Chapter 38: Useful People Live Longer

Chapter 38: The Useful Live Longer

Today could be considered a harvest-filled day. On the way back, Gu Pan sat behind Lu Ruisheng, hugging his waist, and couldn't help but hum a little tune.

Lu Ruisheng was in an excellent mood as well. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly beneath his scarf; even in the apocalypse, having his wife by his side meant happiness.

When they arrived back outside their apartment complex, Lu Ruisheng stood guard over the haul while Gu Pan rode the motorcycle to a secluded spot, stowed it in her spatial dimension, and then headed upstairs to call for help moving the goods.

Everyone had been waiting at home for their return, so they were already dressed and ready. They all descended together. Seeing the supplies at the entrance, everyone was incredibly excited. Although the equipment was heavy, the thought of having such weapons and gear made the task feel much less arduous.

As they made their way upstairs, many eyes peered at them through the peepholes in the stairwell, but no one dared to come out and ask what they had brought back.

Once everything was moved to the seventh floor, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng distributed the explosive materials to Chen Shaonan’s family, while keeping the firearms for themselves. As for the helmets, riot shields, and bulletproof vests, they were divided up among everyone.

With everything settled, everyone returned home feeling reassured. The neighbors on the floors above and below had heard what was being distributed and knew what was in the crates. Though they were fearful, they also felt a sense of relief; after all, with these people around, their building was safer than most. As long as they didn’t freeze or starve to death, they had a chance to survive.

Back home, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng looked at the two crates of firearms. Even though they were models, after modifications, they wouldn't be much worse than the real things. Even if there were differences, a team with weapons and equipment was fundamentally different from ordinary people.

Of course, the couple intended to maintain absolute control and leadership. No matter who they formed an alliance with, they would be the ones in charge. Gu Pan’s experiences in her past life had taught her to remain guarded toward anyone other than Lu Ruisheng, as human nature shifts with the environment—a survival lesson learned over years of the apocalypse. Lu Ruisheng felt the same; he knew that as long as he trusted his wife, he couldn't go wrong.

The next day, they all rose at dawn. From researching weapons to practicing martial arts, no one was idle. Having experienced being robbed and witnessing the narrow escapes of those who had been victimized, they were all too aware of the cruelty of the end times.

Over the past two days, the supplies outside had been largely picked clean. Those with the capability had begun hoarding from the very first day order collapsed. The short-sighted, however, still clung to the hope that "Heaven won't starve a blind bird," believing that someone would eventually provide them with a bite to eat until help arrived.

As a result, some people now had stockpiles of supplies, while others had run completely out, lacking even firewood for warmth. News of people freezing or starving to death came frequently. This atmosphere fueled panic; now, anyone venturing out for food carried a blade and viewed everyone else with suspicion.

After finishing their daily training, Gu Pan and her group headed out again. Although supplies were scarce, there was still a chance to find what others had missed. If the apocalypse lasted for years, everything would become a treasure.

As they passed the fourth floor, they heard the elderly woman from 501 pleading with the floor monitor in 401.

Her voice was no longer as loud or forceful as it once was. Trembling, she begged, "Floor monitor, I know you have the kindest heart. Could you spare us a little more food? My grandson really can't go on. He's only had water for a day; the child truly can't bear it."

The 401 floor monitor replied, "I really am powerless to help. It’s too difficult to find supplies out there now. My own family only has enough for two days, and I don't know what we'll do after that. You should try asking someone else."

The woman from 501 didn't give up. "I know, I know your family is struggling too, but just a bite—please, give the child a bite. You know I'm old; I really can't compete with the young ones. My son isn't here, and I'm just an old woman looking after a child. I really have no other choice."

Hearing this, the 401 floor monitor grew impatient. "Do you really think someone can support you forever at a time like this? Instead of begging door-to-door, you'd be better off going out to find something to eat."

The woman from 501 countered, "But my legs aren't good! If I were young, I would have gone out long ago."

The 401 floor monitor sighed. "I truly cannot help you." With that, she closed the door.

The woman continued to knock, but 401 did not open.

Gu Pan felt helpless listening to this. Some people always assumed others should pity them and believed that because they were elderly, others were obligated to help. Even before the apocalypse, Gu Pan wouldn't have bothered with such people.

The group didn't linger and headed downstairs. There was no point in wasting time on those who weren't willing to exert effort and only wanted to take advantage of others.

The woman from 501 saw them and, realizing it was Gu Pan and her group, didn't dare to block their path. Having seen Gu Pan brandish a blade before, she hid against the wall, watching them leave before moving on to beg at another door.

In the last few days, the woman had lost a lot of weight, and her hair had turned white. Because begging had become increasingly difficult, she hadn't managed to get anything for two days. With no food or fuel left at home, she was truly desperate. Yet, she didn't know where to go to find food; she had never gone out, didn't know the area, and was too afraid to try.

Today, Gu Pan and her group had good luck. They found a dormitory for the Party School. This place had likely been overlooked because people assumed it was just a school, so many didn't know it had a dormitory.

Because Lu Xuerong had once studied there, she was familiar with the layout. She hadn't expected that mentioning the dormitory would actually lead them to a find.

Three days before the blizzard, the residents of the dormitory had all rushed home. Since the students were locals from the city—only perhaps from surrounding counties where commuting was difficult—they stayed in the dorms, but when trouble arose, it was easy enough for them to return home.

They managed to scavenge plenty of food and supplies today. They packed everything up, transported half to the morgue for storage, and took the rest home.

Searching was becoming increasingly difficult, so they didn't spend too much time on it each day. They would go out for half a day and then return home. Chen Shaonan and Duan Shumei spent their time researching explosive weapons and power generators. Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng focused on weapons.

The two young men, Cheng Yang and Chen Lang, worked hard to improve their combat skills. Feng Zhekai’s maternal grandfather was a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, and his paternal grandfather was a Western medicine doctor, so he had grown up in that environment. He had a solid understanding of traditional medicine. Now, he dug out all the medical books from his home to study acupuncture. After all, when there were no conditions for surgery and no medicine, acupuncture was a life-saving skill.

His wife, Lu Xuerong, followed suit and studied medicine with him. Everyone understood that no matter the circumstances, it was the useful people who lived the longest, especially those with life-saving skills.

By evening, Chen Shaonan had fixed the generator. It was placed in the stairwell so it could also provide power to the sixth floor.

Diesel was limited, so they tentatively agreed to run it for two hours every evening. This allowed them to heat up their electric blankets and heaters and finish any tasks requiring electricity before shutting it off to save fuel.

Gu Pan’s family had their own generator, so by managing their time reasonably, they could conserve their own resources. No matter how much they had stockpiled, they had to be as frugal as possible; after all, it was the apocalypse, and resources were no longer renewable.

Over the past few days, they had visited repair shops and car dealerships to collect gasoline, and when they went to factories, they looked for diesel. What they had found so far was enough to keep the generator running for a month or so, and they would continue to search for more in the future.