Chapter 35: An Unexpected Visitor

Jiang Yan put on some soft, soothing blues music, poured herself a small glass of red wine, and began to slowly savor her meal.

After finishing, she tossed her dishes into the fully automatic dishwasher.

There was still plenty of time before the scheduled power outage. As usual, Jiang Yan turned on the TV to listen to the news and opened up a game.

Normally, the server for King’s Glory would be packed, but tonight, every server showed as idle.

It took her ages to find a match.

Her teammates played like they were using cheats, pushing down the enemy’s high ground in just a few moves.

Jiang Yan couldn’t help but suspect that all her teammates tonight were bots.

After all, with temperatures at sixty degrees Celsius and no air conditioning at home, most people’s phones would get so hot after just a few seconds of gaming that you could fry an egg on the back.

After her losing streak last time, tonight’s games were almost too easy—she got MVP every round.

Jiang Yan was having a great time.

Sometimes, these bots were way better than some of those hopeless teammates.

At ten o’clock, with a “pop,” the entire city was plunged into darkness.

Even the solar-powered outdoor lights went out.

Soon, the neighborhood was filled with the sounds of people cursing.

Some stood on their balconies banging metal basins—clang, clang, clang.

A few homes still had faint lights from phones, laptops, or flashlights.

Some families had prepared old-fashioned red candles, but in this heat, the candles were melting into puddles and had to be placed in special containers.

The power went out right on schedule, but water and gas would probably last a little longer.

However, for those living on higher floors, the water supply was almost gone as well.

In the lower and middle floors, some people were still busying about in the dim light.

Endless darkness and rising temperatures gradually spread a sense of panic among the people.

Fortunately, while Wi-Fi was down, cell service still worked.

That was because the cell towers had backup batteries and forced-air cooling systems, with insulation film and paint on the cabinets, so they could hold out for a while.

But if the power stayed out and the backup batteries ran out, cell service would go down completely too.

In the residents’ group chat, messages shot up to 999+ in seconds.

Some people, lacking basic common sense, demanded to know why the property management wasn’t using backup generators.

A few asked if anyone had medicine or an alcohol stove.

Some of the younger residents, still optimistic, were just chatting away.

After confirming that her home’s anti-intrusion system was running on backup power, Jiang Yan went straight into her space.

She’d moved the luxurious and comfortable Apple Pod into her space that afternoon, and it was now fully set up for living.

The whole city was going to be without power tonight, but she had a generator ready, so her room’s air conditioning could run as usual.

Still, since it was only the first night, it was better to keep a low profile.

Around midnight, the property management finally responded in the group chat.

They said the backup generator wouldn’t be used for the residential floors.

The main reason was that the temperature was too high, and the power outage was actually to protect the wiring.

They also announced that, according to official notice, the heatwave would last at least another ten days, and temperatures would only get higher.

So, the underground parking garage would be temporarily opened as a cooling shelter, and the generator power would be concentrated there.

The temperature in the garage wasn’t exactly cool, but it was much better than inside the buildings.

All cars would have to be moved out after 8 a.m., when the giant bloodsucking mosquitoes “clocked out” for the day.

Additionally, the property management forwarded a notice that all air-raid shelters and civil defense facilities in Anming City would be opened to the public starting tomorrow.

These shelters were stocked with food and water.

Some of them, built into hillsides or underground, were much cooler than the outside even without air conditioning.

However, due to limited official resources and manpower, residents would have to go there on their own and register with property management in advance.

The news about the shelters had already been announced by official media online, but now there was the added requirement of advance registration.

After all, without registration, there was a risk of overcrowding and chaos.

It was late, but many people were too hot to sleep.

The group chat quickly descended into chaos.

The property management became everyone’s target.

But Jiang Yan was unaware of all this.

Inside her space, it was always daytime with sunlight, and she’d installed blackout curtains on all her Apple Pods.

She also had a smart home system.

Lighting a stick of calming agarwood incense, she set the curtains to open at a certain time and slipped into her cozy bed.

Outside, the world was like a giant steamer.

But in here, it was neither hot nor cold—the temperature and humidity were just perfect.

After running around for over two months and having a bit of wine, she was in a strange state of excitement, relaxation, and slight tipsiness.

She quickly drifted off to sleep.

*

The next day.

At 7:30, the blackout curtains slowly opened.

Sunlight streamed in, dappled and romantic.

Jiang Yan stretched lazily in bed before finally getting up.

Outside, the world was in the throes of disaster, with temperatures already at sixty degrees.

But inside her space, life was peaceful and tranquil.

She suddenly thought it would be nice to plant some beautiful flowers on that patch of black soil.

She had some rose and gardenia seedlings in her stockpile—maybe she’d plant them all in the next couple of days.

Also, it felt a little too quiet.

She wondered if she could keep a pet in the space—maybe a pretty, easy-to-care-for yellow peach-faced parrot.

She’d never tried it before.

After losing both her parents, she’d developed a bit of a shadow in her heart, and was colder than most people.

Pets usually didn’t live as long as humans.

She was afraid that just as she formed a bond with a pet, she’d have to say goodbye.

But that was something for later, not her main concern right now.

*

After washing up, Jiang Yan made herself a fragrant scallion pancake and ground a cup of coffee.

She added fresh milk and sugar, but after one sip, felt something was missing.

With a thought, she took out a bottle of 52-proof Feitian liquor from her storage, twisted off the cap, and added a few drops.

A homemade “sauce-flavored latte” was ready.

It was her first time drinking alcohol so early in the morning.

But really, the alcohol content was almost negligible.

She planned to stay in her space all day—work out and practice shooting in the morning, then learn to operate an excavator and yacht in the afternoon.

If she had time, she’d study some gardening too.

But first, she wanted to check the surveillance cameras and the residents’ group chat to see what was happening outside.

What a coincidence.

Just as she turned on the camera at her door, she saw a greasy-looking middle-aged man walking up to her front door.

At the same time, her smart home’s anti-intrusion system gave a “beep” alert."