"Looking back, it seems like it's been a while since we paid our grain tax..." Lu Wuyai looked at the touching scene in the laboratory and couldn't help but walk over.

......

As evening fell, Lu Wuyai opened his eyes and looked at the alluring Gu Yuxin in his arms. His hand was still tightly gripping her towering, snow-capped peaks.

But Gu Yuxin was a little tired and was still fast asleep.

In fact, everyone in the cubicle was taking a nap, but the more they slept, the more tired they became, and the less they wanted to get up.

So Lu Wuyai closed his eyes again, enjoying the tenderness in his arms, until at some point he heard noises from the outside world, and then he reluctantly parted from Gu Yuxin.

Time flies, and it's January 1st of the following year again.

The saying "New Year, new look" refers to the fact that on the first day of the new year, the people in the cave wake up from the cold.

Lu Wuyai rubbed his arms and got up from the wooden bed in the living room. He first looked at the sleeping Rou Rou, then quietly walked to the generator, turned the heater to its maximum, and went back to the hallway to see what had happened. He also plugged in the other heater that was already prepared and let it run at full power.

"It's so cold," Su Xi said, peeking out from under the covers and seeing Lu Wuyai.

Lu Wuyai took a breath, glanced at his hard bed, and thought that he had just gotten out of bed and it was probably too cold inside, so he went straight to Su Xi's side and crawled into her blanket.

Su Xi blushed. Although they were all sleeping in their own compartments, the sealing and soundproofing were far inferior to those of a shipping container.

"Don't move." Su Xi lowered her head, feeling Lu Wuyai's burning breath, and knew that he was about to do something strange again.

"But it's really no use now," Su Xi said to Lu Wuyai with her head down, causing him to stop immediately.

However, Lu Wuyai still held Su Xi in his arms, and just smelling her fragrance gave him a special warmth.

Before they knew it, the two of them had fallen asleep. They only woke up suddenly when Rou Rou started crying.

Su Xi slapped away Lu Wuyai's playful hand that was on her chest, telling him to go and comfort her so Rou Rou wouldn't cry. Her voice had become hoarse recently.

Lu Wuyai put on his clothes and picked up the baby from the crib. The baby immediately stopped crying and stared at Lu Wuyai with two big, dark eyes.

"Little thing." Lu Wuyai smiled and glanced at the time, realizing that the other person might be hungry. The last time he was fed was a few hours ago.

The formula we collected was enough to feed Rou Rou until he was one year old, but this formula seems to make him gain weight easily. Rou Rou's little face has been chubby since birth.

"Bring it on." Lu Wuyai held Rou Rou in his arms. There was an electric stove on the table. The temperature was set, and the milk powder was soaking in the water.

Nowadays, if there is too much milk from meat, it can last for an hour.

This time, Rou Rou drank for more than half an hour. Her stomach was bloated, and she seemed a little uncomfortable. She kept moving in Lu Wuyai's arms and finally let out a burp.

"I'll do it, you go and rest." Lu Wuyai turned around when he heard the voice and saw that Su Xi had already put on her clothes. She took the meat from his hands and advised him to rest.

In the small cubicle, Song Xiaoyou also lifted the blanket. She and Su Xi were taking care of Rou Rou in another concrete cubicle.

Seeing this, Lu Wuyai lay back down on the hard bed, closed his eyes, and hypnotized himself into sleep.

On the first day of the new year, everyone slept until noon before waking up again.

"Let's have dumplings today," Su Xi said. "It's been so long since I've had dumplings. Are there any frozen meat left in the ice cave?"

Jin Xilu nodded. There were two pieces of leopard meat in the cellar, each as big as a human head. More than enough to make dumplings.

However, after making dumplings, they had no meat to eat. They might have to wait until next spring to hunt in the forest or further afield.

"Let's make dumplings! Everyone get ready, I'm starving!" Lu Wuyai exclaimed in surprise. At noon, he didn't forget to stuff a few pieces of the new army's food into his mouth to fill his stomach.

Inside the cave, the women began to busy themselves. It was getting late, so they wanted to finish eating the hot dumplings before dark.

