Chapter 28: A Rational Decision

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: A Rational Decision

Rather than being eyed like a prime piece of meat, it was better to take the initiative and team up with Xu Xiaoka, someone whose background she knew well. At the very least, Xu Xiaoka was kind-hearted.

After observing her for a while, Chen Momo had come to a conclusion: not only was Xu Xiaoka kind, she was almost foolishly so.

Humans were essentially animals, and animals came in many types. There were ferocious ones, like wolves, lions, and tigers. There were rampant scavengers, like rats and hyenas. There were wretched, cunning ones, like jackals. And, of course, there were harmless animals, like rabbits, pigs, and sheep.

Xu Xiaoka belonged to the "rabbit" category of girls. At the very least, to Chen Momo, she posed no threat.

With the apocalypse upon them, Chen Momo knew every decision she made had to be utterly rational. She couldn’t afford to let her emotions rule. Teaming up with Xu Xiaoka was mutually beneficial. Chen Momo gained a helper, and Xu Xiaoka gained a better chance at survival.

Xu Xiaoka had always wanted to team up with Chen Momo, but she had been afraid of being rejected. When she heard Chen Momo was willing to form a team, Xu Xiaoka could hardly believe it. Her eyes widened. "Really? Sister Momo, do you really want to be on a team with me?"

Chen Momo nodded. "It’s true."

Xu Xiaoka was so happy she almost jumped into the air. "That’s wonderful! I’ll pack my things later and move in with you!"

When Zhang Qiang and Yang Hong heard that Xu Xiaoka and Chen Momo had formed a new household, the married couple instantly looked displeased.

"Our spot got snatched by that little girl!" Zhang Qiang cursed out loud.

Yang Hong scoffed. "That woman in 1608 just didn’t want to join us, so she pulled that little girl in to form a household! Hmph, if she doesn’t want to join us, fine! Does she really think she’s a big deal just because she has some supplies? The snowstorm has been going on for over a month now. Even if she hoarded a mountain of stuff, it won’t last her many more days! When her supplies run out and she wants to team up with us, I wouldn’t agree even if she begged me on her knees!"

Yang Hong deliberately spoke loudly, as if afraid Chen Momo wouldn’t hear her.

Xu Xiaoka angrily tried to step forward to argue with Yang Hong, but Chen Momo stopped her.

"Remember, endure what you can. Unless absolutely necessary, don’t stir up trouble," Chen Momo said.

Xu Xiaoka frowned. "But..."

Chen Momo’s gaze sharpened. "No buts."

Although reluctant, since Chen Momo had said so, Xu Xiaoka could only nod. "Alright, Sister Momo, I understand."

Chen Momo was very aware that right now, hers was the only household in the entire building with supplies. If they were too flashy, they would quickly become a public target and be torn apart by the masses. As a single mother with a young child, she couldn’t physically overpower these people. Keeping a low profile to protect themselves was the most important thing right now.

Nearby, there was a tall, thin man who looked refined and gentle. He was holding a child’s hand, accompanied by a gaunt woman—they appeared to be a family of three.

The family walked over to Chen Momo, and the man asked politely, "Hello, could we form a household with you?"

He had vaguely heard that Chen Momo and her son still had supplies, so he had deliberately brought his wife and child over to ask.

Naturally, Chen Momo politely declined. "I’m sorry, I already have a partner." As she spoke, she pointed to Xu Xiaoka beside her.

A hint of disappointment flashed through the man’s eyes, and he nodded. "Alright then. We’ll go ask someone else." With that, he led his wife and child away to continue inquiring with other families.

In this post-apocalyptic world with extremely harsh survival conditions, everyone wanted to team up with the strong. No one wanted to associate with the weak.

Soon, the residents of the building finished forming their teams. After the reorganization, the original fifty-plus households had been consolidated into just over twenty new ones. There were five or six households that refused to partner up with others, so they remained independent. There were also larger families—having both elderly parents and young children—who had trouble finding partners. Because more people meant more mouths to feed, no one wanted to team up with them, forcing these large families to remain independent as well.

Wang Jian Country and Wang Liping re-registered the list of newly formed households along with their room numbers. After finishing the registration, the two looked at each other and let out a deep sigh.

"Out of over eighty households originally, only a little more than fifty were left. After the reorganization, there are only over thirty," Wang Liping said, her eyes red.

Wang Jian Country didn’t reply. He knew this number would only continue to shrink in the future. After a while, he looked at the bewildered crowd in the hallway and finally said, "I hope that after this household reorganization, everyone can hold out until the rescue team arrives!"

Yang Hong and Zhang Qiang were also stuck as their own independent household. The couple was incredibly shrewd, running around trying to team up with families capable of looting supplies. But the others weren’t fools. Everyone knew what kind of people this couple was, so no one wanted anything to do with them. In the end, having failed to find any partners, Yang Hong and Zhang Qiang remained on their own.

On the night the new households were formed, Xu Xiaoka moved into Chen Momo’s home.

Her luggage wasn’t much—just one large suitcase stuffed with all sorts of clothes and some unconsumed supplies she had scavenged. She was wearing two down jackets, with two sweaters layered underneath, and two scarves wrapped around her neck. Bundled up thickly, she dragged her suitcase over and knocked on Chen Momo’s door.

The moment Chen Momo opened the door, a wave of heat washed over Xu Xiaoka, completely shocking her.

"Sister Momo..."

"Shh—"

Chen Momo gestured for her to stay quiet, then pulled Xu Xiaoka’s suitcase inside.

As Xu Xiaoka stepped into Chen Momo’s home, she felt as if she had entered a promised land. Everything was here: a coal stove burned in the living room, electric heaters were placed in every room, and despite the prolonged power outage, there were still glowing light bulbs providing illumination. A large bucket sat in the corner, still more than half full of water.

The temperature in the house was well above ten degrees Celsius, making the double-jacketed Xu Xiaoka swelter. She quickly stripped off her down jackets. Just like Chen Momo, she wore only a set of pajamas and didn’t feel cold in the slightest.

"Sister Momo, your place is amazing!" Xu Xiaoka looked around the treasure-filled apartment, unable to stop marveling at it. "You have water, electricity, literally everything! And it’s so warm in here!"

How was this taking refuge from a snowstorm? This was practically a vacation!

Chen Momo spoke nonchalantly, "Right before the snowstorm, I happened to buy a few solar panels. I didn’t expect them to come in handy like this. However, there isn’t much power left in the batteries now, and I’m not sure how much longer they’ll last. Hopefully, the snowstorm will end soon and the power will be restored! Right now, no one else in the building has electricity. Ours is the only household that does. You absolutely must not mention this to anyone, or we’ll be targeted."

Xu Xiaoka listened earnestly and nodded vigorously. "Sister Momo, don’t worry. Even if someone puts a knife to my neck, I won’t breathe a single word about this!"