The cockroaches were even more vicious, flapping their wings and flying straight toward their faces.
Noses, eyes, mouths—any gap they could find, they forced their way in without mercy.
“AHHH—DON’T COME ANY CLOSER—!!”
They screamed wildly, stomping their feet and shaking their hands, panic rising endlessly in their hearts.
What the hell… was the top floor some kind of hell?
Why were there so many cockroaches and maggots?!
Damn it—those cockroaches could even fly!
It was terrifying. There was definitely no one alive on this floor!
The tall man thought this while quickly gathering everyone.
“Let’s go! This place isn’t safe!”
And just like that, they retreated like a tide, even feeling a strange sense of relief at escaping disaster.
Meanwhile, Su Ruanruan watched it all like a movie.
One hand held crispy cucumber-flavored chips, the other a cup of iced cheese grape milk tea.
Crunch—chips first, then a sip of icy milk tea.
Perfect.
Seeing them retreat the moment they reached the door, she felt completely bored.
What the hell? A bunch of grown men…
Scared off by tens of thousands of maggots, hundreds of cockroaches, and dozens of rats?
If this got out, people would laugh themselves to death.
After this little episode, the “top-floor hell” story spread throughout the building.
No one with a death wish came looking for trouble again.
Su Ruanruan was more than happy to enjoy a few peaceful days.
Soon, time reached October 28th—the day before the military evacuation.
Temperatures kept rising and were already close to 60°C.
The streets outside were empty.
If there were any “people,” they were corpses.
Everyone who was still alive tried their best not to move, conserving energy.
During this period, Su Ruanruan was probably the happiest person alive.
The air conditioner never stopped running.
She ate when she was hungry, slept when she was tired, and watched dramas when she woke up.
This was the life she had once dreamed of in her previous life.
But too much comfort makes people lazy.
Honestly, if she stayed like this for another ten days, she might rot in bed.
So on the night of October 28th at 10 p.m., Su Ruanruan got fully prepared.
She stored the entire house into her space.
Then she put on protective gear—ice sleeves, a mask, and more.
At nearly 60°C, exposing skin was the stupidest decision one could make.
Not only would you get burned—you’d also get tanned!
She left through a different stairwell, avoiding the rotting corpses from before.
From the 18th floor down, she didn’t encounter a single living person.
She even wondered—had the entire building died out?
Only when she reached the garden did she finally see a few survivors.
A family of five—elderly, adults, and a child in the center.
They huddled tightly together, not leaving a single gap.
Seeing this, Su Ruanruan felt a faint emotional stir.
If her parents were still alive, they would probably protect her like this too.
The road from the neighborhood to Haixin Plaza was long—at least three to four hours on foot.
So everyone chose to depart at night, when it was slightly cooler.
Gradually, more and more people from the community came down.
At a glance, there were only a few hundred people left in the entire residential area.
Before the disaster, this complex had housed thousands.
The power of heat, water shortage, and blackouts was terrifying.
No one spoke.
The crowd silently moved toward Haixin Plaza.
Su Ruanruan walked at the very back.
Looking at the large group ahead, she felt a surge of pride and emotion unique to her homeland.
No matter the era, bad people are always the minority.
Most people are still kind.
She believed that with everyone’s efforts, humanity would overcome this crisis.
Everyone’s clothing was similar—fully covered, only their eyes exposed.
Along the road, corpses and trash were everywhere, and a foul stench filled the air.
It looked like hell on earth.
As they walked, more people joined the group.
No one spoke, no one interacted—but an unspoken atmosphere surrounded them.
Gradually, people began to relax.
Maybe because they were finally going to meet the protection of the government and military.
Maybe because seeing so many people gave them hope again.
In short, everyone still held hope for tomorrow.
But Su Ruanruan’s brows were tightly furrowed.
In a few days, the extreme cold disaster would arrive.
Temperatures would drop to -60°C to -80°C.
Far more deadly than the heatwave.
Many people would simply never wake up after falling asleep.
She wondered if the government had detected it, and whether they had prepared enough cold-weather supplies.
But that wasn’t her concern.
She already had warm packs and thick bedding in her space.
Even if it couldn’t fully resist -80°C, it could at least help her survive a bit longer.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the crowd.
“You stole my water!”
A weak-looking woman shouted angrily.
In front of her stood a middle-aged man with a smug expression.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Steal your water? Don’t be ridiculous!”
The woman held her backpack tightly, tears welling in her eyes.
Inside were her life-saving supplies.
“That… that bottle in your hand is mine!”
She looked around desperately, hoping someone would help.
But no one intervened.
In this world, everyone was already struggling to survive.
The man sneered.
“Give up. No one’s helping you.”
Then, triumphantly, he drank the stolen water—spilling part of it onto the ground.
The woman stared at the evaporating water, her eyes red with rage, fists clenched.
The incident passed quickly and didn’t slow the group’s journey.
Su Ruanruan walked at the very back, carrying a black backpack with two bottles of water and some bread inside.
Just to blend in.
From 10 p.m. until around 3–4 a.m., more people joined the group along the way.
Finally, the iconic structure of Haixin Plaza appeared in the distance.
A towering monument stood in the darkness—
The People’s Heroes Monument.
Like a lighthouse, it illuminated the path forward, guiding people toward safety… and away from destruction.