While eating a simple dinner, Shu Hanguang received a video call. His younger sister Shu Xin and her family had already arrived at their hometown. The entire family was there, and they had even brought along her husband Gao Suian's parents.
Feng Qingyue thought to herself, impressive.
Shu Hanguang said with a hint of sourness, "My family's courtyard is big, with plenty of rooms." He then went on about what he had recently done for the house.
Feng Qingyue, annoyed by his chatter, gave him a light kick.
Suddenly, the news anchor on TV changed. The new anchor reminded everyone to reinforce their doors and windows, take protective measures if going out, and avoid getting too close to others, and so on.
The atmosphere of unease thickened once more.
Both their phones rang simultaneously. It was a notification from the property management, informing residents to collect emergency kits.
Shu Hanguang immediately put on his coat and went out. As the door closed, Shu Dabao hugged Feng Qingyue, her confused eyes filled with fear, like a frightened little animal.
"Mom, are we going to war?"
There wasn't much genuine fear. Children of her age had no chance to experience such hardships. Even Feng Qingyue herself had never experienced the suffering of her parents' or grandparents' generation.
So, does heaven simply not want people to live peaceful lives?
Patting Shu Dabao's head, Feng Qingyue smiled and said, "Sweetie, remember this: there's no hurdle in life that can't be overcome."
Shu Dabao's little eyes still looked confused. How could someone who hasn't experienced hardship truly understand such things? Feng Qingyue sighed inwardly, holding her tighter. At that moment, she wished she could stuff everything in her mind into her daughter's.
Shu Hanguang returned, his expression quite telling. He placed the emergency kit on the table, and the mother and daughter leaned over to open it.
Shu Dabao recognized everything: "Essential balm, floral water, cooling oil."
Feng Qingyue thought, wow, even SIX GOD, an international brand.
Both of them looked at Shu Hanguang with speechless expressions, wondering if he had picked up the wrong kit.
Shu Hanguang's face also looked as if he was constipated: "People started causing a scene right there, accusing the property management of swapping out emergency supplies. Some called the police, others filed complaints. But the response they got was exactly this, and residents were told to keep these items safe. There's an instruction sheet inside."
Feng Qingyue widened her eyes: "Are they insane? Using essential balm to deal with Zombies?"
What kind of hellish sense of humor is this!
"There's an instruction sheet inside," Shu Hanguang said. "Where do you read those Apocalypse novels? Show me quickly."
He never read online novels, while Feng Qingyue only read online novels. This couple complemented each other perfectly.
Feng Qingyue casually named a few reading websites: "Just search for Apocalypse, doomsday, or Zombies."
She took out the paper slip from the emergency kit. The text on it wasn't extensive. It taught people how and how much to apply, stating that Infected individuals were repelled by this scent. It recommended residents apply it before going out, as well as carry spray bottles and keep open containers of cooling oil with them.
Feng Qingyue almost laughed out loud. Are Zombies possessed by flies or mosquitoes?
She took out her phone and opened the residents' group chat, only to find it completely clean. Scrolling up a few pages, all she saw were notifications from the property management. Residents' messages had stopped since the afternoon.
They had been muted.
But there must still be smaller group chats!
Feng Qingyue had voluntarily isolated herself from social interactions, so she wasn't in any small groups. Coincidentally, neither was Shu Hanguang. As for Shu Dabao, forget about it—they hadn't even gotten her a smartwatch.
Thinking of this, Feng Qingyue panicked: "You, go out." She pushed Shu Hanguang.
Shu Hanguang had been searching for a while with no success and was about to say he couldn't find any Apocalypse novels when Feng Qingyue suddenly told him to leave, leaving him confused.
"Go get a new SIM card. Dabao needs a phone!"
Following the tropes of Apocalypse fiction, survival is the top priority. How can three people stay in constant contact with only two phones?
Shu Hanguang, who hadn’t been schooled by Apocalypse novels, hadn’t thought of it yet and answered honestly, “Which stores are still open? Everyone’s staying home to collect emergency kits.”
Even express delivery and flash shopping services had stopped.
