Chapter 12: Originally Intended to Leave

Calculating the time, the last plane must have just landed not long ago. She wondered if the high-speed train was still running, if tickets were still available, and whether it was safe outside now that chaos was beginning to unfold. The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. She picked up her phone to call, only to find she couldn’t get through.

A closer look revealed the signal was extremely poor. Sending messages was barely possible; they took a long time to send, but fortunately, the other side received them and replied that everything was fine.

After nightfall, no one dared to go outside. The family opened the door and went up to the rooftop to watch. A slowly rising black void occupied a large portion of the sky, inching closer to the moon. The full moon on the fifteenth day, usually so round and bright, began to tremble.

Before long, under everyone’s horrified gaze, it was swallowed by the black hole.

“Is this... a celestial dog swallowing the moon?”
“Does the celestial dog usually get this big?”
“The dog doesn’t look like that.”
“So, does this mean the apocalypse is really here? What do we do?”

Screams rang out on the streets. Some cursed and vented their growing fear and unease, others laughed hysterically, and some broke down crying. At a time like this, even those who hadn’t believed the online apocalypse rumors were forced to accept the reality.

Qin Hao pressed his lips tightly and finally asked, “Can I still take the college entrance exam?”

Everyone was speechless. The apocalypse is here, and you’re still worried about exams?

Qin Hao’s expression was complicated as he held his chest, feeling very uncomfortable. Should he say it or not? After twelve years of hard work, just about to take the final step, now that his foot was lifted, he was told it was no longer necessary—he wouldn’t even have the chance to prove himself. All those years of effort wasted.

Qin Xiaoyu yawned, tugging at An Xian’s sleeve. “Mom, it’s pretty late. Are we still going back to the village?”

The Chinese medicine clinic had too few rooms; there definitely wasn’t enough space for everyone to stay. An Xian looked at her with a complicated expression, hard to understand how she could remain so calm at a time like this, showing no sign of nervousness at all. Such childlike innocence—was she really someone who had returned from the apocalypse twenty years ago?

“I’m sleepy,” Qin Xiaoyu added.

Glancing at Brother Shrimp, who was bouncing around with even more energy and less sense of urgency than her, she admired his vigor.

---

That afternoon’s hamburgers and fries had saved him from getting beaten up—what a pity.

Wait, did she forget something?

In the river, the iron pot floated, almost asleep...

“It’s so chaotic out there at this hour. It might not be safe for you to take the two kids back,” Gu Suyun frowned.

The Chinese medicine clinic was an old building, decades old, with only two floors—just two rooms upstairs, and one room on the first floor, which was for patients to rest.

Grandma Qin thought for a moment. “Let’s just sleep on the floor. It’s warm enough now anyway.”

At a time like this, a woman with two children wouldn’t be safe even on the shortest route, especially since riding the electric scooter would take over five minutes. Sleeping on the floor was the only option.

Qin Xiaoyu was truly exhausted; she fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.

In her dream, she became a ginseng root, wandering about in a daze every day. Bored, she fought with alien plants; hungry, she fought with alien plants; thirsty, she fought with alien plants; hurt or in pain, she still fought with alien plants.

Qin Xiaoyu thought, this must be a dream.

Eventually, she woke up from the battle—it was indeed a dream, thankfully.

“You’ve been through the apocalypse and yet every night you’re growling and biting in your sleep. Sleeping next to you is exhausting,” An Xian said, yawning with dark circles under her eyes and a bruise on her face—inflicted by her daughter’s dreaming fists.

Small but surprisingly strong. And fierce.

“Well, what else? Either fighting alien plants or on the way to fight them,” she said, glancing out the window. The sun was still up, and the clouds sparse, but the light was dimmed as if there was a power shortage.

The black hole could swallow all sources of light.

“It’s even worse outside now. Stay put today, don’t go anywhere,” An Xian said, worry flashing in her eyes. They had lost contact with her husband and didn’t know his situation.

Qin Xiaoyu agreed verbally, but only she knew what she truly felt.

Twelve hours remained until the black hole touched the atmosphere and consumed the entire Earth.

Then would come twelve hours of darkness.

No one in their previous life knew what happened during those twelve hours. All creatures fell into a deep sleep, electronic devices ceased to work, until awakened by the heavy rain.

Qin Xiaoyu shook her head, feeling as if she had forgotten something but couldn’t recall what.

Oh, the iron pot.

But it seemed the forgotten thing wasn’t the iron pot, but something else.

Forget it, she decided to go find the iron pot.

---

Outside, things were so chaotic now. The iron pot was so big and fat—it better not be stolen or chopped up for the pot.

After washing up and eating breakfast, she slipped out unnoticed.

She didn’t leave empty-handed; in her hand was a bone-cleaving knife.

Only a few minutes into her walk, she saw a middle-aged man dragging a girl of about sixteen into an alley, muttering curses and looking deranged.

Qin Xiaoyu assumed he was the girl’s father and had no intention of intervening, but curiosity got the better of her and she couldn’t help but glance again.

The man stopped, his face twisted in menace as he threatened her, “The apocalypse is coming. Kids like you better mind your own business or you’ll die sooner.”

The girl broke free from the man’s hand covering her mouth and reached out to Qin Xiaoyu, whispering, “Save me… help me call the police.”

She probably wanted Qin Xiaoyu to save her, but seeing she was just a child, changed her request.

Qin Xiaoyu had no plans to help. Her phone’s single bar of signal was flickering; making calls was impossible, and even sending a text message was a struggle.

“Piggy, what are you staring at? Get lost, or I’ll kill you,” the man threatened.

Qin Xiaoyu thought: I really don’t want to get involved, but my damn savior complex is acting up.

“What? Ugly and you don’t want people looking?” Qin Xiaoyu said, confused.

She stepped closer, holding the knife with both hands, staring intently at the man—if his head was hard to reach, she’d look at his backside.

“Get lost!” the man shouted.

He wasn’t afraid of a chubby kid, but he feared the sharp-looking bone-cleaving knife in her hands.

Qin Xiaoyu refused to back down and kept moving forward.

“If you take one more step, I’ll strangle her,” the man said, placing his hand on the girl’s slender neck.

“Go ahead, none of my business,” Qin Xiaoyu said, wielding the knife as if asking where to strike.

“Aren’t you here to save her?” the man shouted angrily.

“Save her?” Qin Xiaoyu’s eyes flickered with confusion. “I don’t even know her. Why should I save her?”

The man was speechless. “Then why don’t you leave? Why do you have to meddle?”

“I want to leave, but you called me a piggy,” she replied.

“...”

What a childish adult.