Chapter 23: Water and Power Outage

Three days after the apocalypse began, the real show finally started.

Zhang Yi knew exactly what would happen that day, so he stayed awake all night, waiting to watch the spectacle unfold.

What happened was actually quite simple: the power in the entire Yuelu residential complex suddenly went out. Shortly thereafter, as a chain reaction to the power outage, the water utility company could no longer maintain supply. With the water system failing, every household lost access to running water.

All of this was within Zhang Yi's expectations. After all, when the apocalypse first arrived, no one could have predicted how long this extreme cold disaster would last. The authorities were still doing their best to resolve the blizzard, but as the days passed, by the third day, they realized this was a problem beyond human control.

With the freezing temperatures, major hydroelectric plants shut down one after another, and thermal power plants could no longer generate electricity because personnel were unable to work. Once cities across the country exhausted their stored power, blackouts were inevitable. At this point, only a few nuclear power plants were likely still operational, and the energy they produced was naturally reserved exclusively for government departments.

No water, no electricity—the lives of ordinary people were suddenly plunged into darkness.

Zhang Yi, however, had long ago activated two silent generators to power his room. Once that was done, he checked his phone and saw that many of his chat groups had over 99 unread messages.

"Does anyone have power?"
"We don't have power! And the tap water has stopped too. What is going on?"
"No water or power here either! It’s so cold, the AC is completely useless, and we can’t use heaters. How are we supposed to live like this?"
"Why aren't the authorities stepping in? If this keeps up, people are going to freeze to death."

Zhang Yi shook his head silently. At this point, the authorities no longer had the capacity to care for everyone. To survive, one had to rely on oneself. He knew that the apocalypse had truly arrived as of today. Stripped of the electricity and food provided by modern society, humanity would fall into a state of mass mortality.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yi cast a glance around his home with a lingering sense of fear. When he saw his house, as warm as spring and as secure as an iron fortress, and thought of the endless supplies stored in his dimensional space, a sense of solid warmth filled his heart.

The residential complex's owners' group was filled with anxious venting. If not for modern technology—where phone batteries no longer died due to low temperatures—they wouldn't even be able to use their phones. But without electricity, the phones would eventually become useless scrap metal.

"How long is this snow going to last? The AC is down, and it's already below minus thirty degrees inside."
"If this continues, people really will freeze to death!"
"The water is off too. Are we supposed to drink melted snow?"
"We don't have much food left, and the heavy snow has blocked the doors; we can't get to the supermarket. What are we going to do?"

Someone began tagging Auntie Lin.
"Auntie Lin, didn't you say everything would be fine?"
"Exactly. I listened to you and didn't go out to stock up. How are you going to fix this now?"
"When are the authorities coming to save us? Say something!"

Faced with the accusations of her neighbors, Auntie Lin felt a surge of anxiety and panic. She was even more terrified than they were. While the other residents were still wondering how they would be saved, Auntie Lin had already received inside information through the neighborhood committee.

"The whole world is experiencing this blizzard; they say it’s a once-in-hundreds-of-thousands-of-years disaster. We might be witnessing another mass extinction—the end of the world."
"The authorities are trying their best, but with over a billion people in our country, they can't possibly look after everyone."
"Several major cities have already fallen."
"If we want to live, we have to rely on ourselves. We must hoard supplies, especially food and heating fuel."
"I’ve already started going door-to-door asking for supplies in the name of the neighborhood committee."
"Isn't... isn't that hurting people?"
"Hurting people? If I don't do that, my family will freeze or starve within three days! I can't worry about that anymore!"
"I don't know how many people will die in this disaster, but I have to look out for myself and my family first."
"Right, while we still have some influence, we need to grab as many supplies as we can. Survival is the only thing that matters now!"

Auntie Lin stared fixedly at the messages in the neighborhood committee group, her entire body trembling violently. Although the indoor temperature had dropped to minus thirty degrees, cold sweat streamed down her forehead. She lay on her bed, covered by three thick blankets that felt heavy enough to crush her, yet she dared not remove them, for the room had become an ice cellar.

Just then, her grandson, Xiaohu, asked from under the covers, "Grandma, why is it so cold outside? When are Mommy and Daddy coming home?"

A sinking feeling gripped Auntie Lin’s heart. She had spoken to her son and daughter-in-law earlier that day. They were working out of town and trapped in their rented apartment; their situation was no better than hers.

"I must protect the two of us. We must survive!" Auntie Lin bit her lip hard, a look of ruthless determination flashing in her eyes. "Xiaohu, it’s okay. Mommy and Daddy will be back soon."

After comforting Xiaohu, Auntie Lin picked up her phone and began typing in the residents' group.

"Everyone, the disaster is only temporary. It is too cold outside, so water and power outages are not surprising. Rest assured, workers are already out making repairs. The authorities have issued a notice: during this extraordinary time, the neighborhood committee will be in charge of unified management for all residents. I hope everyone cooperates. If anyone refuses to cooperate and causes serious consequences, we will have the police arrest and interrogate you afterward!"

Auntie Lin’s words were harsh. This caused strong dissatisfaction among the residents. They hadn't expected that, at a time like this, the committee would offer no explanation for their own failures, but instead resort to threats. However, everyone was also afraid, and no one dared to speak out against her.

Zhang Yi held his phone, watching Auntie Lin’s messages with a calm expression. He raised an eyebrow and let out a scoff. He knew, of course, that Auntie Lin was lying. In his previous life, she had used these same despicable tactics to swindle supplies from others. But he had no intention of exposing her scheme. After all, what did the lives or deaths of those other neighbors have to do with him?

Zhang Yi turned on the TV and went back to playing his game. Power outage? Water outage? It didn't matter. His warehouse was stocked with massive amounts of backup batteries, generators, fuel, and solid alcohol. As for water, he had stockpiled 500 tons of tap water alone, not to mention the tens of thousands of tons of bottled mineral water and beverages in his warehouse. And if necessary, he could always melt snow.

In short, whether it was fresh water or energy, he lacked nothing.