Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Qi Mo pushed the cart, picking up speed as he hurried along.

The weather was blazing hot, and this desolate stretch of road had neither village nor shop in sight—not even a single bottle of water to be bought.

Many people swallowed hard, parched with thirst.

Even if there were ponds or rivers nearby, no one dared to drink from them.

A punk kid with bright yellow hair noticed Baby Yan sitting in Qi Mo’s cart, his attention fixed on the sippy cup the child was holding.

The cup in Baby Yan’s hands was filled with warm water. The little one took little sips every now and then…

For those suffering from thirst, watching this was pure torture.

"Grandma, I’m so thirsty! I want water, soda, orange juice!" A chunky six- or seven-year-old boy tugged at his grandmother, crying loudly.

The old woman pulling her grandson along felt like her heart just about broke at his words.

"There there, sweetheart, just a little further. We’ll reach the town ahead, and Grandma will buy you something then," she coaxed.

Hearing this, the boy wailed, "I can’t walk anymore! Carry me, Grandma!"

The old woman hesitated—not because she didn’t want to, but because she couldn’t. The seven-year-old weighed nearly seventy pounds, and she herself was overweight, her rolls jiggling with every step. There was no way she could carry him.

Seeing his grandmother’s silence, the boy immediately flopped down in the middle of the road, crying, "Grandma, I’m dying of thirst! I need water! I’m gonna die…"

The old woman’s heart ached at the sight of her wailing grandson sprawled on the ground. She glanced at the cart not far away.

"Young man, young man, my grandson can’t walk anymore. Could you lend me your cart? Your child is small and light—you can just carry him," the old woman had the nerve to run up to Qi Mo, cutting him off.

When Qi Mo didn’t respond, she reached for the bottle of water hanging on the side of the stroller. "My grandson is thirsty. Give him this water, or he’ll get heatstroke!"

Qi Mo was shaking with rage at her words.

It had only just begun, and no one even realized the apocalypse was coming—yet here was someone so shameless.

Qi Mo jerked the cart away, avoiding the old woman’s grasp.

"You got no shame? This is my water. If your grandson gets heatstroke, so could my son. My boy is only a year old—how dare you even ask? Beat it. Not happening." Qi Mo’s face was cold with fury.

Scolded, the old woman immediately flopped down on the ground. "Oh my God, everyone, look at how heartless this young man is! My grandson is about to collapse from heatstroke, and I’m nearly dehydrated. You have water but refuse to help? If I die, you’re a murderer!"

"If you’re going to die, then hurry up and do it. Don’t block the road—good dogs don’t stand in the way. I had water? Sorry, I don’t anymore. Can’t save you. Go find someone else." Qi Mo chugged what was left of the half-bottle of water, then tossed the empty bottle back into his bag.

The old woman stared in disbelief as Qi Mo drank the last of the water. Slapping her knee, she cried, "Your son still has some!"

Afraid Qi Mo would drink from the baby bottle too, she hauled herself up and made a grab for Baby Yan’s cup.

Seeing her grubby hands, Qi Mo kicked her.

This time, he actually sent her sprawling. Did she think he was some pushover?

"Get the hell out of here. Keep harassing me, and I’ll kill you." Qi Mo pulled out a small dagger from his belt.

Though small, the blade gleamed wickedly—a half foot long, more than enough to take a life.

The kicked old woman, realizing the baby-faced Qi Mo was ruthless, quickly wailed, "I’ll buy it! I’ll give you two hundred for the cart! My grandson can’t walk—please, I beg you, help an old woman out…"

By now, many people had noticed the commotion here. Tired from walking, they stopped to rest and watch the scene.

A middle-aged woman walked over and tried to persuade, "Hey, your child is indeed small and easy to carry. This grandma’s grandson, well, he really can’t walk anymore. Why don’t you sell the stroller to her?"

"Saving a life is more virtuous than building a seven-tiered pagoda. If you help this old lady, she’ll be grateful. Besides, she’s willing to pay—you’re not just giving it away," a pretty short-haired girl jumped in.

