Three days after the apocalypse began, the real show finally started.
Zhang Ye knew exactly what would happen on this day, so he didn't sleep all night—he was just waiting to watch the drama unfold.
What happened was actually quite simple.
The entire Yuelu Community suddenly lost power!
And soon after, due to the chain reaction from the power outage, the water company could no longer operate properly.
The water supply system failed, and every household lost access to running water.
All of this had been within Zhang Ye's expectations.
After all, at the beginning of the apocalypse, no one could predict how long this extreme cold disaster would last.
The authorities were still trying their best to hold things together and resolve the snowstorm.
But as days passed, by the third day, they realized that this was not a problem human effort could solve.
With the land frozen and everything buried in snow, major hydroelectric power plants gradually shut down, and thermal power plants couldn't operate due to lack of available personnel.
Once cities across the country exhausted their stored electricity, blackouts became inevitable.
At that point, perhaps only a small number of nuclear power plants were still operational.
But all of the electricity they generated was naturally reserved for government use.
Power outages. Water shortages. Everyday life for the common people was instantly plunged into darkness!
But Zhang Ye had already started two silent generators ahead of time, powering up his apartment.
After finishing that, he checked his phone and saw multiple chat groups had over 99+ unread messages.
"Do you still have electricity at your place?"
"We don't have power anymore! And the tap water's gone too. What the hell is going on?"
"Same here! No water, no electricity! It's freezing cold—we can't even use the air conditioner or the heater. How are we supposed to survive like this?!"
"Why isn't the government stepping in now? If this keeps up, people are going to freeze to death."
Zhang Ye silently shook his head.
At this point, the authorities had no capacity to worry about everyone.
If you wanted to survive, you had to rely on yourself.
He also knew that today marked the true beginning of the apocalypse.
Once modern society lost its access to electricity and food, large-scale human death would inevitably follow.
Thinking of this, Zhang Ye glanced around his home with a mix of fear and relief.
When he saw his house—warm as spring and fortified like an iron barrel—and thought of the endless supplies stored in his dimensional space, a deep sense of comfort welled up in his heart.
Meanwhile, the neighborhood group chat was filled with nervous complaints.
If not for the advancement of technology, allowing phone batteries to withstand low temperatures, they might not even be able to use their phones.
But with no power, it was only a matter of time before the phones turned into useless bricks.
"How long is this snow going to keep falling? The air conditioning is useless now, and it's minus thirty-something degrees inside my house."
"If this keeps up, we're really going to freeze to death!"
"No water either—what, are we supposed to drink melted snow?"
"We're running low on food at home. The snow has sealed the doors, and we can't even go to the supermarket. What are we supposed to do?!"
Some people started tagging Auntie Lin.
"Auntie Lin, didn't you say it would be fine earlier?"
"Exactly! I only didn't go out to buy supplies because I trusted what you said. What now?"
"When exactly are the authorities coming to rescue us? Say something!"
Faced with her neighbors' questions, Auntie Lin felt both anxious and terrified inside.
At this moment, she was even more scared than the others.
The other residents didn't know what the government was doing.
But through the neighborhood committee, Auntie Lin had already received some inside information:
"Blizzards are falling all over the world. They say this is a once-in-tens-of-thousands-of-years disaster. Maybe we're facing another mass extinction event—a true apocalypse!"
"Although the government is trying its best to hold out, with over a billion people in China, it's impossible to take care of everyone."
"Several major cities in the country have already fallen!"
"From here on out, survival is on our own. We have to stockpile supplies, especially food and heating fuel."
"I've already started collecting supplies from households under the name of the neighborhood committee."
"But… isn't that harming others?"
"Harming others? If I don't do this, my family will freeze or starve to death in less than three days! I can't afford to care about anyone else!"
"Who knows how many people this blizzard is going to kill? I can only take care of myself and my family first."
"Yes, while we still have some authority, we need to gather as many resources as we can. In times like this, survival is what matters most!"
Auntie Lin stared at the messages in the neighborhood committee chat group, her whole body trembling.
Even though the indoor temperature had dropped to minus thirty degrees, cold sweat still ran down her forehead.
She lay in bed, covered with three thick layers of quilts, so heavy she could barely breathe—but she didn't dare uncover herself.
Because the room now felt like an ice cellar.
Just then, her grandson Xiaohu, snuggled in the blankets with her, asked, "Grandma, why is it so cold outside? When are Dad and Mom coming back?"
Auntie Lin looked at her little grandson, and her heart sank.
She had just spoken with her son and daughter-in-law today.
They were both working out of town and now trapped in a rented apartment, not doing much better than she was.
"I have to protect the two of us. We must survive!"
Auntie Lin bit her lip hard, a ruthless glint flashing in her eyes.
"Xiaohu, don't worry. Daddy and Mommy will be home soon."
After comforting Xiaohu, Auntie Lin picked up her phone and began speaking in the community group chat.
"Everyone, this disaster is only temporary. With weather this cold, water and power outages are not surprising."
"Don't worry, repair crews are already working on it."
"The government has issued a notice. In these extreme times, the neighborhood committee will take over centralized management of the community."
"We hope everyone will cooperate with our work. Anyone who refuses and causes serious consequences will be reported to the police for arrest and investigation!"
Auntie Lin's message was extremely heavy-handed.
Her tone sparked deep resentment among the residents.
None of them expected that in a time like this, instead of explaining their incompetence, the neighborhood committee would threaten them.
Still, fear kept everyone silent—no one dared to speak out.
Zhang Ye, holding his phone, leisurely read Auntie Lin's message.
He raised his eyebrows and let out a cold chuckle.
Of course he knew she was lying. In his previous life, she used this exact despicable method to cheat others out of their supplies.
But he had no intention of exposing her tricks.
After all, whether his neighbors lived or died had nothing to do with him.
Zhang Ye turned on his TV and continued playing his game.
No power? No water?
It didn't matter—he had an entire warehouse full of backup batteries, generators, fuel, and solid alcohol.
As for water, he had stockpiled 500 tons of tap water alone, not to mention tens of thousands of tons of bottled water and beverages.
And if necessary, he could even melt snow for water.
In short, whether it was fresh water or energy, he wasn't lacking a thing.