The Reborn Otaku’s Code of Practice for the Apocalypse – CH123

Chapter 123 — Neighbors?

Not long ago, Luo Xun and the others had slaughtered a few of the older quails at home. Although not everyone got a whole one, everyone at least tasted some. And all the bones from that batch went straight to the dog—what it ate was actually more than what the people got.

The dog circled around the table, but the two busy at the table paid it no attention—they were focused on preparing their meal. Whatever it wanted could wait until after they finished eating.

Yan Fei helped bring the tableware and served each of them a bowl of soup. He couldn’t resist taking a sip first. Although Xu Mei and the others cooked decently, he had grown used to Luo Xun’s cooking. Somehow, Luo Xun’s dishes just tasted different. Like today’s soup—it might not be the most delicious, but it suited his taste the best.

They each filled a large bowl of white rice—though their rice supply was nearly gone. Recently, they had been reluctant to use it. If not for today’s meal being especially satisfying—and the fact that their newly planted rice would soon be ready—he wouldn’t have cooked rice at all.

The two sat facing each other, silently eating. Even their usual habit of chatting while eating didn’t happen today. Only after they were half full did Luo Xun point regretfully at the plate of cauliflower.

“This would taste great with some meat slices…” he said. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be like now—the duck pot was already gone, but this dish still had half left.

Yan Fei smiled and lightly tapped his cheek with the end of his chopsticks. “That’s just because we haven’t eaten meat for so long. It’ll pass.”

The little one lay on the floor, obediently hugging its plate. Instead of chewing food on Yan Fei’s slippers like before, it was gnawing on a piece of duck meat (provided by Yan Fei). The cauliflower on the plate was completely ignored—even though it used to like it.

After dinner, the two went out again, calling Li Tie and the others to Xu Mei’s place to borrow the kitchen and teach everyone how to braise the duck offal.

Duck intestines, when coming from a duck of that size… looked even more intimidating than cow intestines.

They hadn’t brought all of it back—there simply wasn’t space in the car. But they did bring the hearts and gizzards, which had already been blanched to preserve them.

They contributed their own spices—Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon. Ginger and scallions were used to remove the odor, along with soy sauce, salt, and sugar to make the braising liquid. Once it boiled, the cleaned and chopped intestines and gizzards were added in. After soaking for a day, they could be taken out and eaten slowly.

Considering Xiao Xinran, Luo Xun didn’t add any chili. Those who liked spicy food could add chili oil later when plating.

After finishing everything and returning home, with the next day being a rest day, Yan Fei once again pounced on Luo Xun, who was exhausted from a full day’s work…

As a result, Luo Xun overslept again the next morning.

When he opened his eyes, it was already ten o’clock. He was still sleepy enough to go back to sleep until noon. What woke him wasn’t his biological clock or the need to use the bathroom—it was noise.

“What’s going on…?” Luo Xun rubbed his eyes and yawned, struggling to sit up. The fan in the room was spinning, and voices could be heard from outside… outside? Why did it sound so close?

Wait—his home was on the 16th floor, the top duplex! Even hallway noise shouldn’t carry in so clearly!

He quickly got up, grabbing a shirt from the chair by the window to cover the miserable bite marks on his shoulder—someone had clearly competed last night after seeing similar marks on someone else.

Tracing the source of the noise, he realized it was coming from the rooftop terrace. He hurried over—and then discovered…

The rooftop was lively.

Recently, the base population had surged again. New arrivals, those whose homes were unlivable, people who couldn’t get along with neighbors, or were driven out—all were finding their own ways to survive. Streets, open spaces, even hallways were filled with people. And some had set their sights on rooftops.

Now, even their building’s rooftop had become a “prime location.”

Early that morning, people had climbed up and started choosing spots to build shelters. At first, no one noticed—everyone was sleeping in. But once residents from nearby buildings saw it and went up to argue, Li Tie and the others heard the commotion.

Zhang Su, who had overexerted himself the night before and rejected further “activity” last night, immediately climbed out the window onto the roof when he heard. When Yan Fei noticed, he followed. Now several groups were facing off.

Luo Xun opened a terrace window slightly and looked out. On their side, besides Zhang Su and Yan Fei, Xu Mei was also there. After thinking for a moment, he quickly shut the window—there were too many valuable things on their terrace. He didn’t dare leave it open too long.

He went downstairs to find Li Tie and the others—they were gathered in Zhang Su’s room by the window.

“What’s going on?” Luo Xun hurried over.

Seeing him, Li Tie pointed outside. “Several groups. Some are ours, some from neighboring buildings. Some people want to move onto our rooftop—no one agrees!”

Luo Xun frowned. No one would accept strangers suddenly moving onto the roof above their home—especially not illegal, makeshift structures. If something happened, who would be responsible?

“Why did it turn into a quarrel?” The building’s soundproofing was quite good, especially the top floor—the rooftop was thick enough that even people walking around up there normally wouldn’t be heard below. Yet today, the whole top floor knew about it. Could it be that something had been smashed on the roof?

He Qianqian shook his head while pointing toward Entrance No. 1. “I heard those people were hammering nails into the roof while building. The noise was too loud, someone heard it, and that’s how the fight started!”