"Lu Wuyai, go to the vegetable garden and buy some cabbage, celery and chives."

"Don't forget to buy garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce; they're all in the cellar."

"And plates and cutlery."

"Buy some more scallions and green onions."

Lu Wuyai's head was pounding. Some sounds came from the air; the person was actually already in the cellar.

Today, the cellar had been completely transformed into an ice cave by the cold water pool. Even wearing a down jacket, Lu Wuyai's exposed skin still felt a sharp, knife-like sting.

In the cellar, he took two bottles of vinegar and soy sauce, and put some ceramics in his backpack.

After that, he went to the vegetable garden and harvested the vegetables that the women had asked him to collect earlier.

When he returned to the cave, the sound of cutting meat turned into a continuous, extremely grating noise. Occasionally accompanied by soft cries, Lu Wuyai felt like his head was about to explode.

Fortunately, he put on earplugs in time, which blocked out the noise and made him feel more comfortable.

But in the end, he couldn't stand it anymore and came over to chop the meat himself. Although it was a lot of banging, it felt completely different.

Just like someone who gets motion sickness isn't afraid to drive. It's the same principle.

Half an hour later, a large bowl of fresh meat was divided into three portions, and the women prepared to make three different kinds of dumplings.

"Cabbage, celery, and chives, but not pork, so I don't know what the dumplings will taste like," the women muttered to themselves.

Here, Lu Wuyai carried Rou Rou out of the cave and walked in and out of a snow path, gazing at the snow-white world with innocent curiosity in his childlike eyes.

"I'll make you a stroller next spring so you can go everywhere." Lu Wuyai carefully held her, worried that she might be too cold.

Soon, Lu Wuyai returned to the cave. Rou Rou yawned, looking very tired.

After a while, Rou Rou fell asleep on Lu Wuyai's shoulder. She was still smiling in her sleep, so cute that Lu Wuyai's heart skipped a beat.

Yu Li looked at Lu Wuyai with a fatherly smile and couldn't help but say to Su Xi beside him, "Look at this, you wouldn't want to have him."

Upon hearing You Li's voice, Su Xi subconsciously raised her head, glanced at Lu Wuyai, then blushed, rolled her eyes at You Li, and retorted, "Why didn't you give birth to him?"

“It’s you, sir.” Yuri said bravely, smiling at Su Xi.

Su Xi's eyes flickered uncertainly, but looking at the smile on Lu Wuyai's face when facing Rou Rou, she had an indescribable feeling in her heart.

“If we’re destined to spend the rest of our lives on a deserted island, it’s not impossible for us to risk getting pregnant,” Su Xi said calmly, turning to look at Yuri.

Upon hearing this, Yuri paused for a moment, but then smiled, realizing that Su Xi wasn't joking.

If you're destined to live on a desert island, then taking a few risks in your ordinary days to add excitement to your future endeavors is worthwhile.

Only they understand the dialogue.

"What are you saying?" Su Xi said, "The dumplings are almost ready, Lu Wuyai, come and make dumplings."

"Come on." Lu Wuyai put down the meat, started boiling water, and placed the plate and chopsticks on the table.

Looking at the time, it's almost dusk.

While cooking dumplings, Jin Xilu also fetched a bottle of red wine and poured a glass for everyone, bringing a touch of intoxicating wine to this cold, deserted island in winter.

Everyone was in a great mood after having dumplings during the Chinese New Year.

But starting from the second day of the Lunar New Year, the cold wave that enveloped the deserted island became increasingly terrifying.

That morning, Lu Wuyai drew back the curtain leading to the cave and was shocked to find that the tunnel, which had been perfectly fine the night before, was now covered in frost. A bone-chilling cold spread through him as he stepped onto the ground.

"What's the temperature?" Lu Wuyai took a breath and drew the curtains again. Only the cave was warm.

There are three heaters in total, so there is warm air blowing 24 hours a day.

Arriving at the cave entrance despite the chill, Lu Wuyai checked the temperature and found that the thermometer could no longer display a specific value, as the lower limit of minus ten degrees Celsius had long been exceeded.

