He Still Has Power?

Looking out at the pitch-black city, Henry now understood that the phrase "can't see your hand in front of your face" was not an exaggeration but a literal truth.

Previously in the city, even if the lights within the neighborhood were off, the streetlights would cast light on the ground and reflect some light back into the sky, creating an illusion that the night wasn't completely dark. Even walking on dimly lit paths, one could still make out the way. 

But now that all the lights had gone out completely, Henry realized just how terrifying the darkness could be. His own hand was only about half a meter away from his face, yet he couldn't see anything at all.

The electric window shades, the refrigerator, everything had stopped working due to the power outage. Even the water pump had ceased, leaving the taps dry.

"Ow~~"

"Hehe~~"

"Uh-ah~~"

The eerie howls of zombies sounded particularly loud and grating in the darkness. Henry pulled out a powerful flashlight from his storage space and set it on the table, aiming the beam at the ceiling. The entire room lit up.

This was a little trick Henry had played with as a child. Directing the flashlight at a specific spot did indeed make it very bright, but the areas not illuminated remained dark. This method also provided softer lighting.

Luckily, Henry had cooked all the frozen beef beforehand. Now, he didn't need to cook; he could just take out the food and eat it hot. After finishing his steak, Henry then opened the chat channel.

At that moment, the channel was filled with discussions about the power outage. The lack of electricity had intensified everyone's sense of insecurity, so they were eager to chat to relieve the tension. Today, the chat channel was busier than ever.

"Damn, the power's out over here, you guys too?"

"We're all in the same regional chat channel, not far from each other, so yeah, definitely all out!"

"I'm on the rooftop, and from what I can see, the entire city is out of power. Everywhere within sight is pitch black!"

"Damn, I live on the 15th floor. I've been clearing the zombies from the elevator these past two days, purposely luring the hallway zombies into the safety corridor. Now I'm completely screwed!"

"I'm in a worse situation, I'm in a mall, surrounded by no windows, just relying on indoor lighting! Now with the power out, even if it were daytime, it would still be pitch black here!"

"This... this is too much, I just traded for two bowls of instant noodles on the auction channel, was looking forward to a hot meal... now I'll have to chew them dry..."

"Envy you still have food to eat, I've been starving for two days now. I'm in a bookstore, used to read novels every day to distract from the hunger. Now, blind as a bat and with my hearing improved, I can even hear my stomach growling!"

"It's too dark, I'm so scared... can everyone keep me company chatting all night? I'm too afraid to sleep!"

"Great, now if a zombie charges at me I won't even know where it is. At least I won't be scared when I die..."

"Hey, don't scare people, okay? I've locked my door; zombies shouldn't be able to get in, right?"

"Valerie, where are you? If you see this, DM me immediately!"

Slater: "Welcome everyone to the survivor camp. We have emergency lighting equipment at our stadium, fully armed combat teams, and food and water supplies!"

Slater was still opportunistically promoting his camp.

"Emergency lighting equipment?" Seeing this term, Henry suddenly remembered he had a diesel generator in his storage space! This thing, along with many barrels of gasoline and diesel, were all traded to him by Slater earlier today. In a power outage, the value of a diesel generator is only second to food and water!

Henry managed to trade for two generators rather easily. Slater must be regretting it now, his guts turning green with envy! These days, the pursuit of light among survivors is second only to food and water. Consequently, the price of generators and various other sources of energy has naturally skyrocketed! With this trade, Henry made a big profit.

After eating, Henry finally opened the trade channel and successfully completed all the customer orders that Clarissa had referred during the day. These people were straightforward. The items traded were exactly as Clarissa had listed.

Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained: [Energy Cores]*10, [Ice Blossoms]*5, [Bucket of Instant Noodles]*5, [Blood-Stained Keys]*10, [Carbon Hard Material]*5, [Skill: Basic Mechanical Repair], [Skill: Advanced Electrician], [Basic Constitution Potion]*1, [Steel Material]*100!

Henry used the two skill books. Instantly, a vast amount of knowledge about mechanical repairs and electrical circuits flooded his mind. This made Henry's thinking much more agile. Looking at the world, it seemed clearer than before.

Henry took a powerful flashlight to the basement and connected the diesel generator, filled with diesel, to the building's electrical grid.

Start up!

Rumble...

With the diesel generator up and running, the lights in the hallway of Building 8 flickered a few times. Then, they suddenly brightened up. Done! The entire Building 8 was brightly lit, shining like a beacon in the night.

"Holy shit, shit, shit, guess what I saw?"

"It's pitch dark, what could you possibly see?"

"No, I see a room not far from here with the lights on, brilliantly illuminated!"

"What the hell, isn't it a massive blackout? How can someone still have power?"

"I see it too... but it's too dark around to tell exactly where that is... whoever lives there must be living the dream!"

"Can you make out exactly where it is?"

"Are you kidding? Everything is dark, I can't even distinguish north from south, east from west right now. I can only see the light, there are no reference points, I have no idea where this is, okay?"

"When we had electricity, I was afraid to turn on the lights, fearing exposure. Now, in the darkness, I'm not afraid of being exposed, but sadly, I don't have power..."

"...I used a telescope to look... This big shot has a plate on his table, seems like he just ate meat!"

"And next to it, there's a bottle of soda! And a soft, big bed... damn, I'm so jealous!"

"To be able to eat meat in the apocalypse? To drink soda? To sleep in a big bed? That's literally living like a god!"

"It seems like we came to survive, but that person came to enjoy!"

"I don't aspire for a big bed or soda, nor do I crave meat, just a full belly would satisfy me!"

"Folks, does anyone have any bedding? I dare not even dream of a mattress; it's too cold at night, sleeping on the concrete floor is unbearable!"

"To be honest, I've started drinking my urine, it looks just like soda!"

"Whoever has electricity, I have a surprise for you!"

"The person above is too naive. Right now, having electricity, food, and a bed is like having a billion in peacetime! Do you think they still lack companionship?"

"If you like men... actually, I could also..."

"Damn, the person above really disgusts me. Can't people have a bit of dignity?"

"Easy for you to say when you're not suffering. Try being hungry and thirsty for three days, and sleep on concrete for three days, then come talk to me about dignity!"

"+1"