Xi Xi's heart sank. It seemed that she had underestimated the duration of the extreme cold disaster.

I originally thought the blizzard would be like salt spray or a typhoon, only briefly affecting a section of the journey and not lasting too long. I thought that as long as I took good care of myself in the cold and gritted my teeth and persevered, I could get through it.

However, after learning the exact thickness of the floating ice layer from Li Jinshao, Xi Xi couldn't help but gasp.

The climate was even more extreme than she had imagined, surpassing even the apocalyptic disasters of her previous life.

Xi Xi immediately informed the Cheng and Liu families of the situation, and everyone fell silent upon hearing it.

After a long silence, Cheng's father sighed and suggested that everyone quickly strengthen the vehicles' cold-weather protection, as the enhancement materials obtained from the stranded wrecked ship might not be enough...

The principle is clear, but the question is, where do we find the material?

Xi Xi certainly had plenty of things to keep warm, but due to the "Blessings from a Wise Pen" system, she could only remain silent.

At this moment, Xi Zhongcang, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up. Through the light screen connection, he informed the Liu sisters and Cheng Xu's family about all the affordable alternatives for keeping warm and preventing slipping.

When Xi's father joined the army, he served as a volunteer soldier in the frigid Northwest for a long time, and over time he learned many skills from the locals. As soon as the words were spoken, Cheng's father immediately slammed his fist on the table and took the initiative to take on the important task of collecting supplies.

The Liu sisters felt helpless and were bored when they learned from the baby mermaid that there was a kind of black coral in the sea that was a common material used by mermaids to build nests, and that it was very warm in texture.

"Great! That's wonderful! Let's split up and get to work before we enter the cold waters, and assemble it as quickly as possible!" After saying this, Mr. Cheng decisively shut down the light screen connection.

With many hands making light work, the three families gathered all the materials in just one day. Given Xi Xi's incredibly strong personal stat boost, she volunteered to take on the responsibility of modifying the vehicle with Cheng Xu and his son, while Xi Zhongcang provided remote guidance.

As for the food, it was all left to Liu Enxi to handle. She was a very good cook, and not only did she prepare the meals thoroughly that day, but she also quickly made a variety of spicy and numbing snacks that could be stored.

Chu Zhiqin tasted some and found it quite delicious. Liu Enxi then explained that this was a common warming snack for the Korean people during the winter. The spiciness could make the body feel warm, which had a remarkable effect in the cold season.

So, Xi's mother, Cheng's mother, and Liu Enxi took advantage of this time to prepare a lot of pre-made dishes so that they could still replenish their energy even if they couldn't light a fire during the blizzard.

As snowflakes began to fall, Xi Xi had already returned to the warm interior of her RV. The RV, which had already undergone a series of cold-weather enhancements through vehicle customization runes, now had an additional layer of physical defense from the cold-resistant coral, making it even more impenetrable.

"The current temperature is -3 degrees Celsius, the wind speed is level 6, and the visibility is moderate."

"Autopilot system is operating normally, air purification system is operating normally..."

The central control screen continued to broadcast the RV's various statuses. Chu Zhiqin picked up the Thunder Wolf Fang Club and got up to recharge the charging station.

[Adventurer Liu Yunyan has gifted you 3 down jackets. Do you accept? ]

Adventurer Cheng Xu presents you with 3 Cold Protection Goggles. Do you accept?

Xi Xi accepted Liu Yunyan and Cheng Xu's kindness, and then urged her parents to put on their down jackets.

"No, honey, the indoor temperature is a bit too hot to wear a down jacket right now." Xi Zhongcang glanced at the temperature display on the central control screen and reluctantly took the down jacket.

"Don't try to be a hero," Chu Zhiqin said, tossing her hair and putting on her down jacket without a word. "Just wait and see, the temperature is dropping like crazy!"

"Wear this. This down jacket is quite thin; it probably won't be enough." Xi Xi then pulled out three thermal cloaks. "If you're going out, remember to wear this too!"

She continued rummaging through the supplies, and Chu Zhiqin rushed over when she saw this, afraid that Xi Xi would mess up the supplies she had painstakingly organized.

"What about the rest of the coal? It came from the abandoned train." Xi Xi asked her mother while searching. After thinking for a long time, she finally felt that providing help in times of need was the most practical thing to do.

The view outside the window quickly turned into a vast expanse of white, much like the experience of the previous week. A blizzard began to rage, and water vapor clashed with the frost on the inside of the windshield, condensing into tiny galaxy patterns. Visibility on the cross-sea bridge became increasingly low.

On the other side, as Cheng Xu stuffed the last quilt into the gap between the car doors, his fingernails were already covered with ice crystals, and the modified small RV creaked under the weight on the ice.

Cheng's father had just exchanged a much stronger iron chain from the trading hall. He squatted down alone to reinforce the anti-skid chain, the sound of the hammer striking the chain piercing the howling north wind like a death knell.

"Finally done, not too late!" He took the enamel mug wrapped in cotton from Cheng's mother, and a few frozen goji berries floated on the surface of the murky ginger tea.

Cheng's father took a sip, and the spiciness rolled down his throat into his stomach, instantly warming him up considerably.

Cheng's mother breathed out white vapor. She was wrapped in five layers of cashmere scarves, and tiny ice crystals clung to her eyelashes. After the doors and windows were closed and they set off again, the temperature inside the car gradually rose.

Inside the cramped converted RV, the heater barely kept the temperature within an acceptable range. The firewood burning in the stove was cut down when they were in the mountains. Cheng's mother was very glad that she had stockpiled some back then, because now she probably couldn't buy it even with high-priced survival points.

As she drove, she turned back and shouted to Cheng Xu, "Use it sparingly. Use it for as long as you can now, and add more firewood when you go to bed."

Cheng Xu responded immediately, then put down the firewood to check the ventilation. Burning fires indoors could easily lead to carbon monoxide poisoning, so he couldn't be careless.

Outside the car window, the 30-meter-high bridge cables were covered with icicles, resembling countless inverted swords under the moonlight.

The sea, which had been sparkling just half a day ago, was now as silent as a graveyard. The occasional cracking sound of ice breaking through the wind and snow was just as Xi Xi had described.

"I knew it would be cold, but I didn't expect it to be this cold!" Mr. Cheng couldn't help but complain, unable to imagine how destitute they would be without these winter protection measures. "In short, the air conditioning can't be turned off, don't be stingy! We've stockpiled enough gasoline."

"I'm just worried the fuel tank might freeze..." Cheng Xu wasn't one to jinx things, but he always tended to get anxious beforehand. "It wasn't treated with anti-condensation agents; it should have been wrapped with several layers of black coral, sigh..."

Cheng's father patted Cheng Xu on the shoulder, signaling his son not to be discouraged: "It's okay, I've wrapped myself up quite a bit. Let's leave it at that for now and see what happens!"

Cheng Xu nodded, a hint of worry still in his eyes, just then a private message notification sounded.

Do you wish to accept the coal gifted to you by adventurer Xi Xi?

[Adventurer Xi Xi has gifted you 10 Heating Charms. Do you accept? ]