Chapter 83

Grandma Jiang nodded vigorously and replied in a hoarse voice, "Okay, I know. You should take care of yourself too."

The soldiers who had been guarding the underground entrance activated their fire-based abilities.

Clusters of orange-red flames rose in his palm, fiercely resisting the chilling current that was seeping in. The coldness seeping from the entrance was forced to stop by the flames, temporarily preventing it from spreading further.

Inside the air-raid shelter, all the mutant soldiers stood side by side at the edge of the underground bunker, their arms around each other's waists, forming a thick human wall, using their flesh and blood to shield the civilians behind them from the cold and danger.

At several entrances, flames of supernatural power flickered up and down.

But how can human strength withstand such surging air currents?

Time dragged on, and even though the soldiers kept stuffing their mouths with energy-restoring biscuits, the flames in their palms grew weaker and weaker.

The chilling air, freezing downwards like a bone-deep wound, bypassed the edge of the flames and seeped in little by little through the cracks in the walls and floor, silently eroding the warmth of the entire air-raid shelter.

As soon as one soldier was exhausted and had to retreat, another immediately took his place.

Everyone was hoping that the soldiers would perform even better.

Located in Zone One, Cheng Hao, the leading fire-type ability user, was desperately resisting the chill.

The clash of ice and fire produced a hissing sound, and water droplets formed from the condensation of the cold air trickled down his trouser legs, leaving a wet, cold puddle at his feet.

He was soaked to the bone, and he couldn't even tell whether the thin layer of sweat on his forehead was cold or hot.

"Battalion Commander! The brothers can't hold on much longer!"

"Yes, Battalion Commander, this cold air is too intense, what should we do?!"

The middle-aged officer, addressed as battalion commander, was working alongside the others to ignite the flames. Beads of sweat on his forehead froze into frost as soon as they appeared, but his face was filled with unwavering determination.

“You have to hold on, even if you can’t! Behind you are tens of thousands of people! If you retreat, they will all freeze into ice! Tell me—is this what you want to see?!”

The soldiers were jolted by the roar, and the pent-up anger in their chests exploded instantly: "No!!"

The battalion commander's eyes hardened: "If you're unwilling, then hold out to the bitter end! Even if it means fighting to your last breath, this line of defense must be held!!"

Before he finished speaking, the flames in his palm suddenly shot up half a foot, forcefully pushing back another wave of cold air.

They are the last line of defense for the local people in the base.

What will happen to these ordinary people if they fall?

The soldiers gritted their teeth and remained steadfast at their posts; such dedication was being demonstrated at every entrance.

The crowd was somewhat moved by what they saw, but they still couldn't shake their fear—if even the mutants couldn't withstand it, how could ordinary people like them possibly fight back?

Time ticked by, and the entire base had long since become a frozen world.

The snow piled up to waist height in the square, frozen solid, and the bone-chilling cold seeped into the ground through the cracks in the ground, growing stronger and stronger in waves.

Suddenly, one of the soldiers collapsed from exhaustion.

Almost the instant he landed, the chill followed him like a shadow.

His body was covered in frost at a visible speed, and soon he was completely wrapped in a layer of ice.

"Rat!!!" The comrade next to him was furious and roared as he tried to pull him away, but the cold air that rushed towards him made him stumble.

The squad leader, his eyes red, wanted to rush over, but his feet seemed frozen in place—he knew that if he relaxed his guard at this moment, even more cold air would take advantage of his vulnerability.

At that moment, all the soldiers' eyes were red.

No one spoke; only the flames in their palms burned even more fiercely. Even breathing felt painfully cold, yet they could only grit their teeth and bear the burden of their fallen comrades.

The defensive line retreated again and again, and the surrounding residents, seeing this scene, were so frightened that they dared not even breathe, shrinking deeper into their blankets and wrapping themselves up tightly.

Some even buried their heads almost entirely under the covers, only daring to peek out from the seams.

As he watched the soldiers fall one by one, Ye Qingyun's heart felt like it was being pulled down, sinking deeper and deeper.

Can we really hold on like this?

These soldiers are so young, they look about the same age as the big tree in her yard, yet they sacrificed themselves here for these unarmed ordinary people.

How heartbroken their parents and siblings would be if they knew?

