CHAPTER 257: CHAPTER 257: IT’S JAMMED

As they retraced their steps, the corridor felt subtly different—less lifeless, the faint thrum of electricity giving it a heartbeat again. Lights flickered steadily now, casting long shadows that no longer seemed quite so ominous. The silence wasn’t oppressive anymore. It felt...waiting.

By the time they returned to the main floor, a few of the others were already at work. Someone had swept the worst of the dust from the common area, and blankets were being laid out across the cleaner parts of the floor. A couple of small battery lamps had been turned off in favor of the real lights, dim but steady overhead.

Yu Song broke off from their group to check in with the new arrivals, offering bottled water and ration packs. Zhu Zhang nodded his thanks quietly, watching his daughter sip from the cup with wide, tired eyes.

Qingran scanned the area, taking quick stock. No visible injuries. No signs of panic. Shiyue was still resting, Yiran nearby and focused. The doctor was jotting something in a worn notebook. For now, things were holding together.

Meng Nian handed her a cloth. "Wipe your face. You’ve got ash on your cheek."

She took it wordlessly, scrubbing half-heartedly at her skin. "Not the worst thing I’ve had on me today."

"You say that every day."

"It’s true every day."

He gave a soft snort and moved on.

Qingran stepped to the center of the room and clapped her hands once, drawing attention.

"Alright. Listen up, everyone."

A few heads turned. Most were already half-listening. That was enough.

"We’ve got power now. Water too, but don’t waste it. Bathrooms are operational, use them wisely, we have approximately 3 bathrooms at our disposal. The kitchen’s usable. Don’t touch anything we haven’t cleared, especially if it looks sealed, locked, or too clean."

Someone near the back raised a timid hand. "What about sleeping arrangements?"

"There’s only 3 rooms here. And we’re about 80 here, it’s a huge crowd so we have to make use of the space well.."

Qingran’s voice remained calm, but firm — cutting through the low murmur of the room like a blade through fog.

"There’ll be a time limit for the bathrooms," she said. "Five minutes per person, no exceptions. We have three functional bathrooms, and eighty people. That’s already pushing it."

She let that sink in, watching as people nodded quietly, some shifting uncomfortably. Still, no complaints — not yet.

"Next. The rooms."

She paused, scanning the group. Some were already bracing themselves.

"There are only three private rooms available on this floor. We’re assigning them based on need, not preference."

A murmur started, but she held up a hand. It died quickly.

"The first room goes to Bai Shiyue and the elders. She’s seven months pregnant and needs full rest. Depending on the room size, we’ll add more people later, but quietly. No noise in that room."

She turned slightly, meeting Yiran’s eyes briefly. He gave a tight nod in acknowledgment.

"The second room will be shared by Ruihuang, Meng Nian, Yu Song, and Xu Tianming. If there’s extra space, we’ll add one more, maybe Dr Ren? But you’ll decide among yourselves who that is."

Ruihuang gave a shrug from where he was sitting, one arm slung casually across the back of a chair. "So long as no one snores, I’m good."

That earned a few tired chuckles.

Qingran didn’t smile.

"The third room will be shared by Yuxi, Yiran, and myself. If there’s enough room, someone else can join. Same rule,minimal noise, minimal movement."

Fang Yuxi didn’t comment, just nodded once. Yiran had already anticipated it. None of them were going to sleep easy, anyway.

"As for everyone else.." Qingran continued, "we’ll be distributing futons. They’re clean, they’re warm, and we’ve got enough for most of you. The rest will rotate. We’ll post a watch schedule soon."

She looked around again, meeting eyes, making sure her words hit.

"I know it’s cramped. I know it’s not ideal. But we’re alive, we’re indoors, and we have water and light. That’s more than most people have right now. You want better? Help us clear the rest of the bunker. There’s space here, it just needs to be made livable."

No one argued.

Not because they liked the arrangement, but because they understood. Because there was no choice.

Qingran stepped back, and the quiet hum of subdued conversation returned, people shifting toward tasks, toward space, toward whatever little comfort they could find.

She let out a breath, rolling her shoulders.

"Alright. That’s it for now.."

She packed her hair into a bun, the more space they unlocked in this bunker, the easier for them.

She pulled up the map again, pin pointing some area that they could clear.

[I think this sector could be useful, it has about 10 rooms in both sides, and each room has 5 beds, they were make into bunks, so these room should be able to take about 50 people, since those 3 rooms will take 15 people, so you’ll be left with 15 to sleep out in the open..]

Qingran stroked her chin, but since they hadn’t cleared that side, it meant, 65 people would sleep out in the open.

"Let me check the place out to see what I’m dealing with first.."

Qingran grabbed a flashlight and slid her short blade into place at her hip. She wasn’t going in blind, not into an unopened sector.

There was too much that could go wrong.

"Yuxi.." she called out quietly.

Yuxi looked up from helping the auntie that had followed Zhu Zhang into the room.

Qingran tipped her head toward the hallway. "Come with me. We’re scouting a sector E of this place.."

Yuxi straightened and followed without question.

The farther they moved from the lit corridor, the darker and colder it became.

Their footsteps echoed down the corridor in the hollow way only deep bunkers allowed. Ahead, Sector E loomed, a wide side hall marked by a rusted sign and sealed with a pair of heavy steel doors.

Qingran pushed against them but they didn’t budge.

With a frown, she stepped back, directing her flashlight to the seam. Rust flaked off the hinges.

"They’re not locked.." she muttered. "looks like its... jammed."

She braced her weight and shoved again. A dull creak echoed, but the door refused to bulge.