The fact that floors 1 through 31 were now entirely within the safety protection zone was beyond Shen Ruoran’s expectations. She had originally been prepared to abandon the lower floors, so this sudden development was a massive, pleasant surprise.
She decided to stay in her study for the time being to properly plan the layout of the entire building.
1st Floor: This would serve as a communication and activity center for the residents, furnished with several sets of tables and chairs. Additionally, an office would be set up for necessary registrations.
2nd Floor: This would be converted into a small-scale factory for producing essential goods.
3rd Floor: This floor would house a canteen and various food and beverage stalls.
4th–9th Floors: These would be rented out in a youth hostel format, offering bunk beds, single rooms, and multi-person dormitories.
10th–11th Floors: These would remain vacant for now, with specific arrangements to be considered only when the need arose.
12th Floor and above: These would retain their original configurations.
Since the building was Shen Ruoran’s property and she was a firm believer in following proper procedures, she immediately drafted a set of “Building Tenant Regulations” in her study.
She printed thirty-one copies and handed them to her general worker, Bo Zhiya, instructing him to post one on every floor.
Full of energy for his first official task, Bo Zhiya memorized the rules as he posted them. By the time he reached the middle floors, he could already recite the entire document from memory.
When Zhou Qing heard about this later, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In the past, the boy couldn’t memorize a single textbook passage in two hours, yet now he could effortlessly remember a full page of text. It seemed he had truly found his calling and discovered his natural talent.
As residents of the building, they had to abide by the survival rules. Since Zhou Qing’s literacy was limited, she felt too embarrassed to ask Shen Ruoran for help. Therefore, as soon as Bo Zhiya finished his work, she called him over to read the rules to her.
Bo Zhiya’s voice possessed the clear, crisp quality unique to a youth. He read slowly:
“Building Staff and Tenant Regulations…”
“Rule One: No fighting or physical brawling, no verbal abuse, no instigating others, and no actions detrimental to the unity of the building. Serious offenders will be expelled immediately.”
“Rule Two: The existence of this building must not be disclosed to outsiders. Violators will be expelled. Note: If a staff member or tenant needs to leave the building, they must obtain exit authorization from the Building Owner.”
“Rule Three: …”
“Rule Ten: …”
After Bo Zhiya finished reading each rule, Zhou Qing nodded solemnly, doing her best to commit these important matters to heart.
Once the reading was finished, Zhou Qing gave a simple, honest smile. “Young Master, it seems that as long as we live our lives normally, we won’t violate any rules. The Building Owner is only guarding against wicked people.”
Bo Zhiya added, “And brainless ‘saints.’ Auntie, you must never mention the building’s affairs to anyone. I won’t tell a soul about what I’ve experienced today either.”
The two made a pact and shared a knowing look. In reality, all network and communication signals within the building had been cut off; even if they wanted to send information out, it would be impossible.
According to the disaster information provided by the system, the outside world’s internet would go down in half a month.
Having struggled in the apocalyptic world for many years, Shen Ruoran was not foolish enough to leave any security risks around her. From the very beginning, she had pre-emptively cut off the building’s network signals, ensuring only the normal supply of water and electricity.
Her own living quarters were the only exception.
The following day.
The rising sun was smothered by thick, black clouds. The torrential rain had not let up all night, and half of the first floor was now submerged.
When Shen Ruoran woke up, the clock on the wall pointed to 10:02 AM. She had slept for a full thirteen hours and felt completely refreshed.
“Xiao Dian, open the bedroom curtains.”
The voice control activated, and the violet-blue curtains automatically slid to the sides, tucking into the corners.
After freshening up, Shen Ruoran took a box of steaming hot shrimp soup dumplings from her storage space. They looked no different from dumplings fresh out of the steamer.
She took a small saucer, poured in some vinegar, added a bit of chili sauce, and finished the meal quickly, eating each dumpling in two bites.
As Shen Ruoran headed out, she saw Zhou Qing standing awkwardly outside her door, looking troubled.
“Zhou Qing, is something the matter?” Shen Ruoran asked.
Zhou Qing nervously rubbed her calloused hands—the result of years of hard labor—and made a sheepish request. “There are no more vegetables in the refrigerator. May I go out and buy some?”
If possible, she didn’t want to break Shen Ruoran’s rules on the very second day.
However, there were no food reserves upstairs. In the past, she had visited the supermarket every morning regardless of the weather because Bo Zhiya was a picky eater who only ate the freshest vegetables and meat.
This morning, the two had made do with plain porridge, but they couldn’t just have that again for lunch. Thus, Zhou Qing wanted to ask Shen Ruoran for permission to go out and buy groceries.
Shen Ruoran had just checked the status of the rainstorm. The water level had reached 1.2 meters, escalating the situation to a full-blown flood.
The morning news reports indicated that most countries were unable to withstand the catastrophic flooding caused by this storm, and social order had already collapsed.
Even in Country H, where the government and military had been fully mobilized and all sectors of society were working together to resist the disaster, many lives had already been lost.
If she went out now, was Zhou Qing tired of living? Did she intend to commit suicide by jumping into a river?
Shen Ruoran sighed and rubbed her forehead, realizing she hadn’t misjudged the woman. Zhou Qing was honest to a fault; even when she and Bo Zhiya had nothing to eat, her first instinct was to go out and buy food rather than ask her, the Building Owner, for supplies.
Since Zhou Qing and Bo Zhiya had already been paid their wages and had the means to spend, Shen Ruoran pointed them toward a better solution.
“Did you two not explore my building properly yesterday? Units 2 and 3 on the 21st floor are small supermarkets. Some goods have already been stocked on the shelves; you can go there to shop.”
Zhou Qing’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Building Owner! I’ll head to the supermarket right away.”
Having worked as a nanny, Zhou Qing was very efficient. She had already tidied up the restaurant yesterday. However, with only three people in the entire building including Shen Ruoran, running a full restaurant was a waste of resources.
Based on this, Shen Ruoran adjusted Zhou Qing’s job. When the building’s population increased, she would reassess and possibly move Zhou Qing back to the kitchen.
“Zhou Qing, you’ll work in the supermarket for the next few days. There are machines at the counter for collecting payments and keeping accounts. Scan the items first, then scan the person. Make sure not to miss anything. If the supermarket runs low on stock, let me know immediately.”
Feeling that she was being entrusted with an important task, Zhou Qing promised solemnly, “I will definitely do a good job.”
Just as the elevator doors were closing, a beautifully packaged walkie-talkie was tossed inside, landing perfectly in the vegetable basket Zhou Qing was holding in her right hand.
“Use the walkie-talkie to contact me from now on.”
A warm smile spread across Zhou Qing’s face, but since the elevator doors had already shut, Shen Ruoran would have to wait until next time to hear her thanks.
[You have received a new work assignment notification. Please check it immediately.]
The somewhat drowsy Bo Zhiya snapped to attention the moment the work notification rang in his ear. He immediately opened the message to read it carefully.
It was a new task assigned to him by Shen Ruoran.
Use the computer in the 1st-floor office to register the details of all floors except for the Building Owner’s private quarters. This includes a detailed count of the number of beds.
Post floor directories inside and outside the elevators.
Bo Zhiya returned to the study, grabbed a pen and a notebook, and enthusiastically began his “Tour of the Building.”