I used a hose to pump the water from the pool into the toilet at home and flushed it away, including the dead goldfish.

"Sorry, little Gold!"

Lin Yan was making a phone call to the leaders at work, reporting this latest discovery. Lin Yan and I have decided not to go out from this moment on. Anyway, we have everything we need at home. Just the supplies I've hoarded are enough for the two of us to live comfortably for three or four years. Plus, we have also planted vegetables on the balcony. So, unless something unexpected happens, it's effortless for us to live for five or six years. We can endure until the day the antidote appears, and even if not, we can kill the zombies by endurance.

Approaching evening, an emergency news bulletin interrupted the television broadcast.

"Citizens are advised not to touch the tap water source. According to the latest information, multiple reservoirs in our country have been severely contaminated. Please drink bottled water as much as possible during the epidemic. Do not go out, do not contact others, and isolate at home. Immediately report any symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting, fever, or shock."

This emergency news repeated on television for five minutes, and the broadcast content echoed in the residential community's loudspeakers. The homeowners' group exploded with messages bombarding our phones.

"What does this mean? If we can't use tap water, what water should we use? Can we boil it? Doesn't high temperature kill the viruses?"

"Then how do we take showers? Water is the source of life. If we can't use it, how can we survive?"

"Did they say when it will be resolved?"

"Today, the water vendors refused to sell water. The boss said there's no more water to sell; they've reserved it for their own use. I had to rush to several shops and pay a high price to get two buckets of water. Now they say we can't use water. Doesn't that mean they want us to die?"

"When I went to find the water delivery driver today, he said someone in our community bought all the water in his shop a couple of days ago."

"Who was it? Who? I'm willing to pay a high price for it!"

"Me too!"

Lin Yan and I silently set our messages on "Do Not Disturb" mode and sat on the couch in silence for a long time.

"Am I being selfish?" After a long time, I finally uttered these words.

Lin Yan sighed. "When it comes to survival, there's no such thing as selfishness or selflessness. With so many residents in the community, one bucket per person is not enough, and even with one bucket per person, they won't live long."

"But what I'm doing is still wrong, isn't it?" I felt like crying, but tears wouldn't come out.

Even though I knew deep down that what I was doing was selfish, I wouldn't reveal the fact that we have so much water at home, nor would I share any of it. I studied medicine and nursing, and the education I received was that saving a life is more important than anything else. Setting aside the fact that I can't save anyone, even if I could, what would Lin Yan and I do then?

Lin Yan reached out and embraced me, allowing me to sob in his arms.