Chapter 33: The Assembly of the Team

Gu Pan and her group followed Lu Ruisheng out of the unit entrance. With Lu Ruisheng leading the way, no one dared to block their path.

Watching them leave, the resident from 902 was so furious she nearly shattered her molars. She complained to the building manager, "Manager, they have absolutely no respect for you. You are the building manager, after all."

The building manager sighed, "The police are gone, so what does a building manager even count for?"

The owner of 402 remarked, "I think Miss Gu makes a valid point. We keep going to places like supermarkets and stores to pick up scraps, but what do we actually find? Perhaps we should try going to office buildings or similar places."

The owner of 801 countered, "We don't know how to pick locks. Even if we had the strength to get up there, how would we open those doors? Look at the equipment those people on the 7th floor have; they used to work in renovation and know how to break through doors. How can we compare to them?"

The owner of 502 added, "We might not be able to compare, but picking scraps there is still better than going to the places we've been before, right?"

The two families on the 3rd floor both had young men and were quite united. Hearing Gu Pan's words earlier, they had a realization. They felt that staying with the others was a waste of time; their two families always contributed the most labor yet received the smallest share of the loot, all while being subjected to moral blackmail. It would be better to act on their own, just like Gu Pan’s group. Consequently, the two families on the 3rd floor quietly went home to gear up, sending four people to search the areas Gu Pan had suggested.

By this time, Gu Pan and her group had already reached their next destination and started searching. As for those still bickering about how to take advantage of others, she couldn't be bothered to spare them a glance, knowing those people would be the first to be eliminated.

Today, they were searching the office building of a nearby factory. Following their planned route, they dug through the snow to enter. The easily accessible spots were already crowded with people, so they had begun to explore these types of locations.

Once inside, they were pleasantly surprised. It was a foreign-owned factory; the snacks in the office pantries were imported, and the food in the employees' drawers was of good quality. The building had eight floors. With six people in their group, Gu Pan suggested splitting up, one person per floor. The first floor was the lobby and the top floor was a garden; neither had offices, so they started from the second floor.

Lu Ruisheng volunteered to search the second floor, as he was the most capable and would be the first to detect any intruders, ensuring everyone’s safety. Gu Pan naturally took the third floor, as she preferred to stay close to him. Feng Zhekai took the fourth, Chen Shaonan and Chen Lang took the fifth and sixth, and Cheng Yang searched the second-to-last floor.

Gu Pan was the fastest because she had her spatial storage; she didn't need to weigh her options, she simply placed everything inside and sorted it later at home. After finishing, she went downstairs to find Lu Ruisheng and stored a few more items. They mostly found snacks and drinks, but Gu Pan also grabbed a few laptops for her space.

Once finished, they went upstairs to meet Feng Zhekai and the others, heading to the rooftop garden. Even in the apocalypse, everyone still harbored a longing for a beautiful life; such fantasies were a form of mental rest. Because there was a roof, the landscape remained intact, though the pond was frozen and the plants had died.

Suddenly, Chen Shaonan called out from a corner in excitement, "There’s a home generator here! Come look!"

Everyone hurried over. Chen Shaonan explained that if they could find enough fuel, they could solve the electricity needs for their two floors. Chen Lang asked, "Where would we get enough fuel?"

This stumped Chen Shaonan. Everything was frozen, and they couldn't get fuel from the gas stations. Gu Pan intervened, "Let’s take the stuff back first, and we'll figure out the fuel situation later."

Chen Shaonan nodded. "Right, let's take it back. There are a few canisters of oil here anyway; that will last us a while." With that, they moved everything downstairs.

At the base, Lu Ruisheng led the men in building makeshift sleds using stools and iron bars. Gu Pan took a turn around the first floor and found walkie-talkies in the security office that still worked. She put two in her space and carried the rest out—how convenient would it be to use them at home?

Since the haul was significant, including firewood, they built three sleds. By the time they loaded everything, it was afternoon, and they began their trek back. They first headed to their base—the morgue—to store a portion of the items before taking the rest home.

On the way, Lu Ruisheng explained the details of the morgue to everyone so they would be familiar with it. Although there were many corpses in the cold storage units, they were safe, but he needed everyone to overcome the psychological barrier. Feng Zhekai, being a doctor, was unfazed and even shared some knowledge about how corpses posed no threat to human health at these temperatures. Chen Shaonan provided psychological support to his son, Chen Lang, explaining that this was the cruelty of the apocalypse and something they had to accept. Cheng Yang, having been there with Lu Ruisheng the previous day, was already prepared and even thought finding such a base was quite clever.

Lu Ruisheng knew Gu Pan wasn't afraid, but he still held her hand as they entered. Once inside and accustomed to the layout, Gu Pan took several bicycle combination locks from her bag and secured the door, setting a code that all four of them agreed upon. From then on, any of them could open it—a testament to the absolute trust between the four families.

Everything set, they took what they needed and returned home. They came back early because Cheng Yang was moving in. Though he didn't have much—just some clothing—Gu Pan planned to host a housewarming meal to bring everyone together. They had also salvaged an iron gate, which they installed in the 6th-floor corridor, adding another layer of protection to their level.

Cheng Yang didn't have large items, so he didn't need help. He mostly brought his shoes, which he had a special fondness for; even though they were too thin to wear now, he felt secure having them nearby. After a few trips, he brought them over, leaving the less important things behind.

Once the iron gate was installed, Cheng Yang told everyone, "Since I've officially moved in today, come over to my place for dinner. It's nothing fancy, but it’ll be lively."

Gu Pan thought for a moment and said, "I'll prepare dinner tonight. We'll have hot pot. I happen to have a copper hot pot and charcoal at home. Everyone, come to Cheng Yang's in half an hour."

Hearing "hot pot," Cheng Yang’s eyes lit up. "Sis, you actually have a copper hot pot? You're my idol."

Gu Pan laughed, "Stop flattering me and go finish unpacking."

They joked around and headed home to change. They wore their thickest down jackets outside, but at home, despite the cold, they used charcoal braziers and preferred to change into lighter clothing, dispensing with hats, scarves, and gloves.