20. Snowstorm

Lin Songsong is very tall.

Because of her height, she was selected as a sports talent student in elementary school, and she relied on basketball all the way to college. In the end, she was even selected for the national team and became a professional basketball player.

Her father died early, and her mother, Rao Huaqing, was an ordinary woman who had not received much education.

In her youth, Rao Qinghua worked as a tricycle driver, a factory worker, and a cleaner. Before she got married, she had to hand over all her earnings to her family. It wasn't until she started her own family that she had the freedom to manage her own income.

She is most proud of her daughter, and she praises her to everyone she meets. Whenever she talks about her daughter, she can't hide the smile on her face.

In contrast, Rao Huabo was spoiled by her family from a young age, which fostered her lazy and gluttonous nature. Her two sons followed suit, spending their days loitering around the village instead of doing anything productive. Comparing the two, the three members of the Rao family had long been unhappy, but they dared not show it because of her achievements and tall stature.

The day the disaster struck happened to be Rao's father's 70th birthday. Rao Huaqing, carrying large and small bags, led Lin Songsong to visit and offer his birthday wishes.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, a sudden earthquake shook the earth. When the dust settled, the world had changed beyond recognition. In the end, only Lin Songsong, his mother Rao Huaqing, and the three members of the Rao family—father and son—escaped.

The days following the disaster were like a whetstone, wearing away everyone's patience and pretense. The three men of the Rao family became increasingly irritable, cursing when they couldn't find food, cursing when the roads were difficult to navigate, and even venting their anger on Rao Huaqing.

Lin Songsong wanted to argue, but Rao Qinghua pulled her back, saying, "We're all family, and we should help each other out at times like this."

Although Lin Songsong was unwilling, she dared not disobey her mother.

Later, Lin Songsong awakened a special ability—the metal element. With her around, finding food became much easier for them. But she didn't know that her competence was like a needle pricking the hearts of the Rao family father and son. This brat, she used to be superior to them, and now she's even more smug—she's an eyesore!

The real despair began when Rao Zhenrong awakened his ice-type superpower. In this icy wasteland, ice-type superpowers were virtually unbeatable, and he instantly became the undisputed leader among them.

One night, the two brothers kidnapped Rao Huaqing and forced Lin Songsong to kneel before them. From then on, she became their dog; they whipped her at will, made her walk on her knees, and deliberately deprived her of food and water.

In order to protect her limbs, Lin Songsong had to constantly activate her supernatural power, which made her body weaker and weaker, and she had even less strength to resist.

Days passed, food became scarcer, and hunger, like an invisible hand, gripped everyone's stomachs. One night, Lin Songsong was awakened by the aroma of meat. She glimpsed the Rao family father and son gathered around the fire, holding something in their hands, which instantly made her stomach churn.

They started eating people.

A few days later, she noticed that her mother's gaze had become evasive. At that moment, Lin Songsong's heart turned completely cold. She would rather eat tree bark and drink dirty water than eat those things.

She was on the verge of collapse; the humiliation and hunger were wearing down her will, and she had considered ending it all several times. Then one day, she found a shivering mother cat in a corner. Perhaps out of a shared plight, she secretly broke off the half-eaten black biscuit she had saved and fed it to the cat.

Not long after, the mother cat gave birth to five kittens in her arms and then died. The kittens froze to death within half a day, and only one calico kitten survived. Lin Songsong hid it in her tattered cotton-padded coat, warming it with her remaining body heat, and feeding it every little bit of food she could save each day. The kitten was very well-behaved; it hadn't opened its eyes yet and would always rub its furry head against her fingers.

A few days later, the people there ran out of food, and the Rao family father and son decided to move. Coincidentally, they learned from the "food" that there was a residential area a few kilometers away where people were collecting crystal cores...

*

"She's still breathing!"

Fu Yunong and Shi Dong exchanged a glance and quickly stepped forward.

The moment Shi Dong's fingertips touched the person's pulse, she frowned slightly—it was too weak. She looked at Fu Yunong, her eyes questioning.

Should we save them?

Fu Yunong fell into a brief moment of contemplation. She knew very well that among everyone present, only she and Shi Dong had the ability to save this person.

"save!"

This person deserves to be saved just for that protective shield that has repeatedly blocked lightning strikes in winter!

As soon as he finished speaking, Shi Dong immediately waved his hand, "Two people, come and carry her over to our place."

Her strength had already been seen by everyone, and the survivors who were originally in the community also realized that the terrifying thunderstorm a while ago was her!

Everyone rushed forward, afraid of being a step too late.

"There's also a kitten!" The man picked up the kitten in his hand. It was tiny, with its eyes closed and its body slightly twisting.

Fu Yunong quickly took it; it was her own pet, a colorful raccoon!

Lin Songsong was placed in the side bedroom. The bed was not long enough, so a large table was temporarily added to the foot of the bed to just lay her flat.

Her condition was terrible. She was extremely malnourished, her body was severely swollen, her palms and knees were severely frostbitten, and even her back was covered with new wounds on top of old ones, with not a single patch of healthy skin.

Shi Dong quickly assigned tasks: she and Fu Yunong were responsible for treatment, while Xiao Linfang and Chen Yin were responsible for cleaning. When Lin Songsong's injuries were fully exposed to everyone, everyone except Shi Dong was stunned. Chen Yin clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, cursing fiercely.

Shi Dong first injected Lin Songsong with adrenaline, and then prepared a nutrient solution and put her on an IV drip.

