Chapter 61
The roommates were extremely reluctant to step out into the sun.
After all, the weather was scorching, and the sunlight was viciously intense. Even standing under umbrellas, they already felt unbearably hot. Going out into direct sunlight would be torture.
Only someone as odd as Lily would willingly do something like that.
Besides, they still had physical education class later. Sooner or later, they would have to stand in the sun anyway—why rush it?
Lily tugged at them for a moment, trying to pull them out from the shade. But after a brief struggle, she finally gave up and slunk back beneath the tree with them.
The dense branches overhead blocked the blazing sunlight.
Lily let out a quiet breath.
Sure enough... it was much more comfortable here.
She began to regret leaving the dorm without bringing an umbrella.
At that moment, the class bell rang.
The PE teacher approached with a roll book in hand and blew a sharp whistle, signaling everyone to gather.
The PE teacher was known for his bad temper, and most students were wary of him. Reluctantly, the crowd hurried toward the usual assembly area.
That patch of ground offered no shade whatsoever.
The scorching sun poured down mercilessly, making everyone squint and grimace in discomfort.
Following her roommates, Lily braced herself and stepped back into the sunlight.
The moment she did, a fierce burning sensation spread across her exposed skin.
It felt as if her arms had been scorched by fire and then rubbed with chili paste—an unbearable stinging pain.
"Hiss—!"
She sucked in a sharp breath.
Lowering her head quickly, she looked at her arms. But the skin appeared completely normal.
The burning pain seemed almost like an illusion—it faded as suddenly as it had appeared.
The students lined up in rows beneath the blazing sun.
The harsh light beat down on them relentlessly, making everyone miserable.
"Hey... your neck... I think the skin is peeling."
A roommate’s frightened voice came from behind her.
The PE teacher had already begun calling attendance. When Lily turned around, she saw her roommate staring at her in horror, pointing at the back of her neck.
"Peeling?" she repeated blankly.
It was serious.
Standing behind her, the roommate had a clear view of the back of Lily’s neck.
For the PE class, Lily had tied her long hair up in a bun, leaving that area exposed to the sun for the longest time.
Now the skin there had turned bright red.
Clusters of tiny, translucent blisters had formed across it. At the edges, the skin had begun to curl and peel away like a thin layer of dried film.
At a glance, it looked terrifying.
One roommate had trypophobia and didn’t dare look closely.
"You... you don’t feel anything?" she asked nervously.
Lily instinctively reached back to touch her neck. Her fingers brushed against countless small bumps.
A chill ran down her spine.
"No," she said slowly.
She truly felt nothing—no pain, no itching.
Because she couldn’t see it herself, she assumed it wasn’t serious.
"Look for yourself," the roommate said, handing over her phone. On the screen was a photo she had just taken.
Lily glanced at it.
Her vision immediately went dark.
"T-Teacher! I need to take leave!"
Whether it was psychological or not, the stinging pain on her exposed arms suddenly returned—and even stronger than before.
She couldn’t stay under the sun any longer. Something was definitely wrong.
Shoving the phone back into her roommate’s hands, she shouted loudly while the teacher was still calling attendance.
The PE teacher walked over and glanced at the horrifying condition of her neck.
Almost instantly, he waved his hand in agreement.
"Go."
Lily turned and ran toward the shaded trees. But just as she was about to reach the shade—
Her vision suddenly went black.
Her body went limp, and she collapsed forward, hitting the scorching ground with a heavy thud.
"Ah—!"
"Someone fainted!"
Shocked cries erupted all around.
Several students rushed forward in panic, lifting her up and hurriedly carrying her toward the nearest campus clinic.
During this time, the skin exposed on Lily’s body began to redden and swell over large areas.
The clusters of tiny blisters spread rapidly, making the damage resemble a severe burn.
The campus doctor had never seen a sunburn this serious before. With no better option, they quickly called emergency services and had her rushed to the hospital.
Similar incidents were unfolding all over the world at that very moment.
More and more people were collapsing from heat exhaustion and being rushed into hospitals. Some who were working outdoors under intense sunlight—or performing heavy labor—were even struck down by fatal heatstroke.
In just a single day, hospitals everywhere were overflowing.
***
Meanwhile, Leonard and Suzy had not stepped outside.
They remained at home, scrolling through their phones.
Suzy had sliced up a plate of chilled watermelon and placed it on the coffee table.
She picked up a piece for herself, then speared another with a toothpick and handed it to Leonard.
"Uncle, have some watermelon."
"Thanks, Suzy."
Leonard accepted it and took a bite.
The cool, sweet juice burst across his tongue, refreshing and crisp. He let out a satisfied sigh.
In weather like this, eating iced watermelon felt like the greatest luxury in the world.
Both of them were busy checking the latest updates online.
Suddenly, Leonard saw something, and his expression slowly turned serious.
"A friend of mine who works at a university said more than a dozen students collapsed today."
According to him, some fainted during PE classes, while others simply passed out while walking across campus.
Suzy nodded solemnly. "I saw that too."
On social media, nearly every local post was about someone collapsing from heat exhaustion.
There were even reports of workers performing high-altitude construction suddenly suffering heatstroke and falling... several accidents had already resulted in injuries and deaths.
The mood between them grew heavy.
They silently finished more than half the plate of watermelon.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
"Who could that be...?" Suzy muttered, puzzled.
She opened the monitoring app on her phone and checked the camera feed outside the door.
Standing there was the real estate agent, Mr. Smith.
"Who is it?" Leonard asked.
"Edward Smith," Suzy replied. "The agent I mentioned before."
"Oh, him. That was quick." Leonard stood up. "I’ll get the door."
A moment later, Leonard returned with Edward, who was drenched in sweat.
"Miss Kale, long time no see," he greeted hoarsely.
Suzy went to the kitchen and poured him a glass of ice water.
When she returned to the living room, Edward was already seated on the sofa. He grabbed the glass and gulped down a large mouthful, exhaling in relief.
"Whew... I finally feel alive again. It’s unbelievably hot outside."
"Why did you come at this time?" Suzy asked. "Did my uncle schedule the meeting?"
Leonard nodded helplessly.
"I did ask him to come today. I’ve already picked out the apartment and planned to sign the contract tonight. But Manager Smith said he had something going on this evening, so he moved the time up and came directly."
While speaking, Edward wiped sweat from his forehead and pulled a contract out of his briefcase.
"Yeah, I was originally supposed to come this evening," he explained. "But I’ve got a date after work, so I figured I’d come earlier. Hope I didn’t interrupt anything."
"No problem," Leonard said.
"Sorry, I’m a bit late, though," Edward continued. "Got stuck in traffic because of an accident. Apparently, the driver suffered heatstroke while driving and crashed straight into a guardrail."
Both Suzy and Leonard froze at the same time.
"He fainted while driving?" Leonard frowned. "Has the sun already become that dangerous?"
Edward nodded, still shaken.
"Yeah... I don’t know what’s going on today. There are way more cases of heatstroke than usual."
He shook his head incredulously.
"It’s supposed to be winter right now, isn’t it? This whole thing feels unreal. I passed by the city hospital earlier—the line outside was enormous. Everyone there had been brought in for heatstroke."