After the two air raid drills, the news and various official platforms announced that all drills had ended. If the alarm were to sound again, it would not be a drill, and everyone, no matter where they were or what they were doing, would need to immediately seek shelter in the nearest building or indoor area until the official announcement of the end.

What were they supposed to avoid? The authorities didn’t specify, but given the previous incidents with migratory birds and giant insects, the public didn’t raise excessive doubts or opposition. It seemed like just another precautionary measure.

Some things were gradually changing. The public, having accepted one unpleasant fact, could easily accept another, even worse one. Like those who experienced the giant insect incident, if it were to happen again, they felt they would now calmly turn off the lights, close the windows, hide in a closet or some other enclosed space, and call the fire department for help.

In this somewhat tense social atmosphere, Yu Li still hadn’t returned from the South Sea Island. Yu Xi only received a message from Zhao Xuefei in the meantime.

Zhao Xuefei: My mom said she wants to marry that Uncle Zhang! She plans to divorce my dad after returning from this vacation. Can you believe it!?

Yuxiaoxi: Why don’t you just tie her up and bring her back?

Zhao Xuefei: She refuses. She says there are giant bugs back home and that the South Sea Island is safer, so she wants to stay a bit longer.

Yuxiaoxi: …

Honestly, it’s hard to argue with that.

In the end, all Yu Xi could do was remind Zhao Xuefei again to stock up on food and water, which was naturally met with another round of mockery.

Regardless of whether Zhao Xuefei believed Yu Xi’s advice and stocked up on supplies, similar calls were becoming very common online.

Many people showed off their recent supermarket hauls, with some stocking up ten boxes of various flavors of instant noodles, self-heating hot pots, and self-heating noodles, claiming they could stay home for two months without stepping out. Others, focused on healthy living, displayed their balconies full of homegrown fruits and vegetables, stating that even without leaving home, they could have fresh produce daily. Some showcased their meticulously prepared survival backpacks, explaining each item’s purpose, teaching how to purify and filter water, and emphasizing the necessity of chocolate, compressed biscuits, and canned goods. They also recommended a few types of military rations they had tried and stored, asserting that these durable foods would be the most useful in case of emergencies.

Recently, such posts and videos were abundant online, showcasing the resourcefulness of ordinary people.

Compared to those survival experts, Yu Xi felt inferior. She was just relying on the time-stopping feature of the Star House warehouse to stockpile large amounts of fresh food, which allowed her to live so comfortably in the apocalypse.

After a week of staying home, Fan Qi felt a bit restless. It wasn’t that the shadow of the giant insects had passed and she wanted to go out, but rather because of the two air raid drills, the official announcements, and the many stockpiling tips she had seen online, she felt the need to be prepared.

Since they had a lot of space at home, and she already liked to stock up on things, with her daughter now living at home, there were now two people buying things for the house.

However, after a week of daily consumption, they had plenty of durable staples, convenience foods, canned goods, dry goods, and frozen foods, but they were running low on fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs, and milk.

She wanted to take advantage of the current calm outside to visit the supermarket. There was a large supermarket within a ten-minute walk from their neighborhood.

Of course, she could easily order these items through a delivery app, and they would usually arrive within half an hour to an hour. Recently, however, due to the giant insect incident, delivery services were overwhelmed with orders, and deliveries had to be scheduled, such as ordering in the morning for an afternoon delivery or in the afternoon for the next day.

Many people were scared of the giant insects and stayed home, but many more still had to work. These people stayed home for a day or two when the giant insects first appeared, then observed the situation. When they noticed that delivery fees had increased due to the higher demand, they went back to work, wrapping themselves up more securely and carrying insect repellent.

So if it were just for buying vegetables and fruits, she wouldn’t need to go out herself. Fan Qi mainly wanted to visit a store selling protective gear. She wanted to buy three more emergency backpacks like the one Yu Xi had bought before and get some of the protective suits, gas masks, portable water filters, and folding electric kettles that were being recommended online.

Additionally, she wanted to stock up on medications, including basic cold and fever medicines, antibiotics, anti-diarrheal drugs, and traditional Chinese medicines for clearing heat and detoxifying. She also wanted to get iodine, gauze, Yunnan Baiyao for stopping bleeding and reducing inflammation, and other topical medications for treating wounds if they couldn’t go to the hospital immediately.

