Chapter 9 Water and Power Outage

Lan Jin nodded as she filled out the information. Because the staff didn't let her open the door, the two of them passed the registration book through the crack in the door. Lan Jin quickly filled out the information, signed it, and handed the book back to the community staff through the crack in the door. She replied, "I've filled it out. I added two people to the group, but I don't know if they are the two you mentioned."

Lan Jin opened the group chat on his phone and handed the page to the staff member. "Are these the two groups?"

The staff member took a look and confirmed it, then nodded. "Yes, that's it, these two. Just add them. Remember to pay attention to the group messages. Also, we don't know when the battery will be back, so try to save your phone's battery as much as possible."

"Okay, thank you. Sorry for bothering you."

After Lan Jin thanked them, the community staff put away their notebook and prepared to leave. Before leaving, Lan Jin was still worried about what she had just heard about someone living upstairs. She asked, "Excuse me, I just heard you say that there are people living upstairs here, right?"

"Yes, we moved here before the New Year, about a week before you. I also remember it because it was just before the New Year. What's wrong?" The staff asked curiously when they saw her ask this.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just a little confused because I've lived at home for over a month and haven't heard any movement upstairs."

The two were stunned. They really didn't expect Lan Jin to say that. "Let's go upstairs and take a look. I'll come down and tell you later."

"Okay, then I won't close the door inside. I'll wait for you to come over."

It was the middle of the night and the corridor was unusually quiet. She could even hear the sound of the community workers coming up the stairs clearly. The two of them went upstairs and knocked for a long time. Just when they were about to leave, the people upstairs opened the door. What happened next was almost the same as what she had heard before. It was really strange. She had lived here for more than a month and really didn't hear any movement upstairs.

Even though she and the child go out early and come back late, this is just an adjective. She doesn't work, and although supplies are important, they are not that urgent. She usually waits for the child to wake up naturally, and the two of them have to eat breakfast at home. If they dawdle, it will be at least 9 o'clock before they can go out, so she usually wakes up at 6 or 7 o'clock. Besides, it is impossible for her to take the child home after dark, so she usually comes back at dinner time. So, no matter whether it is early or late, she really didn't hear any movement upstairs.

Lan Jin stood at the door and waited for a while. After the people upstairs finished filling out their information, a staff member came over and said, "We've specifically asked, and the boy upstairs is indeed home the whole time. Maybe your schedules were off, so we don't know. But I think he's quite young, probably only in his teens. He's probably not a bad person. Don't worry. If you have any questions, please contact our community."

"Okay, thank you. Maybe it was because of the time difference that I didn't hear anything."

As for the rest, forget it. The world will soon be in chaos. Even if you contact the community, they may not be able to take care of it.

After seeing off the community workers, she wanted to go back and take a nap, but the clock on the wall told her that it was almost 6 o'clock in the morning. There was no point in sleeping. There was no way. Lan Jin packed herself and the children, took out two breakfasts from the space, ate breakfast leisurely, and enjoyed the last peace in the apocalypse.

But who would have thought that after the two of them finished breakfast, she picked up her phone and found that the messages in the group had already exploded.

"No, the power outage is fine, but why are the water and gas out too? Could it be that the water and gas pipes are broken as well?"

"Yeah, when will the water and electricity be restored? We can still go out for breakfast, but we can't not wash up."

"Brother, don't go out for breakfast. There's no water or electricity anywhere. There's no breakfast shop open. There's nothing to eat even if you go. Don't ask. If you ask, I just came back."

"Oh my god, I'm going to starve to death! I eat out for three meals a day and there's no food at home."

When they heard that there was no food outside, the people who had been relaxed suddenly became nervous. "No, there's nothing to sell outside. Are all of us going to starve to death?"

"If you don't have food at home, go out and buy some. It's not like you can't go out. If you can't cook, just buy things that don't require preparation. Bread, instant noodles, and self-heating foods can all fill your stomach. Don't be so picky at critical moments. Just eat your fill first."

"Community people, are you here? Why are you playing dead at this time? When will the water, electricity, and natural gas be available? Answer us quickly. There has to be a time."

"That's right. You're always here when I'm not looking for you, but you pretend to be dead when I do. Now that disaster has hit other places, not us, why have you cut off our water and electricity? You should have given us a signal whether you're coming or not."

"That's right, my child is still young and is waiting for hot water to make milk powder. What will my child eat when you have no water or electricity?"

…

Seeing that so many people in the group couldn't have breakfast, Lan Jin burped slowly, then looked at the dishes on the table that had not been cleared away yet. Well, if there is no water to wash them, just leave them there for now.

The residents were anxious about the lack of water and electricity, but the plumbers and electrical workers were even more anxious. They'd known the severity of the situation long before the repairs began, after layers of paperwork had been passed down. Losing water and electricity was serious enough, but wasn't J City about to be engulfed in toxic fog in just a day and a night even more serious? While the plumbers and electrical workers were scrambling to repair the water and electricity, they also had to shoulder the responsibility of ensuring the survival of the entire city. Just ask them if they weren't nervous. Naturally, they worked with even greater dedication and responsibility, which naturally meant they took longer.

But no matter how much the people in the group were arguing, the community staff remained indifferent and showed no intention of responding. Some people, unable to stay at home, ran directly to the community. When they arrived, they found that the community was already overcrowded, and their purpose was naturally to inquire about water and electricity. The community staff patiently said, "We have received a notice that the renovations must be completed today, but we really don't know when they can come. Instead of arguing with us now, you might as well go to the supermarket to see if there is any food you can eat directly and buy it first. Otherwise, you will starve yourself to death."

The community workers thought that this was a disguised reminder. Some people thought it made sense and rushed to the supermarket, but some people felt that the community was shirking its responsibility and kept pestering around and refused to leave.

The group continued to make trouble until around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The water came first, followed by electricity over an hour later, and natural gas over an hour later. The troubled day finally ended, and when everyone thought everything was over, an even more serious situation arose.

(End of this chapter)