The heavy rain outside showed no sign of letting up. Mu Nan couldn't see the situation in their own building, but he could use binoculars from inside the house to observe the distant scenes. Many people, after showering, began to wash their clothes in the downpour. Those who had been hiding in their tents all day were now rare sights, enjoying the daylight brought by the rain. The once gloomy camp was suddenly bustling with activity, like during a festival.
However, the soldiers had a much tougher time than the civilians. Some wore full-body protective suits and marched in groups towards the collapsed areas. Rarely could they work during the day, without the obstruction of darkness. The rain even helped cool them down, making it the best time for clearing debris and collecting supplies.
But with the plague spreading, entering the ruins required protective suits. Unfortunately, the limited number of suits meant only a few people could use them, resulting in slow progress in clearing the debris.
After observing for a while, Mu Nan put away the binoculars and returned to bed. "I wonder if the canteen is still preparing large pots of food every day. Without protective suits, the people living in the tents can't go through the ruins. And with the military not providing free food, what are those who have lost their homes and haven't found anything to eat supposed to do?"
Qin Huai said, "As long as there's food, they won't let the people starve. The reason for the strict requirements is the lack of supplies. They need to maximize the use of manpower. Even if they can't go through the ruins right now, there are other tasks they can handle. How do you think the disaster relief bases were established? It wasn't just soldiers building them brick by brick. Clearly, that's not possible."
Mu Nan thought about it and agreed. They might have already started sending some people to the newly established relief bases, but since they didn't live in the camp, they didn't know about it.
After the rain had been falling for a while, the air finally became less humid. Although the rain didn't significantly lower the temperature, it was more comfortable than being baked by the hot sun. With the temperature outside dropping slightly, the cooler air inside the house made Mu Nan feel refreshed. He finally couldn't resist his sleepiness and fell asleep hugging a pillow.
Qin Huai leaned against the bed, listening to the sound of the rain, but found it difficult to fall asleep. He wondered how long this current peace would last.
When he woke up, the rain had lessened but was still falling. Qin Huai had already filled two buckets of rainwater into the bathroom bathtub. The rainwater collected from mid-air was relatively clean, but he added disinfectant tablets to it just in case. He also gave a box of disinfectant tablets to Yu Zibai's family. Mu Nan had a good relationship with Jian Chu, and even though they were friends only made halfway, their personalities matched well. If anything happened to them, Mu Nan would be upset, so he tried to help as much as he could.
Mu Nan stretched out on the bed and lazily complained, "Rainy days are so perfect for sleeping."
Seeing Qin Huai starting to mop the floor and smelling the now-familiar disinfectant, Mu Nan added, "And they're perfect for hotpot."
Qin Huai, mopping the floor without lifting his head, replied, "Then let's have hotpot."
The heavy rain outside showed no signs of letting up. Mu Nan couldn't see what was happening in their building, but he could use binoculars to observe the distant scene from inside. Many people, after taking showers, started washing their clothes in the rain. Those who had been hiding in their tents all day now rarely ventured out to enjoy the daylight brought by the rain. The once gloomy camp was suddenly bustling with activity, almost like a festival.
However, the soldiers had a much harder time than the civilians. Some of them, dressed in full-body protective suits, were moving in groups towards the collapsed areas. The daylight, which was a rare opportunity for them, allowed them to work without the obstruction of darkness. The rain even helped cool them down, making it an ideal time for clearing debris and collecting supplies.
But with the plague spreading, entering the ruins required protective suits. The limited number of suits meant only a few people could use them, resulting in slow progress in clearing the debris.
After observing for a while, Mu Nan put away the binoculars and returned to bed. "I wonder if the canteen is still preparing large pots of food every day. Without protective suits, the people living in the tents can't go through the ruins. And with the military not providing free food, what are those who have lost their homes and haven't found anything to eat supposed to do?"
Qin Huai said, "As long as there's food, they won't let people starve. The strict requirements are due to the lack of supplies. They need to maximize manpower. Even if they can't go through the ruins right now, there are other tasks they can handle. How do you think the disaster relief bases were built? It wasn't just soldiers building them brick by brick. Clearly, that's not possible."
Mu Nan thought about it and agreed. They might have already started sending some people to the newly established relief bases, but since they didn't live in the camp, they didn't know about it.
After the rain had been falling for a while, the air finally became less humid. Although the rain didn't significantly lower the temperature, it was more comfortable than being baked by the hot sun. With the temperature outside dropping slightly, the cooler air inside the house made Mu Nan feel refreshed. He finally couldn't resist his sleepiness and fell asleep hugging a pillow.
Qin Huai leaned against the bed, listening to the sound of the rain, but found it difficult to fall asleep. He wondered how long this current peace would last.
