The dormitory building stood right next to the school’s perimeter wall. Outside, the vast, empty wasteland had no streetlights, and with the sudden blackout in the lobby and dorm rooms, it became impossible to see anyone nearby.
Standing on the pitch-black ground, Tang Tang felt a moment of panic but quickly forced herself to calm down.
“What’s going on? A power outage?”
“No way, why would the power suddenly go out like this?”
“Damn! It’s so dark! I can’t even see the way! Does anyone have a phone with battery left? Turn on the flashlight!”
Shouts and complaints about the sudden blackout echoed all around. Tang Tang listened, her brows gradually furrowing.
Could this be the beginning of the apocalypse?
It was several hours earlier than expected.
Instinctively, she pulled out her phone, which she had fully charged that afternoon. Just then, a warm yellow beam of light shone over.
Yan Chen, in a foul mood, released Tang Tang’s collar and grumbled irritably, “Why did the power have to go out right now?”
Tang Tang remained silent.
By now, many people had turned on their phone flashlights. Lights of varying hues crisscrossed in the darkness. Amid the chorus of complaints, she even heard someone exclaim, “How beautiful!”
“Nothing we can do. Without power, the elevator won’t work. Jiang Zhu lives on the tenth floor, the top floor. We’ll have to walk up.”
Climbing ten floors was a bit of a challenge even for Yan Chen, especially going up, he’d probably break a sweat. Sweating now, with the power out and no easy way to shower, was just annoying.
But more than that, he was worried this pampered woman might throw a tantrum. So he warned her, staring intently: “Do you want to walk up on your own, or should I drag you up?”
Tang Tang: …
“Actually, we should go to the cafeteria first to buy some food, then look for Jiang Zhu.”
Tang Tang, after all, knew part of the plot and was more aware of the current situation.
Earlier, Yan Chen had mentioned that Jiang Zhu hadn’t eaten all day, which must have drained his energy. Now, with the sudden power outage across the entire school, others might think it was just a circuit issue somewhere. But she had a hunch that this was the sign of the apocalypse officially beginning.
If the power had already gone out early, who could guarantee the water wouldn’t be cut off next? Tang Tang was lost in thought when she looked up and met Yan Chen’s suspicious gaze. It was as if he thought her words were just an excuse to try and escape.
“Since when are you so considerate?”
Sure enough, Yan Chen asked.
Tang Tang sighed helplessly: “Well, I do feel guilty.”
“After all, Jiang Zhu was once very good to me. I don’t expect him to forgive me, but he shouldn’t torture himself like this, right?”
Yan Chen shot her a skeptical look, clearly doubting her words. But upon further thought, what she said made sense.
“Fine, let’s go to the cafeteria first to get some food, then head up.”
The two turned and walked toward the cafeteria. This time, Yan Chen didn’t grab her by the collar again, though he occasionally glared at her, warning her not to try anything.
Tang Tang had no tricks up her sleeve, but she couldn’t help marveling at how comfortable it felt not to be dragged along.
As she walked, she used her phone to illuminate her surroundings, noticing that despite the blackout, her classmates seemed to be in fairly good spirits. This worried her a little. These were people who had no idea the apocalypse was coming. Some were still chatting with friends, others were excitedly playing games, and some had plans for gatherings the next day, and so on. Yet their fate was already sealed. The arrival of the apocalypse was inevitable, yet they had no idea.
Tang Tang tightened her grip on her phone. Should she warn them or not?
“Hey, doesn’t this feel like those apocalyptic scenes in movies? Look, the power went out all of a sudden, and it’s not just one building, it’s the entire school! And it’s been a while now, but there’s still no sign of it coming back!”
Hearing this voice, Tang Tang jolted. She quickly scanned the crowd for the source of the voice. She spotted a slightly chubby boy gesturing animatedly, looking quite excited.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Why are you so excited about the apocalypse? And it hasn’t been that long, only about ten minutes or so. Even if they need to generate power temporarily, they’d need time to prepare, right?”
“Exactly, stop making things up.”
“I’m not making things up!” the excited boy retorted unhappily.
“Someone who just came back from outside sent me a message saying the area out there is also pitch black. Isn’t that terrifying? And there was no prior notice about the blackout. If this isn’t the apocalypse, what is?”
“Shut up already. You’re always going on about the apocalypse. If it really were the apocalypse, someone like you would be the first to go!”
The speaker meant no harm, but the listeners took it to heart. In the dead of night, with no lights around, even though they knew the boy’s words were just wild fantasies, they couldn’t help but shiver. Everyone gradually distanced themselves from him.
Left with no choice, the boy pursed his lips and walked away on his own.
Tang Tang furrowed her brows, her expression grave.
So, no one would believe it, after all?
Just then, Yan Chen, who had also stopped walking alongside Tang Tang, sneered, “It’s just a power outage. You’re not foolish enough to believe what that boy just said, are you?”
Hearing his voice, Tang Tang snapped back to reality. Then she realized she had stopped walking at some point and was now standing still.
“The power outage was so sudden. I’m just a bit scared,” Tang Tang forced a smile at him.
In response, Yan Chen let out a disdainful snort. “If you’re so scared, then don’t have such good hearing. Do you have earphones? Put them on, play some music, and turn it up all the way.”
Tang Tang instinctively wanted to refuse. After all, she still wanted to listen to what others were saying and analyze the current situation. But when she realized that she, too, was feeling unsettled by the sudden blackout, even trembling slightly because she knew the apocalypse had arrived, she agreed, hoping to relieve the pressure.
“Okay, thanks.”
She took out her earphones, put them on, and chose a soothing song for herself.
Fortunately, Yan Chen wasn’t interested in her thanks, so he didn’t notice her trembling hands.
The cafeteria was no different from the rest of the campus, equally pitch black.
They hadn’t arrived too late, so although a few windows had closed early, many were still operating with the help of flashlight beams. Seeing that Yan Chen only intended to buy one meal, Tang Tang thought for a moment and spoke to the cook on the other side of the window, “Please give me ten of the same set meals, thank you.”
Yan Chen: “Are you trying to stuff Jiang Zhu to death?”
How could Tang Tang possibly want to stuff Jiang Zhu to death? She was just worried that starting tomorrow morning, there might be no more food available. Besides, these were all provisions, stocking up a little extra in the apocalypse couldn’t hurt. It was spring, so the food wouldn’t spoil easily. If she could carry more, she would have bought dozens more.
“No,” Tang Tang shook her head obediently. But she didn’t say anything more.
“Huh? Why is there no water?”
“No water? That can’t be! The power just went out, how could the water be gone too?”
Just as the cook finished packing the eleven meals, another cook behind him shouted. Tang Tang silently took the ten meals, feeling the heavy weight in her hands.
It had truly begun.
***
Translation by NightOwll
***
[OP:08/04/2024][Edited:07/13/2026]