Chapter 61

Xu Ming's words and the sight of the sick people left Qin Huai and Yu Zibai feeling more than just a little heavy-hearted. They had initially thought they would still have some time, but they were surprised at how quickly the outbreak had arrived. It came so fast that they no longer dared to stay outside.

Qin Huai looked at Yu Zibai and said, "Go to the military camp and inquire about the possibility of exchanging for food. If it's possible, then do it. If not, don't bother searching today." For him, the external supplies were not the most critical. It wasn't worth the risk; even the slightest possibility of danger could lead to irreparable consequences. If he were alone, if Mu Nan didn't have the space, he might have taken the risk for their survival, but now it was unnecessary. If they did fall ill, it would be a loss greater than the gain.

Yu Zibai nodded silently, feeling a heavy sense of dread. For the first time, he felt a kind of fear and confusion about the future.

Qin Huai continued, "If you still want to search for less crowded places, I won't stop you. I'll keep watch over your place. Unlike me, you can't afford to stay shut in with limited supplies; others might need to find as much food as possible before the situation worsens. I won't block you just because it's dangerous."

Yu Zibai replied, "Let's check with the military camp first."

The conversation with Xu Ming and the sight of the sick people left Qin Huai and Yu Zibo feeling more than just a little heavy-hearted. They had initially thought they would still have some time, but the outbreak came so swiftly that they no longer dared to stay outside.

Qin Huai glanced at Yu Zibai and said, "Go to the military camp and inquire about the possibility of exchanging for food. If it's possible, do it. If not, don't bother searching today." To him, the external supplies weren't the most critical. It wasn't worth the risk; even a slight possibility of danger could have irreparable consequences. If he were alone, or if Mu Nan didn't have the space, he might have taken the risk for their survival, but it was unnecessary now. Falling ill would be too costly.

Yu Zibai nodded silently, feeling a heavy sense of dread. For the first time, he felt a kind of fear and confusion about the future.

Qin Huai continued, "If you still want to search for less crowded places, I won't stop you. I'll keep watch over your place. Unlike me, you can't afford to stay shut in with limited supplies; others might need to find as much food as possible before the situation worsens. I won't block you just because it's dangerous."

Yu Zibai replied, "Let's check with the military camp first."

The military camp was in the upper area of the settlement, separate from the civilian shelters. It was a quick walk away. Most of the military personnel were out clearing bodies before dark, leaving only a few behind. Qin Huai quickly explained their purpose and showed the photos of the individually wrapped snacks: "These are the items we have. We're wondering if we can exchange them for some rice, flour, water, blankets, clothes, and other daily necessities. They're all new."

Most of the items collected by people had been privately stored, and no one had come to exchange with them before. The remaining staff at the settlement had no set rules. Seeing their captain nearby, one of the soldiers went over to explain the situation.

Soon, the captain approached them. His sharp eyes scanned the two of them, his face covered in dirt and grime, and deep lines etched between his brows, giving him a wearied and haggard look that was oddly poignant.

Taking their phones, the captain examined the photos closely. The snacks were mostly dried meats and fruits, which wouldn't be filling, but had some flavor. After thinking for a moment, he said, "We can make an exchange, but not in large quantities. For meat, one pound can be exchanged for five pounds of rice. For vegetarian items with oil and salt, and dried fruits, one pound can be exchanged for three pounds of rice. How many pieces of clothing do you have?"

Qin Huai looked at Yu Zibai, who hadn't counted the clothes collected by Jian Chu during the chaos.

Yu Zibai replied, "About a hundred pieces."

The captain said, "Five pieces of clothing for one pound of rice. Do you want to proceed with the exchange?"

Yu Zibai glanced at Qin Huai, who said, "That's fine. What about water?"

The captain said, "There's not much water available." He looked at his watch and added, "I'll be at the cafeteria in an hour. See you then."

Qin Huai nodded. "Okay."

The two of them returned and needed some time to sort things out.

Hearing the noise at the door, Mu Nan quickly cleaned up the pomegranates and the empty food containers from the table. Just as he got up from the floor, he saw Qin Huai entering and, realizing he had just left, asked anxiously, "What happened? Did something go wrong? Are you alone? Where's Yu Zibai?"

