Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 421: Chapter 411: Find Something to Do

Tang Mo only realized after finishing the last episode of the crosstalk show that she hadn’t left her room all day. ’This is how you lose ambition to trivial things,’ she thought. ’A person’s downfall truly begins with a craving for comfort and pleasure.’

The sky outside had already darkened, making the thick fog seem even more hazy and sinister. It felt incredibly eerie and terrifying, like living in a horror movie that was just missing a soundtrack.

Almost everyone had their doors and windows shut tight, curtains drawn. No one wanted to look at that terrifying thing for a second longer than they had to.

But Tang Mo was different. She had her window wide open, allowing her to observe any new developments in the dense fog at a moment’s notice. It was as if the fog wasn’t trapping her in the house, but rather, she was the one keeping an eye on the fog.

She felt there was no need to fool herself. Since she already knew the fog couldn’t get in even with the window open, she might as well face the fear head-on.

However, not everyone had Tang Mo’s courage and strength. Different experiences naturally led to different ways of dealing with problems.

Just like how the people in the last Illusion Realm had never even considered fighting back against the mutant beasts at first, this world was mostly made up of ordinary people.

Take Xu Yin’s parents, for example. When Tang Mo walked out of her room and saw them sitting in a row again in the pitch-dark living room, curtains drawn, she couldn’t help but press a hand to her forehead.

”Dad, Mom, why aren’t the lights on? Isn’t it dark?”

”It’s fine. We don’t have anything to do anyway, so we’re just sitting.” Perhaps the bright light made the already old living room feel even more empty, so the couple preferred to sit in complete darkness.

”Then why not turn on the TV? Don’t you like watching the news?”

It had to be said, the contingency measures from the higher-ups were truly excellent. Even now, the television was still broadcasting the latest information in real time.

Of course, this information was carefully filtered. Otherwise, a constant stream of bad news would probably send the entire country into a state of despair.

”The TV just shows the same things over and over; there’s nothing much to see. But Xiao Yin, you’ve been in your room all day. Is everything alright?”

Seeing Xu Jinsan’s concerned gaze, Tang Mo suddenly remembered that in her single-minded vacation mode, she had been somewhat neglecting the feelings of the Xu couple...

While their feelings weren’t within the scope of her mission, she couldn’t completely ignore them, if only out of basic human decency.

Of course, what Tang Mo was more concerned about was that if Mr. and Mrs. Xu became too emotionally unstable and, in a moment of despair, decided to start chatting with relatives and friends, they might do something to disrupt the peace. That would be a real headache for her.

’No, I can’t just let them be. I have to do something... and get Mr. and Mrs. Xu to do something. They need a task to keep their minds from wandering.’

Tang Mo lowered her head in thought and quickly came up with an idea.

”Dad, Mom, I spent all day online looking up a lot of information to understand the current situation. I have some answers now.”

Tang Mo’s expression was very serious, and Xu Jinsan and his wife believed their daughter’s words without a doubt. They knew their daughter’s personality all too well—she had always been earnest and meticulous.

”What answers?”

Unable to find answers on the news, the two of them looked at Tang Mo with desperation.

’When you’re shrouded in sudden fear, who wouldn’t want an answer?’

”There’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that this fog is indeed extremely dangerous, trapping everyone in their homes, unable to move a single step. And it probably won’t disappear anytime soon.”

Tang Mo always preferred to deliver the bad news first.

”Furthermore, in the coming period, due to food shortages, the general situation will inevitably become unstable. Order will break down, and many unexpected incidents may occur.”

The expressions on Xu Jinsan and his wife grew increasingly grave. The television would never tell them such blunt, bad news.

Although they had mentally prepared for such things, hearing it stated so clearly still filled their hearts with sorrow.

”Then... what’s the good news?”

With bad news this terrible, what good news could there possibly be?

”The good news is that all current signs and research data indicate the fog will dissipate in no more than half a year. Everything will go back to normal then. Also, I calculated our family’s food supply. If we’re frugal, we have just enough to last until that time. So, our family will have no problem getting through this crisis!”

”Half a year? It’s going to take that long...?”

Right now, no one could have imagined the fog would last so long. Perhaps until this very moment, they hadn’t truly believed the apocalypse had arrived.

”Yes.”

Of course, the half-year figure was a lie. If the couple thought the crisis was too short, they might squander their resources too early. By doubling the time, she gave them a figure to plan around.

As for the food being enough to support a family of three for half a year, that calculation, of course, only included what was out in the open: the piles in the living room, the stock in the kitchen, and the contents of the three large freezers and one oversized refrigerator.

It didn’t include the items Tang Mo had stored in her two small warehouses. She didn’t want anyone to know about those things; they were her final emergency rations.

Xu Jinsan and his wife fell silent after hearing this. Over the past two days, they had already calculated exactly how much food they had. To make it last for half a year would be a real struggle.

It would probably be just enough to survive, but not enough to feel full.

Was... this really good news?

But compared to the vast majority of people who had no stored food, being able to survive until then—to keep their family and daughter alive—really was good news.

The couple’s spirits were quite resilient. Now that they had a timeline to look forward to, they began planning with gusto.

Both of them were practical people. They slapped their thighs in decision and declared they would skip eating today. The rationing would start tomorrow!

Seeing the light return to the faces of Xu Jinsan and his wife, Tang Mo was satisfied.

’It’s true this will force them to live a frugal life, possibly not eating their fill and having to live by a strict plan every day.’

’But at least this way, they’ll survive.’

’It’s only for three months. They can just treat it as a reminder of harder times.’

Tang Mo’s reasoning was crystal clear. If she really let Xu Yin’s parents eat their fill and maintain a high standard of living for these three months, she was afraid their compassion would soon overflow, and they would start helping others.

It was better to let them endure a bit of hunger. That way, they would also have less room in their hearts for misplaced sympathy.

’If they have any extra energy to spare, they should be thinking about what their own family of three is going to eat.’

Although Xu Jinsan and his wife were nice to a fault, they weren’t complete idiots. They didn’t harbor any selfless notions of starving themselves and their daughter to death just to give all their food away so others could live.

It was just that in her previous life, they only discovered the true faces of those ungrateful leeches late in the game. By that time, Xu Jinsan was already injured, and Xu Yin and her mother were too weak from hunger to do anything.

Even if the family had wanted to fight back, they couldn’t. It was too late even for regrets.

Tang Mo thought of what those relatives were like in her previous life. ’They’d better not show up this time. If they do, they’ll have no one but me to blame.’

A chill entered Tang Mo’s eyes.