With the addition of the wolf, life became much livelier. 

The Arctic is cold, and the wolf puppies may not be able to adapt to it after they are born. Jiang Ning was afraid that Bai Xue had no experience taking care of them, so she made some small clothes for the pups, especially since she had spare time on her hands.  

Huo Yishen also got busy, carrying out a wolf training plan. 

No one seemed to notice, but it appeared that Doudou had become lonelier. 

Her brother and sister-in-law were close, and she rarely disturbed them unless necessary.  

In the past, she had Coke to keep her company. They would build snowballs and play in the snow. 

But now… Coke seemed to have forgotten her. Apart from asking favors from her sister-in-law, he would just circle around Bai Xue. 

When the weather was fine, the two would chase each other happily in the snow. 

Coke no longer invited her to play. 

She tried calling him out, but he just rolled around with Bai Xue instead. 

The changes came too quickly, and Doudou became at a loss. 

She suddenly felt like she didn’t belong. 

Teenage girls can be so sensitive. 

Before, when she was upset, she could cuddle the dog and share secrets. 

But now, she didn’t know who to talk to. 

Jiang Ning didn’t realize it until she finished with the work at hand, “Doudou, what’s wrong with you?” 

Her face was pale, and she huddled on the sofa without saying a word. 

“Sister-in-law, I got my period. It hurts.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me when you were having your period?” Jiang Ning asked with concern. “Do you have enough napkins?” 

She prepared some herbal tea and handed over a few packs of napkins from her space. 

After waking up from a nap, Jiang Ning accidentally found Doudou staring blankly at the sofa, while Coke and Bai Xue were sleeping soundly by the charcoal stove. 

She stepped back, recalling recent events, and then reminded Huo Yishen, “It seems like Doudou’s been feeling a bit down lately.” 

Huo Yishen nodded, “Coke has found a companion, so he has less time to play with her.” 

In the apocalypse, mental health issues are pretty common. Jiang Ning was used to having company, so the thought of going back to living alone like she did in her past life was difficult. 

Though she called them as brother and sister-in-law, in reality, they are no different from parents. 

Jiang Ning and Huo Yishen noticed this problem and would subconsciously find things for Doudou to do. When they were free, they would talk to her, play cards, or chess. 

But there’s still some distance between them. Once things calmed down, if you paid attention, Doudou still seemed kind of down. 

Jiang Ning believed that Coke’s attention on Bai Xue wasn’t the real issue; the real problem was loneliness. 

Living as a family, with her brother and sister-in-law in love, and Coke revolving around his wife, Doudou felt left out. 

She was at a sensitive age. 

It was like when she was young, skipping to school while holding hands with her friends. They were all the same, but they always had their parents pick them up after school, and she didn’t. 

She understood Doudou’s feelings well. 

Jiang Ning selected a few psychology books, hoping that they would help Doudou. 

As long as the weather is good, Huo Yishen will also call Doudou to go out for a patrol nearby, and Coke eagerly followed them. 

Bai Xue’s belly is getting bigger and bigger, and she will give birth in half a month. 

She became quieter, rarely playing in the snow, and often stayed close to Jiang Ning. 

Not only is there meat to eat, but any leftovers can be stored away. 

Jiang Ning squatted by the charcoal stove, gently caressing its belly and feeling the pups move. 

Suddenly, Bai Xue stood up abruptly, with an extremely alert expression. 

Except for the first few days after she came into the house, she almost never showed this behavior again. 

Jiang Ning quickly grabbed her gun. “Bai Xue, you stay in the house obediently; I’ll go out and take a look.” 

Bai Xue was quite comfortable during this period, but she hadn’t let her guard down. 

Jiang Ning went out and climbed up the snow hill and used her binoculars to observe the surroundings. She saw Huo Yishen patrolling with his sister and Coke in the distance. 

A few hundred meters away from them, several shadows appeared. 

They were wearing animal skins, wrapped up with only their eyes exposed, and were very tall. 

Clearly, they had also spotted Huo Yishen. 

Jiang Ning lay on the snow hill, took out a sniper rifle, and aimed… 

Bai Xue followed, crawling beside her, with her yellow-brown eyes fixed on the distance, ready to rush out at any time. 

“You’re about to give birth soon, Bai Xue. Don’t worry, Coke will be fine,” Jiang Ning reassured it. 

Wolves were extremely intelligent and patient. Bai Xue seemed to understand her and stayed still. 

There were five people. When they saw Huo Yishen in the distance, they raised their guns. 

Jiang Ning didn’t hesitate. She aimed and pulled the trigger… 

It was too far away, and the target suddenly moved, but she managed to knock the gun out of one of their hands. 

She wanted to fire a second shot, but the other side all lay down. 

The snow was very thick that it directly covered their body, making it impossible to aim properly 

They shouted something, but Jiang Ning couldn’t hear from that distance. 

Strangely, Huo Yishen didn’t fire back. Instead, he told Doudou and Coke to return, retreating slowly while speaking to them. 

What exactly is he doing? This isn’t his thing! 

Jiang Ning kept aiming, ready to shoot if they attacked.  

As long as Huo Yishen and the others were hurt, none of them would be able to escape. 

Doudou and Coke returned first. Huo Yishen continued to back away, weapon ready, and only turned once he was out of effective firing range. 

Knowing that there was a sniper on the other side, they did not mess around. First, one of them slowly stood up without any weapon in his hand. 

They used their actions to send a signal—don’t shoot. 

Then the second, the third… 

Seeing that the other side did not shoot again, they turned their backs, picked up the guns, and hurried away. 

When the two and the dog returned safely, Jiang Ning asked anxiously, “Who were they?” 

“From Russia.” 

Russians? She hadn’t expected them in the Arctic. 

Jiang Ning couldn’t help but frown. “Why didn’t you kill them?” 

Huo Yishen had considered it, but they hadn’t shown hostility. “They were out looking for medicine and have no intention to fight us.” 

After so many years of natural disasters, even fellow countrymen were hard to trust, let alone warlike Russians. Their peace offer might be out of weakness today, but next time could be different. 

“They said other survivors are in the Arctic. There was a conflict recently, and they’re searching for medicine for their injured,” he explained. 

He was closer and could see more clearly than Jiang Ning. “Their guns are all empty shells, and the bullets have been used up long ago.” 

That’s why he let them go. They weren’t a threat. 

If there are really other survivors in the Arctic, having the Russians fight them could be beneficial. 

Jiang Ning frowned, “How many survivors are there?” 

“They didn’t say exactly, but it seems like quite a few, and they’ve formed alliances.” 

“You speak Russian?” 

“No, but one of them used to make videos and knows some Chinese.” 

After finding out that he was Chinese, the other person said ‘Dawari’ several times, which made him hesitant to shoot. 

Alliances against the Russians?  

Jiang Ning thought for a while and had a general idea of which countries the survivors were from.