Li Tie quietly explained to Luo Xun, “We just analyzed it—didn’t Brother Yan reinforce the whole building before? There’s probably too much metal inside the walls. So when they tried to hammer nails into the roof, they hit metal right away and made a huge noise, which alerted the top-floor residents!”

Luo Xun rubbed his chin, thinking that was very likely. Every time they returned to the base, they would collect some metal. After renovating their own homes, worried about structural stability, Yan Fei had embedded the metal into the reinforced concrete throughout the building to strengthen it. Even if a strong earthquake came, it might shake off the outer walls—but probably wouldn’t break apart the reinforced steel structure inside.

At that point, it might even lead to an absurd scene—after the shaking stopped, rubble everywhere, and a group of people staring blankly at a giant metal frame, silently admiring it.

After thinking briefly, Luo Xun decided it wasn’t suitable for him to go up. He had overexerted himself again last night, and moving around wasn’t convenient—though Yan Fei had even made a temporary metal staircase outside the window.

He took out his phone and called Yan Fei.

On the rooftop, people were arguing loudly, but no one had made any moves yet. On Luo Xun’s side, only Yan Fei, Zhang Su, and the others were present. Meanwhile, more people had gathered near Entrance No. 1—since the only stair access to the rooftop was there, residents from other top floors had to climb up from that side. Not everyone could casually create a staircase like Yan Fei—or float up like Zhang Su.

Yes—after reaching Level 3, Zhang Su could use his wind ability to briefly lift himself into the air. Of course, he still needed some initial momentum; true hovering from a standstill wasn’t possible yet.

Seeing Luo Xun’s call, Yan Fei stepped back, signaling Zhang Su and Xu Mei to keep watch while he answered.

“What’s the situation?”

Hearing his voice, Yan Fei’s lips curved slightly into a faint smile. Turning toward the edge of the roof, he replied, “They have three ability users. Most of the top-floor residents aren’t here yet. It’s a standoff.”

Luo Xun let out a small breath. “I heard they were hammering nails into the roof?”

“Mm. People from the neighboring building heard it. Lately, more people have been moving onto rooftops, so they came up immediately when they heard the noise. Those people wanted to secure their tents against the wind, so they started nailing them down.”

Luo Xun thought for a moment. “What do you think? What about Zhang Su and the others?”

Yan Fei glanced coldly at the group. “They can’t stay. None of us agree.”

Yes—the rooftop could not be occupied.

There were too many valuable things on these two floors, far too eye-catching. People below couldn’t see anything because Yan Fei had sealed the lowest layer of the external metal structure. But people above were different—they could see everything. And if they wanted to cause trouble, they would have the easiest access.

Those two thieves before had also come down from the rooftop—proof enough of how dangerous it was.

Even if they sealed off the exterior racks to prevent theft and spying, they still needed to cook daily.

On the highest floor, cooking smells might drift around occasionally, but others wouldn’t know the exact source. However, if people were living right above them, it would be completely different.

Never underestimate the power of a piece of meat.

Even without asking around, they knew that people occasionally went missing in the base. Bodies were sometimes found in corners. There were even cases of people being killed and eaten. These weren’t horror stories—they were real.

For food, desperate people would do anything. If someone found out they could eat well every day and even had meat at home… no matter how strong Yan Fei and Zhang Su were, it wouldn’t matter.

People don’t resent scarcity—they resent inequality. Greed and hatred have no limits.

Hearing this, Luo Xun agreed. “I agree too. You three handle it up there. I… won’t go up.” Not just because he was weaker—but because he was currently leaning against the window, holding his aching waist.

Meanwhile, the newcomers were negotiating with residents from other buildings, offering to pay to stay on the rooftop. Since this wasn’t managed by the base, no official rent was required—usually just some informal payment to top-floor residents was enough.

When Yan Fei hung up, Zhang Su and Xu Mei looked at him.

“Luo Xun said we handle it,” Yan Fei said, pocketing his phone. Then he looked at Zhang Su. “No matter what they offer, I won’t agree.”

Zhang Su curled his lips in a mocking smile. “I’m not letting anyone live above my head and shit.”

Xu Mei turned her head, covering her mouth—wasn’t Zhang Su himself living above her place? What was she supposed to think hearing that?

After suppressing her laughter, she raised her hand. “I don’t agree either.” Temporary or not, who knew what they might do? And on their first day, they were already hammering the roof—what if they damaged it? If they left later, who would fix it? They didn’t have earth-type ability users to repair structures.

With the three strongest members stating their stance, the negotiation on the other side stalled.

The main issue was—many of the actual homeowners weren’t present.

They couldn’t decide, but since the newcomers had ability users, they couldn’t simply drive them away either.

The newcomers, relying on their strength, pushed forward. “We’ve already brought our things up. We’ll just stay here for now and wait for your decision-makers. No need to carry everything up and down again, right?”

One of them sat casually on a stool, forming a water sphere in his palm and spinning it idly. His companions also began unpacking their belongings as if nothing was wrong, placing them where they saw fit.

Their attitude was clear—since they were already here, they weren’t leaving easily.