When he woke up, the rain had lessened but was still falling. Qin Huai had already filled two buckets of rainwater into the bathroom bathtub. The rainwater collected from mid-air was relatively clean, but he added disinfectant tablets to it just in case. He also gave a box of disinfectant tablets to Yu Zibai's family. Mu Nan had a good relationship with Jian Chu, and even though they were friends only made halfway, their personalities matched well. If anything happened to them, Mu Nan would be upset, so he tried to help as much as he could.
Mu Nan stretched out on the bed and lazily complained, "Rainy days are perfect for sleeping."
Seeing Qin Huai starting to mop the floor and smelling the now-familiar disinfectant, Mu Nan added, "And they're perfect for hotpot."
Qin Huai, mopping the floor without lifting his head, replied, "Then let's have hotpot."
Mu Nan quickly shook his head, "I was just saying. The smell of hotpot is so enticing, but even if I want to eat it, I wouldn't do it now. I'm afraid people might come rob us."
Qin Huai said, "Just make a self-heating hotpot. It's raining outside, and every household is sealed, so the smell won't spread easily. The only ones who might smell it are the neighbors, but it doesn't matter. They know we have self-heating hotpot, and it doesn't smell as strong as hotpot. Just add a few vegetables and meats to make a simplified version."
Mu Nan thought it over and agreed. With just rice and vegetables every day, it wasn't that he was tired of the taste, but a change of flavor would be nice. He quickly got up, unpacked a box of self-heating hotpot, set up the induction cooker, and prepared to cook. However, Qin Huai pulled him to the bathroom, "Brush your teeth for three minutes after waking up. If your teeth hurt now, there's no dentist to help you. No slacking off."
Mu Nan, holding the toothbrush, said, "I was planning to cook first and then brush my teeth. I'm not that unhygienic."
Qin Huai smiled, put down the mop, and started unpacking the self-heating hotpot. Mu Nan brushed his teeth thoroughly for three minutes and then quickly got the ingredients for the hotpot from the storage space. He set up a small fan on the table to blow at them. With the rain falling, the air conditioning blowing, and enjoying the hotpot, all the despair and worries about the future seemed to drift away.
The rain didn't last long. After the torrential downpour on the first day, it continued intermittently on the second day, and by the third day, it had mostly cleared up. Unfortunately, the scorching sun was back in the sky, and the temperature hadn't returned to normal due to the rain. However, there was some improvement. The outside temperature was around fifty degrees Celsius, and with proper sun protection and avoiding the hottest parts of the day, people could still go out during the day. Whether the intense heat had lessened or people were becoming more adaptable, things were slightly better than before when people couldn't go out all day.
However, this small improvement didn't mean the situation outside had improved. Instead, the plague had spread to the point where it couldn't be contained by human effort alone.
In just one day, the muddy ditches created by the heavy rain had evaporated. The pervasive stench of rotting corpses had intensified. Even people living in the already cleared-out tents couldn't endure the foul smell carried by the wind, which evoked images of maggots crawling on corpses.
But the smell wasn't the worst part. The most unbearable issue was the outbreak of rats. It was unclear whether the rats had already been rampant or if they had become more visible as more people were out during the day. The worst part about the rats was that they often left behind a greasy residue, which experienced locals said came from corpses. This grease was produced from the deep decomposition of bodies and seeped out, with rats carrying it everywhere.
Many people knew about corpse grease, but some might not know that it forms naturally from decomposing bodies. The grease seeps out from the surface of the corpse and drips down, with rats sometimes crawling through pools of this grease on the ground and spreading it everywhere.
The infestation of live rats and the plague of dead ones made the situation even worse. People had to burn the corpses and clear away the dead rats they saw by the roadside. Initially, some tried to search the ruins for food to fill their stomachs, but as the number of sick people increased, even those who had never left their tents began to fall ill. Animal-to-human and human-to-human transmission made people feel like they were not survivors of the earthquake but living corpses in hell.
Some couldn't tolerate the environment and thought escaping would be safe. They saw more people falling ill and fled in panic, unaware that nowhere was safe and there was no way to escape.
Some, frightened by the feeling of waiting to die, jumped from high ruins, thinking that dying sooner would be a relief.
Yet more people, despite their illness, continued to struggle against fate. They didn't want to die, even if living seemed more terrifying than death. They still refused to give up.
Some sought help from soldiers and doctors in desperation, while others dragged their sick bodies out of the camp. With no medicine available, they thought it better to search for supplies even if it meant dying as a well-fed corpse.
Healthy people hid in their tents, keeping themselves wrapped up and avoiding contact, while the sick, no longer caring for protective suits, began helping soldiers clear the ruins. They didn't have protective suits and no longer needed them. As long as they were alive, they wanted to keep moving. When they could no longer move, they asked soldiers to carry them to be burned. At least they could return to dust, unlike those rotting under the ruins.
