“Dad! I’ll go too!”
Lin Wan immediately stood up. She shook her wrist slightly, the meaning obvious—she had a Space Dimension and could bring back more supplies without anyone noticing.
Lin Jianguo looked at the determination in his daughter’s eyes. After clenching his teeth, he nodded.
“Alright! Together! Shulan, lock the door. No matter who knocks, don’t open it!”
The father and his two children quickly equipped themselves. They changed into dark-colored clothes to cover their skin, put on hats and masks, and tightly gripped their flashlights and weapons for self-defense. Lin Jianguo and Lin Yang carried military shovels with the shovel heads wrapped in cloth, while Lin Wan brought a small dagger.
They quietly opened the door.
A heatwave several times hotter than inside the house rushed toward them. For a moment, it felt as if they had stepped into a giant steamer.
The corridor was empty, but it carried an indescribable sense of anxiety and deathly silence.
They carefully and quickly headed down the Floors.
Inside the stairwell, they occasionally heard muffled sobbing behind closed doors.
Right now it was only a power outage. If families had large buckets, they could still fill them with water and soak themselves to cool down. But once the water supply stopped too, that would be the most unbearable moment.
When they reached the Residential Community, the sight was even more alarming.
The plants in the green belts had withered in large patches. The ground was scorching hot. Even though the temperature had dropped a few degrees since earlier, the heat still made sweat pour down their bodies.
Occasionally, they saw a few figures running quickly toward the supermarket near the Residential Community entrance.
The supermarket was indeed still open.
But inside it had already descended into chaos.
The two remaining employees were barely able to control the situation.
“Cola! I want cola! Get the cold ones!” someone shouted hoarsely. The heat was suffocating—his throat felt like it was on fire.
“Move aside! I saw it first!” someone else shouted while grabbing.
“Damn it, who pushed me?!” another person yelled after being knocked down.
People had gone mad, scrambling for the remaining bottled water and drinks in the refrigerators, as well as ice cream and frozen foods that were already half melted. Some people, unable to cook and unable to order takeout anymore, grabbed large quantities of instant noodles and bread.
Cursing and shouting filled the store.
“Dad! Yangyang! We don’t lack water. You two grab rice and flour! I’ll get salt and sugar over there! While people haven’t realized yet, buy some quickly and let’s go!” Lin Wan whispered urgently before instantly disappearing into the chaotic crowd.
Lin Jianguo and Lin Yang moved like two agile fish. Using their strength and preparation, they forced their way toward the rice shelves. Without caring about brands, they frantically swept the remaining bags of rice into the large woven sacks they had brought.
At this moment, most people still had not realized the importance of hoarding long-lasting food. Many young people were still grabbing snacks, instant noodles, and bread.
Lin Wan rushed to the seasoning aisle. She quickly cleared the shelves of all the salt, sugar, and condiments, and also grabbed several large bottles of vinegar and soy sauce.
Her movements were fast and precise, her eyes sharp.
“Let’s go!” Lin Jianguo came over and said in a low voice. He and Lin Yang had already hoisted two enormous woven sacks filled to bursting with rice and flour of various brands.
Lin Wan immediately followed, carrying two heavy bags of salt and sugar.
The three of them pushed against the incoming crowd with difficulty until they reached the checkout counter, paid quickly, and left the supermarket.
Behind them, conflicts were still erupting as people fought over the remaining cold drinks in the refrigerators. Angry curses could even be heard.
No one paid attention to the three of them.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed only on the life-saving cold liquids.
Without speaking, the three hurried back toward their building. They almost ran all the way to the unit entrance and rushed upstairs.
Li Shulan had been guarding the door the entire time. Only when she heard Lin Yang calling “Mom” did she immediately open it and let them inside before quickly locking it again.
“Oh my… heavens! You scared me to death!” Li Shulan said while clutching her chest when she saw the father and children drenched in sweat.
“Quick… Wanwan, put it away!” Lin Jianguo panted heavily.
With a thought, Lin Wan stored all the newly purchased supplies into her Space Dimension, along with several buckets of water her mother had prepared in the room.
