Sounds of people coming down the stairs came from the stairwell, loud with talk and laughter.
When the footsteps were about to reach his floor, Qin Ziwen opened his door, his younger brother right behind him.
After leaving the apartment building, Qin Ziwen realized from the way they were grouped that they were two separate families.
They had a very traditional, modern family structure: both sets of husband and wife were around forty years old.
The two kids in the families looked to be high school age, one boy and one girl.
Qin Ziwen went up to strike up a conversation. "Sir, did you see anyone in the stairwell when you were coming down just now?"
The man he addressed had thick brows and large eyes and was of medium build. He smiled and replied, "No, there was no one in the stairwell when we came down."
He seemed to realize something and gave Qin Ziwen a second look. "You must be the new neighbors who just moved in on the fifth floor, right?"
"That's right."
The man nodded and said, "Oh."
A few seconds later, the man suddenly said, "The folks in 602, upstairs from you, don't have a very good reputation. I think the guy used to be a gangster or something. He used to get drunk and cause trouble in the Gated Community all the time. You should be careful."
"I heard he's been to prison?"
The man shook his head. "That, I'm not sure about."
The man's wife spoke up, "He has been to prison. And I think there's something improper going on between 602 and 501."
The man was stunned. "How do you know that?"
His wife rolled her eyes. "All you do all day is go to work, come home, and go fishing. When have you ever paid attention to this stuff? I was coming home from grocery shopping once and saw the man from 602 use a key to open the door to 501. And you know, a single woman lives alone in 501."
Trailing behind his brother, Qin Ziwu frowned. 'If the man upstairs has the key to the apartment across from them, doesn't that mean they know each other?'
'Why didn't the woman say anything last night? And they both acted like they didn't know each other.'
'Unless... they're putting on an act.'
Qin Ziwu felt he had guessed the truth!
Qin Ziwu secretly glanced at his older brother's face, only to find his expression was as calm as ever.
The thick-browed man extended an invitation. "Young man, want to go fishing together? I've found that this river is pretty well-stocked with fish."
Qin Ziwen shook his head. "I don't have a rod."
The thick-browed man said, "No problem, I have extra rods."
Seeing Qin Ziwen's surprised expression, the man laughed heartily. "I'm a fishing fanatic. I've always loved to fish, so I have a lot of rods at home."
The man's wife found this amusing. "You're just a lousy fisherman. It's like they say, a poor student always has the most stationery."
"What do you mean, 'a poor student has the most stationery'? It's just that sometimes the weather's bad and the fish aren't biting." The man turned to ask Qin Ziwen, "So, how about it? Want to go fishing with me? In my experience, there are plenty of fish in this river. I guarantee you'll have meat to eat every day."
Qin Ziwen agreed. "Sure. I'm a novice at fishing, so I'll need you to show me the ropes."
The man laughed heartily. "It's not about showing you the ropes! We'll work on it together. Besides, beginners usually have the best luck."
As he spoke, he patted the bag on his back. "As it happens, I brought an extra rod. You can just come with me."
"Bro, are we going fishing now?"
"We are. You're coming along to learn, too."
The thick-browed man called out to the man from the other family, "Old Liu, this young fellow is coming fishing with us too. There's strength in numbers. Yesterday, I saw someone on that steep bank over there get two bites in a row, and then a bunch of people rushed over and stole his spot."
Old Liu, who was tall and thin, said, "I have no objections. The more, the better. You can decide, Brother Deng."
Qin Ziwen followed them out. He hadn't considered fishing before, partly because he didn't have the gear and partly because he had no experience.
Now that someone was willing to teach him, he was naturally open to trying. After all, if he wanted to survive in the wilderness, fishing was an essential skill to learn.
Besides, based on his observations, the daily settlement score was related to the day's harvest.
He'd managed to get an eight-point score yesterday because of the bonus from digging up wild vegetables.
Now, the wild vegetables had been pretty much picked clean. To get such a high score again, he would have to venture far from the Gated Community and deeper into the forest.
Compared to heading deep into the forest, fishing by the river at the Gated Community's entrance was obviously much safer.
When they reached the entrance to the Gated Community, they found many people standing on the steps.
Only after squeezing through the crowd did they see it: a gigantic crocodile lying motionless on the floor of the south gate's lobby. Its dark brown, leathery hide was covered in bumps. Even though it wasn't moving, its massive body, merely lying there, was enough to make many people's legs feel weak.
"It's huge! I'd say it's at least five meters long."
"At that size, it could probably swallow a person whole."
"What are we going to do with it blocking the way? How do we chase it off?"
"Why don't we just kill it? We're on land, so a crocodile won't be as agile."
In the crowd, a young man wearing a delivery driver's helmet said, "I used to work at a zoo, in charge of feeding the crocodiles. I know a bit about their behavior."
The crowd fell silent.
"This crocodile looks a bit like a Saltwater Crocodile, but the proportions of its head are even larger, which means its bite force is probably stronger."
"Its weak spots are its eyes and belly, as well as the area behind its head near the spine. But whatever you do, don't provoke it from the front. Its speed on land isn't as fast as in the water, but its short-burst speed is nothing to scoff at."
"A crocodile's bite force is immense, but the force it uses to open its jaws is much weaker. That means if you can wrap your arms around its snout before it opens its mouth, you might be able to keep it shut."
The others silently stared at the crocodile in the lobby, which was longer than a small car.
"Of course, that's all just theoretical. This crocodile is even more ridiculously large than the biggest one I ever saw at the zoo. For a crocodile of this caliber... I don't recommend attacking it. We should just find a way to scare it off. Crocodiles usually aren't that brave."
Someone suddenly spoke up. "If it were timid, would it still be lying here without moving? Buddy, you're talking about crocodiles from Earth. We're not on Earth anymore."
"Yeah, I get the feeling this crocodile doesn't see us as a threat at all."
"Didn't someone fall into the water and get eaten by a crocodile the other day? I suspect these crocodiles now see us as prey."
"Fuck, that's too arrogant! There are so many of us, you think we're afraid of one crocodile? In the river, I wouldn't say a thing, but on land, it's just a salted fish. Let's just slaughter it and split the meat!"
Old Liu teased Old Deng, "Ever caught a fish this big? Now that's a big fish down there."
The thick-browed Old Deng chuckled. "If I caught one this big, you can bet I'd be driving it around the city for a couple of victory laps."
Old Deng's wife tapped him lightly. "You're just talking nonsense. Don't try to be a hero. If you see a crocodile in the river, you back away. There will always be more fish to catch, but you're the pillar of this family."
Old Deng squeezed his wife's hand. "Don't worry, I know."
Their daughter, trailing behind them, saw the cheesy display of affection and hugged her arms.
At the back of the crowd, someone appeared, carrying a thick, heavy curtain from who-knows-where. "Coming through, coming through! Make way, don't block the path! Is anyone ready to take on this crocodile? Let me make this clear upfront: only the people who help out get a share of the meat. Don't come looking for a free handout if you don't lift a finger!"
Qin Ziwen recognized the man carrying the curtain. It was the same bearded man he'd seen confronting Huang Tao on his way home last night.
Next to him, he also saw Huang Tao and the group from property management.