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Yan Mo and his team placed the inflatable boat on the water and started pumping air into it. The eyes of those gathered from the nearby buildings, all eager to leave, turned towards them. Seeing that only the two of them were heading out, some looked tempted to join.
However, when their gazes landed on the long knives in their hands, hesitation and fear replaced their eagerness.
After several rounds of silent exchanges between the onlookers, just as Yan Mo and Bu Xiangwen were about to depart, someone finally mustered the courage to step forward.
“Hello, could you take us with you? We’re willing to pay, or you can name any conditions.”
“We can take you, but forget about the money. When we buy supplies later, you must stay with us the whole time.”
Yan Mo did not refuse but instead laid down his condition.
“Alright, I’ll discuss it with them.”
The man was clearly not foolish. The condition Yan Mo set wasn’t unreasonable—it was a fair trade to exchange some supplies for a safe trip out and back. Soon, he returned with two other men.
“I’m Zhang Song, and these are my brothers, Ma Zhengzhen and Bao Xingsi. We agree to your terms.”
Zhang Song introduced the two younger men accompanying him.
“Yan Mo.”
Yan Mo had no interest in further conversation. He simply gave his name and let Bu Xiangwen handle the rest.
“I’m Bu Xiangwen. Hurry up and get on, we need to leave now. If we’re late, there won’t be anything left to grab.”
Bu Xiangwen swiftly ushered them onto the boat. Under the envious gazes of the bystanders, the group disappeared beyond the residential complex’s entrance.
The entire trip, Bu Xiangwen never stopped talking, skillfully guiding the conversation to extract useful information from their new companions. Yan Mo, appearing focused on steering the inflatable boat, actually had no need to control it—the current carried them forward just fine. Meanwhile, he silently listened to every word.
As they neared the supermarket, they saw many others who had come for the same reason. Some even had inflatable boats like theirs, making them less conspicuous.
After a brief discussion, they decided to deflate and stow away the boat before heading inside. Seeing the sheer number of people outside, they could only imagine how chaotic it must be inside.
By sticking together, they would deter troublemakers. And if anyone still dared to target them, their group of five would be no easy prey.
Inside, the supermarket was far more chaotic than Yan Mo had anticipated.
The flood had hit only recently. If people had followed the government’s early warnings and stocked up for a week, staple foods like rice and flour should still be plentiful. Even stretching supplies could last a month.
However, the relentless rain and the lack of government response or rescue efforts had driven people into a state of panic. It was understandable that they would rush to buy supplies, but fighting over a single pack of instant noodles?
It seemed that being trapped indoors for days, coupled with the gloomy weather, had severely affected people’s moods. Frustration and restlessness were boiling over, making them short-tempered and prone to aggression.
This was a major oversight on Yan Mo’s part—he hadn’t accounted for the psychological toll on people.
If the government continued to do nothing, order would collapse even before food supplies ran out.
To avoid suspicion, Yan Mo and Bu Xiangwen had no choice but to actively participate in the frenzied shopping. Both were tall, standing out in the crowd.
Being tall had its advantages—they could easily reach high shelves, avoiding the scuffles happening over lower-placed items. Each of them filled their arms with supplies but still couldn’t escape the surging crowd, getting swept along.
Perhaps because of their height and the long knives strapped to their backs, no one dared to snatch their supplies. They even witnessed several people getting robbed of their goods right in front of them.
Before entering the supermarket, they had agreed on a rendezvous point in case they got separated—the stairwell in the southeastern corner.
The stairwell was in a dead-end area, partially blocked by stacked boxes, making it a relatively hidden and safe spot. If anyone got split from the group, they could hide there without being easily found.
Yan Mo and Bu Xiangwen were among the first to exit.
The crowd was chaotic, with people pushing in both directions. But thanks to the commotion, no one paid them any attention, allowing them to slip away unnoticed and reach the stairwell safely.
Even while maneuvering through the throng, Bu Xiangwen continued chatting with those around him, gathering more information. Meanwhile, Yan Mo listened intently, his expression growing more serious as he pieced things together.
Upon reaching the stairwell, Bu Xiangwen was eager to speak, but Yan Mo silenced him with a look.
Swallowing his words, Bu Xiangwen paced back and forth, visibly frustrated at having to hold everything in.
After over half an hour, Zhang Song and the others finally emerged.
The three of them looked vastly different from when they had entered.
Their once neatly dressed appearance was now disheveled. Wrinkled clothes bore the marks of intense struggles—creases, stretched fabric, even faint fingerprints pressed into the cloth.
Fatigue was written all over their faces. Panting heavily, they clung tightly to the supplies they had managed to grab, unwilling to let go.
But before they could even catch their breath, voices drifted in from outside.
“Boss, I saw them go in here with my own eyes. They haven’t come out yet. Those three grabbed a ton of stuff—if we take it from them, we can last a long time.”
“Good job, kid. If you’re right, I’ll make sure you get a bigger share this time.”
Footsteps approached.
Yan Mo silently reached out and locked the stairwell door. He then placed a finger to his lips, signaling for silence, before motioning for them to follow him upstairs.
The three newcomers quickly understood—they were being targeted.
They had been careless and failed to notice someone tailing them.
Yan Mo led them up the stairs. Earlier, he had observed that this supermarket had an upper floor with a food court. Given the current flood levels, they could escape through a second-floor window instead of using the main entrance.
They had no time to waste. If they wanted to keep their supplies—and their lives—they needed to act fast.