Looking at the new pile of rice, flour, and essential seasonings now inside her Space Dimension, she let out a small sigh of relief.
This trip had been worth it.
The first night after the power outage passed painfully in suffocating heat, accompanied by occasional distant quarrels coming from outside the Residential Community.
During the three days after the blackout, the air was filled not only with scorching heat but also with a tense sense of hopeful anxiety.
People continued chatting in the Residential Community group. Most messages tried to encourage everyone, though occasionally there were some angry outbursts.
[Property Management – Xiao Wang]: “Everyone please hold on. The power company is working overtime and making repairs!”
[Property Management – Xiao Wang]: “There have been extreme weather events in previous years too. It should cool down in a couple of days.”
[Building 3 – Helpful Zhang]: “The nation will definitely have a solution. Maybe artificial rain!”
[Building 9 – Room 301]: “Does anyone know when the power will return? I’ve been soaking in water every day—my skin is all wrinkled.”
[Building 6 – Room 802]: “Damn it! They said power would return in two or three days. It’s been several days already. Even the citizen hotline can’t be reached!”
[Property Management – Xiao Wang]: “We sincerely apologize, dear residents. We have contacted an industrial ice factory. If anyone needs ice blocks, you can sign up to buy them. Putting ice indoors can also help lower the temperature.”
[Building 9 – Room 301]: “@PropertyManager Xiao Wang You’re amazing!”
[Building 8 – Room 602]: “@PropertyManager Xiao Wang Great! I want five blocks.”
[Building 3 – Helpful Zhang]: “I’ll take five too.”
[Property Management – Xiao Wang]: “Each block weighs 50 jin and costs 300 yuan.”
[Building 9 – Room 301]: “What the hell? Xiao Wang, do you hear yourself? Don’t fool me. I use ice in my shop—one block never costs more than 50 yuan. You’re charging 300?”
[Building 8 – Room 402]: “Why don’t you just rob people instead?”
[Building 5 – Room 1101]: “Calling us ‘family’ while slaughtering us like this… everyone don’t buy it, report him!”
[Property Management – Xiao Wang]: “Even at this price the ice is hard to get. The amount we managed to secure is limited. If you want it, sign up. No pressure.”
Sign-up list begins:
Building 1 – Room 702: 2 blocks
Building 6 – Room 1302: 5 blocks
Building 11 – Room 1401: 3 blocks
Building 8 – Room 602: 5 blocks
Building 3 – Room 502: 4 blocks
…
More and more residents added their names. Most of them simply could not endure the heat anymore. Even at such a high price, they reluctantly bought a few blocks.
Lin Wan also signed up for five blocks, blending into the list without standing out.
That night, Property Manager Xiao Wang finally informed everyone to come pick up their ice from the property office.
Relying on those few blocks of ice, people lay tossing and turning on their scorching beds, clinging to hope that a miracle would happen the next day.
However—
Early the next morning, the faucet that could no longer squeeze out even a single drop of water pierced through all those illusions like a cold knife.
The water supply had stopped.
There was no warning.
It simply stopped.
Not unstable pressure—completely, utterly dry.
Panic was no longer confined to the words on phone screens. It turned into real cries and hoarse shouts echoing through the stairwells and outside the windows.
Those who had bought ice blocks felt fortunate. At least the melted water could still be used, though no one knew how long the water outage would last.
The electricity still had not been restored, and now the water was gone too.
Lin Wan knew the water would eventually stop, but she had not expected it to happen so soon.
In her previous life, the water had lasted until a week after the apocalypse began. This time everything was different. Back then, the temperature had slowly risen from forty degrees. Now it had jumped directly to nearly fifty.
Families who had not stored water and had not bought ice began begging in the group chat and asking for help around the Residential Community.
“No water! Not a single drop! How are we supposed to live like this?”
“My child’s lips are blistering from thirst! Please give us a sip of water!”
“Does anyone have water left? I’ll trade a pack of cigarettes for just one bottle!”
“If you really have no water, check your water heater. There’s actually quite a lot stored inside.”
Someone in the group chat had offered that suggestion to those without water.
Lin Wan thought to herself that the person who came up with that idea was actually quite clever.