Chapter 7: Extreme Heat

Today, the temperature hit 45°C (113°F), and tomorrow it might reach 50°C (122°F).

The chives in the courtyard withered instantly under the blazing sun.

The motorcycle in the yard was too hot to even touch.

With no air conditioning or electric fans, and all the doors and windows shut, the house felt like a sweltering steam cage.

Longquan Village usually had average summer temperatures of around 28°C (82°F). At this moment, Jiang Si felt like a kernel of popcorn about to explode.

Jiang Chengwu and Jiang Linhai wore ice vests specially made by Jiang Si and rushed to cover the roof with thick insulation panels.

Grandma and Mom were in the kitchen slaughtering chickens and ducks—it was so hot that keeping them alive would just be suffering.

Since they didn’t have to worry about outsiders seeing into the kitchen, Jiang Si laid ice blocks over all the water tanks and barrels, dropping the temperature drastically. It felt like a completely different world inside.

Their house covered a decent area, so installing the insulation boards was a big job. The ice vests Jiang Chengwu and Jiang Linhai wore wouldn’t last long in the intense heat.

So Jiang Si grabbed an umbrella and climbed up to the roof to provide them with cooling support.

From the rooftop, she could see the whole village. Just then, Qin Shen, who had recently returned, was unloading supplies from a large flatbed cart he’d somehow acquired.

He didn’t have much food—maybe enough for a few months at best.

Jiang Si narrowed her eyes. He needed to be watched.

Young people returning from the city quickly warned their families:
“The city is in total chaos—there’s no rescue, no supplies. The end of the world is real!”

Panic spread through the village. People grabbed sickles and hoes, rushing to the fields to harvest what they could. Others ran to the only small grocery store at the village entrance, shouting for it to open.

But Luo Qiang wasn’t stupid. The situation clearly wasn’t normal. There was no way he’d sell his supplies in exchange for worthless paper money.

When he refused to open the door, villagers started kicking the steel security door, making a racket like a group of crazed bandits. He was forced to throw firecrackers from the rooftop to scare them off.

And this was just the beginning of the apocalypse—most households still had food stores at this point.

Once the insulation boards were fully installed, the temperature inside the house dropped significantly. Even without ice, it could stay around 30°C (86°F). If they added a layer of heat-reflective paint, it could reach a comfortable 25°C (77°F). When outside temps hit over 60°C (140°F), they’d still be able to breathe inside.

After finishing the rooftop work, Dad and Grandpa wanted to immediately butcher the pigs.

Everyone had been running around nonstop like spinning tops for over ten hours. Jiang Si tried to calm them:
“Dad, we can butcher them tomorrow. Don’t panic—we’re safe for now.”

Jiang Linhai, feeling restless and anxious, said,
“Well, since it’s still bright out, I’ll go harvest the cabbages. Your mom can make them into sauerkraut.”

Jiang Si nodded.
“Everyone else is out gathering food too. If we stay home, it might raise suspicion. Grandpa, Grandma, and Mom, stay here. I’ll go with Dad.”

“We’ll go too!” others offered.

“No,” Jiang Si stopped them. “I’m worried someone might sneak into our house to steal. You stay here and take turns keeping watch—get used to guard shifts now.”

The family followed Jiang Si’s cautious instructions. A short while later, she and Jiang Linhai grabbed baskets and headed to their cornfield.

It was their own field, yet they found several people already there, stealing corn.

When those people saw Jiang Linhai and Jiang Si approaching, they shamelessly started picking faster.

Jiang Si raised her sickle:
“Who told you to touch our corn?! If you pick one more ear, I’ll cut you down!”

A young girl saying such things—they didn’t take her seriously.

Li Cui, who loved taking advantage of others, even laughed shamelessly:
“It’s just a few ears of corn—not like it’s gold!”

Jiang Linhai was about to explode, but before he could speak, Jiang Si whipped her sickle straight at Li Cui, slicing clean through her bun and knocking her hair loose.

Her head suddenly felt light—Li Cui went cold all over. Her eyes nearly popped out in fear.

If Jiang Si’s aim had been even slightly off, she might have been decapitated!

Just as Li Cui was about to scream, Jiang Si pulled two pig-splitting cleavers from her basket, her eyes sharp as blades.
“Are you leaving or not?”

“Crazy girl!” Li Cui cursed.

The others, finally realizing the danger, quickly ran off.

Li Cui stayed, yelling at the top of her lungs:
“Jiang Linhai! Your daughter just tried to kill me—aren’t you going to do something?!”

But Jiang Si’s stance clearly reflected Jiang Linhai’s position—Li Cui was nothing to him.

Jiang Linhai took the vegetable cleaver from Jiang Si and said gently,
“A girl shouldn’t be swinging blades.”

But then his tone suddenly changed, full of fury:
“Leave it to Dad—watch me hack the hell out of them!”

Li Cui couldn’t believe it. She saw Jiang Linhai’s face twist in anger as he charged at her with the cleaver glinting coldly.

She screamed in terror, dropped the corn from her basket, and fled.

These two are nuts—totally insane!

Jiang Si gave her dad a big thumbs-up.
“Dad, you’re awesome! Let’s see who dares to mess with us now.”

By establishing a tough image, people wouldn’t think of them first when food and clothing became scarce.

They spent several days frantically harvesting, as the temperature climbed steadily to 50°C (122°F). Day and night became indistinguishable—no one could tell when it was daytime anymore.

The ground was so hot it steamed. Livestock across the village began dying in large numbers. Families unwilling to waste the meat started turning them into preserved meats.

Just standing outside in the sun for a bit, Jiang Si felt her skin burning.

She’d prepared high-SPF sunscreen and breathable UV-resistant clothing for the whole family, in case extreme heat caused corrosive effects.

But with temperatures rising so fast and the intense workload of harvesting, several elderly villagers dropped dead suddenly.

Even young people started showing signs of heatstroke: dizziness, headaches, difficulty breathing.

Grandma and Grandpa were elderly, and Mom always had common medicine on hand—which many villagers knew.

Jiang Si warned the whole family:
“If anyone comes asking for medicine, don’t give them any. Got it?”

“If we say yes once, people will keep coming non-stop.”

“You have to learn to be ruthless—that’s the only way to survive in the apocalypse.”

The family all agreed.

Suddenly, panicked screams rang through the village:
“The Longquan River has dried up!”

The entire village had lost power, and now tap water was gone too.

Longquan River, flowing beneath the village, was their only source of drinking water.

No water meant death—even if they had food, they couldn’t survive without it.

Fear surged in everyone’s hearts. Every household started digging cellars to store water.

They had to save what they could—who knew if the river would completely dry up tomorrow?

Jiang Linhai picked up his buckets.
“I’ll go fetch water too.”

But Jiang Si stopped him.
“Dad, it’s too hot. Wait until sunset. Just make sure people see you going—our family isn’t lacking water for now. What’s more important is protecting your health.”

Jiang Linhai nodded.
“Okay. I’ll listen to you.”

Just then, there was a loud knock at the iron gate.

Luo Fengjiao shouted from outside:

“Baoying! I know you’re in there—please, can you give me a box of heatstroke medicine? My son is sick!”