In just a moment, Lin Dong had already made up his mind.
Save them!
Though these people were just a bunch of old men with little combat ability, the enemy of his enemy was his friend. Liu Erlong's men were committing all sorts of atrocities, and these were the very people he had oppressed.
If he saved them, they would surely find ways to oppose Liu Erlong.
Lin Dong didn't need their gratitude—just causing trouble for Liu Erlong was enough.
He immediately knocked on the door and shouted, "Is anyone out there?"
The moment he spoke, the people outside were so startled they fell silent.
Lin Dong called out again, "Is anyone there?"
"If not, I'm leaving."
A frantic voice immediately responded from outside, "Yes! Yes, we're here! Please, save us! Help us!"
Someone else asked, "Young man, where's Zhou Jiaqiang?"
"Young sir, please, have mercy. Open the door for us. The rain is too heavy, and the eaves here can't keep us dry!"
"Young man, we've already filled all the buckets. Can you talk to Xiao Zhou and let us in to take shelter from the rain?"
Lin Dong cut them off, speaking through the door, "Zhou Jiaqiang is dead. He locked this door with a chain. Does anyone know where the key is?"
The moment these words left his mouth, silence fell outside once more.
Then, someone exclaimed in a mix of shock and joy, "That bastard is dead?"
"Good riddance! Young man, is Liu Erlong dead too?"
"Young man, the key is on Zhou Jiaqiang's body. I've seen it—he wore it around his neck even when he slept."
Lin Dong replied grimly, "His body was thrown downstairs. The key's probably gone too. Wait here—I'll go find some pliers."
"Thank you, thank you, young man! I'll kneel for you, wuu…"
Outside, an emotional old man had already dropped to his knees, weeping.
Lin Dong turned and left, but instead of returning home, he rummaged through Zhou Jiaqiang's tent and found a steel pry bar.
With the pry bar in hand, he effortlessly broke the chain.
With a loud clang, the chain snapped, and the iron door swung open.
He quickly took a step back, maintaining distance from the people outside.
Four or five elderly men, drenched from head to toe, squeezed inside.
As they crowded into the hallway, the wind howled outside, driving sheets of rain in with them.
Fortunately, it was summer, and the temperature was high. The wind and rain felt more refreshing than cold.
Lin Dong glanced at the old men—most were over sixty, with one clearly past seventy.
Their hair was gray and thinning, each balding in their own way.
As Lin Dong sized them up, they did the same to him.
Seeing him fully equipped—wearing an electric bike helmet and gripping the pry bar—they couldn't help but show fear.
One of the healthier-looking old men spoke up, "Young man, what exactly is happening?"
Lin Dong looked at him and asked, "What should I call you?"
"Ah, my surname is Zheng—Zheng Guoqiang. Everyone calls me Old Zheng."
Lin Dong nodded. "Old Zheng, Liu Erlong's men have started sweeping floors one by one, forcibly taking people's food and occupying their homes. It's stirred up a lot of anger."
"Today, they provoked me at my doorstep. I killed a few of them. Be careful."
Those few words sent a chill down the old men's spines.
Zheng Guoqiang couldn't help but exclaim, "You... you killed someone?"
Lin Dong didn't respond directly, simply saying, "You should find somewhere to hide quickly. Don't let Liu Erlong catch you again. I suspect he'll return—you might want to take shelter in another building unit."
With that, he ignored the others and slowly retreated downstairs, keeping his face turned toward them the entire time.
The elderly men grew increasingly anxious, murmuring among themselves, none paying any attention to Lin Dong.
Lin Dong returned to the ground floor, picked up the storage box, took out his keys, and unlocked his apartment door.
As soon as he entered, a startled voice called from the kitchen: "Who's there?"
The beautiful young woman Yang Mei stood frozen in the kitchen doorway, gripping a kitchen knife in terror.
Lin Dong closed the door behind him and said, "It's me."
"Little brother!"
Yang Mei's face lit up with joy and relief as she hurried toward him.
Noticing the box in his arms, she immediately moved to help.
