Chapter 15: Feeling Doomed to Total Annihilation

Glancing at Fan Zhenzhen, unsure if there was still time to send her out now, feeling a bit uneasy about close contact with others, Qin Xiaoyu turned to Shrimp and said, “Shrimp, you sleep with her from now on.”

Shrimp had no objections and nodded eagerly, “Sure!”

Having someone to accompany her felt quite nice.

Fan Zhenzhen: …

Anxian frowned, “Shrimp is a boy.”

Qin Xiaoyu replied, “He’s only eight.”

Anxian insisted, “That’s inappropriate.”

Qin Xiaoyu countered, “Twenty-eight.”

Anxian: “Just a little short.”

Qin Xiaoyu: “Thirty-eight.”

Anxian: “A bit thin, but…”

Qin Xiaoyu slammed her palm on the table, “He’s willing.”

Staring at the shaky solid wood table, Fan Zhenzhen’s heart trembled too. She swallowed hard and silently raised her hand.

“It’s only temporary lodging; I’m fine with it.”

With the involved parties agreeing, Anxian had nothing left to say and could only smile and nod her consent.

But in the next moment, her expression shifted. She slammed the table with a glare full of anger. “Little fatty fish, what did I say this morning?”

Her gesture was fierce, though the sound wasn’t loud enough to be intimidating.

Qin Xiaoyu glanced at the wall clock and widened her eyes, “Oh my, it’s already ten o’clock. Time to get to work—no more wasting time.”

Anxian sneered, “There’s still time to punish the child.”

Qin Baisong sensed trouble and quickly soothed her, “Honey, don’t be angry. The child is only eight, still young and naive. We’ll teach him slowly.”

Eight years old? Xinzi was twenty-eight.

Anxian wanted to say this but looked around and swallowed the words.

Suddenly, Qin Hao spoke up, “Uncle, don’t be mad. Auntie is just worried about little sister Xiaoyu. Just now upstairs, I overheard street rumors: on the next street, a minor girl was dragged away by an old man because she was pretty. On the lane opposite the market, a strong man was stabbed twice, breaking one leg. Even after calling the police, no one came.”

As he spoke, the wail of sirens echoed outside, and the street buzzed with whispers.

Listening briefly by the window, Qin Hao returned to continue, “Not long ago, four people had accidents by the river: two had their legs broken, one fell into the river and cracked his skull, and another was bitten so badly his face was disfigured.”

Qin Xiaoyu: …

Fan Zhenzhen: …

Qin Xiaoyu glanced at her—this one was ruthless.

Fan Zhenzhen looked innocent, thinking only to do her best. With slender arms and legs, she didn’t care much, biting whoever she could catch.

No one connected these incidents to the two of them. After all, one was only eight, the other a small underage girl. How could they possibly take down five adults unscathed?

Unscathed referred to Qin Xiaoyu; as for the bruised and battered Fan Zhenzhen… well, they didn’t think too much about it.

Out there was so chaotic; it was normal for a young girl to get some injuries after staying outside so long.

As time slipped by, everyone grew anxious, gazing skyward with a creeping dread.

Though the sun hung in the sky with no clouds, the whole world seemed dim.

The adults deliberated whether to move to the city or return to Xia Village.

Living in the city would be safer, but finding alien vegetation to eat would be difficult—not all alien plants were edible.

For example, cassava, after mutation, mostly contained deadly toxins—one bite could be fatal or at least take half your life.

Old Qin wanted to stay at the herbal clinic. Qin Bainian and his wife preferred the city. Anxian wanted to return to the village. Qin Baisong followed his wife’s choice.

Grandma Qin agreed wherever the children went, and the four kids would follow their parents.

As for Fan Zhenzhen, she was just a tagalong and didn’t count.

They couldn’t split up. After some discussion, they decided to return to Xia Village first.

At the start of the apocalypse, it wasn’t too dangerous. If after a week post-rain the situation didn’t improve, they could move. Both families had houses in the city, although somewhat far apart.

But returning to the village required waiting.

Yesterday, they rented a cement mixer truck. A neighbor who knew how to drive it helped. She paid for cement and gravel and had the courtyard walls paved thickly with cement and stones.

This morning, she went back and found the work finished overnight.

Outside the courtyard walls were either empty land or village roads about four meters wide. Except for a patch of empty space, there was no place wider than ten meters to pave.

The neighboring houses also followed suit, paving their walls, although the cement was still wet and uncured. By afternoon, it would harden at least on the surface.

The neighbors were silently grumbling that if the apocalypse truly came—as Anxian had said in the chat group—this extra paving wouldn’t be wasted.

Otherwise, even if it was just a good deed to improve the road, they’d grudgingly accept it.

Looking up, the sky was truly dark.

The sun resembled an old light bulb with insufficient power, barely glowing but failing to illuminate.

Shrimp fussed for a hamburger, and Qin Baisong took him to get one, but they returned empty-handed.

The store was closed.

Not just the hamburger shop—all shops had shut their doors, with no will to sell anything. No amount of money could coax them to open.

Around three in the afternoon, the big family ate a quick meal and packed up to head home.

By then, a black curtain had risen from the south, stretching long and wide. The sun had dimmed to faint light, as if ready to extinguish at any moment.

The distant mountains trembled, the ground shook with a low hum. Suddenly, the wind picked up. Looking up at the sky, those with keen eyes saw the air occasionally warp.

Qin Xiaoyu sat on the tricycle, staring blankly upward.

If she could live it over again, how would the ending change?

The alien plants were so formidable—could humans and animals truly resist them? Had anyone escaped the beginner’s village?

“Xiaoyu, are you sure everything you saw in your dream was real?” Anxian asked anxiously, her hands trembling as she steadied the cart. “I feel like we’re heading for total annihilation.”

Qin Xiaoyu replied, “I hope it’s all false too.”

Time passed bit by bit; the black curtain slowly engulfed half the sky.

The Earth’s surface no longer merely trembled—it shook violently, yet the creatures seemed protected by an invisible force, with few injured.

Unless buildings were extremely poor, they did not collapse.

At this moment, people recalled the moon, already swallowed whole, and feared Earth might share the same fate.

Countless hearts wondered: if truly devoured, did humanity still have any hope of survival?

By five o’clock, the sky was almost completely dark. Even with lights on, little illumination remained. This utter darkness swallowed every light source.

With one hour left before nightfall, the family conducted a final thorough check, ensuring nothing was overlooked. Even the livestock was secured.

Only then did they return inside and lie down.

Though their bodies rested, their hearts could not find peace.