The Crowd 04

Little did he expect that the moment he was about to knock, the door would suddenly open. It was just as pitch-black inside as it was outside. Sun Jiahao could only see a dark silhouette standing there. He froze in terror, and in the very next second, the shadow swiftly shoved something into his arms.

Immediately following that was a loud shout, "There's a thief!!!"

Sun Jiahao's scalp went numb. He was already terrified, and the sudden shout made him turn and flee in panic. However, the sudden noise had already awakened the residents sleeping in the hallway.

Someone lit a lighter, and someone else took out a flashlight, which was usually kept off to save batteries. In short, it was total chaos.

Sun Jiahao, who was running downstairs, entered everyone's line of sight.

"There really is someone stealing!"

"Where are my biscuits?"

Sun Jiahao didn't manage to escape; he was grabbed by an adult.

"Aha, we've been saying there's a thief lately, and it's you, isn't it?" someone interrogated through gritted teeth.

"I, I didn't... I..." Sun Jiahao finally realized that he was still holding whatever had been shoved into his hands. He looked down and saw that it was actually a small bag of flour.

The commotion in the hallway quickly woke up the people on other floors. The damp environment already made it hard to sleep soundly, so upon hearing the noise, people began heading upstairs one after another.

When Old Hag Sun arrived with the mindset of watching a good show, she instead discovered her precious eldest grandson being smacked around like a spinning top. She instantly grew frantic, "Stop! Who dares to hit my grandson! Stop it!"

Seeing an adult step forward, the adult who was teaching Sun Jiahao a lesson stopped, "Your grandson? No wonder. It's not enough that your family is always taking advantage of others, but now you're instigating a child to steal?"

"Bullshit! How could he possibly steal anything?"

But the man raised the small bag of flour in his hand, "Look here, this kid stole it! If I remember correctly, your family just had a fight with the young man surnamed Fang today, didn't you? You fight during the day, and then come to steal his things for revenge at night?"

The crowd cast cold glares at Old Hag Sun.

"What, what is going on?" Old Hag Sun was also stunned.

Sun Jiahao covered his face and cried non-stop, "I, I don't know, I just wanted to get back at him a little..."

"Did you hear that! This kid is simply no good!" someone said through gritted teeth.

Given the current situation, everyone was feeling depressed. The sudden appearance of a thief gave their pent-up emotions an outlet. Even though Sun Jiahao was just a half-grown boy, they showed no mercy.

However, Fang Zhiyi, the victim of the incident, did not speak. He merely leaned against the doorframe, watching the scene leisurely.

"I have to say, this old woman is pretty fierce, actually able to argue with so many people."

Chen Rui poked his head out next to him. He had seen with his own eyes how Fang Zhiyi framed that chubby kid. Although he didn't understand why Fang Zhiyi would do such a thing, since he was currently living in someone else's home, he had to learn to keep his mouth shut.

Seeing the crowd becoming increasingly agitated, even Old Hag Sun sensed the danger. She shut her mouth, grabbed her eldest grandson, and headed downstairs. Fortunately, the angry neighbors took no further action.

Fang Zhiyi nodded slightly and turned to go inside, but was suddenly called to a halt. He looked back and saw a man walking over holding that bag of flour, "This is yours, right? Keep it safe."

Fang Zhiyi took the bag of flour, looking the man up and down by the faint light, and murmured a word of thanks. The man waved his hand casually and returned to the hallway.

By this time, the residents had lost their sleepiness and began discussing what had just happened, chiming in one after another. The atmosphere had inexplicably become somewhat harmonious, presenting a lively scene.

Unlike the Original Host's plan to cower and hide, Fang Zhiyi opened the door as soon as he woke up, then leisurely wandered around. He wasn't worried about danger at all; after all, in this kind of world, he didn't believe there was any existence more dangerous than himself.

He knocked on a neighbor's door and politely said he wanted to look at their balcony. The neighbor was a bit wary, but seeing that Fang Zhiyi was alone and unarmed, they let him in anyway. Fang Zhiyi walked straight through the living room, ignoring the nervous family, and stood on the balcony looking outside. The neighbor's balcony was different from his own; it faced south. He merely took a few glances, thanked the neighbor, and politely showed himself out.

The family stared in confusion at the closed door.

"Dad, what was he doing?"

"I don't know."

"Honey, don't just open the door so easily from now on... The people outside all look so fierce right now..."

"Yeah, I won't. Don't worry, once the rain stops, everything will go back to normal."

Two families who had been chatting with each other last night were now at each other's throats, pushing and shoving over the issue of whose family had an extra mouth to feed. Fang Zhiyi walked right past them, leaving the two brawling families somewhat bewildered.

"I'm just looking outside, you guys carry on," Fang Zhiyi said as he walked over to the small window in the hallway to look out. Although his vision was obstructed by the rain, he could still barely make out some buildings in the distance.

However, because of his arrival, the two families who were about to fight separated, declaring that they would eat separately from now on and mind their own business.

Just like the original plot, as the heavy rain continued, another floor was flooded. The residents of that floor, like the other neighbors, fled to the hallways of the upper floors. The oppressive atmosphere and terrible environment made people agitated, and the arguments and shoving escalated continuously.

As the first person threw a punch, the fragile order that had barely been maintained was shattered.

Cries and screams came from outside. Chen Rui turned to look toward the door and opened his mouth to say something, but watching Fang Zhiyi pickily eating the noodles in his bowl, he ultimately kept his mouth shut.

Instead, it was his girlfriend, Li Duo, who spoke up, "Should we go take a look?"

Chen Rui only thought for two seconds before shaking his head, "Let's not. We shouldn't cause trouble for others. If it doesn't concern us, we shouldn't get involved."

Li Duo nodded and quietly ate her food.

In just a few short days, water began to seep into the tenth floor, and a mournful scream echoed through the entire hallway.

"Robbery! Murder!"

Many people stood up in panic and looked down. Some had faces ashen as death, while others stared blankly through the gaps in the stair handrails as if possessed.

As shouts, curses, and the sound of doors being smashed drifted up, it meant that some had already lost their morals and conscience. In order to survive, they were forcing their way into the homes of the upper-floor residents.

Li Duo and Chen Rui stood together at the door, both looking pale. Li Duo looked at her boyfriend, "Is no one going to do anything?"

Chen Rui smiled bitterly and shook his head, "It's come to this, who can even manage it? We'll be doing well just to take care of ourselves."