Chapter 37 – Relying on Yourself is Better than Relying on Others

Xia Xiaoman didn’t want to leave the apartment complex.

Finding a good place to live wasn’t easy. They had lived on this floor for so long; the doors and windows were all reinforced. To just leave like that—she couldn’t accept it.

Wen Jianfeng felt the same. “I suggest we stay. The danger outside might be even worse than staying here. Besides, we haven’t found a place better than this.”

Zhou Qiuyang chimed in, “I don’t want to leave either. We finally got settled here—it would be a huge waste to abandon it.”

Sun Qing sighed. “But staying is dangerous. Everyone in this building knows we have a lot of supplies. If they go around talking, those people from Building 12 will definitely come after us.”

Su Ran didn’t offer a preference. “I’ll go with the group. If you say stay, I’ll stay. If we’re leaving, I’ll leave too.”

Ye Xiaojie raised a suggestion. “Why don’t we seek help from professionals?”

“What do you mean?” Zhou Qiuyang asked.

Sun Qing’s eyes lit up. “Xiaojie, are you saying we should contact the rescue teams?”

Ye Xiaojie nodded. “They might ignore most problems, but when it comes to guns, they’ll definitely report it and send people to deal with it.”

Gun control in Xia Country was extremely strict. Even though social order had collapsed, the government would still want to prevent armed factions from forming and opposing them. They’d definitely send forces to eliminate and confiscate firearms.

Xia Xiaoman said, “In that case, let’s prepare for both scenarios.”

“I’ll stash some emergency supplies outside. If we’re forced to abandon everything and leave the complex, at least we’ll still have something to fall back on.”

“I’ll notify the rescue team when I go out to hide the supplies. You all focus on reinforcing the defenses on the 15th floor.”

Wen Jianfeng nodded. “Alright, I’ll start packing the emergency bags for you now.”

Everyone agreed to Xia Xiaoman’s plan.

Twenty minutes later, Xia Xiaoman left with six emergency bags.

After leaving the complex, she rowed some distance and found a secluded spot to stash the bags inside her space storage, then continued rowing toward the rescue point.

When she reached a bend, a thick rope suddenly emerged from the water, capsizing her inflatable raft. Everything spun, and she plunged into the water.

“Taizi, get the boat!”

“Damn it, it’s empty. There’s nothing on it.”

“Even getting a raft isn’t bad. Stop dawdling, bring it over!”

“Alright—AHH!!”

The one named Taizi had just touched the raft when sharp pain struck his lower back. Blood began to spread in the water.

Before he could react, another sharp pain hit his left side. Blood poured out, mixing quickly with the filthy water. Paralyzed with pain, his vision blurred, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

The last thing he saw before blacking out was a spinning axe embedding in his boss’s neck—his eyes wide open in death.

Xia Xiaoman swam to shore, yanked out the axe, checked her surroundings, then stored the raft and pulled out clean water and clothes from her space to bathe and change.

In these times, you couldn’t afford to be careless. Getting infected by parasites was no joke.

She continued rowing, and by the time she reached the rescue point, it was already past 6 p.m., and the sky had gone dark.

She briefly reported the shooting incident involving Building 12 to the rescue personnel. They recorded the address in detail and promised to escalate it to higher authorities.

As for whether anyone would be sent or when, they couldn’t give a clear answer.

…

Xia Xiaoman returned to the complex around 8 p.m.

As soon as she entered, she felt something was off.

It was too quiet.

This time of evening was usually when people ate dinner—you’d expect to see faint lights from windows and hear the sounds of cooking or conversation.

But tonight, only a few windows were lit, and there wasn’t a hint of daily life to be heard.

Xia Xiaoman turned off her flashlight, carefully rowed back to Building 3, packed up the raft, and tiptoed up to the 15th floor.

She knocked softly, repeating the secret rhythm four or five times before someone heard.

“Xiaoman, is that you?” Sun Qing’s voice came from inside.

“Yes, it’s me. Open the door,” Xia Xiaoman whispered.

Once sure it was her, Sun Qing opened the door.

“Did you run into anyone on the way back?”

Xia Xiaoman shook her head. “No. But what happened while I was gone? Why is it so quiet around here?”

Sun Qing frowned. “Building 12 sent people around to every building. They said the entire complex is under their ‘protection’ now. If anyone wants to keep living here, they have to pay protection fees—30 jin of food per person.”

Xia Xiaoman asked, “So if you pay 30 jin, you’re good?”

“In your dreams. That’s just the monthly fee. Every month, it’s another 30 jin. If you don’t pay, they kick you out.”

Xia Xiaoman scowled. “That’s outrageous. Didn’t anyone resist?”

Sun Qing nodded grimly. “That weak group who tried to steal our wood a few days ago—they tried. They begged, cried, faked injuries—everything. In the end, two elderly people had their legs broken, the kid hit his head, and the women were… abused.”

“After that, no one else dared resist.”

Xia Xiaoman sighed. “They didn’t find us, right?”

“They went to every unit. When they came here, the coach stepped in and sent them away.”

Sun Qing added worriedly, “They’re coming to collect food tomorrow. Thirty jin! It pains me just thinking about it.”

“Should we leave tonight then?” Xia Xiaoman suggested.

Sun Qing shook her head. “It’s too late. Those bastards have stationed guards in every building. Anyone trying to leave would be spotted immediately.”

Xia Xiaoman was surprised. “They have people in the buildings? I didn’t see anyone on my way up.”

“They’re probably hiding,” Sun Qing guessed. “It’s lucky you left early. If you’d been a bit later, they might’ve stopped you—and then we couldn’t have warned the rescue team.”

Xia Xiaoman shrugged. “Even if I’d been stopped, I could still report them when going out to gather supplies tomorrow.”

“That’s true. But it’s still better to report early, give the rescue team time to prepare.”

After updating each other, Xia Xiaoman returned home and collapsed on her inflatable mattress, exhausted.

The rescue team’s response hadn’t been reassuring—there was no guarantee anyone would deal with the thugs in Building 12.

Relying on others wasn’t as dependable as relying on yourself.

She opened her space inventory and pulled out a bunch of materials, planning to craft some powerful weapons herself.