Chapter 60

Most of the replies beneath the post were kind and grateful.

Suzy scrolled through them for quite a while, reading one after another. Eventually, her eyelids grew heavy, and she drifted into a deep sleep.

When Suzy opened her eyes again, sunlight was slipping through the narrow gap in the curtains.

Everything seemed unchanged.

A knock sounded at the door.

It was Leonard.

Suzy responded, quickly washed up, and opened the door. Leonard had already prepared breakfast.

The two of them sat at the dining table, quietly eating while looking out the window.

Leonard frowned slightly. "Has the disaster really started?"

He had gotten up early that morning and spent quite some time staring outside from his room. As far as he could tell, nothing looked different from usual.

Perhaps it was because the air conditioner was running inside.

Outside, people still walked back and forth along the streets. Life appeared perfectly ordinary.

Suzy bit into a steamed bun and nodded.

"It’s already begun. If we go out today, we’ll need full protection." She paused, then added, "But honestly, it’s better not to go out at all."

Leonard thought for a moment. "What if we go out later in the day?"

"That’s fine," Suzy replied. "It’s better to wait until evening."

At night, the heat would ease slightly, and the sun wouldn’t be beating down directly.

After breakfast, the two of them stayed home, scrolling through their phones.

Across social media platforms, people everywhere were complaining about the strange weather. It was unbearably hot—hotter than most summers.

Although the disaster had technically begun, it hadn’t yet reached an unbearable stage. Many companies and schools were still operating normally.

After some thought, Suzy posted another thread, reminding people to protect themselves from the sun and avoid direct exposure.

Even though the temperature itself hadn’t changed drastically, the sun’s intensity compared to yesterday had multiplied several times.

Staying under direct sunlight for too long could easily cause serious harm.

After posting the reminder, Suzy contacted the wholesale supplier she had arranged deliveries with, asking them to wait until the sun was close to setting before bringing the goods.

She had already given the same instructions to Derek Martin as well.

Later, Suzy and Leonard began filling every container they owned with water.

Bottles. Buckets. Pots. Anything that could hold liquid.

Suzy had even bought a massive plastic water tank and placed it in the bathroom.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before water itself became scarce.

Just as they finished their preparations, the doorbell rang.

Leonard had ordered quite a few things the day before, and the deliveries had begun arriving one after another.

The two of them signed for the packages and carried everything into their small storage room.

Once they finally had a moment to rest, Suzy casually asked,

"By the way, Uncle... when is Thomas Kim coming back?"

Leonard replied right away, "His flight is the day after tomorrow. He messaged me yesterday asking if I could help him find a place to live." He shrugged. "But since you said the sunlight is dangerous during the day, I didn’t dare go out. I’ll check later in the evening."

Suzy’s eyes flickered slightly.

"He’s planning to rent an apartment?"

"Yeah," Leonard said. "Otherwise, he’d have nowhere to stay. He can’t live in a hotel forever."

Suzy thought for a moment before saying, "I actually know a real estate agent. There are quite a few rental apartments in our complex. Want me to ask him?"

Leonard nodded immediately.

"Sure. If he lives in the same complex as us, we can look out for each other."

Suzy picked up her phone and contacted Mr. Smith, explaining the situation.

Before long, he sent back a link with several available listings.

Suzy forwarded the list to Leonard.

"Take a look," she said. "See if any of these work."

Afterward, Suzy opened her message notifications.

The posts she had made earlier were gradually receiving replies.

She had posted the warnings on two different platforms—one was the survivalist forum she often browsed, and the other was a short-video platform she used regularly.

So far, a dozen or so comments had appeared.

Some people took Suzy’s advice seriously. Others dismissed it entirely.

One user named

Lily

commented:

"People nowadays are just too pampered. The sun is only a little stronger and it’s a bit hotter—do we really need all this fuss?"

That comment alone quickly gathered dozens of likes.

Aside from that, there were also scattered remarks like

"making a big deal out of nothing"

and

"someone’s got too much free time."

Suzy didn’t dwell on them.

She simply ignored the unpleasant comments.

If they didn’t want to listen, then whatever happened later would be their own responsibility.

The user

Lily

was a college student.

After posting her reply to Suzy’s thread, she tossed her phone aside and began complaining to her roommates.

"Guess what I just saw while scrolling? Someone made a post telling people to go outside fully covered in this heat—long sleeves, long pants, hats, sunscreen. Isn’t that ridiculous? That’s basically asking people to suffer!"

As she spoke, she noticed that her roommates were all applying sunscreen.

She rolled her eyes dramatically.

"You guys smear that greasy stuff on your faces every day. Don’t you feel gross? And what’s the point? You’ll still get tanned anyway."

"The sun’s really strong lately," one roommate said calmly while rubbing sunscreen onto her exposed arms. Afterward, she pulled on a lightweight sun-protection jacket. "Why don’t you put some on too? Otherwise, you might get sunburned."

Lily waved her hand dismissively.

"I’m not afraid of getting tanned. I grew up playing outside. Today the sun’s just a bit stronger, that’s all. A little sun never killed anyone. I’m not as delicate as you guys."

Her roommate’s lips twitched, but she didn’t argue further.

There were four girls in the dormitory.

Three of them stepped outside fully protected—hats, sunscreen, and umbrellas.

Only Lily left wearing a short-sleeved shirt, not even bothering to bring an umbrella.

One roommate hesitated and said, "You’re not even bringing an umbrella? It’s blazing outside. And we still have PE class later..."

Lily shrugged.

"What’s there to be afraid of? We’re under the sun every day anyway. I’m not chasing that pale, skinny beauty standard you guys obsess over. Just leave me alone."

Her tone was sharp enough that the others didn’t try to persuade her again.

They simply opened their umbrellas and headed toward the athletic field.

Lily walked behind them—directly under the blazing sun.

A crowd had already gathered near the track.

Most students either crouched under umbrellas or stood beneath the shade of nearby trees.

Lily looked at them with obvious disdain.

"Seriously? Is it really that necessary?"

Standing openly in the sunlight, she looked down on those hiding in the shade, convinced they were being overly dramatic.

The sun grew harsher by the minute.

Its heat beat mercilessly against the rubber track, and the air itself seemed to shimmer and warp.

Gradually, Lily felt a sharp, burning pain across the exposed skin of her arms.

Grinding her teeth, she finally walked toward the shaded area.

Her roommates glanced at her.

"Oh? Why’d you come over here?" one of them teased. "Not sunbathing anymore?"

Lily felt her face heat with embarrassment.

Lifting her chin stubbornly, she snapped,

"I just couldn’t stand watching you guys hide like that!"

Her eyes flickered as she strode toward them.

"Come on, come on—step out into the sun for a bit and get some vitamin D! If you keep hiding all the time, you’ll end up weak!"

Before anyone could react, she grabbed her roommates by the arms and dragged them straight out of the shade and into the blazing sunlight.

One roommate struggled against her grip.

"Let go! I don’t want to stand in the sun!"

Lily snorted.

"You’re so pathetic. Acting like standing in the sun is going to kill you. Why don’t you try being a little tougher—like me?"