Chapter 30: First Day of the Apocalypse

【System Notification: Day 1 of the Apocalypse. Current Environment: Blizzard. Outdoor Temperature: -22°C. No abnormal biological signals detected. City communications temporarily intact.】

At eight in the morning, Lin Chen was woken by the glare of snow reflecting off the balcony.

He got up and walked to the window; outside, the snow was still falling, heavier than at dawn.

The streets below were buried under snow, with only faint tire tracks visible.

Xia Nuan had also woken up; rubbing her eyes, she asked, "The snow hasn't stopped?"

"No, let's clear the snow from the balcony first," Lin Chen said, grabbing a snow shovel.

Xia Nuan followed behind, handing him gloves.

The two stepped onto the balcony wearing anti-slip mats; the snow already reached above their ankles.

Lin Chen swung the shovel, scraping snow down onto the platform below, which made a soft rustling sound.

Meanwhile, Xia Nuan used a broom to sweep snow off the planting racks, carefully avoiding the sprouting seeds. "Luckily we covered them with insulation film, otherwise the sprouts would have frozen."

After clearing the balcony, Lin Chen went to the kitchen and boiled two packets of freeze-dried porridge.

They ate it with the sweet and sour pork ribs left over from yesterday.

Just as they finished eating, his phone rang; it was Su Qing.

Seeing the caller ID, Lin Chen frowned slightly before answering.

"Lin Chen, is the snow heavy on your end?" Su Qing's voice came through the receiver, carrying a hint of nonchalance.

Lin Chen didn't beat around the bush. "What do you want?"

"Can't I call you even if there's nothing specific?" Su Qing chuckled lightly.

"I saw you buying supplies at the mall yesterday; I thought you were like everyone else, thinking this snow would stop in a couple of days."

Lin Chen walked to the terrace and looked down through binoculars—surprisingly, quite a few people were clearing snow off their cars.

Others were carrying shopping bags toward the supermarket; roadside breakfast stalls were open too, steaming with heat, looking no different from usual.

He sneered. "They think the snow will stop, that life can continue as normal."

"Oh? And you think it won't?" Su Qing's tone suddenly changed.

"I saw you loading supplies into your pickup truck yesterday and working in the garage. Even if you seal your safe house tightly now, does that mean you can protect the people you failed to save in your previous life?"

Lin Chen's hand tightened fiercely around the binoculars, his knuckles turning white.

In his previous life, it was precisely because he hadn't prepared early enough that he had watched helplessly as those around him fell amidst the zombie horde.

Su Qing's words struck exactly at his most painful spot.

"What are you trying to say?" Lin Chen's voice turned cold.

"Nothing, just that you're too obsessed," Su Qing paused. "By the way, do you still have that photo we took before the apocalypse? The one in the park? If you had noticed the anomalies sooner back then, we wouldn't have had to hide in the snow for so long, right?"

"By the way, do you still have that group photo from before the apocalypse? The one we took in the park. If you had noticed the anomaly sooner back then, we wouldn't have had to hide in the snow for so long, would we?"

Xia Nuan walked over; seeing his state, she asked softly, "What did Su Qing say?"

"Nothing," Lin Chen replied, putting away the binoculars. "Let's go to the garage and test the pickup's snowplow."

They took the elevator down to the second basement level; Lin Chen opened the garage door and drove the pickup out.

The roads within the residential compound were thick with snow; Lin Chen activated the snowplow, adjusted it to the proper height, and pressed the accelerator.

The snowplow pushed the snow to both sides, carving out a clean lane.

The manganese steel protective plate gleamed coldly in the snow, while the studded tires gripped the ground firmly without slipping.

"This snowplow works really well," Xia Nuan said from the passenger seat, watching the snow being pushed aside outside the window.

Lin Chen said nothing, simply driving the pickup in a loop around the compound.

He saw many residents chatting; one said, "The snow is heavy, but the weather forecast says it will stop tomorrow, and then we can return to work as normal."

