Another day passed, and the voices on the broadcast became intermittent, offering no useful information beyond waiting for rescue.
They only said to hold on a little longer, as supplies were about to be air-dropped.
Xu An frowned. This airdrop would be for naught if no one was alive to receive it.
If she remembered correctly, the zombie tide was due any day now.
The residents' group chat had also been silent for a long time.
To avoid being emotionally affected, she hadn't gone online for days.
She had been binge-watching a variety show she hadn't finished.
Shortly after, global networks went down, communication devices were cut off, and mobile phones became useless.
Just as Xu An was about to lie down, she heard a knock at the door.
"Knock... knock... knock..."
"Is anyone there? Is anyone home?"
Hearing the voice, Xu Yan dared not make a sound, whispering to Xu An, "Nannan, who is it?"
She gestured for her mother to remain silent.
Walking to the door, she looked through the peephole and saw a woman covered in sweat.
"What do you need?"
Hearing someone inside, the woman's face lit up with joy.
"Hello, I'm from the property management of our Yikang Community, here to count the survivors."
Xu An was puzzled. There was still property management at this time?
In her previous life, as soon as the temperature dropped, she had immediately taken Gou Dan and left the community, embarking on a journey to find shelter.
She hadn't experienced this survivor count.
"There are two of us and a dog in our household. But why didn't you post in the property group chat?"
"There's no signal on my phone, otherwise why would I be running out here in this heat?"
Seeing that Xu An wasn't opening the door, the woman's tone became somewhat displeased.
She was speechless, deeply suspecting she had a jinxing tendency. She had just been thinking about how the phones might stop working, and then they really did.
The knocking resumed. "Can you open the door to talk?"
"Just tell me what you need," Xu An said, no intention of opening the door.
A flicker of malice flashed in the woman's eyes.
"It's like this, many residents are already out of water and food. We were wondering if you have any extra food and drinks to share with everyone."
Hearing the woman's words, she found it somewhat amusing.
"My family has just enough for ourselves, no extras. Go ask someone else."
The woman became immediately annoyed and started banging on the door.
At that moment, Xu An sensed something was wrong.
At the door... there were two people breathing!
"What's wrong with you, young lady? It's a special situation now, why don't you understand unity and mutual aid? Everyone in this building is working together."
"Only your family is special, not even opening the door for me. Open the door! I want to see if you really don't have any extra supplies!..."
Before the woman could continue her tantrum, Xu An yelled.
"Get out!"
At a time like this, people were still resorting to moral blackmail.
However, if there were two people breathing at the door, why was the other person silent?
Xu An's mind instantly recalled some unsavory tricks from before.
Her eyes turned cold.
Could it be that she had already been targeted?
Xu An frantically replayed her memories, wondering if she had been followed while buying supplies.
She pondered deeply but found no clues.
The woman at the door was still incessantly banging, showing no sign of giving up unless the door was opened.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Xu An. This woman was deliberately provoking her!
She was waiting for her to open the door so the other person could launch a surprise attack!
Thinking of this, her heart tightened instantly.
"It seems I can't stay here any longer."
Hearing the deafening knocks, Xu Yan also grew a little flustered.
"Nannan, the person outside... isn't from property management, is she?"
Even Xu Yan had noticed something was wrong with the woman. These people were truly bold enough not to conceal their intentions at all.
"It's alright, Mom, you go inside first. We've reinforced this door. If she can't knock it down, she'll leave naturally."
Only... Xu An sneered. This woman and her accomplice didn't need to live anymore.
She didn't intend to tell Xu Yan, not wanting to expose her mother to the cruel reality of the apocalypse so soon.
Even now, the country hadn't revealed any news about shelters. She had to find a safe place to wait.
The woman, hearing Xu An's scolding from inside, cursed as she left the top floor.
Xu An's guess was correct. She had indeed been targeted.
The woman who knocked was named Liu Hong, not a property management staff member, but a tenant in the complex.
On the night of the volcanic eruption, she happened to be with the security guard Su Daqiang, and they had an intimate night together.
Su Daqiang's security room was located in the underground garage and had a complete insulation system.
This allowed them to escape unharmed.
The next day, when Liu Hong returned home, she found her husband had already died in their home.
Liu Hong and her husband were a couple who had met later in life, otherwise, she wouldn't have hooked up with Su Daqiang.
She quickly gathered the food supplies at home and went to find Su Daqiang.
After hearing the news on the broadcast, they belatedly realized that the apocalypse was indeed real.
Liu Hong and Su Daqiang were not people who managed their households well. They ate as much as they could. Initially, they would go out to find food when the temperature dropped at night.
However, the supermarkets were either almost entirely looted, or the food was spoiled and rotten. They found very little each time.
Finding it too troublesome, they resorted to robbery.
After their first cautious robbery, they found that no police had come looking for them, and they completely lost their inhibitions.
Most importantly, the amount of food they looted was considerable. In just a few days, they had accumulated a substantial amount of supplies.
They even planned to recruit followers and expand their small gang.
They locked the people they robbed in rooms, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Su Daqiang smugly thought that by not killing them, he was already doing them a favor.
The advent of the apocalypse not only caused people to lose their sense of morality but also their humanity.
Watching those residents who usually acted arrogantly and cursed him at will, now kneeling before him and begging for mercy in a pathetic state.
The seeds of inferiority in his heart seemed to be watered by evil desires, sprouting instantly.
A strange sense of superiority emerged, as if he, Su Daqiang, had finally become the master of the world!
However, as they continued to rob more and more, the remaining residents in the building became increasingly vigilant.
Just as the couple was feeling frustrated, Su Daqiang told her that there was a young single girl living on the top floor of the 18th floor. He had been watching that girl for a long time.
Every time she went out, she would carry two large grocery bags home, which looked very full.
That family consisted of a widowed mother and daughter, without a man. As long as Liu Hong could trick the girl out, their home would surely have food.
He then pointed out the figure of a tall girl on the surveillance video to her.
Liu Hong looked over. Even in the grainy surveillance footage, the girl's exceptional beauty was undeniable. She immediately understood Su Daqiang's intentions.
"Pfft, you old bastard, I know exactly what you're plotting. You're not thinking of setting your sights on this little slut, are you?"
Su Daqiang's intentions were exposed, but he didn't get angry. He pulled Liu Hong closer, making her sit on his lap. With one hand, he pinched her waist, and with the other, he playfully caressed her.
Liu Hong leaned against Su Daqiang's shoulder with a coquettish smile, her face flushed.
"You bastard, if you dare to abandon me, I'll cut off your lifeblood!"