The long-haired girl next to her immediately pulled her arm. "The stroller belongs to this young man. It’s his choice whether to sell it or not. Forcing someone to buy or sell is just wrong."

"Exactly! Stop with the guilt-tripping. On such a scorching day, your grandson who's six or seven can’t walk, but his child is only one and can’t even walk yet. Without the stroller to shield him from the sun, what if he gets heatstroke? Will you take responsibility?" the previously thirsty woman retorted.

Put on the spot, the short-haired girl quickly added, "I have an umbrella. I can give it to the young man for free, so the baby won’t be exposed to the sun. Then he can sell the stroller to the old lady. That way, it’s the best of both worlds."

"How cruel! Carrying a baby in one hand and an umbrella in the other while walking six or seven kilometers—who could manage that? You’re so generous with other people’s suffering," a young man holding a jacket mocked.

...

Qi Mo listened to all this and glanced at the short-haired girl, literally glowing with saintly virtue.

"Two hundred? You must be joking. This stroller is from Baorui’s limited edition line—worth 200,000. I’ve used it for a few months, but if you’re paying, I’ll sell it to you for half price," Qi Mo sneered at the old woman still crying on the ground.

The pleading old woman choked again. Two hundred was already too much for her, let alone 100,000.

With phones not working, who would carry that much cash around?

"If you don’t want to help, just say so. Why lie? A baby stroller can’t possibly be more expensive than a car," the old woman retorted, playing the "poor old me" card.

The young man with the jacket, his forehead still stained with blood, examined the stroller and explained, "I work in baby products. This stroller uses aircraft-grade alloy. It really is a limited edition worth at least 200,000."

Qi Mo turned to the young man, the woman who had spoken up earlier, and the long-haired girl. "Thank you for your help. I have three bottles of water left—take them and drink quickly. There’s still five or six kilometers ahead before you can buy more."

Crouching down, Qi Mo opened the basket under the stroller, took out three bottles of water, and tossed them to the trio.

Actually, he had retrieved the water from his space. The stroller’s basket, once opened, clearly showed no more bottles inside.

As the onlookers stared at the water, licking their lips, Qi Mo quickly pushed the stroller and ran.

Watching him dash away, the three who had received the water wasted no time unscrewing the caps and gulping them down.

The short-haired girl, seeing the long-haired girl chugging the whole bottle, cried out, "Don’t drink it all! Leave some for the child with heatstroke!"

The long-haired girl ignored her, finishing the entire bottle before replying, "Aren’t you the marathon runner with great stamina? That child is suffering from heatstroke—why don’t you carry him?"

"Old lady, hurry and beg Xiao He. She loves helping people—she’ll definitely assist you," the long-haired girl said, pulling away from the short-haired girl and running off.

The young man and the middle-aged woman drank half their bottles before sharing the rest with those nearby.

Not a drop remained—they didn’t dare keep any, not with so many hungry eyes watching.

Everyone was thirsty, and few had water. Those who did had hidden it well.

With the sudden disaster, phones weren’t working and no rescue was coming, even the highways were in chaos. The cities couldn’t be much better.

The heat was unbearable. Staying here could mean dying—they had to find shelter.

Qi Mo kept moving quickly, rounding a bend where no one could see. He pulled out another bottle of water and downed it. The sweltering weather had drenched his clothes in sweat.

Taking the baby bottle from Baby Yan's mouth, Qi Mo swapped it for a fresh one.

After drinking water, Baby Yan’s big eyes looked dazed, showing he was sleepy.

Qi Mo put away the empty bottle, tucked two ice packs into the stroller's sides, then laid the little one flat and pulled down the stroller's canopy so the sun couldn’t reach him.

The No. 11 bus kept moving forward.

Time passed minute by minute...

Qi Mo spotted a bridge and houses in the distance. They’d finally reached the small town.

Checking his wristwatch, it was already past 4 p.m.

Before he knew it, he had been walking with Baby Yan for over two hours.

Pushing through the ache in his feet, Qi Mo picked up the pace eagerly...

