That smell ... Lucky stared at her in disbelief. You went to see my hottie? And you didn't take me?! Natalie noticed the dog freeze, giving her a look full of blame. She instantly realized what was going on. "You silly little flirt of a dog. You have a sharp nose!" she teased. "Arf! Arf! Arf!" Lucky turned into the crooked-mouthed warrior again, barking nonstop at her human like she was scolding her. Natalie rolled her eyes and gave her head a playful tap. "How dare you? Yelling at me over a guy?" Immediately, Lucky's tough act crumbled. She whined pitifully, her big eyes full of grievance.Out of nowhere, a scene from a soap opera flashed in Natalie's mind. She clutched her chest and put on her best heartbroken expression. "My daughter has grown up and wants to run off with some guy," she said, sighing dramatically. "You'd betray your family for some blond kid on a motorbike?" Lucky tilted her head, confused. She didn't understand a single word of what she was saying. But judging from her expression, her human seemed upset. She carefully scooted closer and pawed at her leg, testing the waters. Natalie was already in full actress mode, so she kept going. "He hasn't even made you a single bowl of cereal! You've only seen him once, and now you're ready to leave your mom and abandon this home?" Lucky blinked. What in the world are you talking about? Still, whether she understood or not, it was clear her human looked sad. That was enough. Lucky quickly rubbed her little head against Natalie's leg, whining and snuggling, trying to comfort her. Natalie looked at her cute little act and immediately broke character, laughing as she scooped him up. "Alright, rebellious child. I forgive you." Lucky let out a breath of relief, still playing sweet, but deep inside, she was sulking. Wait a minute ... Wasn't she the one sneaking around with my hottie? Why am I the one apologizing here? But nestled against her chest, breathing in her familiar scent, all of Lucky's worries faded. Fine. I'd just make sure to tag along next time. That way, she couldn't sneak off to see my hottie while I was stuck at home waiting for her to come home. After playing with Lucky for a while, Natalie rolled up her sleeves and pulled the solar generator out of her storage space. She used to think this thing was less convenient than her fuel generator, but in this heatwave, with the sun blazing nonstop, solar power would make up a lot of the difference. This was particularly important because diesel and gasoline are nonrenewable resources. She had plenty stored away, but once it was gone, it was gone. Sunlight, on the other hand, was free and endless. She set the solar panels out on the balcony and hooked them up alongside the fuel generator so they could share the burden of running the AC and the rest of the appliances. Once everything was in place, Natalie slipped into some comfortable lounge clothes and headed into the kitchen. After walking more than an hour today, she decided to ditch her workout plans. Tonight, she was going to have barbeques, cuddle with Lucky, and binge-watch her shows. Natalie was halfway through preparing the beef and pork when a wave of heavy heat rolled into the room. A moment ago the place had been cool and comfortable, but now the air felt thick and stifling.Lucky, who had been lying at her feet with her eyes closed, suddenly jumped up and began panting hard. Natalie wiped her hands, pulled out a thermometer, and checked the reading. It was right at 95°F. The Great Heat apocalypse had begun—exactly the same as in her last life. But this time, she was ready. No matter how bad the weather became, she and Lucky were going to live well. She bent down, stroked Lucky's head, and calmly turned on the air conditioner. Then she shut the windows tight and went right back to preparing the meat. Cool air began to fill the room again. Feeling the temperature settle, Lucky relaxed and flopped back down onto the floor. Inside, all was peaceful. Outside, chaos had broken loose. The flood had finally receded over the past two days, and people were eager to spend time outdoors again. Even though the streets were littered with mud, garbage, and corpses, many couldn't stand being cooped up any longer. People were craving to stay outdoors. Stay shut inside too long, and you go stir-crazy. For the past four months, the whole city had been under water. Those who couldn't swim barely left their homes except to search for supplies. Even strong swimmers only went out to scavenge food or fuel, often fighting bloody battles over scraps. Now, for the first time in months, people could stroll around, soak up the sun, and talk with neighbors. Now, with the water gone, many felt the nightmare was over. Neighbors gathered in their courtyards, smiling and chatting. Some elderly men sat together in the courtyard, cheerfully guessing what the government might do to rebuild and what benefits survivors might receive. But just as laughter filled the air, the temperature spiked. Sweat poured down faces almost instantly. The first thought on everyone's mind was—fire? An explosion? But a quick look around revealed nothing unusual. Nothing, except for the sun. The sun blazed brighter than anyone remembered, searing against their skin. Standing under it felt like stepping into a sauna—thick, hot, and suffocating. People rushed to peel off their jackets, fanning themselves in panic. A few young men stripped down to their waists, sweat rolling down their bodies as they muttered, "What the heck? It's November. It was bad enough it never cooled down, but now the temperature's actually climbing?!"