Chapter Sixty-Six: Aftermath of the Building Materials

During this brief window, the temperature dropped to minus fifteen degrees Celsius—a trivial matter for the northerners. It was at this moment that the authorities issued a notice, calling for building materials. Ren Minmin came across the post and immediately sought out Wu Gang.

She remembered that not long after she first arrived at the community, Wu Gang had asked her about her profession, and they had chatted about a batch of construction material exhibits she had handled for foreign traders. With the weather like this, if they didn't go out now, there was no telling when they'd get another chance.

After calming Ren Minmin, Wu Gang went to find Jiang Huan to ask if she wanted to join them.

"Go," Jiang Huan replied. "You must bring back a batch."

Wu Gang looked at her. "Miss Jiang, have you received some information?"

Was she so certain the natural disaster would not subside?

"It's not that I've received any news," Jiang Huan explained, "but the base already told us this situation would last at least half a year. Whether or not the authorities are actively collecting building materials this time, these are tangible, usable resources. If you wait until they're needed to act, you'll be a step too late."

Seeing her reasoning, Wu Gang, whose mind was already wavering, made up his mind to go.

But the trip there and back might take three to five days, assuming nothing unexpected happened.

Jiang Huan only said, "If there are a lot of those materials, why not cooperate? Didn't the official base publish a list of four recognized survivor points?"

Her words immediately enlightened him, and Wu Gang snapped out of his hesitation. He also wondered if Jiang Huan could temporarily take charge of Xingcheng Community.

"You have an assistant, don't you? Xiao Fu or something. Let him manage things—it's only three to five days. Nothing major should go wrong, and if there is real trouble, I won't stand by and do nothing."

After Wu Gang left, he instructed everyone not to bother Miss Jiang unless absolutely necessary.

Xiao Fu, young and a bit headstrong, grumbled, "Jiang Huan already gets special treatment. Wu, why do you cater to her as well? We're all from the same community—shouldn't she contribute too? If something really happens, what can a woman do?"

Wu Gang sighed. It seemed he'd need to consider finding another assistant when he returned. "Miss Jiang is a good person. Throughout this ordeal, she's never caused trouble, has always contributed her share of supplies and resources without complaint. She sets a positive example. Without someone like her, do you think our community would have such a good atmosphere?

"Or do you envy those other survivor points run by a dictator? If things get to that point, Xiao Fu, what makes you think you'd be the one in charge? Don't forget, when that trouble last arose, it was Miss Jiang who broke the deadlock."

At that, Xiao Fu suddenly remembered. Yes—Jiang Huan had an ace up her sleeve.

Grenades, and firearms.

He fell silent, listened carefully to all the instructions Wu Gang left, and gave his word.

Wu Gang, still uneasy, set out. He visited several other survivor points, found suitable partners, and with Ren Minmin in charge, set off for the building material depot.

For three days straight, Xingcheng Community remained peaceful.

Two more days passed, and Wu Gang's team still hadn't returned.

Little Lu, who was temporarily staying at Qiuqiu's home, became restless and ran downstairs to look for her mother.

Qiuqiu chased after her, patiently persuading Little Lu. His own father had also left this time, but his grandmother had reassured him that his father would definitely return.

Jiang Huan had just come back from handing over some snowfield rats when she spotted the two children, both about the same height—one pretending to be mature, the other gazing only toward the outside.

The scene was rather amusing.

"What are you two doing here instead of staying in your rooms?"

"I'm looking for my mom."

"I'll take Little Lu back."

Jiang Huan turned to a passing security guard at the door. "Hey, is your Wu back yet?"

"Not yet, Jiang," the guard replied. "We're all worried. Wu's group hasn't run into trouble, have they?" Xiao Fu had been loud and overbearing lately, and everyone was starting to lose patience.

The next time Jiang Huan went out, she used a drone to survey the route Wu Gang had taken.

In these days, the lowest temperature had dropped to fifteen below, affording many people a chance to catch their breath. The drone spotted quite a few people out on the streets.

The authorities had said there were several thousand survivors between the official survivor points and those hiding at home. It hadn't seemed like much before, but now, there were people in every corner.

She no longer competed with them for resources, instead occasionally dropping off food in hidden spots.

On the seventh night after Wu Gang left, the sound of vehicles drove into the community at midnight.

Many households awoke.

Jiang Huan was no exception. She pulled on a coat and looked downstairs.

Several vehicles were let in directly—it must have been Wu Gang's group.

Jiang Huan, curious about how other cities were coping with the disaster, picked out a basket of food and went downstairs.

She arrived just as Wu Gang was instructing those who had stayed behind to prepare something hot to eat. Jiang Huan's dozen or so boxes of self-heating spicy hot pot were a timely addition.

They didn't bother using the self-heating packs; instead, they tossed all the ingredient packs together and boiled them with noodles—everyone had a bowl, eating hungrily.

They looked famished.

Jiang Huan wasn't in a hurry. Swayed by the delicious aroma, she pulled a lollipop from her pocket and sucked on it.

Wu Gang finished in less than ten minutes, wiping his mouth and explaining why they had gone hungry despite bringing back food.

His eyes shone. "We made it there without running into trouble, but the building materials had already caught the eye of a local militia. They knew we needed them, so they let us have half in exchange for some food.

"Miss Jiang, you should have seen it—just a little militia of thirty-odd people supporting three to four hundred survivors. Things were so desperate they were eating rats. Compared to them, our city's officials are honestly the worst.

"I couldn't help myself and spent two days there helping them fish, scavenging for food and supplies before heading back. If we had more to spare, I’d have left more for them. They really are good people."

He went on and on, describing how humane and righteous the local authorities there were—almost to the point of naivety.

Apparently, two soldiers had died of hunger to save food for two pregnant women.

Jiang Huan was silent for a moment, pulling out the lollipop from her mouth. "How are the survivors there?"

"Half and half. Some thought we were a rescue team and started ordering us around."

Jiang Huan immediately put aside any sentimental thoughts.

"If you go there again for supplies, Captain Wu, you could suggest they come to our city to make a living. The aid here isn't much, but reconstruction is ongoing, and factories are opening. They're likely short of workers. If all they want is a few meals, it wouldn't be a bad idea to recommend them to the authorities."

But people like that shouldn't be recruited into Xingcheng Community.

Jiang Huan quickly put these people out of her mind.

Who could have predicted that a week later, the authorities gave Xingcheng Community a new task: another trip to transport the remaining supplies, with the base paying rewards in advance and providing food for trade.

Jiang Huan didn't go; this time Wu Gang sent Xiao Fu with the original team, saying he wanted to give Xiao Fu some experience.

But when they returned, they brought back three to four hundred people, all crowding at the community gate demanding entry.

The uproar outside was heard throughout the community. Many people pointed and whispered from their windows, while others grew fearful, wondering if another group of marauders had come to take over.