"My place is the same. The old folks just won't listen. Now my dad's lying in bed, in so much pain he can't even make a sound."
"When I went to seal the elevator window and the fire escape window, my husband told me I was overreacting. Looking back now, I'm really glad I did it."
"Oh crap, I didn't even think about sealing those two windows!"
"That's it. We can't hold the stairwell anymore. We're really trapped in our homes now."
"It's alright. There's only one window every two floors, and with eight households, someone was bound to cover it. When I went out to tape the window, two neighbors were already working on it. Bless them."
...
That night felt endless. The faint sounds of people crying or sniffling under the dim streetlights only made everything seem lonelier. The helplessness hanging in the air was unlike anything they had ever felt before.
As dawn crept in, the poisonous fog grew thicker. When the sun finally rose and yet the sky remained shrouded in that oppressive gray, people began to understand just how terrifying this fog really was.
"Does anyone know what's going on out there? I can't see anything at all."
"Same here. This fog is too much. I'd guess visibility is less than a meter. If someone were caught outside, I doubt they could breathe at all."
"Less than a meter? That's generous. I can't even see my own hand when I hold it up. Fifty centimeters at most. Honestly, this doesn't even feel like regular fog. It's like some new kind of smog."
"Why are you bringing up smog? This is nothing like smog. This stuff is lethal."
"Exactly. You don't die from breathing in smog. But this—this fog kills."
"Thank god for the community's warning yesterday. If the fog had rolled in during the night and we hadn't sealed up, we would've all died in our sleep."
"Thank you to the community staff."
"Seriously, thank you."
"Thank you again."
...
The group chat filled with messages thanking the community, but beneath the gratitude, a new problem began to rise to the top of everyone's minds.
"Do you all have food at home? We barely bought anything. This fog clearly isn't going away anytime soon. What are we supposed to eat?"
"Didn't the community say they were working on arrangements? Let's wait and see."
"Wait? How? No one can go outside. The community workers are human too—they can't walk through this fog either. That means deliveries won't come. It's a dead end. We're trapped at home, waiting to starve."
"That's a bit grim, but the point stands. Even if the community has a plan, it won't happen overnight. There are too many people in this complex. And J City itself has so many more. Even with arrangements, it'll take time. So for now, we're on our own."
"Forget food for a second. Did everyone store water like the community told us yesterday? They weren't sure if the fog could contaminate the supply, but water drawn before the fog rolled in should be safe to drink."
"I filled some containers, yeah. But why didn't the warning come earlier? We could've stocked up on food too. All I've got left is two packs of biscuits. How long can that even last?"
"You're better off than me. I've got nothing. Not a bite. Does anyone have food to spare? I'll pay double."
"Hey, I'll pay triple. I just want instant noodles. Anybody got noodles?"
"Noodles are worth their weight in gold right now. Who'd sell them for three times the price? I'll pay ten times. Just give me one pack!"
The offers kept rolling in, but no one was actually selling.
Because no one knew how long the poisonous fog would last. If they gave away food now and ended up starving later, what then? No one was willing to take that risk. So even with the group full of desperate pleas and offers of outrageous prices, no one was budging. Food wasn't just valuable—it was untouchable.
On the first day the poisonous fog arrived, nearly every conversation in the group chat revolved around food. But for Lan Jin, who had stocked up early, this wasn't even a problem. She, Qiao Qiao, and the dog spent two peaceful days at home, completely unaffected.
But when Lan Jin saw the app update confirming that the poisonous fog had engulfed the entirety of J City, she knew her chance had come.
She had mentioned before that there were two large supermarkets not far from their home. Before the fog came, she hadn't dared consider going. But now? Now was the perfect window. Because in just a few more days, once the authorities figured out how to move safely through the fog, her chance would disappear.
Lan Jin pulled on her protective suit, strapped on a gas mask, tucked Qiao Qiao and the dog into her space, then carefully stepped outside.
The elevator shaft window had been properly sealed, so the hallway on the 32nd floor was still safe. No fog had crept in. But the moment she opened the door to the emergency stairwell, a surge of fog rushed at her, like a gust of wind trying to shove her back.
Instinctively, Lan Jin stumbled backward, and the heavy door slammed shut behind her.
The strange wind died down instantly. She leaned against the closed door, gasping for air. Her heart was still racing, but she wasn't hurt. That little incident had confirmed something vital—her protective gear was working. Her skin showed no signs of irritation or swelling, and the gas mask stayed secure.
Lan Jin took a steadying breath, then stepped forward.
She opened the door again, planted one foot firmly on the stairwell landing, then slipped her whole body inside. Now fully surrounded by the poisonous fog, she found her fear gradually subsiding. She clicked on a flashlight and aimed it at the floor by her feet. Though the fog was dense, it wasn't totally opaque.
Keeping one hand on the railing, she started her descent, step by step.
The climb from the 32nd floor down to the first took her a full thirty minutes. But that wasn't her final stop. After confirming the floor, she continued downward to the basement parking garage.
The moment she stepped out of the garage, excitement bubbled up inside her—so much so that she didn't notice the object lying in her path.
Her foot caught on something, and she crashed forward, landing hard.
Lan Jin scrambled upright, immediately checking her gear. The protective suit was intact. The gas mask was sealed tight. No damage. Only then did she turn her attention to whatever had tripped her.
One glance—and her breath caught.
It wasn't debris or trash. It was a corpse.
Someone who hadn't escaped the poisonous fog in time. Their skin was swollen and covered in ulcers. The face was twisted in agony. Eyes bulging. Mouth gaping open in a silent scream.
Lan Jin's stomach twisted, but she forced herself to look away. The shock passed quickly. She grabbed the body and dragged it to the side, making sure the path was clear for when she came back this way.
Before leaving, she also took the access card—still tucked into the corpse's clothes—and slipped it into her pocket. It would be useful.
Then, like nothing had happened, Lan Jin turned back to her original goal and continued on her way.
The visibility in the parking garage was even worse than the stairwell. Maybe only thirty centimeters at most. Moving forward was painfully slow. But she'd taken this route before. She knew the way by heart. Twisting through the fog-covered garage, following muscle memory more than sight, she finally reached her destination.
MuMart.