Qin Huai reassured him, "Nothing happened, don't worry. Yu Zibai went home. I came back to clean up some things. We went to see Xu Ming. Many people have contracted malaria, and an epidemic might break out soon. So, instead of searching through ruins, we went to the military camp to ask about food exchange. I asked you to get out the items you don't like. I'll take them to trade for some food. Even though we're not lacking, it's better to appear prepared. After we make the exchange, I plan to stay in."

Mu Nan nodded in agreement. He understood the danger outside and, even though he knew the outbreak might still be days away, being cautious was wise. His good luck in the past didn't guarantee he'd stay healthy this time, so staying at home was the safest choice.

After pulling out a box of snacks, Mu Nan asked, "What about Xu Ming? Isn't he at risk in the medical team?"

Qin Huai replied, "Yes, that's his decision."

Mu Nan thought for a moment and asked, "Should we give him some masks?" He hesitated and looked at Qin Huai. "And protective clothing?"

Qin Huai was aware of the quantity of supplies Mu Nan had. "Don't give away the protective clothing. We don't know what the future holds. We bought a lot of masks, so let's give them five boxes. Every bit of protection helps the medical staff. That's all we can provide without attracting too much attention. Also, give me the anti-inflammatory medication we got from Xu Ming's veterinary clinic. We have enough medicine for ourselves, so let's give those to them."

Mu Nan nodded and packed the items into a black plastic bag.

Qin Huai said to Mu Nan, "These things are inevitable. Earthquakes can't be stopped, and neither can epidemics. Xu Ming chose to stay with the medical team, so he knew the situation he'd face. If he stays safe, that's good fortune. If not, it's not your fault. Even without the protective clothing or masks, what's meant to happen will happen. So, Nan Nan, don't overthink it. Your foresight and your space aren't reasons for you to bear these burdens."

Mu Nan understood Qin Huai's concern. He feared he might become overly anxious, feeling guilty for not using the protective items he had. It was like seeing an elderly person in trouble, having the ability to help but avoiding it out of fear of causing problems, only to see the person suffer.

Mu Nan hugged Qin Huai. "Don't worry, brother. I know. You don't need to think of me as too soft-hearted. In my mind, our safety comes before anyone else's."

Qin Huai smiled at his words. "It's good to hear you think that way."

Qin Huai placed the items on the cart and waited until Yu Zibai arrived, bringing Jian Chu with him. Mu Nan asked Jian Chu, "Are you coming with them?"

Jian Chu shook his head. "I'll wait at home."

Once Qin Huai and Yu Zibai left with the items, Jian Chu turned to Mu Nan. "I want to go upstairs and take a look."

Mu Nan understood Jian Chu's intention. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Jian Chu shook his head. "No, you stay here. I'll just go upstairs and have a look. I'll see if I can find anything. If not, it's fine. I'm more concerned about whether others will return or not."

When Qin Huai and Yu Zibai arrived at the cafeteria, the captain was already there waiting. Since some people were eating in the cafeteria, the exchange couldn't be done in front of everyone. They were directed to the back, where two soldiers were assigned to classify and weigh the items.

Seeing them inspect the goods, Qin Huai asked, "Can we exchange for a security door now?"

The soldier shook his head. "Doors can't be eaten. Right now, we're mainly collecting edible items. We don't have any here. If you need one, you might have to search through the ruins."

Qin Huai only took the extra snacks and exchanged them for thirty pounds of rice and five small bottles of water. A soldier noticed the black plastic bag Qin Huai was still holding and asked, "Do you want to exchange this too?"

Qin Huai shook his head but handed the plastic bag over. "We have a friend in the medical team named Xu Ming. This is a small gesture from us, a donation for the medical staff. Please make sure our friend gets a little extra when distributing it. There are also some anti-inflammatory medicines inside. I don't know if they'll be useful." He hadn't planned to go there himself since people were already falling ill, so it was better to keep a distance and have the soldiers deliver it.

When the soldier saw the contents of the bag—several boxes of masks—he was surprised. Masks were now highly valuable, even more precious than food, as people in the camp had already started getting sick. An epidemic was inevitable. Though a mask might not stop the spread of disease entirely, it provided some level of protection. The medicines were also precious, as the supplies in the hospital were rapidly being depleted due to the scale of casualties.

The captain looked at Qin Huai with a serious expression. The items in Qin Huai's hand could have been exchanged for a substantial amount of food, and the captain knew Qin Huai understood the value of masks and medicines. Yet, Qin Huai chose to donate them instead of exchanging them. Since the earthquake rescue began, they had mostly seen death and complaints, with grieving families directing their fear and anger towards them. As soldiers, they were human too, and their spirits were wearing thin. Acts of kindness, however small, could pierce through the cold armor they had built up over time.