Furthermore, she wanted to buy more insect repellent, insect sprays, menthol ointment, and medicinal oils for injuries.

In peaceful times, the household wouldn’t stock up so comprehensively, and many items they had were nearing their expiration dates. She wanted to replace them with new ones and stock up in larger quantities.

However, all the items Fan Qi wanted to buy were already in the Star House warehouse — not only did they have them, but they also had them in large quantities. So even though the situation outside seemed manageable, there was no need for Fan Qi to go out.

Yu Xi spoke up, saying that since there were many places to run and many things to buy, she wanted to accompany her. However, she asked Fan Qi to postpone the shopping trip for two days, citing her need to rush and finish a drawing assignment.

“Just stay home and get your work done. Your dad can drive me,” Fan Qi insisted. She felt that the sooner they bought the items, the better, fearing that if everyone decided to stock up, the stores might run out of supplies.

Similar situations had occurred before. Although their city, S City, had managed the crisis well, maintaining order even after the appearance of giant insects, not all cities were as fortunate. In some places, the response was inadequate, leading to a lack of fresh food supplies in supermarkets and markets, causing people to scramble to stock up. This panic buying resulted in chaos, with fights breaking out over vegetables in supermarkets.

Fan Qi, unlike Yu Xi’s mother from the zombie world, had her own ideas. When she decided to go out to stock up, Yu Xi couldn’t stop her. In the end, Fan Qi agreed to postpone the trip by one day to buy medical and protective supplies.

As for fresh vegetables, fruits, fish, meat, eggs, milk, sausages, butter, various snacks, bread, cakes, drinks, and bottled water, Fan Qi couldn’t resist and immediately placed three separate delivery orders from different supermarkets. The total cost of these items exceeded 4,000 yuan. It took several trips in the elevator, with Yu Feng, Fan Qi, and Yu Xi working together, to bring everything home, filling up a double-door refrigerator, a freezer for frozen foods, and the storage room.

Yu Xi: …

Thank goodness Yu Feng and Fan Qi had each taken a “Powerful Anti-glycation Pill”; otherwise, moving all these items in and out of the elevator would have exhausted them.

Yu Xi’s promise to accompany Fan Qi the next day to buy protective items and medicines was not a pretense. After a week of staying home, she also wanted to go out and see the situation. After all, she didn’t know when the apocalypse would come. It felt like a sword hanging over her head, certain to fall but with no knowledge of when or how.

Every time something unusual happened around her, she wondered if it signified the start of the apocalypse. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling because this was her real world, not a task world. She loved this world, and everything she cared about was here. Even though she was mentally prepared, she was afraid of waking up to find her familiar world falling apart.

For this reason, she made all the preparations but hadn’t yet told her parents about the apocalypse. It wasn’t about doubting their ability to handle it; it was because this sense of uncertainty was distressing. However, with more and more signs of the apocalypse lately, especially the appearance of those giant insects, Yu Xi felt it was time to activate the “Star House Traveler” for her parents and tell them about the apocalypse and the Star House.

She planned to tell her parents about it after their shopping trip the next day. Protective items and medicines wouldn’t spoil, and since Fan Qi was proactive about it, these supplies would be beneficial. After all, as long as the family acted together, it wouldn’t be a problem.

The next day, Yu Feng drove, Yu Xi guided, and Fan Qi carried the shopping list. After a week of staying at home, the family of three went out to shop and stock up.

The streets were less busy than usual. There were fewer cars, and those without vehicles either took the subway or waited for buses. There were very few people walking purely on foot.

On the other hand, there were more and more delivery riders on electric bikes, taking on the responsibility as many people preferred not to go out. The delivery fees on platforms had almost doubled compared to before, and the riders were making good money.

The protective gear shop Yu Xi chose was a set of stores located next to each other, with a rich selection of protective items that would satisfy Fan Qi’s needs. The stores were along the street, and they could park right at the entrance, making it convenient to load their purchases directly into the car after shopping.

