Soon, a raised off road military vehicle drove over and called Rong Hui to get in so she could guide them.
Rong Hui nodded to the soldier in front of her and quickly climbed into the passenger seat, which was nearly half a person’s height above the ground. The driver had originally leaned over to help pull Rong Hui up, but her agile movement surprised him. The young girl looked slender, yet her physical ability was quite good.
Without wasting time, they drove the green canvas covered off road vehicle straight into the snow. Since nineteen people at the mall needed transportation home, the military had not sent many soldiers along, leaving the seats available for the civilians.
Snow pellets struck the windows and blurred the driver’s vision. Everything outside was a vast white expanse. Only a few tall buildings remained faintly visible. Fortunately, Rong Hui had just come from the mall and was able to guide them accurately.
The vehicle rocked from side to side. Rong Hui had to tightly grip the handle above her head, her face turning slightly pale. Few people knew that she actually suffered from severe motion sickness. She was most afraid of riding in vehicles that drove unevenly.
The road was completely covered with ice and snow, with scattered hailstones lying about. Stone posts and curbs were hidden underneath, making the jolting unavoidable. The soldiers remained calm and composed, trained and disciplined. Rong Hui struggled to endure it, barely holding back the urge to vomit.
Just as her health value had begun steadily decreasing, the silhouette of the mall finally appeared ahead. The driver parked the military vehicle at the open plaza entrance. Before anyone said anything, Rong Hui had already jumped out of the car.
The soldiers assumed she was anxious to rescue people and looked at her approvingly. Rong Hui had no time to pay attention. She pulled off her mask and breathed in the cold air repeatedly until her lungs began to ache, only then did the uncomfortable feeling subside.
The people inside the mall had already heard the sound of the vehicle’s engine and burst into cheers. Led by Shen Li, they rushed out first to greet them.
“How did it go? Was the trip smooth? Why does your face look so pale? Did you get frostbite?” Shen Li frowned when he saw her pale complexion and raised his hand as if to touch Rong Hui’s forehead.
“It’s nothing, I just feel a little uncomfortable. I’ll be fine in a while.” Rong Hui turned her head to avoid his hand. She was not used to physical contact with unfamiliar men and walked toward the crowd instead.
Shen Li’s hand froze in midair before slowly lowering. From last night until now, Rong Hui’s decisiveness and kindness had been admirable. She seemed to radiate a kind of quiet brilliance. Without realizing it, he had wanted to get closer to her, yet he had only ended up startling her away.
He smiled bitterly. Under such harsh circumstances, he should put away those small thoughts.
Rong Hui did not take Shen Li’s actions to heart. She had brought the rescue personnel here, which meant the favor had been completed. At last she could return home with peace of mind.
While watching the soldiers count the people nearby, Rong Hui opened her personal status panel:
[Survivor: Rong Hui
Age: 23
Stamina: 650/1110
Cleanliness: 75/100
Satiety: 70/100
Health: 85/100 (Dizziness, Nausea)]
Her motion sickness status had not yet disappeared, but her values were still sufficient for her to make it home.
After the headcount was finished, the soldiers lifted the green canvas at the back of the vehicle and called everyone to climb aboard.
Under normal circumstances, the military vehicle would easily fit more than twenty people. However, that was in ordinary conditions. Now everyone from the mall was bundled up in thick layers like round balls, pressing against each other. The space quickly became insufficient.
The soldier who had been counting people made a quick decision. He told Rong Hui to remain in the passenger seat and planned to walk back to the main force himself. Rong Hui had contributed greatly to this rescue, and they certainly wanted to send her home safely.
Rong Hui immediately refused. “That won’t be necessary. I’ll walk home myself. My house isn’t far, there’s no need to use the military vehicle.”
Another reason was that she truly could not endure the jolting anymore. If she rode in the car again, she might actually vomit.
Shen Li suddenly appeared from the crowd and stared at Rong Hui. “No! Your face looks terrible. You’ve already walked in the snow for so long today. I’ll get off. You take the seat. I’ll wait for the second trip.” As he spoke, he prepared to jump down from the vehicle.
Rong Hui felt puzzled. Even though she and Shen Li were both survivors, they had only known each other for one day. Why was his attitude so… concerned?
Not wanting to argue further in the heavy snow, Rong Hui patted the soldier beside her on the shoulder.
“You take the passenger seat. I’m heading home now. Thanks for your hard work.”
After saying that, she turned and left, walking slowly step by step through the snow. For her, that was still better than enduring motion sickness.
“Be careful. We’ll contact each other again!” Shen Li called helplessly when he saw that she did not even look back at him.
“Got it.” Rong Hui waved behind her. The military vehicle had already started moving. At such low temperatures, vehicles had to keep running constantly.
The driver looked at Rong Hui’s gradually shrinking figure in the rearview mirror and sighed.
“People with such awareness are rare nowadays. A young girl rescued so many people without asking for anything, even gave up her seat, then just walked away.”
The soldier in the passenger seat nodded, his expression filled with admiration. He actually could have endured walking back to Citizen’s Square, but the girl had left so quickly that he had not even had a chance to refuse.
Both of them silently decided that once they returned to their unit, they would report Rong Hui’s actions and request a reward for her.
Meanwhile, Rong Hui slowly walked through the snow. After all the effort, it was already four in the afternoon. The wind and snow had weakened slightly. She could now take out a trekking pole from her System Backpack to support herself while walking. When she had been with the others, she had not been able to openly take food or supplies from the System Backpack.
After walking for about another hour, Rong Hui’s mask had frozen stiff. Finally, she saw the entrance to her residential complex.
A few scattered people were also coming and going, leaving winding footprints in the deep snow. They were probably heading out to collect supplies.
Climbing all the way up to the sixth floor in one breath, Rong Hui panted heavily as she opened the door to her apartment. Snow slid down from her shoulders and head. After brushing it off at the doorway, she locked the door, and in that moment she almost collapsed onto the floor.
She had walked far too long in the snow today. If her stamina limit had not increased earlier, she might not have managed to hold out.
After resting in the entryway for a while, Rong Hui regained some strength. She removed her heavy rabbit fur hat, mask, and wind goggles. For a moment, her vision blurred.
The outside environment had been a pure white expanse. Staring at the snowfield for such a long time had caused a “snow blindness” reaction. After closing her eyes for several seconds to recover, she decided that she would wear sunglasses whenever she went outside in the future.
She checked the house and found no signs that anything had been disturbed. Before leaving earlier, she had already stored all valuable items away. Even if a thief had broken in, there would have been nothing to steal.
She checked the time. It was already five thirty in the afternoon. The indoor temperature remained at minus 35°C. Although it still sounded frightening, after spending an entire day outside in minus forty degree weather, Rong Hui found it relatively tolerable.
She went into the bedroom to change her clothes. When she went to the bathroom to wash up, she discovered that the water pipes had frozen solid. Not a single drop of water came out. The thin stream of water she had previously left running had frozen into a small icicle hanging beneath the faucet.
With a sigh, she took out a bucket of bottled water to use instead. There was so much snow outside anyway. At some point she could collect some into the System Backpack. It could serve as ice for cooling or be melted for daily water use.
After restoring her cleanliness value to full and seeing her health value slowly recovering, a smile appeared on Rong Hui’s face.
Finally, there was no one around her.
She could eat a big meal.
…