In the darkness, Tang Li could clearly see the girl's eyes.
In her previous life, she had managed to find a person of some standing in the A city shelter, which meant she was not without her looks.
Though not as beautiful as Tang Li, she was still good-looking.
Especially those pair of big, watery eyes, which were most captivating and drew pity.
But now, those charming, moving eyes were filled with terror, confusion, doubt, and unwillingness, devoid of their sparkle.
Tang Li felt no discomfort at this.
In the apocalypse, death was too common. Having seen so much of it, she had grown numb.
It was then that Tang Li noticed the stench emanating from the bathroom.
Due to the frigid temperatures, the sewage system was frozen solid, preventing any waste disposal.
The family of nine produced a considerable amount of waste daily, which could only be accumulated in the bathroom.
Tang Li wrinkled her nose.
With one hand, she effortlessly lifted the girl, and with the other, she gently closed the bathroom door without a sound.
Then, she hid in a corner of the living room, beginning to wait.
Soon, an hour passed.
Tang Li retrieved a portable oxygen tank from her spatial storage, put on an oxygen mask, and re-entered the bedroom.
After a thorough check, she confirmed that everyone in the bedroom had passed away.
Tang Li moved the charcoal brazier to a conspicuous spot, allowing it to continue burning until it naturally extinguished.
She returned to the living room and carried the girl's stiffening corpse back to her mat, covering her with a blanket and closing her eyes, making it appear as though she were asleep.
"I wonder if anyone will notice she died differently from the others."
"But even if they do, they won't suspect me, will they?"
Tang Li murmured to herself twice before leaving.
Leaving behind the neatly arranged family in the bedroom.
In truth, if any accident had occurred during her recent actions, waking the family, Tang Li would not have been afraid. She would have used force to knock them out and then continued with her plan.
However, doing so might have left many flaws.
Fortunately, the operation went smoothly, with only a minor hiccup and no major issues.
Upon returning home, Tang Li went back to sleep.
The next morning, Tang Li was awakened by the sound of knocking from outside.
The knocking was not at her door, but at the neighbor's.
When Tang Li opened her door, she saw it was Zhang Yan.
Seeing Tang Li open the door, Zhang Yan asked, "Xiao Li, do you know if this family is home?"
"I wanted to talk to them about what you told me yesterday, but I've been knocking for a long time and no one's opened the door."
Tang Li shook her head with a look of bewilderment.
Seeing this, Zhang Yan sighed and said, "Never mind, I'll go get the spare key. I hope nothing has happened..."
After Zhang Yan left, Tang Li proceeded with her usual routine of washing up and eating breakfast.
A short while later, sensing a commotion outside, she opened the door again.
She saw that the opposite apartment door was ajar, with many people entering and exiting.
At that moment, Zhang Yan came out.
Tang Li asked, "Uncle Zhang, what's going on?"
Zhang Yan sighed and said, "Carbon monoxide poisoning. The entire family of nine, from the oldest to the youngest, is gone."
"Xiao Li, you must be careful when using charcoal, never suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning!"
"Communication is down now, it's difficult to contact anyone, the roads are frozen, and the hearse cannot get through. We can only use body bags for now..."
"Alas, why am I telling you, a young girl, all this?"
Zhang Yan stopped here and said to Tang Li, "Quickly close the door and don't concern yourself with this matter, lest you have nightmares at night."
"Oh."
Tang Li closed the door upon hearing this.
At the same time, she felt relieved.
With the roads frozen and vehicles unable to pass, there would be no forensic investigators to examine the family.
It would be three days before the roads cleared.
Furthermore, the locks on the family's door had not been tampered with, the ice on the windows was also intact, and not a single item of their indoor supplies was missing.
Naturally, no one would suspect foul play; they would only attribute it to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Afterwards, Tang Li remained at home, only communicating with the supermarket via walkie-talkie.
It wasn't until the day after the freezing rain ended that she went to the supermarket.