I Want to Eat Hot Pot

Sunshine Residential Complex, Room 704.

Four elderly residents, Li Mei and her daughter, and Lin Fan.

Seven people gathered around the dining table. The dinner, meticulously prepared by Li Mei, wafted with a fragrant aroma that was enough to whet anyone's appetite.

In the center of the table sat a pot of soft-shelled turtle soup, surrounded by home-cooked dishes, primarily consisting of gourds.

To be able to eat such a dinner during the apocalypse was already quite a feast; other survivors were likely still immersed in the crisis.

"Feifei, from now on, Grandma will tutor you. Chinese, math, history, physics, chemistry—I am quite proficient in all of them."

Grandma Liang Yan had never expected that she would still be able to teach a child. This brought her an indescribable joy. Having spent her life teaching and nurturing others, even after retirement, she often couldn't sit still and would teach other children in the complex.

She had assumed that with the arrival of the apocalypse, she would no longer be able to pass on knowledge. Now that a child had appeared for her to teach, how could she not be happy?

"I understand, Grandma Liang." Feifei nodded her little head, feeling bitter inside. In the end, she hadn't managed to escape the fate of studying.

This uncle was truly terrifying.

He was just like those firefighters who, while putting out a fire, would help children rescue their homework.

Under Lin Fan's introductions, Li Mei and her daughter had become familiar with the four elderly residents.

Upon learning the backgrounds of the four elders, Li Mei felt nothing but respect.

The panic of the past few days dissipated at this moment, replaced by a sense of hope for the future.

"Little Fan, what are your plans for the future?" Old Mr. Wang Zhongguo knew Lin Fan was a good young man, but now that the apocalypse had arrived, the situation was different. Based on the current circumstances, if there wasn't a good plan, they might not last long.

During this time, he had observed those ferocious creatures the young people called zombies.

They were transformed from humans, spreading the infection through bites; anyone bitten would turn into a zombie.

One had to aim for the head to kill them.

This increased the zombies' survival capabilities, making them stronger than normal people. Even worse, the country prohibited firearms, so the only way to deal with zombies was through close-quarters combat.

However, the speed and strength of these zombies were no different from ordinary people, and in their frenzied state, they were even stronger.

Once noticed by a zombie, escaping was basically impossible.

Lin Fan said, "I plan to start by growing some vegetables in the complex. I've already bought seeds and fertilizer. If we can grow our own vegetables, we can be self-sufficient in the future. Many vegetables outside have already rotted, and the prices in supermarkets are a bit high. It's better to save where we can."

At these words, the six people at the table stared at Lin Fan in astonishment.

Even Feifei, though young, had often watched videos; she felt this uncle's way of thinking was very strange, possessing an indescribable sense of humor.

Old Mr. Zhou Aijun nudged Wang Zhongguo gently, his meaning clear: Old brother, look at what is going on with this kid.

But who could have expected...

Wang Zhongguo nodded and said, "Mm, that makes a lot of sense. Survival is the most critical thing right now. Little Fan, keep the bank card. You need to pay for things when you buy them. If you have time and it's safe, go to the supermarket and bring back some frozen food."

Old Mr. Wang could understand Lin Fan's mindset.

It seemed strange, but upon reflection, it held some logic. He simply viewed Lin Fan's mindset as a form of self-discipline.

In the apocalypse, many people completely lost themselves, falling into madness, casting morality aside, becoming lawless and doing whatever they pleased. No matter who you were, staying in such an environment for too long would inevitably affect you.

It wasn't that you didn't want to, but in this situation, the apocalypse would force you to become a madman.

"Old Zhou, what are you still standing there for? Give your bank card to Little Fan," Wang Zhongguo said.

Zhou Aijun worked in military research and was sharp-minded, but having spent years with books, he was certainly not as socially adept as Wang Zhongguo. Fortunately, he was willing to follow along.

Without further thought, he handed his bank card to Lin Fan.

Lin Fan looked at the bank card in front of him, moved to the point of tears. The trust the four elders placed in him gave him a sense of fulfillment. Considering his own situation, he had to face reality and could only accept the card.

He swore solemnly that he would never touch a single cent of the money inside.

Li Mei also handed her bank card to Lin Fan.

Lin Fan wanted to decline, to continue acting tough—you gave me expensive simulation artifacts, I can buy the food myself—but after Li Mei's repeated insistence, he knew he couldn't refuse and reluctantly accepted it.

Feifei, holding her rice bowl, opened her mouth, "Uncle, it's the apocalypse now. Things don't need to be paid for."

She often played mobile games with her classmates, including zombie games. Her classmates all said that if a zombie outbreak happened, they wouldn't have to go to school, and they wouldn't need money to buy things; they could just take whatever they saw.

She thought that sounded very logical.

Even the TV shows were acted out that way.

"Feifei, things must be paid for. Those items were placed on the shelves by people who worked hard to earn the money for them. Even though the apocalypse has arrived, our country still exists, and our moral conduct remains."

"Studying isn't to make us feel superior to others, but to help us understand reason, know the law, and abide by it."

"With the apocalypse here, we can't control what others do, but we can control ourselves."

Lin Fan said softly, feeling that what he said was flawless; overall, it still made some sense.

