Chapter 16: Physical Training

“Splash, splash, splash—”

On the seventh day of the torrential downpour, the heavy rain showed no sign of letting up. Raindrops pounded against the glass windows, and the water on the streets had already risen to waist height.

The water level of the reservoir, which had previously dropped due to high temperatures, had risen once again and was still increasing.

Thanks to prior official warnings, the prolonged rainfall hadn’t caused panic among those who had stocked up on supplies. Online work and remote learning continued as usual, and the heavy rain did not disrupt the daily work and study routines of office workers and students.

With little entertainment available while stuck at home, a trend of flaunting stored goods and homemade delicacies had taken over social media. People eagerly shared pictures of their stockpiles on Weibo and in their friend circles, boasting and competing with each other.

However, after a few more days, when the rain failed to stop as predicted and household food supplies began running low, those same people started deleting their posts in a panic. But it was too late—certain individuals had already taken note of their stockpiles. Once chaos erupted, they would be the first targets.

Shu Xin and the others knew the rain would last for a long time. Unless absolutely necessary, they had no plans to leave home before official rescue supplies were delivered.

When Yan Mo had renovated the house, he had anticipated the possibility of being unable to go outside for long periods. So, he not only set up a gym but also built a shooting range—both crucial for survival in the apocalypse.

Physical fitness was essential to wield weapons effectively and escape when necessary. As for shooting skills, bullets weren’t an infinite resource in the apocalypse. They were nonrenewable, and there was no room for waste.

If, in a moment of crisis, one couldn’t fight off zombies, couldn’t aim properly, and couldn’t even run fast enough—then surviving would be pure luck. At that point, they might as well be the protagonist of the story!

Yan Mo created personalized training regimens for Shu Xin and Bu Xiaowen. One had grown up pampered, while the other had spent years behind a desk—both had abysmal physical fitness.

As for himself, Yan Mo had been trained from a young age, so his capabilities were unquestionable. Mu Qimai, who had always handled underground affairs for him, constantly flirted with danger, honing his physical abilities and reflexes. In contrast, Bu Xiaowen and Shu Xin were complete weaklings.

Their apartment building had only one household per floor, and most residents relied on elevators. The emergency stairwells were practically unused, making them the perfect training ground for Shu Xin and Bu Xiaowen.

The building had twenty-five floors. For the first five days, Yan Mo made them run up and down twenty flights daily. Then, he gradually increased the weight they carried and shortened their time limits, pushing them to their limits to force improvements in speed and endurance.

Besides stair climbing, they underwent other basic physical training. Yan Mo and Mu Qimai also taught them about different firearms and how to use them before moving on to live shooting practice.

Of course, Yan Mo and Mu Qimai didn’t slack off either. In addition to the daily training with Shu Xin and Bu Xiaowen, they underwent an extra three hours of physical training and two hours of shooting practice to keep themselves in peak condition.

By the end of each day, Shu Xin and Bu Xiaowen were as exhausted as dead dogs. If not for their hunger, they wouldn’t have even lifted a finger.

At one point, Yan Mo offered to feed Shu Xin, but she adamantly refused.

It wasn’t just the two of them—there were others present. There was no way Shu Xin would act so clingy in front of outsiders. It was so embarrassing that she could practically dig a hole in the ground with her toes and build a castle out of sheer awkwardness. Although, one look from Yan Mo was enough to make the other two quietly lower their heads and focus on eating.

That night, while Yan Mo massaged Shu Xin’s sore muscles, her cries of agony nearly pierced through the roof. The same treatment was happening downstairs to Bu Xiaowen.

If not for the excellent soundproofing installed during renovations, anyone passing by would have heard the alternating cries of men and women and assumed something very inappropriate—or even a crime scene.

Despite the grueling training, Shu Xin and Bu Xiaowen never once complained or considered giving up.

They knew the importance of this training—it was a matter of survival. With that understanding, they endured every exercise without a single word of protest, gritting their teeth and pushing through.

Yan Mo saw the bruises and swelling on Shu Xin’s body from the rigorous training and almost told her to stop. But in the end, he held back.

The apocalypse was full of dangers. He couldn’t guarantee that he would always be there to protect her, nor could he stay by her side at all times. Only by ensuring she had the ability to defend herself could he feel a little more at ease.

Days passed in a busy yet fulfilling routine, though not everyone shared their peace of mind.

The sky seemed to have a massive hole, with relentless rain pouring down. By the fifteenth day, the storm still hadn’t stopped.

The city’s drainage system couldn’t handle the overwhelming rainfall. Low-lying areas were already submerged up to the fifth floor, and even the high-ground district where Shu Xin’s apartment was located had floodwaters reaching the first floor.

After two weeks of training, their progress was evident. At the very least, Shu Xin no longer collapsed like a lifeless dog after a workout—she still had the energy to use her phone.

She hadn’t checked the neighborhood chat group in a while, so she took advantage of the midday break to catch up on messages.

The sheer volume of notifications crashed her phone, forcing her to restart it.

Her call logs, texts, and WeChat messages were all flooded with 99+ unread notifications. Most of the missed calls and texts were from unknown numbers. She didn’t need to guess to know they were from her uncle’s family. Ever since their fallout, she had blocked and deleted all their contacts. Now that they couldn’t reach her, they had resorted to using new numbers.

Shu Xin had no intention of answering. She wasn’t about to waste time listening to their nonsense, so she swiftly blocked the new numbers as well.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood chat group was in chaos. Shu Xin had previously added Yan Mo to the group, though knowing his personality, he likely never bothered to read it.

The chat was filled with residents pleading with property management for help, hoping to borrow a vacant apartment to stay in temporarily.

Now that floodwaters had reached the first floor, many homes were uninhabitable. Their residential complex was new, with an occupancy rate below 50%, meaning many apartments were still unsold, and the management had access to spare keys. Desperate residents were now begging for shelter.

But the property managers remained silent. No one was willing to risk their lives venturing out to hand over keys, no matter how much they were cursed in the chat.

When the property management refused to respond, the displaced residents turned their attention to the others in the building. However, as soon as someone openly asked to borrow a place, the once-chaotic group chat fell into an eerie silence—no one dared to speak again.