Meng Ci stopped watching them. Once tomorrow came, everyone would be on edge.
Li Shanyang and his cowardly lot wouldn't dare venture out again.
In the kitchen, Meng Ci cooked a pot of preserved egg and lean pork congee. After serving himself a bowl, he packed the rest into disposable containers and shoved them all into his storage space.
He fried an egg, two sausages, and reheated last night's leftovers-breakfast was ready.
After eating his fill, Meng Ci resumed poring over the map, scanning nearby shops for anything he might need.
"Knock knock."
Meng Ci heard the knock, turned off the TV, and glanced warily outside.
Shen Que stood outside, soaking wet, water still dripping from his hair.
"What's this?" Meng Ci opened the door, utterly surprised.
Did this guy have some kind of masochistic streak? He'd gotten caught in the rain yesterday, and now again today?
Shen Que handed Meng Ci a plastic bag. "I checked the forecast. It's supposed to rain for the next few days."
"I saw you didn't have much food yesterday. Here, take these."
Meng Ci's hand tightened on the doorknob. An orphan since childhood, he'd never been shown such concern before. To say he wasn't moved would be a lie.
"No, keep it. I'll manage without food later."
With the rain pouring outside, he wondered how this man had even managed to buy it.
Though deeply touched, he didn't need it.
"Take it."
With that, Shen Que shoved the bag into Meng Ci's hands before pushing open the door to his own home and stepping inside.
Meng Ci had no choice but to carry the items back to his place. It was just a few packs of instant noodles, two bundles of dried noodles, and a bag of potatoes.
Though meager, getting anything in this weather was no small feat!
Oh no!
He was turning into a love-struck fool!
No way!
Meng Ci stood up, hastily packed everything away, and shoved it into a corner of his storage space. Out of sight, out of mind.
Otherwise, if he kept looking at it, his love-struck brain would be impossible to control.
Then Meng Ci went into an empty bedroom, pulled a treadmill out of his storage space, put on his headphones to listen to music, and started running.
In the apocalypse, you still need a strong physique-exercise is essential.
That's why, besides buying twenty treadmills, Meng Ci had also stocked up on dumbbells, exercise bikes, yoga mats, resistance bands, and other workout gear.
After running nonstop for half an hour, Meng Ci finally stopped, sat on the yoga mat, and began massaging his legs.
Outside, the rain poured down in buckets.
TV news and radio broadcasts began reporting that heavy rainfall would persist for the next ten days, advising everyone to stay indoors.
In his class group chat, some classmates were still celebrating the rain, meaning no school.
Seeing this, Meng Ci thought to himself that he should be even happier about his future.
For at least the next decade, forget about school-he wouldn't even have to touch a book.
Outside the window, a group of people likely running out of food-huddled together, trying to make their way out. The rainwater had already risen above their knees.
One person, whether tripping or misstepping, fell to the ground and nearly got swept away by the flood.
Fortunately, the others didn't abandon him. They pulled him up together.
Meng Ci remembered there was a supermarket right at the community entrance-these people didn't have to go far to buy supplies.
Meanwhile, in the surveillance feed, Li Xiaoya and the others woke up to find the rain still showing no signs of stopping.
Everyone wore worried expressions. Li Shanyang, who hadn't covered himself with a blanket last night, sneezed repeatedly.
There was no food here. Liu Jie and the others were trapped-this situation was unsustainable.
So Li Shanyang and the others took turns calling Meng Ci, but he didn't answer any of their calls.
The rain was heavier than Meng Ci had imagined. Just as he had seen the scene outside, Li Shanyang and the others had witnessed it too.
Given this, the few who valued their lives would be even less likely to venture out.
There was no risk of them leaving.
Ignoring his phone, Meng Ci rested before retrieving an electric pasta roller from his spatial storage.
He kneaded a bowl of dough, rolled it into fresh noodles with the machine, leaving only two portions out while storing the rest in his spatial storage.
Meng Ci then stir-fried a bowl of shredded potatoes. After staring at the noodles for a long while, he finally opened the door and knocked on Shen Que's door.
"What is it?"
Shen Que had already changed into a white short-sleeved shirt, his chest muscles filling it out completely.
"I made some noodles. Want some?"
Meng Ci swallowed hard. This meal would serve as thanks for the two deliveries he'd made-after this, he wouldn't open the door for him again.
"Yes."
Without a moment's hesitation, Shen Que agreed.
He fetched his keys, slipped on flip-flops, and followed Meng Ci into her apartment.
The water was already boiling; the noodles were cooked in no time.
He ladled a bowl for each of them, topped with shredded potatoes. A bowl of potato-topped noodles was ready, made even more delicious with the chili oil Meng Ci had prepared.
After they finished eating in silence, Shen Que went in to wash the dishes.
"Thanks for the food you brought. You won't need to do that anymore."
"You should keep it for yourself. After all, who knows when this rain will stop?"
Meng Ci said as he saw Shen Que out the door.
"Alright."
Shen Que paused at the doorway, gave a brief reply, and stepped inside.
Leaning against the doorframe, Meng Ci let out a deep sigh.
What a pity! If it weren't for the apocalypse, he'd have pounced on someone this compatible ages ago.
In the real world, Meng Ci had no time for romance because he was too busy making money.
Now, in this book, he had money, but survival itself made romance impossible.
After a moment of melancholy, Meng Ci sat down on the sofa and began cracking sunflower seeds.
On the monitor, Liu Jie was soaked from head to toe, clearly having just come downstairs in an attempt to escape-though he hadn't succeeded.
By now, it was past two in the afternoon. The four of them must have been starving, finally remembering the supplies Meng Ci had brought yesterday and stashed in the kitchen.
They had no concept of quantities, so they didn't notice anything missing. With only a few vegetables and two handfuls of rice left, Zhang Lu threw everything into the pot.
While stir-frying, Zhang Lu couldn't resist and snatched several bites straight from the pan.
When the meal was served, each person got less than half a bowl of rice. They scrambled for it, faces flushed red.
Meng Ci watched, shaking his head. He'd thought these four were so united, but now they were already squabbling. Dealing with them would be easier than he'd imagined.
It wasn't until past three o'clock that Meng Ci finally returned their call.
"Meng Ci, are you ever going to come pick us up?!"
"Even if you can't come, you could at least send someone to bring us some food!"
"We're stuck in this godforsaken place because of you! If you dare not show up, we'll make you pay."
On the other end of the line, the group was putting Meng Ci on trial.
Meng Ci chuckled softly. "Sorry, I can't help it. I can't reach anyone right now."
"I haven't eaten a thing since yesterday!" As he said this, Meng Ci slurped down a sip of passion fruit juice.
Mmm, so good!
"I don't care. You figure something out."
"I'm your old man. If you don't solve this, once the rain stops, I'll break your legs."
Meng Ci took another sip of passion fruit juice. Finally, someone on the other end noticed and asked if he was eating!
Meng Ci denied it. "No, I'm starving. I'm just drinking water."
Li Shanyang and the others didn't suspect anything. After all, they'd been drinking water all morning, too.
"Who cares if you're hungry? Just figure something out for me."