"Oh..." Feifei lowered her head and shoveled rice into her mouth. It was so fragrant, truly so fragrant; she hadn't eaten such delicious food in a long time. As for what this uncle said, she felt it sounded somewhat logical, but she didn't quite dare to agree.

She just felt like something was strange.

Seeing her mother's glare, she shrank her head back, not daring to say a single word.

She had to eat her fill; tomorrow, she really had to carry her schoolbag and go learn from Grandma Liang.

Nighttime.

Lin Fan escorted them to their respective floors, but he didn't rush home.

Instead, he went around the residential complex.

It wasn't that he wanted to admire the scenery outside.

Rather, with the four elderly people and Li Mei and her daughter living here, he was worried there might still be zombies in the complex, so he went on a special patrol.

He had promised them safety, and he had to follow through.

If a zombie were to pop out and hurt them, he would feel incredibly guilty.

After walking through every corner, he confirmed there was no danger. He then went to the entrance of the complex and pulled the iron gate shut; that was how these old residential areas were—there were no electronic gates, just two large iron doors.

Room 603.

"Old man, do you think it's safe here?" Xu Guifen asked Wang Zhongguo, who was sleeping beside her.

Wang Zhongguo smiled. "It's safe. This is the safest place. We've been together for so many years; what kind of storms haven't we seen? What is there to be afraid of?"

"Lin Fan is a good person, but I suspect he might be a little ill." Xu Guifen was a military doctor, not a psychiatrist, but as a doctor, she could keenly detect certain issues.

Wang Zhongguo said, "Don't let your imagination run wild. What kind of problem could he have? Even if he does, it's a good kind of problem. What a fine child he is."

Xu Guifen didn't say anything more.

Come to think of it, that was true.

Life seemed pretty good as it was now.

Room 704.

Lin Fan held a drink, standing before the balcony and looking at the night view outside.

There was no beautiful night view, only pitch-black darkness. The city, which once echoed with the sounds of explosions, was now deathly quiet.

There were no lights, no sounds of collisions.

Aside from the occasional roar of a zombie, it was hard to hear anything else.

Huang City was quite large; perhaps in other areas, survivors were fighting against zombies, but he was too far away for the sounds to reach here.

I really hope it could be like before, with bright lights everywhere and bustling streets filled with people.

He leaned against the balcony, letting the cold night wind blow over him.

He wanted to shout out loud.

Is there anyone out there...

But the four elderly people lived downstairs, and Li Mei and her daughter lived upstairs. Since the child had to go to school tomorrow, he wouldn't disturb their rest.

He watched in silence.

In his mind, he seemed to have simulated the bustling appearance of Huang City as it once was.

Huang City Old District Water Plant.

Inside a sealed room.

A young man stood there, exhausted. He was thin and frail—not because he had starved during the apocalypse, but because he had always been skinny, the type who could never put on weight.

His name was Wang Kai.

A veteran employee of the water plant, he had worked there for seven years. Before the apocalypse descended, he felt his future was full of hope.

With a salary of over eight thousand, plus various benefits, it was easy for his monthly average to exceed ten thousand by the end of the year. Moreover, through his own efforts, he had become a junior manager at the water plant, overseeing several employees.

He was an orphan, but he was lucky enough to be adopted. His grades weren't great, but after graduation, he tested into the water plant himself. Part of the reason was that his foster father worked at the water plant as a minor leader.

In a society driven by personal connections, it was only natural to receive a little extra care.

When the apocalypse broke out and zombies ran rampant, he was scared to death. He hid in the water plant and watched his colleagues turn into zombies. Fortunately, there weren't as many colleagues as he had imagined, and since the water plant was built in the suburbs rather than the city, there were fewer zombies.

He had fought off several zombies, and regardless, he was still alive.

At the beginning, he had thought about fleeing the water plant to seek a chance at survival, but in the end, he didn't leave because... to put it bluntly, even Wang Kai felt he was being a bit brain-dead.

He actually thought that if the water plant were left unattended, the water would definitely be cut off under these circumstances.

Water was the source of all life, and there must be many survivors in the city.

Many people were hiding in their homes.

They might be able to hold out for a while without food, but without water, they definitely wouldn't last long.

Therefore, he was now the only guard at the water plant. He was very familiar with the machinery inside, and while ensuring his own safety, he wanted to ensure that the city's tap water could continue to be supplied normally.

At the time, when he saw several zombie corpses floating in the reservoir, his scalp went numb. Could the contaminated water still be drunk? If they drank it, would they turn into zombies?

Fortunately, there was a small dog kept at the factory.

To ensure the tap water was safe to drink, he tethered the dog and gave it some to drink; finding no issues afterward, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

At this moment.

He cradled the puppy and looked out through the small window into the pitch-black darkness, devoid of even a glimmer of light, which stirred a sense of anxiety within him.

He wondered when this apocalypse would ever end.

He looked behind him... at the crates of dog food.

In his heart, he silently gave a like to the kind-hearted dog lovers on the short-video platform.

Thank you all for the dog food you sent.

Otherwise... he would surely be dead.

"Whimper..." the puppy in his arms let out a soft whine.

Wang Kai stroked the puppy's head. "Let's eat together."

He tore open a bag of dog food.

He poured some out for the puppy.

He grabbed a handful for himself, treating them like broad beans, and shoved them into his mouth.

The taste was alright.

But... I want to eat hotpot.