Around 9 p.m., the main convoy arrived at an empty residential complex, and the military ordered everyone to rest there for the night.
Su Ruanruan immediately acted, trudging through the snow with her short little steps toward a residential building.
She ran up to the fifth floor and greeted Lu An before casually picking an empty apartment.
She entered, locked the door—done in one smooth motion. Lu An went into the unit next door.
It was a two-bedroom apartment. It was clear the owner was very clean; the home still carried a strong sense of daily life.
But she didn’t have time to observe. She rushed into the bathroom, quickly stripped off all her dirty clothes, and threw them into her space.
A cold draft hit her instantly, making her shiver violently, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.
She skillfully stuck heat packs all over her body, then put on thermal underwear.
She wore two pairs of self-heating socks and tucked her pants tightly so no wind could get in.
One layer wasn’t enough—she put on another set of thermal clothes.
Then she added specialized snow-mountain climbing gear.
On the very outside, she wore another black men’s down jacket similar to before.
It reached from her neck all the way down to her ankles, completely hiding everything underneath.
After finishing, she finally felt much better. Her numb legs gradually warmed up again.
Then her consciousness entered her space, and she ate until about 80% full.
It was almost midnight, and she planned to sleep here for the night.
Without hesitation, she pulled out the homeowner’s winter bedding and laid it underneath—thick and warm.
Then she added her own thick blanket on top, forming a warm cocoon.
She didn’t even take off her clothes and simply curled up inside.
Although she woke up several times from the cold during the night, it was still far better than sleeping outdoors in the freezing snow.
This was the best sleep she had had in days—undisturbed, without fear of theft or scheming.
She could sleep until morning.
Only after experiencing this did she truly understand:
Freedom, independence, and strength were everything.
The first step—she needed to form her own team. Then gradually expand it.
Occupy territory. Build her own base.
In this apocalypse, she wanted a world that belonged entirely to her.
Lying in bed, she outlined her future plans clearly, her mind unusually calm.
She got up immediately—only to be hit by a wave of cold.
She quickly replaced her heat packs again and ensured nothing could be seen from the outside before leaving.
Just outside, she ran into Lu An coming out of the next room, still wearing the same down jacket.
Su Ruanruan’s eyes lit up.
Future team member number one—she had to build a good relationship.
“Lu An! Time to assemble downstairs!” she greeted him.
“Mm. Thanks for the medicine,” he replied.
The two walked downstairs side by side.
Neither of them were talkative, so the journey was silent.
Snow had stopped, but the aftermath remained.
Today was November 1st. The temperature had dropped to -25°C.
There were still ten days until the global mutation.
At 8 a.m., everyone stood in the thick snow, ready to continue moving.
The road conditions were so bad that even military vehicles struggled to pass.
Children had become extremely rare in the convoy, and those remaining were tightly protected by their parents.
Su Ruanruan and Lu An walked together, both carrying backpacks, struggling forward step by step.
Everything ahead was a white blur.
The convoy kept shrinking as more people died along the way.
Eventually, they reached the highway.
As long as they followed it, they could leave Huicheng within ten days.
At night, around 10 p.m., they cleared a small area of snow and lit fires using branches collected earlier.
Dozens of people gathered around a fire pit, silently warming their hands.
The firelight reflected on their faces, soft and warm like sunset.
Along the highway, hundreds of small fires were lit.
Su Ruanruan noticed many people scratching their hands until they bled, unable to feel pain.
She looked away.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out nearby.
A young woman was being dragged away by several strong men.
The leader loudly claimed it was “orders from above” to “train new personnel,” but everyone could see the intent clearly.
No one dared intervene.
Su Ruanruan noticed Lu An clenching his fists, eyes burning with anger.
“Don’t do anything reckless,” she warned quietly.
Lu An slowly relaxed his fists, eyes red.
He murmured, “My younger sister is about her age… she just started university… she’s very pretty… what if…”
Su Ruanruan cut him off immediately.
“No,” she said firmly.