Chapter 54: Only Self-Rescue Remains

Jiang Yan stood by the window for a while, watching as the number of people climbing over the wall gradually decreased. Only then did she put down her binoculars.

She closed the blackout curtains again before picking up her tablet to check the surveillance cameras.

Her cameras only covered the 1st, 7th, 20th, 31st, and 32nd floors.

She switched to the feeds for the 20th and 7th floors. The hallways were empty.

There were no sounds of arguing or knocking, just the rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning from outside the building.

Jiang Yan frowned slightly.

With so many outsiders coming in, it shouldn’t be this quiet.

Unless they were all hiding out in the hallways.

Although this didn’t directly concern her, such a large, organized group sneaking in would inevitably affect the overall living environment in Building A.

And as the torrential rain continued and supplies became increasingly scarce, the impact would only get worse.

The key issue was not knowing who these people were or their backgrounds.

It seemed like it was time to go through her own arsenal and pick out a few handy weapons, just in case.

Better safe than sorry.

Being prepared was always a good thing.

As Jiang Yan’s thoughts drifted, drowsiness crept in.

She stifled a few yawns.

After getting up to activate the home’s anti-intrusion system and setting it to the 500V high-voltage mode, she finally crawled into her warm, soft bed, her face full of fatigue.

*

The next day.

Jiang Yan woke up naturally, and it was already close to eleven in the morning.

It had been a long time since she’d felt this relaxed.

Rainy days really were perfect for sleeping in.

Of course, binge-watching a show or having hotpot would be even better.

Thunder and lightning had raged outside all night, but her apartment was well-insulated and sturdy, so her sleep wasn’t disturbed much.

She got up slowly, drew back the curtains, and glanced outside.

It was already midday, but the sky was still gloomy and overcast.

The rain was still pouring down as if the heavens were collapsing.

Just looking at it made her feel a bit suffocated.

The water level had already reached the third floor and was still rising.

She could vaguely see people bustling about in the living rooms on the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh floors of the buildings opposite—probably packing up to move higher.

After the last bout of extreme heat, everyone was like a startled bird, their sense of crisis heightened.

But in Jiang Yan’s view, avoiding being flooded was only the first minor crisis.

The real crisis was the looming shortage of food, water, and medicine.

Most families probably still had a small stockpile of food, partly because the previous mask shortage had made everyone develop a habit of hoarding, and partly because the authorities had distributed supplies once before the heatwave ended.

But things like cured meat and cooking oil had likely spoiled during the extreme heat.

As for water, ironically, it was the one thing they weren’t lacking right now.

But looking at the floating garbage, human waste, a few bloated corpses, countless animal carcasses, and swarms of dead blood mosquitoes—all fermenting overnight—this water was practically a toxic brew. Drinking it would be courting death or disability.

Some people, desperate, stuck buckets and basins out the window to catch rainwater.

But with lightning striking unpredictably, that was a terrifying risk.

Then there was the medicine shortage.

High temperatures, torrential rain, spoiled food, and contaminated water would all cause various health problems.

Not to mention that some people already had chronic illnesses or minor ailments.

Compared to the heatwave, things were even tougher now.

Back then, at least there was electricity and internet.

There were official updates and messages of encouragement.

Those messages might have seemed hollow, but sometimes, what gets people through the darkest days is sheer faith.

Now, it was as if everyone had reverted to a primitive society.

No water, no electricity, no internet, no one in charge.

They felt abandoned by the authorities.

Or rather, abandoned by the world itself.

Panic was spreading, and despair was beginning to rear its head.

Jiang Yan believed the authorities would eventually organize rescue efforts.

But after enduring an extreme heatwave and now a massive storm, even the most capable officials would be overwhelmed.

Besides, both disasters had struck suddenly and escalated rapidly, rendering existing emergency plans obsolete.

Obviously, with limited manpower and resources, the authorities would prioritize the hardest-hit, low-lying, or landslide-prone areas.

Here in Qianshui Bay, the population was sparse and there were several high-rises, so they could probably hold out for a while.

They were unlikely to be a priority for rescue.

Or maybe, if ordinary people could sense the end times had arrived, the authorities surely could too.

Perhaps their top priority was to convert various facilities into survival bases, ensuring they could withstand storms, floods, blizzards, and other extreme disasters.

Of course, they would still rescue people.

But the ones they’d focus on might not be ordinary citizens, but rather critical supplies, equipment, and people important to humanity’s future—scientists, experts, and so on.

But all this was just Jiang Yan’s speculation.

Only the authorities—or heaven—knew the truth.

In any case, pinning all hope on divine mercy or waiting for official rescue was a dead end.

Most of the time, you could only rely on yourself.

Realizing she was overthinking, Jiang Yan pulled herself back to the present.

She checked the surveillance feeds as usual.

Nothing unusual on any of the monitored floors.

Most people had their doors tightly shut.

People on other floors had probably realized outsiders had entered the building—after all, those moving upstairs would have encountered them.

But at times like this, most people preferred to mind their own business as long as their own interests weren’t threatened.

Compared to the organized group that had broken in, the original residents of Building A were just a loose collection of individuals.

Normally, everyone would have gone to the property management for help.

Now, who knew where the property managers had gone.

Even if they were around, they’d probably just look the other way.

*

Unknowingly, a week passed.

No rescue boats from the authorities had appeared.

By now, the water had reached the ninth floor.

On the surveillance feeds, she could see figures moving about in the hallways.

Most likely, people were running out of food and medicine, seeking help or trying to barter supplies."