Chapter 18: The Apocalypse Approaches
After briefly explaining the situation to his superior, Zhan Yun put Chen Huizhen’s matter out of his mind. With only three days left before the apocalypse, he decided to let her do as she pleased. In any case, even with the six hundred thousand yuan in hand, that woman would only stash it away—she wouldn’t use it to buy food or supplies. It was no different from handing her a pile of worthless paper.
The weather grew hotter and hotter, with temperatures hovering around forty degrees Celsius. By all logic, September should have meant the onset of autumn, making such extreme heat deeply unsettling. Under the blazing sun, it felt as though even one’s skin was being scorched, and gradually fewer and fewer pedestrians could be seen on the streets.
Government departments issued three consecutive red heatwave warnings. Factories and schools were shut down, leaving only some companies and public institutions operating as usual. Almost every household in the city ran their air conditioners nonstop. The power grid was pushed beyond its limits, forcing the authorities to implement rolling blackouts. Before long, people began to succumb to the heat, with cases of heatstroke cropping up everywhere.
Watching the news on television, seeing people with tightly shut eyes and flushed faces being lifted onto ambulances and rushed to hospitals, Zhan Yun felt his heart slowly sink.
Though he said he believed Su Ruizhe’s words, he still hoped deep down that the apocalypse wouldn’t truly come. If possible, he wished all his efforts would turn out to be for nothing—that the world wouldn’t descend into bloodshed and chaos.
Yet the scenes on the news confirmed the pre-apocalypse signs Su Ruizhe had once described. Those who merely seemed to have “heatstroke” would soon die of dehydration, and then, on the night of the blood moon… all of them would rise again.
Zhan Yun took a deep breath and called Song Chengshu.
“A-Zhan, I already told you—the medicines and equipment can’t be gathered that fast. I’ve only managed to get part of them so far. Pressing me won’t help,” Song Chengshu complained.
“How are things at the hospitals in the city right now?” Zhan Yun asked.
“They’re full of heatstroke cases everywhere, and lots of acute dehydration too. A few people have already died,” Song Chengshu sighed.
Hearing this, Zhan Yun’s frown deepened. “Bring whatever medicines and equipment you’ve already obtained and drive straight to the villa district.”
“Huh? I’m still at work… Can’t I come after I get off?” Song Chengshu hesitated.
“Work, my ass—” Zhan Yun ran a hand through his hair irritably, swallowing the curse that nearly slipped out and changing his words instead. “I’m not feeling well. I don’t know if my wound’s gotten infected.”
“What? Seriously? I’m coming right now!” In the end, Song Chengshu valued his friend more than anything else. He hurriedly asked for leave from the hospital and rushed out.
Seeing how frantic he was, the hospital staff assumed something had happened to his family and readily approved his leave. Medical workers were human too—they had families to care about. Besides, most of the patients were suffering from heatstroke rather than infectious diseases, so things were still barely manageable.
Zhan Yun continued watching the news. When reports mentioned rising prices for vegetables, fruits, and meat, it struck him that he hadn’t prepared any pigs, cattle, or sheep yet. He immediately searched online for a local livestock farm, transferred a deposit, and ordered more than a dozen live pigs, cattle, and sheep, arranging to pick them up that evening.
He then called Cheng Qi, his childhood friend with some family connections.
“Well, well—did the sun rise in the west today? What made you think to call me?” Cheng Qi’s familiar voice came through the phone.
“How’s the situation in the capital?” Zhan Yun asked.
“What situation? I’m not even in the capital.”
“What?! You’re not in the capital?!” Zhan Yun nearly jumped out of his chair.
“Why so worked up? It’s hot as hell there. Jiaojiao couldn’t stand it, so I brought her out to cool off. We’re in City A now. You’re in City S, right? Want me to swing by and see you?”
“Cut the crap!” Zhan Yun snapped. “Go buy a batch of food, water, and daily necessities right now, and take Cheng Jiao to hide somewhere safe!”
“Huh? Isn’t it just heatstroke? Why are you acting like the world’s about to end?”
“I’m not joking. If you still consider me your brother, then listen to me.”
Hearing the gravity in Zhan Yun’s tone, Cheng Qi finally grew serious. “Is it really that bad?”
“Yes. Find a place with reinforced doors and windows, tight security—hide there.”
“…Alright.”
After ending the call with Cheng Qi, Zhan Yun phoned his superior again, only telling him that the heatwave might be far worse than he imagined and urging him to prepare more food and drinking water. His superior, however, dismissed it, telling him to stop listening to alarmist rumors online before hanging up to deal with other matters.
Zhan Yun let out a long sigh. Life and death were decreed by fate; wealth and honor by heaven. He’d done all he could.
After a while, Su Ruizhe came out of the space. Seeing the grave look on Zhan Yun’s face as he leaned against the sofa, and the news playing on the TV, Su Ruizhe immediately understood. He sighed silently to himself—the heat would only grow more severe. In another two days, even more people would die…
Turning around, Su Ruizhe went into the kitchen to cook something good for Zhan Yun, hoping at least to lift his spirits a little.
By the time Su Ruizhe brought the dishes out, Zhan Yun had already regained his composure. The two of them ate heartily together.
Not long after, Song Chengshu arrived. Seeing Zhan Yun looking full of energy, he instantly flew into a rage and nearly stormed out, only to be dragged back by Zhan Yun.
Song Chengshu had brought several large boxes of medicine, all of which Zhan Yun handed over to Su Ruizhe to store away. Then he dragged Song Chengshu into a room.
By the time Song Chengshu staggered back out, looking dazed, it was already close to six in the evening.
“Go back, pack your things, and move over tomorrow,” Zhan Yun said.
“…Okay.” Song Chengshu left in a fog, clearly having taken a heavy blow.
After six o’clock, the temperature finally dropped a little. Zhan Yun drove the jeep from the garage with Su Ruizhe and headed to a nearby livestock farm. They collected the pigs, cattle, and sheep they’d ordered earlier and found a deserted spot to transfer them into the space. Then they went to a car dealership and bought a Hummer on a loan—two hundred thousand yuan as a down payment. As for the remaining balance, Zhan Yun felt there was no need to worry about it anymore.
That night, Song Chengshu arrived at their home with bags and luggage in tow and stayed in the guest room downstairs.
The next day, the heat was terrifying. Even with the windows shut and curtains drawn, the scorching sunlight could still be felt. More and more people died. Some old residential areas caught fire due to the extreme temperatures. The steadily rising death toll reported on the news was horrifying, and the wail of ambulances and fire engines echoed everywhere.
In the evening, when the temperature dropped slightly, Zhan Yun and Song Chengshu drove around the entire city, buying massive amounts of gasoline and storing it all in Su Ruizhe’s space.
On the third day—the final day before the apocalypse—Zhan Yun and Song Chengshu went online and anonymously released warnings that the end of the world might be approaching, urging people to stock up on food and water, stay at home, and avoid going out unnecessarily. As for how many would believe them, there was nothing more they could do.
The three of them went nowhere, sitting and staring at the television, waiting until night fell.
That night, the moon was full and huge, unnaturally bright. As midnight approached, a piercing streak of red slowly appeared upon it… like fresh blood, gradually spreading until it covered the entire moon.
The blood moon rose.
The apocalypse had finally arrived.
Thank you for reading 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
