Chapter 81
Eight hours after the apocalypse, the whooshing sound of the heating stove in the mountain villa was muffled by the even fiercer wind and snow outside the window.
Su Jing had just added two pieces of smokeless coal she had taken from her spatial storage to the stove—the coal, carrying the dry warmth stored within, burst into orange flames as soon as it was placed into the blazing stove, the red glow from the stove opening warming her fingertips—
The patrol robot's electronic voice sounded urgent and mechanical: "Outdoor temperature -50℃, down 10℃ from 4 hours ago, wind force increased to level 8, snow particles mixed with small ice pieces with a diameter of 1-2 centimeters hit the outer wall with a 'bang bang' sound, like heavy objects hitting; the infrared alarm detection range has been reduced to 8 meters due to the low temperature, anti-interference mode has been activated, no abnormal targets have been triggered."
The snow accumulation in the courtyard reached 30 centimeters. Strong winds blew some of the snow into snowdrifts half a meter high, which piled up on the edge of the frozen moat. The ice thickness was measured at 12 centimeters, with no risk of it breaking.
Su Jing got up and walked to the window. As soon as her fingertips touched the double-layered vacuum glass, she felt the bone-chilling cold coming through the glass—it was more than one level colder than -40℃.
She used her fingernail to scrape away the thick layer of ice flowers on the inside. The ice flowers were irregularly hexagonal in shape and hard in texture. When she scraped them off, they broke into tiny ice crystals, which melted instantly in her palm and then quickly condensed into a thin layer of frost on her fingertips.
The world outside the window had turned into a completely frozen white: in the distant woods, the bare branches were bent over by the weight of the snow, and the branches were covered with a thick layer of ice. The wind swept by ice particles, and the branches made a "crunching" sound, as if they would break at any moment.
The solar panels in the yard were completely covered by snow, with only the silver edges showing. The snow removal robot had long since stopped working, and the panel displayed a message: "Low temperature protection activated, will restart when the temperature rises below -40℃."
On the off-white insulation panels of the villa's exterior walls, snow and ice crusts intertwine, forming irregular icicles that hang from the eaves like sharp white daggers.
Just then, a faint red forced notification suddenly popped up on the long-silent system panel—not a screen full of messages, but a bold "Global Channel Hot News": "Currently, there are over 50,000 requests for help related to 'shelter full,' including a large number of voice and image requests for help. Do you want to view them?"
Su Jing hesitated for two seconds, but still clicked "Check"—not out of soft-heartedness, but simply to confirm whether the chaos had spread to the deep mountains.
After the panel was opened, the first message was accompanied by a crying emoji. It was a light blue message from "User 389 from the Land of Flowers": "Who can save me! I've been freezing for 3 hours at the entrance of the shelter in the south of the city! The people inside said it's full and won't let me in! I'm only wearing a cotton-padded coat, and now my hands and feet are so cold I can't feel them. My phone is almost out of battery. If no one helps me, I'm going to freeze to death!"
The photo below shows a man huddled outside the closed iron gate of the shelter, his cotton-padded coat covered in snow, his cheeks purple from the cold, and clutching a cell phone with a lit screen displaying a red "5% battery" indicator.
Scroll down, and the information becomes even more confusing:
- Light blue "China User 612": "I'm in a suburban shelter with my child! It's crammed with thousands of people, there's not even room to stand, and the heating is only enough to maintain 10°C. My child is crying from the cold. I only have one thick coat, which I can only wrap around him. Does anyone have a spare small blanket? I'll exchange it with my points!"
- Red "US User 478": "The shelters in Los Angeles are already full! I've been freezing outside for 5 hours and I've seen people frozen stiff on the roadside, but nobody dares to help them, and even if they do, there's nowhere to take them! 'I'm a God of Wealth'! Don't you have a lot of supplies? Could you open a shelter? Please!"
- Golden "EU User 723": "The shelters in Berlin are all closed! The staff said they've run out of supplies and can only prioritize those inside. Those of us who arrived late are just waiting to die outside! I should have bought medicine from China back then, at least it would have helped me withstand the cold!"
The message was interspersed with numerous voice messages. Clicking on one, I heard a woman's tearful scream: "My child is only five years old! He's already starting to tremble! Can anyone give us a hot meal? Just one bite!"
And the sound of an old man coughing, mixed with the howling of the wind and snow, made one's heart tighten.
Su Jing's fingertips lightly swept across the screen without pausing—she knew that even replying with a single word at this moment would be drowned out by countless requests for help, and might even reveal the location of the villa deep in the mountains, rendering all her previous preparations futile.
She raised her hand and clicked "Completely Block Channels". The panel instantly returned to its clean state, and even the forced prompts no longer popped up. Only the green icon for "Space Status" remained quietly lit.
"Let's go check out the space." Su Jing murmured to herself, concentrating her mind to sink into the system space—the scene before her was completely different from the extreme cold and ice outside: the space was filled with warm, pale golden light, the temperature was stable at 22℃, and the air carried the crisp scent of spiritual herbs and the moist aroma of soil, without the slightest hint of cold.
She stood on the edge of the "planting area," the soft black soil beneath her feet had a springy feel, a stark contrast to the frozen ground outside.
