Another person agreed, saying that if everyone went together, Bai Li would surely understand that this was not a private matter, but a matter concerning the whole building. A third person said that if Bai Li refused, then everyone should know what kind of person she really was. Yan Cijin almost laughed at that. Their words were so ridiculous that they made her want to shake her head. Bai Li had spent her own money to prepare in advance, and now these people wanted to climb upstairs and force her to hand everything over as if they were carrying the banner of justice. She could already imagine Bai Li’s reaction if she saw these messages. It would probably be the same lukewarm look she always wore when watching a fool do something stupid. Bai Li never wasted much emotion on people like that. She saw through them fast and with little interest. If these people really went to her floor, they would only be walking straight into trouble.

Yan Cijin scrolled down more and saw the group becoming even more shameless. People were not just asking now. They were beginning to accuse. One person said that Bai Li had clearly been preparing something because she had bought so much before the apocalypse. Another said that if she really had a conscience, she should understand the need to distribute goods. Someone else suggested that since they were all in the same building, they should work out a plan to collect resources from households that had more. The building manager again spoke in his usual polished way, saying that no one should use force and that they were only trying to discuss a proper solution. But then, in the same breath, he said that Bai Li should know how to put the safety of others first. It was all very pretty on the surface and very ugly underneath. Yan Cijin’s mouth tightened a little. She knew exactly what kind of people this was. When the world was normal, they had likely smiled, nodded, and acted decent. But now that fear had opened a crack in the world, their real faces were showing. The more they talked about righteousness, the more their greed showed through.

Yan Laojin noticed her daughter’s face changing and looked over with concern. "Xiaoyu, eat first, stop playing on your phone." Her voice was calm and warm, and it helped bring Yan Cijin back from her thoughts. She set the phone down and picked up her chopsticks again. "Oh, I was not just playing. I was looking at what everyone was saying in the group chat." She glanced at Yan Laojin and asked, "Mom, how much rice and food is left?" Yan Laojin replied at once, feeling a little fortunate despite the danger outside. "Why? We have a lot. Didn’t you buy a few bags of rice and other canned foods a few days back? Thankfully you bought so much. Otherwise, in times like these, getting food is the same as going towards your own death. We can hold on for a month or two at least if we eat while saving. We just need to wait for the government to send rescue troops and we will be saved." Yan Cijin did not answer right away. She lowered her eyes and picked at the food in her bowl. The truth was that she wanted to buy more, much more, but she could not do that without making her mother suspicious. Yan Laojin had always been the kind of mother who worried if anything looked strange, and Yan Cijin never liked deceiving her. That was why she had settled for buying enough to last them about a month and planned to figure out the rest later. With her strength now, nothing was impossible. She knew, however, that no rescue troops would come in the way her mother hoped. The government itself would have a hard time holding out against the millions of evolving zombies and other monsters. Humans would awaken too, yes, and they would evolve as well, but they would still be a step behind the monsters in speed and chaos, which would lead to massive losses and near extinction if people did not adapt quickly. She knew this well because she had lived through it before. In her previous lives, the government could only hold the line for a year or two at most. After that, the real survival spaces were the bases built by powerful superhumans and strong teams, places that became the new centers of order in a broken world. She had built one of those bases herself once, with a small group of trusted companions, and later it had grown into one of the largest in the world. But that future had ended badly because of betrayal, underhanded attacks, and the ugly greed of people who wanted what others had built. She thought of that now and could not help but sigh. The same kind of life, the same kind of path, the same kind of ruin. If only she had remembered everything sooner in those past lives. But this time was different. This time, she had her memories, and this time she would not sit still. She would personally tear apart every plot that had been set against her, and she would make sure the people who hurt her family paid for it. At that very moment, Yan Laojin’s voice brought her back again. "Xiaoyan?" she asked carefully, seeing that her daughter had gone quiet. "What are you thinking about?"

Yan Laojin’s voice came from beside the table, warm and careful in the way only a mother’s voice could be. "Whats wrong dear? Do you need more food? I will go get it." Yan Cijin looked up at once and gave a quick shake of her head. The concern in Yan Laojin’s face was so clear that Yan Cijin felt a little guilty for getting distracted while eating. The table in front of them was simple

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TO BE CONTINUED.