Chapter 31: The Spiked Board Trap

“Xiaoman-jie, people are coming! A lot of people!”

Wen Xu was perched on the balcony railing, pointing at the street below.

Xia Xiaoman yanked him back by the collar and smacked him on the butt. “Got guts now, huh? Who told you to climb the railing? If you want to dive that badly, just say so. I’ll throw you down myself.”

Knowing she was just scaring him, Wen Xu wasn’t afraid at all. He twisted in her grip and said, “Aiya, Xiaoman-jie, don’t pull me! Just look outside the complex, there are so many people coming!”

Outside the complex, seven or eight rafts followed behind three inflatable kayaks and two motorized rubber boats, moving like a well-trained convoy into the neighborhood. A few more rafts trailed behind them.

The fleet went straight toward Building 12. The other scattered rafts split off to look for their preferred buildings.

Xia Xiaoman observed for a while. That main group was clearly a team—heavily supplied, with not only heaps of goods piled on their rafts, but also nets of supplies dragged underwater. After docking, they pulled up several loads of supplies from below.

Among the scattered groups, five rafts and two inflatable boats entered Building 13 at staggered intervals. Judging by their behavior after entering, they seemed to be another team—likely intending to raid the supplies of the first group in Building 12.

The rest appeared to have been drawn in by these two groups—some genuinely looking for shelter, others hoping to scavenge leftovers.

Even Building 3, where Xia Xiaoman lived, had two groups arrive—one including elderly people and children, and another made up of young men and women.

With global disasters and constant rumors of the apocalypse, people were anxious. The filthy, chaotic shelters had worn their nerves thin. After the floodwaters surged again, many began to doubt whether civilization would ever return.

Some who had firmly believed the Xia nation would not fall were now wavering.

As the storm weakened, more people began venturing out to seek livable places, and the once-silent flooded city stirred with movement again.

Floating City’s high-rises weren’t numerous enough to house all citizens above the 7th floor. Buildings near the city center were already packed. Newly constructed communities like Chenyang Neighborhood suddenly became prime real estate.

Watching more rafts drift into the complex, Xia Xiaoman started thinking about how to reinforce their defenses on the 15th floor.

Wen Jianfeng had fixed the welder, and during the previous days of being stuck inside, he had gotten Su Ran and Xiao Zheyu to help install an iron gate.

The fire door’s frame could only support two doors; adding another was impossible. Electrifying the gate wasn’t an option either— the battery had been used up during welding.

Since nothing more could be done with the door, traps had to be placed in the hallway.

Ten minutes later, with all materials gathered, Xia Xiaoman squatted in the hallway, hammering away.

On the other side, the twins were jumping rope with sandbags tied to their legs. After Lingling finished a hundred jumps and rested for two minutes, she squatted in front of Xia Xiaoman and asked, “Xiaoman-jie, what are you making?”

Xia Xiaoman didn’t even look up. “A trap.”

Lingling, ever curious, asked, “What’s a trap?”

“I know!” Wen Xu chimed in quickly. “A trap is when you dig a big hole and cover it with leaves. When someone steps on it, they fall in. That’s how Bald Qiang catches Bear Two!”

Xia Xiaoman gave him a thumbs-up. “Smart. Here, take this and go dig a hole.”

Beaming from the praise, Wen Xu grabbed the entrenching tool she handed him and ran off seriously to dig the floor.

He hadn’t even started before Lingling pointed out the flaw. “Gege, you’re so dumb! This is a floor, you can’t dig a hole here.”

Wen Xu froze. “But… But that’s how Bald Qiang does it!”

“Cartoons aren’t real life. And you’re not Bald Qiang,” Xia Xiaoman flicked his forehead. “The trap I’m making is a spiked board trap.”

Lingling tilted her head. “But we don’t have any boards here.”

Xia Xiaoman rubbed her little face. “The name’s just for reference. Doesn’t have to be wood.”

She didn’t have suitable wooden boards in her space, so she used shelving panels with holes instead.

The panels were about the same size as a fire door. Without long nails or spikes, she improvised with fruit knives, scissors, and forks—fixed in place using wire and glass glue.

Each panel had over a hundred holes, and once converted into a spiked trap, they could be suspended from the ceiling. If triggered, they’d drop instantly, turning an intruder into a human sieve.

Xia Xiaoman carefully explained how to set up the trap. The twins were too young to remember everything, but even if they remembered a little, it could help them survive if no adults were around.

Just as she finished explaining, a rhythmic knock came at the door.

“Jie! Open up, we’re back!”

Recognizing Xiao Zheyu’s voice, Xia Xiaoman got up and opened the door. He didn’t even step in—just dropped off a pile of supplies and turned to leave.

Xia Xiaoman frowned. “Why the rush? Did you guys bring back a lot?”

“Not really. Just okay. Uncle Wen’s trying to recruit little brothers—I’m going to help him vet them!” Xiao Zheyu replied while running off excitedly.

Xia Xiaoman looked puzzled. Recruit what? They were getting new people on the 15th floor?

Soon after, arguing echoed through the hallway. Curious, Xia Xiaoman peeked outside to see Wen Jianfeng and Su Ran hauling supplies upstairs, followed by a small group jabbering non-stop.

“That family is horrible—elders act entitled, the kids throw tantrums, the women are unreasonable, and the men are violent. They hit people for no reason!”

“Exactly! They don’t respect others at all. I left my supplies on the balcony for just a moment, and their brat dragged them away.”

“You saw it too! They even tried to take your stuff! Aren’t you going to do something about them?”

“Bro, if you’re short-handed, I’ll help. I won’t let you face them alone!”

The group’s chatter left Xia Xiaoman full of question marks. “What ‘facing them alone’? Coach, who are you dealing with?”

Wen Jianfeng sighed and said nothing.

Su Ran quickly explained, “A rude family just moved in—camping on the 5th floor and robbing people’s supplies. These folks were their victims. Now they want us to help get their stuff back.”

Xia Xiaoman: “……”

Did she wake up on the wrong side of the bed?

Why were these people asking them to step in? Did they look like some kind of soft-hearted heroes?