Li Peifeng reminded again, "Wear more clothes when you go downstairs. I have down jackets in my closet, you can wear mine. It’s very cold at night, and the wind is strong. You’ll have to wait in line for nucleic acid testing for quite a while, don’t catch a cold."

After saying that, he put on his mask and goggles, turned around, and left the house.

Just as he stepped out of the elevator, his phone chimed with a WeChat notification.

Wu Wenyue: "Take precautions, keep your distance from others, don’t bring the virus home and infect us after work."

Reluctantly, it could be considered a type of concern.

Li Peifeng replied with a smile, ’Don’t worry,’ but felt it was a bit perfunctory, so he added, "Nothing can harm me except your knife, Wenyue. Promise me you won’t stab me!"

After replying, Li quickened his steps towards the entrance of the community, and it wasn’t long before he encountered people waiting in line for testing.

At this moment, a cordon had been set up here, and the guard station had become the testing point. The small window was open, whoever was next would scan and register, and the medical staff inside swiftly swabbed them, followed by the next person, in an orderly manner, making the process quite fast.

With four units in Building Seven, totaling more than eighty people, half had already been tested. On either side of the queue, there were three or four ’white-clad’ staff maintaining order. Li Peifeng kept moving and turned into the property office opposite the guard station.

Inside the room, there were more ’white-clad’ staff and community, property workers in plain clothes, as well as police officers, and volunteers like him, or residents of Jade District.

A mix of chatter, everyone talking at once, creating a noisy atmosphere.

"Xiaofeng, you’re here, just in time I was discussing this... come, quickly use your phone to claim the insurance."

A big sister in a red down jacket, in her forties, immediately greeted Li Peifeng as he entered.

Sister Zheng, the community deputy director, responsible for managing volunteers, whom Li Peifeng had initially registered with.

"Hey, you tell me, how do I claim it?"

"First, download the app..."

During the pandemic, being a volunteer entitles you to free insurance, and if you are a student, the relevant department will issue a volunteer certificate, which plays an extremely minor role in excellent student assessments or scholarship applications.

Li Peifeng, nearing graduation, didn’t care much for the certificate, but still claimed the insurance.

Once the insurance was claimed, Sister Zheng held a brief meeting with a few volunteers, assigned tasks, and explained some precautions, such as ensuring personal safety, avoiding conflicts with residents, not buying things for others for profit, and emphasized one point particularly.

"We must remember one thing, don’t help them with parcels and food deliveries, and no giving money either. Anyone found doing this will have their volunteer status immediately revoked, and if there’s profit involved, they’ll be held accountable. This is a matter of principle. External items can’t guarantee safety, and once you assist one household, trouble may follow, and we don’t have enough manpower for such cumbersome tasks."

"But if there are essential urgent items needed, such as medication, sanitary products, pillows, quilts, and other necessities, first report to me. I’ll arrange for a unified purchase and distribution, that’s fine..."

After the brief meeting, Li Peifeng privately approached Sister Zheng to discuss his situation; she blinked and whispered, ’Only for your own family, remember to disinfect, and keep a low profile.’ Li understood implicitly.

"Everyone, take your work badge, and let’s start the tasks. If you encounter any problems, contact Officer Zhang or me immediately. Thank you for your hard work."

The crowd dispersed like birds and beasts, and Li Peifeng also walked out of the property office.

Volunteers worked in pairs, each group with different duties. His task was patrolling, specifically preventing residents of various buildings from coming out for walks without purpose, and persuading those found to return upstairs immediately.

Li felt that he got this assignment maybe due to his burly physique.

He also had a partner, that unlucky delivery guy, standing over 1.8 meters tall, quite plump, with small eyes under his goggles full of despair. After just a few steps, Li Peifeng heard him sighing three times.

"What’s going on, why am I so unlucky!"

"Life, fate..."

Li Peifeng gave a couple of casual words of comfort, but the delivery guy’s mood didn’t improve, just engaging in idle chit-chat with him.

"Residents of Building 7 have completed their nucleic acid tests, now Building 1 residents, please go downstairs for your tests immediately."

The duo hadn’t walked far before they saw a ’white-clad’ staff member announcing through a loudspeaker, and residents of Building 1 began to come downstairs in succession.

So, the two stopped and stood observing. This was essentially part of their duty, ensuring residents from other buildings couldn’t sneak in to get tested early, which could disrupt the order and cause trouble.

"Seems like there are more people in Building 1 than Building 7."

Li Peifeng commented casually while scanning the crowd in the cold wind, "Both have four units, yet so far more than seventy or eighty people have come down."

The delivery guy wasn’t surprised, "Building 1 has a good view, adjacent to the road and the district entrance, with commercial storefronts, and garages converted into shops for business, so naturally, there are more permanent residents."

"I see."

Li Peifeng nodded slightly, his gaze unfocused and still scanning the crowd, until he noticed under the dim community streetlights, a conspicuous white-haired person in the crowd getting closer, his eyes slowly focusing...

"I think I see someone I know?"