Is there really no way to help them?

These children are all doing this to protect them!

Ye Qingyun's eyes stung, and her chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. She couldn't bear to watch these young lives fall one by one, nor could she comfortably hide behind them.

No, it must be done—

Something has to be done!

She clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white from the cold, and only one thought was churning in her mind.

She suddenly stood up.

"Awen! And the lads Alei brought, come with me!"

Jiang Wen was taken aback. Although he didn't understand what was going to happen, he immediately followed.

The same goes for Ah Song and the others.

Anyway, their boss Han Lei had told them before he left that they should just listen to the Jiang family.

Ye Qingyun walked to the wooden tower and asked, "Awen, could you move this tower to the entrance?"

Jiang Wen shook the wooden tower, found that it could be moved, and nodded, "Okay."

"Alright, two of you carry this tower to the soldiers' side."

Jiang Wen was taken aback, but quickly realized what Ye Qingyun wanted to do. He nodded solemnly and agreed, "Okay!"

Ye Qingyun called to the remaining boys to pick up the burning wood from the fire, just like her. "The rest of you, come with me and move all the fires over there!"

The people around immediately became a little nervous:

"What...what are you doing?"

"Now that you've taken the campfire and the tower, what are we supposed to do?"

"That's right!"

Ye Qingyun ignored the discussions behind him, holding the torch in both hands, and strode towards the entrance.

The residents who had been huddled under their blankets all peeked out, their eyes all fixed on them. The entire space was quiet; no one spoke, except for the clear crackling of the torches.

Yuan Ying and Wu Xiu exchanged a glance, instantly understanding their sister-in-law's thoughts. They immediately threw off the covers and got up: "Let's go! Let's lend a hand!"

Liu Xu nudged Niu Dali beside her, saying, "Dali, you're strong, come with me to help!" As soon as she finished speaking, the group hurried toward the entrance.

Grandma Jiang and Grandpa Lin, who remained behind, held the three children tightly in their arms, their eyes fixed on the hurried figures of their younger generation, their cloudy eyes reflecting the firelight.

Jiang Wen and Ye Qingyun moved the items to the entrance.

"Comrade, we're here to help!"

The middle-aged officer looked at these people and a thought struck him.

you……"

"And us too!" Yuan Ying and her husband also moved the fire pit next door over.

Ye Qingyun and her sisters-in-law exchanged a knowing glance and smiled. "Let's pile them all together, that way the temperature will be higher."

It was as if they were verifying Ye Qingyun's words.

The two fires merged together, and influenced by the two wooden tower devices, the originally teetering flames suddenly shot upwards.

It instantly dispelled the biting chill at the entrance.

Everyone was overjoyed upon seeing this: "It works!!"

With the help of fire-type ore, the soldiers were able to save a lot of effort and had some breathing room.

The officer glanced at Ye Qingyun, pursed his lips, and said in a deep voice, "Move all the fires over here; the temperature over there is going to drop."

Ye Qingyun wiped the heat from his face and shook his head with a smile: "If you can't withstand it here and all the cold air rushes in, even if it's warm over there now, it will eventually freeze into an ice cellar—that would be truly the end of us."

As she spoke, Ye Qingyun added another piece of firewood to the fire, and the flames leaped up several inches, making her eyes shine brightly.

There isn't much fire-type ore in the base.

Every single one must be used wisely.

The base was chosen to be used by ordinary people, with the aim of preserving the flame of humanity.

The soldiers were able to defend the base to the death because they always adhered to this original aspiration.

But at this moment, the people they were protecting chose to stand up and stand with them.

The soldiers couldn't describe how they felt.

I just feel that some things I insist on are right!

Upon seeing the state of the soldiers on the ground, Ye Qingyun quickly said, "Sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, hurry and save them! They are mutants, and their tolerance to extreme temperatures is much stronger than ours! There's definitely still hope!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ying and Wu Xiu immediately joined forces to try to pull out the young man whose feet were frozen solid at the feet of the fallen soldier.

"Awen! Carry them over here and see if they can still be saved."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wen and a few other young men, including Ah Song, quickly ran over.

But by this moment, the soldiers' bodies were already frozen to the ice and snow on the ground.

The skin and flesh were stuck tightly to the ice on the ground.

