Even though it was night, the snow outside the window reflected a soft glow, resembling the faint light of dawn. Unfortunately, there were no neon signs or bustling traffic like before.

Heavy snow had swallowed the city, leaving only silence.

Yu Xifeng wrapped herself in a coat, scarf, and gloves. Once fully equipped, she pulled out the cloth strip that sealed the balcony door gap and opened a small crack in the sliding door.

The cold penetrated through the many layers of clothing wrapped around her; it felt as if she was inhaling not air, but icy cold.

On a sudden whim, she scooped up a handful of snow from the balcony.

Then she quickly slid the balcony door back into place.

Back in the bedroom, the heater was already on. The chill slowly peeled away like silk threads, and Yu Xifeng felt as if she had returned to the warmth of the living world.

She let out a long breath.

The night was simply too cold.

It was deadly.

She put the snow into a small dish and tested its water quality.

The capacitive pen for water testing showed the water was very clean and drinkable.

This snow falling from the sky was an inexhaustible water resource.

Right now, water used outside was mostly taken on the spot and used immediately. In her previous life, she had drunk a fair share of it.

This time, Yu Xifeng had stockpiled some drinking water in advance, and the spring water inside her space could supply daily water needs.

She didn’t lack water, but this was ice.

To make ice herself, she would still have to consume precious energy.

She had her space, so it was a waste not to collect it.

Saving this ice would be very useful later on.

After confirming how clean the snow and ice outside were, Yu Xifeng was in no hurry.

The room was warm enough; on the balcony, the snow stuck to the window melted and seeped inside continuously.

Water leaking from the outside wall into the house was never a pleasant thing.

By the next day, at one in the afternoon,

Yu Xifeng went back out to the balcony. The sun was shining brightly outside, the sunlight warming her body but not really providing warmth.

She shoveled snow from the balcony and from under the eaves into a bucket. The icicles were half a person’s height. After breaking some off, she played with the ice briefly in her hands, then stored it in her space.

From then on, Yu Xifeng set aside a little time every day to clear snow outside.

She planned to find a chance to go out and bring more snow back to her space.

That chance came quickly.

Han Lei arrived.

Yu Xifeng put away her cat.

After the temperature dropped, she no longer let the little orange cat appear in front of others.

Many people couldn’t even afford a meal; some dog owners had cooked their dogs into stew and survived on dog food.

Yu Xifeng had seen pet food recipes. Before the apocalypse, the pet economy flourished, and pet food was more expensive than human food.

The formulas contained over 60% meat, far superior to the compressed biscuits sold in the market now.

Adding a handful of pet food to soup made a rich meat broth.

She’d heard some people proposed that since ownerless houses were to be requisitioned, all food should also be handed over and distributed by the community.

Everyone was human; in times like this, people should band together and help each other.

No one should live in luxury while others starved inside their homes.

This proposal caused quite a stir and had many supporters.

So scared, Sister Yun didn’t dare pick up the batch of fuel she had bought; she stored it in a warehouse and hired someone to watch it.

Yu Xifeng opened the door for Han Lei since he was from the community.

Han Lei came to notify her about snow clearing.

The community organized manpower to clear snow from rooftops and the neighborhood every day.

This was to prevent damage to the buildings and to clear a passage out.

Snow would not only block roads but also bury low-floor apartments.

Those low floors were unlucky—nothing good came their way. After natural disasters, it was always water or snow; their homes never got a break.

Every household had to send at least one person every two weeks.

Now it was Yu Xifeng’s turn.

Han Lei looked up, his gaze falling on the room behind Yu Xifeng.

It was clear her place was warmer.

He said, “You live alone, so be careful.”

He also knew the mess behind the house requisition issue.

People like Yu Xifeng, with no strong backing and family conflicts, were easier targets—prime picks for others.

But Yu Xifeng was a tough one.

Toughness was good—only the tough survived in this apocalypse.

After the floods came the big temperature drop; the apocalypse had become common knowledge.

Han Lei didn’t yet know about Yang Rong’s secret moves but gave a humanitarian reminder.

Yu Xifeng thanked him and invited him in for a cup of hot tea.

Han Lei waved it off: “I still have to go to the next place. Tomorrow around this time, come down to the community entrance. Don’t work too long at once; twenty to thirty minutes is enough, then come back inside to rest. They’ll give you a whistle to hang around your neck. If you feel unwell, blow the whistle.”

Some people, after prolonged hypothermia, would hallucinate or feel overheated and want to take off their coats.

That was a sign of impending shock. The community had had several such cases.

Yu Xifeng knew all this; she’d participated in similar efforts in her previous life.

For such labor, a half-pack of compressed biscuits could easily find someone to do it for her.

But after some thought, she decided to do it herself.

The underground shelter would not open for a while; Yu Xifeng would have to stay in the building for at least half a month.

If she completely stayed inside, it might provoke suspicion.

Her current situation was not one to attract too much attention.

Working for the community meant about an hour and a half a day at most.

Yu Xifeng arrived at the community entrance and received a shovel and gloves.

People often brought their own buckets.

Clean floating snow on the ice was collected in personal buckets to be melted and drunk.

Floating snow melted more easily; bringing chunks of ice home to melt could take much longer, and melting ice would further lower indoor temperature.

People preferred to work in the greenbelt areas near buildings—less wind, cleaner snow, and they could gather twigs and grass to burn.

The worst place was the rooftop—windy, slippery, and much colder.

Yu Xifeng didn’t stand out. She wore an old padded jacket over her cold-weather gear, wrapping herself up tight with a scarf and hat.

Only her eyes were visible.

Most people dressed like this.

Since Lincheng was in the south, it had never before experienced such extreme cold; outdoor insulating clothing was rare.

That led to many people’s outfits being quite haphazard.

Brightly colored, flashy, and strange.

Some wore two pairs of pants as scarves or even put their pant legs over their heads.

When it got cold, they had to jump in place to warm up.

Among this crowd, Yu Xifeng’s grayish clothes were unremarkable, making her blend right in.

She was assigned to a narrow little path beside Building 2, less than ten square meters.

Among all assigned spots, this wasn’t good, but it wasn’t bad either.

As long as she shoveled the snow aside, the task was done.

Yu Xifeng had done this before and was very skilled at shoveling snow.

She used her strength cleverly, not feeling tired.

She placed her foot on the shovel’s step, pressed down, pried up a chunk of snow, and tossed it to the side of the path.