Chapter 48

After thoroughly organizing the house, Mu Nan packed everything, including food, drink, the bed, and the small coffee table, into their storage space. If it weren't for the hassle of installing the air conditioner, and considering that the building hadn't collapsed in the previous life, he would have even taken the air conditioner apart and stored it. Although it hadn't collapsed before, what if it did this time? However, even if it did collapse, it wouldn't be a huge problem he had a temperature-resistant one in storage. When the conditions were right, it wouldn't be a problem to set up.

After meticulously checking the house several times, Mu Nan still felt uneasy. It wasn't about missing anything but the dread of the impending massive earthquake. The thought of a disaster capable of destroying the entire world made him extremely anxious.

Qin Huai, seeing Mu Nan pacing anxiously around the house, didn't stop him. If repeatedly checking things helped ease his anxiety, so be it. But as Mu Nan's face grew paler, Qin Huai couldn't help but hold him: "Don't be afraid, relax. No matter what happens, we'll face it together. As long as we're together, there's nothing to be afraid of. We have plenty of supplies and are well-prepared. No matter where we end up, we'll be fine. If you're still feeling uneasy, why not check your storage space again and see if the things we bought give you some comfort?"

Mu Nan nodded, took a few deep breaths, and tried to calm down. Having experienced it once, he knew that the chaos started with this earthquake, making him even more anxious and fearful. But thinking it over, since natural disasters can't be avoided, being fearful won't help. They were well-prepared and more assured than others. This thought did calm him somewhat.

Seeing him calm down, Qin Huai released him and went to the balcony to look out. The sun was nearly setting, and although it was getting dark, there was still a bit of twilight. Qin Huai decided not to stay home any longer. Mu Nan mentioned that earthquakes occurred after dark, but the exact timing was unknown. Instead of staying home and overthinking, it might be better to go outside and possibly feel a bit more relaxed.

With the fading daylight, there weren't many people outside, so they sat at the stairwell for a while. The once lush green garden was now barren. The grass had dried up, and the trees had died from exposure. The community flattened the entire green area, fearing that the dead wood might cause a fire. Later, people tried to grow vegetables at home and secretly dug in the community garden, leaving just a pit where the small garden used to be. Sitting by the stairwell, they looked out at the unobstructed garden and the distant sun setting line.

Mu Nan said, "Should we call them down? Although the building didn't collapse, descending could easily cause a stampede. I don't remember if anyone died from a stampede during the last collapse. Back then, no one expected such a devastating earthquake. After escaping, I was in a daze for days and couldn't focus on other things. But calling people down suddenly when they rarely go out seems like an unreasonable excuse."

Qin Huai let him rest his head on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll send them a WeChat message to see if they come down."

Once it was fully dark, Qin Huai and Mu Nan went to the community's open space and sent a message to the small group.

Qin Huai: "Mu Nan and I are planning to check out the night market at the small square. Do you want to join us?"

Mu Nan saw the message and said, "Brother, wasn't it said that there would be some unusual phenomena before the earthquake? I looked carefully just now, but there were no unusual bird movements or ants moving homes. Everything is very calm."

Qin Huai had also been observing the surroundings, and indeed, there were no signs of an impending earthquake. Everything, just like the sudden smog and high temperatures, arrived without warning. It all seemed so strange.

"If there were signs, the government would have issued a warning. For such a severe earthquake, if the national machinery detected it early, it would be impossible to keep it hidden. It seems that even the national machinery couldn't detect it, and sensitive animals didn't give any early warning. It's like the smog and high temperatures, happening without reason. Maybe many years from now, people will uncover the causes of these disasters, but for now, it's beyond our understanding."

Soon, someone in the small group replied. Xu Ming quickly agreed and said he would be down after preparing. After a while, Jian Chu also responded, saying he would join.

Mu Nan was relieved that they would come down.

When they arrived downstairs, there were already people returning from the cooling stations. Seeing the brothers, Jian Chu smiled and asked, "What brings you down here today? You usually avoid going out if you can."

