"My name is Huang Tao. I live in Building Seven. I've studied free-fighting for a few years and enjoy hiking and camping, so I know a little about setting up camp and starting fires."
On the edge of the crowd, Granny Li, who lived on the second floor of Building Eight, clapped her hands. "Oh, dear! The power's out. The meat in my fridge will go bad. I need to smoke it right away."
With that, Granny Li turned and hurried away.
Her reminder sent many of the onlookers rushing home.
Others, however, didn't know what to do and quickly sought advice from neighbors who did. Many people only knew that smoking meat involved holding it over a fire to be cooked by the smoke, but they were clueless about the specifics: how long to smoke it, how high to place the rack, whether to rub it with salt, or if they should just dry-roast it.
Qin Ziwen nudged his younger brother with his elbow. "Come on, let's go see."
Qin Ziwu was shocked. "Bro, we always order takeout. We don't have any meat at home."
Qin Ziwen replied, "Just because we don't have any now doesn't mean we won't later."
Granny Li was very enthusiastic. She answered everyone's questions one by one, and eventually just invited people into her home for a live demonstration on how to cure meat.
"Smoking meat is actually simple. Just remember to cure, smoke, and store. We used to rub the meat inside and out with coarse salt a few times, then use a stone to press out the blood. After that, we'd smoke it. Remember not to roast it directly over a flame. You need something that produces smoke without catching fire, like damp wood or sawdust. Let it smolder and smoke slowly. Hang the meat up to dry out. When it turns deep red, feels hard when you squeeze it, and is lighter when you lift it, it's done."
"No salt? You can smoke it directly, too. Just slice the meat thin. Don't leave it in large chunks—cut it into thin strips and hang them up to be smoked slowly. It'll last a little longer that way, but it won't keep for very long without salt."
Granny Li's husband, who was in a wheelchair, went to the sink, washed some fruit, and handed it out to the neighbors who had come inside.
Some took the fruit and ate it on the spot, while others pocketed it.
"Thank you." Qin Ziwen accepted an apple with both hands.
The old man gave Qin Ziwen a friendly smile, then handed an apple to Qin Ziwu, who quickly accepted it.
After curing the meat, Granny Li shared several more tips with her neighbors on how to preserve food.
She used to live in the countryside. After her husband broke his leg, living there became inconvenient, so their son, who had gotten divorced, simply brought the old couple up to the city to live with him.
"Where's your son?" someone asked.
Granny Li smiled and said, "He worked the night shift yesterday, so he isn't home."
A chill went through many of the people in the room. The atmosphere seemed to change subtly.
Qin Ziwen left with his brother.
CRUNCH.
On the stairs, Qin Ziwu took a big bite, smacking his lips as he savored the taste. "This apple is so sweet," he said wistfully. "We probably won't be able to get these anymore."
Back home, Qin Ziwen started to take stock of their supplies.
In truth, he had already gone through everything last night.
The household appliances were now basically just decorations. The table and chairs were still usable. They didn't have much food: just a box of small bread rolls that had been delivered the day before yesterday and a case of BaiXiang turkey-flavored instant noodles. In the cupboard was half a canister of protein powder, and the water dispenser had half a jug of water left.
In a drawer, there was a half-used bottle of glue, two large water buckets, a solid wood laundry pole, some clothes, bedding, rope, and string, two kitchen cleavers, a paring knife, and a pair of scissors.
"Some people went outside," his brother said, pointing out the window.
Outside the Gated Community's walls, a dozen or so adults were cautiously exploring the area.
The surrounding trees were somewhat sparse for a distance of several dozen paces.
"AH!"
A cry of alarm rose from the crowd below.
Someone pointed ahead.
Faintly, Qin Ziwen heard, "A snake." "A huge snake."
Not far from the group, the tall grass rustled violently as a massive, dark green snake, thicker than a sewer pipe, was startled and fled.
From their vantage point upstairs, the snake looked to be at least five or six meters long.
Qin Ziwu's eyebrows shot up. "Bro, a snake that big could probably swallow a person."
Qin Ziwen's expression was grim. "A snake that long can definitely eat a person. I have a feeling the animals here are all pretty big. We need to be careful."
After encountering the giant snake, the group below came to a halt. A cluster of them were discussing something.
A moment later, the group split up, and three people turned back toward the Gated Community.
Qin Ziwen detached the blade from the paring knife. Then, using a cleaver, he sharpened the end of the laundry pole before chiseling a groove into it and fitting the blade inside.
He wrapped the joint with rope, dripped glue into the seam, and after the glue dried, he wrapped another layer of rope around the outside.
And just like that, he had fashioned a simple Long Spear. He tested it several times to make sure it wouldn't come loose easily.
"Put this on." Qin Ziwen tossed a long-sleeved winter jacket to his brother. He and his brother were similar in height and build, so they could mostly wear each other's clothes.
Before heading out, Qin Ziwen deliberately put on a pair of thick, high-top winter Doc Martens. He wore a leather jacket and long pants, tucking his long johns securely into his thick cotton socks.
After going downstairs, the two headed straight for the south gate.
In the open area in front of the south gate, people were gathered in scattered groups of two and three, mostly in family units. It was a bit like a party-finder channel in a video game; teams that had sturdy adult men were the most popular.
"Hey, Xiaoqin, over here." A woman not far away waved at Qin Ziwen.
"Sister Wang?" Qin Ziwen hadn't expected to run into his department head, Wang Juan.
Next to Wang Juan was her husband, whom Qin Ziwen had met a few times, and a slightly younger woman with glasses who was secretly sizing up Qin Ziwu.
"Xiaoqin, what on earth is going on? The company had a project progress meeting today, and now it's completely delayed!" Wang Juan sighed.
Qin Ziwu glanced at her, annoyed. 'Who does she think she is,' he thought, 'calling my brother 'Xiaoqin' like that?'
The woman with glasses said, "In any case, there are no two suns on Earth. I don't think we're ever going back."
Wang Juan smiled and said, "You, and your brother—perfect. You can team up with my husband. There's safety in numbers. You men have good stamina, so you can be in charge of scouting and protection."
She continued, "My sister is a nurse and knows first aid, so she can handle support. We're just missing two able-bodied men. You should come with us. It'll be more efficient."
The corner of Qin Ziwen's mouth twitched into a humorless smile. He said flatly, "We have our own plans. We won't trouble you, Big Sister Wang."
With that, he turned to leave.
"Hey, wait! How can a young person have zero sense of teamwork? Look at the situation we're in! What can you accomplish on your own? There are three of us and two of you."
Qin Ziwen didn't respond. 'What bad luck, running into such a freak first thing in the morning. She's still acting like she's at the office.'
Wang Juan's husband frowned in displeasure as he watched the two brothers walk away. "Why is your subordinate so insubordinate? He has no sense of the bigger picture."
Once they were farther away, Qin Ziwu complained, "Bro, your boss… does she still think she's at the company?"
"I guess some people are just used to being in charge."
Walking down a short flight of stairs, they arrived at the main south gate. Qin Ziwen stopped. The view that met his eyes was a powerful shock.
One of the glass gate doors was shattered, and the other was wide open. Inside the gate was a smooth floor; outside was a wilderness overgrown with weeds.
Knee-high weeds grew in messy patches everywhere. Farther in the distance lay a vast, lush forest. In the sky, a few birds soared past.
...
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