Ding Yan's words made everyone's eyes light up.
Lin Dong suddenly thought of his slingshot—the elastic band seemed perfect for making one.
"Great idea! The elastic band can be used to make a slingshot," Lao Ma exclaimed, clapping his hands in realization.
Ding Yan, however, smiled and said, "A slingshot's power is still too weak. Unless you hit a vital spot, it's hard to injure someone. I want to see if we can make something like a crossbow instead."
"A crossbow?"
"You know how to make that?"
This time, both Cai Zhi and Ma Guocai were astonished.
Even Lin Dong couldn't help but glance at her—this woman seemed to have some tricks up her sleeve.
Ding Yan explained, "I've seen related videos before. The principle of making a crossbow is simple. With the right tools, I can make one overnight."
She scanned the room and concluded, "There are quite a few mahogany furniture pieces here, all of good quality. I'll study them later."
No one objected, so the elastic band was naturally handed over to Ding Yan.
As they sorted through the remaining items, Wu Qian suddenly pulled out a small first-aid kit from the pile of miscellaneous goods and said, "This is a family medical kit. It has some emergency supplies that might come in handy later."
Cai Zhi and Ma Guocai were overjoyed and immediately opened it to inspect the contents.
Inside the kit were common medical supplies: iodine, bandages, ibuprofen, montmorillonite powder, aspirin, cold medicine, Shuanghuanglian oral liquid, Yunnan Baiyao, band-aids, essential balm, medicated plasters, and more.
Seeing these medicines, everyone grew excited.
"Ibuprofen can reduce fever, and the cold medicine capsules and Shuanghuanglian oral liquid can treat coughs and colds. These will be crucial supplies later," Lao Ma couldn't help but say happily.
With many places outside now flooded, hospitals and pharmacies were nearly wiped out. Medicine was undoubtedly a precious resource.
Especially in times like these, falling ill without medication meant enduring it through sheer will.
With food and clothing already scarce, everyone's immune systems were naturally weakened. Getting sick now was practically a death sentence.
Cai Zhi, however, focused on the Yunnan Baiyao and band-aids. "These external medicines are also valuable. Since we're dealing with Liu Erlong and his group, injuries are inevitable. These might just save our lives."
Lin Dong also rummaged through the kit and suddenly pulled out two items. "I'm taking these."
Everyone immediately looked over.
In his hands were a box of ten Durex condoms and a box of emergency contraceptive pills.
Ma Guocai and Cai Zhi exchanged awkward glances, thinking of Yang Mei.
Ding Yan glanced at Lin Dong and said, "Give me one of the emergency pills."
Lin Dong nodded, opened the box, took out one, and handed it to her.
Without hesitation, Ding Yan swallowed it on the spot.
Lin Dong then turned to Ma Guocai and Cai Zhi.
Ma Guocai chuckled, "Don't look at me. Aunt Li and I don't need those."
Cai Zhi also laughed, "Neither do I."
Lin Dong was surprised and looked at Cai Zhi. "Brother Cai, you're only in your early forties, right? You're already done?"
Cai Zhi froze for a moment before realizing what he meant and scolded with a laugh, "You little rascal, what are you thinking? Your sister Wu has an IUD."
Wu Qian, overhearing this, blushed and punched him lightly.
Everyone burst into laughter at once.
The distance between them seemed to shrink considerably in that moment.
Only Ding Yan remained stern-faced, appearing quite averse to such jokes.
After distributing the supplies, Wu Qian found a box and packed all the items Lin Dong had requested.
Lin Dong picked up the box, bid farewell to the group, and said, "I'll head back first."
Ma Guocai replied, "I'll call you for dinner tonight. Cai Zhi and I will go down later to see if we can catch some fish."
Lin Dong reminded him, "Try to get live fish if possible. Once you've caught some, call me over. I want to study the fish in the Flood now." Ma Guocai was taken aback. "What's there to study?"
Unaware that the fish had mutated, Lin Dong explained, "These were originally saltwater fish. Now they're appearing inland and even surviving here. They must have undergone some unknown mutations."
Ma Guocai was stunned, and Cai Zhi, standing nearby, frowned. "Now that you mention it, it is strange. Back when we still had internet, some people online mentioned seawater intrusion, with giant marine creatures swimming upstream into rivers through estuaries. I thought it was just a rumor."
"Seems like it might not have been a rumor after all."
Ding Yan asked, "If seawater can flood inland, wouldn't it naturally provide a habitat for marine life? What's so strange about that?"
She wasn't well-versed in this topic, but she figured having fish to eat would be a good thing for those trapped here.
Lin Dong shook his head. "It's different. The salinity levels aren't the same. These marine creatures shouldn't be able to survive long under these conditions."
"Especially deep-sea species. Haven't you noticed? Earlier news footage showed giant marine creatures lurking in the city's Flood. Some people went out on boats and were eaten alive by them."
At this, the group's expressions turned grave.
The ocean is vast and boundless, and humanity still hasn't fully documented all the creatures lurking in its depths.
Could it really be as Lin Dong said—that marine life had undergone some unknown mutation?
Cai Zhi nodded. "Alright, if we manage to catch any fish, we'll bring them back for you to examine."
"Make sure they're alive," Lin Dong emphasized.
"Got it."
With that, Lin Dong said his goodbyes and left Room 3202.
Standing in the pitch-black hallway, he didn't return to his room immediately. Instead, he climbed the stairs, heading for the rooftop.
Water cascaded down from the rooftop—the rain was relentless.
When he reached the top, Lin Dong spotted a sturdy tent with a folding bed inside, likely Zhou Jiaqiang's former living space.
He searched the tent but found nothing of value.
Tugging at the rooftop's fire escape door, he found it locked. Faint voices could be heard from the other side.
Bang, bang, bang! "Anyone there? Zhou, are you still around?"
"Zhou, we've filled all the water containers. There are no more buckets left. Can you let us go down and rest?"
Someone was pounding on the metal door outside, pleading desperately.
From the sound of it, it was an elderly man.
Lin Dong stayed silent, listening as the voices outside whispered among themselves.
"No response. That bastard Zhou Jiaqiang might not even be here."
"Wouldn't be surprising. Before, he only came by once an hour. The rest of the time, he kept the door locked."
"But it's been almost half a day now."
"Could something have happened inside the building?"
"I think I heard Liu Erlong and the others this morning. Sounded like they were fighting."
"Those bastards. It'd be best if they killed each other."
"Shh, keep your voice down. Don't let anyone hear. We need to figure out how to get down now. Being stuck on the rooftop like this—even though we have water, there's no food—we can't hold out much longer."
Lin Dong couldn't help but stroke his chin. A group of old men fetching water were trapped on the rooftop.
These old men were probably forced up here by Liu Erlong and his gang to collect water.
Before Zhou Jiaqiang ambushed him, he had already locked the door, trapping them here.
Should he save them?
Lin Dong's eyes flickered with uncertainty.
(End of Chapter)