[edited]

Nine out of ten women are afraid of snakes, which are slippery and disgusting, especially those that mutate after natural disasters. Not only do they grow larger, but their colors can also be particularly horrifying.

Jiang Ning subconsciously stepped back and was about to take out a weapon to deal with the snake, but Huo Yishen, with his sharp eyes and quick hands, pulled her behind him to protect her and quickly and accurately hit the snake with a shovel. The snake was beheaded directly, and blood immediately poured out. 

Jiang Ning couldn’t remember the exact day when the snake disaster began, but she thought it was probably when the floodwaters receded to the sixth floor.

Now that the waters have fallen to the fifth and a half floor, a shadow of a snake has appeared. Before, they came out in groups, making people’s hair stand on end and their whole bodies tremble with fear.

Therefore, Jiang Ning specially prepared a lot of realgar powder, but unexpectedly, it was of no use. 

But thanks to the municipal government’s active prevention and control of the four pests. Once the environment is managed, the four pests will be reduced. 

So this time, the snakes may not have much of a chance. 

As soon as the snake was killed, someone jumped out from the corner, pleading anxiously, “Can you give me the snake?” 

It was a thin, dirty man with a face covered in grime, and his clothes were so filthy that their original color was unrecognizable. Even before he got close, a sour smell coming from him reached their noses.

Seeing the two silent, he begged, “Please, I haven’t eaten anything for days.” 

Huo Yishen ignored him, he used the military shovel to pick up the snake and throw it outside. 

There was garbage on the water’s surface, and the snake fell onto it with a thud. 

The two rowed away in a motorboat, and Jiang Ning looked back, only to see the man jumping into the dirty water, swimming to the garbage to pick up the snake. 

Not giving was the right decision. Huo Yishen had only taken Doudou downstairs once to catch a rat, and the next day, someone was already waiting downstairs to pick it up on time. 

It was likely that if they tried it again, they would dare to ask for supplies from the 18th floor next time.

Despite their unkempt appearance, their gazes were even more sinister than before. The reason they were so submissive was that the 18th floor held absolute advantage.

If the 18th floor ever lost that power, they would be the first to rush up with their knives.

So, one could avoid harming people, but one must never be overly generous. The lesson from the previous life was enough. 

After delivering the goods to the neighborhood committee, the canned food from the food factory arrived just in time. 

The canned food resembled the Gan Zhu brand but had no labels. It was simple and plain, with each box weighing about 230 grams.

Having come many times, the staff knew that Building 1 of Floor 17 and the 18th floor were a group, so they distributed everything together. 

There were more than 1,500 pounds of rats and a total of 150 boxes of canned food. 

The large backpack was packed full, and it attracted countless envious glances.

As they left the neighborhood committee, they noticed several greedy followers behind them.

The two exchanged looks and sped away in their motorboat, splashing the followers with dirty water, which made them curse and stomp their feet in anger.

As agreed, the Zhong family received 75 boxes of canned food. 

Grandma Zhong insisted on giving more to the 18th floor. “You’ve worked hard; you should take more.” 

“This is what we agreed beforehand, and we’ll stick to it.” 

In addition, Jiang Ning suggested stopping the use of the mousetrap. Firstly, there were fewer rats, and it was not cost-effective and time-consuming. Second, they were already being targeted, so the chance of getting robbed along the way was high.

With the rapid decrease in red-eyed mice and the addition of mousetraps throughout the neighborhood, it was unlikely they would reach the 17th and 18th floors.

Grandma Zhong agreed and put away the mousetrap. 

As for the remaining canned food, except for two, they were all divided among those who took turns to work, so each person got exactly 15 boxes. 

After closing the door, Jiang Ning curiously asked, “Have you ever eaten canned rat meat?” 

“I have.” Huo Yishen handed over his portion to her. “It’s average in taste, nothing special.” 

Now that their supplies were not lacking, there was no need to eat canned rat meat. They could always eat it later, when supplies were scarce. 

When they returned, Jiang Ning saw a snake swimming into an empty room on the sixth floor, which made her feel uncomfortable. She quickly took out the realgar powder and sprinkled it around the house. 

Sure enough, snakes began to appear one after another in the following days. 

Unfortunately, they didn’t stand a chance of reaching the top floor. 

Survivors on every floor armed themselves and waited. With the red-eyed mice becoming fewer, they couldn’t afford to miss the chance to catch snakes.

Several groups even fought over the opportunity—some intercepted, some grabbed, and others fought for territory. Each day was filled with lively chaos.

Jiang Ning opened the window and faintly smelled meat. 

Living on the top floor, they experienced an uncertain life while observing the water level slowly fall.

Jiang Ning calculated the time when she could give 1803 some vegetables. 

To avoid suspicion, she specifically selected varieties suitable for hydroponics and trimmed the stems before sending them out. “Ding ding ding ding, I have good news for you. The hydroponic vegetables are ready to be picked.” 

Fortunately, she had the walkie-talkie; otherwise, her poor acting skills would have been revealed.

Jiang Ning refused to meet the bald guys. “I’ve left them at the door. Just come and get them.” 

Lu Yu dashed out at the speed of a hundred meters sprint and nearly cried when he saw the vegetables. 

The lush green vegetables were so familiar and lovely. Like a tempting little elf that stole his soul. 

Vegetables, let’s do this! 

Too excited, Lu Yu called on the walkie-talkie, “Anning, Brother Shen, how about a hotpot?”

“I don’t have any hotpot ingredients left,” Jiang Ning replied. “Besides, we’re already hot like salted fish. Do you want to make it worse by eating hotpot?”

Who wouldn’t want a hotpot? But she showered every day. When she went out, she had to wear clothes soaked in sweat. Would they gather around, smelling like hotpot or stinky salted fish? 

Huo Yishen followed and refused. 

Doudou echoed from the other end, “I don’t want it; it’s too hot.” 

The glass-hearted 1803, “…” 

… 

At night, they went to 1801 for dinner, and Jiang Ning was almost shocked when she saw two bald heads. 

To be precise, two buzz cuts. 

Doudou had shaved her long hair, making her face look a bit rounder, and she somewhat resembled a boy. 

As for Huo Yishen’s hair, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but reach out and touch it, feeling a bit prickly. 

He is undeniably handsome and stylish. 

Even in loose-fitting t-shirts, his chest and abdominal muscles were subtly defined.

After glancing at them, Jiang Ning looked away. 

“How about I shave my hair too?” 

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Now everyone outside was bald, and she didn’t want to stand out. 

Huo Yishen didn’t insist. “If you like your long hair, you should keep it.”

Both he and Doudou had short hair, and the water saved from it could be used for her to wash her hair without raising suspicion.

“Sister, it feels so comfortable.” Doudou chuckled foolishly while wiping her head with a wet towel. “Just one wipe is enough.” 

Jiang Ning didn’t care about the length of her hair, but being too different might attract too much attention. “I’ll shave my head too.” 

Huo Yishen looked slightly surprised. “You look good with long hair; it’s a pity to shave it off.” 

“It’s okay; let’s wait until the extreme heat has passed.” 

So, Huo Yishen took out the electric clippers and shaved off Jiang Ning’s thick black hair. 

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