When Lin Yi said the situation might become even more serious, it was as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over everyone in the hall. They fell silent at once.
Zhou Jianjun's expression turned grave. He seemed to have thought of something, but wasn't quite sure, so he asked Lin Yi:
"Xiaoyi, didn't you already scare those Abyss Wolves outside into keeping their distance? Do you mean they haven't actually given up, and have only retreated for now?"
"Exactly."
Lin Yi nodded. He first turned to Chen Yu, paused, then looked at Zhou Yuxuan.
"Chen Yu—never mind, class monitor. Do you remember that biographical story about the Oroqen and Ewenki people we read before? The one from the recommended extracurricular reading list in our second year of high school?"
"I do."
As the top student in the class, Zhou Yuxuan naturally treated every recommended book as required reading.
He furrowed his brows and thought back to the story. Before long, his expression grew serious too. "You mean those Abyss Wolves might behave like the pack in that book when people encountered wolves on a hunt? When the pack isn't confident of winning, it surrounds its prey without attacking, gathering enough numbers before launching a full assault?"
"Right."
Lin Yi sighed. "So here's my guess: they won't let us hide here forever. If I'm wrong, and they don't come, then so be it. But if the Abyss Wolves really do launch a full-scale attack, even if we manage to hold them off, most of the other survivors in Hongfu Restaurant probably won't make it."
"So we need to make the most of this new window of opportunity and hurry to reinforce our defenses and gather supplies."
Lin Yi's gaze swept across the people in the hall.
He keenly noticed that everyone was gradually getting used to taking orders from him.
And that was exactly what he wanted.
"I suggest we split into three teams."
Lin Yi cleared his throat.
"Zhou Yuxuan will lead the first team, along with Chen Yu, Li Jie, and a few others."
Lin Yi pointed out several people who looked quick on their feet. "Your team's main task is to thoroughly search the first three floors of Hongfu Restaurant. Check everywhere except Fujin Hall, where we are now: the other banquet halls, private rooms, kitchen, storerooms, and staff break rooms! If it isn't locked, collect and bring to Fujin Hall anything you can find and put to use!"
He thought it over, then made a point of emphasizing, "Remember the recommendations in the official emergency handbook: food and water are the top priority! Unopened drinks, bottled water, rice, flour, cooking oil, dried goods, canned food, and seasonings from the kitchen. Bring it all here. Bring anything perishable too, and eat it first."
"Weapons and tools as well: all kinds of kitchen knives, the fire axes and fire hoses in the hallways, fire extinguishers, steel pipes and wrenches from the maintenance room. Don't leave anything useful behind if it's heavy and sturdy."
"And medical supplies. Hotels this large usually keep first-aid kits at the front desk."
As he spoke, Lin Yi noticed the walkie-talkies clipped to the two rescued hotel employees' waists and added, "See if you can find the staff's walkie-talkies too. Oh, and most importantly, look for an emergency generator! Big hotels usually have one in case of a sudden power outage."
Zhou Yuxuan nodded, then suddenly seemed to think of something. He hesitated before asking:
"Um... Technically, none of this belongs to us. What if the hotel employees hiding in another private room or banquet hall hear us and come out to stop us?"
"It's fine."
Chen Yu, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke up.
"My fourth uncle owns this hotel. He's abroad and hasn't come back, so I'm calling the shots. Take whatever you need."
"Hey, Chen Yu, you've never mentioned that. Is there anything else nearby we can just take?" Lin Yi teased him, then raised his eyebrows at Zhou Yuxuan. "You heard Mr. Chen. Take whatever you need."
After joking, Lin Yi made a point of reassuring Zhou Yuxuan, in case he was still uneasy.
"Don't let it weigh on you. This should count as an emergency necessity. Once it's safe, we can make up for the owner's losses when they come looking."
"Fair enough. What matters is getting through this." Zhou Yuxuan wasn't inflexible. "Don't worry. I know what's important. I'll make sure we search every last corner."
Lin Yi gave a small nod to show he understood, then turned to the women.
"Second team."
"Um... Ye Qingyu will lead it."
Lin Yi remembered that in his previous life, Ye Qingyu had handled shelter logistics for a long time. She probably had some talent for it. At the very least, she'd never made a mess of things.
"But that was in my previous life. Ye Qingyu is still just a kid now. She'll need someone to help her."
As he thought this, his gaze naturally shifted to the rescued woman in office attire.
"Um... How should I address you, ma'am? What kind of work do you do?"
"My name is Li Ling. I'm an assistant finance manager at Changyang Group." When Lin Yi asked, the woman hurried to answer.
