Chapter 11: Chaos
Boom!
In the midst of the torrential rain, a burst of fire shot straight into the sky, as if seeking to tear through the downpour and disperse the endless storm clouds.
Immediately after, a deafening explosion swept through.
The restaurant had exploded again.
Almost as soon as the second blast lit up the sky, Su Miao ducked instinctively.
The ground trembled, windows rattled violently, and for a moment, she thought the glass might shatter.
When the explosions finally ceased and a long moment passed, Su Miao dared to peek out at the direction of the tourist area’s restaurant.
Now, only towering flames and thick columns of smoke remained.
Su Miao opened the Versailles chat group on WeChat, hoping to find out what had happened.
Soon, she found a video.
The first video showed a portly man in a suit repeatedly slapping an elderly restaurant worker. People around tried to intervene, but four burly bodyguards kept them at bay.
After three minutes, the old man lay on the ground, his face covered in blood and bruises.
It wasn't over. The fat man stomped hard on the old man’s leg, and the man’s anguished screams echoed through the restaurant.
“Let this be a lesson! If you ever hide food from us again, or serve us pig slop, this is what you’ll get!”
The fat man casually flung a wad of cash at the old man, turned, and left.
The second video was chaos: people fighting, pushing, shouting, smashing things, and screaming. The turmoil was so intense it was impossible to tell exactly what had happened, but clearly, something terrible had taken place.
From the chat before and after the videos, Su Miao pieced together that visitors had argued with restaurant staff over food. The dispute escalated into open conflict.
The third video was a selfie taken by the beaten old man himself.
He had locked himself in the restaurant kitchen, sealed the doors, turned on every gas valve, took out a cigarette and a lighter, and, smiling, said, “Thank you all. I don’t want to hurt anyone. Please, just leave—I’m giving you three minutes.”
…
“Damn it, if that old man wanted to die, why drag everyone down with him?”
“We’re all dead because of him.”
“How could I be so unlucky? Of all places to travel, why did I come here?”
“That idiot who started the fight should have just killed him. Now we’re all doomed.”
“Don’t mention it. The one who beat him just got blown up.”
“Sob, my daughter—has anyone seen my daughter?”
“Is there a doctor here? Someone please save my husband.”
“Help, someone save me—I’ll pay you ten million.”
The restaurant’s been blown up, does anyone know where there’s still food? We’re really going to die here.
“Why hasn’t rescue arrived? Have we been abandoned?”
“Does anyone have food? I’ll pay a high price for biscuits, instant noodles, anything.”
“Please, someone help me.”
“Help, I’m buried under the restaurant.”
“Please, someone save us—the restaurant building has collapsed, hundreds are trapped inside, sob…”
…
Su Miao finished watching the videos and reading the frantic messages, her hands trembling as she finally understood the cause of the explosion.
What was once a group for showing off had devolved into a torrent of curses and desperate cries for help.
Especially those offering to buy food at exorbitant prices—Su Miao remembered them well. Just a few days ago, they’d thrown away the relief supplies sent by the tourist company.
She never expected they’d still be alive.
They’d avoided the disaster not because of foresight, but because they’d refused to eat the restaurant’s unappetizing food or endure the crowds, preferring to go hungry rather than mingle with the masses.
But now, after the gas explosion, the last reserves of food in the tourist area were gone.
Even if some individuals had a small stash, it wouldn’t last more than a few days.
This tourist resort was finished.
Su Miao crouched by the window, staring at her phone, wondering whether choosing to hide here from the apocalypse had been a mistake.
She just hoped these people would risk leaving once they ran out of food.
If they all left, she could stay here in safety.
But recalling the burly middle-aged man who had barged in earlier, Su Miao felt a fresh wave of fear.
With that in mind, she immediately hurried downstairs. Ignoring Xia Xiaoan’s puzzled gaze, she drew all the curtains on the first floor and piled random items against the door.
No one must know anyone lived here.
But after barricading the entrance, Su Miao remembered the dangers of landslides and mudflows. If something like that happened, she and Xia Xiaoan would have no way to escape.
“No, this won’t do.”
She quickly moved the barricade away, replacing it instead with more than a dozen heavy security chains, just in case.
“Sister Su, is something wrong?” Xia Xiaoan asked anxiously.
“The restaurant exploded. We must not go out for the next few days,” Su Miao replied, peeking out the corner of a curtain, then added, “No matter who calls for help, don’t open the door.”
She was truly afraid.
If such violent conflict could erupt when there was still food, what would the survivors do now that the restaurant was gone and supplies were exhausted?
Five thousand years of history and countless apocalypse tales had described it before.
It would be hell on earth.
“Okay, I understand,” Xia Xiaoan nodded earnestly.
Su Miao glanced at the table—there was still a row of beef she’d prepared for Xia Xiaoan that hadn’t gone into the pot. “Are you full?” she asked.
“Sister Su, you haven’t eaten yet,” Xia Xiaoan replied obediently.
After two days of hunger, how could she possibly be full on so little?
Hearing the restaurant had exploded, Xia Xiaoan was afraid to eat more, worried their food wouldn’t last.
“Don’t worry, we have plenty here. Let’s eat together.”
Su Miao put the rest of the beef into the hotpot.
She watched the bubbling broth. For now, the villa still had power, but with landslides, mudflows, and now this massive explosion, she doubted electricity would last much longer.
Already, several villas where tourists stayed had lost power and water.
They would have to treasure every drop and watt.
The beef hotpot smelled delicious.
Seeing Su Miao continue eating, Xia Xiaoan relaxed and joined in. She truly hadn’t eaten enough earlier.
…
Not far from the restaurant’s ruins, in a low building with broken windows, a group of restaurant staff and local merchants had gathered, seeking shelter from the blast.
Some were grieving, others cursing fate, some wept, and many looked utterly lost.
The situation was dire.
At that moment, someone stepped forward and spoke loudly:
“We can’t keep enduring this!”
“Such a good man, our old master, beaten like that—this isn’t just bullying, they’re trying to kill us!”
“We’re all trapped here, unable to escape. The disaster outside is even worse, and there’s no hope of rescue. Once hunger sets in, those beasts will come for the last scraps we have.”
“Do you want to watch your food be stolen, to be beaten to death, to see your parents, children, and wives starve before your eyes? Or do we band together, defend our food, and protect our families?”