Nicole never expected the new resident of 1801 to be the same young man who had helped her at the courier station.

He looked mildly surprised, too. He nodded once at her, then went back to work.

Up close, he was striking in a cold, sharp way. He was tall and lean, with broad shoulders and clean lines under his clothes that hinted at strength ready to explode at any moment.

Nicole felt a prickle at the back of her scalp. She exchanged a brief greeting and quickly retreated into her apartment.

This life was already different.

The typhoon had arrived early. And now, there was a new neighbor. What kind of normal person would install three stainless steel doors in a row?

Peaceful coexistence would be ideal, but caution was nonnegotiable.

Saving someone didn't mean much once the disasters dragged on. When order collapsed, who could promise anyone would stay the same?

Nicole locked her door, brushed her teeth, washed up, and ate breakfast. The sky outside was a little brighter, but still pressed low and dark.

Standing on the balcony, she watched the screaming typhoon slam into the building. Rain battered the blast-resistant glass nonstop. Just overnight, streets had turned into rivers. Cars were half-submerged. In low-lying areas, entire vehicles were swept away.

Rain blurred everything. The distance was gray and indistinct. The sky sank lower and lower, like invisible hands squeezing the city in a crushing grip.

Nicole raised her binoculars.

From above, the roads were drowned. Clouds hung frighteningly low. A twisting funnel connected sky and ground, spinning fast, sucking in rain, trees, cars, everything in its path.

A tornado.

Nicole's breath caught as she watched it tear through an elevated roadway. Lightning struck trees and sparked fires, only for the rain to smother them seconds later.

Had there been tornadoes in her last life?

She couldn't remember.

Too many things were different now, and all of them felt worse.

Her phone kept buzzing. Irritated, she disconnected from the internet and went into the kitchen, washing and chopping without stopping.

She blanched frozen beef brisket and beef shank to clear out the impurities, then pulled out an assortment of spices to start the braise. Cleaning organ meats took time and patience.

After hours in the smoke, her appetite disappeared. For lunch, she made a simple bowl of chicken noodle soup.

As she turned off the exhaust fan, she thought she heard a child crying.

At first, Nicole ignored it. She bagged the trash and stepped outside, but the crying came again, clearer this time. From next door.

She had only studied medicine for a year and had barely scratched the surface. Still, she knew enough to recognize when a child's cry wasn't normal.

After a moment of hesitation, she knocked on the door of 1801.

"Poppy?" she called.

The triple-layer stainless steel door was thick. Nicole knocked for a long time with no response. Just as she turned to leave, there was a click.

After a lot of fumbling inside, the door finally opened.

Poppy stood there, eyes swollen and red, tear tracks streaking her face. Dried vomit clung to the corner of her mouth. Her cheeks were flushed in a way that felt wrong.

"Why are you crying?" Nicole asked.

Nicole reached out and touched Poppy's forehead. It was alarmingly hot. Her nose ran clear and nonstop.

A cold with a high fever.

"Where's your dad?" Nicole asked.

"My brother, you mean? He's gone." Poppy's voice was hoarse from crying. She rubbed her eyes over and over. "He's left me, too…"

Too?

So the girl had been left behind before.

Nicole glanced at the fortress of doors behind her, then gently rubbed the girl's head.

"He probably just stepped out. He'll be back. Do you want to come to my place for a bit?"

A sick five-year-old would understandably be scared if she were invited to a stranger's house, but Poppy remembered Nicole. After a moment, she nodded.

Nicole brought Poppy inside and checked her temperature. It was over 103°F. Nicole found children's cold medicine with fever reducers and carefully fed Poppy a dose.

Worried Poppy's brother might panic, Nicole wrote a note and stuck it on the door of 1801.

Listening to the storm raging outside, Nicole couldn't help wondering what kind of person would go out in weather like this. It was practically suicide,

Thunder cracked again and again. The TV had no signal.

Poppy curled up on the couch, trembling, fear written all over her.

Nicole was suddenly pulled back to her own childhood. She had been like this once; she had watched other kids get comforted by their parents while she lay sick alone, hugging a pillow, convinced the whole world had abandoned her.

She didn't know how to take care of kids. All she could do was pull out a tablet and put on a cartoon she had downloaded earlier.

It worked.

Poppy's attention slowly shifted to the screen, her breathing easing.

Nicole sat beside Poppy and checked her phone. Several profile pictures lit up. Edward was one of them.

[I didn't mean to be harsh yesterday. Don't be mad. I was really looking forward to you coming to my birthday. When you didn't, I felt pretty down.]

