The dormitory building was right next to the school’s perimeter wall. The empty wasteland outside is not illuminated by a single light. At this moment, the lights in the lobby and all the dorm rooms suddenly went out, plunging the place into complete darkness, making it impossible to see anyone around.
Standing on the pitch-black ground, Tang Tang felt a moment of panic but quickly forced herself to calm down.
“What happened? Did the power go out?”
“No way, how could there be a power outage all of a sudden?”
“Damn! It’s so dark! I can’t see the road at all! Whose phone still has battery? Turn on the flashlight!”
The surrounding area was filled with the sounds of shouting due to the sudden power outage. As Tang Tang listened, she gradually furrowed her brows.
She wondered to herself, could this be the beginning of the apocalypse?
This was several hours earlier than the time mentioned before.
Tang Tang instinctively took out her phone, which she had fully charged in the afternoon. Suddenly, a warm yellow light shone over.
Yan Chen released Tang Tang’s collar with a sullen expression, feeling somewhat annoyed: “Why did the power have to go out right at this moment?”
Tang Tang didn’t say anything.
By now, many people had turned on their phone flashlights, and the different hues of light intertwined. Amidst the majority of complaints, she even heard someone say, “It’s so beautiful.”
“We have no choice. With the power out, the elevator won’t work. Jiang Zhu lives on the tenth floor, the top floor. Let’s walk up.”
Climbing ten floors was a bit of a challenge for Yan Chen, especially going up, likely to work up quite a sweat. Sweating, with the power out, meant he couldn’t take a shower—how annoying.
However, more than that, he was worried about this pampered woman throwing 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 to get some food first, and then go find Jiang Zhu.”
Tang Tang, after all, knew part of the plot and was more aware of the current situation.
Yan Chen had mentioned before that Jiang Zhu hadn’t eaten anything all day, which would definitely drain his energy. Now, with the sudden power outage across the entire school, others might think it was just a local electrical issue. But she had a hunch that this was the sign of the apocalypse officially beginning.
Since the power outage came earlier than expected, who could guarantee that water wouldn’t be next? Tang Tang thought about it a lot, and when she looked up, she met Yan Chen’s suspicious gaze.
It was as if he believed she was saying these things just as an excuse to escape.
“Would you be so kind?”
Sure enough, Yan Chen asked.
Tang Tang sighed and said helplessly: “Yes, I feel guilty.”
“After all, Jiang Zhu was very good to me once. I don’t expect his forgiveness, but he shouldn’t torment himself like this.”
Yan Chen glanced at her, clearly skeptical of her words. However, after thinking it over, he found her reasoning made sense.
“Alright then, let’s go to the cafeteria to get some food first, and then we’ll go up.”
The two of them turned and walked towards the cafeteria. This time, Yan Chen didn’t grab her collar again but would occasionally glare at her, warning her not to play any tricks.
Tang Tang had no tricks up her sleeve, but she couldn’t help but sigh at how comfortable it was to walk without being dragged.
As she walked, Tang Tang used her phone’s flashlight to look around, noticing that despite the power outage, the other students seemed to be in good spirits. This made her a bit worried.
These were people completely unaware of the impending apocalypse. Some were chatting with friends, others were excitedly playing games, and some had planned a gathering for the next day, and so on. However, their fates were 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, don’t you guys think this feels like those apocalyptic scenes in the movies? I mean, suddenly the power is out, and it’s not just one building—it’s the whole school! And it’s been a long time, and still no power!”
Suddenly hearing this voice, Tang Tang was shocked. She quickly looked around the crowd to find the owner of the voice.
Then she saw a slightly chubby boy gesturing excitedly.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Why are you so excited if the apocalypse is coming? And it hasn’t been that long, only about ten minutes, right? Even if they need to use the backup generator, they need some time to prepare.”
“Yeah, stop talking nonsense.”
“I’m not talking nonsense!” the excited boy retorted indignantly. “Someone just came back from outside and messaged me that the whole area out there is without power too. It’s pitch black. Isn’t that scary? And there was no prior notice about this power outage. If this isn’t the start of the apocalypse, then what is?”
“Shut up already. You’re always going on about the apocalypse. If it really did come, you? You’d be the first to go!”
The one who said that didn’t mean it, but the people listening were already affected. Late at night, in the pitch-black darkness, even though they knew his words were just fantasies, they couldn’t help but shiver. Everyone quickly distanced themselves from the boy.
Left with no choice, the boy pursed his lips and walked away by himself.
Tang Tang furrowed her brows, her expression solemn.
As expected, no one would believe it, would they?
At this moment, Yan Chen, who had also stopped walking, sneered, “It’s just a power outage. You aren’t foolish enough to believe what that guy said, are you?”
Tang Tang snapped out of her thoughts upon hearing his voice. She realized she had stopped walking at some point and was 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, don’t listen so well. Do you have earphones? Put them on and turn the music up to the max.”
Tang Tang instinctively wanted to refuse. After all, she still wanted to listen to what others were saying and analyze the current situation. However, when she realized that the sudden power outage had left her feeling unsettled, and her hands were trembling slightly from knowing the plot and realizing the apocalypse had already arrived, she agreed to ease her anxiety.
“Mm, thanks.”
She took out her earphones, put them on, and chose a soothing song for herself. Luckily, Yan Chen wasn’t interested in her gratitude, 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 taken long to get there, so although a few stalls had closed early, many were still operating by the light of flashlights.
Tang Tang saw that Yan Chen was about to buy just one meal, so she thought for a moment and then spoke to the chef on the other side of the counter, “Could we have ten of the same meal, please? Thank you.”
Yan Chen: “Are you trying to stuff Jiang Zhu to death?”
There was no way Tang Tang wanted to overfeed Jiang Zhu. She was simply worried that starting tomorrow morning, they might not be able to get any more food. Plus, it’s always wise to stock up on provisions during the apocalypse.
It’s springtime, so food won’t spoil easily. If she could carry more, she would have bought dozens more meals.
“No,” Tang Tang shook her head obediently but didn’t say anything more.
“Hey? Why is there no water?”
“No water? Really? The power just went out, and now there’s no water either!”
As the chef finished packing the eleven meals, they heard another chef behind them shout. Tang Tang silently took the ten meals, feeling the heavy weight in her hands.
It had truly begun.
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Translation by NightOwll
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