Chapter 26: Stirring Things Up

By the time Liu Lei and the others finished all their work and left, it was already noon.

The main assembly of the Apple pod and the installation of the photovoltaic solar panels had taken too long.

After assembly and testing, they waited for the cleaners to scrub both inside and outside the house several times, and then inspected all the facilities and electrical equipment one by one.

Fortunately, the jet flight suit, the hydroponic planting machine, and the ice maker had all arrived during this time slot.

They were just stored in another warehouse a bit further away.

Once all the supplies were checked and everyone had left, Jiang Yan stored everything in her space.

With some time left before the bank reopened in the afternoon and her stomach growling, she decided to pull out a portion of spicy-and-sour cold noodle beef tendon and a cup of chilled coconut sago for a simple meal.

The extremely refreshing cold noodle beef tendon came from a long-established little shop tucked in a corner she had discovered, and the taste was outstanding.

The shop owner wasn’t as arrogant as the chubby woman from the rice noodle shop she’d dealt with before.

Not only did she happily take Jiang Yan’s 3,000-orders request, but she also threw in fifty free meat buns and 3,000 cups of sour plum juice.

After finishing her meal, Jiang Yan sat alone on a small stool to rest for a while.

She didn’t go into her space.

Although the space was temperature-controlled and comfortable, the difference from outside was too extreme.

She still had to venture out and bump around for the entire afternoon; she worried that her body wouldn’t adapt to the heat outside, and the sudden temperature changes could easily make her sick.

Around the expected time, Jiang Yan retrieved a brand-new Harley motorcycle from her space and sped toward the bank.

The motorcycle had no license plate—it could even be considered “smuggled.”

After all, she had bought it abroad and simply stored it in her space.

She knew riding an unregistered vehicle could result in temporary confiscation and a 200-yuan fine.

But that penalty was nothing compared to the time she was trying to buy against the apocalypse.

Besides, at this hour, the traffic police probably had no time to enforce it.

In her space, she also had a licensed second-hand small truck, but in today’s situation, using it would be inconvenient. A motorcycle, however, could easily be tucked into an unmonitored alley.

After going to the bank, she also spent some time buying gold bars.

Today, due to the public’s panic and demand for safe-haven assets, gold prices had surged from yesterday’s 800+ yuan per gram to over 2,000 yuan per gram—and were still climbing.

Ordinarily, the gold bars cost just over 600 yuan per gram.

Even the jewelry stores were now crowded with people.

After all, gold was everyone’s first choice for a safe-haven asset.

Jiang Yan’s mother had once been a super VIP at a well-known jewelry group branch, so she didn’t bother with the counter.

She went straight to the company’s gold processing factory.

The major jewelry brands in the market were all under the same parent group.

These companies had gold processing factories only in a few cities.

Anming happened to be one of them.

After buying the gold and collecting the jewelry her mother had stored in the bank vault, Jiang Yan rode her bike toward Qianshui Bay.

On the way, she used her Bluetooth headset to catch up on local news.

Outside, the temperature had already reached fifty degrees Celsius, with heat waves visibly shimmering in the air.

The ground must have been even hotter, practically scorching.

She could even feel the asphalt soften slightly under her motorcycle tires.

Gas stations, malls, pharmacies—all had long lines.

Occasionally, she saw people collapsing from heat exhaustion while walking.

Those going to malls weren’t just shopping—they were evading the “one person out” lockdown lines enforced by residential security, sneaking out with their families to enjoy air conditioning.

Additional security was stationed at mall entrances, but it was impossible to stop the sweating crowds waving fists and pushing their way in to cool off.

Subway stations were similarly packed with people seeking relief from the heat.

Early in the morning, aside from essential services and certain industries, most companies had been ordered to close and allow work from home. Yet many people still went to the office—not out of dedication, but because in Anming City, most homes lacked air conditioning, while office buildings were required to have central AC.

Many, especially middle-aged adults, braved the heat and attacks from giant blood-sucking mosquitoes while carrying supplies for their families.

The news also mentioned a new discovery: giant blood-sucking mosquitoes generally became active from 5:30 PM until 7 AM the next day.

The reason was unknown, but the advice was clear: everyone should return home before 5 PM.

Even so, mosquitoes occasionally attacked people on the roads, though in smaller numbers.

Cars also suffered rear-end collisions or spontaneously combusted from overheating due to empty radiators.

Some high-rise buildings and older neighborhoods caught fire, sending up massive, terrifying plumes of smoke.

Even remote shops selling refrigerators or freezers were being looted.

In short, the world was in utter chaos.

---

Qianshui Bay

Zhou Guangfu helped his father into the house. Once Zhou Shangyou had recovered and was stable, he grabbed the keys to his electric bike and hurried out.

After the mask incident, the household had developed a habit of storing at least a month’s worth of rice, flour, and cooking oil.

He Chunmei also regularly made pickles, cured meats, and sausages each year.

But Zhou Guangfu still needed to purchase supplies for emergencies.

The children’s fever medicine was running low.

Also, drugs for treating and preventing heatstroke—chlorpromazine hydrochloride tablets, aspirin enteric capsules, etc.—needed replenishment.

With clinics and emergency rooms fully booked, they could only rely on medicine for now.

Fortunately, his elderly mother was still able to physically cool their granddaughter with towels, while the grandson stood by a basin, using a towel on himself.

No need for water from taps, which were too hot anyway.

All windows were sealed to prevent blood-sucking mosquitoes from entering.

Their penthouse home was like a steamer, hot from dawn to night.

Although they had stocked some bottled water in the freezer, it was insufficient.

He Chunmei hadn’t told her husband about privately gathering people to “besiege” 3201.

In the owners’ group, only one person per household could participate, so Zhou Guangfu had no idea about her messages.

Soon, over twenty people gathered in the public area of the 32nd floor.