more people, wouldn’t we be able to grab double the amount?"

Zhang Qiang scoffed. "More people means more mouths to feed! Whatever we grab won’t be enough to go around."

Yang Hong lowered her voice. "We’ll find someone who won’t drag us down! I think the widow and her kid across the hall are perfect! They probably have extra supplies in their apartment! If we merge our families, we can rightfully join them for meals whenever they cook!"

Hearing this, Zhang Qiang’s eyes lit up in a FLASH. She was right! If he and Yang Hong teamed up with the widow and her child, wouldn’t they be able to legally share their supplies? It had been a month since the blizzard struck, yet the mother and child were still able to cook every day. It was obvious they had hoarded a lot of good stuff inside!

Yang Hong muttered from the side, "That woman and her son don’t eat much anyway. When the time comes, all the supplies they scavenge will belong to us! In my opinion, forming a new family with the people across the hall is all profit and no loss!"

Chen Momo heard their entire conversation loud and clear. She realized they were actually plotting to steal her supplies. They could keep dreaming!

Several other households were also glancing in Chen Momo’s direction, their eyes revealing a desire to team up with her. These were all residents of the sixteenth floor who had caught whiffs of cooking food in the hallway. Knowing she still had supplies, they were all hoping to merge with her.

Right now, Chen Momo and her son were highly sought-after prizes!

Just as Zhang Qiang and Yang Hong planned to strike first and gain the upper hand, Chen Momo suddenly turned to Xu Xiaoka. "Xiao Ka, why don’t you move into my apartment?"

With so many people eyeing her, it seemed impossible for her not to form a new household. Rather than being stared at like a piece of fat meat, it was better to take the initiative and team up with someone she knew well. At the very least, Xiao Ka had a kind heart.