The two of them had a simple exchange, and three hours passed just like that.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, night fell.
Qin Lan's soft, boneless, and perfect body leaned unreservedly into Jiang Chen's embrace, her long, fair, top-tier legs resting naturally over him.
After their first taste of intimacy, the two had calmed down somewhat, no longer as urgent as they had been in the previous days.
Jiang Chen then reached for the two phones stacked on the nightstand.
He handed one to Qin Lan, who was resting on his chest, reminiscing and idly tracing circles with her hair.
"By the way, Sister Lan, it feels like we haven't looked at our phones in a long time."
"I wonder how this Apocalypse outside has developed."
"Since we have nothing better to do anyway, we might as well get an idea of the situation over the past few days so we can prepare accordingly."
Qin Lan took the phone and skillfully unlocked it.
Once the screen lit up, a dense barrage of messages popped up.
All sorts of missed calls, text messages, and various advertisements caused her phone to lag for a long time, nearly causing it to crash.
Qin Lan looked at her phone, her expression even appearing a bit dazed.
Life had been so comfortable these past few days that she had hardly touched her phone.
If it weren't for the eerie temperature drop outside the window and the lethal toxic snow, both of which proved the reality of the Apocalypse...
She would have almost thought she was on a honeymoon with her husband.
The two of them adjusted their positions and began checking the changes that had occurred outside over the past few days.
[Global Emergency Bulletin:...Affected by the energy storm, all major water systems worldwide have been contaminated by gray snow. High biological toxicity has been detected; do not drink directly!]
[Municipal Emergency Notice: The city's water supply system and natural gas pipelines have completely shut down. Currently, electricity and network signals are being maintained by emergency power systems and satellite signals, which may be interrupted at any time...]
[Experts point out: Although the gray snow is highly toxic, it is not impossible to resist. Theoretically, one can venture outside briefly while wearing a full biochemical protective suit.]
Looking at the expert's statement, Jiang Chen couldn't help but sneer.
He really didn't know how these people who occupied positions without doing any work had the face to make such a suggestion.
Even if the toxic snow could be resisted, where would an ordinary person find a full biochemical protective suit?
This was just as ridiculous as the advice to rent out vacant houses or drive private cars to earn money.
If I already have spare houses and private cars, could I still be poor?
"The severity of this disaster seems to have exceeded everyone's imagination."
"The government... it seems we can't count on them now."
Qin Lan's face turned slightly pale as she tapped on an official push notification and handed it to Jiang Chen.
It stated that the military had established a temporary safety zone in the far suburbs dozens of kilometers away, but added at the end: "Survivors with the capability, please head there on your own."
Once this message came out, it basically announced to all survivors.
Everyone could only rely on themselves to survive in this Apocalypse.
As for how long they could live, it would all depend on fate.
Until the threat of the toxic snow was cracked, everyone would be trapped on these isolated islands.
After reading this official information, the two of them had a general understanding of the overall external situation.
To summarize in one sentence:
The current situation was extremely pessimistic, and everything was heading toward the worst possible outcome.
After reading those messages, the two of them opened the neighborhood owners' group, which already had 999+ messages.
As soon as they entered, countless new messages were constantly popping up.
If they weren't careful, it would be 999+ unread messages again.
However, this situation was normal. Since the outside was covered in toxic snow and no one could go out...
Paying more attention to the internal information of the neighborhood might allow them to live a bit longer... 2701 (Manager Wang): [@Everyone! @Property Management! Is everyone dead? I'm almost dying of thirst! Hurry up and find a solution for me, solve it now!]
1904 (Mrs. Li): [If the problem isn't solved, don't even think about getting a single cent of next year's property management fees!]
1502 (Brother Zhao): [Heh! Even at a time like this, some people are still so naive. Forget about next year; if you can live past next week, you should consider yourself lucky.]
1703 (Little Zhang): [Ah! I'm so cold, I'm so thirsty, I want to drink water!]
After so many days of the apocalyptic disaster, it was uncertain if anyone in property management was even still alive, so how could they respond to these people's messages?
Besides, the authority of property management was, to put it bluntly, not even as large as a neighborhood committee's.
In a global disaster like this, looking for them was useless.
The temperature outside had already dropped to over thirty degrees below zero.
In some units with drafty windows and poor insulation, the indoor temperature had even reached over ten degrees below zero.
Even for those families with decent insulation, the indoor temperature was only a few degrees above zero.
Furthermore, the current power supply was extremely unstable. Being able to charge a phone was already considered a blessing.
As for heating equipment like air conditioners and electric blankets, they were simply out of the question.
People could only wear clothes, cover themselves with several layers of quilts, and shiver under the covers.
Some elderly people with weaker constitutions had even frozen to death in their homes.
However, the cold was not the most serious problem right now.
The most serious problem now was the lack of water.
Everyone still had more or less some food stockpiled.
As for the cold, it wasn't impossible to endure by wearing a few more layers of thick clothing.
But clean water was a basic necessity!
2203 (Zhang Wen): [To those neighbors who can't stand the thirst, I have a piece of advice. The water outside is completely contaminated. Don't throw away that 'iced red tea' at home; it might save your life later!]
1703 (Little Zhang): [Holy crap, drinking your own supply? You're a ruthless one! I'm going to start saving my 'iced red tea' right now. Another piece of useful knowledge added!]
1201 (Professor Liu): [@2203 Are you crazy?! Even if I freeze to death, die of thirst, or jump from the 12th floor, I would never drink that kind of thing!]
2203 (Zhang Wen): [@1201 Professor? Can 'Professor' be drunk as water? I didn't force you to drink it. If you want to die, just go ahead and jump. Stop putting on an act!]
The atmosphere in the group became very oppressive for a moment, and everyone's heart was filled with despair.
Could it be that they really only had the choice to drink 'iced red tea'?
But soon, someone proposed an even more terrifying suggestion.
1502 (Brother Zhao): [Damn it, how many days can 'iced red tea' last? In our building, unit 3001 is unoccupied year-round! It's definitely an empty apartment! I suggest a few of us neighbors get together, smash the door open, and go in to find supplies! Anyone willing?]
2701 (Manager Wang): [@1502 Brother Zhao, count me in! We'll split whatever we find equally! At worst, once the Apocalypse is over, we'll just pay him back!]
1904 (Mrs. Li): [I'll go too! My husband is stuck at the office and can't come back. I'm a woman alone with a child, please take me with you!]
Seeing the group start to organize and prepare to 'looting' their neighbor, Qin Lan felt a chill run down her spine.
Only three days had passed, and order was already on the brink of collapse.
Right now they were only smashing into empty houses; in a few days, they might start smashing into occupied ones.
In the end, for the sake of supplies, these people might even dare to kill directly.
Human nature cannot withstand any test under such extreme circumstances.
"Xiao Chen... will they... will they come to smash our door too?"
Qin Lan's heart was filled with worry, and she subconsciously gripped Jiang Chen's arm.