"Why is the weather getting more and more extreme every year?" Lu Wuyai thought to himself. He guessed that the drastic changes in the environment must be related to the previous nuclear explosion. It would be difficult for people to survive in this kind of weather.

Lu Wuyai put on his clothes, said a few words to Gu Yuxin who was taking care of Rou Rou, and then went to the cave near the cave.

The cave contained many machines covered in animal hides. In such cold weather, these machines would freeze solid without some form of protection.

After carrying the two barrels of diesel fuel back to the cave, Lu Wuyai went back and took five heaters, leaving two of them in the cave to be delivered to the cowshed later.

In this kind of weather, the heating in the cowshed is definitely not enough, and they haven't been there for a while.

While waiting for noon, the temperature on the deserted island had risen, and the tunnel was no longer covered with frost. A group of people left the cave and used flamethrowers to melt a path through it.

While the women were still busy downstairs, Lu Wuyai melted the nearby snow and added fresh water to the cowshed.

Although snowmelt is dirty, it doesn't matter, because it's something animals are born with.

Soon, Song Xiaoyou ran over from the snow, carrying several clean plastic buckets and many disposable gloves. It seemed he was ready to milk the cows.

Although Rou Rou can drink formula and milk is very nutritious, the key point is that Rou Rou didn't have any adverse reactions after drinking milk.

That afternoon, Lu Wuyai installed two more heaters in the cowshed, filled the generator with diesel, and finally put about a week's worth of hay and a small amount of marching rations in the cowshed.

After doing all this, Lu Wuyai caused the snow-covered path along the way to collapse again to prevent the entrance and exit of the cave from being discovered.

At dusk, Lu Wuyai left the cave and used a flamethrower to burn a deep crater. Visually, the snow on the rocky mountain was at least ten meters thick.

Lu Wuyai climbed out of the rocky mountain using the elevator and looked up at the heavy snow in the sky. The world inside and outside the deserted island was a vast expanse of white.

In the howling north wind, there was nothing but white.

Lu Wuyai shook his head, feeling a little uncomfortable; his eyes hurt. It was actually a hallucination of frostbite that had startled him for quite some time.

He didn't stay outside for long before returning to the cave.

Shortly after Lu Wuyai left, snowflakes fell into the passageway, burying him at a visible speed.

"It will freeze to death."

When everyone gathered together, it felt like springtime in a cave, compared to the outside world.

For dinner, since there was no fresh meat, Su Xi and the others simply stir-fried a few vegetarian dishes and ate fragrant rice, looking very peaceful.

"Winter is getting colder every year, and I wonder what next year will be like." Everyone is worried about the changing weather. Not only are winters getting colder, but summers are also getting hotter and hotter, unbearably hot.

Lu Wuyai thought for a while and then expressed his thoughts.

"Otherwise, we'll move somewhere else next year."

Let's go somewhere else.

Hearing this, everyone's eyes turned to Lu Wuyai. You must know there are so many things in the cave now, and being moved isn't just a casual remark.

“It’s not suitable,” Su Xi said.

Gu Yuxin also said, "These machines of mine cannot be used continuously. If the parts inside are not handled properly, it could cause irreversible damage."

"There's also diesel fuel and the contents of the container." Gu Yuxin frowned, saying that being moved isn't something that can be expressed in a single sentence. The distance is far, which will cause a lot of trouble. You don't know what might happen on the journey.

"Also, where do you think we should move to?" Gu Yuxin asked Lu Wuyai if he had any comfortable places to live.

Lu Wuyai shook his head, then nodded. He didn't know about those pleasant places, but they knew the corners where the water source existed.

“Unless you really have a suitable place to live, moving is just asking for trouble,” Yuri said.

"Hey, I was just saying it casually, but you took it seriously." Lu Wuyai touched his nose and was criticized by everyone.

"I can't shut you up even when we're eating."

"Eat quickly, the food is getting cold."

......

In mid-January, with unusually good weather, Lu Wuyai discovered through the periscope that it had stopped snowing outside the deserted island, and the blue sky and white clouds presented a pleasant scene.