The captain said nothing further, just asked for the names of the two men once more and expressed his sincere thanks.

As they were about to leave, the captain told them, "The military will soon be inspecting the buildings. If your home isn't collapsed, make sure to register."

Qin Huai nodded. "Got it. We'll take care of it."

Yu Zibai had a lot of items, so the exchange of rice and water was considerable. Luckily, Qin Huai had prepared a tarpaulin to cover the items on the cart.

The two of them successfully returned to their building. Looking at the stairs, Yu Zibai said with a wry smile, "Carrying over a hundred pounds of weight, you're really putting in the effort."

Qin Huai replied, "It's fine. Let's go up. This will be the last time."

Even though both had gotten used to climbing stairs over the past few days, the rice and water were extremely heavy. They stopped frequently, and it took about half an hour to reach the seventeenth floor. Just as they arrived, they encountered Jian Chu coming down with a few bottles of water in hand. Mu Nan was at the door, tidying up the items Jian Chu had brought down from above.

Seeing Yu Zibai, Jian Chu immediately felt guilty. "I just went up to check. I didn't pry open any doors. These are all things I found in the hallway."

Before Yu Zibai could speak, Qin Huai asked, "Did you check every floor above? Are there no returning residents?"

Jian Chu, seeing that Yu Zibai didn't seem upset, replied, "It seems like no one is back yet. The water and food that fell on the ground were not picked up by anyone, and some were even crushed and inedible. I picked up what was still edible. Some doors were closed, and some weren't. The ones that weren't closed didn't look too disturbed. It seems like no one has been through them."

Qin Huai nodded and turned to Yu Zibai. "We'll go up and take a look. Have you noticed any activity from the Zhang family in the past few nights?" It was odd that while the Zhang family had returned, they hadn't checked the upper floors.

Mu Nan looked at Jian Chu, knowing that Jian Chu's home was close to the Zhang family's, so he would be more aware of any activity.

Jian Chu shook his head. "No, it's been quiet. I'm not sure if they're still there."

Qin Huai said, "Take your things upstairs and rest for a bit. In an hour, come back, and we'll check the upper floors."

Jian Chu asked, "Why are we checking?"

Qin Huai replied, "To find two suitable security doors."

Yu Zibai asked, "You want to install iron doors for the security passageways?"

Qin Huai nodded. "I plan to install iron doors at both ends of the corridors. When the epidemic breaks out, people will try to avoid crowds and seek out undamaged buildings. To prevent anyone from bringing the virus up to our floor, we'll install iron doors in both stairwells. If someone wants to come in, they'll have to pry open the doors. This way, we'll be alerted to any disturbances right away."

Jian Chu immediately supported the idea. Installing iron doors on both stairwells would make staying in the building safer. "I'm good with installing doors! I have some lime left that we can use. I'm just not sure if we have doors that fit, and we might not have the tools to cut them if needed."

Qin Huai said, "I have cutting tools at home. Let's check things out upstairs first."

After unloading their items, Qin Huai gave the entire cart to Yu Zibai. With the large quantity of goods—over sixty pounds of rice, several large buckets of water, and some flour—carrying them piece by piece would be too exhausting. It was more convenient to let them take the cart back.

As for the items Jian Chu found upstairs, they were not much. When people fled, their instinct was to grab valuable things. Even though food was more valuable than money at that time, long-standing beliefs weren't easily overturned by a temporary disaster. Only a few people had thought ahead and taken food and water with them, so most of what Jian Chu found in the hallways were minor items. Despite scouring from top to bottom, there wasn't much worth keeping.

These items were all collected by Jian Chu himself. Mu Nan had declined Jian Chu's offer and hadn't taken anything. When Yu Zibai and Qin Huai returned, Mu Nan stuffed the scattered items into the cart and then followed Qin Huai into the house.

Once back home and assured that Qin Huai wasn't going out again, Mu Nan relaxed a bit. "Finally, I don't have to stay home worrying about you. Do you think anyone will notice the amount of stuff you brought back?"

Qin Huai shook his head. "No, it's just getting dark. Most people are rummaging through the malls. The neighborhood only has some persistent family members and soldiers clearing out bodies. Even if someone notices, it's not a problem. We've covered things up, so they won't see anything."