A brazier was lit in the room, and Xiao Linfang and Chen Yin carefully wiped her body, shaved off all her tangled hair, and even trimmed her deformed nails.

When it was Fu Yunong's turn to apply medicine to the wounds, she deliberately ignored the jagged, gaping cuts, but her fingertips still trembled uncontrollably. After finally finishing the application, a fine layer of sweat had already formed on her forehead.

After finishing her work here, Fu Yunong turned around and warmed up a box of lactose-free milk, feeding it to the kitten little by little with a syringe. The little calico kitten was probably starving; smelling the milk, it closed its eyes and came closer, sucking its little tongue incessantly.

After the kitten finished drinking its milk, Fu Yunong gently put it back into Lin Songsong's bed.

After a flurry of activity, everyone was exhausted.

Fu Yunong took out a bag of rice and a bottle of side dishes, which Xiao Linfang and Chen Yin quickly accepted and thanked her profusely.

With this rice, the two of them indulged in a rare luxury of cooking rice. However, rice was precious, so they couldn't bear to pour too much. After it was cooked, they each took a small bowl and ate it with some side dishes, enjoying it immensely. They even drank the rice water along with the rice and were finally half full.

Xiao Linfang slurped up every last drop of rice water from the bottom of the bowl, almost licking it clean. After finishing, she rubbed her stomach and smiled contentedly, "With this side dish, we don't even need salt."

Chen Yin smiled, but felt a little resentful: that guy surnamed Fu was generous to a stranger he picked up, even giving milk to a little animal, but he was so stingy with the two of them.

As dusk settled outside the window, Fu Yunong quickly dried herself off after dinner and went to bed with Shi Dong. However, she was worried about Lin Songsong and woke up groggily in the middle of the night. Just as she was about to get up, she heard Shi Dong return.

Shi Dong said in a low voice, "Her pulse is stronger than before, so she's probably saved."

Still sleepy, she mumbled, "Where's the cat?"

"I'm fine."

Fu Yunong was relieved and turned over to fall into a deep sleep again.

In the darkness, Shi Dong chuckled softly, then lay down and closed his eyes.

The next day, the sky cleared, but a glaring crimson hue hung in the sky. Shi Dong stared at the strange sight, a sense of foreboding rising within her. As this premonition grew stronger, she quickly finished her meal, grabbed her binoculars, and hurried to the rooftop.

A chilly wind swept through her collar from the rooftop. Shi Dong scanned her surroundings with her binoculars, but all she could see was a blanket of white snow. She rubbed her numb hands and was about to turn and go downstairs when a very faint rumbling sound suddenly reached her ears.

She paused, held her breath, and listened intently. The sound rolled in from a great distance, growing closer and deeper, gradually becoming accompanied by the howling wind, like countless wild beasts galloping wildly; even more terrifying, the wind also carried the rustling sound of countless snowflakes churning.

Before she could react, the sun overhead was quickly covered by dark clouds, and the sky visibly darkened.

Shi Dong suddenly grabbed his binoculars and looked in the direction the sound came from. On the horizon, a huge white curtain was roaring as it pressed down on them, swirling up snow into countless vortexes in its wake.

Shi Dong's expression changed drastically, and a blizzard erupted!

She practically scrambled downstairs, her usually composed face now filled with an unprecedented seriousness.

"Tell them that if they want to live, nail the windows shut immediately and start a fire!"

As soon as he entered the house, Shi Dong said hurriedly.

Just then, Xiao Linfang and Chen Yin were helping to change the dressing inside the room. Upon hearing this, Xiao Linfang disregarded everything else and dashed out the door. Chen Yin quickly put down her things and followed her.

After yesterday's tragedy, most of the survivors moved into Building 20. Following Xiao Linfang's notification, some suggested that they gather together so they could share warmth and look after each other.

Most people nodded in agreement, and they unanimously decided to gather in room 801, downstairs from Fu Yunong and Shi Dong, and next to Xiao Linfang and Chen Yin.

As soon as the decision was made, everyone sprang into action: some nailed windows, some started fires, and others busied themselves moving supplies into room 801. The whole room instantly became both lively and tense.

Those who didn't want to gather in groups were also busy, returning to their homes to reinforce doors and windows, prepare heating supplies, and seize the time to deal with the impending crisis.

Seeing everyone busily working in an orderly fashion, Xiao Linfang suddenly turned pale. Oh no, she forgot to inform Guo Fasheng and the Wang siblings!

Amid Chen Yin's anxious shouts, Xiao Linfang had already plunged into the howling wind outside. The sky grew even darker, and the gale-force winds, whipping up snowflakes, swept past with such force they could almost knock a person over.

Finally arriving at the Guo family's house, Xiao Linfang knocked on the door to remind them, but they only said they knew and had no intention of moving. Not wanting to waste any more time, she turned and ran towards the Wang siblings' house. She assumed the siblings would also choose to stay, but to her surprise, as soon as she mentioned Building 20, they immediately agreed, each carrying a sack, and followed her downstairs.

Just then, a blizzard roared in, the blizzard almost burying the entire world. In the last moments, the three stumbled into Building 20, slammed the door shut, and barely escaped the blizzard.

Meanwhile, Guo Fasheng stayed at home, increasingly panicked: everyone had gone to Building 20, leaving him all alone outside. Seeing this apocalyptic scene, he finally panicked. In a moment of impulsiveness, he rushed out the door, intending to run towards Building 20. But before he was even halfway there, the howling snowstorm instantly enveloped him, and in the blink of an eye, he was frozen solid.