Apocalypse: After Being Reborn, I Stocked Up on All Supplies

Chapter 35: Chapter 35 Uninvited Guest

Jiang Yan had soft and soothing blues music playing as she poured herself a small glass of red wine before slowly savoring her meal.

Finished with the meal, she tossed the plate into the automatic dishwasher.

There was still some time before the power outage, so Jiang Yan, as usual, turned on the TV to listen to the news and started a game.

The servers, usually full, were displaying availability everywhere today.

It took her quite a while to match up.

Her teammates were like cyber pros, pushing the enemy’s high ground in no time.

Jiang Yan couldn’t help but suspect that the players she was matched with today were robots.

After all, with temperatures soaring to 60 degrees Celsius, opening a game on a phone without air conditioning would heat up the device so much you could fry an egg on it.

Following her recent string of defeats, tonight’s victories were almost too smooth, earning MVP every time.

Jiang Yan was also enjoying herself thoroughly.

These robots were sometimes way better than some disappointing human teammates.

At ten o’clock, there was a stark sound, and the entire city plunged into darkness.

Even the solar-powered lights installed outside went out.

The neighborhood quickly filled with all sorts of cursing.

Some were banging metal bowls on their balconies.

There were some sparse lights visible in homes—phones, laptops, or flashlights.

Of course, there were also traditional red candles in some homes.

But with the current temperature, the candles were melting quickly.

They had to be kept in special containers.

The electricity went out on time, but water and gas would probably last a little longer.

However, for the higher floors, the water had almost simultaneously vanished.

In the mid to lower floors, some residents were still scurrying about under the dim light.

The unending darkness, along with rising temperatures, gradually spread panic among the people.

Luckily, although wireless internet signals were gone, cell phone signals were still available.

This was because the tower stations had backup batteries and were equipped with compressors for forced cooling and air conditioning; the cabinet was also covered with heat insulation film and painted with heat-reflective paint, allowing it to hold out a little longer.

If the power outage continued and the backup battery power was exhausted, the mobile signal would be completely cut off as well.

The messages in the homeowner group chat skyrocketed to 999+ in a matter of seconds.

Some people lacking common sense questioned why the property managers didn’t activate the backup power sources.

A few asked if anyone had medicine or alcohol stoves on hand.

Others, particularly the optimistic young people, were casually chatting away in the group.

After ensuring the anti-intrusion system’s backup power was functioning correctly, Jiang Yan entered Space directly.

The luxurious comfort of Apple Cabin, moved into Space this afternoon, was already fit for residence.

With the whole city experiencing a power outage tonight, she had a generator ready, so the air conditioning in her room could operate normally.

But it was only the first night; it seemed better to keep things discreet.

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

They stated that the backup generator would not be activated for residential floors.

The main reason was that the high temperatures made it necessary to protect the wiring by shutting off the power.

The property management also announced that according to official notification received that day, the extreme heat would continue for at least ten more days, with temperatures rising even further.

Thus, they planned to temporarily open the underground parking lot as a cool-off area, where the generator would be primarily used.

The temperature in the parking garage was still high but noticeably better than in the residential floors.

All cars parked there had to be moved after 8 AM the next morning, when the gigantic Blood Mosquitoes had withdrawn to rest.

Furthermore, the property management relayed that all air-raid shelters and civil defense facilities in Anming City would be opened tomorrow.

These facilities were stocked with emergency supplies like food and water.

Some shelters, built into mountainsides or underground, were naturally cooler than the outside air, significantly helping with the heat.

However, due to limited official resources and manpower, individuals had to make their way there and register through property management in advance.

Notifications about opening the air-raid shelters had been previously posted by official media online.

The only new requirement was advanced registration.

This was necessary to avoid overcrowding and disarray that might occur without prior arrangement.

Despite the late hour, many were too overheated to sleep.

The homeowner chat group quickly became chaotic.

The property management staff were at the receiving end of considerable criticism.

However, Jiang Yan was unaware of these developments.

Space maintained a constant daylit state, and her Apple Cabin was equipped with blackout curtains.

It also featured a smart home system.

After lighting a soothing agarwood incense stick for sleep aid and setting her curtains to open at a specific time, Jiang Yan crawled into her cozy bed.

Outside, the world was as hot as a steamer.

Her place was perfectly temperate, neither too hot nor too cold, the humidity just right.

After two months of hassle and a bit of red wine, she was excited, relaxed, and slightly intoxicated—a curious state.

Soon, she drifted off to sleep.

*

The next day.

At 7:30 AM, the blackout curtains slowly opened.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, speckled and utterly romantic.

Jiang Yan lazily stretched a few times in bed before slowly getting up.

The outside world was submerged in extreme conditions, with temperatures reaching 60 degrees Celsius.

Yet her current state of living in Space was peaceful and serene.

She suddenly thought how nice it would be to plant a variety of beautiful flowers on that patch of dark soil.

Among the seedlings she had stockpiled were roses and gardenias; she planned to plant all of them if she found some free time in the next couple of days.

Additionally, she felt the area was too quiet.

She wondered whether small pets, like a pretty and low-maintenance golden peach parakeet, could thrive in Space.

She had never tried this before.

After her parents had passed away one after the other, she faced a bit of darkness in her heart, feeling much colder than the average person.

And pets usually have shorter lifespans than humans.

She was genuinely afraid of growing attached to a pet only to face another farewell.

But these were thoughts for another time, not her immediate priority.

*

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

After adding some fresh milk and sugar, she took a sip and felt something was missing.

With a thought, she fetched a bottle of 52-proof Feitian from the warehouse, unscrewed the cap, and added a few drops to her drink.

A homemade savory latte was thus freshly made.

Drinking alcohol early in the morning was new for her.

However, the actual alcohol content was practically negligible.

She planned to stay in Space all day—exercising and practicing shooting in the morning, and learning to operate an excavator and a yacht in the afternoon.

If there was time, she might dabble in some gardening.

But before all that, she decided to check the outdoor surveillance and the homeowner group to see what was going on outside.

It was quite coincidental.

The moment she accessed the front door surveillance, she saw a greasy-looking middle-aged man approaching her doorway.

At the same time, the alert from the smart home anti-intrusion system beeped on her phone.