The moment the noise downstairs began, Ethan knew the building had reached another stage of desperation.It was no longer about people asking for help.People were beginning to organize.That was more dangerous.Ethan stood beside the window, watching shadows move between the buildings below. The floodwater had swallowed most of the streets, leaving only rooftops, balconies, and the occasional upper floor visible above the brown surface.Behind him, Maya was checking the locks again.Lucas had dragged a heavy cabinet in front of the secondary entrance.Caleb stood near the hallway, listening.“They’re coming up,” Caleb said quietly.Ethan didn’t turn.“How many?”“Enough.”That wasn’t an answer, but Ethan understood.He looked back at the others.“We need to decide what we’re doing with the people downstairs before they decide for us.”Maya frowned.“You mean the group asking for the raft?”“Not just them.”Ethan pointed toward the window.“Everyone who’s still trapped in this buildin

A modified nail gun suddenly appeared in Caleb’s hand.Before the men on the other boat could understand what was happening, their inflatable craft began losing air. It deflated rapidly, the sides collapsing beneath their feet. Panic spread through the group almost instantly as the tattooed men stumbled and shouted, desperately trying to keep their balance. Several of them slipped straight into the floodwater, and the powerful current dragged two away before they could even grab hold of the boat.The others tried swimming toward Ethan’s group.Ethan raised the wooden club in his hand and swung it down hard.“Damn it, you little bastard! Are you trying to kill me?”“Help! I can’t swim!”Caleb didn’t stop at disabling the boat. He raised the modified nail gun and fired toward the men struggling in the water. One of them screamed and disappeared beneath the surface, while another desperately tried to cling to the sinking remains of the inflatable boat. Caleb’s grip slipped for a moment f

After the chaos of the previous day, the authorities reacted quickly.The military was brought in to stabilize the situation.Unlike the police, the soldiers did not hesitate when it came to using force. Their orders were to restore order and maintain control, and anyone who resisted could quickly find themselves facing the barrel of a rifle.Ethan remembered this part clearly.In his previous life, the military had eventually been deployed as well. They had moved through the flooded districts in patrol boats, breaking up looting groups and dealing harshly with anyone who tried to attack civilians or seize supplies by force. It had taken time, but their intervention was what finally brought the streets under some measure of control.Ethan picked up his binoculars and walked toward the window.Sure enough, soldiers in olive-green uniforms were moving through the flooded streets in patrol boats. Their rifles were visible, and several soldiers stood at the front of each boat, constantly

When Maya heard what Ryan had been through, the anger she had been holding back finally snapped.“We’re going to beat them up and throw them out!”Ethan didn’t respond immediately.Ryan might have been naive, but he had still helped them when they needed it. He had also helped Ethan obtain and organize a large portion of the medical supplies he had bought before the disaster. Everything had been sorted properly, which had saved Ethan a great deal of time, money, and trouble.More importantly, Ryan was his friend.When they were children at Graybridge, they had gotten into plenty of fights together. Ethan still remembered one incident when Ryan had taken a blow from a brick meant for him.There was no way Ethan could simply walk away now.They didn’t need to discuss it any further.Maya stepped forward and kicked the apartment door hard.“Everyone inside, listen up! You’ve got one minute to come out. If you don’t, I’m not going to be nice!”Silence answered her.Ethan reached into his

Men didn’t always show their emotions the same way women did.Ethan and Maya understood that, so neither of them went inside. They stayed in the hallway and left Lucas to talk to Ryan privately.Lucas didn’t go into much detail. He simply explained that after reaching Ryan’s apartment complex, they had learned that he had already been evacuated to the Westbridge Hotel.The conditions inside the shelter were terrible.“You can’t stay here,” Lucas said. “Come back to Crownview with us.”Ryan looked at him.“We’re living next door to Ethan now. There’s a three-bedroom apartment. Come stay with us. We’ll figure out the rest later.”Outside the room, Ethan pulled Maya toward the far end of the hallway, near one of the windows.“What are you thinking?” he asked.Maya folded her arms.She wasn’t particularly eager to have another person move into their apartment either. Food was already scarce, and adding another mouth to feed was never a small decision.But things were different now.They w