NOVPUBChapter 45: Chapter 45 Fire
Chapter 45 -45 Fire
For Tian Zhenzhen’s community to be so secure, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng had truly not expected it.
Before long, Tian Zhenzhen came out. Knowing it was Gu Pan arriving, she ran out excitedly and embraced her: “Dear, how did you come?” After saying this, she quickly looked Gu Pan over: “Nothing bad happened, right?”
Lu Ruisheng cleared his throat at the side, as if to say, I’m here with my wife, how could anything happen to her?
Tian Zhenzhen turned to Lu Ruisheng: “President Lu, it’s been a long time. During these times, you must take good care of our Panpan.”
Lu Ruisheng nodded: “Yes, I will take good care of my wife.”
Gu Pan pulled Tian Zhenzhen aside to a more distant spot: “We’ve brought you some ice cream. How can you take it inside without being detected?”
Tian Zhenzhen said: “No problem, even if seen, no one will rob it. Our community’s public order is really good. We have a security company in our community; the boss is also a former soldier. Our community is small, so it’s easy to manage. Now it’s like unified management. The men train in martial arts with the security staff daily and go out together to gather resources. The women stay at home to cook, light fires, and look after the elderly and children. As long as we don’t go out, it’s especially safe.”
Having heard this, Gu Pan actually thought it wasn’t bad. After almost two months since the apocalypse, the community still being so well-organized meant the management was very capable. But with the living environment deteriorating and resources becoming scarcer, Gu Pan wondered how long they could maintain this state. She didn’t say.
But there was also no need to alarm her unduly: “Then you take it back. It’s getting dark, and now that I know your place is good, I’m relieved.” n𝚘vp𝚞𝚋.com
Tian Zhenzhen looked at the two boxes of ice cream Gu Pan passed her, taking only one box: “One box is enough for me. Don’t give them all to me. Even though it’s just the two of you, you should also stock up more.”
Gu Pan placed both boxes in Tian Zhenzhen’s hands: “We still have some left, so don’t worry about me.”
After saying that, Gu Pan relaxed a bit, but something still felt unsettling, so she reminded her: “Now that it’s the apocalypse, people’s hearts can change at any time. There’s not much material outside, so you still can’t trust people too much. Always be vigilant and if something’s not right, quickly think of an escape plan.”
Tian Zhenzhen hugged the box tightly and nodded vigorously: “I know, I’ll be careful.”
Gu Pan still worried that her vigilance might not be high enough, added: “Wang Bin and his mother wanted to freeze Mingyue to death. Mingyue learned how to use a gun at our place and ended up killing them in self-defense. Zhenzhen, people are unpredictable during the apocalypse. Don’t think things are too simple.”
Hearing that Dong Mingyue had killed Wang Bin and his mother, Tian Zhenzhen shuddered: “How could this happen?”
“How could it not? We’ve also killed people. You’re lucky this community is good, but that’s based on the premise of ample supplies. People are unpredictable, so you must be careful.”
“Yes, I understand. Should I also do something? Right, I’ll learn self-defense from my brother at night from now on. Isn’t that what they learn from the security during the day?”
“Right, by the way, I have Smoke Bombs. I’ll give you two. If you really get trapped, these can buy you time to escape. I’ll show you how to use them.” Saying so, she quietly took out two Smoke Bombs, along with a flashlight. They turned their backs to the community, whispering quietly.
Because time was short, this was the easiest to learn and the best way to escape. After all, these were homemade and carried risks, so she decided to leave just two with her.
Seeing this, Lu Ruisheng covered for his wife, offering an ice cream to the security guard at the gate and chatted with him for a bit. The guard was delighted, sharing some things about the community with Lu Ruisheng.
Soon, Gu Pan finished explaining things to Tian Zhenzhen, and then bid her farewell.
As Tian Zhenzhen watched Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng’s figures disappear, she then headed back to the apartment complex.
The security guard, seeing Tian Zhenzhen carrying two boxes, didn’t know what was inside, but couldn’t help commenting, “Your friend is really good to you, you’re lucky.”
Tian Zhenzhen responded with a smile, “Yes, times like these really show you who your true friends are.”
After exchanging a few words, Tian Zhenzhen hurried back home, but her heart wasn’t as peaceful as she made it seem. Thinking of Gu Pan saying that Dong Mingyue had killed someone with a gun, she dared not imagine it, but it was true—the apocalypse was indeed that brutal.
Clutching the smoke bomb in her hand, her heart felt heavy. She planned to go home and call a meeting with her family to discuss this matter—they mustn’t rely too heavily on the current community’s management.
In the evening, after dinner, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng were engrossed in an animated movie projected on the wall, and it was past midnight when they finally prepared for bed.
No sooner had they lain down than they saw a great fire from the opposite building. It was then that Gu Pan remembered—it was the building along the street in the opposite complex that was on fire. With so many recent events and the passage of time, she had forgotten about it, but now the sight of the fire jogged her memory.
She got up from bed and went to the window, said to Lu Ruisheng, “There are no firefighters anymore, there’s no way to put out the fire, but luckily there’s snow between the two buildings, so the fire won’t spread to the others.”
Their home was in the second row of the complex, and the building on fire was a street-facing unit, so they had a clear view.
Lu Ruisheng joined her and said, “We’ve always talked about fire prevention, but since there hadn’t been a real fire, everyone was careless. This fire should serve as a warning to everyone.”
The two stood by the window, watching people jump down from the windows, sighing continuously, yet powerless to help.
Fortunate was the fact that the fire started on the third floor from the bottom; this allowed many people below to escape, so not as many died. However, with that building gutted by fire, those people no longer had homes.
Still, with many idle hotels and spaces available, at least the survivors wouldn’t be frozen to death on the streets.
Perhaps many now feel pity for those who lost their homes to the fire, but when earthquakes, tornadoes, and all kinds of disasters strike in the future, how many will be able to keep their homes?
Because of the noise and brightness of the fire, many people woke up, observing the tragic scene opposite them; some thankful it wasn’t them or their family, others reflecting on the unpredictability of life. Yet, in an apocalyptic world, who can truly live in peace and safety?
Even though many were scared, they forced themselves to sleep because tomorrow, they all had to scavenge for food and firewood. More and more people were dying from the cold and hunger; the life and death of others were becoming increasingly insignificant, as no one was certain of their own survival.
After a while, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng went to sleep too because what they saw was only a part. In many places, towns, villages, and valleys, nearly everyone had perished. It’s just that without news, people only saw what was around them, oblivious to those terrible scenes—for now. When the weather warmed up and the plagues arrived, that would be the true beginning of hell.
The next morning, the burnt building was reduced to a framework, and those who survived had gone to seek places to settle down.
It seemed like there wasn’t much discussion about the fire. The only result was reminders about fire prevention. Posters with fire safety tips were even put up in their building—it was a matter that concerned everyone.