Qin Huai said, "We wanted to see what's available at the night market in the small square."

Jian Chu sighed, "We wanted to buy some clothes too. We're out of clothes to wear." Summer clothes were already scarce, and now with the lack of water, washing daily wasn't possible. They had to conserve and wash in batches, without enough water to use detergent multiple times, just soaking a bit to remove sweat. If only they had bought more clothes in advance, they wouldn't be in this situation.

Xu Ming said, "The small night market across the street just opened in the past couple of days, right? I heard that many of the items are stolen from other stores."

Since food wasn't available, most of what was for sale were clothes, pants, shoes, and similar items. Yesterday, someone even posted pictures of the night market in the group, and there were some who displayed gold jewelry in exchange for water or food. It was unclear whether the gold jewelry was also stolen.

As they walked toward the small square across the community, they saw that there were still quite a few people there. The stalls were spaced widely apart. Possibly due to the close proximity and the unpleasant smell in the heat, as well as concerns about theft, there was a deliberate safety distance between the stalls to prevent overcrowding and to avoid opportunistic theft.

This spacing actually benefited Mu Nan and the others. The wider area allowed for easier movement if there was any commotion, making it easier to run to a less crowded area and avoid getting injured in the chaos.

The small square had a variety of stalls—some selling cheap toys, others selling clothes and shoes, kitchenware, books, and even various DVDs. Although there were many people, most were just browsing. The stalls had price lists displayed, so there was no need to ask for prices. Even though bargaining was possible, many people didn't bother if they weren't interested in buying. Despite the number of people, the atmosphere was calm, and everyone quietly browsed.

Jian Chu quickly found a stall selling clothes with a sign stating two hundred yuan per item, with a choice of clothes and pants.

Seeing the price, Jian Chu rolled his eyes, "It's not even branded. This looks like the kind of stuff that used to be three for a hundred yuan. It's not food or drink, and it's still so expensive."

Mu Nan said, "But there are still quite a few buyers." A circle of people surrounded the stall, picking through the clothes. Maybe they had adjusted to the skyrocketing prices and thought two hundred yuan per item was cheap, or they were worried that prices would keep rising and two hundred yuan might not even get them a single item in the future. Compared to the book stall next door, this one was quite popular.

Seeing that Jian Chu and the others weren't approaching, Mu Nan asked, "Aren't we buying? Prices might go up later if we don't buy now." Although he knew the prices wouldn't rise any further, as the value of money would depreciate after tonight, leaving money wouldn't be useful, so it was better to buy something.

Jian Chu shook his head, "Forget it. Let's just rotate through the few clothes we have." With the spare money, they would have bought food long ago. Looking at the vendors, Jian Chu thought he might really need to start breaking into stores to steal things.

As they continued walking, they saw a group of people dragging a cart filled with goods. As soon as they reached the small square, they were surrounded by people. The vendors had set up barriers, allowing only a few people in at a time. Mu Nan stretched his neck to peek inside, "What are they selling? Even before they've set out the goods, there are already so many people gathered. Is it food?"

Xu Ming, who seemed to always be online and knew everything about the group dynamics, said, "Yes, they're selling self-heating hot pots."

Mu Nan was surprised, "They're still selling self-heating hot pots at this time?"

Xu Ming explained, "It seems that during the initial stockpiling, a group of people bought a warehouse full of goods, planning to hold onto them and sell at a high price later. However, the situation turned out to be worse than they anticipated. So it seems they stocked up well."

Mu Nan saw people opening boxes of self-heating hot pots and putting up a sign: five hundred yuan per box, with a choice of flavors. While clothes were two hundred yuan each, the food prices had been marked up more than ten times.

The high prices discouraged many, but some still bought them. Each hot pot contained vegetables and meat, which were rare in the current conditions. Even though it was expensive, buying a box and cooking some rice to go with it could be a decent meal for a family. With the New Year approaching, having one of these as a special meal was a luxury. Who would have thought that a self-heating hot pot would be considered a treat?

Mu Nan asked Qin Huai in a low voice, "How much money do we have left? Should we buy some?"

