Chapter 12
The house has two floors, each with 500 square meters. After the storage is completed, the 26th floor is a classic luxury flat except for the water and drinks piled up in the living room. If the storage room and balcony door are not opened, it will be a classic luxury flat.
Some dangerous items were quietly added to the gym, such as recurve bows, sharp-edged spears... These were the things Lang Xin brought back from Country R, as well as weapons he bought in physical stores after returning to China, such as solid military batons, brass knuckles, military knives, etc.
Stockpiling food comes first, defense comes second. Chao Youqian and Lang Xin have been busy these past two days putting things in place. They are also worried that the virus that the doctor mentioned before will spread further. Otherwise, they will have to go to professional coaches to learn how to use several weapons and fighting techniques.
The 27th floor is purely for storage. The living room at the entrance is equipped with oversized storage cabinets, there are solar panels installed on the balcony, and the storage room is also full. The stove, kerosene and coal prepared for extreme weather are placed where the dining table used to be.
Finally, with all the supplies in place and the refrigerator and freezer fully stocked, Chao Youqian began his favorite daily routine: a bath. He tossed a bath ball into the heated tub, placed the flat surface on the shelf above, and slept comfortably with the massage and gentle water.
The most popular TV series recently is a melodramatic drama from country H, where the screenwriter's imagination runs wild. The plot becomes more magical as it progresses, with characters dying and being reborn, and twins appearing from time to time.
Chao Youqian watched the comments and laughed along, until he saw one that made him wait for the next season to see what the screenwriter would come up with. Only then did he sigh, put away his tablet and come out of the bathroom.
Lang Xin and he both believe in ordering takeout while they can still enjoy the chef's cooking. The delivery guy will deliver the food downstairs, and then they will use the integrated smart system of the home to press the building door and elevator floor for him.
Although their community is built to luxury standards, it is a community with average management strictness. Many people who come here live short-term and do not hire a live-in nanny. For the convenience of life, takeout and express delivery can still be delivered to the door. If the owner is not at home, the building manager will collect it on the owner's behalf.
Now the stainless steel rolling gate in front of the elevator on the 26th floor has not been locked yet. There is a large storage rack at the door. In addition to letting the delivery guy put the takeaway food there, Chao Youqian also buys some things from time to time. It is not uncommon for modern young people to shop online and receive express deliveries every day for a month.
The living room still felt a bit awkward without a TV, so Tongcheng Home Appliances delivered a 98-inch TV, the same model that had been moved into the audio-visual room, and reinstalled it in the living room. In addition to moving things and organizing, they've also been testing the privacy and soundproofing of the house.
I turned on all the lights, drew the curtains, and cranked up the speakers in every room. Then I took the fire escape to the unsold 25th floor or outside the building. The curtains were perfectly effective at blocking out light, even if I needed to use plant lights later. The room's soundproofing was truly excellent; at full volume, only a hint of noise could be heard on the 25th floor, but at normal volume, there was no sound leakage. Jumping rope on the 26th floor didn't cause any noise or vibration downstairs, effectively ruling out any electrical noise from the room.
They don't like to eat at the big dining table. They sit on cushions in the living room with their backs against the sofa, turning on the TV just in time to catch the CCTV news broadcast and weather forecast replay.
The weather has been unusual lately. I heard temperatures near the equator are only in the low 20s, which is quite low for a place with year-round summer. The recent volcanic eruption in Country T, after being classified as a magnitude 5, has received much less attention. This small country has already begun accepting international aid, but the volcanic ash and resulting tsunami have made the already poor country even more vulnerable.
The gym floor was covered in a thick layer of soundproof exercise matting. The racks along the wall held a sufficient number of arrows, and at the end of the long side were two archery targets and a gun target. Of course, I couldn't buy illegal weapons of mass destruction, and those that could barely pass customs weren't too dangerous. I simply bought a few full-scale model guns and blank-firing weapons from abroad and practiced diligently with them along with my bow and arrow.
Chao Youqian's score remained stable at around 8 rings after continuous bow and arrow shooting. Lang Xin's eyesight was even better, and he could hit 9 and 10 rings at a time. The power of his arrows was still quite strong, and when the arrows were removed from the target, there were deep dents.
After continuing to work out in the gym, a coach from the same club suggested Chao Youqian increase his strength training. He was a little annoyed by Lang Xin's high praise, saying he just needed to keep honing his technique. They both worked in indoor environments, he majored in finance, Lang Xin in software, and the physical difference between them was astonishing.
While lifting weights, Lang Xin came over to lighten the weights a bit. Chao Youqian just remembered the coach's comments and yelled, "What are you doing? I need to do more strength training. Don't hold me back!"
"You're being taken for granted." Lang Xin reduced the weights to a level Chao Youqian could normally handle. "You have to proceed gradually. You can't become fat overnight. Before, when I told you not to sleep in and work out with me, you got mad at me. Now that you have enough time, I'd feel bad if you broke yourself."
