After delivering the supplies, Rong Hui returned quietly. The entire way back was silent, and she did not encounter anyone.
The supplies she had given the mother and child were not much, and most of them were things she did not urgently need. Rong Hui was not the kind of person who hoarded excess supplies and took pride in possessing more than she could use. As long as it was safe to do so, she preferred helping others, especially such a young child.
After returning home, she began organizing her supplies in preparation for leaving. There were too many people in the residential complex and supplies were scarce. It was clear that chaos was about to break out. The government seemed to lack the capacity to manage these disturbances, and Rong Hui knew that she alone could not change anything. Her primary objective was simply to clear the instance.
As long as she survived for twenty days, she could exit the instance. Half the time had already passed, and Rong Hui planned to find a remote place where no one lived and quietly endure the remaining ten days.
After living in the instance for ten days, the supplies she had accumulated had only increased. She had also gathered additional materials earlier at Jincheng Department Store and had not yet had the chance to organize them. Now was a good opportunity to reorganize everything and free up space.
After a busy period of sorting, the cold left her hands and feet somewhat stiff. Blowing warm air onto her palms, Rong Hui finished the last bit of organizing.
At present, ten of the fifteen slots in her System Backpack were occupied:
92 bottles of 1L mineral water,
96 chocolate bread,
94 bars of soap,
1 mountain bicycle,
2 basic system supply packs,
1 large box filled with food,
1 large box filled with miscellaneous items,
1 medical kit,
99 large ice blocks,
1 fire equipment cabinet.
Five slots remained available.
Rong Hui took out her hiking backpack and packed compressed biscuits, water, boiled eggs, and a rolled blanket inside. From the outside the backpack looked bulging, but its actual weight was light. The blanket could also serve as a cover if she needed to take items out of the system space.
After finishing most of the preparations, Rong Hui lay down in her sleeping bag to rest. Earlier that day she had used the targeted light therapy skill on the child from the supermarket downstairs, which instantly reduced her stamina by 200 points. With her current stamina limit of 1116, she could use the skill at most five times. Being a healer was not as easy as it sounded.
While her mind wandered with these thoughts, Rong Hui quickly fell asleep.
…
On the eleventh day after the extreme cold descended, the temperature had dropped to minus 58°C.
Rong Hui poked her head out of the sleeping bag and immediately woke up from the familiar bite of cold air.
She remained dazed for a few seconds before the system interface appeared in front of her. Shen Li’s avatar, which had been silent for four days, was flashing continuously.
Shen Li: “Good morning, Sister Rong~”
Shen Li: “I didn’t buy a thermometer so I don’t know the exact temperature right now, but it’s already colder than Russia. If I hadn’t studied there for a few years and gotten used to it, I definitely wouldn’t be able to handle this.”
Shen Li: “By the way, the weird family who occupied my house a few days ago has already been driven out. But the door was smashed apart by my axe. Now every night people try sneaking in to steal things. It’s incredibly annoying. I probably can’t stay here much longer.”
Three consecutive messages appeared at once, leaving Rong Hui slightly stunned. After a moment, she replied.
Rong Hui: “Morning. The temperature today is minus 58°C.”
Shen Li: “What the hell! That cold? Can we really survive until the twentieth day at this temperature?”
Shen Li: “Sister Rong, do you remember that thing I wanted to ask you about earlier?”
Rong Hui: “I remember. Go ahead. Also, I’m twenty three. You’re definitely older than me, so you don’t need to call me ‘Sister.’”
Rong Hui had just entered society. At school her advisor called her Xiao Hui, and at work colleagues called her Xiao Rong. This was the first time a man older than her had addressed her as “Sister,” and it felt strangely awkward.
Shen Li: “I don’t care. Anyone impressive is either Sister or Brother to me. Sister Rong Sister Rong Sister Rong Sister Rong…”
Rong Hui stared at the screen with a dark expression. She rarely encountered someone so casually familiar. This behavior was completely different from her first impression of him.
Rong Hui: “Fine, call me whatever you want. What do you need?”
Shen Li: “Hehe. You know how I got placed in the mall at the start? I stocked up on everything except medicine. Now I’ve got frostbite all over, plus injuries from fighting with people a few days ago. I’ve just been enduring it on my own. Do you have any spare medicine you can sell me? Don’t worry, I’ll pay a high price. If you don’t have any, that’s fine too. I’m just asking. Worst case scenario I’ll go grab some for free later.”
Rong Hui actually did have medicine. The first thing she had stocked up on had been medical supplies. Perhaps this had foreshadowed that she would become a healer. Now that she had a skill, medicine was less essential to her. If Shen Li offered a good price, she was willing to sell him some.
Rong Hui: “I have frostbite ointment, trauma medicine, anti inflammatory drugs, and medical bandages. How about two boxes of each?”
Shen Li: “Sister Rong! You really are my sister! How do you have everything? I’ll take all of it. One hundred grams of gold!”
Rong Hui had already been defeated by his gold based transactions. This man used gold as casually as ordinary currency.
The deal was completed quickly. Rong Hui’s gold reserves had now reached nearly 600 grams in total. She could be considered a small rich woman.
After finishing the trade, Shen Li also delivered an important piece of news. The government, which had seemed inactive until now, had actually been quietly working on something significant. In a neighboring city, a base had already been established. Residents nearby were being encouraged to relocate there for refuge. It was said that the base had generators, sufficient diesel fuel, and coal, allowing for centralized heating.
Shen Li: “I’m planning to head to the base. This residential complex is already chaotic. Do you want to come with me?”
Rong Hui was glad to hear that the government was still working to fulfill its responsibilities. However, she did not intend to join them. Her goal was simply to clear the instance, and she did not want to interact with too many people. The base would inevitably attract more and more people, and if it was poorly managed, it might lead to even greater unrest.
Rong Hui: “No, I have my own plan. The neighboring city is over a hundred kilometers away. Stay safe.”
After sending the message, Rong Hui closed the system and got up to exercise. Although daily exercise only increased her stamina by two points, she believed that quantitative change would eventually produce qualitative change.
After breakfast, she finished packing her belongings and brewed a pot of steaming hot ginger tea with ginger candy to take with her. She looked once more at the apartment that had sheltered her from the wind and snow for more than ten days.
Then she locked the door and walked downstairs.
It was still early. Hardly anyone was outside in the residential complex, and Rong Hui did not encounter anyone along the way. She left the complex smoothly.
Her destination was the wetland park eight kilometers away. The area was vast and sparsely populated, perfect for lying low.
After taking out her map and confirming the direction, Rong Hui shouldered her backpack and walked into the wind and snow.
The fierce north wind made even lifting her feet difficult. She could only move forward in small steps. The eight kilometer journey felt endless.
…