The incident of the smashed windows had left many people deeply unsettled. Those living on lower floors became more vigilant, with many households securing their windows with layers of blankets and quilts, fearing another attack. The community chat group was actively managing the situation, reassuring everyone and advising those with sick family members to report to them so that they could arrange hospital visits as quickly as possible.
Despite these efforts to manage the situation, the father who had lost his child still reacted in a way that matched Mu Nan's memories. He stormed out of his house, brandishing a bone-cutting knife, and attacked the community management office.
This time, however, the community office was prepared. They had already shut the iron gate and reported the incident to the police. The police arrived swiftly, and despite some struggle, they managed to subdue the enraged father without any casualties.
Soon, residents on lower floors were able to see the commotion at the community office from their windows. Videos of the incident were posted in the chat group. Even though the father's grief was understandable—losing a newborn to a madman—his violent retaliation was condemned by many.
Seeing the various criticisms and blame directed at the father in the group, Mu Nan closed the chat. No one outside could truly understand another's despair.
By evening, Mu Nan received a message of thanks from the community director. Mu Nan replied with a smiley emoji, indicating that it was merely a fortunate coincidence and that being cautious was the right thing to do.
The community director expressed considerable relief. If Mu Nan hadn't sent the videos showing the man's frantic attempts to smash and destroy due to being unable to access medical care, and hadn't warned him about the recent incident of vandalism, the director might not have been as alert. Seeing the grieving father approach the community office with a knife had sent a shiver down his spine. He quickly ordered the gate to be lowered, preventing what could have been a devastating situation. If the father had reached the gate and smashed the glass with his knife, the consequences could have been dire.
Mu Nan was also relieved that the director took his warnings seriously. He couldn't directly tell others that the child's father would seek revenge, so he had to give indirect warnings. Preventing a tragedy was the best outcome. He recalled that the current director was once just a staff member when his parents had died unexpectedly. At that time, the director had helped him with the aftermath and later visited him after he moved in with Qin Huai's grandmother, offering support if he ever needed help.
In his previous life, while this director had survived, he was reportedly injured badly. In severe situations, such injuries might have led to his eventual demise. This time, being able to help him avoid disaster felt like repaying the kindness the director had shown to his parents.
Qin Huai saw Mu Nan's chat interface and recognized Director Li. Qin Huai remembered him as a kind and friendly man who always smiled at everyone. When Mu Nan first moved into their home as a child, Director Li, still a staff member at the time, had visited a couple of times. Qin Huai had been worried that Director Li might try to send Mu Nan back to his relatives, as they were not his immediate family. Because of this, he had some reservations about Director Li, which is why he still remembered him.
Seeing Mu Nan put down his phone, Qin Huai asked, "Did you dream about this incident too?"
Mu Nan paused for a moment before nodding. He glanced at Qin Huai and said, "Well, not exactly a dream. I just had a vague impression. In the dream, I was also trapped in a house, and it seemed like a few bad things happened in our community, like the community office being smashed. I had a bit of an impression, so I made a subconscious warning. I didn't expect it to be this time."
Qin Huai looked at him briefly but didn't say much. He hugged Mu Nan, understanding that Mu Nan was keeping some things from him. Even though they had been apart for years, Qin Huai had raised Mu Nan since childhood and knew him well. He understood, but he couldn't press for details. He just hoped that one day they could return to their close relationship.
After nearly a month of being confined at home, many families had exhausted their food supplies. As in the previous life, prices had skyrocketed during this period, but even at sky-high prices, food still had to be bought, or there would be nothing to eat.
Mu Nan's two rooms of vegetables had yielded some produce. His vegetables were not grown from seeds but were pre-bought seedlings, so they grew faster. While the vegetables still needed more time, the peppers had already appeared. However, due to the lack of sunlight, they didn't grow well and were still green with some yellow, not yet turning red.
Looking at the room full of soil and vegetables, Mu Nan turned to Qin Huai and said, "In our building, there seem to be a few elderly people living alone."
He said this not out of excessive kindness but because he knew himself well. He had the usual modern traits of selfishness and indifference, but he wasn't completely devoid of compassion. When things didn't affect him directly, he could be indifferent. Even when faced with situations directly, his empathy was limited to not harming himself. However, he was afraid that Qin Huai might see him as cold-hearted if he remained indifferent to elderly people who might not have any food at home, even though he had a whole space full of supplies. So, this question was also a way to gauge Qin Huai's attitude.
Qin Huai didn't think much of it. Hearing Mu Nan's comment, he frowned disapprovingly and said, "In times of hardship, even the smallest favor is valued, but it also breeds resentment. Life will only get harder from here. The suffering you see will only increase. So, Nan Nan, I don't want you to start this. Besides, the government is still maintaining order. If those elderly people truly need help, the government won't abandon them. At least now, it's only disease-related deaths, not starvation. In the future, if you encounter people in need of help, I hope you can help within your means. Having more than others doesn't mean you need to bear a burden heavier than life itself. That small chance of survival could also become a deadly risk. So, whether facing hunger or the desperate struggles of those on the brink of death, I hope you always prioritize yourself."
