Yu Xifeng packed up the things in the room into her spatial pocket.

The generator, her sheets and blankets, the small snacks by the bedside.

Then she slung the large capacity bag onto her back.

She quickly scanned the room, leaving behind only the original bed frame and a set of tattered clothes.

It was almost the same as when she first entered the shelter.

The fire today would inevitably burn its way inside sooner or later; the fear was that nothing would be left inside the room.

Inside Yu Xifeng’s spatial pocket, there was water and ice.

If she wanted, she could have extinguished the fire right in front of her.

Even though fire would dry the air, she had an oxygen tank.

It was possible, but unnecessary.

If she really did that and protected the room, there would be no place to stay in the underground shelter anymore.

Yu Xifeng hesitated a moment inside her spatial pocket, hiding for two days to avoid attention before running out through the fire.

Going into the pocket was easy, but what the situation would be like when coming out was unpredictable.

“Yu Xifeng—”

“Yu Xifeng—”

“Yu Xifeng—”

At first, Yu Xifeng thought it was oxygen deprivation causing hallucinations.

Until Zhang Qiu appeared, waving a high-pressure water gun, flames engulfing him as he steadily approached her.

The high-pressure water gun forcefully suppressed the sparks, but only for a moment before the flames flared back again.

Old Cai was clearing obstacles with his cane. “Yu Xifeng, come out quickly.”

Zhang Qiu’s voice was hoarse: “Not enough water, hurry.”

Yu Xifeng no longer hesitated. At the moment she opened the door, using it as cover, she manipulated the water in her spatial pocket and drenched herself thoroughly.

She took a deep breath, covered her mouth and nose, and rushed out.

Passing through the chaotic Zhang family’s place, Deng Feiyu was already gone, silent.

The flames were blinding; the underground shelter was either extremely bright or pitch black, flickering wildly.

Yu Xifeng used a knife to push aside burning obstacles.

“This way.”

She looked up and saw Zhang Qiu at the corner, only his eyes visible — eyes full of anxiety.

Yu Xifeng inexplicably felt a bit relieved.

“Watch out!” Zhang Qiu’s pupils contracted sharply.

Half a beam collapsed; Old Cai pulled Zhang Qiu away just in time, sparks grazing the corner of Zhang Qiu’s eye.

His eyes were bloodshot: “Yu Xifeng!”

Had he arrived too late…?

The beam was split in two, and Yu Xifeng stood at the break, her blue Tang Dao sword reflecting the firelight.

She gave Zhang Qiu a reassuring smile.

“You’re okay… that’s really good.”

After regrouping with Old Cai and Zhang Qiu, the path behind was much easier.

The inner ring’s safe passage was spacious and smooth, even guided by faint green lights.

Yu Xifeng saw many familiar faces.

They were dressed neatly at the banquet.

Now, fleeing in such a messy state, they looked no different from ordinary people.

Behind them, Deng Mifen’s family also emerged, faces covered in soot and ash.

Deng Mifen trembled at her lips, completely lost and helpless.

Her sister-in-law’s child was dead.

At the moment the beam fell, the child was crushed underneath, silence from that point on.

Her sister-in-law went mad, desperately trying to save the child.

She was dragged and pulled back by two brothers and finally knocked unconscious with a stick before being carried out.

After running down the long stairs, Yu Xifeng finally reached the surface.

A cold wind blew fiercely.

Her clothes visibly frosted over.

The more soaked she was just now, the worse the freezing now—like wearing a layer of ice, unbearable for anyone.

Upon stepping out, Yu Xifeng’s face turned pale.

She was surrounded by people.

All had poured out of the shelter.

Zhang Qiu pulled out a folding tent from somewhere. “Change your clothes first. Do you have any?”

There had to be some.

This was clearly not a place to set up a tent, but Zhang Qiu and Old Cai each grabbed a corner and quickly made a makeshift changing room around Yu Xifeng.

Inside the tent, she quickly changed into warm underwear from her spatial pocket—one medium size, one large size layered on top, plus a cold-weather coat.

The tent was hastily set up and drafty.

Yu Xifeng hurried to drink two sips of hot water.

The cold was deadly.

Before leaving the tent, she put a thermos filled with lamb soup into her bag.

Zhang Qiu said, “We probably can’t get back into the underground shelter today. Let’s find a place to shelter from the wind.”

They moved little by little.

A faint light appeared on the horizon; dawn was coming.

The cold night before dawn made every breath bone-chilling.

Zhang Qiu’s face was flushed, like he was drunk.

After Yu Xifeng came out, Zhang Qiu took a pill inside the tent before coming out to pack it up.

He handed Yu Xifeng a candy—a watermelon flavor, somewhat old-fashioned, with a white sugar coating.

His family stocked medicine; life wasn’t too hard for them.

Yu Xifeng unwrapped the candy and bit into it with a crisp snap.

While walking, Zhang Qiu kept wiping soot off his face.

He took big steps and didn’t stop cleaning, even carefully wiping the gaps in his mask.

Yu Xifeng touched her own face—her hand was blackened too.

She wanted to say something but remembered Zhang Qiu’s delicate constitution prone to rashes in the wind and kept silent.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a cut near Zhang Qiu’s eye and pulled out a bandage to hand it to him.

Zhang Qiu shook his head. “I’m worried about rust. Without hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound, it’s better to keep it ventilated. Tetanus bacteria are anaerobic.”

Yu Xifeng said nothing.

Zhang Qiu showed half his face and hand, which looked red and swollen—either from frostbite or an allergic reaction.

Yu Xifeng handed him a warming patch.

In such a cold night, that little bit of warmth quickly faded.

Zhang Qiu still carefully pressed it to his skin.

Meanwhile, Deng Mifen’s sister-in-law woke up from the cold.

The first thing she did was fight with Deng Mihua.

“You damn murderer, your brother set the fire! Why don’t you just die? Why don’t you just die? You killed my child. How do you deserve to live?”

Deng Mifen curled up, but still took a slap across the face from her sister-in-law.

She felt wronged in her heart.

She didn’t set the fire. She didn’t want this to happen.

Her sister-in-law’s life was saved by her husband.

How could she be scolded like that?

But her husband, who just rescued her sister-in-law, now squatted to the side without even glancing their way.

He let Deng Mifen be beaten by her crazed sister-in-law.

Yu Xifeng ignored the commotion on Deng Mifen’s side.

They walked and stopped for a long time, finally reaching a barely acceptable place.

Zhang Qiu squatted down, trying to start a fire.

After wasting two matches, he dared not try again.

Matches were precious now.

Yu Xifeng divided the hot soup from the thermos into bowls for them.

Zhang Qiu decided to properly set up the tent so they would have a windproof place.

Yu Xifeng hugged the thermos, drinking soup and picking out lamb slices.

After finishing the soup, she held a warm water bag and bounced a little nearby.

She lent the warm water bag to Old Cai, but he refused and told her to keep it herself.