Night of the Apocalypse

Walking behind them, Shen Qiu couldn’t help but feel like he’d been hit with a wave of romance. Shaking his head slightly, he continued down the street. As he passed familiar buildings, his mood lightened, and a sense of returning home filled him.

Although life in the orphanage back then was quite poor, it was also filled with joy. Except for occasionally going without food, most things were fine.

After walking for about ten minutes, Shen Qiu could see, from a distance, an area of over 50 acres enclosed by iron railings. Inside, there were several old buildings, some of which had peeling insulation on their exterior walls.

Quickening his pace, Shen Qiu soon reached the main entrance.

The gate was closed, and hanging above it was a weathered sign with the words “Sacred Sound Welfare Institute” written on it.

“Shen Qiu?”

Suddenly, a voice filled with uncertainty called out from behind him.

Shen Qiu turned around and saw a woman in a floral dress, holding a blue handbag, with a few freckles on her face. She asked hesitantly.

“Zhao Lian, you’re here too.”

Shen Qiu recognized her immediately as one of the orphans from the same group. If he remembered correctly, Zhao Lian was always the quiet type.

“Yeah, have any other friends come?”

Zhao Lian nodded shyly and asked.

“I’m not sure. I haven’t really kept in touch with many of them. Let’s go in first.”

Shen Qiu shook his head.

“Okay!”

Zhao Lian nodded eagerly in agreement.

Shen Qiu stepped forward and pressed the doorbell. Soon, an elderly man, with most of his teeth missing, slowly shuffled out and mumbled, “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

Zhao Lian smiled and said to the old man, “Grandpa Wu, I thought you had retired.”

“Oh, it’s you two! Why are you so late? Most of the others are already here. I’ll open the gate for you right now,” Grandpa Wu said happily as he recognized Zhao Lian and Shen Qiu, then unlocked the door.

“We got held up with something. Is the director here?” Shen Qiu asked with a smile.

“Yes, she’s in the public hall of the main building. You can head straight over—you still remember the way, right?” Grandpa Wu replied cheerfully.

“Yes, we know. We’ll head over now,” Shen Qiu nodded and started walking toward the main building with Zhao Lian.

As they walked past the familiar fruit trees and the old play equipment, Shen Qiu felt a wave of nostalgia.

Zhao Lian, walking beside him, wanted to strike up a conversation but found herself at a loss for words, unsure of what to talk about. She hesitated, struggling to find a topic.

Shen Qiu, on the other hand, didn’t notice Zhao Lian’s unease. He continued walking forward, deep in thought.

Soon, they approached the main building and could hear the joyful laughter of children coming from inside.

Shen Qiu pushed the door open and stepped into a large activity hall. In front of him were hundreds of children, aged between three and seven, excitedly gathered around a group of about sixty people.

Looking closely, Shen Qiu noticed that although the children’s clothes were a bit worn, every one of them was clean and tidy.

Among the children, many had physical disabilities—some had deformed limbs, others were visually impaired, and so on.

The people surrounded by the children were smiling as they handed out milk and candy.

Shen Qiu scanned the group and recognized most of them, except for a few older people he didn’t know.

At that moment, Shen Qiu felt someone tugging at his pants. He looked down and saw a little boy, about four years old, timidly pulling on his pants. The boy asked softly, “Big brother, can I have a piece of candy? I want to give it to my best friend. She’s sick and couldn’t come.”

Shen Qiu patted his pockets, but his expression froze. He turned to Zhao Lian and asked, “Do you have any?”

“I rushed over and didn’t bring any. Will this work?” Zhao Lian was also taken aback. She then opened her backpack and pulled out a biscuit.

“Yes, yes!” The little boy nodded excitedly.

Zhao Lian bent down and handed the biscuit to the boy.

Just then, a clear clapping sound echoed through the hall, and the excited children quickly quieted down.

Everyone’s gaze followed the sound. A woman in her fifties, wearing simple gray clothes and with a face full of wrinkles, entered through the back door. Her expression was kind as she addressed the children, “Kids, why don’t you all go back to your rooms now, okay?”

“Okay!” the children responded obediently.

They quickly paired up and left the hall.

Shen Qiu and the others walked over to the woman, greeting her warmly.

“Director Anyuan.”

“How is your health, Director?”

Looking at the familiar faces, Anyuan’s smile was genuine. “I’m well, very well. Seeing all of you come back makes me feel even better.”

“Don’t say that, it’s our fault for not visiting more often,” a few of the women replied, their eyes slightly red.

Anyuan patted their shoulders with a smile.

“Don’t blame yourselves. I understand that you’ve all been busy working hard for your livelihoods,” Director Anyuan said gently.

“Director!” A few of the women began to choke up, their voices trembling with emotion.

At that moment, a man wearing a leather coat and sporting a beer belly spoke up. “Ahem, maybe we can catch up later. Let’s handle the main business first.”

“Huang Gan is right, let’s take care of business first,” others in the group quickly agreed.

“Alright, let’s get down to business then,” Director Anyuan replied kindly. “Just do your best; don’t push yourselves too hard.”

“I’ll start! I’m donating 1.2 million!” Huang Gan said as he pulled out a check and handed it to Director Anyuan.

“As expected from Brother Huang, always generous. I can’t match his level, but I’ll contribute what I can. I’m donating 5,000.” A lively young woman, dressed plainly, took out an envelope containing 5,000 alliance credits and handed it to Anyuan.

“I’ll donate 3,000!”

“I’m donating 10,000!”

The others followed suit, each contributing what they could. But aside from Huang Gan’s 1.2 million donation, the highest individual contribution was 80,000.

At this point, a man in a white shirt and black suit, with a calm demeanor, spoke up. “Director Anyuan, I won’t be donating money. My salary can’t compare to Huang Gan’s, but I’ve brought some supplies donated by a charity organization—food, clothing, and other essentials. It should help ease the current difficulties at the orphanage.”

“Thank you, Cao Kun, for your hard work,” Director Anyuan said warmly, shaking his hand.

Their companions chimed in with praise. “As expected from Brother Cao. You’ve done the best among us. I heard you’ve even become a high-ranking official now.”

“Don’t say that, it’s just a small achievement,” Cao Kun replied with a modest smile.

At that moment, Shen Qiu stepped forward and handed a black bag to Zhao Anyuan. “Director An, here’s 50,000.”

Zhao Anyuan accepted it with a grateful smile, placing it on a nearby table. “Shen Qiu, you came too! It’s been so long since I last saw you.”

“Oh, look who it is—Shen Qiu! I thought you weren’t coming,” Huang Gan teased as he looked Shen Qiu up and down.

“Just got here,” Shen Qiu nodded slightly in response.

“I have to say, Shen Qiu, I don’t think we’ve stayed in touch much since we all became adults. I remember you were the one who got into the best university back then. Now that you’ve made it big, have you forgotten about us?” Huang Gan remarked playfully.

“Not at all, and besides, I’m nowhere near your level,” Shen Qiu shook his head.

“Oh, hearing that from you, I almost can’t believe it. Cut the act, stop with the false modesty,” Huang Gan grumbled in mock frustration.

“Alright, we’re not kids anymore. No need to nitpick each other. But Shen Qiu, you really should stay in touch with Huang Gan and the others more often. You all used to be so close,” Zhao Anyuan said with a smile, trying to smooth things over.

“Sure,” Shen Qiu responded with a faint, wry smile. He knew Huang Gan was deliberately giving him a hard time, annoyed by his success.