Chapter 96: Five Leaders

“It’s the Purple Wind Building after all,” Su Li murmured to himself. He said nothing more, just stared intently at Xu Haishui. Under his gaze, Xu Haishui grew restless.

Su Li was visibly stronger than Chen Xiangyu, and Xu Haishui knew it, which made him fearful of Su Li.

“I was originally a resident of the Purple Wind Building,” Xu Haishui continued. “I woke up on the morning of the 15th and realized the city was flooded. Fortunately, the Purple Wind Building is tall enough that eight floors weren’t submerged. I remember there were 23 survivors at the time. We quickly organized ourselves, wanting to find out what happened and search for help.”

“The following days were a nightmare. Countless types of monsters kept appearing. People either died or grew stronger. Other survivors from nearby buildings also drifted in because the Purple Wind Building is the most prominent landmark in this area and attracted attention from all sides.”

Su Li nodded slightly. He recalled that although the Purple Wind Building was the tallest in the area, there were many other buildings over 30 stories tall within a kilometer or two of it. They just weren’t as tall as the Purple Wind Building. It was highly likely that people from those buildings went to the Purple Wind Building. If Su Li and the others hadn’t been three kilometers away, they would have rushed there too.

“In short, the number of people gathered in the Purple Wind Building kept growing. Although some people died, the total headcount was always increasing. I estimate there are over 30 people now, but I don’t know the exact count.”

“With so many people, supplies inevitably ran short. Although the monster meat can be eaten, it seems to have severe side effects. Eventually, everyone organized, and a few key leaders emerged. After discussion, they decided not to take in any more newcomers. They dispatched groups to collect supplies from the surrounding area and bring them back to the Purple Wind Building. If they found resistors, they were to bring any women back—that was considered a great service—and the men were to be killed.”

Listening to Xu Haishui, Su Li finally understood why Ni Jianrong had attacked them.

“Was Chen Xiangyu one of those leaders?”

Xu Haishui nodded. “Yes. Five leaders emerged. They are the strongest among everyone and the most ruthless. Chen Xiangyu was one of those five.”

Gong Xiao also slowly approached. Hearing this, she nodded slightly and said, “In a place like the Purple Wind Building, with so many people gathered, external threats from all kinds of monsters, severe resource shortages, and virtually no way out, it’s already an apocalyptic scenario. In a world without the constraint of law, where morality is non-existent, the law of the jungle is bound to prevail. Only the strongest survive, and only the most ruthless can become leaders.”

Xu Haishui offered a bitter smile, glanced at Gong Xiao, and said, “Perhaps. You are lucky that you didn’t end up at the Purple Wind Building.”

“What do you mean by that?” Gong Xiao’s pretty face immediately turned serious, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes.

Xu Haishui explained, “Do you know why I said capturing women was a great service? Do you know why we didn’t try to strike you women down when we first arrived? It’s because the Purple Wind Building is short on women. I don’t know why, but the number of female survivors is very small. The total population of the Purple Wind Building has surpassed 30 people, but women only account for five. The male-to-female ratio is almost six-to-one.”

Gong Xiao’s face paled. She wasn’t naive; she understood what such a gender imbalance implied.

“As you said, there’s no law now, and in this world where people see no tomorrow or hope, morality barely exists. The human trash who looked like decent people before have exposed their true selves. Only in these situations do you truly know who is human and who is a monster. Do you know what happened to those five women in the Purple Wind Building?”

Xu Haishui’s eyes grew red again, and his hands slowly clenched into fists. He was shaking all over. As he spoke, his voice became hoarse and choked. His throat trembled, and the words that followed got stuck.

Su Li and Gong Xiao looked at the man and vaguely understood. A chill ran through them.

Perhaps only in such extreme circumstances could the ugliness of human nature be fully exposed.

Gong Xiao looked at Su Li again, suddenly feeling lucky, and deeply grateful.

If Su Li hadn’t been here today, she and Xu Xuehui would likely have been captured and taken to the Purple Wind Building. She couldn’t bear to imagine what fate awaited her there. The mere thought made her heart pound and her body tremble.

After a long moment, Xu Haishui finally exhaled a ragged breath and whispered hoarsely, “I swear I’ll kill those leading bastards. Chen Xiangyu is dead, but there are four more.”

Su Li asked, “You hate them so much. Was one of those five women…”

Xu Haishui’s intense emotion and hatred for Chen Xiangyu’s group couldn’t be purely due to his sense of justice. It was highly likely that one of the five women was someone he cared about.

Su Li’s question caused Xu Haishui’s body to freeze. His face became utterly devoid of color. He looked like he couldn’t face the question, but eventually, he nodded robotically. “Yes. One of them… she’s called Zhang Ying. She and I lived next door to each other. We were always very close. We even attended the same university. She was in the English Department, and I was in the Architecture Department. We both just graduated this year…”

As he spoke, a faint smile appeared on his face, as if recalling a beautiful memory. “She is very beautiful and kind-hearted. Others always laughed at me for being weak and a coward. Even my father used to say I wasn’t man enough.”

He looked up, still smiling, but the smile was incredibly bitter. “Do you know? Because I was skinny and short, I was often bullied since I was in school. Older students would corner me and demand protection money, but…”

“But Zhang Ying never looked down on me. She was always willing to be my friend and was always kind to me. I… I really love her… but I was so ashamed of myself. I never dared to confess my feelings to her all these years…”

“When I finally made up my mind, deciding I wouldn’t be a coward anymore—I was going to be a brave man from then on—I bought her a gift with the spare money I had saved, and I decided to confess to her first thing the next morning. But then this happened. The city was submerged, and the whole world changed. Many people in the Purple Wind Building turned into beasts. They… they grabbed Zhang Ying… They took her away right in front of me while she was screaming and struggling… I didn’t dare to speak up. I didn’t dare to stand up. I even curled myself up in a dark corner, terrified that they or Zhang Ying would see me…”

(End of Chapter)