Chapter 40: Ye Mianmian’s Company

When Ye Mianmian said that, Jiang Yuan felt a spark of excitement in her heart.

There were bound to be plenty of wooden tables, chairs, and benches in a company, and her space desperately needed those kinds of materials.

Jiang Yuan: “Mianmian, where’s your company located again? I remember you’re a beauty livestreamer, right?”

Ye Mianmian: “Yes, Yuan-jie. But our building has a lot of streamers. There’s even a snack shop on the ground floor.”

Zhang Kaiyang: “Whoa, big sis, why didn’t you say that earlier? With that, who would bother going to the little store near the property office?!”

Ye Mianmian: “Well, our company is in Qingping Plaza. It’s not super far from here, but not very convenient to get to by boat either, so I didn’t mention it.”

Jiang Yuan: “Wait, don’t tell me your office is in those office towers behind the plaza?”

Ye Mianmian: “That’s exactly right—we’re in Tower C!”

Behind Qingping Plaza are four office buildings, part of a bustling commercial area in the eastern suburbs.

It’s a hub for white-collar workers and largely focused on internet-based businesses—mainly livestreaming rooms and e-commerce.

Jiang Yuan: “That’s perfect. If we can get there, we should. The longer we stay in one spot, the more likely others are to notice us.”

Though that area was full of commercial and office buildings, there were also many residential complexes nearby—definitely closer than their current location.

Ye Mianmian: “But it’s pretty far, and with how things are outside, I doubt we can even use GPS navigation. How are we supposed to get there?”

That was indeed a serious concern.

Song Yi: “I have an inflatable kayak with a motor.”

Wait—this guy had something like that?! Impressive!

Zhang Kaiyang: “Brother Song, you’re my hero…”

A motorized kayak would be a bit noisy and attract attention, but for a longer journey, it was an essential tool.

Jiang Yuan was drooling at the thought of Ye Mianmian’s office building.

She was pretty familiar with the area. Once more people started making moves, places like that would likely be ignored or missed entirely.

That plaza was about 4.3 kilometers from Lushan Yayuan. It was a quick drive under normal conditions.

But now, traveling by inflatable boat would take considerably longer.

Plus, with all the flooding, many roads were unrecognizable. They’d have to avoid submerged obstacles, which required a skilled navigator.

Song Yi: “If we’re lucky, we might gather a lot of supplies. One inflatable kayak won’t be enough. I’ll bring the hand-paddled one too—use it to carry the haul.”

Jiang Yuan: “I have some adventure gear I bought earlier. I think it includes something similar. Let’s bring that too.”

Zhang Kaiyang: “If we bring too much, we won’t be able to carry it all back. And if we get followed on the return trip, we’ll have to guard the supplies and fend off attackers. The four of us might not be enough for that.”

Everyone fell silent—he was right. It was a problem no one could ignore.

Ye Mianmian: “And the journey there won’t be safe either. Daytime means more eyes watching us.”

Jiang Yuan: “Then let’s just take one boat. We’ll take whatever we can carry. We can’t collect supplies just for others to steal.”

Song Yi: “I agree!”

Right now, he was the core of the team—not only strong, but well-equipped.

So everyone followed his lead.

Ye Mianmian and Zhang Kaiyang had no objections, and the plan was set.

Song Yi: “Bring some weapons for self-defense…”

As soon as he said that, everyone’s hearts grew heavy.

Normal people are afraid when it comes to life-and-death situations.

Especially young people who grew up under peace and order—it’s hard to imagine ever facing something like this.

Putting down her phone, Jiang Yuan got ready for bed.

Tomorrow would be a tough battle. Sleep was crucial—she needed to stay sharp.

Her parents, Jiang Xingyuan and Qin Yue, didn’t know about their plan. The next morning, they got up as usual to make breakfast, then started making dumplings and steamed buns.

“What? You’re going out again?”

Qin Yue was frightened. She had joined a neighborhood group earlier for community buying and saw photos of bodies floating outside, and messages about people leaving and never coming back.

“Yes, Mom. Don’t worry, the four of us are going together. We’ll go during the day and be extra cautious. Plus, someone familiar with the route is leading us—remember that young girl from before?”

“Still not okay! Yesterday so many young, strong guys went out, and only a few came back. Daughter, listen to Mom—we have plenty of supplies at home. Don’t risk your life.”

Jiang Xingyuan agreed completely. He truly couldn’t understand why his daughter kept wanting to leave the house.

“Dad, Mom, I understand how you feel, but things outside are spiraling out of control. People are already ignoring the law. If we don’t act now, we’ll lose any chance in the future. I promise, just this one last trip. Once we return, I’ll stay home obediently.”

The two elders wanted to say more, but Jiang Yuan had already made up her mind.

Qin Yue sighed. Her daughter had grown up—strong-willed and impossible to persuade.

“Oh right, Dad, Mom—our relationship with the couple downstairs isn’t great. While I’m gone, please be extra cautious. Don’t open the door for anyone. As long as you keep it closed, no one can get in.”

If nothing else, Jiang Yuan had full confidence in their two doors.

After giving all her warnings, she got ready to leave.

She went to her room, put on thermal wear, then a waterproof suit on top.

Over that, she wore a windproof mountain jacket from an outdoor gear shop—advertised as suitable even for Antarctic expeditions.

Then a final layer: a raincoat. Rain boots, heat patches on her body and feet.

She packed a backpack with food and water Qin Yue had prepared.

Just as she was finishing up, Song Yi knocked on the door.

She followed him out, her parents watching with worried eyes.

Jiang Yuan didn’t look back—she left decisively.

In the apocalypse, this kind of separation was normal. Even partings between life and death had to be accepted. People would have to get used to it.

Ye Mianmian and Zhang Kaiyang were ready and waiting for them.

“Let’s go, Song-ge, Yuan-jie. We have to leave from the third floor this time…”

“Yeah…”

Lots of people were leaving through the third floor today.

They departed at 9 a.m. Outside, the heavy rain was the same as before—maybe even windier.

When they reached the third floor, they saw three other people also preparing to leave.

Song Yi stayed quiet, so the others stood behind him.

“You guys heading out too?”

“Yep.”

“Where to?”

“We’ll see what’s open once we’re out.”

Song Yi responded coolly, clearly not interested in chatting.

The man didn’t push. One of them had already prepared a bathtub to use as a boat and called the others to hurry up.