Chapter 14: Visitors from Outside

"Don't move, everyone stay still!"

Three men in protective suits burst in through a window on the second floor, each holding a steel rod.

However, the room was empty, which made them relax a bit.

Wearing such bulky protective suits was inconvenient, especially in a conflict. Despite their protective nature, a simple rope could easily bind them.

After confirming there was no one in the room, they unzipped their suits.

Two of them wielded long steel pipes. In a fight, a longer weapon usually has the advantage. Most people find strength more useful than risk.

Not to mention, the one standing at the back had a gun – a weapon with a far longer range than most.

A single bullet could solve most problems.

"Let's go," the man at the back whispered.

The two with steel pipes approached the door and opened it, then froze.

The man with the gun frowned and aimed forward.

Before them, in the corridor outside the room, stood a crowd of people, neatly arranged and all wearing black padded jackets. They all stared at the three intruders.

This scene startled the trio. They tensed, ready for combat.

Then, a man emerged from the crowd – Mr. Jones, raising his hands in front of the gunman's pistol. "Are you friends from Charles?" he asked.

"Mr. Jones, you were prepared," the gunman recognized Jones. "Impressive, Mr. Jones. I've been many places since the weather turned, and I haven't seen any building as well-organized as this one."

It seemed they were trying to intimidate them. They knew the trio was coming but didn't wait in the room. Instead, they chose to surprise them when they opened the door.

Their uniform appearance and orderly stance hinted at a strict, military-like discipline. Though their actual combat effectiveness was unknown, they appeared formidable.

Jones, who started from scratch to become a company CEO, obviously had some skills.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, friend. These are tough times for everyone. I'm just trying to help us survive," Mr. Jones said, still with his hands raised. "The people trust me, so I do what I can."

Then he added quickly, "I know Charles is capable, and so are his men. As long as Charles isn't too greedy, we can meet your demands. Or rather, there's something in this building that might satisfy Charles."

"Oh?" the gunman raised an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

"On the seventeenth floor, there's a guy from out of town who seemed to have anticipated this disaster," Jones explained. "He prepared a very thick door and stocked a lot of food in his house. We tried to ask him for help, but he's very selfish and refuses to open his door. We can't do anything."

"Originally, we wouldn't have bothered him again, but now that you guys are here, and you're capable, if you can break down that door, there's sure to be a wealth of supplies inside."

"Hmm... Really?" The gunman was skeptical. As far as they knew, even local officials weren't aware of the extreme cold snap, so how could someone have prepared in advance?

The world was in chaos mainly because most of the management layer had perished.

The sudden cold snap, striking in the night, had virtually "cleared out" everyone over fifty in a single night.

Coincidentally, most influential people were in their fifties or sixties.

With their deaths, the world almost instantly collapsed into chaos. No one knew what to do.

Even as people began to recover from the initial shock of the disaster, it was too late.

The cold snap had claimed many highly skilled individuals. Those who survived were mostly in their prime, and even among them, those who often worked overtime and were physically weaker couldn't survive.

Three days into the cold snap, hail began to fall.

Many thought hail wouldn't be much of a threat, but the hailstones falling from the sky could dent cars. In the extreme cold, each hailstone was enormous, unseen in stable climates.

The smallest hailstones were the size of an adult's fist; the largest, like watermelons, and some even as big as human heads.

Then came the nuclear power plant explosions, spreading nuclear waste and causing leaks, further complicating matters. Without electricity and internet, human society quickly crumbled.

Maybe there were still government forces elsewhere, but in their region, there was no official presence.

So... if the government really knew about this disaster, the gunman didn't believe they would collapse to this extent.

At least not so many elderly would have died in the first wave. At least not those powerful elders.

Therefore, he doubted Jones's words.

But Jones, seeing his skepticism, continued: "I know you might not believe it, brother, but his house definitely has a lot of food. You can ask my neighbors. They can all smell the meat coming from the seventeenth floor."

At this point, William spoke up, "I live opposite him. Every day, there's a delicious smell coming from his house."

"The day before yesterday, it was braised pork; yesterday, boiled fish; today, it's roasted whole lamb!"

William's resentment seemed genuine, "That guy is really selfish! With so much food and not sharing a bit! We've been neighbors for years, and he's heartless enough to let us starve!"

"This..." The gunman, hearing the genuine anger in William's words, was momentarily at a loss.

They had come to this building to steal food on Charles's orders. They hadn't expected the building to be united under Jones's command, nor had they expected to find someone as peculiar as David.