That night, the heavy rain intensified, accompanied by terrifying lightning and thunder. During dinner, the lights in the room suddenly went out. Through the balcony window, the outside world was pitch black.

Without the light, and with no moonlight either, for a moment, it felt like the entire world had plunged into endless darkness, without a single ray of light.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning cut through the pitch-black world, casting a cold light on everyone’s face, sending a chill down their spines.

The power was out. The thought crossed everyone’s mind.

Comfort turned on her phone’s flashlight, got up, and drew the curtains on the living room’s balcony. Yanmor and the others went to the storage room to take out the generator. When they had selected the curtains, they had specifically chosen ones with strong light-blocking properties to ensure no light leaked out.

Once the lights were back on, no one had the appetite to finish their meal. They hastily finished eating and then returned to their rooms to rest.

Comfort lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling with wide-open eyes, not feeling the slightest bit of sleepiness. The power outage had come later than she had expected. She had thought the electricity would go out days ago, but she hadn’t expected their neighborhood to hold out this long.

This might be due to the fact that their neighborhood was newly built. The new electrical wiring used better materials compared to older systems, and their circuit wasn’t connected to the same grid as other older neighborhoods. That’s why other areas had experienced power cuts much earlier.

A power outage wasn’t a good omen. It meant that all surveillance systems had stopped working, which also meant the internet and signal would soon be cut off, leaving them completely disconnected from the world.

Human nature can’t resist temptation. In the absence of any restrictions, the beast that has been imprisoned in one’s heart can break free at any moment.

On the first day of the power outage, everyone’s phones still had power, and from time to time, there were messages of distress posted in the group chat. However, all those messages seemed to disappear without a trace until someone dared to venture outside and found that there was still a large supermarket nearby that was open. The group chat came alive once again.

C Building 1501: “The large supermarket near our neighborhood is still open. If anyone needs something, you can go buy it, but it’s cash only. [Image][Image][Image]”

E Building 801: “Bro, I’ll pay three times the price if you bring me some food, how about it?”

A Building 2001: “I’ll pay ten times, bro! Bring me some!”

F Building 701: “How’s it outside? Any sign of rescue teams? @E Building 1501”

…

D Building 2201: “Are there still things left at the supermarket? Can we still buy them now?”

C Building 1501: “It’s really crowded, if you need anything, you’d better hurry. If you wait too long, there won’t be anything left.”

C Building 1501 ignored the @mentions and, after sending the message, didn’t respond again.

Comfort also saw the messages in the group and relayed them to the other three. “Someone in the group said there’s a large supermarket nearby still open. Do we want to go?”

“Wait a minute. I’ll go with Xiangwen to check the situation. You and Qimai stay here and don’t go anywhere,” Yanmor said after thinking for a moment. He decided to take Bo Xiangwen outside to gather some information.

He had already given some information to the upper levels of the government, but there had been no response from them. The lack of movement felt strange to him.

Taking this opportunity to go out and learn more about the outside situation seemed better than staying at home, in the dark, completely unaware.

Bo Xiangwen was the first to agree. After spending these days confined to such a small space, he was clearly eager to get out. It was difficult for someone like him, who was used to being active, to stay cooped up for so long. On the other hand, Mu Qimai, as calm and steady as ever, could sit still for hours.

Yanmor understood their personalities well, which is why he decided to take Bo Xiangwen outside instead of Mu Qimai.

There was another reason for his choice: Bo Xiangwen had a charming face and a way with words, which would make it much easier for them to gather information. Since Comfort and Bo Xiangwen had only trained for half a month and their fitness levels were still poor, Yanmor didn’t feel comfortable leaving them both behind. He was afraid they wouldn’t be able to handle any sudden situations. So, he decided it was best for him and Bo Xiangwen to go out, while Mu Qimai and Comfort stayed home.

The outside world was likely more dangerous, with more potential risks, so it was better to split up. He felt it was the safest option.

Once the rain slowed down a bit, Yanmor and Bo Xiangwen grabbed an inflatable boat and went out. Comfort stood on the balcony with binoculars, peering out the window. She could see people from the neighborhood trying various ways to get out.

Some people were sitting in large laundry basins, wearing raincoats; others had tied up three rows of empty water bottles, using them as makeshift rafts, and were paddling with their hands. Some, more daring than others, had jumped into the water in full wetsuits.

Choosing to swim in the water was a dangerous decision. The rain had been falling for half a month, and the city’s floodwaters had risen significantly. Many of the objects left outside before the rain had been submerged, creating a myriad of hidden dangers.

If someone wasn’t careful, they could easily get injured. With the water full of bacteria, any injury could become infected, and without access to medicine, hospitals already closed, a small wound could quickly turn into a life-threatening situation.