NOVPUB63: Chapter 51
63 -51
The quiet night was torn apart when Gu Yanzhi suddenly heard cries of agony from outside.
“God, please spare us,”
“Please give us a way to survive,”
Desperation and helplessness filled the voices, echoing in the desolate and lonely streets.
As the person’s questioning and prayers continued, more and more people gathered, and a cacophony of voices conveyed everyone’s distress.
The extreme cold persevered, and although the temperature was still around minus 60 degrees Celsius, the lack of sunlight during the night made it seem even colder.
“Swoosh,”
The streetlights, which had been installed long ago, lit up uniformly.
Installed sparsely, with about 500 meters between each light, they nonetheless illuminated the endless night, becoming the only solace for the people.
The lights breaking the cycle of prayers, complaints, and cries.
Seizing the opportunity, government workers walked around while striking gongs.
“Dang, dang, dang,”
“Everyone, please pay attention, an extreme night is occurring.
Please do not panic, go home now, and the government will roll out a solution afterward,”
“Everyone, please pay attention, an extreme night is occurring.
Please do not panic, go home now, and the government will roll out a solution afterward,”
“…”
Under the continuous reassurances from the government workers, people’s emotions gradually stabilized, but they still returned home without any hope for their lives.
For those whose emotions were really stirred, the workers patiently persuaded them again and again, letting go of those who still wouldn’t listen.
After most people had returned home, and were no longer gathering in the streets, the streetlights “clicked” off all at once.
Seeing the only source of light extinguished made everyone feel even more desperate, feeling that the government was merely going through the motions, and whether they could survive this weather was a question in itself.
People remained anxious until around noon, when it finally got a bit brighter outside, but it wasn’t really significant; it was just barely enough to make out the roads.
With this faint light, government workers reappeared with flyers, summoning people from nearby communities and buildings to gather and explaining the latest policies.
Uncle Zhang and his family were in charge of the area where Gu Yanzhi lived.
Since yesterday, the government workers living in Building 10 had not returned home, as they were participating in training sessions.
Gao Zhi, Xiao Lin, and Sister Li had all asked Gu Yanzhi to look after their homes.
They learned about the arrival of the extreme night a day prior to the general public.
The official stance from the senior leaders was only known, it seems, to Gu Yanzhi, Song Zhao, and Gu Yanlin.
Knowing that the extreme night was imminent, and being either the only or one of the few employed members of their families, despite worrying about their elderly and children, they needed to maintain their jobs to provide better care for their families.
These three separately sought help to entrust Gu Yanzhi with looking after their homes, conveying extremely subtle hints, hoping she would understand and prepare ahead of time.
After receiving messages from the trio, Gu Yanzhi visited their families immediately at the first sign of the extreme night, soothing the elderly at home so they wouldn’t feel as despairing as those outside, but feeling calm was impossible.
She was worried about the situation outside and anxious about her own child who hadn’t returned home all night.
Everyone was highly concerned about the government’s handling of the extreme night.
Just as the workers started to gather people by ringing the gong, they found themselves surrounded by a dense crowd.
Gu Yanzhi and Song Zhao also came downstairs, escorting the three elderly who had just put the child to sleep, and managed to secure a spot where they could clearly hear the announcement without feeling cramped.
Uncle Zhang, being the building manager of Building 10, held high esteem in the area.
Other building leaders often came to him for information and advice.
The content of the announcement was as follows:
“1.
According to scientific predictions, today officially begins the period of the extreme night, the duration of which is unknown.”
“2.
Due to darkness, in consideration of public safety, woodcutting and ice chipping activities are temporarily suspended, with the resumption time to be notified later.”
“3.
The government will open factories to manufacture all necessities of life, achieving self-sufficiency.
Recruitment starts tomorrow, please wait patiently.”
“4.
Henceforth, streetlights will be turned on for two hours before and after midday each day, encouraging everyone to go out while the lights are on, as darkness can conceal too much evil.”
“5.
The government encourages bartering, and the Songshan District Government will delineate areas where people can set up stalls to sell and exchange items.
Items can also be taken to government acquisition stations, where workers will purchase them based on their actual value.”
“6.
A unified currency system of points is implemented from today, with daily wages calculated in points, differing by job types.
Government acquisitions will also use this points system, encouraging everyone to use points during bartering to make transactions more straightforward.”
This place, City C, originally a typical plains area, had transformed inexplicably during a flood.
By the time the torrential rains had stopped and the extreme cold arrived, one edge of City C was built against a mountain, and somehow it had become surrounded by mountains on three sides and the sea on one, making leaving the city increasingly difficult.
This was confirmed by the inhabitants who hadn’t left, hearing it from government workers.
The government workers stationed in City C too had faced similar challenges, having camped outside the city for nearly a month overcoming various obstacles before entering City C when the extreme cold set in.
At first, many life essentials were laboriously brought back by specialized rescue teams from outside; executing one mission could take between fifteen days to a month.
Gu Yanlin had also ventured out with his squad a few times and reported that life outside City C, this sealed off area, was far better; at least electricity had been restored there much earlier, and people had more job opportunities.
The relief materials provided by the government outside were also significantly better than in City C, featuring vegetables and meat, unlike their diet primarily consisting of steamed buns with an occasional sprinkling of canned food or dried vegetables. 𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
It wasn’t that absolutely no one had successfully crossed the challenging mountains to other cities, but many more had met their demise.
The extremely high mortality rate deterred most people; they no longer harbored thoughts of leaving City C.
After Uncle Zhang finished speaking, he reassured everyone not to panic, affirming that the government was prepared with an emergency response plan.
He then distributed flyers to each building’s group leader, containing more detailed information.
Everything concluded, Uncle Zhang was about to leave with Aunt Zhang and Zhang Qian when the dense crowd encircled them, bombarding him with questions and, in some cases, emotionally inquiring when the apocalypse would end, when the extreme night would cease, and when this bitterly cold weather would finally be over.
