It took nearly a week for Mu Nan to replace all the doors and windows in his home. His house was directly across from Qin Huai's, and they shared a security door facing the corridor. The old security door, which had been in place for over ten years, was also replaced with a new, high-quality one, costing a fair amount of money.
To facilitate the installation of the doors and windows, Mu Nan had moved all his furniture into his space in advance. After the doors and windows were installed, he rearranged the layout of his home slightly. His house had a simple layout: two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. He left the two bedrooms vacant, planning to set up some vegetable beds and soil for growing vegetables. Although the space could preserve food, staying confined at home made it idle.
In the living room, instead of a sofa, he placed a bed. He didn't set up a TV or coffee table but put a desk for his computer and meals.
Since the balcony was enclosed, Mu Nan installed some cabinets there for his clothes and bedding. Part of these items were kept in the space, while the rest was stored on the balcony.
He also tidied up Qin Huai's place, although he didn't replace the doors and windows. The furniture at Qin Huai's was already minimal, so he stacked it all in one room. The vacated room and living room were also intended for growing vegetables. If Qin Huai returned in the future, there would be no shortage of space for him.
Once both houses were in order and the vegetables were planted, Mu Nan even set up a few chickens on the balcony of Qin Huai's house. As he raised the chickens, he thought that if Qin Huai came back and saw the house transformed like this, he would probably be furious. The thought of Qin Huai being angry made Mu Nan smile, but afterward, a faint sense of discomfort lingered.
The most terrifying thing wasn't the absence of hope but rather the possibility that hope and expectations would ultimately be in vain.
Before the smog arrived, there had been a period of heavy rain. Mu Nan remembered that the rain lasted quite a while, causing many areas to flood. During this time in his previous life, he was busy with his thesis, commuting to school every day in the wet conditions, which made his home damp and uncomfortable for sleeping.
This time, with the dehumidifier running 24/7 and no thesis to work on, he could stay in a dry house, listening to the rain outside while sitting on the bed with his computer, watching movies. He was also browsing online shopping on his phone. Although it was raining heavily, the smog was still some time away, and delivery services were operating normally, so he could still buy things without any issues. His computer had two alumni groups open: one from middle school and one from college. The middle school group was silent, while the college group was lively.
Due to the severe weather and the busy thesis period, there were many complaints from classmates. Because Mu Nan didn't live on campus during college, his relationships with classmates were relatively average. Since high school, he had mostly been a loner. It wasn't that he didn't want to fit in with others, but by the time he finally adjusted from the impact of leaving Qin Huai, he had become accustomed to solitude. He was used to quietly observing others' excitement.
One female classmate in the group complained about the terrible weather, saying that her young nephew had been coughing and unwell for over a week. He had swollen pain all over his body and needed daily injections at the hospital. Sometimes, when her brother and sister-in-law were too busy, she had to help take him to the hospital. The combination of being busy with the thesis and the difficult weather was tormenting both the adults and the sick child.
Someone suggested that they should consider hospitalization to avoid the hassle of running between home and the hospital. The classmate said that although her family had thought of that, there were so many people falling ill lately, mostly with colds and fevers, and some with severe fevers that made them delirious. Getting a hospital bed was very difficult, so she had to bundle up and run between home and the hospital every day.
Mu Nan was taken aback when he read their conversation. The symptoms described by the girl were exactly like those caused by smog-related illnesses. It started with a fever and cough, then progressed to swollen pain, and eventually led to enlarged lungs, which was often fatal.
In his previous life, it was discovered that the source of the epidemic was a toxic fungus floating in the smog, too small to be seen by the naked eye and easily inhaled, leading to infection. He had always thought that the fungus appeared with the smog. If people were already infected now, it was possible that the air already contained this toxic fungus. The thought of this possibility made Mu Nan anxious. Even though he had prepared as best as he could and mentally braced himself for the future, he still found it hard to stay calm when disaster truly struck.
Seeing the group chat shift back to complaints about the weather, Mu Nan couldn't help but type a message: "It's said that there are currently some unexplained infectious diseases spreading. If you can avoid going out, please do. If it's necessary to go out, make sure to wear a mask and take precautions. Also, stock up on some food at home just in case."
Mu Nan rarely spoke in the group, and his message immediately quieted the lively chat. Some people began to probe him for more insider information. It wasn't surprising; the increase in illnesses had made people uneasy. Unfortunately, Mu Nan had nothing more to say. He was an ordinary person with a selfish streak. The only time he had visited a police station in this life was due to his parents' accident. He didn't have the courage or awareness to be a savior.
Whether or not people took his advice to heart, he didn't care much. Everyone has their own fate.
With a ping sound, Mu Nan glanced at the download screen. The TV shows he had selected were finished downloading, so he found some more TV shows, movies, and variety shows to add to the download list.
