Chapter 19: Lost in the Light

Wang Xiaoqiang chatted with his boss while learning how to scoop fish. The boss was named Zhang Youcai, who’d been leasing this fish pond for twenty years. Two years ago, he’d finally bought a truck and started delivering fish to restaurants and markets in the city—life was looking up. Then came the war. All business dried up. Luckily, he still had the pond; at least he wasn’t starving.

Xiaoqiang shared what he’d heard. Zhang Youcai listened, pale as a ghost. He nearly choked on his own breath. “I was supposed to deliver fish to the city that day,” he said, voice trembling. “But my kid had a fever. I took him to the clinic in town. That’s why I missed it. I’m lucky to be alive.”

By midday, they’d filled about two big foam boxes with fish. Xiaoqiang said goodbye to the boss and headed back to Happiness Town. First stop: the repair shop. He left five fish for Zhou Dafu—the kid practically danced with joy. No meat at home yesterday. He’d been wondering how to get some. Now he knew: you just gotta follow the right big brother.

Back at the orphanage, everyone lit up when they saw the haul. Fish? This was luxury. Fish soup, fish flesh—pure nourishment. Time to finally treat themselves. Xiaoqiang parked the truck and handed everything over to them. For days now, he’d been living upside down—sleeping during the day, awake at night. So he went down to the basement for a quick nap.

He didn’t know how long he slept. When Yingzi woke him up for lunch, the smell hit him like a punch. His stomach growled instantly. He slurped down two bowls of fish soup—so fresh, so rich. Rice cooked with stewed fish, fragrant and deep. A clove of garlic? Perfect. Heaven on earth.

He looked up—and blinked. Something felt off. A few women at the table were decked out in gold earrings, gold necklaces, gold bracelets. Full-on nouveau riche vibes. Xiaoqiang shook his head, half-amused, half-sighing.

The little ones devoured their food, cheeks stuffed, eyes gleaming. Director Li hovered nearby, shouting, “Slow down! Don’t choke on a bone!” And there, on her hand, glinted a gold ring.

What is happiness? Simple. Happiness is joy. No matter where you are, no matter what’s happening—just be happy. Let the sky fall. Who cares?

That afternoon, Xiaoqiang drove to the township office again. Two more people dead. Rumors spread fast. Even with constant radio broadcasts, nobody dared go into the city.

At the repair shop, he called Zhou Dafu into the truck bed. “I need modifications inside the cargo box,” he said. “Build two-tier partitions like a train sleeper car. Bottom layer 60 cm from the floor. Top layer 110 cm above that. Divide into four sections. The first three near the front—each 1.8 meters. The last section near the rear—2 meters. Bed width: 80 cm on both sides. Add steel supports inside the frame. On each side of the cabin, install two glass vents—front, back, top, bottom. Reinforce the frames. Make sure they lock from the inside. At the foot end of each bunk, weld a shelf—40 by 50 cm—for clothes and gear. Design the structure yourself.”

“Check how much steel you’ll need,” Xiaoqiang added.

Zhou Dafu stared, jaw dropped. “Bro… what’s going on? You’re planning to run away? What’s happening?”

“Just preparing,” Xiaoqiang said calmly. “If something comes up, we need options. Do it fast. Just do what I said.”

Zhou Dafu felt his stomach sink. Something bad was coming. He started scribbling furiously. Less than half an hour later, he handed over a list—steel quantities, dimensions, all accounted for.

“Tomorrow at 1 a.m., I’ll come pick you up. We’re going to the city. Get everything in one go.” Without another word, Xiaoqiang climbed into the car and drove back to the orphanage.

Truth was, over the past few nights, lots of people had seen him driving around. The engine noise cut through the silence like a knife. Neighbors noticed—he kept going out every evening. They asked what he was doing. He didn’t hide it. “Just scouting the outskirts of Da’an City,” he said. “See if I can grab some supplies.”
They asked if it was safe.
He shrugged. “How would I know? I’ve seen bodies everywhere.”
But with so many kids depending on him, he couldn’t just sit idle. The image haunted them—dozens of corpses scattered across streets. It chilled everyone. Still, nobody dared go into the city.

Opportunity is always there. But most people don’t see it. They only see danger. Different mindset. Different outcome.

At exactly 1 a.m., Xiaoqiang pulled up to the repair shop. Switched vehicles. Father and son, plus Zhou Dafu, followed the old route into Da’an City. First stop: the materials market. They stocked up on steel—about an hour’s work. Then two security supply stores in the southern part of town. This time, they picked up four handguns, two submachine guns, two riot shields, two bulletproof vests, and two ballistic helmets.

Most of the work was done by Xiaoqiang and his dad. Zhou Dafu was white as a sheet, shaking uncontrollably in the car. Kept getting out to vomit.

Dawn was breaking—around 5 a.m. Xiaoqiang drove to a hardware and instrument store. He wasn’t a pro, so better let Old Wang and Zhou Dafu take charge. By now, Zhou Dafu had calmed a bit. *A good tool makes any job easier.* For workers, quality tools meant speed, efficiency, better results.

The two men piled everything they could carry into the truck. Xiaoqiang started thinking—was he opening a new door? Was he about to leave them behind and head back alone?

Then Zhou Dafu ran over, waving something.

“Big brother! Check this—can we use it?”

Xiaoqiang took it. The label read: *Radiation Detector.*

His first thought: *Probably fried by neutron radiation.* Then—wait. That didn’t make sense. If radiation burns out instruments, how could it detect radiation? He paused. *Oh crap. Classic case of missing the obvious.*

He opened the package, followed the manual. He didn’t understand the numbers—but he knew one thing: if the alarm went off, it was bad news.

After careful study, he began scanning the area. The readings were tiny. No alarms. The manual said anything under 0.25 microsieverts was safe. Relief washed over him.

“Go find more,” he called to Zhou Dafu. “Get every single one of these radiation detectors you can.”

They found over twenty from different shops. Xiaoqiang felt safer already. Slung one right onto his belt.

Feeling they’d gathered enough, Xiaoqiang dragged the two eager but exhausted men away. It was already 6:30 a.m. The sky was brightening. His stomach growled.

On the way back, passing a crossroads, suddenly—*beep-beep-beep!*—the detector started chirping.

Xiaoqiang jolted. Heart slammed against his ribs. He glanced at the screen—then immediately reversed the car.