Others carried freshly bought vegetables, smiling and greeting neighbors, completely unaware that the apocalypse had already arrived.

Lin Chen stopped the car, looking at this lively scene, a cold sneer curling his lips.

In his previous life, it was exactly this kind of calm that made everyone lower their guard, leaving them panicked and helpless only when the zombie horde appeared.

He didn't linger, driving the pickup back into the garage and locking the door.

【System Notification: Pickup snowplow function test complete. Adapted to snowy road conditions. Current linkage defense between safe house and garage is normal.】

By the time they returned to the 45th floor, it was already eleven in the morning.

Outside, the snow suddenly intensified, shifting from light flakes to a heavy goose-feather blizzard that blurred visibility.

Lin Chen turned on the TV, where the news was reporting on the snowfall: "This blizzard is classified as extra-large; snow accumulation is expected to exceed 50 centimeters within the next 24 hours. Citizens are advised to reduce outdoor activities and prepare for cold weather."

Yet in the footage, many people were still active outside; when interviewed by a reporter, one person said, "Haven't seen snow this heavy in ages; it's a perfect excuse for a day off, so I'm out strolling."

Xia Nuan was organizing supplies when she suddenly said, "Our water and food are enough for three months, and the gasoline and diesel will power the generator for a long time. Even if the snow keeps falling, we'll be fine."

Lin Chen hummed in agreement, walked to the storage room, and opened a box.

Inside lay a photograph—a group picture of him and his friends taken in the park before the apocalypse in his previous life.

The people in the photo were smiling brightly, unaware that a catastrophic disaster would strike just days later.

He stroked the photo, Su Qing's words echoing in his ears again: "If you had noticed the anomalies sooner back then, we wouldn't have had to hide in the snow for so long, right?"

"Lin Chen, it's time for lunch," Xia Nuan's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Lin Chen put the photo back in the box and locked the storage room.

For lunch, they ate freeze-dried rice with canned fish, along with the sweet and sour pork ribs left over from yesterday.

While eating, Xia Nuan said, "I just checked the WeChat group; someone said the supermarket is almost out of vegetables, and many people are panic-buying."

Lin Chen looked up at the window; the snow was falling even more urgently.

The streets below were now devoid of people; only occasional cars passed by, their headlights appearing dim within the snowy mist.

Lin Chen lifted his head to glance out the window; the snow was falling even harder.

No human figures could be seen on the street below, only the occasional passing car, its headlights appearing very dim in the snowy mist.

"Looting is useless; before long, none of this will matter."

At one in the afternoon, Lin Chen went to the terrace to inspect the solar panels.

The snow had already piled up thickly; he cleared it away with a snow shovel to ensure normal power storage.

Just as he finished cleaning, his phone rang again; it was property management: "Mr. Lin, are the pipes near your garage okay? An owner just reported frozen pipes, and we are sending someone to repair them."

"Everything is fine on my end; the pipes are all insulated," Lin Chen said.

After hanging up, Xia Nuan walked over and said, "The snow outside is too heavy; even the balcony glass has iced over."

Lin Chen walked to the window and touched the glass with his hand, feeling the icy chill.

He opened the window, and a gust of cold wind rushed in, carrying snowflakes, instantly dropping the living room's temperature.

"We need to reinforce the insulation layer on the windows to prevent the glass from freezing and cracking."

The two found insulation cotton and tape, applying a layer of insulation cotton to all the balcony and living room windows.

While taping, Xia Nuan asked, "Do you think this snow will ever stop?"

Lin Chen shook his head: "I don't know, but it certainly won't stop in a couple of days as they expect."

Having experienced an apocalypse once before, he knew this blizzard was only the beginning; something even more terrifying awaited everyone.

At three in the afternoon, Lin Chen opened his phone and checked the city forum.

