On the twelfth day after the extreme cold descended, the temperature had dropped to minus 59°C.
The wetland park was wide and damp, and the perceived temperature felt even colder.
Rong Hui wore a thick down jacket and a rabbit fur hat as she strolled through a forest deep inside the wetland park. Most of the trees in the forest had grown for many years, their trunks thick and their canopies broad like umbrellas, which had allowed them to withstand the assault of the hailstorm.
She walked slowly, stopping from time to time to pick up dry branches from the snow. She had plenty of time today and planned to build a simple campfire.
Whether it was because she had gradually adapted to the harsh cold or because her stamina had improved, she could now move freely even at such low temperatures. After a period of training, her stamina limit had risen to 1120. The current Rong Hui could already be considered physically agile.
She explored the remaining half of the park and found no signs of human activity, only the footprints of small animals, perhaps squirrels. That made her feel even more at ease, and she leisurely returned to the visitor center.
She arranged a dozen branches into a cone shaped structure, stacking several pieces of smokeless barbecue charcoal underneath. Rong Hui lit a sheet of newspaper and stuffed it beneath the charcoal to help ignite it. Soon, a small campfire was burning brightly. To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, she opened half of the front door.
As soon as the fire was lit, the indoor temperature rose noticeably. Rong Hui took out a small iron camping pot, added a handful of rice, poured in half a pot of water, and then added some dried scallops, dried conpoy, mushrooms, and salt. She covered the pot and let it simmer slowly. Today’s brunch would be a pot of seafood porridge.
The crackling fire radiated warmth, making Rong Hui squint comfortably. She inhaled the aroma of rice in the air while admiring the snowy scenery outside the door. Everything felt wonderfully peaceful.
The system interface opened in front of her. Shen Li, who had been silent for two days, had sent a message.
Shen Li: “Sister Rong, I made it to the shelter! It’s actually three large stadiums connected together with enclosed heated corridors. They say it can hold hundreds of thousands of people.”
Rong Hui: “That fast? How did you travel more than a hundred kilometers?”
Shen Li: “Money makes the world go round. I traded twenty grams of gold and hitched a ride.”
Shen Li: “By the way, it’s really warm here. I don’t even remember how long it’s been since I felt temperatures above freezing. The shelter can maintain about 5°C.”
Rong Hui was astonished by his efficiency. The roads were nothing like they had been before the disaster. Along her journey she had seen many roads completely blocked by ice and snow, as well as piles of vehicles destroyed by hail.
Rong Hui: “Are there many people there now?”
Shen Li: “Not many yet since it was just established. But military trucks go out to rescue people and bring back a lot of refugees, so there will probably be more and more people.”
Rong Hui: “How’s the order there? With so many people around, be careful.”
Shen Li: “There’s a patrol every hour. Everyone looks miserable and exhausted, so no one has the energy to cause trouble. But the food I bought before isn’t convenient to eat anymore. These past two meals I’ve only had compressed biscuits and instant noodles.”
Rong Hui completely understood. One reason she did not want to go to an official shelter was because eating would be inconvenient. Everyone around would be lacking food and clothing. It would be difficult to endure the pressure of eating well alone, and her system items would also be difficult to use.
Shen Li: “Also, money is basically worthless now. The authorities introduced a new equivalent currency called exchange points. You can earn them by working for the government or submitting rare supplies. Then you can use the points to exchange for goods like food and water.”
Rong Hui raised an eyebrow. Exchange points? That sounded somewhat similar to their system points.
Shen Li: “Do you want to come over? It’s so warm here. I’d rather eat poorly and hide here until I leave the instance.”
Rong Hui: “Not for now. I still prefer being alone.”
After replying, Rong Hui closed the panel and prepared to enjoy her fragrant seafood porridge.
However, she soon found herself immediately proven wrong.
The pot of porridge was a bit too large. After finishing half of it, she stored the remaining portion in the System Backpack while it was still hot so she could eat it later that night.
Just as she was about to stand up, the system announcement suddenly sounded.
[Survivor Rong Hui
System Stage Mission Released (Optional)
Please survive until leaving the instance and obtain 1000 exchange points at the official shelter.
Completing the mission will grant generous rewards.]
Rong Hui fell silent.
…Couldn’t the system have said this earlier?
She had finally found a comfortable hiding place and had planned to spend the remaining days quietly here, yet the system had suddenly tempted her again with rewards.
Had Rong Hui been tempted?
Of course she had.
Products from the system were always high quality. It was hard not to be tempted by the rewards.
She immediately opened her Friend List and tapped Shen Li’s avatar.
“Sorry, could you tell me the exact location of the shelter?”
Her previous refusal had been sent only a few minutes earlier, practically slapping her in the face. Rong Hui remained completely expressionless.
Shen Li: “You changed your mind! Come quickly. The exact location is the Olympic Sports Center in B City. Head north. There should be many people traveling there now. Just follow the crowd on the road.”
Rong Hui’s hand drawn map did not include B City, but she was not worried. She now had a general direction. As news of the shelter spread, many people would likely head that way.
After thanking Shen Li, Rong Hui began packing her tent and other equipment. It was a pity to dismantle the cozy nest and campfire she had just built.
While packing, she used the fire to boil several kettles of hot water. Some would be for drinking on the road, while the rest would fill hot water bottles that she stored in the System Backpack.
Everything was quickly packed.
With a quiet sigh, Rong Hui stepped resolutely back into the wind and snow.
Her first objective was not to head directly toward the neighboring city, but to find a vehicle first. After all, the distance was more than a hundred kilometers. Walking it on foot was unrealistic.
After locating the nearest shopping mall on her map, she planned to try her luck in its underground parking garage. Even if she could not find a car with keys, she might still be able to collect some gasoline.
…