If you try to move it by force, the frozen flesh might burst open along with it.

Upon hearing Ye Qingyun's words, the officer felt a glimmer of hope.

He withdrew his hand and released a ball of fire that covered the frozen soldiers.

Under the high temperature, the ice on the soldiers' bodies quickly melted into water.

Yuan Ying was afraid that the torches would burn the soldiers, so she seized the opportunity and took off her coat to put out the fire.

"Quickly, carry the person to the fire."

As a nurse, Ye Qingyun knew how to treat frostbite, and immediately said, "You can't put people near a fire, it will worsen the frostbite!"

Upon hearing this, Niu Dali immediately picked the person up and placed them a short distance away.

The soldier's body was covered in bluish-purple hues, as if he were a block of ice, and he had stopped breathing.

Once the person was laid flat and properly positioned, Ye Qingyun knelt to the side, clasped his hands together, and immediately began CPR.

While distracted, he instructed Ah Song and the others, "Ah Song, go find someone to borrow the biggest pot, boil some of our own water, and put in ginger. Don't worry about wasting any! The more the better!"

After Ah Song and the others agreed, they trembled as they did so.

He was dressed too thinly, and he was cold.

But at that moment, no one could care about such things.

Ye Qingyun then said to Wu Xiu and the others:

"You guys, don't just stand around doing nothing. Do what I'm doing and have the others do the same! Hurry! Time waits for no one!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xu disregarded the accuracy of her movements and pressed down on the soldier's chest, mimicking Ye Qingyun's actions.

Yuan Ying and Wu Xiu followed suit.

At this moment, Ye Qingyun had only one thought.

Four soldiers, regardless of whether they can be saved.

At least they didn't stand idly by!

The surrounding residents were all moved to see the Jiang family helping so wholeheartedly.

Some people hesitated and walked over, saying, "We...we'd like to lend a hand too..."

Ye Qingyun glanced over and found that it was the family that had settled in the house next to theirs.

Without any hesitation, she directly instructed, "Go and check on those soldiers standing by the wall. If any of them can't hold on any longer, cover them with blankets and clothes to help them recover. If you have time, give each of them a bowl of the boiled ginger water."

The group of people nodded hesitantly, but then they actually went over and got to work.

With the first household taking the lead, it wasn't long before a second and third household followed suit. Everyone imitated the example and flocked to the "human wall" formed by the soldiers' bodies to "add bricks and tiles" to the soldiers.

When the group approached the soldiers, they were startled by what they saw.

Every soldier's cheeks were frozen bluish-purple.

The side of the hat facing away from the crowd was covered in a layer of white frost, with even the edge of the hat brim covered in fine ice flowers.

"Quick, bring over the thickest quilt in the house!"

Residents spontaneously covered the soldiers' backs with their own cotton-padded clothes and quilts.

The soldiers' arms, clasped together behind their waists, were frozen and unable to move.

The residents then used their own bowls to fill each soldier with ginger water and fed it to them little by little.

The spiciness of ginger spreads a warm feeling throughout the body.

A slight softening gradually appeared on the faces of these young soldiers, which were stiff from the cold.

With the residents of District 1 taking the lead, people in other districts quickly followed suit.

The leader, who was directing the entire event from his vantage point, felt a surge of warmth upon witnessing this scene.

Just then, Ye Qingyun's soldier suddenly coughed, his frozen body trembled slightly, his unfocused eyes gradually focused, and he slowly regained his senses.

Immediately afterwards, the soldiers under the command of Liu Xu and her group also began to make their moves.

Another soldier's lips, which were purple from the cold, moved slightly, and his eyelids opened with difficulty as he slowly awoke from the cold daze.

"I...you...cough cough...what's going on?"

Wu Xiu was so happy she didn't know what to say.

"They're alive! They're back to life! Qingyun, all these kids are alive!!"

The soldier named Cheng Hao quickly realized, "That's right! A cold wave is coming, I have to stay and guard..."

Ye Qingyun patted his hand with amusement, "Young man, you should rest first. If you don't treat your frostbite soon, you'll suffer."

Cheng Hao looked at his battalion commander in a daze.

The middle-aged officer, Wan Changlong, continued to use his supernatural abilities, but it was noticeably easier than before.

