Chapter 9: Coming to the Door

If used sparingly, these supplies could easily sustain him for a few months. However, now that he had calmed down, the initial joy of finding them had mostly faded.

In their current environment, these were non-renewable resources. The rice and water would eventually run out, and every bite of food eaten was a bite gone forever. The supplies in the entire apartment building were limited.

After crossing over to this hellhole, the city's operations were completely paralyzed. With factories unable to produce new processed goods, these food items were irreplaceable. Once he finished them, what would he do? Han Ning suddenly recalled tropes from certain apocalyptic novels, where a single can of food could buy a night with a gorgeous celebrity.

"I need to stay one step ahead and gather as many supplies as possible before the other residents finish searching every room in the building."

Before crossing over, Han Ning never had the habit of hoarding like a pack rat. But here, he had no choice. He planned to rest for a moment before continuing his exploration upstairs to secure more food and water.

But before he could even get comfortable, a distinct sound came from outside the security door.

KNOCK... KNOCK KNOCK... KNOCK...

He had just moved to the eighth floor!

"Who is it?!" Hearing the sudden knocking, Han Ning's slightly relaxed nerves instantly tightened.

He immediately thought of the buzz-cut man who had just left. It wasn't surprising that the guy had found his apartment. Based on the drag marks left by the heavy supplies on the floor, it was incredibly easy to track him down. Since the seventh floor was empty, the eighth floor was the obvious guess. It was a simple deduction.

Han Ning figured that since the apartment's security door was sturdy, as long as he kept strangers out, everything would be fine. Besides, as an Awakened Druid, he felt somewhat confident. That was why he hadn't bothered to clean up the drag marks. Plus, they were hard to erase anyway.

He moved silently behind the door, pressed his right eye against the peephole, and cautiously looked out.

Several people stood in the dim corridor. The leader was a young man, seemingly a few years younger than the buzz-cut guy, looking around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He had regular features and calm eyes. Dressed in a relatively clean, dark tracksuit, his hair was neatly trimmed. Unlike the buzz-cut man's thuggish ferocity, he gave off a very steady and composed vibe.

The young man maintained his knocking posture and, as if sensing Han Ning's gaze through the door, wore a gentle smile. Just a few steps behind him stood the buzz-cut man. Right now, he was standing submissively with his head bowed, completely devoid of the arrogance he had displayed when trying to snatch the supplies earlier. Two or three other men of varying heights stood scattered a bit further away.

"Sorry to bother you, friend," the composed young man outside spoke, his voice carrying through the door. "We don't mean any harm. We just want to chat. Is it convenient for you to open the door?"

"Who are you? What do you want to talk about?" Han Ning asked without opening the door.

There was a moment of silence before the young man's gentle voice sounded again.

"To briefly introduce myself, my name is Liu Feng. I'm an original resident of this apartment building.

"I know you don't want to open the door. If I were in your shoes, I'd be cautious too.

"But what I'm about to say concerns the life and death of everyone in this building, including you."

He paused, briefly organizing his words before continuing.

"Ever since crossing over to this world, my companions and I have been recording the water level changes every day.

"We found that the floodwaters are rising at a nearly constant rate... averaging about twenty to thirty centimeters a day.

"Right now, the underground parking garage is completely submerged. At this rate, the water will reach the third floor in a month at most.

"By then, it will be incredibly difficult for us to go outside. Those Crocodile Lizards that thrive in the water will swarm up the stairwells in packs, flooding into every floor and every corner like a tidal wave.

"Honestly... we are already in quite a critical situation, otherwise, I wouldn't have come looking for you."

The young man's voice wasn't loud, but the information in his words forced Han Ning to take him seriously. Everything he said was exactly what Han Ning had been concerned about.

"Friend, you are an Awakened, so you must have received the message left behind by the local natives," Liu Feng continued.

"Leaving this planet that has been swallowed by the Black Tide is our only way out. But to reach the center of the continent, a vehicle is crucial.

"You should understand what it's like out there right now. Even if you're an Awakened, how far can you go alone? How many monsters can you fight? Can you find a safe boat?

"If everyone continues to fight their own battles and only look out for themselves, there will only be one outcome—" The young man's voice took on a heavy tone. "Everyone will either drown or be killed by the monsters."

Hearing Liu Feng's words, Han Ning fell silent. Setting aside his conflict with the buzz-cut man, the information Liu Feng shared about the rainstorm was indeed true. The chances of Han Ning finding a way to survive alone in an apocalypse filled with torrential rains and lurking monsters were minuscule.

After a few seconds of silence.

CLICK.

The heavy security door slowly creaked open, revealing a narrow gap. Han Ning stood behind the door, revealing only half of his face. He vigilantly scanned the people outside before finally locking eyes with their leader, Liu Feng.

"There's no need for me to visit the fourth floor right now." He pointed to the side. "The apartment next door is empty. We can talk there."

Unaware of their background, Han Ning didn't dare to rashly head down to the fourth floor. Who knew how many people were waiting there? So, he came up with a compromise.

Liu Feng nodded without the slightest hesitation. "Sure."

He turned his head and instructed the men behind him, including the buzz-cut guy, "You guys wait outside."

"Brother Feng... he..." the buzz-cut man started to say, but under Liu Feng's calm gaze, he immediately shut his mouth and lowered his head.

The other men hurriedly stepped back and stood guard on both sides of the corridor.

Liu Feng went in alone, following Han Ning into Apartment 801. Inside the spacious living room, there were only a few pieces of furniture draped in white cloth. With no electricity, the lighting was extremely dim.

Liu Feng casually glanced at his surroundings before suddenly speaking to Han Ning in a very solemn tone.

"I apologize for Qiang's presumptuous actions earlier.

"Qiang is the guy with the buzz cut outside. He used to be a security guard in this complex. Before taking up security work, he and his brothers ran with street gangs, so it's inevitable that they picked up some bad habits."

"If I were an ordinary person, I'm afraid those supplies would have been snatched right out of my hands, wouldn't they?" Han Ning said coldly.

The buzz-cut guy and his crew acted like bandits. Han Ning wasn't about to change his opinion of them just because of a weightless apology. That included Liu Feng, their Leader.