This family meeting, held on the sofa, was initiated by Jiang Shuyin.

Jiang Jianli sat next to Zheng Lanxiang on a multi-seater sofa, while Jiang Shuyin sat cross-legged on a single seat to herself.

"The person who told me to stock up on goods told me that the money would soon be worthless. I don't know what to do. What are your thoughts?"

Having guidance from elders at home is often more convenient than asking by phone, and better than searching online.

Having experienced the ups and downs of society, Jiang Jianli quickly understood the meaning of this sentence: money has no purchasing power only because people have lost trust in society or banks.

Therefore, in ancient times, hard currency was often cloth and salt, sometimes even more valuable than gold and silver jewelry. Gold was valued in times of chaos, while antiques were valued in times of prosperity.

The world is about to descend into chaos.

Zheng Lanxiang: "Tomorrow I'll take the money and buy everything I can."

This is what she can do to help.

Jiang Jianli: "Then I'll go farm. Having water-based superpowers will save me a lot of effort, and you two won't go hungry."

Jiang Shuyin: "......"

She's been working non-stop for so many days, it's okay to just slack off for a day, right?

"I'll wait for your call tomorrow. If I'm not hired, I'll look for a job." I really can't write novels anymore; those meager wages will surely starve me.

After the family meeting ended, Jiang Shu returned to her room, her nostrils flaring.

Upon smelling the faint fishy odor, her brows furrowed instantly. After searching the room for a while, she pulled out a clump of cubs with a strong, pungent smell. She immediately felt a chill run down her spine; her hands were dirty.

"Little one, where have you been?" Her hands, her hands are so dirty!

The little one spun around and squeezed out a drop of dark red water. Before Jiang Shuyin could get close, she smelled a stench even more nauseating than a smashed rotten egg.

naughty kid!

Jiang Shuyi's eyes flashed with a fierce light as she pointed at the clump: "Clean it up right now, or I'll get angry!"

"Slurp"

The water droplets on the table were swirled into a small ball. The room still smelled terrible. Jiang Shu led the way to open the window and insisted, "Don't come near me. You can only cuddle and hug me after the smell is gone."

The cub fell to the ground looking pitiful, and Jiang Shuyin almost stepped on it.

"Can it be washed clean with water?"

The baby swayed from side to side, but the answer was no.

"Then we can't get close. Let's go to sleep."

Suddenly, a bright light, as bright as day, appeared outside. Four or five seconds later, a rumble of thunder was heard. Heavy rain began to fall outside the window, mixed with a foul stench. People who had their windows open quickly checked their doors and windows.

Jiang Shuyin likes to fall asleep to the sound of rain.

After falling into a deep sleep, the little one got up from the ground and went outside to find his father.

"She hates the smell of fish? I see."

"By squeezing the positive charge on the upper layer of the body and the negative charge on the lower layer together, an electrical discharge can be generated, and the body will become clean and odorless."

The kid tried several times and ended up cutting the other person's network cable.

In the home of a family who had just moved from a big city, the power and internet cables were cut off, inevitably leading to a loud argument in the hot and humid environment.

The woman's shrill voice echoed throughout the building: "I told you this place is no good, but you insisted on coming. Now the power's out, we can't use the air conditioner, and we can't go online. Are you satisfied now, you coward? You make my son and me suffer because of you, you bastard..."

The insults came very quickly; it was definitely not the first time.

The man remained silent throughout, and the family downstairs listened quietly as well. People's joys and sorrows are not shared, but being close by can still affect one's emotions.

Half of the residents in this dilapidated neighborhood are newcomers. The family on the top floor arrived late, and they came from a big city like Beijing. I never expected that they would break the facade of being cultured people and cause a scene at home after only a few days.

Anyone who has lived in an old apartment building knows that there was no such thing as soundproofing. The woman's resentment, the man's helplessness, and the child's dissatisfaction intertwined, creating a sense of desolation on this stormy night.

“The coastal cities are all flooded, didn’t Mom tell you?” the man said calmly.

The woman stopped abruptly, not having heard clearly.

The man repeated himself, his expression indifferent.

The woman took out her phone to make a call, but it kept showing "dialing in progress".

“The signal is blocked.” The man looked at the lightning flashing in the dark clouds outside. “My alumni at the research institute told me that this black fog has the function of blocking all means of communication, including light, sound, and digital signals. Now it can be proven that he was right.”

The woman had regained her composure and brushed the stray hairs from her face: "So what do we do now?"

The man's hand never stopped stroking the child's back: "I'll use my connections to apply for a job with the local superhuman department. You go buy grain, and if there's any that spoils easily, process it into something with a longer shelf life. The child can't go to school for the time being, so please take good care of him."

"Okay." The woman had a plan and knew what to do. Her emotions gradually stabilized, and she immediately regretted what she had just said.

He began to explain, "I didn't mean to..."

“I know,” the man interrupted her. “It’s not important. We need to survive. Don’t let your emotions control you. Stay calm.”

The woman was truly captivated by his rationality. She nodded, took her son to the room to sleep, and felt the cool air from the balcony window gradually lower the room temperature, making it easier for her to fall asleep.

The man smoked three cigarettes on the sofa, the crimson cigarette butts glinting in the darkness.

A month ago, he noticed the movements of the Shangguan family and followed them here, and it turned out to be the right decision.

So, now that the alarm bells of the apocalypse have been rung, what will their next move be?

......

She slept until noon, and Zheng Lanxiang didn't wake her up.

Jiang Shu walked past the bed, smelled the baby, and found that the smell was gone. She nodded in satisfaction.

"You can heat up the food on the table yourself," Zheng Lanxiang said to her as she exercised on her yoga mat.

Jiang Shuyin went into the toilet and stayed there comfortably for half an hour before coming out. She had never been able to fully enjoy the toilet during her workdays.

After washing up, I lifted the mosquito net on the table and took a look.

She can eat three bowls in one go with stir-fried water spinach, loofah and egg soup, and rice from the rice cooker, mixed with the soup.

After dealing with her stomach problem, Jiang Shuyin checked her messages and found she hadn't received any notifications yet. Could it really be hopeless?

It's best not to have any expectations, otherwise you'll be disappointed and upset if you're not.

"A giant deep-sea monster has been spotted. Is it due to nuclear radiation or an invasive alien species...?"

"Former top-tier cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen have all been submerged by seawater. The South China Sea extends northward all the way to Guangzhou, the provincial capital, while the Yellow Sea and East China Sea extend westward to Taihu Lake. Leaders from various provinces and cities are being organized to relocate inland. Inland provinces and cities, please prepare to take over..."

The short video, accompanied by fast-paced background music, creates a sense of urgency.

That's basically it. Even those bloggers who flaunt their waists or show off their abs rarely post videos anymore.

These online influencers usually live in coastal cities, so they're probably moving now.

When a message popped up in the WeChat group, Jiang Shuyin panicked. She could roughly guess that she had been removed from the list. Her fingers trembled violently from being raised for too long. She switched the phone to her other palm and breathed a sigh of relief.

Before she could even click to view it, Cui Yang's message arrived even faster.