Of everyone in Fujin Hall, only she and the two hotel employees were outsiders, so she felt very vulnerable.
"Good. Ms. Li, assist Ye Qingyu. And... Mom, Auntie, Su Xiao—you and the other women will make up the second team. You'll sort and classify the supplies and handle logistics."
"Put everything everyone collects in the small break room beside Fujin Hall. We'll use it as a temporary storeroom. Sort everything by category, and make a basic inventory if you can, so it'll be easier to manage and hand things out."
Li Ling immediately agreed. Ye Qingyu felt nervous, but gritted her teeth in secret, encouraged herself, and nodded at once.
"The third task is urgent!"
Lin Yi looked toward the banquet hall entrance. "We need to block off the spiral staircase from the second floor to the first. It's the most direct route and the one most likely to be breached by monsters."
He went to the window and pointed at the Abyss Wolves still prowling along the edge of the plaza below, occasionally looking warily toward Hongfu Restaurant.
"They've been scared off for now and don't dare come close, but that's only a guess, and we don't know how long it'll last. So we have to block this passage completely, leaving only one entrance and exit that we can control."
"Xiaoyi, tell us what you want us to do."
Zhou Jianjun volunteered. This was clearly physical labor, so it was obviously meant for the remaining adult men.
"My idea is to seal the spiral staircase entrance completely with heavy objects."
"Everyone else will make up the third team. Use the heaviest, sturdiest things we can find and pile them at the staircase entrance—enough to stop even one of those giant monsters from the internet from breaking through anytime soon."
"At the same time..." Lin Yi changed tack. "Leave a narrow space on the far right of the staircase entrance, where it hangs over the void. Use a few round tables to make a movable door, and leave a simple rope ladder for getting in and out."
"A rope ladder?" Zhou Jianjun's eyes lit up. "Good idea! Just like building a makeshift fortification in the army: we can advance or retreat as needed. Leave it to me. I'll make it sturdy."
"Yeah, Uncle. I'd feel completely at ease leaving it to you."
After that, Lin Yi looked toward Lin Ruiheng.
"Lastly," Lin Yi said, turning to his uncle, "once we've mostly finished gathering our own supplies, I'll need you to take a few people and contact the survivors in the other banquet halls and private rooms in the building."
"Make sure you wait until we've sorted out our own supplies before going. That way, we can avoid chaos and people fighting over things."
"Tell them the basics of our situation here. You can show them the videos and explain who I am. Invite them to join us, or at least establish contact so we can share information and supplies and defend ourselves together."
He stressed this with a serious expression. "But there's one condition: anyone who wants to join us has to follow our rules, accept the unified distribution of supplies, and obey orders."
After speaking, Lin Yi pondered for a moment, then added, "Remember, safety comes first. Be sincere, but stick to your principles. We're willing to help others, but we're not suckers."
Lin Ruiheng nodded solemnly. "I know what matters. Once things are settled here, I'll take a few people over. Don't worry, Xiaoyi. Your uncle knows how to handle a little diplomatic talk."
With the tasks assigned, everyone sprang into action as if wound up.
Lin Yi picked up the bag containing three Source Energy Crystals and went to a relatively quiet corner near the second-floor entrance to the spiral staircase. He sat cross-legged.
He could watch what was happening on the first floor from there without getting in anyone's way.
He had chosen this spot mainly to make it look as if he were guarding against a surprise Abyss Beast attack, so everyone else would feel more at ease.
Lin Yi watched in silence for a while. Once he was sure everyone had begun working in an orderly fashion, he looked away, took out a Spirit Radiance Crystal, crushed it in his hand, and began cultivating.
Having done this once already, he no longer needed to deliberately pretend to be in pain. Geniuses were always different from others.
Strong willpower and adaptability were also forms of talent.
When Li Jie or Zhang Haotian passed by with supplies, they instinctively slowed their steps and veered around Lin Yi, casting him a glance that mixed awe with curiosity.
Inside Fujin Hall, Ye Qingyu and Li Ling were leading several women in sorting the bottled water, canned goods, and vacuum-packed food they had scavenged, stacking them neatly in one corner of the break room.
Zhou Yuxuan and the others, including Chen Yu, were still searching the floors above. Their footsteps echoed through the empty corridors.
Everyone was busy, but everything remained orderly.
What they didn't know was that an informational bomb sent out by Chen Yu's Moyin Ship was racing through the collapsing online world, setting off a massive storm—one that would far exceed their expectations, and even Lin Yi's.
The next chapter got flagged by the censors again. I'll have to revise it first.
After going back and forth for ages, it finally got unblocked...
Before you continue