Survival Belief in the Apocalypse

Still unfamiliar with the surroundings, Shen Yi decided not to linger once his backpack was full and prepared to head back.

His free hand wasn't idle either, carrying two 1.5-liter bottles of mineral water.

By now it was past noon, and the air in the middle of the road was shimmering with heat.

The plants visible everywhere looked increasingly vibrant, showing no signs of wilting.

Shen Yi carefully made his way back to his residence, avoiding the sun.

Opening the door, he saw Cheng Jun bent over with a broom, sweeping the floor.

A glimpse of curves caught his eye, appearing and disappearing with the movement of her clothes.

Hearing the noise, Cheng Jun stood up to greet him, asking with concern:

"Did everything go okay on your way?"

Shen Yi snapped back to attention and quickly replied,

"Everything's fine, the supplies situation is decent, some items are well-preserved."

At this point, Cheng Jun had found a thin string somewhere to tie up her long hair, her cheeks were slightly dusty, giving her a somewhat domestic, housewifely air despite the grime.

She hadn't been idle while Shen Yi was out, having cleaned the interior quite well.

The tables, chairs, and cabinets had been wiped down, and the floor was nearly finished being swept.

Shen Yi put his backpack on the table and looked around, feeling that it was starting to feel like home.

"Sit down and rest, I'll be done with the last bit soon."

Cheng Jun gestured for Shen Yi to sit, then awkwardly resumed sweeping, trying to gather the dust and push it outside.

At home, she had been used to a lazy lifestyle, with housework handled entirely by the housekeeper, rarely doing anything herself.

Yet she was an incredibly intelligent person who understood the situation perfectly and wouldn't dare put on privileged airs in front of Shen Yi.

They were strangers after all, and her good looks weren't license to act entitled.

Shen Yi wasn't tired at all, as this amount of exercise was barely a warm-up for him.

He naturally felt uncomfortable sitting while Cheng Jun worked away huffing and puffing.

He walked to the somewhat decayed sofa and pushed it into another abandoned room.

The middle of the sofa had rotted through, creating an unpleasant smell, and since disposing of it would be too troublesome, they could only relocate it.

Walking into the kitchen, he noticed some vine tendrils had crept in through the poorly closed window.

Shen Yi tried each switch one by one.

The electricity was out, the gas wasn't responding, and finally, he tried the water tap.

The faucet wheezed like an asthmatic patient, producing no water after a long while - clearly shut off as well.

Hearing the noise, Cheng Jun came in to ask:

"What's wrong?"

"We have no water, electricity, or gas. We'll need to figure out alternatives going forward."

Shen Yi answered.

"Yes, that is indeed a problem, but I have some ideas. Let's discuss them later."

After finishing the cleanup, just as Cheng Jun was about to discuss things with Shen Yi, she saw him hand her a paper bag.

Opening it, she found a set of clean clothes.

"Picked these up passing by a clothing store. Try them on and see if they fit."

Cheng Jun paused, then glanced down at her lower half with embarrassment, silently nodding before walking into the adjacent bedroom and closing the door.

On his way back with supplies, Shen Yi had passed a clothing store.

While supermarkets and convenience stores had been largely ransacked in the chaos, this clothing store remained well-preserved.

Thinking of Cheng Jun's predicament, he had gone in and picked out an outfit for her.

She was tall, at least 1.7 meters by his estimate, and he wasn't sure if his selections would fit.

The door opened, and Cheng Jun emerged slowly in her new clothes.

Sensing Shen Yi's gaze on her, she lowered her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her earlobes turning bright red.

She wore a pure white T-shirt on top and tight blue jeans below.

However, her light yellow underwear didn't match, and the straps were clearly visible through the white T-shirt.

Though they were ordinary everyday clothes, they looked alluring on her, giving off a somewhat sensual air.

Cheng Jun uncomfortably tugged at her neckline, but couldn't blame Shen Yi as he had meant well.

Shen Yi had a good eye.

The jeans were the perfect length, though the T-shirt was tight across her chest, but still much better than her previous clothes.

At least she could move freely and wasn't as hot anymore.

Coming over to sit down, Cheng Jun thanked him.

Her initial impression of Shen Yi was positive - emotionally stable, thoughtful and dignified, physically fit, and pleasant to look at.

This wasn't about being superficial; these were all excellent qualities conducive to survival.

The more capable Shen Yi was, the safer she would be, and naturally, the happier she felt.

Shen Yi unzipped his bag and handed her a bottle of water and a compressed biscuit, figuring she must be hungry after a busy morning.

Watching Cheng Jun take small sips of water, Shen Yi opened a packet for himself and started eating.

The biscuit was meat-flavored with a long shelf life, rather mediocre in taste and dry in texture.

But when hungry, everything tastes good, and Shen Yi quickly finished the whole piece with some water.

Cheng Jun was much more refined, holding the package with both hands like a hamster, nibbling bit by bit.

After eating and drinking their fill, Cheng Jun went to the room and came back with a notebook and pen.

Opening the notebook, she said to Shen Yi:

"We don't know how long we'll need to stay here, so we should make some plans."

Shen Yi naturally agreed, nodding:

"Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it. Go ahead."

"According to survival rules, in an apocalyptic environment, we should gather as much information as possible, then make plans. Keeping busy helps increase survival chances."

In an apocalyptic environment, it's not just physical survival that matters; mental fortitude is equally important. Under intense pressure, setting goals and establishing beliefs helps prevent breakdown.

Shen Yi looked at her admiringly; Cheng Jun wasn't just a pretty face, she was truly exceptional.

While he understood the situation's cause and effect, she didn't.

The system's display showed him a countdown timer, but for Cheng Jun, this was the real world, with no end in sight to their stay.

Being able to maintain hope under such overwhelming pressure and changes was already quite remarkable.

Putting himself in her shoes, Shen Yi wasn't sure he could have done better.

Cheng Jun continued, seemingly unaware of his thoughts:

"Our immediate priority is to search for and stockpile supplies while gathering information about this place."

"Short-term goals are focused on survival, exploring more areas while ensuring our safety."

She paused slightly, her tone becoming hesitant,

"Long-term goals include finding other survivors, understanding our current situation, uncovering the truth, and finding our way home."

She didn't hold much hope for these long-term goals.

In her previous words, she had consistently referred to it as 'this place,' though she knew they were probably no longer on Earth.

Her deliberate avoidance of saying 'this world' was to preserve hope of returning home.

Though difficult, it was necessary.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to cope.