Ch10 - The Wind Rises, and the End Finally Comes
Meng Ci thought it over. After all, the man had saved his life. A gentle reminder should be fine.
He ran over to stop him.
"Um, I heard October is the rainy season. Maybe you should buy extra food and stay home."
Meng Ci couldn't be too explicit, so he could only offer a gentle reminder a way to express gratitude for the man's earlier lifesaving act.
Whether he listened or not was beyond his control.
The only regret was that a man so perfectly suited to his tastes would now only appear in his dreams.
"Alright." The man agreed, and they parted ways once more.
Meng Ci carried the supplies up to the fifth floor, where Li Xiaoya and the others were already waiting inside.
Liu Jie spotted Meng Ci entering and spoke with a sharp tone.
"Why did you take so long? We've been waiting forever."
"Didn't you know we were all starving?"
Zhang Lu hurried over to take the items from Meng Ci's hands, smiling as she said, "Xiao Jie, how could you say that?"
"Don't be upset, Xiao Ci. That's just how he is."
"You two just sit here nicely. Auntie will go make you something delicious."
Meng Ci didn't want to waste words on this person. It wasn't worth it.
Li Xiaoya happily pulled Meng Ci over to see her bed. Meng Ci merely ran his hand over the mattress, finding no difference from the one he'd bought.
The only distinction was that this bed was way too princess-like.
Then Li Xiaoya started showing off her new dress.
"Brother, do I look pretty in this?" She twirled around, her face beaming with happiness.
"You look beautiful." Meng Ci meant every word.
Li Xiaoya had a classic oval face, an S-shaped figure, and fair skin -qualities that naturally made her attractive to Liu Jie.
"It's just a shame the wardrobe I want costs over a million. I can't afford it."
"An ordinary wardrobe isn't worthy of holding my dresses," Li Xiaoya implied.
Meng Ci offered a perfunctory reassurance: "It's okay."
"After tomorrow, big brother will have money. Then I'll buy it for you."
"Okay, big brother is the best."
Li Xiaoya happily grabbed Meng Ci's arm, sweetly calling him "big brother" with every word.
Meng Ci followed Li Xiaoya as she showed him every corner of the room.
A princess bed, two princess dresses offering little warmth, a sofa costing over a million, and a kitchen fully stocked with pots and pans that looked expensive.
They probably didn't have much money left, which pleased Meng Ci.
Hmm, with the groceries he'd bought, they should be able to last three days here.
But unexpectedly, Zhang Lu wasted and discarded materials recklessly, consuming two-thirds of the supplies.
When Meng Ci saw this, he nearly burst out laughing.
Seriously. He'd wanted them to eat well during their final days here. Since they weren't willing, fine.
At least the one scavenging trash from garbage bins later wouldn't be him.
At the dinner table, none of them noticed that Meng Ci had blocked Li Shanyang and the others.
Then again, these people only called him when they needed money.
The rest of the time, they probably forgot he even existed.
After dinner, Meng Ci said he'd head back to school to grab something, then buy lobster for them that evening.
Once they finished gathering, he'd drive them home.
Li Xiaoya was naturally thrilled at the prospect of a feast, nodding eagerly and even declaring she wanted the biggest lobster.
After leaving the apartment, Meng Ci headed straight to the rooftop. As he entered his room, he heard a sizzling sound coming from the unit next door, which struck him as odd.
Wasn't that place under renovation?
Ignoring the noise, Meng Ci flopped onto his bed and set his alarm for six o'clock.
When Meng Ci awoke, the alarm hadn't gone off yet. He pulled a chair onto the balcony, brewed a pot of green tea, and took out a box of spicy latiao, eating leisurely.
Thursday, September 30th.
The sun was setting in the west, and people could still feel the heat.
Meng Ci hadn't installed an air conditioner in the room. After all, the power would be cut off in less than two weeks, so it wouldn't matter anyway.
Besides, the temperature in his spatial pocket was comfortable. If it got unbearably cold, he could always retreat there.
Lost in thought, Meng Ci noticed a man in a black short-sleeved shirt downstairs, pushing two large suitcases.
Though the distance made it hard to see clearly, Meng Ci could imagine the muscles bulging in the man's arms.
This was the very man who had grabbed Meng Ci that morning, saving his life.
And now, he was entering the same building as Meng Ci.
Meng Ci licked his lips. If he were to save this man when he was in dire straits, perhaps he could expect a favor in return.
Of course, it was just a passing thought.
After all, possessing a spatial pocket in the apocalypse-one filled with so many supplies-would make anyone envious.
What if that man repaid kindness with betrayal?
As these thoughts crossed Meng Ci's mind, he suddenly heard the sound of the door next door opening.
A sudden idea struck him. He grabbed a half-filled trash bag and walked toward the doorway.
After all, they shared a wall, and the living room balcony adjoined theirs. If something felt off, it was better to be prepared early.
In the apocalypse, only the ruthless survived to the end.
If things turned sour, Meng Ci wouldn't hesitate to strike first to protect himself.
As he opened the door and stepped out with the trash, the adjacent door swung open again.
"It's you!" Meng Ci exclaimed in surprise.
This was the man who had saved his life that morning.
The man held a suitcase in each hand and offered a momentary, startled greeting: "Hello."
"Hello," Meng Ci replied with a smile. "What a coincidence we meet again."
He waved the trash in his hand. "I'm taking this out. What about you?"
Meng Ci glanced at the two new suitcases the man carried.
"I just moved recently," the man explained. "There are still some things left behind. I'm heading back to get them."
"Oh."
Meng Ci nodded, tossing the trash into the building's bin. Just as the man was about to step into the elevator, Meng Ci suddenly called out.
"If it's not something crucial, maybe you shouldn't go back."
Seeing the man's puzzled expression, Meng Ci explained, "I forgot where I saw the weather forecast, but it said a heavy downpour is coming in half an hour."
"If you can avoid going out, you really shouldn't."
"Thanks for the heads up." The man lifted the two suitcases, choosing not to take his advice.
"I have to go get them. Otherwise, I won't have anything to use tonight."
"Oh, okay."
The man stepped into the elevator, set the suitcases on the floor, and slipped his hands into his pockets. His gaze inadvertently met Meng Ci's as the doors closed.
Meng Ci flashed the man a smile and quickly shut the elevator door just as it was closing.
Then he slumped back on the sofa, troubled.
He knew the person next door was the one who saved him. Judging by his appearance, he probably wouldn't try anything underhanded.
But if it really came to a fight, Meng Ci likely wouldn't stand a chance.
He opened his phone and scrolled aimlessly.
Meng Ci spotted a WeChat Moment from Li Xiaoya: a glamorous dress, delicious crab, and a large hand holding hers.
The caption read: "Thanks to him for spending the weekend with me!"
Meng Ci rolled his eyes.
"Riiing..."
"Boom..."
The alarm's ring was accompanied by thunderclaps. Meng Ci rushed to the window.
Then he watched helplessly as the sky changed color before his eyes.
A thunderclap roared within the clouds. A fierce wind picked up, and pedestrians hurried along, arms wrapped around themselves.
White clouds turned black, lightning flashed, dust swirled.
All this unfolded in less than five minutes.
Meng Ci thought he heard someone cursing the heavens.
But that voice trailed off, replaced by a chorus of profanity.
As if displeased by the insults, the sky unleashed fury-howling winds, flying sand and stones-even knocking a petite girl to the ground.