Snowstorm: I'm Super Rich in the Apocalypse

Someone in the community had passed away before, and the homeowners' committee had designated a cremation site on the vacant land by the roadside outside the community. As these procedures were in place, it was relatively simple.

Due to the special period, everything was done simply, so by evening, the person was cremated.

Everyone still alive was having a hard time; an old person's passing from illness didn't attract much attention.

Moreover, everyone was discussing how to keep warm now. Those with experience, the older ones, would share with everyone how to use a charcoal brazier to warm up and boil water, how to do it without producing smoke, and how to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

Gu Pan also heard these discussions and would listen more when she heard them, since after all, it was always good to learn more about living skills.

Tonight, looking out the window was quite scary because everyone was lighting fires at home. The glow of the fire reflecting on the windows added an eerie touch.

Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng did the same, lighting charcoal in the living room. They didn't dare to grill skewers—the smell was too enticing and that was looking for trouble. They just grilled some steamed buns. Though there were warm skewers in the Space, they could be taken out and eaten right away, not spoiling the atmosphere.

The next morning, just after Gu Pan had gotten up, she heard heart-wrenching cries in the hallway, far more tragic than when the building manager's grandmother died the day before.

The wailing was so heart-wrenching that Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng opened their door to see what was happening.

The door across from them also opened.

The two households nodded to each other as a greeting and began to listen to what was going on.

From throughout the corridor could be heard the anguish of Old Lady 501, "Which accursed thief stole my food? You left me nothing, how am I to live?"

Accompanying this were a child's cries, "I'm hungry; I want to eat meat, I want grapes and blueberries."

Suddenly, a string of curses came from the 11th floor, "Who would steal food at a time like this? What a curse-worthy act! If I find you, I'll stab you. You even steal from a household with small children; you're not afraid of choking to death."

Gu Pan remembered that people on the 11th floor had once bragged about having food. Maybe some people had forgotten, but they were actually being watched.

It's likely they had just woken up, just discovered the theft, and realized that calling the police was useless. So at this moment, they were cursing out loud.

With the weather so cold, families were basically huddled together in one room to sleep, which could keep them a bit warmer. This also meant that if someone came in, it would be hard to notice.

It wasn't surprising that these two families were the first to be robbed. In fact, the airdrop the day before was supposed to last for a few days. But with no fruits or vegetables, and those two families having such items, the thief must have been aiming for those.

Also, at this time, some people had already received information from the army, and many were beginning to plot.

Gu Pan understood what was happening and looked towards Lu Ruisheng, "We should have installed the iron door."

Things had to be done at the appropriate time in order not to arouse suspicion.

Lu Ruisheng nodded, "Mhmm."

As they spoke, the two looked towards Chen Shaonan and Duan Shumei.

Lu Ruisheng said to Chen Shaonan, "Teacher Chen, before the blizzard, I was supposed to return some iron doors from the construction site back to the factory, but I got delayed and just kept them at home. Seeing how much thievery is happening now, I want to put an iron door at the entrance of our apartment. If you don't mind, I also want to add another one in front of the door at our staircase entrance. We have extra, and it'll be safer."

By having both households install iron doors, it appeared as if they were allies, making it harder for anyone with bad intentions to take rash actions.

Even more important was that by installing them at the staircase entrance, if there was any noise, they would have more time to prepare and defend.

And they weren't just installing one, but one for the stairwell, one for inside their own home, and one for the outside. This tripled their security. Add to that a few more locks on the iron gate of the stairwell itself, and they had extra assurance.

Chen Shaonan was all praises after hearing this, "Good, good, good, that's great. Being able to add another layer of protection is exactly what we need at this time. Wait until I craft a solar-powered electric net for the door, that will give us even more protection and allow us to sleep more soundly."

Gu Pan hurriedly said, "That's perfect, Teacher Chen. Our Ruisheng works in home renovations, so we have all sorts of tools at home. If you're missing anything, just let us know, we can find almost anything."

Chen Shaonan replied, "Great, let's get started then. To be honest, I'm also a bit worried about this door; it's still got the same lock from when the developer handed over the apartment, and we've never changed it."

Lu Ruisheng said, "Okay, Teacher Chen, just give me a minute. I'll go inside and fetch it from the storage room."

Chen Shaonan acknowledged.

After Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng went back inside, they entered the Space and found a set of iron bars for the door that were about the right size, along with a toolbox, and carried them all out.

The reason they used iron bar doors was that, upon opening the door, they could see clearly outside, which was also beneficial for their defense.

Arriving at the door, Chen Shaonan came over to help.

Lu Ruisheng and Chen Shaonan moved the iron gate to the stairwell area, then first added several locks to the original gate before installing the new gate.

The electric drill was rechargeable, so it didn't interfere when there was no electricity.

Before they had even finished installing, quite a few neighbors from upstairs and downstairs had come over to watch.

Gu Pan openly told them that since their family was in the home renovation business, they just happened to have these things at home, so they installed them. Given the thefts that had occurred, and the limited police resources, they had to protect themselves.

Others envied them for having these items, and seeing the stairwell gate installed, they knew the two families on the seventh floor were united, so it made them think twice about messing with them.

After the crowd dispersed, Lu Ruisheng and Gu Pan finished installing their own door and also added two locks inside the door of their neighbors', which put everyone more at ease.

Later, they also provided the neighboring apartment with two bundles of escape ropes, three gas masks, and showed them how to use them.

With more people lighting fires indoors and the corridor piled with items, if there was a fire, it might be slower to leave through the corridor, and safer to exit through the window.

Over the past few days, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng had also assembled several guns. Although the range and power were somewhat less, they were already sufficient for use.

Gu Pan had also downloaded instructions for making and using crossbow bolts, and with the Space having all the tools ready, they had created crossbow bolts.

Gu Pan was also researching sleeve crossbows. Having such a device would provide an additional layer of security.

In the evening, the newly installed iron gate outside their apartment was knocked on. Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng exited their apartment, and Chen Shaonan and Duan Shumei from the opposite apartment came out as well.

The two men went over to open the external iron gate.

Outside stood the head of Building 401, wearing a down jacket, wrapped up tightly, but her presence was such that anyone in the building would instantly recognize her.

The head of the building looked at the iron gate and said to Lu Ruisheng, "The quality of this iron gate is quite good. However, I think it's not appropriate for it to be installed here. It should be installed at the unit's main entrance. By doing that, it can ensure the safety of our entire building. Look into when you have time to move this gate to the main entrance."

Lu Ruisheng rejected the suggestion simply and clearly, "This is our private property. Where we choose to place it is our freedom. We can't guarantee that everyone in the building is trustworthy, so we must first ensure our own safety."