Seven or eight minutes later, Qi Mo entered the town.

The town was just as chaotic.

Cars lay abandoned everywhere, crashed into each other.

Bloodstains dotted the pavement, though the streets were mostly deserted.

Perhaps the heat had driven people indoors.

But Qi Mo didn't feel too hot anymore—the worst of the heat had passed.

Pushing the stroller, Qi Mo approached a small restaurant.

He ordered a bowl of pork chop noodles and lifted Baby Yan out of the stroller. The little one was still groggy.

"Time for num-nums, baby," Qi Mo said, wiping the little one’s face with a wet wipe.

Baby Yan, disturbed from sleep, blinked with teary eyes, looking like he might cry.

Only when he saw his daddy—and the noodles—did he open his mouth to eat.

Finishing the bowl, Qi Mo felt like a new man. He turned to the shop owner, who was chatting about the day’s events, and asked, "Ma’am, where is the town’s biggest supermarket? And are there any hotels?"

The owner replied, "Just keep going down this street for a few dozen meters—that’s our town’s largest supermarket. The hotel is right above it."

Qi Mo paid and said, "Thank you, ma’am."

"Wake up and wave bye-bye to the nice lady, Baby," Qi Mo said to the little one in his arms.

Full and perked up now, Baby Yan waved his chubby hand at the owner.

The owner laughed—she was pushing fifty, yet the child called her "lady"!

Soon, Qi Mo took Baby Yan into the supermarket. He bought a backpack—even though he had everything in storage, it was safer to stock up. He had brought money, and unused supplies would be worthless later.

He stocked up on ten bottles of water, five ready-to-eat rice meals, five packs of instant noodles, some biscuits, two pounds of rice, two packs of dried noodles, six apples, and a small pot.

He also grabbed a bag of diapers, a pack of toilet paper, and some maxi pads—for shoe liners.

One tent, one lantern, and two raincoats.

Spotting kids' books, Qi Mo also picked out over a dozen short storybooks with pinyin. Each was about the size of an adult's palm, a dozen pages long, containing over a dozen small stories.

He added a few picture books for the child to recognize objects—some featuring fruits, some animals, some tools...

The items were packed into the backpack and then placed in the basket under the baby stroller.

This’ll do for now. Books can be bought later in Taohua Town.

Then, Qi Mo bought a small pedal tricycle with the cart in front so he could keep an eye on it, making sure the child wouldn’t be taken.

After getting a room, Qi Mo went to wash his feet.

Looking at the blisters on his soles, he thought, *he had only walked for a little over two hours—since when were his feet this soft?* Clearly, he hadn't been walking enough. He needed more exercise.

Qi Mo returned the room key, adjusted the height of the baby stroller, and placed it on the tricycle.

Qi Mo hadn’t ridden this kind of bike in this life, but he had in his past one.

So when he got on the tricycle and tried it a few times, he quickly got the hang of it.

The little trike soon made it to the edge of town, where Qi Mo bumped into the long-haired girl, the young man, and the older woman again.

The young man, seeing Qi Mo, said, “I’m Wang Yu. You’re not staying in town with your kid?”

The long-haired girl walked over too. “Hi, I’m Wang Miao. Traveling at night with a kid isn’t safe, especially now that there are no streetlights.”

“My name is Chen Xia,” the older woman said. “It’s really not safe. Wait until tomorrow. Spend the night here in town—who knows what’s out there.”

Qi Mo glanced at them—they seemed alright.

“You think this is the only place without power?” he asked. “Things started falling apart today. Tomorrow will be worse if the lights don’t come back. This isn’t an outage—the power’s gone for good. If we don’t leave now, things might get even worse.”

Once the news breaks tomorrow afternoon, that’s when the real chaos will start.

Hearing Qi Mo’s words, nobody spoke.

Wang Yu finally said, “I’ll grab supplies and go.”

“Wait for us?” he asked.

Qi Mo thought for a moment. “I’ll head out first. You can get bicycles—they still run, but they’re selling fast. I’m heading to Yuncheng. If you’re going the same way, you’ll catch up.”