The uncertainty of the coming disaster filled Shen Hanyin with unease.
She had prepared thoroughly, but a catastrophe was still an unknown variable. An earthquake or a volcanic eruption alone could destroy half a city. If one disaster followed another, she had no idea how long humanity could endure.
Picking up her phone, she checked the latest updates.
In some low-lying cities, floodwaters had already risen above one meter. Vast areas were submerged. Meanwhile, people in places not yet affected were joking that at least they wouldn’t have to go to work until the rain stopped.
Over the past few days, Shen Hanyin had roughly figured out who lived in her building.
It was a small high-rise with one apartment per floor, making the resident makeup fairly simple.
1st Floor: A married couple, an elderly mother, and a child, probably an elementary school student.
2nd Floor: A married couple and an infant.
3rd Floor: A man living alone.
4th Floor: Two elderly people.
5th Floor: An old man and a younger man, likely father and son.
6th Floor: A young married couple living with their parents.
7th Floor: Another young married couple living with their parents.
8th Floor: A man living alone.
9th Floor: The elderly woman with the corgi. She lived alone for now; her son and daughter worked in other cities.
10th Floor: A man living alone.
11th Floor: Unoccupied.
12th Floor: A mother and daughter. The daughter was in high school.
13th Floor: Two young women.
14th Floor: A man living alone.
15th Floor: A married couple and an elementary school-aged child.
16th Floor: A woman living alone.
17th Floor: Shen Hanyin, a woman living alone.
At first glance, everyone seemed like ordinary working people.
Leaving her bedroom, Shen Hanyin found Xiaobai already awake, standing beside its bed and staring at her expectantly.
She took a bottle of prepared kitten formula from her space and poured it into the food bowl. Xiaobai rubbed against her ankle before running over to drink.
The little cat had grown a bit bigger and chubbier. It had also learned how to use the litter box.
Earlier, Shen Hanyin had asked the pet shop owner for training guides on how to stop cats from meowing excessively.
Perhaps it was a little harsh for such a young kitten, but if a day came when people had nothing to eat, a cat’s cries might cost it its life.
Fortunately, Xiaobai wasn’t stupid. After half a month of training, it rarely made noise.
Today, Shen Hanyin planned to give it its first vaccination.
After rehearsing the procedure repeatedly in her head, she finally gathered the courage to insert the needle. Xiaobai struggled furiously, but its resistance was mercilessly suppressed.
At 7:30 in the morning, the sky outside was still pitch-black because of the storm.
It truly felt like the end of the world.
After breakfast, Shen Hanyin went back to bed for a nap. She had woken up too early and was still tired.
The rain continued for three straight days.
The government advised trapped residents to wait for rescue or attempt self-rescue where possible.
Only a small portion of Haicheng was currently receiving rescue operations. Most emergency teams had been dispatched to regions that were hit even harder during the initial stage of the disaster.
Now, despite Haicheng’s severe flooding, many rescue workers simply couldn’t make it back.
One day, Shen Hanyin went outside to inspect her door locks.
Including the original fire-exit door, there were three layers of protection. She needed to ensure everything remained secure.
To her surprise, she found a printed sheet of paper wedged beneath the stairwell door.
A QR code.
Guli No. 1 Food Exchange Group.
Interesting.
With the rain showing no signs of stopping, many young people who relied entirely on takeout food had run out of supplies.
After locking the door, she returned to her apartment, registered a new WeChat account, and joined the group.
There were too many students at Haida University. She didn’t know whether any of them lived in this community, and she didn’t want unnecessary trouble connected to her main account.
The group already had over five hundred members, and messages were flying nonstop.
7-1-601: “Buying instant noodles or self-heating meals. I’ll pick them up myself.”
12-2-1101: “Please save my child. Whose cooking smells so good?”
8-1-801: “Also buying instant noodles and self-heating meals. Can pick up.”
2-1-601: “Have two boxes of self-heating meals. Private message me.”
Most messages came from young people who couldn’t cook. Some were looking to trade vegetables. Larger families were running through produce quickly.