Living on the rooftop was far better than the streets. No constant foot traffic, no risk of their place being looted while they were out on missions. And this building was deep inside the complex—high enough that even thieves rarely came.

A soft “tsk” of laughter cut through the air, making those who had just settled down glare sharply in that direction.

“Who’s there?!”

Though their overall strength wasn’t outstanding, they were experienced teams who went out on missions regularly. With a few ability users among them, they weren’t pushovers.

When they turned their heads, their eyes lit up—

Two men and one woman.

All three… strikingly exceptional.

Xu Mei had always been a beauty—even before the apocalypse, she had a crowd of men chasing after her desperately. Unfortunately, she had been blind enough to choose one… someone who had seemed gentle and attentive before the apocalypse, but turned into a complete weakling the moment it began.

As for Zhang Su, there was no need to even mention him—an absolute stunner. Especially when he narrowed those peach blossom eyes of his, it didn’t matter whether you were straight or not—once he looked at you, you were done for.

And Yan Fei? His features were sharp and heroic, with that tear mole at the corner of his eye adding just the right touch. Standing next to Zhang Su, the two of them were evenly matched in looks. The difference was that Yan Fei didn’t casually “discharge electricity” everywhere like Zhang Su. The ones who unconsciously drooled over him were usually women—not like Zhang Su, who mostly attracted men.

Normally, the three of them went out fully geared, at the very least wearing masks to keep a low profile. But today was a holiday. And this was their own rooftop. And these people had the nerve to come disturb their sleep early in the morning.

Not only the group trying to forcibly occupy the rooftop—even the neighbors from nearby buildings, who rarely crossed paths with them, were nearly suffocating from shock. They had only heard before that the people living here were not to be messed with, but most had never seen them. Now that they were finally seeing their true faces, the impact was overwhelming.

Zhang Su curled his lips, his peach blossom eyes filled with icy killing intent. “Me. What, you got a problem?”

The man leading the other side subconsciously swallowed. A perfectly straight man like him was actually feeling his heart race at the sight of this person… and there was even a woman on their side—a beauty, no less!

Even with his heart pounding, he refused to give up the benefits already within reach. Smiling at Zhang Su, he said, “Well… you three also live on the top floor? Then we’ll be neighbors from now on… about the rent—”

Zhang Su let out another cold laugh, making everyone on the rooftop—except the two beside him—shiver in unison. “Get lost. Who gave you permission to eat, drink, and shit above my head? Got the guts? Go rent a top floor directly from the base.”

That blunt reply nearly choked the entire group. Those who had just been dazzled by his looks instantly snapped back to reality—what use was beauty in the apocalypse? Well… maybe it had “that” kind of use.

A few of them rolled up their sleeves, ready to intimidate this “handsome trio,” when suddenly—around the peach-eyed beauty—a violent gale erupted!

A true gale—almost a hurricane! Centered on his slender figure, the wind column soared up to ten meters high!

Perhaps to avoid harming his companions, the base of the storm was only about one meter wide, but even so, the sight was enough to shock everyone present.

Xu Mei suddenly stepped forward, raising one arm. Instantly, countless fireballs—large and small—formed densely in front of her. The raging wind behind surged forward, wrapping around the mass of fireballs, completely fusing wind and fire together.

Before anyone could even marvel at how a fire-type ability user could create so many fireballs at once, the leader of the opposing group suddenly recalled scenes he had witnessed during missions—coordinated attacks from pure ability-user teams.

His legs went weak. He fell backward off his stool.

The others staggered back in panic. Even the nearby residents broke out in cold sweat and hurriedly retreated, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Zhang Su bared his white teeth with a chilling smile. “Get lost.”

As his words fell, that wall of flames surged forward. Just as the group screamed and covered their heads, and just as the firestorm was about to engulf them—it suddenly changed direction, arcing upward like a parabola, shooting straight into the blue sky, flying farther and farther… smaller and smaller…

Everyone on the rooftop stood frozen, staring blankly at the distant, disappearing sea of fire, mouths hanging open for a long time.

Yan Fei swept a glance over the stunned crowd and spoke calmly, “We’ll come back in one hour. Don’t let us see anything here that shouldn’t be.”

With that, he turned and walked to the edge. A piece of metal rose up from below, forming a staircase along the wall. Zhang Su, Xu Mei, and Yan Fei descended one after another.

Only after the three disappeared did everyone on the rooftop finally let out a collective breath.

One resident sneered at the would-be squatters, “Better pack up and leave now. Otherwise, next time they might just throw you straight off.”

“Exactly. Even we don’t dare provoke them.”

The top-floor residents mocked them as they headed toward the stairwell, leaving the group behind exchanging resentful glances.

“Damn, what bad luck…”

“Yeah, why don’t those ability users just live in the new district? Why stay here and bully ordinary people?”

“I told you before this building had strong ability users—you just wouldn’t listen!”

“Hah, I even said not to hammer nails into the roof! What if someone came up? And now look!”

“Enough! Stop talking and pack up!” the leader barked.

The group reluctantly began gathering their belongings, unwilling but with no choice but to leave.

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