Chapter 24: Water Shortage

Following her training schedule, Shu Xin woke up early in the morning, still groggy as she stumbled into the bathroom. She instinctively turned on the faucet, but after waiting for a while, no water came out.

Her still-half-asleep mind took a moment to register the situation— the water supply had been cut off!

Water was essential for human survival. Without drinking water, a person could only last between two to seven days, depending on their physical condition and environment.

Compared to power outages, a lack of water posed an even greater challenge for daily life.

Of course, Shu Xin had already anticipated this. It was only a matter of time.

Although technological advancements in recent decades had led to major infrastructure upgrades across all cities to withstand natural disasters, a prolonged downpour resulting in severe flooding inevitably led to power outages. Once backup power for water supply facilities was depleted, a water shortage was inevitable—something that anyone with basic common sense would expect.

Fortunately, the water resources stored in her spatial space were more than sufficient for the four of them to use. So, apart from some initial surprise, the water outage did not cause her much distress.

Shu Xin quickly washed her face with some stored water, tied up her hair, and changed into her workout attire before heading downstairs to meet the others.

“When did the water supply stop?” she asked.

“Early this morning,” Yan Mo replied, pulling out a chair for her and placing breakfast in front of her.

“So, did you guys manage to wash up before that?” she asked, naturally accepting the food from him.

“Of course. We used the stored water from the rooftop tank. Don’t you remember? We had it installed during renovations.”

Shu Xin grinned sheepishly. “Hehe… I just woke up. My brain isn’t fully functional yet.”

Yan Mo shook his head in amusement before continuing, “Since we live on the top floor and there are many residents below us, even flushing the toilet could be heard downstairs. From now on, we’ll have to switch to using cat litter for personal hygiene. Everyone should take some time today to get used to it.”

Shu Xin was impressed by how matter-of-factly Yan Mo made such an awkward announcement. If it were her, she wouldn’t have known how to bring it up.

She glanced at the other two members of their group. Not a single flicker of discomfort showed on their faces. Was she the only one feeling awkward about this?

No! She refused to let it show on her face. She didn’t want to seem like someone inexperienced in survival situations. Determined, she forced herself to maintain a neutral expression, completely unaware that the subtle changes in her facial expressions had already been noticed by Yan Mo, who found her reaction both amusing and endearing.

What Shu Xin didn’t know was that Bu Xiangwen and Mu Qimai were only outwardly calm because they had trained themselves to remain expressionless in any situation. But when it came time to actually use the cat litter solution, the two men emerged from the bathroom with expressions that defied description.

Shu Xin couldn’t hold back her laughter and teased them for quite a while.

Both men looked embarrassed.

For over twenty years, their elite backgrounds had ensured that they never faced such awkward situations. The experience clashed with their upbringing and training. Even Yan Mo, despite enduring grueling training since childhood, had never been put in a position where he had to personally handle such matters.

It would take time for all of them to fully adapt to these new survival measures.