Chapter 153: The Temperature Rises, and the Flu Soon Follows
"I remember."
Zhao Jingyu simply did not want to be followed, feeling uncomfortable.
Moreover, Villa No. 8 was very close to Villa No. 6, so he thought nothing would happen, and let the bodyguards leave.
Zhao Ting said, "Good to know."
"This post-apocalyptic world doesn't know when it will end, and my body is already failing. The future of the Zhao family depends on you."
Then Zhao Ting sighed again.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Zhao Jingyu quickly called for someone to bring water, and fed Zhao Ting a few sips.
Only then did Zhao Ting recover.
Zhao Ting was already sixty-two, a late father, and had doted on Zhao Jingyu before the apocalypse.
He felt that as long as he earned enough money, it would be enough for Zhao Jingyu to live on.
But now it was the apocalypse. Although there was plenty of food stored in the basement, it would eventually run out.
If Zhao Jingyu continued to be so naive, he feared he would not rest easy even in his grave.
"Dad, you will definitely live a long life, don't think too much."
"I'll go find a doctor to see you." Zhao Jingyu said, about to head outside.
"Cough, cough, come back." Zhao Ting called him back.
"What's the point of finding a doctor? I know my own body."
"What you need to do now is to make yourself stronger."
Zhao Jingyu nodded, "I understand."
These days, Zhao Jingyu had been learning fighting techniques from the bodyguards, but the results were average.
After much consideration, he felt it would be better to find a protector.
Bang!
Zhao Jingyu, who was deep in thought, was startled by the sound.
"Dad, what are they doing?"
The wall, which was already damaged, was now completely demolished.
"Now that the blizzard has ended, the weather has finally normalized a bit."
"We don't know what will happen in the future. While the weather is normal, we should rebuild the wall to prepare for the worst." Zhao Ting explained.
Zhao Jingyu nodded.
Outside, the workers were busy, and inside, the maid had prepared the meal, calling the two masters into the dining room.
Looking at the dishes on the table, Zhao Ting asked Zhao Jingyu to go down to the basement to fetch a bottle of red wine, to celebrate together.
Zhao Jingyu went.
To reach the basement, one had to pass through three doors.
A numeric password, fingerprint, and iris scan.
The doors were incredibly sturdy, impervious to ordinary impacts.
Even the ceiling was covered with thick iron plates.
This basement was built a month before the heavy rain, when Zhao Ting heard the news of the apocalypse.
Whenever they needed something to eat, either Zhao Jingyu or Zhao Ting would go down to fetch it.
The basement was well-stocked with everything from food to gasoline.
There was also a wall of red wine.
Next to the wall stood several freezers, filled with various lobsters and crabs.
Since Meng Ci caught a crocodile, he had returned to his routine of staying at home all day, eating, sleeping, and playing.
As for Liang Xiu, he began to work long hours.
It was said that due to his previous efforts, the authorities recognized him and assigned him to manage the points registration system.
They also planned to give him an official position and a promotion.
Since Liang Xiu could survive well in the apocalypse through his own abilities, Meng Ci naturally did not object to him working and even supported it.
Taking advantage of Liang Xiu's busy schedule, Meng Ci sometimes lay at home, bored, and called Shen Que out.
Finding a secluded spot, they would take out a solar panel, smear some dirt on it, and walk home nonchalantly.
The rooftop solar panels were installed and connected to the power grid. Once the sun came up, this villa would be impenetrable.
Meng Ci planned to stay in the basement, enjoy the fan, eat ice cream, and wait for the extreme heat to pass.
During the day when Liang Xiu was not at home, Meng Ci would sneak into the space to make ice cubes, grab some snacks, and indulge in intimate moments with Shen Que.
However, Meng Ci mostly dared not bring Shen Que into the space, fearing he might be bullied so badly he couldn't get up.
On August 15th, the sun, hidden behind the clouds, finally emerged.
The temperature also rose to thirty degrees.
The floodwaters downstream had receded to about ten meters and were visibly decreasing.
As the temperature rose, the uncollected garbage in the water began to rot and stink.
To clean up the garbage and sustain their lives, many people made simple masks and continued their efforts.
By August 25th, the temperature had risen to thirty-five degrees.
The floodwaters had retreated below five meters.
People became even more enthusiastic about collecting garbage.
With the floodwaters receding, they could reach the garbage at the bottom, which meant they could exchange for more food?
At the same time, people couldn't help but hope that perhaps the apocalypse was ending and life would return to normal.
But after just two days, people started to catch colds and fevers.
Everyone assumed it was due to the high temperature and changing clothes too quickly, so no one paid much attention.
In early September, colds and fevers began to spread on a large scale.
Those with fevers saw their temperatures rise to over forty degrees and remained high for a long time.
People began to realize this was not a common cold but likely an influenza-like illness.
The authorities had been well-prepared and set up a temporary shelter at the foot of the West Mountain Villa District.
Security teams and military personnel guarded the shelter strictly, allowing only entry and no exit until the patients received treatment.
Liang Xiu, who had been advised by Meng Ci to stop working when the first cases appeared, felt that since he had been helping the authorities all along, he should not back down now that his skills were needed.
Thus, Liang Xiu registered a room and did not return to the villa, spending his days helping to care for the patients.
The two of them huddled in the basement, planning to stay there for half a month or a month until the flu subsided.
Fortunately, with the sun now out, many solar-powered devices could be used.
So Meng Ci often directed drones to fly out and gather information from various places.
In this world, the large-scale collection of garbage from the water reduced the number of flu cases compared to what was described in the book.
Moreover, the authorities, knowing from Shen Que's letter that a flu outbreak would occur, had protected several renowned experts in influenza and respiratory diseases in M City.
In the early stages of the flu, a makeshift laboratory was set up in Villa No. 55 to develop medication.
This flu was not as severe as described in the book, and within twenty days, a vaccine showed initial success.
Soon, before reaching the high temperatures of the previous life, the flu was artificially suppressed.
However, many still lost their lives during this flu outbreak.
Combined with the earlier losses from garbage collection and battling crocodiles and other fierce beasts, the population of M City, originally over four million, had dwindled to around three million.
Among them, the shelter where Meng Ci and his group were located housed over one million people.
By early October, the flu had completely ended.
Those who died from the flu were cremated collectively.
By then, the temperature had risen to forty-five degrees, and the floodwaters had dried up.
Also in early October, those staying in the refugee shelters were required to pay points.