Lu Wuyai used a flamethrower to burn a path through the snow. A group of people stood on the rocky mountain using ladders.

"I'm going to look around, be careful." Lu Wuyai put on his skis and whooshed out of the snow.

It was a white world. To prevent snow blindness, Lu Wuyai brought a pair of sunglasses, but he soon discovered that they were unnecessary.

They can see at night, so sunglasses are of no use to them.

Lu Wuyai walked around but didn't find anything special, except that his skiing tracks were particularly obvious in this snow-covered world.

So Lu Wuyai went to a very far place and glided back and forth, completely disrupting the tracks.

On the rocky hill, the women gradually began to exercise. It was a rare good day, but they hadn't been out to play for more than half a month.

“Lu Wuyai, there’s a herd of wild deer here.” Su Xi’s sharp voice echoed nearby.

Upon hearing the sound, Lu Wuyai slid off his ski poles and rushed towards where Su Xi was.

Near the deadwood forest, several wild deer were emerging from the snow. Their enormous antlers looked particularly magnificent. They seemed unafraid of humans and continued walking towards the woman.

But the other side suddenly accelerated and rammed them hard with its antlers.

This scene immediately caused panic. Lu Wuyai even drew his gun and pounced on the deer from a distance.

When the gunshot rang out, the wild deer also rushed to the finish line, but Lu Wuyai knew that he was not the only one who had fired the shot.

Suddenly, some survivors appeared in the snow behind the deer herd. They were armed with guns and were killing the wild deer while also attacking Lu Wuyai and his group.

Chaos erupted on the rocky hill in an instant.

"Follow the flock!" Lu Wuyai roared.

But this time, the women were very brave. Although they followed the deer, they would occasionally peek out, their faces flashing with cruelty.

Su Xi hid behind a wild deer, holding a Desert Eagle in her hand, and kept pulling the trigger, firing at the group of survivors.

The other women spotted a wild deer, which was frantically running away. In contrast, the other woman was completely exposed to gunfire.

In just a few minutes, half of the more than twenty wild deer died, and several human bodies were left at the scene.

Lu Wuyai skied at incredible speed, constantly changing direction, but some bullets still disappeared very close to him. This shocked and angered him; he often couldn't take care of these women.

Finally, the humans disappeared, and the deer vanished without a trace. Lu Wuyai, panting, stopped on a hillside, looking at the woman beside him with a slight smile.

“You’ve all changed.” Lu Wuyai smiled.

Su Xi and the others raised their necks, as proud as peacocks or swans.

"With so many wild deer, we'll have enough to eat for a while," Su Xi said excitedly.

Lu Wuyai thought to himself, "This girl really is a foodie."

However, looking back at the corpses, besides the deer carcasses, there were also human corpses lying in pools of blood. The bright red blood was gradually diluted by the white snow.

"Quickly dispose of the deer carcass, I'm going to check on the missing survivors." After saying that, Lu Wuyai ignored the woman's attempts to stop him, slid down, and rushed towards the carcass in the distance.

The other party had clearly entered the snow before disappearing. There was a tunnel there, which they may have dug themselves, or it may have been forced out by wild deer.

However, regardless of the circumstances, this group of people was too close to the rocky hill, posing a safety hazard.

Lu Wuyai quickly stopped. Beneath his feet lay a collapsed snow track. Clearly, those who had left had destroyed the track to avoid being discovered.

Lu Wuyai took a deep breath, feeling somewhat troubled.

But now he was powerless to do anything. The other party had already ruined the snow scene, so Lu Wuyai could only turn around and help the woman deal with the corpse on the snow.

Around noon, a strong wind suddenly picked up. Lu Wuyai, dragging his body, felt as if he had bumped into a wall.

As for the women nearby, they were caught off guard and even stumbled before plunging headfirst into the snow.

"Are you alright?" Lu Wuyai squinted his eyes and walked over to support Su Xi and Su Xi beside him.

At the same time, he saw that in the direction the wind was blowing, the horizon was a vast expanse of white, and a terrifying aura was spreading.

“I have a feeling something is about to happen,” Lu Wuyai said.