It was not that Bai Li had been rude. Far from it. She had been almost too polite, too careful, too distant, and that made Yan Cijin feel a little lost. She had expected to see a little more ease, a little more openness, maybe even a little irritation in place of that calm, careful tone. Instead, Bai Li had treated her like a guest who might leave at any time. Yan Cijin did not know exactly why that made her chest feel a little tight, but it did. She stood there for a second longer, then unlocked the door and went back to her own home. The apartment on her side of the hall was warm and full of ordinary family sound. The smell of food drifted from the kitchen. The little dumpling was nearby. Yan Laojin was there too, doing what mothers always did, keeping the home together even while the whole world outside felt like it was cracking.

Yan Laojin asked, "How is it? Did Bai Li come over?" Her voice was light, but there was a real note of interest in it too. Yan Cijin walked in and shook her head. "No, she said she is already eaten, so she does not need to trouble us." Yan Cijin picked up the little dumpling and gave it a kiss, making the little dumpling laugh non stop. The child rubbed her face against Yan Cijin and acted cute, as if she wanted even more attention now that her mother had returned. "Mommy, it tickles." The little dumpling rubbed its face against Yan Cijin, acting cute. Yan Cijin smiled at once and her whole expression softened. "Okay, I will not tease you anymore. Shall we go play with your little teddy bear?" Yan Cijin coaxed the little guy gently. "Okay~" The little dumpling rubbed against Yan Cijin affectionately.

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Bai Li did not have to wait long before the next round of foolishness showed itself. She was still sitting in her room with the computer on, one hand resting near the crossbow on the bed, when the group chat started changing again. At first it was the same old noise, the same fake concern and the same greedy little voices trying to sound righteous while they reached for things that were never theirs. Then the tone shifted. A few of the louder people began talking about making an actual plan. Bai Li watched the messages roll in with a quiet face and a very flat look in her eyes. She had already guessed they would not stay on the screen and complain forever. People like that never liked to stay behind a keyboard when they thought a crowd could protect them. They always wanted to see if a little collective courage could cover up their lack of real strength. Bai Li kept scrolling, reading the names, and the corners of her mouth lifted only a little. The people speaking up now were all residents she had never really dealt with before. They were not the ones who had once nodded to her in the hallway, not the ones who had borrowed water and returned it later, not even the one or two who had at least known how to stay quiet. These were the ones who had watched her buying supplies before the apocalypse began and had decided in their hearts that all of it was now something they could claim. The building manager was in there too, which made Bai Li almost laugh for real. She had not expected anything noble from him, but seeing him join the group and act as if he were guiding the building through crisis still made her feel a little amused. These people were all talking about justice and survival like they were the same thing, and Bai Li could already see the shape of their future written all over them. Short lives. Broken bones. Poor judgment. She was not even angry. She just thought they were noisy.

The plan grew clearer in the chat as the minutes passed. One person suggested that if Bai Li would not come down willingly, they should go up to her floor and explain the situation face to face. Another said they should take tools and open the fire door from the stairwell, because the common security door to the upper floor could be forced if enough people worked together. A third person said they had a hacksaw in their storage cabinet from before the outbreak, and someone else added that they had a metal file and a wrench. The building manager posted that they should stay calm and not use violence, but even that message sounded fake from the start because the very next line said they needed to "act as one team" and "secure the supplies for the sake of everyone." Bai Li read that and almost scoffed out loud. Secure the supplies. It was such a clean little phrase for a dirty little act. They were going to break into a locked stair door, crowd together in a group, and then come to her floor as if they were doing the building some great favor. Bai Li leaned back in her chair, the surveillance feed still open on her monitor, and watched the small windows on the screen while her phone sat in her hand. People on the lower floors were still arguing, still typing, still pretending that their greed was noble. It was ridiculous. She had already seen the footage from the hallway and the stairs. She knew exactly how many zombies were starting to drift toward the building entrance again, especially after the noise from earlier. She also knew that the higher they climbed, the more trouble they would create for themselves. She did not need to go to the stairwell to find out what they were doing. Their own messages were enough.

She switched to one of the cameras facing the stairwell and watched the group begin to gather. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

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TO BE CONTINUED;