The next day, when Qin Ziwen woke up, his left hand felt something icy-cold.
He picked it up out of habit; it felt like an iron rod.
Sitting up and turning, his right hand brushed against a piece of paper.
He went to the windowsill and drew back the curtain.
By the dim morning light he could make out the object in his hand.
"This is... a magnesium flint? Why is there suddenly a flint on my bed? Wait a minute."
Qin Ziwen's thoughts turned. He remembered the voice he’d heard in his dream last night. Strangely, after waking up he couldn't recall other dream details, only that one cold notification-like prompt stuck in his mind.
The item in his hand matched that odd prompt perfectly.
Daily settlement... normally it should use midnight as the dividing line.
If he stayed up a little later tonight and held out until twelve, he'd be able to confirm it.
He went to his younger brother's room. Young people slept deeply; his heavy breathing sounded like thunder.
He first looked around the bed; nothing extra had appeared on his brother's mattress. He checked the living room and other parts of the apartment again. After confirming nothing was missing, he woke his brother, "Did you hear anything last night?"
"Huh? What, did bats come back again?"
Qin Ziwu woke with a start from sleepiness and instinctively glanced toward the window.
"No, not that. Did you hear any noises last night? Like something in a dream?"
Qin Ziwu shook his head in puzzlement. "No."
Qin Ziwen pondered, "Never mind then."
He went to the balcony and spread out a diagram. It was a blueprint for a snare trap; the edges showed tear marks, as if ripped directly from some book.
The illustrated instructions detailed how to make a foot-capture snare trap capable of catching small mammals and reptiles.
Qin Ziwu leaned in, "This trap doesn't look too hard. All you need is wood and rope. Do we have rope at home?"
"We do."
Qin Ziwen looked up at the curtain pull cord overhead.
He found a stool, climbed up, and removed the curtain's adjustment pull. Gripping it, he gave it a tug; it felt sturdy. The cord was a bit long, so he used a kitchen knife to cut it into two sections.
He also grabbed a small handful of mulberries from the balcony.
Then, with the rope and his brother, he left the residential complex.
As they stepped outside, some neighbors were already heading out, and he even saw people fishing by the river.
Those anglers stood on raised rocks at the riverbank; even if a crocodile came ashore it couldn't reach them instantly.
"Bro, where should we set the traps?"
"Let me think." Qin Ziwen frowned. If they placed them too close they'd be easy for other residents to find; any captured prey would likely be taken. If they set them too far, the risk of going back and forth would be too great.
So they had to find a relatively concealed spot near the complex that animals actually passed through—after all, traps exist to catch prey.
First, rule out places by the water. Next, avoid open areas. Finally, don't choose places with dense vegetation or rock piles. Qin Ziwen remembered the large snake he'd seen near the building yesterday.
In the end, Qin Ziwen set up two snare traps: one beside the shrubbery lining the north wall of the complex, and another under a tree about eighty meters to the northwest, using mulberry pulp as bait.
"Bro, check this out."
Qin Ziwu had snapped off a branch about as thick as a baby's arm.
Long and straight, roughly two meters, it had some spring to it.
Qin Ziwen took it, swung it twice; it had good impact. "Good. Tie a sharp thing at the tip and it can work as a spear."
"Shriek—"
A cry suddenly came from the sky.
A dark silhouette tore toward them at an exaggerated speed.
It grew nearer and larger.
Qin Ziwen pulled his brother and they dove under a large tree.
"Something's in the sky!" someone shouted from a distance, but it was too late.
A boy in the open failed to dodge and was hooked by the creature, immediately hauled into the air.
The giant bird moved incredibly fast; from afar, the boy it had seized looked like a struggling lamb.
After flying up dozens of meters, the bird loosened its claws and the boy fell like a meteor.
Thud!
A muffled impact came from the distance.
The giant bird circled once, landed, then grabbed another figure with its claws and flew toward the northern mountain range.
But this time, the person in its talons stopped struggling.
A cold weight sank into Qin Ziwen's chest.
Judging by the size comparison between the bird and the human, the wingspan was at least six or seven meters wide.
Here, humanity's place on the food chain felt lower and lower.