He looked decent enough on the outside. Turned out, he folded fast.

But it wasn't surprising. There were probably still seven or eight people at his place. Birthday parties meant chips, beer, and cake. No one cooked, so they didn't have any real food stored.

Even if they had instant noodles or crackers, they wouldn't last with that many mouths.

Nicole checked the timestamp. The texts were sent an hour ago.

Right on schedule. Edward was hungry.

Several friend requests came in after his messages. She ignored them all.

Two tutoring parents messaged Nicole, thanking her for the warning. They had managed to buy food just in time. Otherwise, their families would've gone hungry.

One even sent money as a thank-you gift.

Nicole didn't accept it. Even if she did, there was nothing left to spend money on.

She kept scrolling through group chats.

People showing off seafood feasts. Others, bragging about camp stew and expensive wine while listening to the storm. Some opened their freezers wide to flaunt their stockpiles.

The comparisons escalated into games and message chains. No one seemed to realize what kind of price they would pay later.

There would be two weeks of nonstop rain and wind. Even if rescue teams tried, the environment wouldn't allow it. Once food ran out, these people would be the first targets.

For every person bragging, there were more begging.

Most of them were young adults who lived on takeout. They spent freely and never cooked. They had closets full of clothes and skincare products, but not a single meal at home.

[Went to the supermarket last night. Instant noodles were gone. Can anyone spare something?]

[I only managed to grab two bags of flour, but I have nothing to cook with.]

Once one person spoke up, others followed. Someone even invited women to come over for camp stew. Too bad they weren't in the same building.

Most people just watched. Real help was rare.

And then, someone suggested trading: five sheet masks for a pack of instant noodles. Someone replied almost immediately.

Messages flew past too fast. Nicole scrolled quickly and stopped on a forwarded video.

It showed a car swept into floodwaters. Firefighters fought through the storm to rescue the driver, only to be swallowed by a sudden surge from upstream.

There were many videos like it. Some ended in rescues, others with silence.

Nicole felt her chest tighten. She was about to close the app when Edward popped up again.

Nicole didn't hesitate. She blocked Edward right away.

Less than a minute later, her phone rang again. It was an unfamiliar number.

She didn't need to guess; this was Edward's classmate or one of his friends.

Given a second chance at life, Nicole had zero interest in being taken for a fool. She wouldn't let anyone get a single grain of food out of her.

And so, she powered off her phone.

Poppy had fallen asleep on the couch, curled into a tight ball, her dreams restless and uneasy.

Nicole checked the girl's temperature. It had dropped to just over 100°F.

With Poppy here, Nicole couldn't keep cooking. You never let wealth show.

She ate the clumped chicken noodle soup and somehow found them incredibly good.

The balcony had an emergency window. Every other window was covered with frosted film. Light could get in, but no one outside could see what was happening inside.

Nicole took out planting pots and soil. She pulled out a few pounds of potatoes, cut the sprouting ones into chunks, dusted the cut sides with ash, and planted them. She set up around 20 pots and moved them onto the storage space balcony.

Then she planted garlic, green onions, lettuce, spinach, and a few other fast-growing greens. Using hanging hooks, she suspended some of the pots along the metal railing.

With proper care, fresh vegetables wouldn't be a problem.

She hadn't even washed her hands when loud knocking slammed against the door.

"Nicole! Nicole!"

The voice was unfamiliar. If she had to guess, it was Edward's classmates.

Nicole almost laughed. They must really be starving.

"Nicole, you're always cooking. Can you spare us something?"

"We'll buy it from you. Double the price. No, five times!"

"Just accept the friend request! I'll transfer the money right now!"

"Come on, we're all friends! We'll see each other again. Do you really have to be this heartless?"

Even with two stainless steel doors between them, the noise was grating. The words got uglier. Someone kicked the door in frustration.

Nicole grabbed a kitchen knife from the counter, yanked the door open, and swung it down hard.

"Who kicked the door?" she snarled.

Three guys stood outside. When the door opened, they looked relieved at first.

Everyone knew Nicole used to fawn over Edward. Surely she wouldn't let her dream guy starve.

They had finished all the snacks last night. They didn't have breakfast or lunch today. They only finished the leftover bottles of beer they had left, which only made them hungrier.

Edward had told them Nicole was weird and obsessed with stockpiling. He said she lived like a grandmother, with food rotting in her place because she hoarded too much.

They had mocked her plenty behind her back. Never had they expected it to pay off like this!

Before they could say anything, the knife came down. They jumped aside, instantly furious.