Before going abroad, Qin Huai might have had some innocence and kindness, but after all these years, innocence and kindness alone couldn't have allowed him to survive in a ruthless society. The little softness and warmth he had left were all given to Mu Nan, and only to Mu Nan.
Hearing Qin Huai's words, Mu Nan felt reassured. He had experienced this once before and had even died due to his last bit of compassion. This time, he could be cold-hearted, but he didn't expect Qin Huai to adapt even faster than he had. Nonetheless, it was good. Sometimes, what was most crushing wasn't the chaos or the hopeless future but the complexities of human nature.
Although the smog had lessened, it had not completely dissipated. The government announced an investigation report, stating that the smog contained invisible, toxic fungal spores. Some people could eliminate these spores with their immune system, but those with weaker bodies, including the young, the elderly, or those with underlying health conditions, could not resist the toxicity, leading to fatal lung infections. However, the spores' survivability was low, so the infection rate was not high, but once they thrived in the body, the mortality rate was extremely high. Thus, as long as proper precautions were taken, the likelihood of infection was low, though that small chance was almost guaranteed to be fatal.
Knowing the source of this global epidemic, people tried to stay indoors as much as possible. The pervasive toxins outside made few dare to test their immune systems. But staying inside meant that food supplies quickly dwindled.
The government began to address this issue by distributing biochemical protective suits to communities and allocating supplies, including essentials like rice, oil, vegetables, and meat. Each household was advised to stock up for one to two weeks. People in protective suits went door to door delivering these supplies. While this method was cumbersome and increased workloads, it helped calm more people and prevent chaos over food shortages.
Fortunately, most people understood the severity of the situation and appreciated the government's efforts, cooperating well. Of course, there were always a few who failed to recognize the gravity of the situation and were picky even now.
Mu Nan looked at some of the package deals for products posted in the group. There were no individual items, only various packages, but the packages were unlimited. He said to Qin Huai, "Brother, should we buy these? I have everything in my space already, but the current prices are several times higher than what I paid."
Qin Huai leaned in to look at Mu Nan's phone and thought for a moment before saying, "Let's buy a few. Even though not every household's situation will be monitored, it's better to follow the trend in times like these."
Mu Nan nodded, compared various options, and selected several vegetable and meat packages. If the quality of these items wasn't good, he planned to grind them up and use them for large buns—meat buns, vegetable buns—anything to avoid waste.
Mu Nan had initially planned to stay indoors and wait for the smog to clear. However, once it cleared, the weather would turn extremely hot, making it even more difficult to go outside. He had spent most of his money, leaving only a few hundred yuan in his phone account, which wasn't enough to buy even two meat packages.
Fortunately, Qin Huai had money—quite a lot of it. Seeing the balance in Qin Huai's account, Mu Nan felt a pang of regret: "If I could get in touch with you, I could use all this money."
This was also a sore point for Qin Huai, not because of the money, but because if he had been able to contact Mu Nan back then, Mu Nan wouldn't have spent these months alone. Qin Huai patted Mu Nan's head and said, "Don't worry. As you said, we have several months' worth of funds left, and they won't go to waste."
Mu Nan nodded. Although there was still some time left, in his previous life, the smog had cleared overnight and it had taken about half a month to a month for the weather to heat up. Even though temperatures rose rapidly once they started climbing, there was still a bit of time in between. However, he was concerned that Qin Huai's remaining funds were considerable. If they bought too much, they might attract unwanted attention. He remembered that during that period in his previous life, there were reports about both local and overseas wealthy individuals donating large sums to the aviation industry. At that time, such significant donations seemed strange. Perhaps the government had already begun consolidating assets and preparing for future disasters.
So, Mu Nan was worried that making too conspicuous purchases now might draw attention, given the lack of privacy in the era of big data.
Qin Huai, hearing his concerns, smiled and said, "Don't worry. I understand capital better than you do. Even with big data, there are ways to avoid detection. Don't stress. We'll go to City B together, collect what we need, and come back immediately."
Mu Nan asked, "Shouldn't we just stay in City B? After all, it's the capital."
He had stayed here for two reasons: first, it was his home, and second, he had never left this place until his death because it was where he knew and had even experienced the future. It gave him a subconscious sense of security. However, no amount of security seemed as important as being in the capital. Moreover, as long as he was with Qin Huai, it didn't matter where he was.
Qin Huai shook his head and said, "It's not suitable there. You mentioned we'll face extreme cold in the future. In terms of environmental conditions, we have an advantage here."
There was another point Qin Huai didn't mention. Although there might not be a distinction between locals and outsiders in the future, given the decreasing population, the specific region of a person might become less important to the country. But for local survivors, the situation would be different. Furthermore, their city was a major one with a population in the tens of millions. Even if the homeland were to be rebuilt, it might not be any worse than the capital.