“You think I’ve ever let you go hungry or thirsty? And yet you still won’t even spare a mouse!”
“Do you know how dirty that thing is? You just shove anything into your mouth.” Wen Ruchu pointed at the mouse and said, “Don’t you ever do that again, got it? No matter where you are—if I didn’t say you can eat it, then you can’t eat it! What if it’s poisonous?”
The big dog did not dare make a sound under Wen Ruchu’s scolding. It probably knew that its owner was angry, so it lay obediently at Wen Ruchu’s feet in a placating manner.
Wen Ruchu had not truly been angry. She had simply been worried the dog might get sick. In the apocalypse, where would she even find a veterinarian for it?
Seeing that its owner seemed less angry now, Egg Tart tried to curry favor by licking Wen Ruchu’s leg again.
!!!!
Now Wen Ruchu was truly furious.
That dog had just licked her with the same tongue it used to eat a mouse!
Wen Ruchu immediately dragged the dog into the Dimensional Space, grabbed its fluffy ears, and began brushing its teeth and rinsing its mouth. She scrubbed its mouth five or six times before stopping. As for the place on her leg that Egg Tart had licked, she disinfected it repeatedly with disinfectant—five or six times as well—until her skin turned red.
The dog was completely exhausted by the ordeal. From now on, it would probably keep its distance from things like mice.
Wen Ruchu began checking the house to find out where the mouse had come from. She clearly remembered sealing all the drains.
After a thorough inspection, she discovered that there had been a hidden drainage outlet on the balcony. A faint stench had been coming from it. Without hesitation, Wen Ruchu sealed it shut immediately. Not a single mouse would be allowed inside.
Those were not ordinary mice—they were mice filled with viruses.
In her previous life, someone had been bitten by a mouse. With medical supplies scarce and the torrential rain making it impossible to find a vaccine, the person had developed the plague and died foaming at the mouth.
If mice had already been dangerous before the apocalypse, the ones after it were even worse.
Wen Ruchu then sprayed insecticide around the house and scattered realgar powder before finally stopping.
It was not just Wen Ruchu’s apartment. Residents throughout the entire building had discovered mice in their homes.
However, they did not possess foreknowledge like she did, so mice kept crawling up through the sewer pipes and biting everything in sight.
Some people woke up to find that the food they had hidden had all been eaten by mice, and they immediately broke down crying.
Soon, everyone began fighting against the mice. Even in the scorching heat, they wrapped themselves tightly to avoid being bitten. In times like these, getting bitten by a mouse was no joke.
But there were also some bold individuals. Looking at the plump mice, they thought: that was meat.
Those who were not afraid of death caught several mice, skinned them, boiled water, and cooked them to eat.
It had been so long since anyone had eaten meat that some people practically wanted to swallow their tongues along with the food. After eating it, they realized nothing seemed to happen.
News that mice could be eaten spread throughout the entire building.
Soon everyone began a frenzy of catching mice. This was meat, after all. Some people even fought each other over a single mouse.
Of course, none of this reached the residents on the 28th and 29th floors. Even if they had known that mice could be eaten, they still would not have eaten them.
…
Wen Ruchu looked outside at the torrential rain. The water had already risen to the third floor, yet the temperature had not dropped at all. It was still over sixty degrees Celsius.
In fact, such weather was even harder to endure. If it had simply been hot, that would have been manageable. But now it was a suffocating, oppressive heat that made people irritable.
Looking at the rain outside, Wen Ruchu thought that it was about time for her to go out.
While the water had not yet risen too high, she planned to go on a “zero-cost shopping trip.”
Of course, she was not going out for food—she had more than enough food already. If possible, she wanted to collect some gold to upgrade her Dimensional Space.
In any case, she planned to collect whatever she saw. If everything was going to be flooded anyway, it might as well go into her space. Even if she could not use it herself in the future, it could be traded or used as a favor to the authorities.
However, if she went out in such heavy rain, bringing Egg Tart with her would be inconvenient. Yet leaving Egg Tart alone at home did not make her feel safe either.
Although Egg Tart had grown quite formidable, there were plenty of people who had their eyes on it. And who knew when she would return?
