Once the residents heard that the community staff had a plan, they stopped pushing for answers. From here on, all they could do was wait quietly for the supplies to arrive.
Each supply delivery group consisted of one community worker and two volunteers. The community worker was in charge of registration, while the volunteers carried and handed out the supplies. A new message from the staff appeared in the group chat:
"The poisonous fog in the stairwells has been cleared. Doors can be opened, but the fog outside is still present. All residents, please do not open your windows."
Unfortunately, just as that message was sent out, some residents had already opened their windows.
That was dangerous. The aid currently being delivered only covered food. Medical help... there was no solution for that at the moment.
Those who had already cracked their windows, upon seeing the delayed warning, started complaining.
"Why are you only telling us now? This is important!"
But the community staff didn't even need to respond. Others in the chat had already started calling it out.
"Isn't this just common sense? Why do you think they only sealed off the stairwells instead of the entire complex?"
"My god, are people really this dumb?"
"Damn, I almost opened mine too. Thank god my wife slapped my hand away. Shout out to her for saving my life."
"Has everyone lost their brains? They said the fog inside the stairwells was being cleared. Is your window directly connected to the stairwell?"
"Exactly. Who knows what some people are thinking. And the message was sent out really fast. They practically warned us the second the announcement went live. If you moved faster than that, how is it their fault?"
Messages like that filled the chat nonstop. But the community staff didn't have time to read them. They had already started distributing supplies at full speed.
The deliveries began from the top floor and worked their way down. The community worker held a registration list filled out before the fog-clearing process. Starting from the thirty-third floor, where the high school senior lived, the group made their way down. Lan Jin couldn't hear what was said upstairs, but soon the team arrived at her door.
Lan Jin opened the door. Three people in full protective suits stood outside. Before they could speak, Lan Jin greeted them politely.
"Hello."
"Hello, Ms. Lan. We're from the community office. Before we give you your supplies, could you please show us your identification? I remember you registered a dog. You mentioned having a license, so we'd like to record that too."
Lan Jin retrieved the documents she had prepared in advance from the cabinet beside her, though it was actually her personal space. After confirming their IDs, she finally unlocked the front door.
You couldn't blame her for being cautious. This was the apocalypse, after all. A little paranoia was only smart.
The community staff didn't mind her carefulness. A woman living with her child had every right to be on guard.
After showing their badges, Lan Jin opened the door fully and handed over her paperwork. She was listed as the homeowner, with only herself and her child on the household registry. The registered address matched their current one, so it was all neatly in order. After that, she gave them the dog license too. Two humans and one dog, all properly documented.
The staff member recorded everything and returned the documents.
"Since you registered your dog, there's dog food included in your aid package."
Lan Jin was honestly surprised. Right now, even people were barely being taken care of, and yet they had remembered the dogs?
"I really didn't expect that. Thank you so much."
The staff member explained, "It's because you have proper documentation. Things outside are difficult. Aid shipments are scarce. If you couldn't show us proof, we wouldn't be able to give you the dog food."
It all came down to paperwork. Lan Jin felt genuinely thankful that she had moved her household registry here and taken the time to apply for the dog license.
The dog food came in a large bag, enough to last a month based on its age. But that was just for the dog. She and her child didn't have nearly that much to rely on.
The community worker continued, "The dog food isn't counted in your household's weekly supply. We calculate based on headcount. One week's supply per person, regardless of adult or child. The only exception is infants. Since your household has two people, you'll receive two large bags: ten packs of instant noodles, six boxes of self-heating rice, four boxes of compressed biscuits, and four bottles of water."
The explanation seemed intentionally clear, likely because they saw she had a child. Better to avoid confusion from the start. And honestly, it was already quite a decent amount.
Of course, if you ate without restraint, it wouldn't be enough. But if you rationed it wisely, you might even have some left over. In times like this, just getting any supplies was a blessing. No one dared expect to feel full.
To accommodate Qiao Qiao, the staff had even chosen all non-spicy noodles for them. Lan Jin was sincerely grateful.
"Thank you so much."
"No need to thank us. We'll only deliver door to door this once, mainly to make registration easier. Next time, you'll have to come downstairs to pick it up yourself. Alright, we'll be going now."
"Alright. Qiao Qiao, say thank you to the uncles and aunties. Say goodbye."
Qiao Qiao, who had been clinging to her side the whole time, finally stepped forward. She gave a bright smile and chirped, "Thank you, unca! Bye-bye, auntie!"
"Goodbye, little one."
Lan Jin closed the door and looked at the supplies stacked on her table. Her heart felt lighter. With this delivery, a lot of people wouldn't have to starve anymore.
Still, she had no intention of eating any of it right away. She had plenty of food in her space already. No need to touch this… less tasty stuff just yet.
After storing everything away, she opened the group chat again. In the short time since her delivery, people were already complaining.
"What the heck, this is all we get? How are we supposed to get full?"
"Of course you won't get full. That's not the point. It's just to keep you alive. If you want proper meals, become a volunteer. They get three meals a day and extra instant noodles. Can't finish it? Take the rest home."
"That's not what I meant. I'm saying, why not give out a full month's worth all at once? What's the point of handing out one week at a time? Does that mean the fog's gonna disappear in a week? Are we supposed to go back to work by then?"
"Yeah right. You want the full month now? What if you waste it all in a week? You think they'll hand it out again?"