"It really is the Purple Wind Building." Su Li mused silently, but said nothing, merely fixing his gaze on Xu Haishui before him. Under his stare, Xu Haishui grew uneasy.
Su Li was even stronger than Chen Xiangyu—Xu Haishui had seen that clearly, and he felt a certain fear toward Su Li.
"I originally lived in the Purple Wind Building," Xu Haishui continued. "When I woke up on the morning of the fifteenth, I found the city flooded. Luckily, the Purple Wind Building was tall enough that eight floors remained above water. At the time, I remember there were twenty-three survivors still alive. Everyone quickly organized, trying to figure out the cause and seek rescue."
"The days that followed were like a nightmare. Countless monsters kept appearing endlessly. People either died or grew stronger. Survivors from other nearby buildings also drifted over one after another. Because the Purple Wind Building was the most famous in this area, it drew attention from all sides."
Su Li nodded slightly. He recalled that while the Purple Wind Building was the tallest in the vicinity, there were still many buildings over thirty stories within a kilometer or two—just none as tall as the Purple Wind Building. It was highly likely that people from those buildings had made their way there. If not for the fact that they were three kilometers away, they too would have headed for the Purple Wind Building long ago.
"In short, the number of people gathering at the Purple Wind Building kept increasing. Though some died, the total kept rising. Now it's probably over thirty—I don't know the exact number."
"With more people, supplies inevitably ran short. Sure, you could eat the monsters' meat, but it seemed to have severe side effects. Eventually, everyone organized, and a few leaders emerged. After discussion, they decided to stop taking in newcomers and instead sent people out to gather supplies and bring them back to the Purple Wind Building. Anyone who resisted—women would be brought back, counted as a major achievement, while men would be killed."
Hearing this, Su Li understood why Ni Jianrong had tried to attack them earlier.
"Is Chen Xiangyu one of those leaders?"
Xu Haishui nodded. "Yes. There were five leaders—the strongest and most ruthless among everyone. Chen Xiangyu was one of them."
By now, Gong Xiao had slowly walked over. Hearing this, she gave a slight nod. "With so many gathered at the Purple Wind Building, the dangers of monsters outside, scarce supplies, and almost no way out, it's practically the end of the world. In a world without legal constraints, morality ceases to exist. Under such circumstances, the law of the jungle inevitably takes over—the strong rule. Without ruthlessness, you couldn't be a leader."
Xu Haishui let out a bitter smile, glancing at Gong Xiao. "Maybe so. You're lucky you didn't end up at the Purple Wind Building."
"What do you mean by that?" Gong Xiao's pretty face darkened slightly, a cold glint flashing in her phoenix eyes.
Xu Haishui said, "Do you know why I said catching women was a major achievement earlier? Why we didn't think of harming you women from the start? Because the Purple Wind Building is short on women. I don't know the reason, but among the survivors, women are few. The total at the Purple Wind Building is now over thirty, but only five are women—a male-to-female ratio of almost six to one."
Gong Xiao's face paled slightly. She wasn't stupid; she understood what such a ratio meant.
"You said it yourself—now there's no legal restraint, and in a world where you can barely see tomorrow or hope, morality is almost nonexistent. Those who acted like decent people in normal times reveal their true beastly nature now. You only know who's human and who's a monster in times like these. Do you know what happened to those five women at the Purple Wind Building?"
Xu Haishui's eyes reddened again. His hands slowly clenched into fists, his whole body trembling slightly. His voice grew hoarse and choked, his throat quivering, and he couldn't bring himself to say more.
Su Li and Gong Xiao, seeing this, vaguely understood something, and a chill crept into their hearts.
Perhaps only in such extreme circumstances could the ugliness of human nature be fully exposed.
Gong Xiao glanced at Su Li again, suddenly feeling a mix of relief and gratitude.
If not for Su Li being here today, she and Xu Xuehui would likely have been captured and taken to the Purple Wind Building. What she would have faced there—she dared not imagine. Just thinking about it made her heart pound with fear, her whole body trembling.
After a long pause, Xu Haishui finally gasped out a breath and rasped, "Those beasts who led them—I have to kill them. Chen Xiangyu is dead, but there are four left."
Su Li said, "You hate them so much. Is it because one of those five women..."
Xu Haishui's intense hatred for Chen Xiangyu and the others couldn't be purely out of a sense of justice. The most likely reason was that one of those five women was connected to him.
Su Li's question made Xu Haishui stiffen, his face turning pale as if he couldn't bear to face the issue. But in the end, he nodded mechanically. "Yes. One of them... her name is Zhang Ying. Her family and mine were next-door neighbors. We've always been close. We even went to the same university—she was in the English department, I was in architecture. We both just graduated this year..."
A faint smile appeared on his face, as if recalling happier times. "She was beautiful and kind-hearted. Others always mocked me for being too timid, a coward. Even my dad said I wasn't manly."
He looked up, still smiling, but the smile was bitter. "You know? Because I'm thin and short, I've been bullied since school. Older students would corner me and demand protection money. But..."
"But Zhang Ying never looked down on me. She was still willing to be my friend, treated me well, and often looked out for me. I... I really liked her... but I was too insecure. All these years, I never dared to confess my feelings..."
"By the time I finally made up my mind—decided I didn't want to be a coward anymore, that I'd be a brave man from then on—I bought a gift with the allowance I'd saved, planning to confess to her the next morning. Then this happened. The city was flooded, the whole world changed. So many people in the Purple Wind Building turned into beasts... They grabbed Zhang Ying... right in front of me, they took her away. I watched her crying and struggling, right there in front of me... but I didn't dare speak, didn't dare step forward. I even curled myself into a dark corner, afraid they'd see me, afraid Zhang Ying would see me..."