Chapter 85: Cooling Soup

No matter who sent them, this gas station had already been claimed by someone else.

An Nan watched for a while, then decided to leave.

The road ahead was blocked by several large trucks waiting to transport fuel.

An Nan put her car away into her storage space, got out, and walked along the side of the road, slipping past in the shadows.

Once she was close enough that the others wouldn’t notice, she took out her armored vehicle and drove away.

She drove all the way to the next gas station, only to find nothing but a huge, empty pit.

Well, looks like those people beat her to it.

She had no choice but to keep driving.

The next two gas stations had also been completely stripped.

Unwilling to give up, An Nan pressed on. When she reached the following station, it was finally no longer just a barren pit…

Instead, it was a brightly lit worksite.

An Nan: …

How did another construction crew pop up here?

She observed for a while and felt that this team was working with the previous group.

Even though they were all stripped to the waist from the heat and their outfits didn’t give anything away, their working methods were almost identical. Plus, the rations and drinking water in the corner were all the same brand.

It was probably the same boss supplying them.

An Nan had no choice but to keep driving. Even after reaching the neighboring city, it was the same situation everywhere.

Either the stations had already been dug up, or they were occupied.

The other side had sent out several teams, working simultaneously.

Along the way, there were two gas stations that hadn’t been touched yet. She quickly took advantage and managed to collect another 100 tons of fuel.

As she gathered the fuel, she couldn’t help but think: Good thing I came out today. If I’d waited until tomorrow, there’d be nothing left.

The other side had the same idea as her, even down to the timing.

But these people were practically doing a carpet search, not leaving a drop of fuel for anyone else.

So stingy!

An Nan, in a fit of anger… well, she was just a little annoyed.

Ahem, she’d already collected 300 tons of fuel—more than enough for her needs, with plenty left over for trade.

At times like these, being able to hire so many professional workers and even have the leverage to negotiate with the authorities later on showed just how powerful the person behind all this was.

There was no need to go head-to-head with them and make trouble for herself.

An Nan rubbed her sore shoulders. After a night of running around, she was exhausted. Time to go home!

…

By the time she got home, it was already the middle of the night. An Nan hurried to bed to catch up on sleep.

She slept until noon, only to be woken up by the heat.

Fugui was pawing at her nonstop. An Nan opened her eyes, drenched in sweat.

What’s going on?

Did the air conditioner break?

She wiped her sweat and turned the AC down a few more degrees. Instantly, it felt much cooler.

She took out a thermometer and opened the window to check the temperature.

Outside, it was already 49°C! No wonder it was so hot.

The ground temperature must be at least 70°C, right?

An Nan got up, washed up, filled Fugui’s food bowl, then took out a bowl of ice-cold noodles from her storage, pairing it with a bottle of soda.

She slurped the cold noodles while watching a comedy variety show.

As soon as she finished eating, Chu Peipei came knocking.

She didn’t have a dog or any companions at home, so whenever she wanted to chat, she’d come find An Nan.

“Nannan, it’s only been three days, and the temperature’s gone from fifteen degrees to fifty! It’s terrifying!”

As she spoke, she handed An Nan a bowl. “I made some mung bean soup. Drink some to cool off.”

An Nan didn’t take it.

Extreme heat had arrived, and water was about to become the scarcest resource.

With the weather so hot, people would sweat and dehydrate, and with no running water, many would die of dehydration—turning into nothing but dried corpses.

An Nan’s villa had a steady supply of drinking water, and her storage still had plenty of supermarket stock, so she wasn’t short on water.

But Chu Peipei was different. The supplies she’d saved up would only get smaller with every use.

An Nan said, “I just finished eating, I can’t drink anything else. You should keep it for yourself.”

“Oh, come on, this is a cooling drink—it’s not the same as a meal! If you get heatstroke, it’s no joke.”

Chu Peipei insisted, pushing the bowl into An Nan’s hands.

An Nan thought for a moment, then didn’t refuse. She took the mung bean soup back inside, then brought out a 5-liter jug of mineral water and handed it to her.

Chu Peipei quickly waved her hands. “No need! It’s just a bit of mung bean soup, I even saved some for Zhao Ping’an. You don’t have to give me anything! Besides, you treated me to barbecue last time.”

An Nan replied, “This isn’t the same as barbecue. With the weather this hot, cooling drinks are precious.”

Seeing that Chu Peipei was determined not to accept it, An Nan said,

“I’m too lazy to make soup myself, so just keep the water at your place. Whenever you make mung bean soup, just share a bowl with me. You provide the beans and fuel, I provide the water—fair deal.”

Only then did Chu Peipei hesitantly accept.

She knew in her heart that An Nan was looking out for her. After all, in times like these, water was far more precious than beans or fuel.

An Nan saw her expression and knew she was touched again.

She couldn’t help but think: If I gave this water to someone else, they’d be over the moon. In fact, even if I didn’t offer, there’d be people scheming to come and steal it.

But Chu Peipei was the opposite—she didn’t even want to accept what was given to her, afraid of taking advantage.

It showed what a good person she was.

But kindness should be repaid with kindness. Chu Peipei was embarrassed to accept, but An Nan was happy to give. As for others, even if they begged and cried, she wouldn’t soften.

An Nan looked at Chu Peipei and asked, “Did you manage to find an air conditioner?”

Chu Peipei nodded. “After we talked the other night, I went looking around the complex. In less than half an hour, I found one—and even got an extra fan! But…”

She looked troubled.

“Turning on the air conditioner does make it less hot, but it uses so much power! My generator’s fuel won’t last long.

Nannan, when do you think this disaster will end? The high temperatures won’t last forever, right…?”

An Nan thought to herself: End? That’ll take a full two years.

But she didn’t show it on her face, and said,

“I don’t know how long it’ll last either. But we have to take our fate into our own hands.”

She looked seriously at Chu Peipei.

“Instead of praying for the disaster to end soon, it’s better to be fully prepared and face it head-on.”

“Take our fate into our own hands…” Chu Peipei repeated the words, suddenly feeling enlightened.

That’s right. If the heat keeps rising, am I just going to lie at home, waiting for my fuel to run out and get cooked alive?

“Nannan, you’re right. Instead of hoping for a miracle, I should get ready myself! If trouble comes, I’ll face it head-on. Tomorrow, I’ll figure out a way to get more fuel!”

Seeing her so fired up, An Nan couldn’t help but smile.

As expected, doctors are tough and hardworking—just a few words and she’s full of fighting spirit again.

She looked at Chu Peipei and asked, “How do you plan to get fuel?”

Chu Peipei replied, “I’ll wait until it cools off tonight, then go check out the gas stations.”

An Nan: …"