Chapter 25 – Kindred Spirits

The rolling shutter suddenly opened, and a figure appeared in the wind and rain.

Jiang Yuan immediately went into combat mode, a dagger already in her hand.

“Song Yi…”

“Jiang Yuan…”

They both froze, stunned to see each other here.

“What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?”

They spoke in unison, eyes locked on each other.

“I saw the lights on and came in.”

Knowing someone was inside and still not knocking? What kind of logic was that?

“Come inside first.”

Though he was dangerous too, she couldn’t let anyone outside see someone was here — that would only bring more trouble.

Song Yi agreed and quickly pulled the rolling shutter back down.

“You finished getting your stuff?”

She eyed his bulging backpack — no doubt he’d gotten something good.

“Not supplies. Got some medicine…”

Bought some?

What pharmacy would even be open right now? Jiang Yuan was suspicious — this guy was clearly one of her kind. Another practitioner of “zero-cost shopping.”

“What about you?”

“The baby store wasn’t open, so I came over here and knocked. Found the door unlocked, so I went in. Called out for a while — no answer — so I came in.”

She said it calmly. After all, everything had already been stashed in her space. Even if she lied, he wouldn’t be able to tell — her hands were empty.

“Hmm.”

Song Yi glanced around. Not much was left.

Only a few heads of cabbage and Chinese cabbage, a few potatoes — not much. And by the entrance, just a few drinks.

This store didn’t carry a huge stock, and earlier visitors had already taken most of it. Only scraps remained.

“No one else is likely to come. Let’s split what’s left.”

Jiang Yuan feigned surprise. “Is that… really okay?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it. These veggies won’t last long anyway. And with the door open, if we don’t take them, someone else will. Once the weather clears, we can come back and pay them if we feel guilty.”

“Alright!”

They quickly came to an agreement — time to “divide the loot.”

Jiang Yuan took two heads of Chinese cabbage, two cabbages, and a bag of potatoes.

She grabbed two big bottles of Sprite, two of green tea, and some orange juice.

All the popular items were gone — only tea and sparkling water remained. She didn’t hesitate, and took a few more bottles, dividing things evenly.

Song Yi was efficient too — three big bags each, using the largest ones they could find.

After that, he didn’t stop. He went to the counter and cleaned out everything useful from behind it.

Jiang Yuan cursed silently — he beat her to it!

Acting fast, she snatched up all the hanging snack bags nearby.

“How are we going to carry all this back?”

“There’s a treasure here…”

Song Yi picked up a large tray — probably used to hold produce. Not huge, but big enough to barely fit their haul.

Jiang Yuan cursed him internally. Ugh, I have a space, but can’t use it openly. Now I’m stuck using a stupid tray to carry things. Who else could possibly understand this frustration?

Song Yi moved fast. He turned off the lights, covered the goods with a waterproof tarp to keep rain out, then tied a rope to one side of the tray. With the shutter pulled down again, it looked like nothing had happened.

“I’ll pull in front. You watch and make sure the tray doesn’t tip over.”

“Okay.”

They worked together, clumsily but successfully getting the tray downstairs.

They were careful, but still managed to draw some attention.

By the time they reached the fifth floor, someone was waiting. Seeing them, he quickly asked, “You two went out? What’s it like out there? What did you buy?”

A guy — probably from unit 0502.

Song Yi carried the tray, while Jiang Yuan walked in front, helping carry the weight.

“The water’s not deep. You can go out,” she replied briefly, eager to move on.

“What did you get? Which supermarket is open? Are there many supplies left?”

A string of questions — clearly desperate to know.

“The big supermarket up above is open. Not a lot left, but some. You can go check it out.”

That supermarket wasn’t far, but it was on higher ground and harder to reach — uphill and a bit of a slog.

Normally, it was just one bus stop away — about a five-minute trip.

“Really? Are they limiting purchases?”

Jiang Yuan and Song Yi had already reached the sixth-floor landing, but the guy was still chasing after them.

“No limits. Not many people there. The owner said if business stays like this, he’ll close in a few days. So if you’re going, better go soon.”

She wasn’t lying. Back in the day, that supermarket stayed open longer because of its higher elevation.

She also remembered that place jacked up prices during the peak panic and got called out for it, though people still bought stuff anyway.

At that time, she’d been endlessly tormented by Xia Chaoyang and Bai Mengmeng, even considered suing them. She had also taken the chance to stockpile supplies — locked them in her own room.

Xia’s mother had bought a lot too, but it still wasn’t enough. That’s when they tried to swap things with her.

She had done it all for Xiao Nuan. Adults could go hungry, but not the child.

“Great! I’ll go early tomorrow morning. Thanks!”

Jiang Yuan paused slightly. People still had manners, even now.

Even during the peak chaos, some social order remained. But the 2,000-year-old civilization of mankind was about to collapse.

“You’re welcome,” she said softly, savoring this last bit of decency.

On the way up, they ran into someone on the 13th floor — another night owl — also eager to ask questions.

She gave the same answer, directing everyone to the supermarket up top.

No matter how expensive it was, if you could get supplies, it could mean the difference between life and death.

By the time they reached the 20th floor, the annoying one showed up again.

A woman with curled hair, arms crossed, looking down on them with superiority.

“So much stuff, huh? What did you get? Can you spare me some?”

Jiang Yuan shot her a glance — delicate legs like compasses from a fashion magazine.

“The supermarket up top is still open. Better hurry up. We didn’t get much, so we can’t share.”

This woman had hit walls with Jiang Yuan a few times already and now knew she wasn’t someone to mess with.

“Don’t be so stingy. I’ve got a kid at home and can’t get out.”

By now, Jiang Yuan and Song Yi were already on the 20th-floor landing.

“You’re not dead, are you? You can move. Just don’t talk to me again. You’re disgusting.”

Once the end comes, this woman will have to be dealt with early — she’ll be a huge problem otherwise.

“What’s your problem? Think you’re better than everyone just ‘cause you made it outside? No one cares!”

“The rain’s stopped. Didn’t your family already stock up? Now you’re acting broke? If you’ve got the guts, go get it yourself. Always trying to mooch. Look at yourself — what are you even worth?

I’m not a man. I’m not falling for your crap.”

The woman was furious, baring her teeth, ready to curse.

Song Yi suddenly stepped forward, voice cold and threatening: “Move.”