Even at night, the heat was unavoidable.
Chu Yian found an outdoor thermometer; it showed 36°C.
The two sat in the yard, sweating profusely, but no one dared go down to the basement.
On the road outside, cars passed one after another.
From 11 p.m. until 5 a.m., vehicles continuously drove by.
Now, with the sun up, the temperature rose to 40°C.
Finally, no more cars outside.
They stayed by the yard all night without sleep; Chu Yian's clothes were so soaked that water could be wrung out.
But compared to the heat, the more pressing crisis was the mass exodus of people from the city.
"Since last night, about 41 cars have passed."
Chu Yian looked at Lu Qingyuan. "Do you think it'll be like this tonight too?"
It was hard to say. But with the rising heat, no one would dare go out during the day.
Lu Qingyuan shook his head and turned to enter the house.
He checked the basement; the cement-made water reservoir was dry but ready for use.
Usually, they filled it at night, but unsure what tonight would bring and while it was still tolerable outside, they decided to carry as many buckets of water inside as possible.
However, the well's water level had dropped again.
To make drawing water easier, Lu Qingyuan tied a rope to the bucket.
One drew water while the other carried buckets, running back and forth between the basement and the well.
After a full hour, they managed to fill about one-third of the reservoir.
"Ah! I can't do this anymore."
Chu Yian collapsed onto the floor, exhausted.
After a whole night outside yesterday, now this intense labor.
Heat, fatigue, and hunger drained her face of color.
"Take a rest."
Lu Qingyuan took the last two buckets alone and went out again.
This round of the game was not just testing their will against the heat.
After sitting a while, Chu Yian scooped some water from the reservoir to wash her face.
The cool, wet towel pressed to her forehead cleared her mind a little.
She plugged in the freezer and checked inside.
Just overnight, the temperature in the fridge compartment had risen about ten degrees Celsius.
The ice in the freezer was already melting, with water pooling inside.
If this happened a few more times, the food inside would spoil.
Looking at the time, she decided to cook some rice porridge first—to soothe their empty stomachs after such hard work.
Rice porridge in the morning, something better at noon.
She took out the beef and lamb, along with potatoes, onions, taro, and Chinese cabbage.
She cut the potatoes and taro into chunks and boiled them, placing them at the bottom of a large bowl.
Then, the beef and lamb were sliced thinly and blanched with the cabbage leaves in boiling water, then arranged on top.
Next came the seasonings.
Chili, Sichuan peppercorns, salt, MSG, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and fresh chili peppers…
Mixed to the right proportions and poured a generous spoonful of hot oil over it, instantly releasing a rich aroma.
Even Teacher Lu, who had just returned, looked toward the small stove.
Chu Yian was now chopping onion cubes; after the hot oil cooled, she mixed the onions with soy sauce and aromatic vinegar to make a big bowl of dressing for a cold dish.
She found a small basin, dumped the meat and vegetables in with the sauce, stirred it all together—and a dish was ready.
Teacher Lu was already sitting at the table, but Chu Yian put the bowl of marinated beef and lamb back into the fridge.
Instead, she served him a bowl of rice porridge and a small dish of pickled mustard tuber.
He looked up at her.
"Put it in the fridge to marinate—it tastes better after soaking."
Chu Yian said this while quickly eating her breakfast.
Then she carried two electric fans downstairs.
Though the basement was cooler than upstairs, the overall temperature was rising.
Fans were needed in the morning and afternoon, and the air conditioning had to run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This lifestyle was exhausting and tough but still far better than what 90% of the city endured.
At a certain hotel's underground parking lot:
Liu Yong and Li Yunqiang returned early to secure their spot.
Parking spaces here were precious; if they didn't come early, someone else would take their place.
Their spot was average, with cardboard spread on the floor, now covered with footprints.
Next to them was water they fetched from the river last night.
Even after settling, the water was dark and murky.
Most people in the parking lot drank such water.
Clean bottled water had skyrocketed to 500 yuan per bottle—and even then, it wasn't guaranteed anyone was willing to sell.
With nothing available to buy, money was rapidly losing value.
Water and food were almost entirely traded by barter now.
Liu Yong stood and scooped some water from the bucket, took two sips, then suddenly vomited.
"What's wrong?"
Li Yunqiang looked over, disgusted by the sour water on the ground.
"Try the water yourself."
It wasn't just nausea; the taste was truly foul.
Li Yunqiang skeptically poured some water into a mineral water bottle and took a sip.
The taste was indescribable—rotten, sour, with a faint hint of decay.
He barely tasted it before vomiting.
"This is undrinkable."
"Better than nothing," an old, dirty man nearby said.
"If you go check Yu Ting River now, it's almost dry."
He used to escape the heat by hiding under Yu Ting River's bridge, but now the temperature had risen so much that even under the bridge was unbearable.
The river had stopped flowing, and more bodies floated than water.
Heatstroke victims, the sick, people trampled to death during water fights at night, drowned victims…
That putrid corpse-infested water smell—this was exactly it.
Just then, a crying sounded from afar in the parking lot.
"Mom!"
"Grandma!"
Another victim of the heat death.
That family cried bitterly, but after so many deaths in recent days, people around had become numb.
The wails echoed, but no one helped, not even a glance or a word—everyone was too exhausted.
Seeing more and more deaths, Liu Yong scooped another bucket of water, ignoring the taste and forcing himself to swallow.
Food and water didn't matter anymore.
Survival was the only goal.
It was Day 13 of the game. Only seven days left!
Survive seven more days, and the game would be won.
He closed his eyes, silently cheering himself on, planning to sleep and go look for food at night.
But before night came, a sharp pain woke him suddenly.
His abdomen twisted like a knife was cutting him.
He tightened his sphincter, hurried upstairs to the bathroom, and vomited violently.
When it rains, it pours.
Liu Yong had started diarrhea from drinking the river water.
From then on, he ran to the bathroom constantly.
With no food eaten all day, he expelled only water.
The heat upstairs was so intense that every trip to the bathroom felt like being steamed alive.
Even a healthy person couldn't endure this torment. Liu Yong collapsed.