Three days after the apocalypse began, the real show finally kicked off.
Ethan Cross had stayed up all night, waiting for it—he knew exactly what was coming.
And sure enough, it started with something simple.
The power went out across the entire Silverpine Complex.Moments later, a cascading failure hit the water system—no electricity meant no pumps, and the city's water supply collapsed.
Every apartment lost access to water and power.
None of this came as a surprise to Ethan.
When this disaster first hit, no one could've imagined the deep freeze would last this long.The authorities had been trying desperately to keep things running, clinging to the illusion that this was just a temporary crisis.
But by Day 3, reality finally hit them: this wasn't something human hands could fix.
With sub-zero temperatures everywhere, hydroelectric stations froze up, and thermal power plants shut down because their workers couldn't function.
As cities exhausted their backup energy reserves, blackouts became inevitable.
Now, maybe a few nuclear plants were still online—but every watt of that power was going straight to government use.
The rest of society?
Welcome to the dark ages.
Ethan, of course, had already prepped everything.
He fired up two silent generators and kept the heat flowing inside his bunker-like apartment.
When he checked his phone, every group chat was blowing up with unread messages:
"Anyone still got power?"
"We lost electricity… and water! What the hell is going on?!"
"Same here! It's freezing—we can't use the heater anymore! How are we supposed to survive?"
"Why aren't the authorities doing something?! If this keeps up, people are going to freeze to death!"
Ethan just shook his head.
The government couldn't handle this anymore.Survival now depended on one person only—yourself.
As far as Ethan was concerned, this was the true beginning of the end.
Without electricity and food, society was going to collapse.And people? People were going to die in droves.
He glanced around his home—warm, safe, silent.
Stockpiled supplies stretched into what looked like infinity inside his private dimension.
A deep sense of peace filled his chest.
In the community group chat, everyone was freaking out.
If it weren't for modern smartphone tech—phones that could still run in extreme cold—they'd already be cut off from the world entirely.
But without power, those phones wouldn't last long either.
"How long is this snowstorm going to last?! It's -30°C inside the house!"
"I'm not kidding—we're literally freezing to death!"
"There's no water either. What are we supposed to do, eat snow?"
"We're running out of food. We can't go outside… what now?!"
Then someone @mentioned Mrs. Lin.
"Didn't you say everything would be fine, Mrs. Lin?"
"Yeah, I listened to your advice and didn't stock up. Now what?!"
"When exactly are the rescue teams coming? You better say something!"
Mrs. Lin was panicking more than anyone else.The other residents didn't know what the government was planning. But she did.
As a neighborhood committee member, she had access to certain internal reports.
And they weren't pretty.
"The snow is global," she'd read. "Once-in-a-hundred-thousand-year phenomenon. We may be facing another extinction event."
"The government's trying to hold on, but with over a billion citizens, it's impossible to save everyone."
"Major cities have already fallen."
"From this point on, survival depends on personal preparation—stock up on food and fuel or die."
She'd already started hoarding supplies from neighbors—under the guise of 'committee emergency redistribution.'
"But… isn't that screwing people over?" one chat member asked.
"Screwing people? If I don't do this, me and my grandson will be dead in three days from hunger and cold!"
"We can't save everyone. I'm going to save myself and my family."
"Use the power I've got while I've still got it. That's what it's for."
Mrs. Lin clutched her phone as her body trembled violently.
Even though it was -30°C indoors, her forehead was slick with cold sweat.
She lay buried under three heavy quilts, nearly suffocating under the weight. But she didn't dare take them off. Her room felt like a freezer.
Next to her, her grandson piped up from under the covers:
"Grandma, why is it so cold? When are Mom and Dad coming back?"
Her heart sank.
She'd spoken with her son and daughter-in-law that morning—they were stranded out of town, trapped in a rental apartment with no heating. Their situation wasn't any better.
"I have to protect us," she whispered to herself. "No matter what it takes."
She gritted her teeth. A flash of ruthless resolve sparked in her eyes.
"It's okay, sweetie. Mommy and Daddy will be back soon," she told her grandson gently.
Then she turned back to her phone and posted to the group chat:
"Everyone, this disaster is only temporary. Power and water outages are normal in such extreme weather."
"Don't worry—repair crews are already on it."
"The government has now authorized the community committee to oversee local operations. All residents must comply."
"If anyone refuses and causes a problem, they'll be arrested and investigated once this is over."
The tone was harsh—too harsh.
It sparked widespread anger in the chat.
The same woman who'd told everyone not to panic was now barking orders and threatening arrests?
No apologies, no explanations—just commands.
Most were furious, but no one dared speak up.Fear had already taken hold.
Ethan, meanwhile, was scrolling lazily through the chat, smirking.
He knew exactly what she was up to.
In his last life, this woman had done the same thing—coercing people into giving up their supplies with lies and fake orders.
But this time?
Ethan wasn't planning to expose her.
Because frankly, he didn't give a damn whether the others lived or died.
He turned on the TV and went back to gaming.
Power outage? Water shortage?
Not his problem.
He had batteries. He had generators.He had fuel, ethanol, even solid fuel tablets.
He'd stockpiled 500 tons of tap water alone—not to mention thousands of tons of bottled water and beverages in his private dimension.
Worst-case scenario? He'd melt snow.
Fresh water and energy? He was set for centuries.