Feng Qingyue grew anxious. “No, this won’t do. Things are definitely going to get chaotic. Right, the doors and windows—we need to reinforce them! Tomorrow, you go get SIM cards, steel bars, axes, knives—”
She smacked her head in frustration. “How could I be so slow after reading so many novels? We should’ve prepared all this earlier.”
Just then, Shu Dabao pointed at the TV. “Mom, they changed the person again.”
It was another familiar face. Even people who didn’t usually watch the news recognized these anchors. Seeing a familiar face at a time like this brought a bit more reassurance.
This news segment also talked about emergency kits. After that, the anchor solemnly informed everyone that if an Infected appears, they should be isolated separately—no contact, and don’t let the Infected escape. If that’s not possible, call a certain number, and someone will come to take the Infected away for centralized management.
It was emphasized: No one is allowed to kill an Infected without just cause.
There were many points worth pondering in this news.
Feng Qingyue broke it down one by one. “First, there must be a lot of Infected. Otherwise, they wouldn’t tell us to isolate them at home.”
Shu Hanguang nodded. “Matching up with Apocalypse novels?”
Feng Qingyue rolled her eyes. “Match my foot! All Apocalypse novels start with killing Zombies, not even sparing parents, saying it’s to help them find release.”
Shu Hanguang shrank his neck. “How could anyone bring themselves to do that?”
Feng Qingyue said, “It’s just fiction, not real.”
She continued, “Judging by the tone, it sounds like they can be cured, right? It’s just that the infection rate is too high, hospitals can’t handle it, so they’re telling everyone to keep the Infected at home and wait for doctors to come treat them?”
The three of them exchanged glances. Who knew?
Feng Qingyue said, “But who isn’t afraid of Zombies? Where are they taking them after collecting them? How are they managing them?”
Shu Hanguang immediately exclaimed, “Honey, if I get infected, you absolutely must not hand me over. I don’t want to die.”
Shu Dabao chimed in, “I don’t want to die either. Don’t hand me over.”
He clung to Feng Qingyue again.
Feng Qingyue said gravely, “What if I get infected?”
“Then of course I wouldn’t hand you over,” Shu Hanguang thumped his chest.
Feng Qingyue wasn’t moved. “So, you go get the steel bars. If all three of us end up infected, we’ll just have to make sure they can’t get in.”
If the authorities could keep things under control, she wouldn’t worry. But having read many Apocalypse novels, she knew the most terrifying thing was the collapse of order. Human nature couldn’t withstand tests; even in peaceful times, the evil in human nature couldn’t be eradicated. Once society undergoes a major upheaval…
Shu Hanguang nodded heavily. “I’ll go look at the hardware store. I think hardware stores might still be open.”
Feng Qingyue suddenly thought of something. “When are we leaving?”
Shu Hanguang opened his phone to check and showed Feng Qingyue the pending review page. “We’re in line. They said once it’s our turn, they’ll give us the departure time and route.”
“What about driving ourselves?”
Shu Hanguang opened the navigation map. “It’s been jammed since this morning.”
Feng Qingyue looked and saw that all the routes radiating outward from their location were marked red.
Shu Hanguang sighed with frustration, "If only we had headed back as soon as the school closed, we’d be home by now. Even the navigation system is advising against continuing and suggesting we turn back."
Feng Qingyue said, "They’ll probably evacuate us. With traffic jammed like this, they can’t mobilize supplies."
Shu Hanguang replied, "Let’s wait. If we’re lucky, they might arrange something for us by tomorrow."
Feng Qingyue didn’t dampen his spirits, though she had a feeling their family wouldn’t be so fortunate. Big data was incredibly powerful—after all, household registrations included records of cohabitants. Both sets of their elderly parents already had someone with them, so priority would likely go to those whose parents or elderly relatives were currently without their children nearby.
Checking the time, Feng Qingyue video-called Feng Qingyang. He answered immediately, and she brought up the topic of emergency kits. Feng Qingyang hadn’t received one but had heard about them.
"If they say it’s useful, it definitely is. Whatever you do, don’t throw it away."
Feng Qingyue replied, "I know. I was just wondering if we could buy more to stock up at home."
Feng Qingyang mentioned he was trying to find a way, adding, "I can’t post on social media anymore, and I’m even restricted from speaking in some private chat groups. It’s clear they’re controlling the narrative."