Reborn with Nothing but My Farm and Vengeance in the Apocalypse novel Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Sky-High Electricity Bill

Inside Crystal Mart, a crowd of local men and women, all there for the free air conditioning, could be heard discussing the latest news:

"It was the owner of 2602 in Building 5. The old man was up there in years and had underlying health conditions. It’s just been too hot these past few days, and he passed away in his sleep."

"The 26th floor? Man, that’s brutally hot. I’m on the 26th floor too. I’ve been splashing water all over my apartment, but it’s useless. The moment the sun rises, my place turns into an oven. I feel like I’m being cooked alive."

"Same for me. I’m on the 28th floor. During the few hours we get power at midday, I crank the AC to trap the cold air inside. I’ve even sealed my doors and windows with tape, but it always gets hot again after a little while. My son couldn’t stand it, so I sent him to our hometown a few days ago. My husband just stays at his factory now; at least they have power over there."

"Hey! Everyone, look at the residents’ group chat. The property management office started a donation chain to collect condolence money for the family in 2602, Building 5."

Melody Summers opened the community group chat. Sure enough, there was a donation chain. After a moment’s thought, she also made a contribution.

Other residents in the community group chat were also discussing it:

"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: Someone actually died from the heat. This is terrifying. Are they really going to keep rationing our power after this?"

"6-702 The Lover: People are being baked alive. We can’t keep going on like this."

"2-1908 Coco: Anyone living on the high floors should really find another place to stay for a while. I’ve been volunteering for overtime at my factory just because it has AC."

"12-1803 AAA Lawson - Construction & Reno: I have the latest super high-speed, turbo-engine fans. They run on new-energy battery packs and last over 48 hours on a single charge. 3,000 yuan a piece. Anyone interested?"

"5-1706 AhDian: @AAA Lawson - Construction & Reno, 3,000 for a fan? Why don’t you just go rob a bank? These things normally cost a few dozen yuan!"

"12-1803 AAA Lawson - Construction & Reno: @AhDian Then go buy one for a few dozen yuan. Good luck finding one. What a joke. You have no idea how much prices have been jacked up. My own cost was over 2,000 per unit. I’m selling them for 3,000, just enough to cover my trouble. Take it or leave it. If no one wants them, I’ll use them myself."

"4-1209 Slacking Off: @AAA Lawson - Construction & Reno, I’ll take one. I can’t sleep at all. I keep waking up from the heat, and I’m starting to lose it. My company went bankrupt a few days ago, so I can’t even go to the office to enjoy their AC anymore."

"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: @AAA Lawson - Construction & Reno, I need two. The malls aren’t even running their AC anymore. There’s nowhere for us to go, and my kids are constantly complaining about being hot."

"5-1706 AhDian: Heh. All I can say is, you people are the reason these price-gougers get away with it."

"4-1209 Slacking Off: Are you serious right now? I’m literally dying here, and you’re shaming me for buying a fan to stay alive? If you don’t want one, just don’t buy one!"

"..."

It wasn’t just happening at The Metropolis Residences. Other communities were also reporting deaths from the heat. The victims were typically people with underlying medical conditions, the elderly, or even infants with weaker immune systems.

But Melody Summers knew this situation wouldn’t last for long. The government’s policies were fundamentally people-first. With temperatures soaring, they wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing. A new policy was imminent.

*

As temperatures continued to climb, more and more people were suffering from heatstroke, some even from the severe, life-threatening kind.

Just as everyone was struggling against the intense heat, the government announced a new policy:

All power rationing for residential areas was to be lifted, restoring a 24-hour supply.

The trade-off was a massive cut in industrial power usage. Even office buildings were ordered to reduce consumption by 80%, forcing many factories to completely shut down and suspend production.

It couldn’t be helped. The prolonged heatwave had led to droughts in many regions, crippling hydroelectric power generation.

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