There were buyers, sellers, and even a few kind-hearted people helping others.
Shen Hanyin wasn’t interested in participating.
She had joined only to monitor the situation within the community and avoid being caught off guard by any future developments.
Just as she was about to put down her phone, someone tagged her.
“Brother, which building are you in? Got any food?”
“Building 9. None left, brother. I joined hoping to buy some too. Only got two packs of instant noodles left at home. Anyone willing to sell food? Not picky.”
Her profile picture was a random landscape photo, and her username was “Peace for Life.”
It really did look like a man’s account.
She didn’t bother correcting anyone.
In fact, being called “brother” gave her an idea.
A woman living alone would be vulnerable during a disaster.
Her original plan had been to use makeup to make herself look unattractive whenever she went outside.
But why stop there?
Why not disguise herself as a man?
Back in college, during club activities, she had learned how to imitate a male voice for fun.
She wasn’t exceptionally talented. Her natural voice was simply lower than average.
As long as she didn’t talk too much, she could probably fool people.
It was already mid-November.
If she could stay hidden for another month, she could go out wearing a mask, hat, and thick winter clothes. A short buzz cut would complete the look.
Even if her build seemed a bit slender, people might just call her effeminate.
Being annoying to others was sometimes a form of self-protection.
Shen Hanyin had thought this through many times.
She couldn’t isolate herself completely.
Communication was already becoming difficult.
Aside from her food stockpile, she was no different from everyone else. She had no idea what the future held and lacked the equipment necessary to survive completely alone.
All she could do was keep a low profile and endure.
Once the group learned she had no food, nobody contacted her again.
She didn’t care.
The impression she wanted to create—that she was running out of supplies—had already been established.
Satisfied, she decided to take a hot shower and go to sleep.
On the fourth day of rain, floodwaters finally reached Guli No. 1.
The water had already submerged the steps in front of the building entrance.
News broadcasts were filled with red alerts for torrential rain and flooding. Citizens were advised to relocate to safe areas if possible and avoid going outside.
The WeChat group had changed as well.
Nobody was willing to trade food anymore.
Everyone had become much more cautious.
8-2-501: “Anyone want to go out and find food together?”
8-2-1101: “I’d love to. Where’s even open right now?”
At that moment, Shen Hanyin received a friend request.
The note read:
9-1-301
After accepting, the other party immediately messaged her.
“Bro, Building 9, Unit 1?”
“Yeah, Unit 1.”
“Got food at home? Want to go get some?”
“No. How?”
“I’ll pull you into a group.”
Soon, she found herself in a small group chat with four people.
9-1-1501: “Wait, isn’t the person on the 17th floor of Building 9 a girl? Did we get the wrong person?”
9-1-301: “?”
“No mistake. That’s my sister. She went back to our hometown in Nancheng and left me here to suffer alone.”
9-1-301: “Alright, I’ll be direct. The supermarket outside our complex belongs to someone who doesn’t live here. Nobody’s there now. I’m planning to go get some food. The guys from the 15th and 10th floors are joining. You in?”
Shen Hanyin thought:
People are already making moves this quickly.
The old saying was true.
The brave feast, while the timid starve.
“So we’re committing armed robbery?”
9-1-1001: “No, it’s burglary. Don’t worry. If mediation fails, I’ll provide your legal defense.”
“Fair enough, brother.”
9-1-301: “When the rain stops, we’ll compensate the owner for whatever we take. Double if necessary. Any objections?”
“None.”
This community wasn’t in the city center, but every apartment was a large, single-unit-per-floor residence.
Nobody here was poor.
Even if they paid double afterward, everyone could afford it.
Still, Shen Hanyin couldn’t help thinking:
No matter how you justify it, we’re still thieves.
Standing in front of the mirror, she quickly darkened her complexion with foundation, thickened her eyebrows, and put on a hat and mask.
Then she took a black full-body rain suit and rain boots from her space.
Looking at her reflection, she tried speaking in a male voice.
Aside from being a little skinny, she looked convincing enough.
If she couldn’t pass as a rugged guy…
Being mistaken for a younger brother wasn’t bad either.