[12:00 noon
The disaster descends.]
The moment the system’s voice ended, a snowflake drifted down outside the window.
Rong Hui hung the thermometer in a visible spot. The temperature was currently 18°C, already noticeably lower than it had been two hours earlier.
She moved the sofa and cabinets aside, clearing an open space in the living room. Then she began taking the supplies she had just bought out of the System Backpack.
In the next second, the living room floor was completely covered with various items.
Rong Hui first set aside the two large boxes from the outdoor equipment store. One box would be used specifically for food, while the other would store clothing and miscellaneous daily supplies, including the outdoor gear she had purchased and items she would not need immediately.
She sorted the medicine separately into a bag and stored it back into the System Backpack.
Next, Rong Hui took out some food and daily necessities that she would use in the near future so that the house would not appear too empty. Then she brought out the insulation cotton and thick felt she had bought, while putting everything else back into the System Backpack.
After her stockpiling and organizing, her System Backpack now had fifteen slots, eight of which were occupied:
1L bottled water ×99
Chocolate bread ×99
Soap ×99
Mountain bicycle ×1
Basic supply pack ×2
Large box filled with food ×1
Large box filled with miscellaneous supplies ×1
Medical kit ×1
The cycling bag that had saved her life in the previous instance was placed into the miscellaneous box to reduce the number of system slots being used.
At present, what she still lacked were a handy weapon and precious metals. She would wait for an opportunity to look for those later.
Within the limited preparation time given in the instance, Rong Hui had already done everything she possibly could.
Before she could even take a breath, the system’s voice sounded again.
[System Phase Mission Released (Optional)
Successfully survive days 1 to 5 of the instance while maintaining personal status values above 80 percent.
Completing the mission will grant generous rewards.]
Rong Hui noticed the word “optional.”
That meant completing the mission was not mandatory. If she failed, there would probably be no punishment. Still, Rong Hui wanted to try. She was very interested in the system’s rewards.
After finishing organizing the supplies, she sat down on the sofa and finally relaxed a little. Since entering the instance two hours ago, her nerves had remained tightly strained.
Buzz. Buzz.
Her phone vibrated twice.
Rong Hui checked it and saw a weather warning message from the meteorological bureau:
“Due to unknown causes triggering strong convective weather, large scale hail and freezing rain will occur over the next few days. Citizens are advised to avoid going outside. If leaving home is necessary, please take proper cold protection measures.”
Just as she had suspected, her earlier worries had come true.
Extreme cold would definitely involve more than ordinary snow or rain.
There was no time to rest.
Resigned, Rong Hui stood up and began cutting the insulation cotton and thick felt into suitable sizes. She first covered all the windows in the house, both inside and outside. The bedroom windows in particular were completely sealed without leaving even the smallest gap.
Large hail could be considered a form of hail disaster. The falling hailstones could range in size from eggs to fists. Ordinary residential building windows were extremely fragile, and Rong Hui was worried they might shatter.
Freezing rain was also a highly destructive form of weather.
It consisted of a mixture of ice and water. When the precipitation struck objects with temperatures below 0°C, it froze instantly. Although it looked like ordinary raindrops, it immediately formed a smooth transparent ice layer upon contact.
Freezing rain could severely damage plants and communication systems. It could cause airplane accidents and devastate vegetation.
The insulation cotton attached to the outside of the windows could buffer the impact of hail, while the insulation on the inside could slow the loss of indoor heat and counteract the sudden temperature drops caused by freezing rain.
If nothing unexpected happened, Rong Hui would have to stay in the original owner’s apartment for quite some time. Therefore she had to protect the house as much as possible.
If the windows were shattered, the house’s insulation would weaken significantly, and its privacy would also be greatly reduced.
After covering all the windows with insulation cotton, the lighting inside the house became dim.
Rong Hui turned on all the lights. For the next few days she would rely on artificial lighting.
Suddenly, a deep rumbling sound rolled across the sky, like the roar of a beast.
Before Rong Hui could listen carefully, hail began crashing down with a loud rattling sound.
The hail fell densely and violently, striking the walls and windows with noises like exploding firecrackers.
Cars parked in the residential complex were struck repeatedly with loud thuds. Alarm systems triggered everywhere, creating a chaotic chorus of sirens.
The worst part was that the disaster had arrived too quickly.
Many people were still at work or out shopping.
When the hail suddenly began falling, some people were struck directly in the face, collapsing instantly with blood streaming down their heads. Others nearby ran away in panic, leaving the injured lying on the ground with no one able to help them.
Some quick thinking individuals used bags or helmets to protect their heads and desperately ran toward shelter beneath building overhangs.
Rong Hui gasped sharply at the terrifying scene, her expression serious.
Fortunately she had covered the windows quickly.
She had never seen hail this large before. She had done everything she could. Now she could only hope the windows would hold.
The hail continued slamming against the windows.
After observing for a while, Rong Hui felt that they should hold for the time being.
After all that work, her stamina had already dropped to 800.
Thinking about the system mission, she immediately replenished her supplies and restored all her personal values to full.
This feeling of having her body quantified by numbers was strangely fascinating. It felt very similar to the survival games she used to play.
Whenever she played those games, Rong Hui would always fill the storage warehouse completely.
But the Doomsday Train system was different from a game.
Pain and injury were real.
And death… was real too.
Rong Hui shook her head, forcing those thoughts out of her mind.
For now, surviving came first.
To prevent hail and strong winds from breaking through the windows, Rong Hui temporarily hid inside the enclosed bathroom.
Her phone vibrated again in her pocket.
When she opened it, she saw that messages in a group chat called “Building 12 Residents Family” had already reached 99+ notifications.
Resident 203: “Damn it, when have we ever had hail here? This is terrifying.”
Resident 102: “Weather forecasts are never accurate anyway. Yesterday they said today would be sunny.”
Resident 301: “My husband saw the warning message and insisted on going out to buy supplies. He still hasn’t come back. What should I do?”
Resident 402: “The message clearly said to avoid going out. People who don’t listen are just unlucky.”
Resident 703: “Have you seen the pictures online? The biggest hailstones are as big as heads! Someone got killed by them.”
This message caused an uproar in the group chat.
Rong Hui immediately searched online as well.
Because the hailstorm had started so suddenly, most of the information online was still official warnings. After refreshing several times, Rong Hui finally saw posts from ordinary users.
One person living in the countryside posted photos of their yard in complete chaos. The smallest hailstones they picked up were already the size of fists, while the largest were as big as pomelos. The roof of their house had been smashed through, and many livestock had been killed.
Another person posted a plea for help. Their company had suddenly announced a holiday, and while they were on their way home the hailstorm began. Now they were hiding behind a bus stop shelter with a crowd of others, trying desperately to avoid the falling hail.
Looking at the horrifying photos, Rong Hui once again felt the terrifying power of natural disasters.
The power of nature had always been something humanity could not truly fight against.
…