He had bought more than ten high-capacity external hard drives. Besides various forms of entertainment, he had downloaded a lot of materials and books, from how to make soap and candles to how to build a house. He had categorized everything he thought would be useful for survival. Fortunately, the internet wouldn't be cut off before the great earthquake, so he had plenty of time and didn't need to rush.
Although the internet gradually recovered after the earthquake, it was limited to local networks, usable only within specific areas and unable to connect to cloud networks. Although Mu Nan wasn't a person who couldn't live without the internet, it was better to prepare as much as possible while he had the time. The external hard drives didn't take up much space in his storage area.
Looking at the heavy rain outside, Mu Nan ordered takeout. There was a barbecue place he liked with fresh meat and ample ingredients, but their stall was small, so it was either takeout or eat on-site. Given the heavy rain, takeout was the only option.
He ordered a large amount of food and then got up from the bed to take a shower. The weather was starting to get warm, and some families that were sensitive to heat had already turned on their air conditioning. Fortunately, Mu Nan wasn't too sensitive to heat and didn't need to go out often. A fan was usually sufficient at home; otherwise, the air conditioner he bought would be a bit overkill.
While showering, Mu Nan glanced at the mirror and poked his face. Due to his work, he stayed home a lot, so his skin, though pale, looked unhealthily so. It seemed he needed to focus more on exercise. He also tugged at his slightly overgrown hair, planning to get a haircut the next day after the rain subsided. He had originally thought that the illness would only appear after the rain stopped and the smog arrived, so he planned to get a haircut before the rain stopped and then avoid going out.
But things were a bit beyond his expectations. Even though the smog hadn't arrived yet, the rain might mitigate the severity, so getting a haircut with a mask on shouldn't be too risky. During this time in his previous life, he had run to school daily without protection and hadn't encountered any issues, so being cautious should be sufficient.
Even though his residence was in an elevator building, it was an old neighborhood. The neighborhood had old barber shops where a haircut cost ten or fifteen yuan, and there was one right below his building. He could go directly from the first-floor convenience store without getting wet. Although the haircut might not offer any styling, with the worsening air quality and increasing smog, he wouldn't be able to go out for a long time, so it was better to keep it short and avoid the risk of staying out too long.
The barber was also an old neighbor. If his parents were still alive, they would likely be familiar with him, but Mu Nan, having spent a lot of time away, only knew some of the old neighbors by sight and couldn't even recall their names.
The barber, while cutting Mu Nan's hair, suggested he wait until after the rain to visit a salon for a styled cut, saying it would be a pity not to have a stylish haircut for a handsome young man.
Mu Nan smiled and said, "Just cut it short, please. It's too hot with long hair. My face is fine; I don't need any styling."
The barber chuckled at his words and began chatting about old times, mentioning how Mu Nan's father used to come every few months for a haircut and always talked about how cute and smart his son was, the old man smiled and agreed, and Mu Nan said no more. He put on his mask and headed home. While waiting for the elevator, the other elevator arrived, but it came out with a young couple, holding a child wrapped in a raincoat. They looked anxious as they walked out.
Mu Nan stepped aside to avoid the crowd and didn't take the arriving elevator, choosing instead to wait where he was. He knew things that he couldn't share with everyone until the situation became too severe. It was a helpless feeling. Being a pioneer or a whistleblower was not an easy task, and just because you spoke up didn't mean things would turn out the way you hoped. After all, he was just a small person struggling to survive.
Back at home, Mu Nan went straight to the bathroom, tossed his worn clothes into the washing machine, added detergent and disinfectant, and took a thorough shower. The freshly cut hair felt a bit prickly, but it was undeniably refreshing. After changing into comfortable clothes, Mu Nan checked the situation in the other room and looked at the growth of the vegetables.
Since the vegetables had just been planted, they wouldn't grow quickly. He confirmed that the doors and windows were still intact and that no rainwater had seeped in. He cleaned the balcony as well since keeping chickens made it somewhat dirty. After sweeping the balcony and replenishing food and water for the chickens, Mu Nan went back inside, settled into bed, and began organizing the documents he had downloaded while watching a movie.
Recently, Mu Nan had become somewhat obsessed with disaster movies, revisiting many old films. Sometimes he found useful insights in these movies. Though they were fictional, art is inspired by life, and there was always something to learn from them.
For dinner, he had a simple bowl of noodle dumplings. Eating alone often meant simpler meals, just enough to satisfy his hunger with minimal effort. After dinner, he did a bit of cleaning around the house. Around nine o'clock, the alarm he had set on his phone went off.
Mu Nan turned off the alarm and diligently got on the treadmill. No matter what, he couldn't neglect his physical fitness. He couldn't let himself get out of shape just because he was stuck at home. If he became physically weak, he would only be waiting for death later on.