"Nicole, are you crazy?"

Nicole blocked the doorway, eyes cold. "Get lost! I don't have shameless sons like you."

They stared, stunned, then snapped back. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm not your mother," Nicole said, blade pointed straight at them. "Why should I feed you? Kick my door again, and I'll chop you up and serve you with beer."

She had survived three years of hell, fought and killed plenty. She had seen how ugly people could get.

Her killing intent was real. Their scalps tingled.

"W-We're friends, right? And we're paying."

"Even if I had food, I'd rather feed it to a dog than give it to you. You think I didn't hear how you talked about me?" Nicole's gaze swept over them. "If you look down on me so much, don't come begging. Two missed meals, and you digested your backbone?"

Their faces burned red, bodies shaking with anger and shame.

"Tell Edward to stop clinging to the campus beauty while begging me for food on the side," Nicole said flatly. "Living off others and still pretending to be proud… It's pathetic. Try this again, and I'll post everything on the school forum and the neighborhood group. Let's see if he's really that shameless."

"Y-You've got nerve!" they retorted.

It was only two missed meals. They still cared about appearances.

Besides, Nicole looked unhinged with a knife in hand. From her gaze, she seemed like she might actually eat someone. They assumed she had snapped over Edward and Mary.

"You'd better watch your back!"

With that, they retreated in a hurry.

Nicole didn't reply. Instead, she slammed the knife into the wall.

That was enough; they bolted.

Nicole closed the door and turned to see Poppy awake, tears trembling in her eyes. She wanted to cry, but didn't dare. Her small body shook on the couch.

Something about this child felt wrong. She seemed like she had been hurt badly before.

Nicole put the knife back and softened her voice. "It's okay. Those were bad people. I chased them away."

She touched Poppy's forehead. The fever was gone.

Poppy's stomach growled.

"Are you hungry?" Nicole asked.

Poppy nodded, then shook her head. "Where's my brother?"

The neighbor in 1801 still hadn't returned.

Nicole used the excuse of cooking and brought out a plate of spaghetti with meatballs from the storage space.

Poppy was starving. She ate while sneaking glances at Nicole, as if afraid Nicole would get angry at any moment.

She seemed very sensitive. She likely had a rough home life.

Nicole gently rubbed her head and handed her a lollipop.

"Thank you." Poppy curled up quietly on the couch.

Nicole checked her phone again. In the group chat, she saw Edward asking for help.

Edward looked bright and friendly. He ranked high among the good-looking guys at school and knew how to act popular.

Many students rented in the complex. Once he spoke up, replies came fast.

[I've got bread and instant mac-and-cheese. If you need it, come grab some.]

Nicole tapped the profile. It was a girl from the 12th floor. She was an accounting major, if Nicole remembered correctly. She was petite and pretty in a soft, delicate way. And just like the rest, she had been orbiting Edward.

Both sides knew what they were getting into. They could suit themselves, really.

But the girl probably didn't realize Edward wouldn't be the only one to show up. Rather, it would be a whole group. These people were like locusts, leaving nothing behind.

Nicole had seen the girl carrying groceries before. She probably cooked and had supplies. If she wised up after being drained once or twice, she might still cut her losses in time.

After thinking for a moment, Nicole posted a message as well, saying she was hungry.

No one replied.

She tried again, offering four dollars for instant noodles or bread.

Still nothing.

Outside, the typhoon raged. Old windows in the neighboring building shattered. Wind roared through the apartments. Floodwater climbed higher and higher.

It really was a once-in-a-century storm.

The group chat grew quiet. The excitement from the morning was gone.

Poppy fell asleep again, and Nicole tucked a blanket around her.

A series of knocks came, steady and familiar.

"Poppy."

Recognizing the voice from 1801, Nicole opened the door.

He stood there in a raincoat, soaked through, holding the note she had taped to his door. "Is Poppy with you?"

Nicole nodded. "She caught a cold and had a fever. She cried until she threw up and almost choked. I gave her medicine, and the fever's down. Just keep giving her cold medicine."

He looked shocked. "Are you a doctor?"

"Not really. I know some basics."

He stepped inside and touched Poppy's forehead.

Nicole thought he would take her and leave.

Instead, he hesitated, then said, "Sorry to bother you. My name's Zeph Dawson. I just moved in last night, and I've got nothing at home. The storm doesn't look like it's stopping anytime soon. I need to go get supplies. Can Poppy stay with you for a bit? I'll come get her tonight."

Nicole frowned. "You're going out in this weather?"