Everyone scrolled through the trending news on their phones in silence.
Jiang Liang had already experienced this situation once before. Back then, it had come without warning—there was no time to prepare at all. Luckily, her parents and she were at home, while her younger brother was at the hospital and wasn’t injured by the hail outside.
They hadn’t prepared winter clothes in advance, so they were cold for a long time, feeling like their bodies were about to freeze solid.
What was even more unbearable came after that—when food ran out, roads became difficult, and they had to fight others at supermarkets for supplies every single day.
Even after experiencing it a second time, the strangeness and horror of it still sent chills down her spine.
The other three remained silent.
Jiang Ran had imagined what the apocalypse would be like countless times, but no matter how bold his imagination was, it could never compare to the cruel reality in front of him—it made him tremble.
And it would only become more terrifying in the future.
They all tried their best to accept this reality, preparing not only physically but mentally as well.
A family of four—they must survive together, intact.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world, unaware of the truth, could only feel helpless about the situation.
【How long is this hail going to last? I have no food at home and can’t go out. I’m going to starve.】
【I’m worse off. I’m curled up in bed freezing. I don’t even have winter clothes. If I leave the bed I’ll meet Marx immediately~~~】
【My car parked in the open parking lot has already been smashed into a beehive… I think I might go join Marx too.】
But this wasn’t even the worst part—the real disaster always came later.
【Power outage in our neighborhood! Is this trying to freeze me to death? Help, help me, I need heating—without it how am I supposed to live? (crying)】
【Hugging OP. My place also lost power, but I live in the countryside so we use firewood. (lighting a cigarette)】
Eventually, the official explanation came: many power lines had been destroyed by the hail, causing widespread blackouts. Repairs could only begin after the storm stopped.
As for the origin of this abnormal weather, authorities said they were still investigating, but there were no results yet.
In her previous life, she had been too overwhelmed to pay attention to online discussions.
Now, seeing the raw data laid out in front of her, she couldn’t help but feel a chill deep in her bones.
Livestock farmers were devastated—some had thousands of sheep, all smashed to death or frozen.
One farmer risked his life going out with an umbrella to save his flock, but the umbrella was useless—it might as well have been made of paper. He was still struck by hail and left bleeding.
Within just a few hours, everything was gone.
Agriculture was no better. Crops were completely destroyed, resulting in total harvest failure.
Food shortages, price surges, and mass panic naturally followed.
Jiang Liang sat by the stove and shivered, once again grateful that she no longer had to fight for resources like in her previous life, because she had already stocked up in advance.
At night, all four of them were exhausted. They could barely keep their eyes open, but none of them wanted to leave the warm room. Stepping outside felt like crawling barefoot in a snowfield.
“Liangliang, Ranran, go back to your rooms and sleep. Lock the doors and windows, turn on the air conditioning. Don’t save electricity—we have a generator.”
Yes, the house had also lost power, but they had a generator, so there was nothing to worry about.
Jiang Liang opened the door and left the small heated room. The moment she stepped out, the bone-piercing cold wind slapped her face like a hard strike, instantly blocking her breathing.
She quickly wrapped her scarf around her face and ran back to her room. She turned the air conditioner to maximum heat, plugged in an electric blanket, stuck several heat packs onto her pajamas, and finally curled under the blanket to sleep comfortably.
The hail lasted a full day and night.
By noon the next day, it finally stopped.
But the ground had already turned into a thick layer of ice—ten to twenty centimeters deep—making movement extremely difficult.
Most vehicles were frozen into the ground and rendered useless. Even if they thawed, driving on ice was extremely dangerous.
Going out to stock up on supplies was nearly impossible for those living far from supermarkets.
But people had no choice—they still had to go out.
Despite the ice, the frenzy of hoarding continued, and supermarkets were quickly emptied.
Inside the villa, heating systems were fully activated. The living room temperature stayed around 10–20°C, warm like spring.
Without worries about supplies or survival pressure, the family continued their normal routine—exercising, reading, watching dramas, and eating.
Breakfast was steaming hot wontons. Lunch was planned as hot pot, with a large pot of broth.
Vegetables included lettuce, potatoes, and spinach. Meat options were even richer—fatty beef, sliced beef, and lamb. The meat was fresh, firm, and incredibly delicious.
Hot pot was the perfect match for this weather. It warmed the stomach and brought a comforting sweat to the body.