Chapter 45: Fire

Chapter 45: Fire

Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng truly had not expected the security at Tian Zhenzhen's residential compound to be so rigorous.

Before long, Tian Zhenzhen came out. Realizing it was Gu Pan, she ran over eagerly, throwing her arms around Gu Pan as soon as she reached her. "My dear, why are you here?" she asked, immediately looking Gu Pan up and down. "Are you alright?"

Lu Ruisheng gave a light cough from the side, silently conveying: *With me here, how could anything happen to my wife?*

Tian Zhenzhen looked over at Lu Ruisheng. "Director Lu, long time no see. In times like these, you must take good care of our Panpan."

Lu Ruisheng nodded. "Mm, I'll take good care of my wife."

Gu Pan pulled Tian Zhenzhen a little further aside. "We brought you some ice cream. How are you going to take it inside without getting noticed?"

Tian Zhenzhen replied, "It's fine. Even if someone sees it, nobody will snatch it; our neighborhood security is very good. Our compound has a security company, and the boss is also a veteran. The compound isn't large, so management is straightforward—it's essentially unified now. The men practice martial arts with the security guards every day and go out in groups to scavenge for supplies. The women stay home to cook, make fires, and look after the elderly and children. As long as we don't wander outside, it's exceptionally safe."

Hearing this, Gu Pan thought it sounded quite good. Since it had been nearly two months since the apocalypse began, the fact that this residential compound was still running so smoothly proved that the management possessed strong capabilities. However, with the living environment deteriorating and supplies constantly dwindling, Gu Pan couldn't say for sure how long they could maintain this status quo.

Still, there was no need to be overly alarmist right now. "Then you should take it back inside. It's getting dark. Knowing your family is doing well gives me peace of mind."

Tian Zhenzhen looked at the two boxes of ice cream Gu Pan was handing over and took only one. "I only need one box. Don't give them all to me. Even though there are just two of you, you need to stockpile more things for yourselves."

Gu Pan pushed both boxes directly into Tian Zhenzhen's hands. "We still have more, so don't you worry about me."

After saying that, while looking at the comfortable-looking Tian Zhenzhen, Gu Pan still felt an underlying sense of unease, prompting her to give a warning: "It's the apocalypse; people's hearts can change at any moment. Supplies outside are running low, so you still shouldn't trust others too easily. Stay alert at all times, and if anything seems wrong, quickly think of a strategy and escape."

Tian Zhenzhen hugged the boxes and nodded firmly. "I know, I'll be careful."

Afraid that Tian Zhenzhen's vigilance wasn't high enough, Gu Pan added, "Wang Bin and his mother wanted to freeze Dong Mingyue to death, but Mingyue learned how to use a gun from me and ended up killing them in self-defense. Zhenzhen, in the apocalypse, human nature is unpredictable. Don't take things too simply."

Upon hearing that Dong Mingyue had killed Wang Bin and his mother, Tian Zhenzhen gave a visible shudder. "How could that happen?"

"How could it *not*? We've killed people too. You're very fortunate that this compound is great, but that's only under the premise that supplies are sufficient. Human hearts are unpredictable, so you must be careful."

"Mm, I understand. Do I need to do something as well? Right, should I start learning self-defense from my older brother in the evenings? Aren't they learning martial arts from the security guards during the day?"

"Right, by the way, I have some smoke bombs here. I'll give you two. If you're ever truly trapped, using these can buy you time to escape. I'll teach you how to use them." As she spoke, she quietly produced two smoke bombs and a flashlight, the two of them standing with their backs to the compound entrance, talking in hushed tones.

Given the limited time, these were the easiest to learn and the most effective for escaping. After all, since they were homemade and carried risks, she would just leave two with her.

Seeing this, Lu Ruisheng helped cover for his wife by handing an ice cream to the guard at the gate and chatting with him for a moment. The guard, quite pleased, began sharing various details about the compound with Lu Ruisheng.

Soon, Gu Pan finished briefing Tian Zhenzhen and said her goodbyes.

Tian Zhenzhen watched as the figures of Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng disappeared into the distance before turning back into the compound.

The security guard looked at Tian Zhenzhen carrying the two boxes. Although he didn't know what was inside, he couldn't help remarking with a sigh, "Your friends are really good to you. You're blessed."

Tian Zhenzhen smiled and replied, "Yeah, it's times like these that show you who your true friends are."

After exchanging a few more words, Tian Zhenzhen hurried home. Yet, along the way, her mind was far from calm. Thinking of Gu Pan's account of Dong Mingyue killing people—killing them with a gun—she found it hard to fathom, yet it was the stark reality. The apocalypse was truly this cruel.

Clutching the smoke bombs in her hand, she felt a heavy weight in her chest. She resolved to hold a family meeting with her parents upon returning home to discuss this very issue; she couldn't rely entirely on the compound's current management.

That evening, after finishing dinner, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng sat on the sofa watching projected animated films, getting deeply engrossed. It was past midnight when they finally washed up and prepared for bed.

No sooner had they lain down than they noticed a fierce glare of light from the opposite side. At that moment, Gu Pan suddenly remembered: it was the building facing the street in the adjacent complex that had caught fire. With so many things happening earlier and so much time having passed, she had temporarily forgotten about it. Seeing the flames now brought the memory rushing back.

She got out of bed, walked over to the window, looked across the way, and said to Lu Ruisheng, "There are no fire services left, so the fire can't be put out. Fortunately, there's snow piled between the two buildings, so the fire won't spread to other structures."

Their apartment was in the second row of the compound, and since the burning building was the end unit facing the street, the view was unobstructed.

Lu Ruisheng also walked over. "People have always talked about fire safety, but until a real fire breaks out, everyone remains careless. This fire should serve as a wake-up call for everyone."

Standing side by side at the window, the two of them watched as people jumped from the windows, unable to do anything except let out continuous sighs.

The fortunate thing was that the fire had started on the third floor from the top, allowing quite a few people on the lower levels to escape, meaning the death toll wouldn't be catastrophic. Even so, with that building completely burned down, those people had lost their homes.

However, with many vacant hotels and inns available for lodging, it at least prevented those who escaped from freezing to death on the streets.

Perhaps many people felt pity for those who lost their homes to the fire now, but when future disasters like earthquakes and tornadoes struck, how many people would actually be able to preserve their homes?

Because the roaring sounds and blazing light from the opposite building were so intense, it woke up numerous residents. Looking at the tragic scene across the way, some felt grateful it wasn't them or their families, while others lamented the impermanence of life. Yet in the apocalypse, who could truly live safely and smoothly?

Although many felt a sense of dread, they forced themselves to go back to sleep, because tomorrow everyone would have to venture out once more in search of a bite to eat or a piece of firewood. As more and more people froze or starved to death, the lives and deaths of others mattered less and less, for no one could be certain how long they themselves would survive.

After watching for a while, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng went back to bed. After all, this was just what was visible; in many unseen places—small towns, remote villages, and deep mountain ravines—virtually no one survived. It was simply that without news broadcasts, people only witnessed what was right in front of them. The truly terrifying horrors perhaps hadn't been fully felt yet; once the weather warmed and plagues arrived, that would be the true beginning of purgatory.

By the following morning, the burned-out building was reduced to a mere skeleton, and those who had escaped had already set off to find somewhere to settle and build a temporary home.

No one seemed to discuss it much further; the only lasting effect was a renewed reminder to pay attention to fire safety. Someone in their own building even posted fire-prevention notices, as the issue concerned everyone's survival.