Zhao Xiaoxiu didn't sleep well all night. She had nightmares every time she closed her eyes, always dreaming of bloody and cruel scenes.

Logically speaking, she should have become accustomed to nightmares of this magnitude by now, since this is the daily reality for humans in a cataclysmic world.

But strangely, there were familiar faces in this dream. They were in pain, grief, and wailing. The scene was like a director's first-person perspective shot, with a strong sense of immersion and unparalleled realism.

Once again, I witnessed countless high-rise buildings collapsing, with flying debris and steel frames crashing down from above, leaving me standing still, unable to move or escape.

"Hah!" Zhao Xiaoxiu took a deep breath and sprang up from the bed.

Upon opening her eyes and seeing Zhao Gang's familiar, cold face, Zhao Xiaoxiu realized that she had just had a nightmare.

Zhao Gang was startled awake by his daughter. He sat up, reached out and scooped the little girl, who was covered in a cold sweat, into his arms. He pulled the blanket over her and comforted her, saying, "It's okay, it's okay."

"Dad..." Zhao Xiaoxiu leaned against her father's warm, broad chest, which was devoid of a heartbeat, and quickly calmed down.

Daylight had already broken when his phone alarm rang at 6:30. Zhao Gang reached out and turned it off, then looked down and asked, "Get up?"

"Mmm." Zhao Xiaoxiu nodded, cooperating with the tentacles to put on her clothes and socks while asking, "Daddy, haven't Grandma Meng and the others called us yet?"

She didn't need Zhao Gang's answer and muttered to herself, "Did they lose the phone numbers I gave Uncle Meng and Uncle Meng Er?"

Otherwise, why wouldn't they have called each other since they broke up?

Even if you move to a new house, you should still tell her the new address so she can find them.

For Zhao Xiaoxiu, the Meng family, mother and her two children, were people she had known even before her biological father.

Granny Meng watched her grow from a baby to the person she is now. In the years when her biological father was not around, she was saved from starvation by her irresponsible biological father who would abandon her and disappear for ten or fifteen days at a time, thanks to Granny Meng's care and support.

If Uncle Meng and Uncle Meng went out to scavenge, they would save any interesting toys they found to bring back for her.

In Zhao Xiaoxiu's eyes, the Meng family, mother and her two sons, were more like family than her own father.

That's probably why I dream about them.

Zhao Xiaoxiu sighed. She believed her father; if he said everyone was alive, then everyone must be alive.

She must have been frightened by the intense gunfire she heard yesterday, which is why she had nightmares.

"Dad, I'm going for my morning exercise!"

After putting on her little red hat to keep warm, Zhao Xiaoxiu said something to her father, then chuckled and jumped off the second-floor balcony, sliding down the snow slide to the first floor.

"Sister Monkey!" the little girl shouted as she turned her head toward the backyard.

The hardworking Monkey Sister immediately brought over the wooden stakes for practice, as well as her leather armor fitted with two swords.

Zhao Xiaoxiu put on the leather armor herself. It was a gift made by her master, and she was going to wear it forever, hehe~

After practicing the basic slashes a hundred times, Zhao Xiaoxiu recalled the sword techniques her master had taught her the day before and practiced them slowly, looking quite professional.

There was no snow today, and Sheng Qingyang arrived at Territory Thirteen in high spirits in no time. He personally instructed his apprentice for two hours, and told her to practice more when she had time. He then carried his unusually light backpack, shouldered a large sword, and left.

Zhao Xiaoxiu asked, "Master, where are you going?"

Sheng Qingyang answered without turning his head: "Let's go hunting!"

After spending the last two or three months getting to know each other, the lords in Zone B have gained some understanding of the economic strength of the other lords.

Let's not even talk about Lord Thirteen. Zhao Gang participated in the mission to recapture Jiangcheng, and he has plenty of points and food.

She noticed that her little apprentice could drink yogurt in the morning, which would be considered a luxury in the city, showing that the father and daughter were not lacking in points at all.

According to Sheng Qingyang's observation, apart from Dongfang Ling and Zhang Lijun's trio, the other lords did not have many points or food.

If I hadn't caught a floating fish right away, I wouldn't have survived until the New Year.

Judging by the time, by now, most families have almost used up their stored food.

If you run out of food, you can exchange it at the supply station, but if you don't have enough points, you'll have to leave the safe house and venture into the mountains and forests.

In particular, Sheng Qingyang guessed that the two new families who came to Territory Thirteen would also take advantage of the snow to go out hunting in the next few days.

Low temperatures suppress mutant plants, and most mutant animals also react more slowly.

If the dangers lurking in the snow are ignored, winter hunting is actually more advantageous than the other three seasons.

However, Sheng Qingyang set off around 10 a.m., when it was already bright. If he was careful, he could avoid the pits, small mutated poisonous insects and snakes, and roots and vines hidden under the heavy snow.

Just as Sheng Qingyang had predicted, when Zhao Xiaoxiu sheathed her sword and prepared to rest, two couples from next door came to her house together, asking Zhao Gang about the nearby mountains and forests, as they planned to go into the mountains.

The mutated frogs were just isolated incidents. Yesterday, Qiu Bai and Wang Xiang cleaned all the remaining empty rooms and didn't encounter any more mutated species.

Of course, there are still quite a few small insects and mycelia that are not significant enough to even light up the detection light.

But you can't eat that!

Lords who come to the planting area receive subsidies, but the level is lower than the first application. In addition to seeds, they only receive thirty bottles of nutrient solution. Filter cartridges and other supplies are not provided, so they have to prepare them themselves.

Thirty vials of nutrient solution can easily last two people half a month. In fact, Qiu Bai and his wife could have waited until after the second heavy snowfall before going into the mountains.

Unlike the Jiangning family of four, who had many members and limited food supplies, they had to seize every opportunity to go into the mountains.

But they are also mindful of potential dangers even in times of peace, and making preparations early brings peace of mind.

Zhao Gang had taken Zhao Xiaoxiu to the nearby isolation zone and had a general understanding of the situation. He hadn't personally visited any further areas and couldn't say anything more.

Zhao Gang told them everything he knew, and reminded them, "Don't go west," before busying himself with planing wood for timber.

The two families thanked Zhao Gang and kept his words in mind before setting off immediately.

I plan to ask the training soldiers for more useful information when I encounter patrol cars on the road.

Zhao Xiaoxiu watched the two couples leave with their weapons before turning her gaze away and tilting her head to look at the house next door.

Grandpa Jiang, carrying his logging tools, led Liu Miaomiao along; the two of them were going to work together in the poplar forest.

Charcoal is only so much fuel, and there's still a long winter ahead, so firewood is very important.

The landlord was generous and willing to give them all the branches, so Grandpa Jiang planned to cut down a few more poplar trees.

As Liu Miaomiao walked past Zhao Xiaoxiu's house, she waved regretfully to Zhao Xiaoxiu, indicating that they couldn't play together today because she had to go help her grandfather.

Zhao Xiaoxiu shrugged, exhaled a puff of white breath into the air, and went back to her room.

The phone on the table suddenly rang.

Feeling bored, Zhao Xiaoxiu was secretly delighted and quickly answered the phone, her tone full of anticipation: "Hello?"