Chapter 20 Nationwide Fog

By noon, the owner of the water tank shop finally replied to her message, saying that the fog was too thick today to go to the shop, so they couldn't deliver.

Bai Xiao had been mentally prepared for this, knowing the probability of success wasn't high, so she simply replied that it was fine.

Actually, the Supermarket should also sell meal boxes. People going to the Supermarket were mainly focused on buying food, so the chance of meal boxes being out of stock wasn't high. However, there were too many people now, and it would definitely be crowded, which made her hesitate.

After thinking it over, she decided to head out, taking the opportunity to see the situation outside.

The temperature today was only 22°C. Bai Xiao wore a pair of iron-gray cargo pants with a tight white tank top tucked into her waist. A dark brown knife belt was fastened around her waist, with a small fixed-blade knife sheathed and positioned behind her back. She wore a thin brownish-apricot jacket over it, which hung just past her waist to hide the knife belt. After putting on a mask and tying up her long hair, she grabbed a small household delivery trolley and headed downstairs, joining the ranks of pedestrians.

Nearly five days had passed since the last game. Carrying a knife wasn't for anything else; she just wanted to quickly adapt to the rhythm of combat and maintain a state of vigilance.

When she was still a kilometer away from the Supermarket, the cars on the road were already stuck in a gridlock. Honking and cursing could be heard everywhere. Within that one-kilometer stretch, there were either rear-end collisions or scrapes. Some even tried to cut in line, a situation no driver could tolerate, leading to one angry outburst after another.

At the Supermarket entrance, it was indeed as the group chats had said—so crowded that one could barely move. After finally managing to squeeze inside, let alone the fresh food shelves, even the shelves for instant noodles, biscuits, canned goods, rice, flour, and even toilet paper were completely empty.

There were even people arguing over the last pack of noodles; such scenes were happening in several corners.

After entering, Bai Xiao went straight toward the daily necessities section. This area sold trash bags, plastic wrap, spatulas, and gloves, and there were very few people. Several stacks of various sizes of meal boxes remained untouched.

Pushing her shopping cart, Bai Xiao cleared out all types of meal boxes and also bought a large quantity of trash bags when she saw them.

On this trip, Bai Xiao only went to non-food shelves where there were fewer people, picking up anything that looked like it might be useful.

By the time she finished waiting in the long line to check out, the clerk was shocked. This was the first customer she had seen in two days who didn't take a single piece of food and instead bought a bunch of 'useless' items.

The meal boxes took up quite a bit of space, filling more than half of the small delivery trolley. Bai Xiao stacked the items as high as possible, and even then, she still had to carry a large bag of things in her hand.

There were too many people along the way to put them into her storage slot. Fortunately, she had brought the small trolley; otherwise, even if this pile of things wasn't heavy, it would have been difficult to carry.

After eating lunch, Bai Xiao continued her training in the afternoon. It wasn't until she rested in the evening that she had time to open her phone and go online.

She didn't know that the authorities had released a piece of news that afternoon that shocked the entire internet.

At three o'clock this afternoon, heavy fog appeared simultaneously in various locations!

Previously, some people online said that the places they were visiting on business had clear skies, while others had different weather.

But today, without exception, heavy fog had set in everywhere. Experts analyzed that different geographical environments might have caused the fog to appear at different rates in each location.

In some places, it appeared suddenly, while in others, like Yunzhou City where Bai Xiao was, it developed slowly. The progression varied by region, but the result was the same.

The cause of the heavy fog was still under investigation. Experts warned that continuous heavy fog could affect patients with respiratory or cardiovascular diseases, as well as children and the elderly. If not necessary, people should reduce outdoor activities. If going out, try to avoid traveling by car and avoid going far to prevent losing one's way in the fog.

After fermenting for the afternoon, the news immediately triggered a new wave of shopping frenzies.

Bai Xiao scrolled through the top-rated comments.

[Little Muggle]: What do the experts mean? How are we supposed to eat if we can't go out? They didn't even clarify how many days the fog will last.

[Wind Wood Forest]: Do we still have to go to work tomorrow?

[Teapot Doesn't Leak]: Brother, how is it that I see you asking the same question under every trending video?

[No Speaking Allowed]: He wants his boss to see it.

[Three Frozen People]: The person above found the truth.

[Grape Skin]: Supporting every dream, let's upvote his comment to the top.

[、、.]: Everyone has such a good mindset.

[Little Fish Loves Me]: Isn't it too late to say this now? Many shelves in the Supermarkets near my house are already empty.

[A Bit Different]: If we're not allowed out, are the experts going to take care of tonight's dinner?

[Sensitive Person]: I'm studying in Japan, and heavy fog appeared here today too. I've already stocked up on a week's worth of supplies and am lying low.

[Wine Nine Nine]: Has heavy fog appeared all over the world?

[Cat Who Loves Coffee]: Not in the US.

[Maple Leaf]: Does really no one know how long the fog will last? It's so scary, it feels a bit like the apocalypse.

[Focused on Eating]: The person above is overthinking. Fog formation requires conditions: sufficient water vapor and continuous cooling. It's summer now; how long can it possibly last?

...

Bai Xiao captured the key information: nationwide fog, and neighboring countries were experiencing the same weather. This was no longer an ill omen; they were already in the midst of misfortune, though many people hadn't fully realized it yet.

...

On Monday, a notice was posted in the company group chat: due to the fog disaster, work would be changed to remote from home.

Bai Xiao hadn't spoken in the group. Her team leader called to ask what was going on. Bai Xiao made up an excuse and requested a long leave of absence. The team leader said he couldn't decide and had to speak with the manager. To avoid a barrage of phone calls, Bai Xiao composed a message and sent it over. As for the rest, whatever happened would happen; she had no time to worry about it.

The neighborhood group chat had been very lively last night, with everyone discussing the national news until midnight.

This resulted in the group being very quiet all morning, but it only stayed quiet until around ten o'clock.

[Binhe Mansion Owners Group (496)]

[4#2-501]: Scared to death. I just got back from the Supermarket. People were fighting to grab stuff, there was so much blood, and the police even came.

[1#2-804]: +1, I saw it too. It was terrifying.

[3#1-1402]: I also saw people stealing. Someone put their things on the ground to make a call, and in the blink of an eye, someone else grabbed them and ran.

[4#2-601]: Didn't anyone call the police?

[3#1-1402]: What's the point of calling the police? They're completely overwhelmed right now and have no time for such small matters.

[4#2-501]: 1402 is right. The fight at the Supermarket was so serious, and the police only arrived after a long time.

[6#1-1204]: Have you guys ordered takeout these past two days? I just tried to order something. Prices are skyrocketing now; the delivery fee has risen to 100. It's ridiculous.

[2#1-303]: In this weather, are there still shops open for business? And people delivering?

[6#1-1204]: Of course there are. This is when money is easiest to make.

[6#2-1002]: Unbelievable, but if I can order takeout, I'm willing to pay a bit more. I've been to the Supermarket and the wet market twice, and I couldn't grab anything at all.

[5#1-901]: 1002 is overthinking it. I tried this morning, and no rider picked up the order for ages. Even though it's expensive now, not many are actually taking orders.

[4#2-1101]: Me too. I was trying to order takeout last night. I waited for a long time and finally got someone to take the order, but the Supermarket couldn't fulfill it, so it was canceled again.

[3#2-803]: How are you all so free? My boss just called to ask why I didn't show up at the office today. I swear, I really—!

...