So many dangers had already been visible around the complex in just two days—let alone the ones they hadn't seen.
"Bro, where do we go now?"
"Let's go check the river," Qin Ziwen said. "Stay close to the trees. Don't cross open ground."
Qin Ziwu nodded in understanding.
Under the shade up ahead, a round-faced woman wearing glasses asked a crouched auntie who was digging, "Auntie, are these wild vegetables?"
The auntie quickly shook her head, "I don't know. I'm just digging around."
"That's not fair. We're all neighbors. Why not just say what they are?"
The auntie got angry, "Young lady, mind your own business. If you can do it yourself, then go dig. Don't bother me."
She shoved the plants she had dug, stems and leaves together, into a cloth bag and covered it with the cloth.
The round-faced woman reached to lift the cloth.
The auntie slapped it down, stood up and scolded, "Have some shame! How old are you, messing with other people's things? Didn't your mother teach you anything?"
The woman's movement froze; her eyes flicked to the passing Qin brothers.
The auntie grabbed Qin Ziwen's arm, "Young man, judge this for me. Is it right for someone to mess with other people's stuff?"
Qin Ziwen looked down at the rough old hand gripping his arm, then slowly looked up to meet the auntie's gaze.
Sensing something off, the auntie released her grip.
Qin Ziwen smiled, "Of course she's wrong. You can't just mess with other people's things."
The round-faced woman's face turned ashen. She lowered her head and hurried away.
When she left, the auntie was about to turn back, but Qin Ziwen stopped her, "We're neighbors. Helping each other is what we should do."
The auntie suddenly realized she'd miscalculated—she shouldn't have pulled these two into the argument.
She forced a smile, "Right, we're neighbors. We ought to help one another."
Qin Ziwen glanced at the tightly covered bag, "My brother and I left early this morning. We haven't eaten yet. Are these vegetables edible?"
The auntie started complaining, "Young brothers, I have an old man bedridden at home and an eight-year-old grandson. Take them. Our family barely has enough to eat."
Qin Ziwen waved his hand, "Don't worry. I'm not taking them. I just want to see what these wild vegetables look like. The area outside is big; you can't dig it all yourself. Didn't you say neighbors should help each other?"
The auntie's face faltered. Who had said that? Oh right—that was Qin Ziwen.
But seeing the two burly young men, and preferring to keep her harvest rather than risk losing it, she relented.
She opened the bag and took out the wild vegetables.
"Here's purslane, here's the tip of Bupleurum, here's fiddlehead fern..."
Qin Ziwen realized he'd seen many of these plants elsewhere but didn't recognize them, so he hadn't picked them before.
It seemed the area's resources were richer than he'd thought. If only he'd studied agriculture or botany in college.
The auntie, deciding she’d already said too much, continued in one breath, "You must blanch these before eating and boil them a few minutes. You can toss them cold, stir-fry them, or use them as filling."
She hesitated, "Although there are many wild greens, they won't last. If everyone picks them, they'll be gone in a couple of days."
Qin Ziwen nodded, "Thanks. You keep picking then."
As the two walked away, Qin Ziwu whispered, "Bro, look over there. Isn't that person picking wild vegetables too?"
Following his brother's pointing finger, Qin Ziwen saw an old man a few dozen meters away with his hands clasped behind his back, carrying a bag. He pretended to be leisurely walking, then suddenly bent down and quickly stuffed the plants into the bag.
After standing, the old man acted nonchalant, glancing around. When he saw the Qin brothers watching him, he smiled at them and continued walking. A few steps later he accelerated and bent down again.
Qin Ziwen laughed.
He and his brother joined the wild-vegetable harvesters.
They worked all morning, making multiple trips home and gathering roughly a dozen jin of greens.
That much produce would spoil in a few days if left out.
So he brought back some soil, turned a plastic round stool upside down, filled it with dirt, and planted the vegetables with relatively intact roots.
Seen from above, the small space inside the stool was densely packed with plants. If they lived a couple more days, that would be enough.
"I'm starving. Can we eat more at noon today?" Qin Ziwu rubbed his stomach.
