Huang Jinghe wasn't stupid. He'd just been sheltered for too long, with little hands-on experience. But those doomsday novels Lan Jin had him read hadn't gone to waste. Once he applied what he'd learned and thought things through, the conclusions were obvious.
"I understand, Sister Lan. I have no objections. Let's form the alliance."
Still, Lan Jin felt there were some things she needed to make absolutely clear.
"We may be allies now, but let's not pretend we really know each other. Even with allies, you shouldn't harm them, but you shouldn't drop your guard either. You remember what I said about the supplies at home, right?"
"Of course. That can't be revealed. I wouldn't tell anyone, not even if I were dying. And I won't lend anything out either."
"Good. As long as you've got that clear in your mind."
Lan Jin stood up and said, "I'm heading downstairs to grab the walkie-talkie. Now that we're allies, having a direct way to communicate will make things easier. We should also show some sincerity. While I'm there, I'll discuss this afternoon's meeting plans."
The meeting was set to take place at Lao Gao's apartment. The real reason was that they wanted a look at Lao Gao's kayak. After a quick trip upstairs and down, Lan Jin grabbed the walkie-talkie, then headed to knock on Lao Gao's door.
When she handed over the walkie-talkies, both Ling Jiang and Lao Gao were clearly delighted.
"So that's what I've been hearing at home. I kept catching weird signals. It was this thing? You two really kept it hidden well."
"Wasn't hiding it. Once we lost power and phone service, we used these to keep in touch. Been relying on them for a while now. Since we're allies, of course we'll use them too. It'll make things much easier."
Once they tuned their walkie-talkies to the same channel, all four of them were connected and ready to use them at any time.
With the walkie-talkies sorted, Lao Gao wasted no time showing off his kayak.
It was stored in his spare bedroom. The moment he opened the door, Lan Jin caught sight of a chaotic mess, piles of items crammed into every corner. She didn't linger or study the room too closely. After all, it wasn't her home. It would be rude to stare.
Soon came a series of clattering sounds, and then Lao Gao emerged with an inflated kayak, along with a set of matching equipment.
He stood proudly in front of them, visibly excited.
"My kayak's a bit small. It can barely fit two people, and even then, not much room is left once you load some supplies. Ideally, it's better for just one person. But going out alone to scavenge is too risky, so I think two people should go. There's a little basket in the back that can hold stuff. And there's a spot where you can attach a rope. I found a waterproof bag at home, so if there's not enough space on the boat, I can tow the bag through the water behind me. It's not great for big hauls, of course, but let's be honest—on the first trip out, we're probably not going to find much anyway."
It wasn't that Lao Gao didn't have faith. He just knew the truth. Most supplies had already been collected and confiscated by officials in the early days. Whatever was left outside now was slim pickings. They'd probably start with the supermarket, and if that turned up empty, move on to the supply depot. Anything edible was worth bringing home.
But when Lan Jin got a good look at Lao Gao's kayak, she couldn't pretend to be impressed. "You call that 'a bit small'? It's ridiculously tiny. Are you sure it can even hold two people? Wouldn't it sink? And how much can you really carry in this thing? Were you planning to make supply runs every single day?"
Lao Gao was briefly speechless. He had nothing else to offer.
"Can't exactly swim out there dragging stuff behind me," he mumbled. "If I run out of strength halfway through, that'd be worse."
Lan Jin pretended to think for a moment before saying, "Honestly, your kayak looks flimsier than the one my ex-husband used for fishing. His was a real two-to-four-person kayak, and it had space for gear too. Yours? It's really just a one-person boat."
That idea had already come to her earlier, when she went upstairs to fetch the walkie-talkie. It gave her the perfect excuse to bring out her own kayak from her storage space.
Fishing kayaks could absolutely be taken out for supply runs. And using her ex-husband as an excuse? Perfect. He was already dead. Whether or not he ever fished didn't matter—no one could fact-check her.
Ling Jiang asked, "So your ex-husband's kayak is still around?"
"Yeah. I kept it. It's one of those automatic inflating ones. Doesn't take up space when folded, and inflates on its own when you open it up. Only used it once. It was expensive, so I never wanted to throw it away."
The moment she said that, the other three lit up with excitement. Lao Gao especially.
"Go check for it now. If you still have it, we can all head out together to scavenge."
Lan Jin nodded and returned to her apartment. A short while later, she brought out the deflated kayak from her storage space. The moment she unfolded it, the kayak began to inflate on its own, slowly taking shape until it stood fully expanded—a much larger and sturdier-looking boat.
Even at a glance, this kayak looked leagues better than Lao Gao's.
Lao Gao, who knew a thing or two about these, nodded in approval. "Well, I'll be. Didn't think your ex was worth much, but he had decent taste. This kayak's the same brand as mine, but yours is the upgraded version. Mine's a one-person fishing kayak that barely fits two. Yours is a two-person model, easy. You could probably seat three or four people, and still have space for gear. Solid boat. Big and practical."
Now that they had two kayaks, it was time to seriously plan how they'd be used.
Lao Gao said, "I'll take my own boat. I'll load whatever it can carry. You three use the bigger kayak. Bring a rope and a basket. If you run out of space, tie up the extras and tow them behind. Either way, we can't afford to leave anything behind."
Whether towing gear like that was practical was another question. No one had raised the concern that too much weight might drag the boat down.
Lan Jin said, "If we can, we should try to get another kayak while we're out. These two are too small. We won't be able to bring back enough supplies."
"That's true," Ling Jiang agreed. "If we can find one, great. But these two kayaks are going to draw attention. The moment we take them out, people in our building are going to start asking to borrow them."
And that raised another problem.
If someone borrowed one and never came back, then what?
But refusing would also stir resentment. People with no food would have no choice but to fix their eyes on the ones who did. That would be dangerous too.
"Let's wait until after the meeting this afternoon," Lan Jin said.
For now, her kayak stayed at Lao Gao's apartment. It made sense. Of the four of them, Lao Gao was the only one who could realistically defend it if anything happened.
Lan Jin had no objections. She couldn't exactly question her new allies the moment they joined forces.