Chapter 6: Cold Wave Strikes

Time flew, and November had already arrived. Chu Xiao was in the basement, sending the last batch of cotton into his storage space.

Back in September, he had hired workers to reinforce the villa’s perimeter, enclosing the entire community with high walls.

At first, his opposite neighbor even filed a complaint, but so what? Chu Xiao had plenty of money, a sweet tongue, and knew how to get things done.

Under the resentful gaze of his neighbors, Chu Xiao carried the approval letter with swagger, leading the workers to start laying bricks. He even hired a studio specializing in spray painting to create some impromptu art on the wall.

The neighbor was so furious that they slammed the door and stormed out—never to return again.

As for the basement structure, Chu Xiao had it remodeled by professional designers. Twisting, winding secret passages were installed, and only he knew the full layout.

After all, Chu Xiao wasn’t foolish enough to hire only one designer.

“Brother Xiao, the temperature outside has started dropping,” Jiang Ning said gloomily. Just a few days ago, her mother hadn’t been able to hold on and had passed away.

“I know. Next comes preparing to face the cold wave. The person I asked you to look for—did you find them?” Chu Xiao dusted off his hands and shut the bunker door.

“Not yet. Too many people with the same name, and none matched the details you gave me.” Jiang Ning faintly guessed at Chu Xiao’s true origins.

But she still chose to follow him.

With extreme weather becoming more frequent, as a lone woman, finding a strong pillar to rely on was her best choice.

“Then don’t rush it. We’ll find them eventually. Let’s head up and see what else we haven’t bought yet. Try to complete the list.”

Chu Xiao had decided to tell Jiang Ning the truth today—especially since a few days ago she had already stumbled upon his secret of having a storage space.

But Jiang Ning hadn’t shown any surprise at all. Instead, she accepted it calmly.

After observing her for several days and finding no hint of betrayal, Chu Xiao decided to come clean.

Still, if Jiang Ning ever dared to betray him, he wouldn’t hesitate to take her head on the spot.

So what if she was called the “First Female War God” in the apocalypse?
Before doomsday, she was nothing more than a weak woman who couldn’t even truss a chicken.

The two of them went upstairs. Nuomi and Banban, the cats, were curled up in the cat beds Jiang Ning had prepared for them, next to a small heater.

“Brother Xiao, I know what you’re about to say,” Jiang Ning said as she sat down, staring at Chu Xiao with eyes full of resolve, almost like she was ready to give herself completely.

Chu Xiao was taken aback. As expected of a top student—her mind was sharp.

“Brother Xiao, you came back from the apocalypse, didn’t you?” Her single sentence shattered Chu Xiao’s last attempt to deny it.

“Damn! There really are girls who love reading apocalypse novels that much—and actually believe in them?” Chu Xiao thought to himself.

Seeing he didn’t refute it, Jiang Ning went on:
“I’ve been following you for months now. At first, when you were hoarding supplies, I thought you were just planning to resell them for profit. But when you kept stockpiling nonstop, I knew something was wrong. Who in their right mind would buy ten tons of salt and MSG for no reason? Not to mention all those seeds—eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers. You’ve hoarded at least a hundred thousand packets of each. Aside from preparing for the apocalypse, I can’t think of another explanation.”

Chu Xiao was satisfied with her intelligence, though he didn’t quite like her being too clever.

“You like reading apocalypse novels?” he asked, instead of giving her a direct answer.

“Huh?” Jiang Ning froze, then quickly realized.

“Of course I do. I don’t just read apocalypse novels, I also read interstellar ones. Male-oriented stories are always the best, though female-oriented ones are decent too. But sometimes they’re way too saintly. Like passing through a place and saving even stray dogs—what are they, the Pope?”

“Oh? You even know about the Pope?” Chu Xiao finally let down his guard.

Girls who loved apocalypse fiction usually had stronger acceptance of reality than others. Since they already understood the cruelty of doomsday worlds, they could better accept the apocalypse when it actually arrived.

When faced with disaster, their reactions were quicker too.

As for mental resilience, Chu Xiao believed that Jiang Ning, who had once been the “First Female War God” of the apocalypse, would not disappoint him.

After teasing each other a bit, they began organizing their supplies.

Tens of thousands of tons of meat, a million tons of mineral water, ten million boxes of instant noodles, self-heating hotpots, and ready-to-eat rice. Rice and flour had reached 3.2 million bags thanks to Chu Xiao’s efforts.

He had also stockpiled several tons of cooked food, semi-finished products, hotpot bases, and other seasonings. Without Jiang Ning’s reminder, he would have forgotten that some tasty dishes weren’t something everyone could cook.

There were also eight thousand tons of fresh vegetables, uncountable amounts of fruit, plenty of cooking oil, condiments, and compressed biscuits—essentially endless.

As for other tools, like generators and solar panels—if you could imagine it, Chu Xiao could get it.

All in all, of the original 23.1 billion yuan, less than 200 million was left.

“Brother Xiao, shouldn’t we also stock up on things like TV dramas and comics? We can’t just spend the apocalypse fighting zombies and resting, right? Won’t there be any entertainment?” Jiang Ning thought of the grim days ahead and wanted to shout: Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!

“Then let’s buy some game consoles—offline ones. Also comics, novels, all sorts of books. Forget it, I’ll just take you to a book publisher. You can pick directly. Who knows, maybe when the apocalypse comes, we can even open a bookstore.”

Chu Xiao was a man of action. Once he decided, he did it.

By the time the two of them returned, the temperature had already dropped to about 5°C.

“Brother Xiao, this is way too cold.” Jiang Ning was bundled up in fleece-lined gloves, thick earmuffs, and a red scarf that made her look even more lively.

Her breath came out as mist, dispersing into the air.

The two cats were huddled in front of the heater. When Jiang Ning picked them up, their noses were nearly scorched.

Especially Nuomi, whose fur was already singed.

“Meow!” Banban complained, and Jiang Ning had to cradle one cat in each arm.

“You really are a natural cat magnet,” Chu Xiao muttered bitterly.

He had raised those cats for at least two years, yet in just three months, this woman had stolen their hearts.

With a wicked glint in his eye, he looked at the kittens.

“Heh. You little perverts. Time to send you both for the neutering package deal!” Chu Xiao set down the books he was holding and dialed a number.

“Hello, Dr. Gu? I have two little cats that need your services.”

The sharp look in his eyes made both cats fluff up in alarm.

Unfair! You little trash. You’re actually plotting to take away our pride?!

Nuomi scurried off to hide, while Banban wasn’t afraid—he scratched Chu Xiao with a paw and went back to snuggling in Jiang Ning’s arms.

So soft…

After hanging up, Chu Xiao went down to the basement to check the ventilation system.

When the real cold wave arrived, he, Jiang Ning, and the soon-to-arrive Dr. Gu would all live in the basement for three months. They wouldn’t come up until February of the next year.

In his previous life, around this time, at least 200,000 people in City A had frozen to death.

Because the cold wave struck so suddenly, most families hadn’t prepared. On top of that, frost covered the power lines, leading to frequent outages.

And so, the death toll from the cold grew with each passing day.