Before, Fu Erdie could still ventilate every day, blowing the hot air to bring fresh air into the house. Now, she doesn’t dare to open the windows at all.
Some insects would enter the room through the natural gas pipelines and exhaust hood ducts. She had to kill insects and clean up every day, spraying air fresheners.
The only lucky thing is that it has been twenty days, and her small house still has water, electricity, and gas supply.
The stored water she had hasn’t been used at all; she uses the clean water flowing from the tap every day.
In the early morning of June 26, at three o’clock, a harsh notification sound rang out, followed by various alert tones from every device.
Fu Erdie abruptly sat up and immediately saw the important message displayed on the lock screen of her phone.
As it turned out, due to the restoration efforts by the authorities, the internet briefly resumed for everyone.
Official websites, portals, mobile network operators—all channels simultaneously sent out announcements about the arrival of the doomsday, designated bases for evacuation, and radio frequencies to listen to.
Fu Erdie only had time to take a screenshot before receiving incoming calls from various devices.
She had a total of four phones: an Android, an iPhone, an e-book reader, and a flip phone that can only make calls as a backup.
As a precaution, all electronic devices in her home were kept fully charged, so they could respond immediately once there was a signal.
The flip phone was for when she needed a quiet retreat alone.
During those times, she would leave only the computer and the drawing tablet, without any social media apps. The smartphones would be turned off, and she could only be contacted through the flip phone.
Only her closest family members knew this number.
With multiple phones ringing simultaneously, Fu Erdie immediately picked up the flip phone and rushed to her bedroom, closing the door to block out the other noisy sounds.
“Hello.” She urgently lowered her voice.
On the other end, there was a sob, and she heard the familiar voice of her mother crying, “My daughter… my daughter, you’re still alive!”
“Mom!”
Fu Erdie’s eyes immediately turned red.
At the other end of the phone, her father’s anxious voice came through, “How are you now? Are you safe?”
“I’m safe.”
Fu Erdie quickly explained her situation, “Water, electricity, and gas are all working fine at home, and I have enough food stored.”
Her mother interrupted before her father could say more.
Even though she was still sobbing, her thoughts were clear.
“Cut to the chase, while there’s internet, quickly download the maps. We have a printer at home, so print out the maps. Besides the nationwide map, also print out the detailed maps along the route from city C to city H. Your father has already started downloading, you do it quickly too!”
Fu Erdie immediately agreed and began to prepare in an organized manner.
Another phone call came, this time from her grandmother. She activated the speakerphone, receiving both calls simultaneously.
For now, her grandmother’s situation was still okay. She was already on her way to the countryside with her aunt and cousin.
As for her aunt’s husband, he had turned into a zombie on the first day of the apocalypse. The family forcefully locked him on the balcony, narrowly avoiding being bitten.
Fu Erdie never liked her aunt’s husband, who was always telling lies. At this moment, she felt no sadness, only gratefulness that her grandmother and aunt were safe.
The only problem was that her grandmother was already in her eighties and had various minor illnesses. Normally, she would go to the community hospital every week for regular injections.
Now, with the need to escape, even if they brought all the bottles and jars of medicine, they wouldn’t be able to get injections. Coupled with the fear and stress, the situation was really bad.
“Grandma, don’t worry. I’m doing fine at home, and I have plenty of food stored.”
Fu Erdie deliberately made her situation sound decent, “Although you used to criticize me for eating junk food, I secretly hoarded several large boxes of instant noodles. During the recent e-commerce promotion, I also bought several large boxes of pork jerky and chicken breast. I’m eating really well now! The house is safe, and I can even watch TV.”
Her grandmother chuckled at Fu Erdie’s remarks.
The greetings and laughter were brief because her grandmother was on the road, relying on the car charger for electrical power. They needed to conserve electricity as much as possible.
Her parents’ conversation continued.
They had been stationed in an emerging industrial area in city H.
This industrial area used to be a remote rural area, but now it had transformed into a vast expanse of factory zones, still sparsely populated. The survivors here didn’t have to escape; as long as they united to fight the zombies, they could secure a relatively safe space.
Moreover, city H was a major agricultural city with abundant sunlight and widespread use of solar energy.
They were renting a single-family villa with solar panels and solar-powered lights. With a few modifications, they could even charge their devices.
The only problem was that the water pipes burst, so they closed the water valve in the villa community, and they had to fetch water from outside.
But no matter how you looked at it, compared to others, Fu Erdie’s parents were in a very good situation.
“Your father is currently riding his bicycle to the gas station to bring back gasoline. Once we have enough gasoline stored, we’ll come to pick you up!” Her mother said.
Fu Erdie’s nose tingled.
Indeed, the whole world had abandoned her, but her parents would never abandon her.
No one wanted to die.
Everyone wanted to live a few more days.
But to have her parents travel a thousand five hundred kilometres in the apocalypse just to pick her up, she couldn’t allow that.
“Mom, don’t come to pick me up.”
Fu Erdie said with difficulty but calmly, “Unless I can have superpowers like those characters in the apocalyptic novels, otherwise I won’t go and burden you.”
“How could it be a burden?” Cao Bingqing immediately interrupted, “Your father and I are already in our fifties and sixties. No matter what, our energy can’t compare to you young people! When you come, we’ll be much more relaxed!”
Fu Erdie could clearly hear that it was just her mother’s persuasive rhetoric.
“You both lack energy, so you definitely shouldn’t come all this way.”
“If you don’t come, what will you do? None of your relatives are here, and your friends can’t take care of you. If we don’t come, you…” Cao Bingqing’s voice choked as she started crying again.
Fu Erdie’s father took the phone and had an unusual fierceness in his tone, “Don’t think about all these unnecessary things. Live well, and we will definitely come to pick you up!”
Fu Erdie paused her hands, which were busy downloading various files, and firmly said, “If you come to pick me up, I will jump from the 16th floor right now!”
The two people on the phone sounded more like enemies than father and daughter.
Fu Erdie often felt that she inherited her parents’ shortcomings, resembling her mother’s pessimism and her father’s stubbornness.
Her mother was pessimistic but resilient, with life experience and wisdom. When it came to making decisions, she was more decisive than her father.
Her father was stubborn but would grit his teeth and persist for a goal.
She inherited their pessimism and stubbornness but didn’t learn to be decisive and persistent.
She was a complete waste.
No one would want her, and she wouldn’t burden others.
Even if those “others” were her own family.
Both sides remained deadlocked and silent for a long time until her mother suppressed the bitterness and broke the silence, “Then, you stay safe at home. But you need to conserve food and hold on for as long as possible. We have downloaded the maps, and you should do the same. We rented a small villa that you’ve also stayed in for a summer vacation, so you’ll be able to find it when you come.”
“No matter when, never give up hope.”
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