Jing Shu half-opened her eyes and said lazily, "Everything Xiao Liu said is exactly what I wanted to say."
The room instantly went cold again. No one expected her to slap him down so bluntly. She didn't even give Lan Shao a sliver of face. In their eyes, Lan Shao was basically the king of campus, someone who had money, status, and power. He ran the power grid, which meant he held an iron rice bowl. Who in Wu City dared go against him? Where did Jing Shu get the guts?
These past years, Lan Shao had even become the livelihood of many people. He was their boss, their backer, their everything.
"Lan Shao already lowered himself and apologized. Jing Shu, why're you still acting like this?"
"Exactly. I thought you had something impressive going on. It's just a pile of bugs. Why're you acting like you own the world?"
"Right? You really think you're some big shot. Who in Wu City doesn't need electricity? Who hasn't gone begging to Lan Shao before?"
Lan Shao's face turned from green to purple. He clenched his fists and jabbed a finger at her. "Good. Very good, Jing Shu. Just you wait." He didn't dare flare up too much though. Wu City was starving. Food mattered more than dignity.
Jing Shu didn't even bother to look at him. She didn't sit up, didn't move. She just stayed there like he wasn't worth a glance.
Jin Baba watched the show with a plate in his hands, happily munching on snacks. He even shook his head afterward, saying it was barely edible, but whatever, it'd do. He'd love nothing more than for these two to fight.
While the tension twisted the air, the door suddenly burst open.
A fat man stumbled in, gasping. "Baba, Baba, hurry, you need to come with me right now!"
Jin Baba frowned while chewing. "Uncle, what're you panicking for? What happened? Someone coming to rob the place?" Just saying that got him excited. After all these years in the apocalypse, did someone really dare pull something that stupid? This event wasn't small. They had hidden guards everywhere. If anyone came looking for trouble, there'd be a great show.
As if to prove the fat man's panic, the entire building shuddered. A deep rumble rolled across the outside walls.
The hall erupted into uneasy murmurs. Even the auction stopped. Xiao Shuai, the host, tried to calm everyone down and told them to stay put. The alarm blared overhead as he spoke in a steady voice. "Don't panic. No matter what's happening outside, there's heavy armed security on guard. What we need to do is stay calm…" His voice went on and on.
Jun Jia was sweating like a waterfall. "For the love of god, can you stop causing trouble and just move? We need to go. If we miss it, we're done for!"
People around them finally realized something was wrong. If someone like Jin Baba was being evacuated first, it wasn't anything good.
Jin Baba, however, didn't care at all. He'd seen every kind of storm. Besides, the town's military troop was here today, a troop that worked under his father. What was there to be afraid of?
"Fine, fine, let's go. What about the people I brought? They should come too, right?" Even on his way out, he didn't forget to take care of his lackeys. Lan Shao's face eased a little at that. He was tense too. If someone really came to rob the place, the safest spot was next to Jin Baba.
Jun Jia dragged Jin Baba forward. "Your friends need to wait for the next round. There's only a few spots now. I'll arrange for Xiao Zhang to look after them. Don't worry. Oh, Jing Shu, you're here too? Come on. Hurry."
Jing Shu frowned and then nodded. She got up, grabbed her ever-present black case, and shot Xiao Liu a look to follow. The man assigned to serve Jing Shu quickly said, "I'll go check on Captain Wang Miao's situation first."
Jing Shu already sensed something was off. She was cautious to the bone, so when she arrived earlier, she'd placed snakes and insects around the entrance and nearby corridors. Just in case.
They hadn't encountered any "robbery," but every creature she'd put down was sending her waves of panic. They were extremely uneasy.
Something big was coming.
Jun Jia practically dragged Jin Baba out. Jin Baba protested the whole way. "At least let me bring someone! Lan Shao, come on. Hurry. You're the only one here who knows how to talk nicely. You're useful."
Lan Shao rushed after him like a dog stuck to glue. There was no shaking him off.
Their classmates were left behind, faces twisted with disbelief.
"They're gone. All of them. That means this must really be serious."
"They actually left us? Are you kidding me?"
"What the hell is happening?"
At that moment, Jiang Changke jumped in. "Don't panic. We should stay put. If anything happens, we stick with the host, Xiao Shuai. He'll definitely be safe. Besides, we're so poor that no robber would care about us. Girls, smear your makeup. Guys, look miserable."
Weirdly enough, his words steadied everyone instantly. In times like these, even a clown could become a guiding light.
Meanwhile, Jun Jia was rushing Jing Shu, Xiao Liu, Jin Baba, and Lan Shao toward the exit.
Lan Shao took the chance to observe the situation. Jing Shu seemed close with Jin Baba's family? Otherwise, why would Jin Baba's uncle choose to bring her along? Just what was Jing Shu's identity? She used to be a nobody, barely even a small influencer. What was she hiding?
Jing Shu kept sending more snakes out to scout ahead. It didn't take long for her to understand exactly what was happening.
Outside the New World Building, chaos exploded across the street. It wasn't a robbery. Jing Shu finally let out a thin breath. She wasn't afraid of people, but she really didn't want to expose any abilities if she didn't have to.
Then she swore out loud. If she had to describe her feelings in two words, it'd be: holy shit.
"We're too late. It's completely separated! You brat, you're always dragging your feet!" Jun Jia snapped at Jin Baba.
Jin Baba was dumbfounded. "Separated? What separated? What're you talking about? Why're you all worked up?"
Jun Jia yelled, "The mudslide. It's here!"