Chapter 19
Human nature is a curious thing. People never worried about having too little, but rather about
having less than someone else.
Why would someone be living high on the hog while others were starving? Instead of helping,
people even nned to rob the two when they got close!
Ste had two knives, a butcher knife in her left hand and a boning knife in her right. With a stern
face, she shoved her way through the crowd and stood by the window, guarding it.
The sight of the two sharp knives, still stained with dried blood, frightened the crowd, forcing them
back. Some wanted to argue but were silenced when Jasper joined Ste. The two stood like grim
reapers, one on either side of the window.
Ste surveyed the crowd, taking in everyone''s expressions before speaking coldly, "Quit
preaching. Whoever dares to insult me or try to steal our stuff, I''ll cut them all down.”
Their reputation on the 18th floor was well-known throughout the building. They were a group of
ruthless people! These brutes hoarded food and drinks and were unwilling to share. They had even
injured several people during a previous robbery, one of whom had died from blood loss. Someone
had secretly reported them to the firefighters yesterday, but the firefighters only handled rescue
operations and said this was a matter for the police after the flood receded.
Seeing Ste''s defiant stance, no one dared to speak. Everyone was afraid that one wrong word
could provoke this madwoman into attacking!
Ang was no pushover, either. After knocking down several men, the two finally made it to the
window.
While Ste held off the crowd inside the building, Jasper helped load the supplies. Two 20-pound
bags of rice, a 10-pound bag of flour, some noodles and dried vegetables, two packs of candles,
three big boxes of solid fuel tablets, beans, and chili sauce. It wasn''t much, but it was bought with
blood and sweat.
Lukas was so tired he could barely stand, and Ang''s arm had been cut, staining her clothes with
blood. The crowd watched with avaricious eyes, yet no one dared to approach and steal their
supplies.
Hector and Sadie were among the crowd, and their faces were a mix of anger and hatred. They
wanted to get close, but they knew Ste wouldn''t entertain them.
Some people couldn''t suppress their greed and asked to borrow the intable boat, offering to rent
it. The four of them ignored them. Their faces looked fierce as they clutched their supplies and went
upstairs.
Behind them, a woman cursed, and many joined in, calling the residents of the 18th floor cold-
hearted and inhuman.
Ang was exhausted and couldn''t even speak. Back on the 18th floor, Ste found some iodine
and bandages, as well as some anti-inmmatory medication. The wound wasn''t deep. After
disinfecting and bandaging it, she gave Ang the medicine.
The two had been shaken by the events outside. They felt like their souls were still floating. They
thought the chaos inside the building was bad enough, but outside was even worse. They had
arrived early and managed to secure the intable boat, but soon a crowd had gathered.
The crowd grew, and the ce was packed. After what felt like an eternity, the supermarket finally
opened. Not only had the price increased twentyfold, but people continuously rushed in, grabbing
whatever they could, whether it was on the shelves or in someone''s hands.
Without inte ess, the supermarket only epted cash. Those with cash were happy, while
those without had to use their gold nes and bracelets as coteral. The checkout process
was slow andplicated, leading to those without money just grabbing stuff and running.
The police fired warning shots at the scene, and for a moment, things calmed down, but there were
too many people without cash.
Supplies were limited, and soon, a second wave of chaos erupted. People stormed in to steal, and
ran away after stealing, turning the whole ce into a mess. Everyone was scared, afraid that the
supplies they had managed to grab would be stolen by others.
Ang and Lukas took advantage of the chaos to escape, but the water was full of people. They
looked like pasta in a pot. People kept swarming them, trying to steal their supplies or the intable
boat. Despite Ang''s strength, she couldn''t fend off everyone. Not only were some of their
supplies stolen, but her hand was also injured, and what was worse, some tried to puncture the
boat.
"If it weren''t for the boat being puncture-resistant, we might not have made it back."
The unfamiliarity of this world made Ang question human nature. Exhausted, she leaned against
Lukas. Ste didn''t know how tofort Ang. After all, this was just the beginning of the end of
the world.
Before they could catch their breath, someone knocked on the door downstairs. Great, a huge
crowd had gathered. At first nce, there must have been dozens of people, so many that they
couldn''t even fit in the hallway on the 17th floor.
Ste frowned, were these people nning to rob them?
Ang''s supplies had been paid for with her life. These people were too afraid to venture outside,
but they had designs on the 18th floor, looking for an easy target. Everyone was tired and didn''t
want to talk. They quietly grabbed their knives and went downstairs.
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Four pairs of murderous eyes stunned the crowd. They were scared but unwilling to leave, believing
they could win with their numbers. Their confidence was quickly restored.
A middle-aged man wearing sses stepped forward with a smile on his face. "Don''t
misunderstand, we mean no harm."
Ste''s face was cold. "What do you want?"
"Hello, my name is Drew. I''ve been elected as the building representative. I wanted to discuss the
possibility of forming a group to search for supplies."
He was smiling, but upon seeing the four of them standing silent behind the door, he awkwardly
exined, "The government hasn''t sent any help, and things are in chaos outside. It''s dangerous to
go out looking for supplies alone, and even if we find anything, it''s likely to be stolen on the way
back. So, we decided to select those who are physically capable to go out together, so there''s at
least some mutual protection."
"Do you have a boat or intable raft?"
"Well, that''s why we came to talk to you," Drew said with an awkward smile. "We''re all neighbors
here, and if a real disaster strikes, it would be beneficial if we could look out for each other. Don’t
you agree?"
Ste paused for a moment. "Give us a moment, we need to discuss."
She signaled the others, and they retreated to the window to discuss. "What do you guys think?"
Ang was quick-tempered and didn''t tolerate threats. If they wanted to take the intable boat,
they would have to step over her dead body first. If she could take a few of them down with her, it
would be worth it.
"Why don''t we lend them the boat?" Lukas suggested as the more rational one. "We shouldn''t make
a bad situation worse. If we push them too hard, their numbers could overwhelm us."
Ang disagreed, "No way. If we give in now, they''ll never stop."
Ste turned to the tenant of 1801, Jasper. "What do you think?"
"I don''t care. Whatever you decide is fine."
"Going out together to find supplies is out of the question. Not only would we not find much, but
even if we did, it wouldn''t be enough to split amongst so many people. They would just start
scheming again."
"Let''s lend them the boat and let them go find another one," Ste suggested. "There are plenty of
outdoor equipment stores in the city. If they go early, they might be able to find another intable
boat or raft, and then they won''t be focused on ours."
"Ste, you make a good point, but with things as chaotic as they are outside, if our boat gets stolen
or damaged, what will we do?"
"You forget, I''ve got a rubber boat too."
Jasper broke the silence. "I''ve got an intable raft."