While filling out the form, Lan Jin nodded along to the instructions. Since the staff hadn't asked her to open the door, they had passed the registration booklet through the door gap. Lan Jin quickly filled out her information, signed it, and handed the form back through the gap.
"I've filled it out. I joined two of the groups, but I'm not sure if they're the right ones," Lan Jin said.
She opened her messaging app and held out her phone to show the staff. "Are these the ones?"
The staff took a glance and nodded. "Yes, those are the ones. As long as you've joined, that's good. Keep an eye on the group messages. Also, we don't know when the power will come back, so try to save your phone battery where you can."
"Got it. Thank you. Sorry for the trouble," Lan Jin replied politely.
Just as the staff were about to leave with the registration booklet, Lan Jin hesitated. She still felt uneasy about what she'd heard earlier regarding someone living upstairs.
"Sorry to ask, but just now you mentioned someone is living upstairs too?"
"Yes," one of them answered. "He moved in right before the New Year, about a week before you, I think. Since it was right during the holiday, I remember it clearly. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing. I just find it strange. I've been living here over a month and haven't heard a single sound from above," Lan Jin said.
The two staff members paused. They hadn't expected that answer. "We'll go check upstairs. Once we're done, we'll come back and let you know."
"Alright. I'll leave the inner door open and wait for you," Lan Jin said.
The hallway was especially quiet in the middle of the night. Lan Jin could hear the staff's footsteps echoing as they headed upstairs. They knocked repeatedly, and just as they were about to give up, the upstairs door finally opened. The conversation that followed was standard procedure, but something still felt off. Lan Jin had lived here for over a month and genuinely hadn't heard a single sound from above.
Even if she and Qiao Qiao usually left early and came back late, that was just a figure of speech. She didn't work, and while supplies were important, she never rushed around frantically. She typically let Qiao Qiao sleep in, then they'd have breakfast at home. They took their time, and most days they didn't leave until around nine. Lan Jin herself usually woke up around six or seven. As for evenings, she wouldn't be out with her child after dark. They were always back by dinnertime.
So whether it was early morning or late evening, she should've heard something from the floor above. But she never had. Not once.
Lan Jin stood at the doorway for a while. After the upstairs resident finished their registration, the staff came back down and said, "We asked him. That young man has been home this whole time. Maybe your schedules just never overlapped, so you didn't notice. He looks like a teenager, probably not someone to worry about. But if anything happens, contact the community office."
"Alright, thank you. Maybe it really was just different timing," Lan Jin replied.
As for the rest, she didn't plan to dig further. Things were about to get chaotic anyway. Even if you contacted the community, they might not be able to help once things got worse.
After seeing the staff off, Lan Jin thought about going back to sleep for a bit. But one glance at the clock told her it was already close to six in the morning. No point trying now. So she got up and washed up with Qiao Qiao, then pulled two breakfast sets from her storage space. The two of them sat at the table, eating slowly and enjoying what might be their last peaceful moment before the world changed.
But after breakfast, Lan Jin picked up her phone and immediately saw the community chat had exploded with messages.
"Power's out, fine, but now there's no water or gas either? Did the water pipes and gas lines all break at once?"
"Yeah, when will it all come back? We can grab breakfast outside, sure, but we can't go without washing up."
"Forget eating out. There's no water or power anywhere. No breakfast places are even open. I went out and came back with nothing."
"You've got to be kidding. I eat out every day. I don't have a single thing at home. What now, starve?"
People had started panicking as soon as they realized they couldn't even find food outside.
"You're saying even the stores are shut? What are we all supposed to do, just sit here and starve?"
"Go out and buy what you can. You don't have to cook. Get bread, instant noodles, self-heating meals, anything that fills your stomach. Forget being picky right now. Just eat something."
"Hello? Community staff? Anyone there? Don't play dead now. When is the power, water, and gas coming back? We need a clear answer."
"Exactly. You're always around when no one needs you, but now that we do, you're nowhere. It's not even like we're in a disaster zone. Why cut off everything here?"
"Seriously, I've got a baby at home waiting for hot water to mix formula. What is he supposed to eat without water or power?"
...
As she read all the complaints, Lan Jin leaned back and let out a contented burp. She glanced at the dishes on the table, still not cleaned up.
Well, no water. No way to wash them. They could wait.
The residents were panicking, but the repair crews were even more stressed. Long before they began fixing the lines, official memos had started piling up, warning how bad the situation was. No power or water was serious, yes. But the real threat was coming soon. In less than twenty-four hours, the entire city of J would be covered in poisonous fog.
Water and power repairmen were racing against the clock. They weren't just fixing utilities anymore, they were trying to keep the entire city alive. Of course they were anxious. Of course they worked carefully. And that meant repairs were slow.
Meanwhile, no matter how loud the community chat got, the staff didn't reply. Not a word. Some residents couldn't sit still anymore and ran straight to the office, only to find it already packed with people. Everyone had the same question: when would the utilities be restored?
The staff patiently repeated the same thing. "We've been told everything will be fixed today. But we don't know exactly when. Honestly, instead of yelling at us, it's better to go check the supermarkets. Buy something you can eat right away. You'll be in real trouble if you go hungry."
That last line seemed like a subtle warning. Some residents took it seriously and headed to the stores immediately. Others just thought the community was shirking responsibility and kept arguing in the office.
And so the chaos dragged on until past three in the afternoon.
Finally, the water came back. An hour later, the power returned. Another hour after that, gas was restored.
The day of confusion and frustration was over.
But just as everyone thought the worst had passed, something even more serious began to unfold.