Chao Youqian was too lazy to think about what had happened to this man who spoke like a riddle recently. Ever since he officially moved to the house in H City, Lang Xin seemed to have turned on a switch. Living in the same house every day, this man became even more clingy than before.
He finished a set of fitness training assigned by the coach, and after sweating a lot, he breathed a sigh of relief and said to Youqian, "Huh, I will surpass you soon. Then we can practice again."
Lang Xin pulled a towel from the rack in front of the mirror and rubbed it on Youqian's hair. "It's still early. Let's just stick to it every day."
----
The night in H City was still cool, and today felt like any other dark night. A slight tremor spread inland, and coastal cities felt the powerful waves crashing down.
The tsunami warning issued by Country R woke many people from sleep. International student Xiao Xu was awakened by her roommate's incessant knocking on the door. She rubbed her eyes and asked, "What's going on? It's only 5 o'clock."
Her roommate, also from Country Z, shook her vigorously. "A tsunami alert has been issued! That submarine volcano in Country T has been upgraded to a level 7! All coastal areas of Country R are being evacuated. We're not far from the coast, so pack your emergency backpacks and documents and be ready to evacuate to a shelter at any time."
All of Xiao Xu's sleepiness turned into cold sweat on his back. He packed up in a hurry and leaned on the sofa with his roommate, backpacks slung in front of him, and kept checking group messages in his hands.
The international student group has already received over 99 messages. Those living along the coast are feeling the most panicked, and the school has asked them to move to shelters. The most common questions in the group are about buying flights home and evacuating the country. A magnitude 7 volcanic eruption—a level that only occurs once every few hundred years—directly led to global climate change and widespread famine and deaths.
It is still in the early stages of the eruption. According to the previous speculation of experts, even if it is only level 5, it will continue to erupt for several weeks. As a result, it suddenly upgraded to a level 7 eruption. Even if it only lasts for a few days, the impact it will produce will be more than measurable.
A large-scale volcanic eruption will definitely be accompanied by a tsunami. Island countries like Country R make people's sense of security plummet. Although Xiao Xu and the others are still far away from the sea, they can't help but quickly search for and order flights to China. Now that summer vacation is almost here, returning home is like buying peace of mind.
Of course, there are always people who like to watch the fun and say that they are making a fuss out of nothing. Country R has a complete set of early warning and shelter facilities, and there have been no major problems for many years. Once the tsunami is over, everything will be fine. Is there any need to rush back to the country in a panic?
Xiao Xu's parents and brother said: Yes! It is absolutely necessary!
As a retired couple, they go to bed early and wake up naturally around 5 a.m. Xiao Xu's father put on his glasses and turned on the TV to watch the morning news. He was almost scared to death by the news that the volcano in Country T had erupted at a magnitude of 7 and that many countries, including Country R, had issued tsunami warnings.
After taking a few heart-clearing pills, Xiao Xu told her mother and her brother who was already working. The whole family immediately called her and asked her to book a flight back home as soon as possible.
Xiao Xu, a landlocked child, had never learned to swim and had a natural fear of the sea. With the semester almost over, he immediately changed his plans to stay on campus for the summer and booked the next flight back home.
In the future, she will be countlessly grateful to her family and herself for making this decision.
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Five days until the apocalypse, according to the occasional leaks from a doctor I'd met, the virus had already attracted the attention of the higher-ups. However, the current symptoms consisted solely of a debilitating fever, requiring only conservative treatment.
But the hottest topic right now isn't the virus, which hasn't erupted yet, but the eruption of Country T's submarine volcano, which reached a magnitude 7 in the early hours of Country Z time. The eruption is expected to continue for several weeks, producing over 100 cubic kilometers of volcanic ash that will reach an altitude of 40 kilometers, completely covering Country T. Currently, all contact with Country T is completely lost.
As soon as the news broke, there was no time to pity the people of T Country or those still in T Country. The perceptive uncles and aunts began frantically buying rice and noodles. The precedent of more than 200 years ago was right in front of us, and we couldn't help but compare it with today.
The government quickly dispelled the rumors of market regulation, posting a video of the national grain depot and detailed market regulation regulations above the trending search term "stockpiling grain." Crowds preparing to rush out saw a calm and abundant supply. Current science and technology and governance policies could stabilize food prices. Looking around at countries around the world, everyone saw this was indeed the case, so they politely took a few bags of rice and instant noodles home and called it a day.
After Country R issued a tsunami warning, the tsunami that finally hit was only a magnitude 6, causing casualties of more than a dozen people but none of them were serious. The minor earthquake also had no major impact.
Many people who did not return to their country began to say that those who bought expensive tickets to return were making a fuss, and proudly declared that a magnitude 7 volcanic eruption would be fine because it was far away, and only those in Country T who were unlucky enough to be located next to the crater would be affected.
Time will tell whether the dispute was right or wrong, but by then no one will revisit this topic.
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