Chapter 69: Has the Disaster Ended?

An Nan followed the sound to the window.

She saw that the last bit of standing water downstairs had finally disappeared. The ground was still damp in places, but there was no more flooding.

People were pouring out of their homes in groups, stumbling and running around, paying no mind to the garbage and rotting corpses scattered everywhere.

They shouted excitedly:

“This is a moment in history!”

“The disaster is finally over!”

“We made it through!”

People rushed to share the news, hugging each other in tears—friends and strangers alike.

Even former enemies who had once fought over supplies and drawn weapons on each other put aside their grudges, linking arms to celebrate this new beginning.

An Nan’s door was knocked. She walked over and opened it.

It was Chu Peipei.

Her eyes were brimming with tears as she threw her arms around An Nan.

“An Nan, the disaster is over.”

An Nan froze for a moment, then gently hugged her back, feeling a mix of emotions.

Chu Peipei must be overwhelmed right now.

She thought the days of living in constant fear and hunger were finally over, that the nightmare was ending…

But she didn’t know that this was all just a fleeting joy.

At that moment, Zhao Ping’an came down from upstairs.

Unlike Chu Peipei, he didn’t look excited. Instead, his face was clouded with worry.

“Don’t you think the water receded too quickly? I just have a bad feeling about this…”

“Pfft, pfft, pfft!” Chu Peipei quickly interrupted him. “Don’t jinx it! Don’t say things like that.”

Zhao Ping’an scratched his head and laughed. “Alright, alright! I’ll stop.”

No matter what, the floodwaters receding was something to be happy about.

But An Nan poured cold water on the mood. “I think Zhao Ping’an has a point.”

Chu Peipei frowned. “Oh come on, An Nan, are you trying to scare us too?”

An Nan said seriously, “Isn’t there an old saying? After a great disaster comes a great plague.”

Chu Peipei was taken aback.

That’s right. With the floodwaters gone, the streets were full of rotting corpses and garbage that had been soaking for four months. It was the perfect breeding ground for disease.

As a doctor, she understood better than anyone how terrifying viruses and bacteria could be.

Chu Peipei’s brow furrowed as she suddenly recalled that historic epidemic decades ago.

There hadn’t been any floods or disasters, no violence or chaos—just a sudden outbreak of a virus, and countless lives were lost that year.

And that was when the healthcare system was still functioning. Now, all the medical equipment and medicine had been submerged for four months.

If an epidemic broke out now…

Chu Peipei’s face grew grim.

Seeing her reaction, An Nan knew she’d gotten through to her and continued, “So for now, let’s not rush outside. We should stay home for a while and see how things develop, just in case.”

Chu Peipei and Zhao Ping’an both nodded.

An Nan breathed a sigh of relief. In truth, the so-called “great plague” was just a pretext.

The reality was that the coming extreme heat would arrive so quickly and be so intense that most bacteria wouldn’t have time to multiply before being killed off by the high temperatures.

There were a few minor outbreaks during the peak heat, but nothing too serious.

The real danger was the sudden, deadly heat.

Many people, excited to be free, ran too far from home and didn’t make it back in time—dying of heatstroke right where they fell.

An Nan’s warning to Chu Peipei was to keep her from dying outside without understanding why.

After saying their goodbyes, everyone returned to their homes. An Nan went back to putting a temperature-regulating suit on Fugui.

“Pfft!”

She couldn’t help but burst out laughing when she saw the dog in its new outfit.

The suit was flesh-colored and form-fitting. On An Nan, it looked like a normal thermal undergarment, easily hidden under regular clothes.

But on Fugui, it looked absolutely ridiculous.

The chubby, milky-white little dog was now wrapped in a thin, flesh-colored suit, looking like he’d snuck into someone else’s sexy stockings…

An Nan slapped the table, laughing uncontrollably.

Fugui, already uncomfortable in the suit, saw his owner’s reaction and immediately ran to the mirror.

“Awwooo! Awwooo!”

The moment he saw his reflection, his fur stood on end and he started barking furiously.

What kind of perverted little dog is that?!

After a while, he realized—that was himself.

Fugui snorted angrily, glaring at An Nan out of the corner of his eye.

“Awwooo! Awwooo!”

Take this ugly thing off me! Right now!

An Nan was still laughing so hard she could barely breathe, but seeing how upset he was, she quickly helped him out of the suit.

Freed, Fugui pranced back to the mirror, admiring himself:

Yes, this is the pure, beautiful me!

“Fugui, when it gets hot, don’t come begging me to put this suit back on you!” An Nan said, still laughing as she put the suit away in his little wardrobe.

Apartment 801.

Bai Wenbin was doing his daily workout at home—grabbing Qian Ying’er by the hair and slamming her head into the floor.

After dozens of loud bangs, he finally let go.

He felt as if he’d just finished a satisfying aerobic workout, relaxing on the sofa with a glass of water, when he suddenly heard cheers outside.

He ran to the window and saw that the floodwaters had completely disappeared.

Bai Wenbin gripped the windowsill tightly, overjoyed.

He’d finally made it!

No more daily humiliation just to get a bite to eat!

He could go back to his PhD studies! Hook up with a rich, beautiful woman! Reach the pinnacle of life!!

Before he could recover from his excitement, he heard a noise behind him.

He turned to see Qian Ying’er, who had been lying half-dead on the floor, struggling to her feet.

She looked up, blood slowly trickling down her forehead.

Bai Wenbin looked at her impatiently, about to hit her again, when she suddenly spoke.

“Cousin?”

Bai Wenbin froze.

This was the first time she’d spoken without that vacant “heh heh” laugh since she’d lost her mind.

He tried tentatively, “Ying’er?”

Qian Ying’er clutched her head in pain. “Cousin, why does my whole body hurt so much…”

Bai Wenbin’s face lit up. “Ying’er, are you back to normal?”

Then, a little nervously, “How do you feel?”

Qian Ying’er frowned. “I don’t know why, but everything hurts…

What happened? I remember drugging that bitch An Nan and trying to break into her door, and then… and then…”

She clutched her head in pain.

“Cousin, why can’t I remember anything?!”

Bai Wenbin, delighted, hurried over to help her up.

“If you can’t remember, don’t worry about it. You hit your head—I just finished treating you.”

“My head?” Qian Ying’er looked at him in surprise.

Bai Wenbin nodded. “You got shocked by An Nan’s door and hit the back of your head when you fell. That’s why you lost your mind.”

“Lost my mind?!” Qian Ying’er stared at him in disbelief."