Mu Nan suggested Qin Huai sit down and cool off while he moved the exchanged rice to a corner of the living room. They couldn't store it in the space or the rooms because it was too hot, so the living room was the temporary solution. Looking around, Mu Nan said, "In a couple of days, we'll clear out the house and check for any leaks. We'll seal the windows and doors with tape to keep out mosquitoes, cockroaches, and rats, especially in the kitchen. We'll cover up the gaps in the kitchen door and any holes inside, and seal the range hood too. We can use the induction cooker in the living room for cooking."

Qin Huai replied, "Let's not wait a couple of days. After we finish with the iron doors and everyone is back in their own homes and locked up, we'll start cleaning. Give a walkie-talkie to the neighbors so they can contact us if needed. This way, we avoid having to answer the door if they need something."

Mu Nan agreed that this was a good idea to avoid exposing their home.

After putting things in order, Mu Nan asked, "Should we go upstairs together later?"

Qin Huai considered it. "Sure, moving around is good."

Mu Nan was pleased. "So, are we going to search other people's homes?"

Qin Huai said, "Ignore the closed doors. For those that are open, check if there's any food that can still be consumed. Take what you can use. The army will soon be coming to clear the floors, and they'll collect any undamaged supplies from the homes. If people don't return, the items will spoil."

Mu Nan agreed. "That works. Otherwise, if no one returns and things spoil, it's a waste."

Soon, Yu Zibai and Jian Chu arrived, with Jian Chu carrying a ruler and some paper. "I measured the size of our stairway entrance. It matches the width of our front door, so a standard security door should fit. I'm just worried that if we remove someone's security door and install it at our stairway entrance, it might cause trouble when they come back."

Qin Huai said, "Don't overthink it. We'll check which homes have security doors. I've noted some tenant information previously, and there are a few vacant homes that had doors before the earthquake. We'll prioritize those. If not, Xu Ming's home has a security door. We can use his and find another one upstairs."

At that moment, Xu Ming, who was moved by Qin Huai's donation of masks and anti-inflammatory medicine, had no idea that his security door was now targeted for use.

The group moved quickly, knowing time was of the essence. As Qin Huai mentioned, he had previously noted tenant information and knew a few homes had security doors before the earthquake. They worked together to remove the doors, and the tasks of mixing cement and building walls were relatively easy for Jian Chu and Mu Nan. Qin Huai and Yu Zibai split up, starting from the top floor and working their way down, collecting a fair amount of items. They left the vacuum-sealed rice in place and hid it in kitchen cabinets, taking away the opened rice and flour as it couldn't be stored for long.

After several trips downstairs, they collected quite a few items, including dozens of large bottles of water. However, they left at least half of it for the original owners.

When they made their final trip down, Mu Nan said, "It seems like no one's at the Zhang family's place. We knocked, but there was no response. I wonder when they left."

Qin Huai replied, "They probably just came back to gather things. If no one's there, there's no need to worry. It's just the two of us on this floor, so fewer people mean more safety." Since the epidemic spreads significantly through human contact, minimizing interactions is safer.

Jian Chu didn't expect that after the earthquake, he'd become a skilled door installer. The doors fit perfectly, requiring no cutting. After using cement to frame and secure the doors, smoothing out the edges, they were well-protected, though the work was a bit rough and showed signs of the removal process.

"If it stays as is and dries for a couple of days, it will be set even without sunlight. If we didn't need to custom-fit doors due to height issues, I'd have considered installing another one in the stairwell to prevent anyone from coming up."

Yu Zibai shattered Jian Chu's fantasy. "If we lived on the top floor, that would be feasible. But we're in the middle, so don't get your hopes up. It's not practical."

Qin Huai looked satisfied with the two installed doors. Although they had no keys, it didn't matter for now. The military would likely stay at the shelter until they moved, and even if they went out, there would be people left behind, so keys weren't necessary for now.

Mu Nan checked the time. After a whole night of work, it was now past seven in the morning. Usually, they would have eaten and gone to bed by this time. He looked at the others and asked, "Do we still need to cook something for New Year's?"

Jian Chu said, "Yes, we should celebrate! The New Year represents a hopeful outlook for the future. Even if we missed New Year's Eve, as long as the year isn't over, we should still celebrate. You all have been working hard moving things up and down, so I'll handle the cooking."

Mu Nan replied, "I'll help you with that."