Perhaps because they knew they were no longer fighting alone, the soldiers displayed a strong will.

My body, which had initially felt exhausted, was now full of energy.

Wan Changlong laughed and said, "Rat, your lives were saved by these aunties, don't forget that."

Cheng Hao and the others looked at each other in bewilderment, then quickly got up and saluted Ye Qingyun and the others.

Wu Xiu and Yuan Ying were both inexperienced and had never seen much of the world, so the way the children were bewildering them was quite a surprise.

"Hey, what are you doing? Your survival is the most important thing!"

Ye Qingyun also said, "Yes, our skills are limited. You should go find a professional for treatment as soon as possible."

Cheng Hao and the others looked at their captain, Wan Changlong.

The other party nodded: "Go, Rat, take these guys to find someone to treat their injuries, and come back to relieve us after they're healed."

Cheng Hao and the others saluted vigorously: "Yes, sir!"

After everyone left, Wan Changlong wanted to say a few more words to Ye Qingyun, but then he heard a commotion coming from the other side of the air-raid shelter.

Ye Qingyun and the others tensed up.

That area is District 9, which is also the most densely populated area in the entire air-raid shelter.

Could it be that they failed to defend against it?!

Suppressing their worries, everyone silently prayed—hopefully nothing else goes wrong at this crucial moment.

Wu Xiu only hoped to see her husband's shadow in the crowd.

*

The old man and his son, whom the Jiang family was so concerned about, did not actually hide in the air-raid shelter.

An hour and a half ago.

At that time, outside the base, Grandpa Jiang had already heard the base's Level 1 alarm.

Without a moment's delay, he turned around and ran back.

But there were so many people running for their lives on the road that Grandpa Jiang was pushed and stumbled before he could react.

He twisted his ankle at the crucial moment!

Even if you sprain your ankle, you still have to run for your life.

Grandpa Jiang limped towards the base, trying to contact his family, but found there was no signal. His despair was indescribable.

At that time, he had already given up hope of living, but unexpectedly, his eldest son came looking for him.

He carried his elderly father on his back and rushed into the base.

Although Jiang Hai is not young, he served in the army when he was young, so his physical strength is no worse than that of young people, only his endurance has declined.

I was so tired halfway there that I even fell twice.

If it weren't for the timely arrival of the Yu brothers, the father and son probably wouldn't have been able to hold out until the city gates closed before returning to the base.

However, there were more people on the road who panicked and took the wrong path than expected.

They also spent a third more time on the road than usual.

The two brothers, Ayu and Jiang Hai, took turns carrying Grandpa Jiang back to the main square, but they were still too late.

The air-raid shelter doors were closed ten minutes ago.

In his desperation, Ayu jumped and hopped around at the underground entrance, stomping his feet loudly on the special material of the underground door, trying to attract the attention of the people below.

"Open the door!! We haven't gone in yet!! Open the door now!!"

Like them, many others missed it.

They knelt on the ground, wailing and crying.

"I just went back to get a blanket, how could you close the door like that?!"

"Please! Open the door!!"

No matter how much they shouted, the heavy steel door seemed to be welded to the ground; not a sound could be heard, not even a wisp of wind could get through.

As he finished shouting, A-Yu's voice cracked, the last note of his voice, tinged with a sob, lingering in mid-air. The area below remained deathly silent, with only his panting sinking deeper and deeper into the chilly air.

Jiang Hai felt a heavy weight pressing on his heart—this time, he knew very well that they were truly doomed.

The wind on the return journey carried snowflakes down, and the temperature displayed on the monitor had long since dropped below minus ten degrees Celsius.

This is just the beginning.

When the real cold wave arrives, it will be futile for ordinary people like them to struggle.

Grandpa Jiang has lived for over eighty years, surviving gunfire, famine, and natural disasters, but the most regrettable feeling of his life is gripping his heart at this moment.

He's such an old man, his neck is practically buried in the earth. If he really passes away, he can close his eyes in peace. But his eldest son can still live for another twenty or thirty years, and Ayu's two children are still so young...

He gritted his teeth.

"Let's go! Let's go back to the Jiang family!"

Jiang Hai looked over: "Dad?"

