Chарtеr 21: Роwer and Internеt Оutage
Nоvember.
Тhrее mоrе еlderlу rеsidеnts died in thе building. Thеir family mеmbеrs weрt heаrt-wrеnсhingly, with оnе old mаn’s wifе fаinting оn thе sроt from griеf.
It was likеlу she wouldn’t last much lоnger еither.
Тhе рrоpertу managеmеnt роsted аnothеr updatе in thе nеighbоrhоod grоup chat.
Nаtiоnwidе, lаrgе-scale wаtеr аnd pоwer оutages hаd аlrеаdy oссurred. Thе backuр роwеr in the соmplex could only lаst until arоund thе 10th, mеаning Jiаxing Сommunity would sоon fаcе a сomplete power and internet blackout.
The neighborhood group chat descended into chaos once again.
[Heavens, are they trying to leave us with no way out?]
[What’s the point of living anymore?]
[Humanity is being wiped out. What a sin!]
[We’ve run out of food at home. Does anyone still have supplies? We’ll pay double the price!]
[Is the person on the 15th floor still there? Someone from the 15th floor, come out.]
[Didn’t the person on the 15th floor say they’d organize a group to search for food? Where are they now?]
[The person on the 15th floor is ignoring us on purpose. Let’s all go to the 15th floor and confront them.]
[Let’s go, everyone together.]
Not long after, Jiang Ci heard a flurry of footsteps echoing in the hallway outside.
Li Weiwei from unit 1103 also cracked her door open to eavesdrop.
She had heard a bit from Zhang Shuai and knew they had all been following Tian Jiakai from the 15th floor to scavenge for supplies. With too many people, the resources wouldn’t be enough to go around. She hoped Tian Jiakai wouldn’t agree to take these people along.
Only if Zhang Shuai got more supplies could he share more with her.
“When my husband offered to take you all out before, none of you spoke up. Now you come here to cause trouble for him? Let’s see who dares to make a scene—whoever does, I’ll cut them down!”
Yuan Jiaojiao stood in front of Tian Jiakai, brandishing a kitchen knife. Her fierce, no-nonsense demeanor genuinely intimidated the crowd.
As the saying goes, a wise man knows when to retreat. This madwoman clearly wasn’t afraid to die.
After huddling together to discuss, they decided not to push their luck and dispersed with a wave.
They had already thought of a better plan.
Once the crowd scattered, Li Weiwei immediately rushed downstairs to tip off Zhang Shuai.
Shortly after, Li Weiwei returned, and Zhang Qiang and Zhang Shuai promptly headed to Tian Jiakai’s home.
Tian Jiakai asked, “How long will your current supplies last you two?”
Zhang Qiang and Zhang Shuai exchanged a glance. “About a month.”
In reality, they had more than enough for a month. They weren’t foolish enough to tell Tian Jiakai the truth.
Tian Jiakai wasn’t naive either. He knew the two weren’t being entirely honest. Everyone was on guard, and he didn’t mind these minor details.
“Let’s hold off on scavenging for supplies for now. I suspect those people won’t give up so easily. None of us are fools—they’re just waiting for us to go out again so they can follow. For the time being, none of us should leave home to avoid being tracked.”
“Agreed.”
After that, Tian Jiakai and the Zhang brothers indeed stayed indoors.
The seven or eight people keeping an eye on Tian Jiakai grew restless after a week of seeing no movement.
Their households were truly running out of food. If this continued, they’d starve to death even if they didn’t succumb to the heat.
That evening, the group gathered at the community entrance for a small meeting.
“Our families are all out of food, but there must still be plenty of households in the complex with supplies.”
“Those who keep their doors shut all day definitely have food. They hide away and avoid people precisely because they’re afraid of being targeted.””We all live in the same building, yet these people haven’t even bothered to help us who are starving to death. Since they show no kindness, don’t blame us for being ruthless.”
“Let’s start by knocking on doors one by one to assess the situation. Once we understand each household’s circumstances, we can figure out a plan.”
“That bastard Tian Jiakai refused to join us, and now he’s hiding inside, too scared to even step out. We absolutely cannot let him off.”
“We’ll start with him!”
The group quickly reached an agreement and decided to take action the next day.
On the tenth, the power and internet were completely cut off as expected.
Before the internet went down, the government’s final announcement was that the water supply would be cut off on the fifteenth.
The seven or eight people in the residential complex also began knocking on doors at night, demanding food.
When they reached the 11th floor, the first target of the seven or eight individuals was Apartment 1101, Jiang Ci’s home.
Mainly because the door of 1101 looked exceptionally sturdy and expensive. Installing such a secure door surely meant there were valuable things inside.
Apartment 1102 appeared ordinary, while 1103 reeked of unpleasant traditional medicine—likely someone in that household was chronically ill.
The group first knocked on the door of 1101. The one who answered was Si Beichen.
Si Beichen was tall and imposing. Standing at 187 cm, his presence alone exerted strong pressure.
Coupled with his consistent exercise routine and recent discharge from the military, when he wasn’t smiling, he gave off an aura of cold and unapproachability.
The weather was scorching, and everyone wore light clothing. Si Beichen was dressed simply in a black tank top, his muscles clearly defined. Holding a machete in his hand, he managed to intimidate the seven or eight people outside the door.
With forced politeness, the group pleaded, “Little brother, we’re truly at our wit’s end, which is why we’re bothering you like this. If you have any extra food at home, please help us out. Once we get through this hardship, we’ll definitely repay you.”
“Yes, yes, we’re all able-bodied people. If it weren’t for the elderly and children at home, and the fact that we’re literally starving, we wouldn’t be out here begging.”
Si Beichen remained expressionless, unmoved by their words. He replied coldly, “No.”
Seeing that Si Beichen was unyielding and clearly not someone to trifle with, the group didn’t press further.
After politely saying, “Sorry to bother you,” they moved on to knock on the door of 1102.
Only after hearing Si Beichen slam the door shut did they dare to glare menacingly at the entrance of 1101 and spit a few times in its direction.
Someone whispered, “Is that guy even from our building? I’ve never seen him before.”
“I don’t remember him either. He looks unfamiliar.”
“I thought a young girl lived in that apartment. When did it become a big man?”
“That guy clearly isn’t a good person. He might even be involved in something shady. Let’s not provoke him for now.”
“Right, let’s observe a bit more before doing anything.”
The one who opened the door of 1102 was a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard, emaciated frame, and shoulder-length hair.
The man’s eyes were vacant as he stared blankly at the group. Without a word, he pulled the door open and gestured for them to enter.
The seven or eight people exchanged glances, all feeling that the man’s gaze was eerily unsettling.
But considering they outnumbered him and he was just a frail middle-aged man, there was no need to scare themselves.
So, bolstering each other’s courage, they huddled together and stepped inside.The furnishings in the house were extremely simple, with everything clearly visible at a glance.
The group searched every room thoroughly, but found nothing at all—everything was completely empty.
Only in the kitchen did they discover a pile of strange bottles and jars, along with colorful liquids.
There was no food to be found; it was even emptier than their own homes. They couldn’t figure out how this person managed to survive.
Judging by his emaciated and frail appearance, he was probably not far from starving to death.
They immediately dismissed Room 1102—the home of this penniless, bizarre man held nothing worth coveting.