Compared to the anxiety and fear in the tents, the real suffering was endured by the soldiers still wearing protective suits and constantly clearing corpses. They watched as their comrades fell one by one, saw the sick who could still move come out to help clear debris, and witnessed people who had greeted them yesterday unable to open their eyes today. Every day was a breaking point, a complete collapse. But they couldn't stop, couldn't hide, couldn't let themselves be weak. They couldn't even cry, fearing that if they let the tears flow, they would never be able to stay strong again.
Despair wasn't confined to the camps; even those living in buildings that hadn't collapsed began to fall ill. The most common symptoms included fever, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, swollen lymph nodes, and some developed rashes that were itchy and painful, with alternating bouts of heat and cold. Some people had anti-inflammatory and cold medications at home even if they weren't the right treatments, they took whatever was available, as anything that could help was a blessing.
Most of the sick were from the lower floors, which were closest to the ruins. The lower floors were more accessible to rats and pests. Moreover, the inability to properly manage waste only exacerbated the already dire situation, making the environment even worse.
To avoid contaminating their living environment, some people with better conditions threw their waste outside in plastic bags. Those with fewer resources used scraps of cloth to wrap and throw their waste outside. As long as it was out of their immediate living area, they felt it was clean. However, the waste didn't disappear it scattered everywhere, making the already dirty and chaotic environment even worse. Flies and mosquitoes surrounded the area, and rats carrying disease spread throughout. It was nearly impossible not to get sick, but the reality was that there weren't many resources available to clean up the mess.
When the choice became between dying of heat or disease, some people began to move their families up to higher floors. Some even set up shelters on the rooftops, using limited materials to build makeshift tents. During the day, they stayed in the shade in the corridors and slept in the shelters at night. As long as they were away from the ground, it felt like they were further from death.
As more people moved up, the rooftops gradually became overcrowded, so some started setting up homes in the high-floor corridors. Since the stairwells were not livable, they closed the stairwell doors to block out some rats and mosquitoes. If they lived in the stairwells, they couldn't prevent the rats from climbing up and down.
Residents of the higher floors discovered that people had begun living in the corridors outside their doors. Naturally, they were unhappy. The plague was transmitted from person to person, and having unknown people living outside their doors could mean the risk of getting infected. It was understandable that they would be angry about this situation.
Despite the disputes, some residents didn't dare to confront the newcomers directly, fearing that they might cause trouble or even break into their homes. They were also afraid that if they opened their doors, their homes would be taken. Given the conditions below, it was easy to imagine how bad things were. Thus, they mostly just complained at home, anxiously listening for any noises at the door, worried about someone breaking in.
The seventeenth floor where Qin Huai and his group lived wasn't particularly high but wasn't low either. As more people settled on the higher floors, their floor became a desirable location because it had an iron door installed, making it harder for just anyone to enter. With fewer people, the environment was somewhat better.
When some people noticed the iron door on their floor, they tried to get in through the elevator, only to find the elevator door blocked. A few families discussed it and decided to combine their efforts to move the large wardrobe blocking the elevator.
The commotion was loud enough to attract Xu Ming, who had been isolating himself. Hearing the noise, Da Niu, with a fierce expression, looked at the people who had opened a gap in the wardrobe: "What are you doing? Are you looking for trouble? Get out!"
The people inside immediately began to plead, "We can't live downstairs anymore. Please, just let us stay in the corridor. We won't affect you at all. Please give us a chance to survive."
If these people were allowed to move in, they wouldn't have gone through so much trouble to block the elevator with the wardrobe in the first place. Qin Huai and his group wouldn't agree, and Da Niu was the first to refuse. He stepped aside, raised his fist, and said, "Either get out yourselves or get beaten out! If you want to stay here, you'd better ask if my fist agrees!"
If only Qin Huai and his group were present, they might have needed to show weapons to scare them off. But Da Niu's fearsome appearance—standing at least 1.8 meters tall with a muscular build—made it clear that a single punch from him could be devastating.
The people trying to move in immediately retreated but were reluctant to give up. After all, the floor was still unoccupied, and their group of five or six felt that having a less crowded and more open space was better than being crammed on the higher floors.
As they hesitated, Da Niu threw a punch at the person in front, targeting his eye area. The person, holding his eyes, staggered back, fell into the elevator, and lay there, dazed and unable to get up. Da Niu glared at the others, "Still not leaving? Do you really want me to beat you all up and throw you down?"
The others quickly retreated into the elevator, realizing that they couldn't withstand even one of Da Niu's punches.
As office workers who rarely exercised, their legs were no match for Da Niu's arms. Most people in the area were of average height, around 1.7 meters, compared to Da Niu's imposing height and build. They couldn't compete with him.