"I'll cook some noodles." Qin Ziwen tore open a pack of instant chicken noodles and took out four packs. After a morning of work, one pack wouldn't be enough. He also blanched a generous pile of purslane.
He filled the pot with just enough water to cover the noodles.
When cooked, he used about a third of the spicy sauce packet, then added a little soy sauce and MSG.
Water was scarce now, and eating too spicy would waste water.
Although they had a flint and the river nearby meant water wasn't totally lacking, fetching river water was risky because of the crocodiles.
After lunch, Qin Ziwen still felt a bit hungry. He'd eaten too little the past two days; his body was craving more meat and protein.
"Take a nap first. This afternoon we'll fetch water, check the traps, and pick more wild vegetables."
When they woke, the hottest part of the day had passed. There was no clock, but judging by the light it seemed to be around two or three in the afternoon.
They had a green plastic water bucket at home. With backpacks and the bucket in hand, the two went downstairs.
The closest exit was the south gate. They had just reached it when heated shouting erupted from inside.
One side was the property management wearing white security uniforms; the other side was several residents. Qin Ziwen spotted Huang Tao in a suit among the property staff.
How he had gotten mixed up with those security guards, he didn't know.
A crowd of residents had gathered to watch.
From the surrounding chatter, they learned the cause.
Apparently these security guards and property staff had all been housed in the security dormitory when they were transported here. After the world shift, those rooms had effectively become their territory.
The Yujing Jiangcheng complex's property fees weren't small. The buildings were mid-rise, two elevators serving two households per floor, with two units per building.
So their security setup had been decent. The property had a dedicated storage room on the first floor stocked with necessary tools.
Those included firefighting axes, blast-resistant shields, steel forks, and other equipment.
Some homeowners wanted to borrow tools from the property storage but were refused by the guards, which triggered the conflict.
People around commented, "Those security guards are forming a little clique with some households."
"The property tools were bought with our fees. You can't let a few people hog them."
"Yeah, the guards are pretty cocky about it."
Huang Tao stepped forward, raising his hands in a calming gesture, "Neighbors, please calm down. Don't act rashly. Let's communicate rationally. Fighting won't solve anything."
"I'm one of you. We're all part of this community. Look at the situation: our entire complex got transported to this godforsaken place. Outside there are crocodiles, poisonous snakes, and those giant birds that snatch people! We're all pillars of our families. If we start fighting among ourselves now, that's just unreasonable."
A burly man with a beard snapped impatiently, "Cut the chatter. Just tell me whether I can have the tools or not. One sentence!"
Huang Tao replied patiently, "The property storage belongs to everyone, not to any single household, and supplies are limited. We can't give every household their own set. If someone has an urgent need, they can borrow, but what if they take it and stash it away?"
The bearded man cursed, "I pay property fees!"
Huang Tao stayed calm, "We all pay. Like I said, I suggest keeping the supplies under a public supervision group. If a family needs something, they apply and use it under the neighborhood's supervision. After use, put it back. How about that?"
He scanned the crowd.
Some looked skeptical, but others—especially the elders—were interested.
Huang Tao continued to the bearded man, "Everyone here is civilized. If someone really needs tools, for example to form a team to cut firewood, set traps, or make weapons for protection, they can apply. We'll register the name, building and unit number, what was borrowed, and the return time. Return it as found. If it's damaged or lost, we'll have a compensation plan."
"Also, everyone remembers that bird that grabbed people this morning. Who knows if something else will fly in tonight or sneak into the complex. We can't leave the complex unguarded at night. I propose organizing by building unit and rotating night watches so everyone can sleep easier."
"In this place, you can't survive alone. If we want to live, we must band together. If anyone's willing, come quietly to the property office and find me. I'm Huang Tao; I live in Building 7."
He then turned to the big man, "Brother, you seem like an honest man. If you need help, come find me later. Those four security guards' families aren't here. They're worried about their loved ones and spoke harshly, but they didn't mean anything else."
That last line effectively put the bearded man in his place—what did "their families aren't here" mean? Was that a threat? The bare-footed have nothing to fear from the shod!
Looking around at the other faces, the bearded man snorted. "You all just here to watch the show, huh?"
He finally said, "Fine. We'll talk about it later."