The man on the ground clung to his last thread of hope, repeating himself like a drowning man grasping at a straw.
"It's true, I swear it's true! I'm not making this up. We've been together for a long time! Even if I didn't agree to break things off, you didn't need to get the police involved!"
The officer recognized Lan Jin from before and still remembered her case clearly. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "You say you two were involved, and she was the one who called you over? Then when exactly did this supposed relationship start?"
"Before the New Year," the man answered without hesitation. "Back then she was living alone with a kid. Life was hard for her, so she came to rely on me. She just wanted money. Every time, she was the one who made the first move. If she hadn't seduced me, I never would've tried to break into her place."
Lan Jin let out a cold snort of disgust.
"What a load of garbage. I wasn't even living here before the New Year, how could we have been involved? And I don't have money? I've got tens of millions in assets, and you think I'm broke? What kind of joke are you?"
As she spoke, Lan Jin walked up to the man and kicked him hard in the head—more than once. The officers standing nearby didn't bother stopping her.
At that moment, she deeply regretted reporting him in the first place. Why had she called the police? Wouldn't it have been better to just throw him off the building?
Now that the report was made, who knew what kind of consequences it might bring? What if the man got released in just a few days? She'd be the first one he'd come after. And if she did end up killing him, she'd also be the first suspect. How was she supposed to survive long enough to reach the base?
In the apocalypse, what mattered most was acting decisively and leaving no loose ends.
Still, no matter how much Lan Jin regretted it now, the moment had passed. What was done was done.
What she didn't know, however, was that the man was definitely lying. Not only had he attempted to break in, now he was trying to shift all the blame. Naturally, that only worsened his case.
And during the poisonous fog lockdown, anyone who got arrested wasn't just tossed into a cell and forgotten. They were rounded up and put to work—manual labor, building bases. So the scenario Lan Jin feared might never actually happen.
Of course, she didn't know that. In her previous life, she'd been too busy scraping by and caring for her child to notice details like that.
The man was taken away that very night. After a round of intense interrogation, he finally spilled the truth.
He had been watching Lan Jin for a while. She was beautiful, clearly wealthy, and during the times she and Huang Jinghe had exchanged contribution points, a few sharp-eyed neighbors had noticed that a lot of points were being used on their floors.
So he got an idea.
It turned out he wasn't working alone either. He had a partner in the building. At first light, the officers came again and took the second man away.
Both confessed to the break-ins without hesitation. But when it came to the murder case from before, neither said a word.
Was it because they were afraid to mention it? Or was the real killer someone else entirely?
After two more days of investigation, the police confirmed that these two men weren't connected to the previous homicide. Once that was cleared up, both suspects were processed and removed from the community.
Still stunned, one of the men asked, "Where are we going? Aren't we just supposed to stay locked up?"
An officer gave him a cold look. "You think that's how this works? During this special period, special rules apply. Every criminal gets sent to help build the new bases. With what you two did, don't expect to come back before three years are up."
But really, building a base didn't take three years. The truth was simpler: these criminals were treated like bricks. Wherever labor was needed, they were sent. Only after all the bases across the country were completed would the lighter offenders have a chance to return home.
And even then, there were no guarantees.
The two men had no idea how serious the punishment for their little break-in would be. Their faces turned ashen, but by then, it was too late to plead.
A few minutes later, they were taken away. Whether they would ever return, no one could say.
That afternoon, the police informed the community office, who in turn passed the news to Lan Jin and Huang Jinghe. Only then did Lan Jin truly feel at ease.
It didn't matter what happened three years from now. As long as those men were gone, she could relax a little. Still, she knew she couldn't afford to let her guard down.
After a few days of discussion, the topic finally faded from the group chat.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was supposed to be the fourth round of supply distribution.
But when the day came… the supplies didn't.
Residents were confused. One after another, they posted in the group chat.
"Wait, what's going on? Isn't this the day we're supposed to get our supplies? They've been giving them out weekly."
"Yeah, I've been holding out just for this. I was counting on those supplies for a proper meal."
"Same here. I didn't even order anything the last couple days. Thought I'd save it and use the aid instead. What now? Don't tell me we're out?"
They really were out.
A community staff member replied, "Everyone already exchanged their contribution points, right? Those can be used to buy food. Since you have the means to get supplies, emergency rations will no longer be distributed."
The message was clear: you've got money, go buy your own.
That might have been fine—if they'd given everyone some warning. But there had been no transition, no heads-up at all. Naturally, people weren't ready, and frustration spread fast.
"They could've at least told us ahead of time! I was honestly looking forward to it, waited several days, and now nothing?"
"Let's be real, our supplies have been getting smaller each time. That was already a sign, wasn't it? As much as I want to complain, I guess I understand. China's too big. There just isn't enough to feed everyone forever."
"But still… I barely exchanged anything last time. I just wanted to test it out, and now my stash is basically gone. What am I supposed to do now?"
"So how do you even exchange contribution points? You said last time it was possible."
"Anyone from the community office here? How do we trade for points? I don't have much cash in my account. I can't feed my family on nothing."
Another message came from staff:
"Last time, many residents didn't have experience with the point system, so most only exchanged a small amount. We're making an exception and giving everyone two more days to trade points again. After that, contribution points will only be available once a month at designated exchange spots. Please make sure you get enough to last a full month, to avoid running out before the next opportunity."
Then came another update:
"Previously, residents had to go downstairs to make the exchange. But due to the situation, the community will arrange for staff to come door to door this time. Please take this chance to trade for any large or heavy items you might need, especially those that are hard to move on your own."
With that, the announcements ended.