Lin Dong said, "Things have settled down over there. I brought back your clothes and daily cosmetics."
Yang Mei glanced inside the storage box—it was filled with garments.
"He remembered my clothes. He still cares about me," she thought to herself, delighted.
Looking up with a smile, she said, "Thank you, little brother. I was just worrying about this—it's so hot out, and I've been wearing this same outfit for days. It's starting to smell."
Lin Dong raised an eyebrow. "What smell? Let me check."
He stepped forward and pulled the young woman into an embrace. "Mmm~"
Yang Mei gasped in surprise, instinctively squirming as her hands pressed against his firm chest.
Her entire body trembled, an indescribable thrill coursing through her, leaving her limbs weak.
Lin Dong lowered his head and captured her lips in a fierce kiss...
Moments later, Yang Mei was nearly breathless, completely limp in his arms.
"L-Little brother... n-not here... the stove... it's still on," she pleaded, her face flushed crimson.
Lin Dong released her with a smirk and whispered in her ear, "Tonight, then."
Yang Mei's face burned scarlet as she hastily pulled away, flustered. "I-I'll go cook first."
Watching her slender waist and full hips sway as she retreated, Lin Dong chuckled in anticipation.
Moving to the living room, he began his daily training routine.
Just as he completed his five hundredth push-up, a system notification chimed.
Ding! Through prolonged physical training, your Physical Constitution has increased by 0.1.
Lin Dong paused in surprise and quickly checked his status panel.
Host: Lin Dong
Physical Constitution: 0.9
Strength: 0.9
Agility: 0.8
Spirit: 0.7
Mutation Progress: 0%
Points: 5
Item Inventory: Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, toilet paper, filet mignon10, instant noodles13, rice (10kg)*2...
His attributes had changed—his Physical Constitution, previously at 0.8, had now risen to 0.9!
This discovery filled him with excitement and satisfaction.
"So I can improve my physique through training," he mused. "Though push-ups alone don't seem to boost Strength. I'll need weighted exercises for that."
Scanning the other stats, he noted no other changes. However, his Points had replenished to 5, and his Item Inventory was well-stocked. Alongside Lottery prizes, it contained many everyday items he'd stored from the real world.
With that, Lin Dong shifted to practicing pull-ups.
Previously, fifty-something was his limit, but this time, with his Physical Constitution increasing by 0.1, his endurance seemed to have improved as well.
He powered through sixty pull-ups in one go and still managed to hold on.
By around seventy, his arms—especially his forearms—ached and gave out.
Unwilling but forced to let go, he dropped down, shaking his arms and muttering, "I really need to add weight training."
"Little brother, dinner's ready."
Yang Mei called out to Lin Dong, summoning him to the table.
Two steaming bowls of rice were already set out.
Today's meal was quite lavish—one meat dish and one vegetable.
The meat was braised chicken drumsticks, while the vegetable was scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
Before the Great Flood, these two simple dishes would've been considered utterly ordinary.
In fact, most people wouldn't even buy these small drumsticks—they were mostly frozen, rumored to be "zombie meat."
Discerning households wouldn't touch them.
As for scrambled eggs with tomatoes? A cheap staple in every cafeteria.
But now, even with all the money in the world, these dishes were impossible to find.
Most people outside hadn't tasted chicken legs—or even eggs—in nearly half a year.
Tomatoes? Forget about them.
Between bites, Lin Dong sighed in admiration. "Sister Mei, your cooking is seriously amazing."
As he spoke, he picked up a drumstick and placed it in Yang Mei's bowl.
Flustered, she quickly protested, "Sis doesn't eat meat. You train every day—you need it more."
She hurriedly returned the drumstick to his bowl.
Lin Dong chuckled and pushed it back toward her. "There's physical work tonight. How are you going to keep up without some meat?"
"Huh?"
Yang Mei froze, then suddenly understood. Her face flushed crimson, and she immediately buried herself in her rice.
Under the table, her slender legs—clad in torn stockings—unconsciously squeezed together.
Lin Dong laughed heartily. Enjoying the meal while teasing this shy young beauty was pure delight.
(End of Chapter)