Chapter 187: Darkness, the Silent Onset of Polar Night
Meng Ci subtly reminded Liang Xiu to stock up on more lighting equipment.
Liang Xiu nodded in understanding and assured him that if there was anything he needed help with, he should feel free to ask.
After Meng Ci and Shen Que left Liang Xiu's office, they each traded for a liter of water before heading home.
This water was not for drinking; the two used it to water the vegetables in the glasshouse instead.
After all, it was snow water and probably not clean, and they worried it might cause stomach issues if consumed.
Afterward, Meng Ci took out a carrot and some vegetables to feed the rabbits.
Since the house was too cramped, Meng Ci had moved the rabbit pen outside.
They built an enclosure in the more-than-one-meter gap between the house and the wall.
To prevent the rabbits from digging their way out, he had someone pour a layer of concrete on the ground.
Meng Ci also installed a fan on the roof of the rabbit pen.
After feeding the rabbits, Meng Ci and Shen Que went back inside the house.
The urine odor had dissipated, and Qiezi rubbed against its owner's leg, wanting to come in.
Meng Ci was still angry and kicked Qiezi out.
Qiezi then turned its attention to Shen Que.
Shen Que, always looking to Meng Ci for guidance, wouldn't let Qiezi in without Meng Ci's permission.
Qiezi could only watch in frustration as the door closed.
And then it ran around the house.
When it got hungry, it stayed by the rabbit pen, whimpering.
Of course, Qiezi didn't dare to eat the rabbits' food. If it did, its owner wouldn't forgive it.
Meng Ci knew that Qiezi could handle the heat, so he wasn't worried about it getting into trouble.
Moreover, the house door wasn't locked. Qiezi could open it by itself. If it got too hot, it could come back in.
Meng Ci took out some food from his spatial storage, and after they ate, leaving a portion for Qiezi, they went upstairs to sleep.
They slept until noon the next day.
Qiezi was still fast asleep in its nest, looking dirty, having played wildly outside the previous night.
There were two days until the polar night arrived. Meng Ci and Shen Que went out to trade for two more liters of water and also exchanged some candles that had already been put out for redemption.
Then they stayed at home, waiting for the polar night to come.
On January 25th, at noon, the residents who had been busy all night were still asleep. Only a very few who were awake noticed that the bright day had turned dark in the blink of an eye.
The previously quiet base suddenly became lively.
"What the hell is going on? Why did it get dark?"
"Is the extreme heat finally over? I'm sick of this awful weather!"
...
Initially, a few people were talking, but their voices grew louder, slowly rousing the sleeping residents.
Those who weren't fully awake were confused, wondering why they had slept so deeply and now had to work again so soon.
But when they heard that the sky had suddenly darkened, they grew anxious one by one.
"When will this cursed apocalypse be over?"
"Damn it, I've run out of electricity credits at home, what am I supposed to do now?!"
"The official electricity prices have gone up! Ten units of electricity now cost twenty credits!"
"Oh my god, how can we live like this?"
"It's dark, so why hasn't the temperature cooled down?"
...
Meng Ci and Shen Que lived quite far from the residential buildings, so they could only faintly hear the shouting from there.
Shen Que flipped the switch, and the room lit up.
Since the two knew when the polar night would arrive, they had prepared in advance. The house's electrical system was already connected to the battery.
Meng Ci had installed blackout curtains from the start, so they didn't have to worry about being seen.
Meng Ci and Shen Que went up to the rooftop.
The villa was much higher than the surrounding walls, providing a clear view of the surroundings.
Most of the twenty-odd houses in the self-built area had already turned on their lights.
The nearby house was brightly lit throughout, both inside and out.
The official buildings in the distance remained dark, understandable since they had been working night shifts during the extreme heat.
There were faint lights in the residential buildings, but they were dim compared to the brightness here.
Under the cover of darkness, Meng Ci and Shen Que removed the solar panels from the roof, stored them in the space, and then went back downstairs.
Qiezi was already standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at its two owners expectantly.
Seeing Meng Ci come down, Qiezi wagged its tail and placed the food bowl it had been holding in its mouth on the floor.
Feeling Qiezi's belly, he found it was indeed empty.
Meng Ci wasn't a heartless person, so he took out three portions of cooked noodles, added two portions of vegetable dishes, and threw in a chicken leg and a sausage.
After receiving the food, Qiezi slowly dragged the bowl to the front of its nest and began eating quietly.
Meng Ci poured a glass of iced passionfruit juice and comfortably lay down on the sofa.
"Shen Que, don't forget to turn on the external electric fence!" Meng Ci reminded.
"Okay."
Shen Que went out, flashlight in hand, and activated the electric fence. Of course, he didn't forget to energize the front gate as well.
As for the SUV in the garage outside, Shen Que wasn't worried.
After all, it guzzled a lot of gas, and with official prices being so high, no one would bother to steal it.
The lights in the glasshouse and the rabbit hutch were turned on as well.
The lights in these two rooms were on a timer, on for ten hours and off for fourteen.
With the security measures set, Shen Que returned to the house.
Meng Ci had already finished his passion fruit drink and, seeing Shen Que come in, immediately took Qie Zi and himself into the space.
"Ao wu! Ao wu!"
Qie Zi let out a whine, displeased as its food bowl disappeared from sight.
Meng Ci ignored Qie Zi and said to Shen Que, "Shen Que, we'll spend half an hour in the space every day from now on."
"Give Qie Zi some training tasks, and we can both exercise."
The new house was too small, with no space for fitness equipment, and Qie Zi wasn't getting proper training.
Before, it had been too hot outside, and they were living with Liang Xiu, so Meng Ci and Shen Que had reduced their training.
But now that the polar night had arrived and it was just the two of them, training needed to resume.
"Alright!"
Shen Que, who doesn't talk much but acts quickly, found a timer and set it up. He then marked a circle on the ground and had Qie Zi run laps.
He also set up a pull-up bar for Qie Zi to practice its jumping ability.
...
Meng Ci fully trusted Shen Que, so he simply moved a treadmill over, warming up as he planned to run for half an hour today.
Since it was the first day training Qie Zi in the new place, Shen Que didn't exercise himself.
Each time Qie Zi ran past Meng Ci, it would let out an "Ao wu," complaining about not being fed enough.
But Meng Ci, wearing headphones, didn't hear Qie Zi's complaints.