The 100 medicinal herbs in the planting area have completed their third round of maturation, reaching a height of 35 centimeters. Their narrow leaves shimmer with a bright white-blue light, and the veins are clearly visible. The edges of each leaf are adorned with tiny golden lines, like a layer of scattered gold.
System notification: [The spiritual herb is growing in excellent condition, releasing 35 points of spiritual energy daily. The current spiritual energy concentration in the space is 1.8, which can effectively assist cultivation;]
The leaves contain trace amounts of spiritual components, and can be picked, dried, and used to make tea to enhance cold resistance.
Su Jing bent down and gently touched a spiritual herb leaf. A slightly cool sensation came from her fingertips. The leaf swayed gently, and a wisp of light blue spiritual energy flowed into her body through her fingertips, instantly dispelling the lingering depression from watching the channel earlier.
Next to the spiritual herb, in the vegetable garden, were the cabbages and radishes she had sown earlier—the cabbage leaves were emerald green and plump, without any pests or diseases, and the outer leaves wrapped around the inner heart, like little green fists.
The radish leaves are emerging from the soil, spreading out, and the roots are slightly bulging in the soil. You can see the fine cracks on the soil surface. The system indicates that "the radish is 60% mature and can be harvested in 3 days. The weight of a single plant is about 1.5 kilograms."
She squatted down and used her fingers to brush away the surface of the soil, revealing the radish's pale red skin, still damp with soil, without any signs of freezing, making it much fresher than the vegetables in the supermarket.
Passing through the planting area, you enter the "breeding area"—300 chicks roam freely in an enclosure lined with dry straw. Their fluffy white feathers resemble tiny pom-poms. Some chicks are pecking at the millet grown in the space, while others are fluttering their wings and chasing each other. In the corner of the enclosure, 28 light brown eggs are neatly arranged in their nests. The eggshells are clean and smooth, still warm from the chicks' bodies.
The system notification states: "The chicks are growing healthily, laying an average of 25-30 eggs per day, which can meet their daily consumption needs; 10 breeding chickens have been selected and can be used for further breeding."
Su Jing reached in, and a bold little chick jumped onto her palm. Its downy feathers were soft, and it chirped without any fear. The warmth from her palm made the life in the space seem even more vibrant.
Next to the chicken coop was the lamb pen, where 20 lambs, pure white with thick, soft wool, were eating alfalfa grown in the space. The grass was lush and juicy, and the lambs were eating with great relish, their mouths adorned with bits of grass.
Beside two of the ewes lay a newborn lamb, its eyes closed, nestled in its mother's arms, occasionally emitting a soft bleating.
The system notification reads: "[The lambs have adapted to the environment, two ewes have successfully given birth, and there are currently 22 lambs in the flock. Their wool can be sheared regularly for making warm clothing.]"
Su Jing looked at the lamb curled up and gently touched the mother sheep's wool with her fingertips. It was warm and thick, and she could imagine how soft and warm it would be after being made into a sweater.
The innermost enclosure is for five cows. The cows have dark brown coats, are robust, and are lying on a pile of hay, ruminating slowly with gentle eyes.
In the corner of the enclosure, the feeding trough was filled with corn stalks and soybean meal grown in the space, while the water trough next to it was filled with clear, unfrozen water.
The system message reads: "The herd is healthy, disease-free, and can produce 20 liters of milk per day (3 dairy cows). Beef reserves are sufficient to meet long-term meat consumption needs."
Su Jing walked up to a cow. The cow looked up at her without flinching. She gently patted the cow's back; its fur was smooth, its muscles were firm, and she could feel its steady breathing.
In the "livelihood area" next to the aquaculture area, the miniature freshwater lake ripples with clear water, and you can see the fish in the lake—500 crucian carp and 300 grass carp that were released earlier are now swimming in groups, their scales shimmering silver in the pale golden light.
The feeding machine by the lake is filled with fish food made from wheat flour grown in the space. The system prompts: "[The fish are growing well, with an average weight of 0.8 kg. They can be harvested and eaten regularly. The water quality is stable and there is no need to change the water.]"
Su Jing squatted by the lake, watching the fish chase the shadow of her fingertips, and felt much more at ease—the vegetables, livestock, and fish in her space were all growing healthily.
This means that even if the extreme cold continues outside, she can achieve self-sufficiency in "vegetables + meat + eggs + milk + fish" without relying on external resources.
Before leaving the space, Su Jing picked three leaves of a spiritual herb—intending to dry them and brew them into tea. The spiritual energy of the herb could enhance cold resistance, so even if the room was warm, an extra layer of protection was always good.
Back at the villa, the patrol robot's electronic voice sounded again: "According to weather monitoring, temperatures will continue to drop over the next 12 hours, expected to fall below -60°C, possibly accompanied by blizzards and ice pellets. It is recommended to strengthen the sealing of doors and windows."
"Reduce outdoor activities." Su Jing nodded, walked to the door to check the doors and windows—the sealant around the door frames wasn't cracked, the thick velvet curtains were drawn tightly, leaving only a narrow gap to observe the snow situation. She also had the robot add a layer of waterproof and heat-insulating film to the outside of the doors and windows to ensure that not a single bit of cold wind could seep in.
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