The sudden darkness startled Wen Nannan, making her wonder if the game was punishing her for her earlier criticism.
However, she quickly realized the citywide blackout was due to the typhoon's damage to electrical infrastructure. Yunhai City was enveloped in darkness.
The typhoon raged on, unleashing fierce winds and torrential rain. Trees swayed violently, while street signs and lamp posts succumbed to the powerful gusts.
Wen Nannan's apartment building trembled, and the sound of shattering glass from a neighboring unit confirmed the storm's destructive force.
Throughout the night, Wen Nannan drifted in and out of sleep, anxieties swirling about the windows and the stability of the old building.
Thankfully, despite the swaying, the structure held firm. As morning arrived and the storm's intensity lessened slightly, her worries eased.
However, the apartment above hers wasn't as fortunate.
All the windows were shattered, the rooms flooded, and the owner, injured by flying glass, was taken to the hospital. Emergency services were overwhelmed, with vehicles navigating flooded streets to reach hospitals.
Wen Nannan marked the ninth day in Yunhai City in her notebook, recognizing this as just the beginning of a major disaster.
Despite the power outage, the internet signal remained, albeit unstable. Social media were filled with discussions about the typhoon and pleas for help from those with injured family members needing transportation to overwhelmed hospitals.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Opening it, she found a middle-aged man with glasses standing outside. He seemed surprised to see a young woman and glanced around the room.
"Are you living alone?" the man inquired.
"What's the matter?" Wen Nannan responded casually, remaining at the doorway.
"We are personnel from the community street office, here to collect data on residents and assess the damage to houses," the man explained, attempting a friendly smile that was marred by yellow, tobacco-stained teeth.
"Please provide your name for registration. If your house is damaged and uninhabitable, you can go to Yunhai No. 5 Middle School for shelter."
"Oh, thank you," Wen Nannan replied politely. "There are two people in our family. I'm Wen Nannan, and my brother is Wen Fugui. Our house is not damaged."
"Two people, huh," the middle-aged man's eyes showed suspicion.
"Yes, my big brother is in the bathroom," Wen Nannan casually brushed off, keeping her gaze fixed on the man.
Feeling awkward about barging into the bathroom to check if someone was there, the registration officer hastily wrote down their names and proceeded to register the information about the next household.
The realistic nature of the game impressed Wen Nannan.
After the middle-aged man left, Wen Nannan secured the door and placed a note on the peephole for added safety, drawing on her real-life experiences as a renter and her inherent vigilance.
Outside, the storm continued, but people were still out and about.
Residents from the flooded first floor were evacuating to seek shelter with friends, family, or at designated shelters.
Living on the sixth floor, Wen Nannan was spared from the flooding, but the power outage remained a concern. With her phone battery dwindling and the signal weakening, she worried about staying connected.
After a long wait, she managed to refresh her social media feed. A newly posted message sparked a heated discussion:
[Urgent News, Yunhai City is about to face a shortage of supplies! According to inside information, this typhoon has swept through the southern region, and transportation everywhere has been blocked by floods.
Yunhai City is a famous tourist city and commercial center, and its food is all imported from other cities. Now the surrounding cities have also been affected by the flood, so everyone should quickly stock up on supplies!]
[Thanks for sharing! My mom bought enough food for half a month a few days ago.]
[I'm getting ready to go out in the pouring rain.]
[Come on, it's not that exaggerated. The heavy rain has been going on for so long, it should stop soon.]
[Who are you trying to fool? You're just creating anxiety again. It's because of people like you that even a packet of instant noodles is being sold at exorbitant prices. I've reported it.]
The post only lasted for three minutes before it was deleted.
Wen Nannan pondered the message, considering the game's tendency to escalate challenges. Perhaps the warning held some truth.