Fan Qi bought three fully equipped emergency backpacks, along with protective suits and gas masks. They then visited a pharmacy, and since one shop couldn’t fulfill their entire list, they went to two. Fan Qi stocked up on everything on her list in multiple quantities and, on Yu Xi’s suggestion, also bought many different health supplements.

Next, they sought various insect repellents and pesticides. Fearing that nearby stores might not have enough stock, they chose routes with medium-sized supermarkets that sold these items on their way back. They stopped and shopped at every store they passed.

Medium-sized supermarkets were mostly located along the road, with parking spots on both sides, which were more convenient than those requiring parking in a basement. However, since everyone was buying insect repellents lately, they could only find three or four cans after visiting several supermarkets. They did manage to buy a lot of essential oils, menthol balm, and floral water.

Passing by several deli shops, they bought duck wings, duck feet, roast duck, braised beef, spicy chicken, and seaweed salad, planning to cook some vegetables and make soup for dinner.

The car was nearly full from this shopping trip, and the family of three set off for home. Not long after, it started to rain.

At first, none of them paid much attention, as it had been raining on and off recently. The rain made the outdoors humid and stuffy. Whenever the rainfall reduced the temperature, it would stop, and then the temperature would rise again, repeating the cycle. Even though it was already late December, the temperature stayed between 17-18°C and 27-28°C.

Honestly, it was a very comfortable temperature—if you ignored the season.

About two or three kilometers from home, the rain suddenly intensified, turning from slanting rain into a torrential downpour as if the sky had opened up. Along with it came thunderous booms. Yu Feng had the wipers on full blast but still couldn’t see the road clearly.

Cars in front and behind them pulled over, turning on their hazard lights, and Yu Feng did the same.

This road had many roadside shops—cafes, burger joints, pizza places—and since it was nearing dinner time, some people didn’t want to stay in their cars and, with umbrellas, quickly dashed into nearby shops.

Once the first person dashed inside, others followed suit.

Yu Feng turned off the engine and looked at the rain-blurred windshield, then turned to Yu Xi and Fan Qi, suggesting they also get out of the car and have pizza nearby for dinner since driving in such heavy rain was dangerous.

Due to the continuous thunder, Yu Feng had to repeat himself twice before Fan Qi understood.

“Okay,” Fan Qi nodded and was about to grab an umbrella when Yu Xi grabbed her wrist.

She also stopped Yu Feng, who was reaching to unlock the car doors.

Both of them looked at their daughter’s face, seeing her furrowed brows and serious expression. She didn’t speak, knowing they might not hear, and instead nodded towards the front side of the car.

Yu Feng and Fan Qi followed her gaze and saw the sky, dark from the rain, suddenly light up. A thick lightning bolt streaked across the sky, splitting into numerous jagged branches. One branch struck down directly.

With a deafening thunderclap, a tree on the pedestrian street opposite their car was struck. A bright flash of fire erupted, splitting the tree in half. The branches caught fire but were quickly extinguished by the rain.

Yu Feng and Fan Qi were startled, immediately stopping their attempt to leave the car.

“Dad! Drive fifty meters forward; we’re too close to the trees here,” Yu Xi instructed without hesitation. She then took both her and Yu Feng’s phones and turned them off, instructing Fan Qi to do the same.

Fan Qi hesitated for a moment but then quickly complied. Yu Feng had already moved the car, maneuvering around a few vehicles before stopping at the entrance of a square fifty meters away.

There were no trees or obstructions nearby, just the sound of rain pounding on the car roof.

But at this moment, none of them noticed the rain; all their attention was on the relentless flashing and rumbling of the lightning outside.

The lightning seemed intent on splitting the sky open. Even inside the car, they could hear the sizzling of electric currents.

Another tree was struck not far from them. People taking shelter at a bus stop screamed and jumped away, shouting that there was electricity. The combination of constant lightning and rainwater conducting electricity created far greater danger than imagined.

Yu Feng nervously asked, “Are we safe in the car?”

“Yes, the car is safe from lightning as long as we don’t open the windows or stick our hands or heads out. Right now, the car is one of the safest places,” Yu Xi assured him.

Fan Qi patted Yu Feng’s shoulder, “Don’t worry. You’re in a Faraday cage; it’s as safe as it gets.”

However, not everyone was as fortunate or managed to find shelter in time.