Power Outage

Power Outage "Knock, knock, knock—"

Early the next morning, Wang Tao was still asleep when he heard a light knock at the door.

He woke up instantly, grabbed a steel pipe, and went to the door to look through the peephole. It was Ding Yuqin.

Ding Yuqin looked somewhat panicked, but she did not seem to be injured.

Wang Tao opened the door.

"What's wrong, sis-in-law?"

"Wang Tao, the power's out! It just went out!"

There was a hint of tears in Ding Yuqin's voice.

"The power's out? Don't panic. Come inside first."

After letting her in, Wang Tao casually flipped the living room light switch by the door, but nothing happened. He went outside to check the electric meter as well, but it had not tripped.

Sure enough, it had finally come.

When Wang Tao had discovered that all network signals had vanished, he had already suspected that the power would eventually go out. But when the day truly arrived, he still felt a little upset.

What upset him was not the power outage itself, but what it represented—the authorities had most likely completely lost control, and rescue might never come! To be honest, even though Wang Tao believed he could survive in the apocalypse, he still definitely hoped to be rescued.

After all, humans were social creatures. A little loneliness from time to time might be enjoyable, but being alone for the rest of one's life would drive anyone mad sooner or later.

And an orderly society was certainly better than a disorderly one. Aside from a few individuals, most people still wanted to live in a peaceful society.

Ding Yuqin clearly understood this as well, which was why she was so panicked.

But there was no point talking about that now. Surviving the present was what mattered most.

Wang Tao comforted Ding Yuqin.

"We're already doing pretty well here. When the virus first broke out, lots of places lost power right away. Maybe because we use Hydroelectric Power here, we managed to last seven days. We even got extra time!"

This reassurance was obviously of no use to Ding Yuqin.

For her, waiting for rescue from the authorities was the faith that kept her alive. Without rescue, how could a weak woman like her survive in the apocalypse...

Ding Yuqin looked frightened and lost.

Wang Tao suddenly spoke.

"Sis-in-law, go to my room and check whether my Power Banks still have power."

The Power Banks he had found while scavenging the other rooms had long since been fully charged. Having Ding Yuqin check them was a way to divert her attention.

"Huh? Okay, okay!"

Ding Yuqin agreed instinctively, but as she entered the room, she suddenly turned back to look at Wang Tao. A glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes again.

She was not alone now. She had a chance of surviving too—as long as Wang Tao was willing to help her...

Wang Tao went to the corner of the living room, where the Outdoor Power Supply he had scavenged earlier was charging.

He checked it. It was fully charged.

Those small Power Banks were not very useful to Wang Tao for the time being. But this "big Power Bank" was extremely useful—it could power the refrigerator and keep the food inside from spoiling.

His little refrigerator did not use much electricity, perhaps a little over half a kilowatt-hour a day. This Outdoor Power Supply had five kilowatt-hours, so it should last around a week. It could serve as an emergency measure for now.

But what would he do afterward... He still had a Diesel Generator downstairs, but no diesel fuel.

"I need to go out and look for supplies!"

Wang Tao frowned.

The nearest Gas Station seemed to be two or three kilometers away.

By car, he could probably get there in a few minutes. But cars made noise, which would definitely attract zombies.

And whether the roads were passable was another issue. He did not know about other places, but the streets outside were packed with abandoned cars, zombies, and even collapsed buildings. There was no way to drive under those circumstances.

Walking would be a little too far. With so many zombies along the way, it would be easy to go out and never return...

An electric motorcycle or bicycle might be an option. They were relatively quiet, required less from the road than cars, and had a certain amount of speed.

But they offered no protection. If he got surrounded by zombies, death would be the only outcome.

And he did not have an electric vehicle either. When the apocalypse broke out, it had been a workday. All the office workers had ridden their electric bikes to work, and he did not know whether there were any left downstairs...

Wait!

Wang Tao suddenly remembered that before the apocalypse, he had seen Boss Li from the small restaurant downstairs carrying a bucket of diesel to refuel his vehicle—and that vehicle was a diesel pickup truck! "Maybe I don't have to go that far!"

Wang Tao felt energized.

He decided that after clearing all the zombies in this building, he would go take a look at the small restaurant.

It would be best if there was diesel. If not, he could still replenish some supplies, so the trip would not be wasted...

"Wang Tao, all the Power Banks are fully charged!"

Ding Yuqin came out carrying a pile of Power Banks.

"Mm." Wang Tao nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something and hurried to the bathroom to turn on the faucet.

Water gushed out—

There was still water for the moment, but there was no telling when it would stop.

"The water will probably be cut off soon too. Come with me and fill every container in the other rooms with water!"

He had already begun storing water in his own home, but not in the other rooms he had scavenged.

Water was the source of life. He could manage without electricity, but without water, he truly could not survive.

"Huh? Okay!"

Ding Yuqin nodded nervously.

Since the apocalypse began, the farthest she had ever gone was Wang Tao's apartment.

Although Wang Tao had already dealt with the zombies in the hallway, she was still somewhat afraid.

Wang Tao took out several packs of dry instant noodles and tossed one to Ding Yuqin.

"There's no time to make breakfast. Make do with this. It doesn't count as your payment for today."

He would need sis-in-law to work later, so he should give her some energy first.

"Thank you, thank you!"

Ding Yuqin hurriedly thanked him.

After the two of them took a few quick bites with boiled water, Wang Tao began putting on his gear.

Although the building was temporarily safe, there were still zombies in several rooms that had not been cleared out. He could not let his guard down.

Because the books on his torso, arms, and lower legs all had to be taped on one by one, getting dressed was rather slow. Ding Yuqin quickly came over to help.

During the process, Ding Yuqin inevitably brushed against Wang Tao's muscles and was instantly stunned.

So big, so hard...

Could a person really build muscles like that?

Ding Yuqin had never liked muscular men before. Especially since Wang Tao had a terrifying scar on his face, making him look like a villain from television and filling people with fear.

But now, seeing Wang Tao's tall, burly figure standing beside her and feeling the faint warmth radiating from him, she suddenly felt an indescribable sense of security! She had never felt that sense of security from any other man, including her husband...

"What's wrong?"

Wang Tao found it strange that Ding Yuqin kept staring at him.

"Ah, nothing, nothing!"

Ding Yuqin's face heated up, and she quickly looked away.

"Then we'll go to Room 602 upstairs first. After that, Apartment 301 and Apartment 201..."

"Okay!"