Chapter 26 Stirring Up Trouble
By the time Liu Lei and his team finished everything and left, it was already noon at twelve o'clock.
The main delay came from assembling the Apple Cabin and installing the photovoltaic solar panels.
After assembly and debugging, they waited for the cleaning crew to thoroughly tidy up both the interior and exterior multiple times. Then, every facility and electrical appliance underwent individual inspection and acceptance.
Fortunately, the jetpack flight suit, waterless planting machine, and ice maker were all delivered during this period—though they were stored in another warehouse some distance away next door.
Once all the supplies were inspected and everyone had left, Jiang Yan stored everything away in her dimension.
With some time still left before the bank reopened in the afternoon and her stomach growling with hunger, she simply took out a serving of cold-skin noodles with beef tendon in a spicy and sour sauce and a chilled glass of coconut sago dessert from her dimension for a quick meal.
That exceptionally refreshing cold-skin noodles with beef tendon was another gem she had discovered in an obscure little shop—absolutely delicious.
The shop owner, unlike the arrogant plump lady from the rice noodle shop earlier, was much more agreeable.
Not only did she readily accept Jiang Yan's order for three thousand servings, but she also threw in fifty extra roujiamo (Chinese pork burgers) and three thousand cups of sour plum juice for free.
After finishing her meal, Jiang Yan sat alone on a small stool for a while longer, resting.
She chose not to enter her dimension.
Though the dimension maintained a constant, comfortable temperature, the drastic contrast with the outside environment was too much.
She still had to spend the afternoon running around outside and didn't want to risk struggling with the heat or falling ill from sudden temperature shifts.
Once she estimated the time was about right, Jiang Yan retrieved a brand-new Harley-Davidson motorcycle from her dimension and sped off toward the bank.
This motorcycle had no license plate—it could practically be considered smuggled goods.
After all, she had bought it overseas and immediately stashed it in her dimension.
She was well aware that riding an unlicensed vehicle could lead to its temporary confiscation and a fine of 200 yuan.
But compared to racing against the impending Apocalypse, such penalties meant nothing.
Besides, at this moment, the traffic police probably had bigger concerns to deal with.
There was a second-hand licensed mini-truck in her dimension, but given today's circumstances, transporting goods with a truck would have been inconvenient. A motorcycle, on the other hand, could be easily stowed away in some secluded alleyway with just a touch.
After the bank, she went to buy gold bars, which also took up some time.
Moreover, due to widespread panic and a flight to safety, the price of gold had skyrocketed from yesterday's 800-plus yuan per gram to over 2,000 yuan per gram—and it was still climbing rapidly.
Under normal circumstances, gold bars would have cost just over 600 yuan.
Even the jewelry stores were now packed with people.
After all, gold remained the top choice for safe-haven assets.
However, Jiang Yan's mother had once been a super VIP at a well-known jewelry group's An Ming branch, so Jiang Yan naturally didn't buy from the counters.
Instead, she went straight to the company's gold processing plant.
Several major jewelry brands on the market were actually subsidiaries of the same parent corporation, which operated gold processing plants in select cities—An Ming being one of them.
After purchasing the gold, Jiang Yan retrieved the jewelry her mother had stored for her in the bank's vault before hopping back on her motorcycle and heading toward Shallow Water Bay.
On her way back, she didn't forget to tune in to local news updates via her Bluetooth earpiece.
The outside temperature had now reached fifty degrees Celsius, with heat waves visibly rippling through the air.
The ground temperature was undoubtedly even higher, practically scorching to the touch.
She could even feel the asphalt softening slightly beneath the motorcycle tires.
Every gas station, shopping mall, and pharmacy along the way had long queues stretching outside.
Every now and then, she spotted people collapsing mid-step from heat exhaustion.
Among those heading to the malls, while some were there to stock up on supplies, most were families sneaking past their residential compounds' "one-person-only" lockdown rules to seek refuge in air-conditioned spaces.
Security had been reinforced at mall entrances, but they couldn't hold back the desperate crowds waving fists and demanding entry to escape the heat.
Subway stations were also packed with people seeking relief.
Early that morning, most companies—aside from essential services and special industries—had been ordered by authorities to close and switch to remote work. Yet many still chose to go into the office.
Not out of dedication to their jobs.
An Ming City's usually mild climate meant most households had never needed air conditioning, but office buildings were required to have central cooling systems.
Still, the majority—especially middle-aged adults—braved the sweltering heat and the threat of Giant Blood-Sucking Mosquitoes, hauling supplies back for their families.
Meanwhile, the news reported a new discovery.
Giant Blood-Sucking Mosquitoes typically swarmed from 5:30 PM until 7:00 AM the next day.
Experts offered no explanation for this pattern, only urging people to return home before five.
Despite the warning, Blood Mosquito attacks still occurred sporadically on the streets, though in smaller numbers.
Roads were littered with rear-end collisions and cars overheating or even bursting into flames from radiator failures.
Fires had also broken out in high-rises and older residential buildings, their thick plumes of smoke a chilling sight.
Even some remote appliance stores specializing in refrigerators and freezers had been looted.
In short, the world had descended into chaos.
-
Qianshui Bay.
After helping his father inside and ensuring he had recovered, Zhou Guangfu grabbed his electric bike keys and rushed out.
Their family had learned from the pandemic to always stock at least a month's worth of rice, flour, and cooking oil.
He Chunmei also made preserved vegetables, cured meats, and sausages every year.
But he still needed to buy extra supplies, just in case.
Their child's fever medicine was running low, and they also needed more Heatstroke treatments—chlorpromazine hydrochloride tablets, aspirin enteric-coated capsules, and the like.
Clinics and emergency rooms, whether Western or traditional Chinese, were completely overwhelmed. Medication was their only option for now.
Thankfully, his frail elderly mother was still able to cool their granddaughter with a damp towel, while the little boy stood by the basin, wiping himself down.
There was no need to go to the bathroom—even the tap water ran hot.
To keep the Blood Mosquitoes out, every window was sealed shut, screens included.
Their top-floor apartment, freezing in winter and scorching in summer, now felt like a steamer around the clock.
They had frozen bottles of water, but the meager supply barely made a dent in the oppressive heat.
He Chunmei didn't tell her husband about privately gathering a group of people to "besiege" unit 3201.
In the homeowners group, each household only had one member, so Zhou
Guangfu naturally wasn't aware of the messages she had sent.
Soon, over twenty people gathered in the 32nd floor common area.
(End of chapter)