“Don’t be nervous. I don’t mean any harm.” Rong Hui deliberately softened her voice as she slowly approached the campfire. The orange yellow flames wrapped the girl in a hazy glow. Rong Hui was dressed in a sky blue ski suit and wore a fluffy Lei Feng hat, naturally giving off a friendly and approachable impression.
The short haired young man narrowed his eyes and examined her, without relaxing his guard. “Who are you? Have you also been hiding in the mall these past few days? How many people are with you?”
“I came in from outside. I haven’t been to this mall before. I just came here to look for some things.” Rong Hui’s tone was calm and steady, but she did not answer his final question.
“But hasn’t it been hailing outside this whole time? How did you get here, by armored vehicle?” The yellow haired young man also stood up and asked.
“Has the police come to rescue us? Can we leave now?” the woman holding the child said excitedly.
Rong Hui fell silent, choosing her words in her mind. If she told the truth, the reality ahead would only be worse. The mall might not even be a long term refuge for them.
“It’s a long story. Come sit by the fire and we can talk while warming up. By the way, where did you get this firewood? Burning wood indoors won’t produce carbon monoxide, will it?” Rong Hui tried to appear relaxed. She sat down beside the fire in one motion, removed her gloves, and warmed her hands.
The group exchanged glances with one another. In the end they silently sat down as well. Since the hail disaster began, they had been staying here the entire time and were eager to know what was happening outside.
Rong Hui chatted with the now calmer group for quite a while and learned why they had gathered here.
It turned out that on the first day the hail began falling, they had all been shopping in the mall. The torrential hail shattered the mall’s glass, and quite a few people were injured. At that time more than a hundred people had taken shelter inside the mall. They were afraid the glass roof might also break through, so they moved down to the two basement levels.
Later, when the hail temporarily stopped, they had called the police. During the tense intervals, soldiers came to assist with rescue operations and escorted civilians back home. They transported dozens of people away in trip after trip.
However, afterward the hail grew increasingly dense and relentless, leaving no time to catch their breath. Later the electricity was cut off, and the temperature dropped rapidly. The dozens of them who remained were trapped here, and no more rescue teams from outside ever arrived.
“Luckily these two floors are full of restaurants. If nothing else, at least food is plentiful. All this firewood came from chairs in the restaurants. I don’t even know how many we’ve taken apart. I wonder how much compensation we’ll have to pay later!” The middle aged woman sighed with distress. She usually loved coming to the mall after finishing her square dancing. Now she had ended up living inside it.
“But there should be more than just eleven of you, right? Where are the others?” Rong Hui looked around. According to their description, there should still be at least twenty or thirty people remaining.
The short haired young man had been staring at her with a strange expression the whole time. In a lazy and casual tone he said, “We take turns standing watch in two shifts. There are fifteen more people sleeping and resting in a restaurant next door. The private rooms are a little warmer. But you still haven’t told us, what’s it like outside?”
Rong Hui pressed her lips together but decided to tell the truth. She had already confirmed that these people were simply unlucky and trapped here. She planned to help them find a way out if possible. At the very least, they could return home and reunite with their families. If the mall roof collapsed, their lives would be in danger.
She briefly described the situation outside. When she mentioned that the hail had already stopped, joy appeared on their faces. But when she said that the outdoor temperature had dropped below minus forty degrees, they all sucked in a sharp breath. No wonder. Even though the second basement level was somewhat warmer, they could still feel the temperature gradually dropping. They had not expected the outside world to have reached such a terrifying level.
“No wonder you’re dressed in so many layers. Has it already become cold enough outside to freeze people to death?” a middle aged man asked.
Rong Hui silently confirmed it. Over the past few days, quite a few people had died from hail or freezing.
The little girl who had been listening carefully threw herself into her mother’s arms and asked curiously, “Mommy, is this the end of the world like in the movies?”
Her mother could only force a bitter smile and gently stroke her head. Such a young child, how could she possibly endure the severe cold…
Rong Hui took out a handful of ginger candies from her backpack and gave some to the three children. She placed the rest into the pot of white porridge that was boiling, letting them warm themselves against the cold.
“So that means you’re not part of a government rescue team? Then why did you come here?” several people asked in confusion.
“I came to the mall to look for some supplies. After the hail stopped, the government began distributing emergency supply packages at Citizen’s Square. You can collect them with an ID card or household registration book. I already brought my package back home.” Rong Hui popped a piece of candy into her mouth.
“There’s a military presence! Will the soldiers come rescue us?” the middle aged man asked excitedly as he stood up.
Rong Hui nodded. Originally, it had been uncertain when rescue would come. But since she knew now, she would certainly help them however she could.
“However, the power has been out for a long time. Only gasoline vehicles can barely operate now. I’ll go inform the soldiers there that people are waiting for rescue inside Jincheng Department Store. But actually, the fastest way home is still to walk back. Does anyone live nearby? The outside is covered with blizzard snow and it’s hard to see directions, but I can point out the way for you.” Rong Hui tried to recall the surrounding residential areas.
“Yes! My home is in Jincheng Huafu just behind here. My daughter and I came out for a walk after dinner and ended up trapped here.” The woman holding the child stared closely at Rong Hui.
After further discussion about everyone’s home addresses, one man went to wake up the people resting in the private rooms. Soon everyone gathered around the fire.
Rong Hui was surrounded by many people again and explained the situation outside once more. In the end, about half of them planned to walk home by themselves, while the other half lived too far away and decided to wait for military rescue.
Rong Hui took out paper and a pen and recorded the home addresses and ID numbers of these people so she could show proof to the soldiers when informing them.
She leaned against the wall while writing. A tall figure blocked her light. When she looked up, it was the short haired young man. Only now did Rong Hui notice that he was actually quite good looking, with deep set brows and eyes that shone like stars. However, the way he looked at her remained somewhat strange.
“Do you need something?” Rong Hui asked, puzzled.
“I have a question for you.” The man crouched down and leaned close to her ear, stopping at a distance that Rong Hui could barely tolerate.
“What color was the train you took?” His eyes were fixed on Rong Hui, trying to read the changes in her expression.
Rong Hui’s eyes widened. The man in front of her was also a survivor placed here by the system.
This was the first time she had formally encountered someone of her own kind inside the instance.
She stood up and walked toward a corner where no one was around. The man followed closely behind her.
“Did you start in the mall when you arrived?” Rong Hui asked directly. She had not intended to hide anything and openly admitted her identity as a survivor.
The man smiled with interest. However, when he heard Rong Hui’s question, his smile stiffened.
“What, you didn’t? I woke up in the mall restroom…”
Rong Hui shook her head. The mall restroom? That sounded rather unlucky. Still, the system had given two hours. That should have been enough time for him to return home.
She raised the question, and the man’s expression grew even worse.
“My home is twenty kilometers away from this mall! I still don’t understand why it placed me so far away. The time was too tight to stockpile supplies. I could only buy things in the mall first, then take a taxi home. But then…”
The man frowned.
“The car had barely driven for long when the hail started falling. The windows were smashed. The driver and I hid for several hours, and in the end we could only come back here to take shelter. I never expected that hiding here would turn into five whole days.”
Rong Hui genuinely sympathized with him. She had not expected that someone could be this unlucky. It almost felt as if the system itself had targeted him.
…