It was filled with posts discussing the snow; some showed off the snowy scenery, some complained that the heavy snow affected travel, and others were seeking to buy vegetables and water.

Only a few people said, "This snowfall isn't normal; could something be happening?" but they were quickly drowned out by other posts.

Lin Chen did not post; he simply silently closed the forum.

He knew that saying more was useless; most people lived within their own perceptions.

Only when danger truly arrived would they realize the truth, but by then, it would be too late.

Xia Nuan was organizing the emergency kit, placing the candles and flashlights bought earlier into the bag, and adding two packs of compressed biscuits.

"Our emergency kit is enough for two people, but if... if others come seeking help, what should we do?"

Lin Chen glanced at her: "In the apocalypse, look after yourself first."

In his previous life, he had been too soft-hearted, helping people he shouldn't have, ultimately harming himself and those around him.

In this life, he would not make the same mistake again.

At five in the evening, the snow outside had not stopped, and the sky had already darkened.

Lin Chen turned on the emergency light, its warm yellow glow illuminating the living room.

He went to the garage to check the generator, added some gasoline, and ensured it would function normally if the power went out at night.

Meanwhile, Xia Nuan cooked two packs of instant noodles in the kitchen, adding an egg and a ham sausage.

"It's been a long time since I had instant noodles; it smells quite good," Xia Nuan said while eating.

Lin Chen said nothing, merely eating his noodles quickly.

He knew such peaceful days would not last long.

After dinner, Lin Chen sat on the sofa, turned on his phone, and played soft music.

Xia Nuan leaned against him, looking out at the heavy snow, and said softly, "Why do you think Su Qing said those things? It seems she holds a grudge against you."

Lin Chen fell silent for a moment before saying, "In the previous life, we hid together in the snow for a long time; conditions were terrible then, and she suffered greatly."

He did not say more; some things did not need to be known by Xia Nuan.

That was his inner guilt, and also the motivation driving him to become stronger in this life.

At eight in the evening, the TV suddenly lost signal, the screen turning to static snow.

Lin Chen turned on a flashlight and checked the circuits, discovering the residential compound had lost power.

"Start the generator," he told Xia Nuan.

The two went to the garage; Lin Chen started the generator, and soon, the emergency lights on the 45th floor lit up.

"The generator can run continuously for 72 hours; we have enough gasoline," Lin Chen said.

Xia Nuan nodded, walked to the window, and looked out at the pitch-black city, where only scattered emergency lights remained lit.

"Now, surely no one is going out for a stroll anymore?"

Lin Chen walked to her side, gazing out the window: "Mm, but this is only the beginning."

Just then, Lin Chen's phone rang; it was an unknown number.

He answered, and an anxious voice came through: "Mr. Lin, this is Uncle Zhang from downstairs; my water pipes have frozen and burst, water is flooding everywhere, could you..."

Lin Chen cut him off: "I can't help you; the snow outside is too heavy, and I need to protect myself here."

With that, he hung up the phone.

Xia Nuan looked at him: "Isn't this a bit harsh?"

Lin Chen looked back at her: "In the apocalypse, sympathy is the most useless thing; helping him will only bring trouble upon ourselves."

At ten in the evening, Lin Chen and Xia Nuan took turns keeping watch.

Lin Chen leaned behind the blast-proof door, holding a gun in his hand, his ears listening for movements outside.

The snow continued to fall, the wind howling against the windows, but apart from that, there was no other sound.

Yet he knew this calm would soon be broken.

He took out his phone, looked at that photo, and silently vowed: In this life, I will definitely protect those around me and will not let the tragedies of the previous life repeat.

What he did not know was that beneath the snow downstairs, an anomaly had already appeared.

A patch of snow suddenly moved; then, a snow-covered hand reached out, slowly gripping the roadside railing.

Tomorrow, the snow might continue to fall, but some things had already quietly changed.

Lin Chen tightened his grip on the gun; he knew the true apocalypse was about to arrive.