Watching the group retreat, Da Niu then moved the wardrobe back into place.
Jian Chu, who hadn't seen Xu Ming for a while, asked, "How's your isolation going?"
Xu Ming smiled, "Not bad. I don't have any symptoms at the moment, so I seem to have avoided trouble for now. But it looks like the situation outside is even worse than I thought."
Jian Chu sighed, "We don't really know how severe things are from inside here. We just have to take it one day at a time."
Seeing Da Niu single-handedly moving the wardrobe back, Jian Chu gave him a thumbs up, "Great job, Brother Da Niu!"
Da Niu immediately showed a simple, sincere smile on his somewhat fierce face, "That's all the strength I have. By the way, I haven't thanked you for helping me out last time. If you hadn't spoken up for me, my family would have been forced out."
Jian Chu replied, "It's nothing. Just telling the truth." Then, unable to help but ask, "Is your wife sick? She seems to be coughing a lot."
Xu Ming had also heard the neighbor's coughing every day. Recently, the noise in the building had increased, covering it up somewhat. When the building had been quiet, the coughing had been quite noticeable.
Da Niu, worried about misunderstandings, quickly explained, "My wife has always had poor health. It's even worse now with the disaster. But she doesn't have an infectious disease. That's why I didn't want others living in our corridor. Her immune system is weak, and if someone with an illness moved in, she'd be the first to get infected."
Jian Chu responded with a simple "Oh It's okay, I was just asking. Go back inside, the smell out here is awful."
Xu Ming said, "I'll go in first. The smell outside is indeed unbearable. Even disinfectant can't cover it up." He knew that Qin Huai disinfected the corridors daily, and while the disinfectant used to mask some of the external odor, it was no longer effective now that the higher floors were also occupied. Without a fan at home, enduring these conditions would be unbearable.
Da Niu sighed as he walked back inside. "That's true. It's not easy for those people either. Who wants to sleep in someone else's hallway unless they have no other choice?"
Qin Huai had returned to the room after the group of people went downstairs. Since they lived far from the new neighbors, there was little to discuss. For now, despite the situation, everyone seemed to share a common goal: to make it through until the base was established. Anything that could be avoided, should be avoided. After pushing Mu Nan inside, who was watching the commotion from behind their iron door, Qin Huai closed the door and went inside. "They don't seem to mind the heat."
Mu Nan said, "I thought there would be some arguing, but I didn't expect it to be settled with just one punch. Helping Da Niu back then wasn't a waste. With someone like him around, others are probably too scared to cause trouble."
In his previous life, Mu Nan never had to deal with the situation outside his door, but he knew that people were living in the corridors. He had been afraid back then, mainly because he was alone, and with Qin Huai's place still empty, he feared that someone might break in if they knew there was an available house. Soldiers did not conduct thorough checks, so he lied about having people in the house, and no one came to verify. Despite the quiet, he was still worried about suspicion. Fortunately, no one broke in while he was at the private base with the others. He hoped this time would be just as calm until they could leave.
Qin Huai said, "It does save a lot of trouble." At least he didn't have to intervene himself; otherwise, he would have used something more dangerous than just his fists, like a crossbow. Sometimes a harsh response was necessary to keep people from getting too bold.
Mu Nan went to bed as Qin Huai sprayed disinfectant at the door. Disinfecting was not just about cleanliness but also about masking odors. Previously, when the floor was unoccupied, Qin Huai would wear a mask while spraying disinfectant to lessen the smell. Now, even though the corridor was empty, the stench from the outside couldn't be masked, and with the stairwell and iron doors closed, the odor lingered more. He had to use disinfectant to suppress the smell.
After working outside and sweating profusely, Mu Nan offered, "Hey, do you want to use a wet wipe or take a shower?"
Qin Huai replied, "Use a wet wipe." It was better to save the water for drinking; they didn't need to flush toilets frequently, and a shower every few days was sufficient. There was no need to shower daily.
Mu Nan asked, "Do you want peach-scented or floral-scented?"
Qin Huai glanced at him, "I'll just take a shower." He wasn't fond of the strong scents of the wet wipes that Mu Nan used. Though he liked them when Mu Nan used them, he didn't want to smell sweet himself.
Seeing Qin Huai's clear dislike, Mu Nan clicked his tongue. The scent was actually quite pleasant compared to sweat. After tearing open a corner of the scented wipe and getting a strong whiff, Mu Nan sneezed and laughed, "It's indeed quite overpowering. I'll save these for later." He took a non-scented wipe and cleaned up. Despite being inside their own security door, he had still worked up a sweat from the commotion outside, so he wiped off the sweat instead of taking a shower.
Hearing Mu Nan laugh by himself, Qin Huai smiled, thinking how adorably silly he was.