Qin Huai replied, "We have less than ten thousand left. Go ahead and buy some." Buying now would ensure they had something to eat later when they couldn't resist treating themselves. After all, they would likely spend a few days in rescue tents and couldn't fill their bags with food in advance. It would be better to say they were preparing for the night market visit and possibly trading for something. If they bought too much, it would look like they were preparing for a disaster.

Mu Nan went to join the line. The stall only allowed two or three people in at a time to avoid overcrowding, so the line was quite long. Yu Zibai also nudged Jian Chu to join the queue.

Jian Chu quickly shook his head, "Too expensive." Something that used to cost forty to fifty yuan was now ten times the price. For five hundred yuan, they could buy over ten bottles of water. Even when it was forty-five yuan, he had never been willing to buy it. Now that it was so expensive, he was even more reluctant.

Yu Zibai smiled, "Go ahead and buy a box. We should have some meat for the New Year. It's been a year; we need to have something special. Go on."

Jian Chu hesitated but obediently stood behind Mu Nan. Xu Ming sent Jian Chu a thousand yuan: "I won't queue. Buy two boxes for me."

Having worked as a veterinarian for years, Xu Ming's salary was decent, and he had some savings. At times like this, being generous with himself was worthwhile. It would be a shame to scrimp now and later find it hard to buy good food.

The line was long but moved quickly, and soon they reached the front. Mu Nan bought four boxes. He wanted to spend all the remaining money, but that would be irrational, so he only bought four boxes, considering Xu Ming's example of buying two boxes.

As Mu Nan was selecting the flavors, Qin Huai noticed a cluster of ants marching in a pothole in the flower bed where the plants had been stripped away. It seemed there were signs, but they appeared too briefly. After a moment's thought, he took a photo of the scene and sent it to the officer, Shi Yuanfei.

Shi Yuanfei had the day off. Although soldiers had adapted to the high-intensity training, the physical strain was bearable, but the psychological pressure of seeing people die every day was hard to endure. Therefore, proper rest was necessary. When he saw the WeChat message from Qin Huai, he initially thought it might be about their rewards. However, upon opening it, he was surprised to see a photo of a bunch of ants.

Confused, Shi Yuanfei wondered why someone would send him such a photo. Surely it wasn't just to share something interesting? He put down his phone and headed to the mess hall, but after taking a few steps, he suddenly froze and turned back, grabbing his phone to examine the photo more closely. He then quickly ran to his superior's office.

Meanwhile, Jian Chu also bought two boxes of self-heating hot pots. Since it was the New Year, he decided to have a good meal. As for what to do once the money was spent, that was a concern for another day. While packing the hot pots into his bag, he couldn't help but sigh, "It looks like I really will need to start working construction next year. I just don't know if there are any requirements for that."

Yu Zibai slung his bag over his shoulder and asked, "Do you want to keep looking around?"

Mu Nan quickly replied, "There are still a few stalls we haven't seen. Let's check out what they're selling."

However, before he could take more than a couple of steps, he felt a strange, disorienting sensation, as if he was stepping on cotton and suddenly losing his footing.

Qin Huai quickly grabbed Mu Nan and shouted to Xu Ming and the others, "Run to the open area!"

The group hadn't yet reacted fully but instinctively followed. Then, the air was filled with the sound of air raid sirens. Though their country occasionally experienced earthquakes, it wasn't prone to them, and many cities didn't have systematic earthquake preparedness plans. Unlike some countries where alarms prompt immediate safety measures, many people were confused when the siren sounded.

This confusion lasted only a few seconds. Soon, everyone felt the ground shaking. Earthquake was the first thought that crossed their minds. Some vendors even started packing up their goods, as the shaking wasn't severe enough to prompt an immediate escape. Some people, merely browsing the night market, took advantage of the chaos to grab items from stalls.

