Chapter 108: Chapter 108 This is Fate

“I do mind.”

Jiang Yan finished speaking, then gave her a look that was both mocking and amused.

Her question made Jiang Yan feel strangely sentimental and somewhat amused, but of course, she couldn’t easily reveal her true emotions.

Wen Wanli’s eyes suddenly reddened, and she bit her lip, which was covered in scabs, as she said anxiously,

“Then, please don’t kill us. They said you have a gun and that you shoot people when you’re upset… We live next door and won’t make you unhappy…”

Jiang Yan: “…” Was she really that terrifying?

Moreover, although the other person appeared to be about her age, her speech and behavior were somewhat similar to that of an eight or nine-year-old child who had done something wrong.

Considering the wounds on her body, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but feel a moment of doubt.

But she didn’t want to delve too deeply into a conversation with her and simply said “okay” before continuing to walk downstairs.

Wen Wanli’s lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something more, but then the sound of a door “creaking” from upstairs interrupted her.

The sound came from, probably, room 3203.

Heavy footsteps approached the fire escape.

A flicker of panic crossed Wen Wanli’s eyes. After nodding to Jiang Yan as a way to say goodbye, she quickly walked upstairs, carrying her things.

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As they passed by each other, Jiang Yan casually glanced at the items in her hands.

They were some boxed instant noodles, a children’s book covered in mud, and what seemed like half a pack of the cheapest cigarettes.

On the other side, Wen Wanli had already hurried to the fire escape entrance.

“Yo! Wife, you’re back! Here, let me help you carry that!” It was Wang Jin’s voice.

He sounded gentle and considerate, which seemed unrelated to domestic violence.

There was no response from Wen Wanli.

“Bang!” The door of room 3203 shut heavily.

Jiang Yan frowned slightly and continued walking down.

From the 31st floor onward, people occasionally carried bags of luggage downstairs.

Mostly young people.

But not many in number.

Some elderly also came out to see them off.

Some people recognized Jiang Yan, others did not.

However, everyone’s focus was mostly on the cruise ship arriving soon, so they didn’t pay much attention to her.

The ID verification and boarding window were on the 18th floor. Jiang Yan planned to go to the 20th floor but unexpectedly, the way was blocked at the 21st floor.

Although the ship wouldn’t arrive until noon, people had already lined up early.

Many who hadn’t boarded in the morning hadn’t left. They had stayed there, desperately clinging to their spots.

Jiang Yan had no choice but to go to the 22nd floor.

The 22nd floor’s elevator waiting area and hallway were filled with people.

These were probably those who had decided not to go to the official base or did not meet the criteria.

As it was almost mealtime, two families had collaborated to start a fire to grill fish.

They were cooking a lot, apparently preparing more than just lunch.

It was very cold outside, but the temperature in the crowded areas of the hallway was still bearable.

Plus, with the humidity, preservation was difficult.

They could only preserve the fish by salting or drying it out.

As the flames grew stronger, the sizzling aroma of the oil and the thick smoke began to fill the corridor.

Seeing her enter, everyone looked on guard.

Even a few people who were sitting on the ground stood up, fists clenched.

It was only when they saw her stop in front of the hallway’s glass window that they relaxed slightly.

The area near the hallway window was empty.

Several panes of the window had been shattered by hail earlier, and although someone had covered them with plastic bags, rainwater still occasionally seeped in.

The floor was damp and pooled with water.

Jiang Yan looked outside, at a world submerged in water.

A few daring individuals were fishing in the water, but it seemed their catch was minimal.

The fish and leeches appeared sporadically.

The water level was still rising.

Fortunately, the temperature hadn’t dropped further.

Time passed by the second.

“Hey, it’s twelve o’clock, why hasn’t the ship arrived?” Someone in the hallway suddenly exclaimed.

Now, with no need for work or school, and many lacking watches, phones, or computers which had long run out of power, people had lost their sense of time.

Most people lived by the sun, up at dawn, down at dusk.

Even sleeping before it got dark, still lying around at midday.

Like animals hibernating.

Minimizing movement to minimize hunger.

Saving food.

“Could it be that the rain is too heavy, and it won’t come?” someone wondered.

“Could those words from the official old lady be a lie? I was so fired up this morning!”

“It shouldn’t be. With such heavy rain, who can be punctual? Maybe something delayed them.”

“I don’t know. I saw Xiao Zhang and his wife waiting downstairs all morning, they said their legs were about to break.”

“Yeah, I went downstairs earlier and heard them say they were holding their pee, afraid to leave in case their spots got taken.”

“Hopefully the ship will come. If it does, we can move into room 2204.”

“Right, right, if we can’t board the ship, all our plans to move into 2204 will be ruined. Maybe we should ask them to let us stay there too?”

“Spit, spit, spit, don’t speak ill, just wait calmly and see.”

The people in the hallway were those not going to the official base.

However, everyone was quite interested in whether the cruise ship would arrive.

On one hand, if the ship came, some people in the houses would go to the base, and they could legitimately move in.

On another hand, if the ship came, it would also signify that the official promises were reliable or the authorities were capable.

Put simply, the ship’s arrival, despite the heavy rain, meant that the officials hadn’t abandoned them, standing firm like a stabilizing sea anchor.

In a word, it was a manifestation of confidence.

But now, the ship hasn’t arrived.

Some people were obviously beginning to panic inside.

“I’m waiting for the ship, she doesn’t understand…” someone began to sing.

“Look, we’re better off just eating, sleeping, and singing as we please. Those people downstairs, they’re just starving as they wait for a deity!”

“That’s true, it’s quite possible that some people in the corridors, if the ship doesn’t arrive, might come back to find their spots gone, haha!”

The crowd also had its share of schadenfreude.

“…”

Jiang Yan crossed her arms and stood at the window for a long time.

She had a bad premonition: the ship, most likely, was not going to come.

*

An hour passed.

The ship still hadn’t arrived.

The hope and confidence that everyone had managed to muster early this morning rapidly sank.

Notable unrest could be heard coming from downstairs.

“Maybe we should head to the base ourselves!”

“With this heavy rain, the road is barely visible, how would we get there?”

“Yeah, it’s like launching a rubber boat into the ocean. If anything goes wrong in the middle, the boat is done!”

“Damn! If only we had stayed near the Twin Towers!”

“Yeah, those people there, they are lucky!”

“Life seldom gives foresight, such is fate!”