Chapter 35 Uninvited Guest

Jiang Yan turned on some soft, soothing blues music before pouring herself a small glass of red wine and slowly savoring her meal.

After finishing dinner, she tossed the dishes into the fully automatic dishwasher.

With the power outage still hours away, Jiang Yan followed her usual routine of turning on the TV for background news while launching a game.

The normally overcrowded servers of "King of Glory" were all showing as available today. It took her a long time to find a match.

Her teammates seemed like they were using hacks, swiftly pushing through the enemy's high ground with her in tow.

Jiang Yan couldn't help but suspect that she was paired with bots today.

After all, in this 60-degree heat, without air conditioning at home, a phone would become hot enough to fry an egg within seconds of launching a game.

Following her previous losing streak, tonight's victories came effortlessly—MVP every match.

Jiang Yan was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Sometimes, bots were indeed far more reliable than certain unreliable teammates.

At ten o'clock sharp, the entire city plunged into darkness with a "click."

Even the solar-powered outdoor lights went out.

Soon, the neighborhood erupted with curses and shouts.

Some people stood on their balconies, banging metal pots with a loud "clang clang clang."

A few households had scattered lights from phones, laptops, or flashlights.

Of course, some had prepared traditional red candles.

But in this heat, the candles had softened and nearly melted.

They had to be placed in special containers.

The power outage was punctual, but water and gas would likely hold out a little longer.

However, water in high-rise buildings was almost simultaneously cut off.

In mid- and low-rise buildings, people continued working under dim lighting.

As the endless darkness merged with the rising temperatures, panic began to spread.

Fortunately, while the Wi-Fi signal was gone, mobile signals remained.

This was mainly because the cell towers were equipped with backup batteries and compressor-powered air conditioning. The cabinets were also lined with heat-insulating film and coated with heat-resistant paint, allowing them to hold out for a while longer.

If the power didn't return and the backup batteries ran out, mobile signals would also be completely cut off.

Messages in the homeowners group skyrocketed to 999+ in seconds.

Some people, lacking basic knowledge, demanded why the property management hadn't activated backup power.

A few asked if anyone had medicine or alcohol stoves.

Meanwhile, a handful of optimistic youngsters chatted idly.

After confirming that the backup power for her room's anti-intrusion system was functioning normally, Jiang Yan entered her dimension.

The luxurious and comfortable Apple Cabin, placed inside the dimension that afternoon, was now fully livable.

Though she had a generator prepared for tonight's citywide blackout—allowing her air conditioning to function normally—it was only the first night. It was better to stay low-key and cautious.

Around midnight, the property management responded in the homeowners group.

They stated that backup generators would not be activated for residential floors.

The main reason was the extreme heat—the power outage was actually a protective measure for the electrical circuits.

The property management also announced that they had received official notice: the heatwave would persist for at least another ten days, with temperatures rising even higher.

Therefore, the underground parking lot would temporarily serve as a cooling shelter, and the generators would be concentrated there.

The temperature in the underground parking lot wasn't exactly low, but it was noticeably better than inside the building.

All the cars parked there had to be moved out by 8 a.m. tomorrow when the giant blood mosquitoes "finished work" and returned to rest.

Additionally, the property management forwarded a notice: all air-raid shelters and civil defense sites in An Ming City would open simultaneously tomorrow.

These locations were stocked with backup food, water, and other supplies.

Some shelters, built into mountainsides or underground, remained significantly cooler than the outside without air conditioning.

However, due to limited official resources and manpower, people needed to get there themselves and register in advance through the property management.

News about the shelter openings had already been shared by some official media earlier.

The only new requirement was this pre-registration.

Without it, overcrowding and chaos might occur later.

Though it was late, many people still couldn't sleep due to the heat.

The homeowners group chat erupted instantly.

Property management staff became the target of everyone's frustration.

But Jiang Yan knew nothing of these discussions.

Inside her dimension, it was perpetually daytime with sunlight. Her Apple Cabin had blackout curtains installed uniformly.

It also had a smart home system.

Lighting a soothing sandalwood incense stick and setting the curtains to open at a specific time, Jiang Yan snuggled into her cozy bed.

Outside, the world felt like a steamer.

Here, however, the temperature and humidity were perfectly balanced.

After two exhausting months of constant movement and a bit of red wine, she drifted into a strange state of excitement, relaxation, and mild tipsiness.

Soon, she fell asleep.

-

The next day.

7:30 a.m. The blackout curtains slowly parted.

Sunlight streamed in through the windows, dappled and serene.

Jiang Yan stretched lazily in bed before finally getting up.

Outside, the world was suffering unbearable heat, with temperatures hitting 60°C.

But her life in the dimension couldn't be more peaceful.

She suddenly thought how nice it would be to plant beautiful flowers on that black soil.

Among the saplings she'd stockpiled were roses, gardenias, and others. She decided to plant them all when she had time.

Also, the surroundings felt too quiet.

She wondered if she could raise small animals here—maybe a pretty, easy-to-care-for yellow peach parrot.

She'd never tried it before.

After losing both parents, she carried some emotional scars and had grown colder than most.

Pets usually lived shorter lives than humans.

She feared forming attachments only to face another goodbye.

But these were thoughts for later, not her current priority.

-

After freshening up, Jiang Yan fried herself a fragrant scallion pancake and brewed a cup of coffee.

Adding fresh milk and sugar, she took a sip but felt something was missing.

With a thought, she retrieved a bottle of 52-proof Feitian liquor from storage, unscrewed the cap, and added a few drops.

A homemade Moutai latte was born.

Drinking so early in the morning was a first for her.

Luckily, the alcohol content was practically negligible.

She planned to stay in her dimension all day today—working out and practicing shooting in the morning, then learning to operate an excavator and a yacht in the afternoon.

If she had time, she might also pick up some gardening.

But before that, she decided to check the surveillance footage and the homeowners group to get a sense of what was happening outside.

What a coincidence.

The moment she opened the door camera feed, she saw a rather greasy-looking middle-aged man approaching her doorstep.

At the same time, the anti-intrusion system of her smart home let out a sharp "beep" on her phone.

(End of Chapter)