Ye Ning woke up before dawn the next day, because she was freezing. The temperature at night had reached around -55 degrees Celsius, so cold that water would freeze instantly.
Ye Ning opened her eyes and saw that Brother Long Fei and Xiao Jingchen were already awake.
Long Fei kept adding firewood to the fire, his eyes slightly red, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept well the night before.
Xiao Jingchen, on the other hand, sat to the side carefully wiping the weapon.
"Ye Ning, you're awake. Why didn't you rest a little longer?" Seeing that Ye Ning was awake, Xiao Jingchen immediately stopped what he was doing.
"It's okay! I'm already awake, let's get going!"
Long Fei skillfully set up the small pot and started boiling water.
After a simple meal, the three began to discuss their next steps.
Xiao Jingchen took out a map.
They are currently in a newly developed area on the outskirts of City A. Although it is not as bustling as the city center, there are many residential communities here.
To avoid attracting attention, it's best to cross on foot during the day and then use snowmobiles to travel to a more secluded area at night.
After finalizing the plan, Xiao Jingchen sent Long Fei out to scout ahead, and then he and Ye Ning put the snowmobile into their spatial storage before following closely behind.
The snow boots crunched on the frozen ground, as if playing a mournful symphony.
The surrounding high-rise buildings were covered with icicles, and in the desolate environment, they seemed lifeless, like a ghost town, so quiet that it was frightening.
But Ye Ning knew that many people were huddled up, hiding inside these thick ice shells, barely clinging to life, waiting to pounce.
By 10 a.m., the sun had come out, and the temperature began to rise slowly.
Like a thawing glacier, small groups of people finally appeared around.
They looked pale and walked unsteadily, carrying all sorts of strange tools, as they began to dig at the buildings beneath the ice.
Although they were so hungry they could barely stand, their survival instincts kept them waving their tools.
Whenever a tunnel is dug into a building, everyone around it rushes over and frantically tries to loot the supplies inside.
Food would be the best, but even clothes can be used to keep warm.
In this process, competition was inevitable, and they showed no mercy to their own kind.
There were also the hungry men who had been lying in wait nearby, observing from the shadows. They didn't dig themselves, but waited until the digging was completed before they made their move to steal.
Blood stained the supplies, but they seemed oblivious to it and the pain, clutching their loot and scurrying back to their safety.
The harsh environment fueled their servility and bestiality, and the facade of civilization vanished.
Although Ye Ning and the other two were all wearing ordinary down jackets, some people still noticed something was off about their complexions.
"Hey! You three, stop right there!" a tactless man shouted arrogantly from behind. This man was none other than Chen San, the local thug leader.
Xiao Jingchen and his two companions had no interest in getting entangled with these people and continued walking forward without even pausing.
"Hey! I'm calling you, did you hear me!" Seeing that they ignored him, Chen San thought they were scared and shouted even more arrogantly.
"Fine! Since you're so ungrateful, then don't blame me for being impolite!" Chen San's evil nature grew, and he grabbed a stick from the roadside and charged towards Xiao Jingchen and his group.
"Ouch! That hurts! How dare you lay a hand on me! Do you know who I am?" Before Chen San could even touch Xiao Jingchen, a sudden force grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground. It was Long Fei who had made the move.
"If you're so capable, then state your names!" Chen San was still shouting.
Sure enough, there will always be those who are blind to the danger.
Xiao Jingchen turned around, his heavy boots making a deep sound as he walked to Chen San's side.
"What... what do you want to do?" Looking at the young man in front of him, a sense of fear suddenly welled up in his heart, an instinctive reaction to death.
Xiao Jingchen stomped on Chen San's head and slammed his head hard into the ice.
"If you dare utter another sound, I'll kill you! Do you understand?!"
"Yes, yes! I understand!" Chen San hurriedly begged for mercy.
Xiao Jingchen nodded in satisfaction, then released his foot.
He didn't kill him simply because he didn't want the blood of such a person to taint Ye Ning's eyes.
Chen San scrambled to his feet, no longer daring to provoke Xiao Jingchen and the others.
Those who had been secretly observing from the sidelines couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Chen San, this local thug, has been bullying the area lately, relying on his two henchmen. The nearby residents dare not speak out against him.
Seeing Chen San get his comeuppance is naturally very gratifying.
Chen San knew that this time he had tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead; not only did he not gain any benefit, but he also ruined his prestige.
Driven by wickedness, he suddenly grabbed a girl by the roadside and forcibly dragged her into the building. The skinny little girl was no match for him; despite her desperate struggles, it was all in vain.
The girl's scream echoed through the empty stairwell, but the surrounding residents remained silent, none daring to step forward to stop her.
"Mr. Xiao, I'm sorry, could you wait for me for a moment?" Long Fei suddenly stopped.
Sure enough, Long Fei finally couldn't hold back anymore. Even without the long-term torture of the apocalypse, his heart was still warm.
Unlike Ye Ning and Xiao Jingchen, who had witnessed the cruelty of the apocalypse and whose hearts had long since hardened, they were different.
Xiao Jingchen frowned, then nodded. After a while, Long Fei came out covered in blood, followed by the girl.
"You're alright! Go on now! Don't go out alone again!" Long Fei patted her shoulder.
"But I have no family left!" the girl whispered.
"Then let's find a way to become stronger!" Long Fei turned and left without hesitation.
In such an environment, what difference does saving one person make? There are hundreds or thousands of people experiencing the same thing. But since he saw it, he couldn't turn a blind eye.
"Mr. Xiao, I'm sorry, I acted impulsively!" Long Fei bowed deeply.
Xiao Jingchen didn't blame him, but instead patted him on the shoulder reassuringly.
The surrounding residents realized the strength of Xiao Jingchen and his group, and subconsciously followed them; this is human nature to admire the strong.
Xiao Jingchen turned around coldly, "Anyone who dares to follow will die!"
He is not a savior; he has no interest in saving people who are unrelated to him.
Having witnessed Xiao Jingchen's methods, those people had no choice but to retreat in fear and dared not follow any further.
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