She forced down the storm raging in her chest, compelling herself to stay calm.
The immediate priority was to keep Lin Chen alive.
The freezing cold of the storage room posed a massive threat to him in his severely injured state.
Struggling to get up, she turned her attention once more to the frozen cardboard boxes piled in the corners.
This time, she had a clear goal—to find something that could provide warmth.
Ignoring the piercing cold, her fingers red and numb, she tore apart the frost-bound, rock-hard boxes with all her strength.
Most contained frozen dumplings or glutinous rice balls, completely useless.
Finally, when she ripped open a box labeled “XX Down Jacket,” her fingers brushed against something soft and fluffy inside.
Down jackets!
And several of them!
Apparently, the supermarket had prepared them as off-season stock.
Su Qianqian felt as if she had discovered treasure.
She forcefully pulled several thick, frost-scented down jackets from the ice, not caring about brands or styles.
Shaking off the ice flakes, she quickly wrapped the largest, thickest jacket around Lin Chen, zipping it up to his chin and pulling the hood over his head.
She used another jacket to cover his legs.
Then she quickly wrapped one around herself. The thick, fluffy down instantly blocked most of the cold, allowing her frozen body to feel a faint sense of warmth again.
Only after doing this did she feel slightly alive.
She sat back down beside Lin Chen, leaning against the equally cold insulated wall, clutching his icy left hand in her own cold palm, trying to transmit a tiny, almost negligible bit of warmth.
Time passed slowly in the dead silence and biting cold.
The faint scratching of zombies outside continued, like background noise.
The soul-stinging sensation from Radiation seemed to be gradually fading, but a deep exhaustion and sense of powerlessness hung over Su Qianqian.
She didn’t dare close her eyes. She forced herself to stay awake, periodically checking Lin Chen’s forehead—still cold—and listening to his breathing, weak but stable.
Just as her consciousness began to blur, her eyelids heavy enough to close—
“Thump! Thump! Thump!”
A heavy, rhythmic knocking sounded, clearly penetrating the thick door of the cold storage.
It wasn’t the random, frenzied scratching of zombies.
It was human knocking! Someone was at the door?!
Su Qianqian snapped fully awake, her heart jumping into her throat.
She held her breath, her body tensing like a frightened rabbit.
Who was it?
A survivor?
Or… something else?
She nervously glanced at Lin Chen, still unconscious. She carefully moved toward the door, pressing her ear against the ice-cold panel.
“Thump! Thump! Thump!”
The knocking sounded again, clearer this time, with a cautious, probing rhythm.
Then a deliberately low, heavily accented male voice spoke from outside:
“Hey! Anyone in there? If you’re alive, make a sound!”
The voice carried tension and a subtle hint of… excitement?
Su Qianqian’s heartbeat raced even faster.
Survivors!
Really other survivors!
Should she respond?
Was it safe outside?
Could she trust them?
In the apocalypse, sometimes humans were scarier than zombies.
Lin Chen was still unconscious, and she had no way to defend herself.
While she hesitated, wrestling with her inner panic, another voice sounded outside—this one younger, urgent:
“Brother Qiang! The map shows someone in there! Blue Shield Marker! There must be survivors! And… look at this door! Clearly reinforced! The people inside must have stuff!”
A map?!
They could see the map too?!
Su Qianqian’s pupils shrank.
She suddenly remembered the flickering player markers on her phone’s map—others could see them too!
“Damn it, no kidding! I’m not blind!”
The voice of “Brother Qiang” bellowed impatiently.
“Brothers inside! Don’t play dead! We’re the ‘Black Tiger Gang’! This area is under our protection now! Smart ones open the door! Share the food and drinks! Otherwise…” His words trailed off, but the threat was clear.
“Black Tiger Gang?”
Just the name sounded dangerous.
Su Qianqian’s heart sank.
Instinctively, she hugged herself, glancing at the unconscious, gray-faced Lin Chen, then at her blood-stained hands and the thermos cup smeared with brains…
A wave of helplessness washed over her.
Open the door?
Invite wolves inside?
Not open the door?
They seemed to know their location, and judging by the tone, breaking in was only a matter of time.
What should she do?!
At the life-and-death decision moment, her gaze happened to fall on the metal shelves in the corner piled with frozen goods.
The thick frost on the edges reflected a dim, cold light in the dark room.
A daring, almost insane thought struck her like lightning, cutting through her chaotic thoughts.
Frost…
Lin Chen’s uncontrolled frost…
The threat outside…
And herself…
Under the Radiation’s impact, she had also felt a strange vibration…
Looking down at her tightly clenched hands, she sensed a faint, cool airflow swirling uncontrollably around her fingertips…
“Creak—scrape—”
The heavy cold storage door, wrapped in a silver insulating layer, groaned harshly as Su Qianqian dragged it with all her strength, opening a narrow gap just wide enough for a person to squeeze through sideways.
The icy air surged out like a white wave long pent up, hitting the three figures outside, making them shiver in unison.
In the dim light, three silhouettes became clear in Su Qianqian’s terrified yet deliberately naïve gaze.
At the forefront was “Brother Qiang.”
He was tall and muscular, with a shaved head and a face full of hard muscle. A vicious scar ran diagonally from his brow to the corner of his mouth, giving him an extremely fierce appearance.
He wore a black leather jacket covered in stains, holding a metal ball bat wrapped with wire and broken glass at the tip. His eyes swept the interior like a hungry wolf, alert and greedy.
To Brother Qiang’s left was a lanky youth wearing thick glasses, pale-faced, lips chapped, dressed in a faded plaid shirt with an ill-fitting supermarket vest over it, carrying a bulging hiking backpack.
He gripped a lit-up smartphone tightly—the “glasses guy” who had just revealed their location.
At this moment, he craned his neck, trying to get a clear view of the cold storage, his eyes behind the lenses flashing with intense curiosity and barely concealed excitement.
To Brother Qiang’s right was a stocky, good-natured middle-aged man wearing an oily chef’s uniform, holding a heavy fire axe, eyes darting nervously, looking like a conscripted strongman.
Their gazes pierced the cold air flowing from the door gap, instantly locking onto Su Qianqian behind it.