​​Chapter 15​​

On day 26, the entire complex lost water and power.

Although our solar charging system and treadmill generator had stored significant electricity, Tian Tian and I decided to conserve power, saving it for emergencies.

The already freezing temperatures, combined with the lack of utilities, made survival exponentially harder for everyone.

Tian Tian and I pulled out all our thick quilts and down jackets, layering them heavily on the sofa.

We huddled inside them day and night for warmth.

The power outage meant the camera feed from Xu Ningyu’s place went dead. We could only monitor their movements using the drone and binoculars.

Thanks to Old Li’s list, several residents had already fallen victim to them. I couldn’t help but worry.

By the fifth week, Xu Ningyu seemed to have pronounced me dead. The messages stopped.

This loosened the tension coiled inside me.

Tian Tian and I spent our days watching movies on our tablets. If it weren’t for the occasional groans from the zombies below, I might have doubted the apocalypse was real at all.

On day 37, another message arrived from Xu Ningyu.

This time, it wasn’t a text. It was a note tied to our drone!