After thinking about it, Wen Ruchu wondered if she could leave Egg Tart with her neighbor.
He certainly did not look like someone lacking food. Feeding five grown men required a lot of supplies. His combat ability was also higher than hers. Besides, she could offer payment.
After some hesitation, Wen Ruchu finally took Egg Tart and knocked on the neighbor’s door.
She had already decided to go out—not only for gold. There were still many things left in this city. If she could preserve them, she would. Humanity’s spark should not simply be drowned by a natural disaster.
The door opened quickly.
After not seeing him for so long, the man’s hair had grown much longer. He looked less intimidating than before. In fact, there was even a hint of domestic warmth about him now.
When Yun Yichen opened the door and saw Wen Ruchu, he was also surprised. He knew that this young woman had never wanted to have anything to do with anyone else. She had her own secrets.
“What’s the matter?”
Wen Ruchu glanced at the dog and found it a little difficult to speak.
“Well… I need to go out for a while. But I’m not comfortable leaving my dog home alone, so…”
“So you want me to help look after it?”
“Yes…” Wen Ruchu looked at Yun Yichen’s expression, though she could not really read anything from it. “Of course… I can pay you. If it’s inconvenient for you, then forget it…”
“It’s convenient.”
“Alright, sorry to bother—” Hm? Wait. He had agreed.
“Alright, thank you…”
Seeing Wen Ruchu’s slightly awkward demeanor, Yun Yichen concealed a hint of amusement in his eyes. How long had it been since she last interacted with people? Why did she seem so… rusty?
“I’ll go back and bring the dog’s food and supplies over in a bit. Sorry for the trouble.”
“Okay.”
Wen Ruchu returned to apartment 2901 and prepared three days’ worth of food and water for Egg Tart. She would definitely be back within three days.
She also brought along a piece of cured meat and six pounds of rice as payment.
When Wen Ruchu brought Egg Tart to apartment 2902, Yun Yichen saw that she was carrying so many things and immediately stepped forward to help take some of them.
“These are Egg Tart’s food and supplies. And these are the payment.”
Looking at the cured meat and rice in his hands, Yun Yichen realized she was truly generous.
“Egg Tart?”
“Yes. That’s the dog’s name—Egg Tart.”
Yun Yichen nodded, indicating that he would take good care of Egg Tart until Wen Ruchu returned.
At first, Egg Tart refused to stay.
Its round eyes watched as Wen Ruchu handed the leash she had been holding to the man. The dog wrapped its front paws around Wen Ruchu’s leg, clinging tightly and refusing to let her go.
“Woof woof.”
Owner, are you abandoning me? What did I do wrong? I can eat less from now on, okay?
“Woof woof.”
I’ll never catch mice again. Please don’t leave me.
Egg Tart’s behavior immediately made Wen Ruchu squat down. She stroked the dog’s head and said gently, “Egg Tart, I’m not abandoning you. I’m just going out for a couple of days. Stay here with this unc—”
She glanced up at the man.
“—with this big brother for two days, and then I’ll come back to pick you up. Okay? Be good.”
After repeatedly comforting it—and even using a sausage as temptation—she finally managed to settle the clingy dog.
Feeling a little embarrassed, Wen Ruchu said to Yun Yichen, “Sorry to trouble you. Egg Tart is very well-behaved. It won’t tear up the house. It just has a lot of energy, so you might need to play with it to tire it out. It knows how to go to the bathroom and drink water by itself. Don’t worry. When it’s hungry it might bark a couple of times, but otherwise it usually stays quiet…”
Yun Yichen smiled as he listened to Wen Ruchu’s constant instructions.
“Don’t worry. I used to have a dog too. I know how to take care of one. Be careful while you’re out.”
“Okay.”
After settling Egg Tart, Wen Ruchu finally felt at ease enough to leave.
She dragged an assault boat downstairs.
On the higher floors—around the twenties—the stairwell was still empty. No one could be seen. Everyone had shut their doors and was living their own lives.
But when she reached around the twelfth or thirteenth floor, she gradually began to see survivors lingering in the stairwell…