July 17, 16:50
Outdoor temperature: 64°C
At the entrance of the hillside villa, the nauseating smell of burnt flesh lingered for a long time.
Gu Yan finally had nothing left to vomit. His stomach was left only with spasming dry heaves. He lifted his head, face covered in tears and mucus, and looked in terror at the tightly shut black blast-proof door—then at the charred corpse beside his feet.
The corpse’s blackened claw still pointed toward the sky, as if issuing a silent curse.
“Let’s go… Wanwan, let’s go…”
Gu Yan was completely terrified. He didn’t even care how hot the ground was anymore. Scrambling on all fours, he dragged Lin Wan, who was already frozen in fear, and stumbled downhill.
He didn’t dare stay even one more second.
It felt as if the woman inside the house—who was calmly eating steak—would send thousands of volts of electricity straight into him the next moment.
The two of them fled like stray dogs, supporting each other as they made their way down the scorching mountain road.
The soles of their shoes softened and stuck to the asphalt; every step required immense effort.
Sweat poured into their eyes, stinging painfully.
Finally, they reached the foot of the mountain.
This was the small plaza connecting the hillside villa area and the “Yujing Bay” residential district.
But just as Gu Yan finally felt a moment of relief, he suddenly froze.
Under the shade ahead, the group of neighbors who had just fled down from the mountain had not dispersed.
More than twenty men were squatting there, shirtless, drenched in sweat, breathing heavily. Their faces were still filled with shock—but even more so, suppressed rage.
Someone had died.
In peacetime, that would be a major incident. Even in the early apocalypse, it was enough to detonate emotions like a bomb.
After fear came anger.
And after anger… came a target.
“That… that’s Gu Yan!”
Someone in the crowd shouted.
In an instant, more than twenty pairs of bloodshot eyes turned toward him.
Like wolves staring at a lame sheep.
Gu Yan’s heart sank. He instinctively stepped back.
“Everyone… neighbors, listen to me explain…”
“Explain your mother!!”
The tattooed man at the front suddenly stood up.
He had almost been electrocuted earlier and was now in a state of extreme panic and rage. He flicked away his cigarette butt and strode forward.
“Was this the ‘weak woman’ you were talking about?!”
“Was this the ‘easy to break in by climbing the wall’?!”
“Damn it, Er Gou is dead! Turned into charcoal! All because of your bullshit intelligence!!”
His roar shook Gu Yan’s ears.
“No… it’s not like that…” Gu Yan stammered, pale-faced, waving his hands. “I didn’t know she installed an electric grid! I’m also a victim! I almost died too!”
“Victim? I’ll show you victim!!”
The tattooed man didn’t listen at all and slapped him hard across the face.
Smack—!
The crisp sound echoed.
Gu Yan spun in place; two bloodied teeth flew out.
He crashed heavily onto the burning asphalt, half his face instantly swelling like a steamed bun.
That slap was the signal.
The neighbors, who had already been suppressing their rage, swarmed forward.
“Beat him to death!”
“He killed Er Gou! Make him pay!”
“Damn it, I nearly pissed myself earlier—all because of this idiot!”
Fists and kicks rained down like a storm.
Some kicked his stomach. Some stomped his face. Some pulled his hair.
“Ah—! Stop! Please stop!!”
Gu Yan curled up on the ground, crying in pain. “I’m the CEO of the Lin Group… I have money… I’ll give you money…”
“CEO? I spit on you!”
Someone spat directly in his face.
“Now a bottle of water can trade for your life. Your damn money isn’t even good enough to wipe my ass!”
“And this woman isn’t any better!”
Someone grabbed Lin Wan’s hair and dragged her over.
“She was the loudest earlier, saying we’d get meat if we got in! Meat my ass! You want electric meat?!”
“Ah! Let me go! Brother-in-law, save me!!”
Lin Wan screamed and struggled, but it was useless.
Slaps rained down on her face. Her carefully maintained “internet celebrity” face quickly swelled up, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
It was a one-sided beating.
All the fear, exhaustion, despair, and anger accumulated under the extreme heat erupted here—on the two weakest scapegoats.
After five full minutes.
Gu Yan lay motionless on the ground, barely breathing.
Only then did the crowd finally stop, panting.
“Bad luck,” the tattooed man muttered, wiping sweat from his face as he looked down at him.
Then his eyes landed on Gu Yan’s wrist.
A gold Rolex.
His last remaining valuable possession.
“Nice watch.”
The tattooed man crouched down and forcibly ripped it off.
“No… that’s mine…” Gu Yan weakly tried to hold on.
“Get lost.”
The man stomped on his wrist.
Crack.
A bone-breaking sound.
“Ahhh!!”
Gu Yan screamed like a slaughtered pig and let go.
The watch was gone.
In less than a minute, they were stripped clean.
“Let’s go,” the tattooed man said.
“Leave them here. Useless trash anyway.”
The group cursed as they left.
Only blood, burning asphalt, and two broken bodies remained.
Gu Yan lay on the ground, staring at the villa on the mountain—still brightly lit, faint music drifting out.
“Lin… Chu…”
He squeezed out the name through his throat, filled with hatred and despair.
But he couldn’t even stand anymore.
If fear defined his experience at the villa gate…
Then now, at the foot of the mountain, he experienced something far worse:
Total humiliation.
And this… was only the third day of the apocalypse.
On the second floor of the villa.
Lin Chu held a pair of binoculars, watching everything clearly.
Even though she couldn’t hear the sound, the actions were enough.
“Dogs fighting each other.”
She lowered the binoculars calmly, showing no sympathy at all.
All of this was Gu Yan’s own doing. If he hadn’t led people to attack the villa, none of this would have happened.
Still alive, huh?
“Quite resilient,” she murmured.
“Not dead yet.”
She turned and walked toward the dining room.
Dinner was already prepared by the automatic cooking system—steamed East Star Grouper.
“Then stay alive,” she said lightly.
“Dying too quickly would be too merciful.”
Outside, night fell.
But tonight would not be cool.
With the power grid completely down, the city was about to enter its first pitch-black night under extreme heat.