Chapter 8: The End of the World Has Arrived

Chapter 8: The End of the World Has Come

Lu Ruisheng glanced at the Cat’s Eye app and saw that the owner of apartment 702 across the hall was Chen Shaonan. This building had two units per floor, and directly opposite lived a couple, both teachers, with a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old son.

Since Lu Ruisheng and Gu Pan had rented before their marriage and only recently moved in, they weren’t very familiar with their neighbors—just acquaintances.

In the past few days, Gu Pan had mentioned that after the apocalypse began, the neighbors hadn’t left their apartment. Shortly after the power and internet went out, the family of three vanished. No one knew if they had gone out to find food and met with an accident or traveled elsewhere, but they simply disappeared.

Lu Ruisheng opened the door and called out, “Teacher Chen.”

Chen Shaonan, not very tall and wearing glasses, replied, “When I went to the supermarket after work, many people were already panic-buying. I worried since you two just got married and might not have much stored food at home, so I thought I’d remind you. If your supplies are low, you should go buy something while you still can.”

In their past life, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng had been concerned about the construction site and were still outside at this hour, so it seemed the neighbors across had come out too but found no one at home, hence they hadn’t known.

Lu Ruisheng felt grateful for Chen’s reminder. Seeing that it wasn’t too late, he said, “We often come home late, so we have a fair amount of food stored. But Teacher Chen, the weather forecast mentioned heavy snow tomorrow. If it snows in September, prices will likely rise quickly. Perhaps it’s better to be safe than sorry and buy some more food together?”

He felt that since Chen had warned them, they ought to return the favor. Plus, this was a good excuse to go out together and stock up, making their plentiful food supply more justified.

Chen Shaonan considered this and said, “You’re right. This weather is unsettling. It’d be reassuring to have more rice at home. I’ll tell my wife, and we’ll head out.”

“Alright, I’ll put on my jacket,” Lu Ruisheng replied, stepping back inside.

Gu Pan had overheard the conversation and agreed with Lu Ruisheng’s plan. She said to him, “When you go out, buy extra supplies. It’s better for neighbors not to run short, so we can all feel more at ease.”

Both understood the unspoken meaning behind this. Lu Ruisheng nodded, dressed warmly, armed with the car keys, and stepped out.

Gu Pan stayed home to cook, waiting for Lu Ruisheng’s return.

Three hours later, hearing his voice in the hallway, she opened the door.

Chen Shaonan’s wife, Duan Shumei, and their son Chen Lang had also come out. After greetings, everyone hurriedly brought their newly bought supplies inside, as they had purchased quite a lot and needed to settle in properly.

Before closing the door, Gu Pan reminded them, “The sudden drop in temperature might cause pipes to burst, so be sure to store some water just in case.”

Back indoors, while Lu Ruisheng arranged the provisions, he said, “Many cautious folks have gone out to stock up. We went to a small shop in the suburbs and bought all this at triple the price.”

“This should put our minds at ease. Let’s wash up and eat—I made your favorite, braised eggplant, and pork rib winter melon soup,” Gu Pan said.

The couple sat down to their last meal before the apocalypse, knowing tomorrow would usher in a new era.

After dinner, they went downstairs to park the cars in their secure space. Once home, they settled on the sofa, scrolling through their phones.

Online forums, video sites, and discussion boards were flooded with extreme weather forecasts, while comments and live chat messages varied wildly.

Some said it was just a natural occurrence; snow in this season would melt within a day and nothing serious would happen.

Others claimed the apocalypse was upon them, though most dismissed such talk as alarmist nonsense, joking about “walking dead” numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

Many debated stockpiling supplies: some mentioned grandmothers hoarding entire rooms of food, fearing they wouldn’t be able to leave for days. Others said they hadn’t prepared because delivery services were still operational, albeit at triple the price, but they could afford it.

Gu Pan sighed as she read the comments, knowing this online world wouldn’t last much longer.

That night, the apartment grew cold. They didn’t use the air conditioner because it wouldn’t heat well in such low temperatures, so they brought out electric heaters.

With hot water bottles, electric blankets, and the heater working together, they should be warm enough.

Huddled together, Gu Pan told Lu Ruisheng about their past life’s experiences, sharing until late into the night before finally falling asleep.

The next morning, they awoke at dawn, feeling chilled despite the electric heating.

They went to the window. Outside, the world was gray and indistinct, snow swirling fiercely in the wind.

Their windows were new and well-insulated, keeping the noise down, but the sight outside and the howling wind seemed almost audible.

“The apocalypse has come,” Gu Pan’s voice trembled, weighed down by painful memories.

Lu Ruisheng embraced her tightly from behind. “This time we’ll get through safely. I’ll always be by your side.”

She turned and clung to him. “I’m truly grateful, in both this life and the last, to have you.”

Lu Ruisheng kissed her head gently. “Me too.”

Just then, his phone rang. It was Guo Gang.

“Ruisheng, are you and your wife alright?”

“We’re fine. How about you?”

“We’re okay too. By the way, thanks so much for the instant noodles and ready meals you sent yesterday. I’d already stocked some myself. With yours, my whole place is piled high. Now I feel secure staying home.”

“It was just luck. I don’t have many friends—just us comrades. In Yangcheng, it’s just the two of us. If I didn’t send you some, I wouldn’t have been able to give it away.”

“Enough, we know each other well. No need for formalities. Please thank your wife for me.”

“Will do. Take care of your family. I heard the bad weather will last a while. Manage your resources wisely.”

“Got it. Don’t worry. We’ll keep in touch.”

After hanging up, Lu Ruisheng saw numerous news alerts flooding his phone, all about the blizzard.

The government advised everyone to stay indoors until the snow stopped and assured that they were working on solutions to restore normal life promptly.

Gu Pan, sitting beside him, read the updates and said, “The network will be cut off in about two weeks. After that, order will completely collapse.”

As they spoke, they put on thick pajamas over their thermal underwear before leaving the bedroom to sit in the living room.

Because the heater had been running overnight, the living room hadn’t frozen, though temperatures hovered just above zero.

They lived in the north, where buildings had insulation and every household owned thick clothes, electric blankets, and heated mats, making things slightly easier. Meanwhile, people down south were suffering far worse.

Gu Pan opened WeChat. Every group chat showed over ninety-nine unread messages. She had muted notifications before, but now the sounds of incoming messages rang constantly.

(End of chapter)