Grandpa Jiang: "We can't delay any longer! The air-raid shelter is already closed, which means we don't have much time left. We need to get back quickly!!"

In any case, sitting idly by and waiting to die is the same as certain death.

If we really go all out and try something, even if it's just moving one more step or finding a place that can block out the wind, we might be able to catch our breath—no matter what, it's better than waiting here to freeze into an icicle!

Jiang Hai gritted his teeth, "Ayu! Let's go!"

Ayu wiped away his tears, picked up Grandpa Jiang again, and rushed straight to the Jiang family home!

Of all the places they knew at the base, the Jiang family was the most familiar to them.

The research institute is too close to here; we don't know what the situation is like over there.

The Jiang family's house is different. Jiang He painstakingly built it bit by bit, repeatedly applying antifreeze film, making it far superior to other places.

The four of them returned to the Jiang family home in just ten minutes.

After A-Yu put the person down, Grandpa Jiang immediately and calmly instructed, "A-Yu, light all the firewood in the house and burn it in the kang (heated brick bed) closest to the cellar. Remember, the bigger the fire, the better!"

"Move the rest into the cellar."

At this moment, Ayu's mind was too busy to think.

When we ran back just now, everyone saw the cold wave that was like dark clouds looming over the city from the Qiling Mountains!

Everyone knows what this means.

This cold wave is so strong that even if you're just three or five meters away, you'll freeze into a block of ice if you get close to it!

In such an emergency, whatever Grandpa Jiang says, Brother Yu will do.

After instructing Ayu and the other man, Grandpa Jiang then said to Jiang Hai, "Ahai, go and see if there are any usable warm items in the house."

Jiang Hai nodded and ransacked all the rooms.

At this point, privacy is no longer a concern.

Finally, Jiang Hai found something useful in the most conspicuous spot by the bedside in the old couple's room—two thick cotton quilts that were pressed tightly together, two large cotton coats folded next to them, and two leather coats with shiny collars at the bottom. All of these were good things that the family had rushed to make before, things that could withstand the cold weather.

When Jiang Hai explained the situation, Old Master Jiang's expression became complicated.

"Old woman... she's left us a way out!"

Grandpa Jiang didn't dwell on it for long before instructing Jiang Hai to move all the items into the cellar.

"Move the refrigerator in too."

Jiang Hai was worried that the old man would get frostbite, so he dressed him in a cotton-padded coat and a fur coat.

Grandpa Jiang did not refuse.

While the others were busy, he limped into the kitchen.

He reached into the stove and, sure enough, pulled out a few pieces of dried meat, ginger, and a small half-bottle of medicine powder left by the ginger branch to treat wounds.

The unspoken understanding between him and his wife brought a smile to Mr. Jiang's face.

The dejected feeling I had just experienced had quietly dissipated.

He raised his hand to wipe his face, and when he looked up again, his brow bone exuded a sense of determination, and the lines on his face seemed to have gained a bit more strength.

Grandpa Jiang wasted no time and immediately put the mutated mugwort leaves and ginger that he had traded with someone today into a pot and boiled them together.

After Ayu and his brother moved all the firewood from the yard into the cellar, Grandpa Jiang's ginger and mugwort water was ready.

"Uncle Jiang, what should we do now?"

Grandpa Jiang said, "Now dig some soil from the cellar and spread it on top of the cellar. We'll burn firewood both on the ground and in the cellar later."

At this moment, the two brothers already knew Grandpa Jiang's purpose.

The elderly have far more experience with natural disasters than they do.

The two brothers did it very quickly.

Jiang Hai also used the remaining antifreeze film in the house to seal the gap between the cellar door and the ground, and he also used the large pot in the house to tie it to the doorway.

Jiang Hai stuffed strips of cloth into the gaps in the cellar door to prevent cold air from getting in; he didn't dare leave any ventilation openings, but he was afraid that when a cold wave came, it would freeze the entire cellar, so he could only cover it with a thin layer of soil.

The inside is coated with a thick layer of antifreeze film.

By the time everything was ready, half an hour had passed.

The temperature is getting lower and lower.

Looking at the approaching cold wave not far away, Grandpa Jiang said to the group, "Alright, we'll finish what we haven't done yet. Move this hot water downstairs, and we'll hide in the cellar now."

Next, it's up to fate!