The minor shaking was just the beginning. The tremors grew stronger, making it impossible for people to stand. Qin Huai and his group couldn't get far; they only made it to the center of the square before being thrown to the ground by the intensity of the quake. The violent shaking made it hard to get up. Qin Huai pulled Mu Nan into his embrace, shielding him as best as he could. Since running wasn't an option, they had to stay put. Mu Nan had mentioned that the square might be used as a shelter, suggesting it wasn't severely damaged. Moving now could mean being trapped under collapsed buildings, so they had no choice but to wait and hope for the best.

The shaking grew more intense, accompanied by thunderous noises like explosions. The sound of collapsing buildings seemed to shatter eardrums. The sweltering heat, pervasive dust, and rapid heartbeat from panic made it hard to breathe.

Road fractures, collapsing buildings, and snapped power lines plunged the area into deeper darkness.

The thunderous collapse and falling debris weighed heavily on people's hearts.

Mu Nan retrieved two damp towels from his bag, struggling to hand them to Qin Huai amid the shaking. Qin Huai held Mu Nan tightly and used one towel to cover their mouths and faces, trying to stave off suffocation from the dust.

They could no longer focus on others around them. Occasionally, small stones hit them, and every loud noise felt like a building was crashing down on them. The continuous shaking and loud sounds made it hard to hear anything, leaving them with a sensation akin to being submerged underwater, with a nauseating feeling that made their throats taste bitter.

The earthquake, though lasting only a few minutes or so, felt like an eternity. The collapse of buildings continued, and as the shaking subsided, only debris and dust remained. An hour had passed, and the landscape was completely obscured by dust.

Once the shaking stopped, Qin Huai, fighting through dizziness, checked on Mu Nan. Mu Nan lay on the ground, unable to move, and his ears rang with a constant buzzing, as if isolated from the world. Feeling someone patting him, he knew it was Qin Huai. Struggling to open his eyes, he found his face covered in dust or dirt, making it almost impossible to open his eyes. He squeezed Qin Huai's hand to let him know he was still alive.

After a while, Qin Huai managed to regain some composure and locate his backpack amid the debris. Fortunately, being at the center of the square meant the surrounding buildings were far enough away that only small stones had reached them, and his supplies of food and water were intact.

He poured water onto a towel and wiped Mu Nan's face, removing some of the dust. He then helped Mu Nan sit up and gave him some water. Mu Nan choked and coughed, feeling as if small stones were stuck in his throat. Despite covering his mouth and nose with a towel, he had inhaled a lot of dust. However, the coughing cleared his mind somewhat. When he opened his eyes, he saw Qin Huai, covered in dust like a terracotta warrior, and weakly called out, "Brother..."

Seeing that Mu Nan was finally a bit more conscious, Qin Huai let out a sigh of relief and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm here. Don't be afraid. Drink some water. It's over now; the earthquake has passed."

Mu Nan took a few sips and then pushed the water bottle towards Qin Huai's mouth. Qin Huai, with the dust still in his mouth, drank the remaining water in one go. He stuffed the empty bottle back into the bag, holding Mu Nan with one arm while scanning their surroundings. However, due to the power outage and the thick dust covering everything, visibility was poor. Qin Huai glanced at his watch, the faint glow of the night light allowed him to see it was around 12:30. There was still some time before dawn.

"Close your eyes and lie down for a bit. If there are no aftershocks, we should be safe here. Once we recover, we'll see if anyone is organizing shelters or if we should head home, if our home is still standing."

Mu Nan lay down for a while but couldn't help but get up and vomit some water. The tightness in his chest eased somewhat. Qin Huai, feeling concerned, let Mu Nan lean against him, gently stroking his chest to make him more comfortable.

In a short time, some of the people who had been running with them seemed to have recovered. Amidst the haze of dust, Qin Huai vaguely saw a figure unsteadily rising from the ground. The person looked around in confusion and, upon fully realizing their situation, fell to their knees, seemingly on the verge of tears. They could not make a sound, their throat appearing to be constricted, only managing hoarse, rasping noises.

Qin Huai held Mu Nan tightly, feeling his heartbeat, trying to regain his own sense of warmth and comfort amidst the chaos.