Chapter 8
"There''s not much at home, it''ll be fine if I''m careful."
Ste hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed. If he had food supplies, her safety would be
ensured. It was better for him to go out and get supplies than to target her.
Jasper nced around the living room. "Thanks for looking after Rosie."
"You''re wee. You helped me out yesterday too." Ste was a cautious woman. She had stored
away her hoardings early. The kitchen only had some understated butternut squash and cabbage.
Nodding, Jasper left.
With her cooking ns dyed, Ste turned on the bathroom light and continued her struggle with
the pork she hadn’t finished cleaning from Arcadia. Halfway through, there was a sudden power
outage. She closed the door and slipped into Arcadia. Arcadia still had power. Ste was ecstatic,
and her confidence in the dark apocalypse grew.
People were unpredictable. Even when dealing with a child, Ste was extra cautious, cooking
simple pasta for dinner. Ste added a slice of ham which Rosie ate with great delight. Once Rosie
was morefortable, she was less fearful. "Ma’am, your cooking is delicious. My brother is a bad
cook."
Being in his early twenties, it was understandable that Jasper didn''t know how to cook. Seeing that
Rosie had a good appetite, Ste gave her an extra half te of food.
By six o''clock, it waspletely dark.
The Sunrise Sanctuary was located on high ground, but the floodwater still reached the front gate of
the residential area. Although the group chat was still lively, there were noticeably fewer food
pictures. The raging storm and power outage had made them feel fearful and anxiety was
spreading.
Ste raised the price to 30 dors, but still, no one responded. Firstly, they were neighbors. If they
were greedy for money, it would be awkward in the future. Secondly, they were also scared and had
be cautious of the dreadful weather.
The power outage plunged the entire city into darkness. The once dazzling city lights were no more,
and a sense of unease pervaded the air. Ste closed the curtains and turned on the srmp.
Rosie was scared and instinctively grabbed the corner of Ste''s clothing. Ste wasn''t used to
dealing with children, so she continued to y cartoons on her tablet.
Around eight o''clock in the evening, Jasper came back. He was wearing dry clothes and carrying a
bag. "Ste, thank you for taking care of Rosie."
The bag was quite heavy, containing potatoes, cabbages, two pounds of noodles, a box of cold
medicine, an alcohol stove, and solid alcohol tablets.
Jasper reminded her, "The power is out, and there might also be a water outage. You should stock
up."
Ste thanked him and epted the supplies. Once he left with Rosie, Ste immediately closed
the doors and windows and turned on the gas stove. She started to cook more dishes. She cooked
until the early hours of the morning. When she went out to throw away the kitchen waste, she
noticed wet footprints on the corridor floor. The wet footprints disappeared at Jasper’s door. He went
out during the day, and againte at night?
Ignoring the danger, he was hoarding supplies day and night. He didn''t just remind her to stock up
on water, but also gave her valuable supplies.
Back in her room, Ste fell into deep thought. This Jasper guy was not simple.
...
The rain was slightly chilly, making it afortable sleep. It was still dark outside, so Ste
continued to sleep. When she finally got up, it was already past ten in the morning.
She went to the balcony and saw that the outside world was a dull gray. It was impossible to
distinguish where the sky ended and the water began. There was a faint noise from the ground
floor. When Ste looked down, she saw that the floodwater had entered the residential area. The
ground floor had just started to flood.
Yesterday, when the power went out, the group chat was much quieter, but there were still people
posting pictures. The water had already reached their ankles.
Emergency calls were not being answered, and even if they were, it was of no use. The police
station had been flooded.
The residents swore and cursed as they frantically moved their belongings upstairs. This ce was
close to a university town, so very few houses were vacant. Even those that weren''t upied were
rented out. Some savvy residents were already asking in the group chat if anyone could provide
temporary shelter. Normally, neighbors would help each other. But now, not only was the power out,
but the gas was also cut off in the morning. With no rescue in sight, no one would dare to take in
strangers. It was easy to invite trouble, but hard to get rid of it. What if they refused to leave once
they moved in? How would they solve the problem of amodation and food?
The fear of causing trouble was evident in the silence of the group chat. The residents on the
ground floor were depressed. Surely they couldn''t just block the corridor? With the ongoing typhoon
and flood, how could they live in the wet corridor? It was okay for adults, but what about the
children?
Many people were unwilling to ept their situation, so they started knocking on doors, asking floor
by floor. If there was no other way, they were willing to pay to stay like in a hotel.
The residents either didn''t respond, or they imed that their houses were already full. There was
nothing they could do.
When her door was knocked again, Ste was surprised by the speed of the people from the
ground floor. But it turned out to be Jasper. He had just woken up and looked slightly tired. "I''ve
reced the door at my ce. Can I install the old one at the staircase?"
Ste was dly to do that and quickly went to assist him. Both of them worked together to install
the old door at the staircase leading to the 18th floor.
N?velDrama.Org owns this.
Although Ste said she was helping, Jasper did most of the work. She only held the door while he
installed it. In the end, she even got the keys.
When the residents from the ground floor came up, they turned livid at the sight of the door at the
staircase. Swearing under their breath, they turned around and left. Ste listened to themotion
from upstairs. This was perfect. It saved them a lot of trouble and danger.
This door temporarily kept the trouble at bay, but it might not in the future. When that time came,
they could install her door as well. If two doors were installed at once, anyone could tell that there
were hoardings on the 18th floor. If they all rushed up, even a few more doors wouldn''t be able to
stop them. They could wait until it got extremely cold to take it out.
...
With the gas cut off, Ste dragged out a gas cylinder from Arcadia, fiddled with it for a while, and
installed the stove. She closed the doors and windows and continued to cook. Even if the smell
escaped, the rain would wash it away. It was ufortable for her though. The kitchen was humid,
oily, and felt like a sauna. Ste was soaked in the smell. But if she didn''t cook now, she would be
even more afraid of cookingter.
After a hot and spicy meal, she was sweating profusely. The spiciness made her feel refreshed.
The water level continued to rise, reaching halfway up their calves. To avoid anxiety, Ste turned
off her phone, took afortable nap, and then went into Arcadia to clear thend.
Looking at the countdown timer with a pitifully small number, Ste rolled up her sleeves and got to
work. Time was life. She wielded the hoe vigorously, and her delicate hands soon formed blisters.
Ten square meters didn''t seem much, but it was particrly tiring to turn over. After turning the soil
and smoothing it out, Ste divided it into four grids. She scattered different vegetable seeds in
each grid, not forgetting to nt some eggnt and bell pepper seeds at the corners. The space
was limited, so she had to make good use of it without wasting any.
Arcadia''s time was synchronized with the outside world, but it seemed to be unaffected by the
seasons. After some thought, Ste nted an orange tree and a grapevine at the corner.
Even though she was quick, it still took two hours. Stepping out of Arcadia, she realized the water
had stopped running and the inte was spotty at best. It felt as though the whole world was on
the brink ofing to a standstill.