After finishing her meal, Clara Wang turned on the fitness routine she had downloaded and started working out. After all, sitting around would only make her body deteriorate further. She had also prepared a pet treadmill for her cat, Jinbao, tying a carrot—his favorite treat—at the front. Jinbao, adorable as ever, would either stop or run intermittently.

Once she completed her workout, Clara hadn't even broken a sweat; the cold weather made it impossible to perspire. She donned her down jacket and settled in front of the heater to check her phone. The signal was still strong, and many people were active online. However, as time passed, no one had the leisure to play on their phones; they were more concerned about whether they would survive another day.

As she opened a popular app, Clara saw numerous distress calls flooding in:

- [Help!!! Is there anyone who can assist my family? My child has fallen unconscious, address: World Championship Garden Building 7, Apt 301, please, anyone!]

- [My grandmother is frostbitten and the door is blocked by snow. Is there anyone who can help?]

- [My house has lost power!!! There's no heat; does anyone nearby have extra firewood? I can pay, location: Xinhua Street No. 209.]

Clara scrolled past these messages, somehow indifferent, whether deemed selfish or cold-hearted. She only wished to survive in this life, and for others, she felt she would act according to her mood later on. Of course, this was all conditioned on ensuring her own safety first.

After scrolling for a while, she found nothing but pleas for help. She switched off her phone, headed to the bathroom, and then planned to make lunch. While her storage space had plenty of instant food, Clara wanted to cook while she still could, uncertain of what might happen later.

Upon entering the bathroom, a sudden realization hit her: in this freezing weather, the bathroom was likely frozen solid! She had made an oversight! 

Looking around her space for alternatives, she spotted Jinbao's litter box. 

"Sorry, Jinbao," she apologized. With a complicated feeling, she finished her business under the cat's startled gaze. Coughing slightly, Clara used a scoop to cover it up.

For lunch, Clara decided to make spicy ribs with garlic lettuce and steamed rice. 

After washing the rice and starting it, she prepared the cleaned, cut ribs to blanch them, adding some cooking wine and chopped green onions, ginger, and garlic for flavor. 

As the cold water heated up, she chopped the lettuce and garlic for the dish. The ribs blanched, so she retrieved them, caramelized some rock sugar, and tossed in the blanched ribs. 

The oil sizzled as it cooked—Clara quickly dodged to avoid splatters. 

After some stir-frying to ensure the ribs were evenly coated, she added star anise, bay leaves, soy sauce, salt, chicken essence, and chili powder, pouring in some water before covering the pot to let it simmer.

While the ribs cooked, Clara took out another pan, heated oil, and sautéed the minced garlic before tossing in the lettuce. Stir-frying briefly, she let the moisture from the greens release. She only needed oyster sauce, salt, and chicken essence to finish the dish.

After putting the garlic lettuce aside to keep warm near the heater, Clara ladled some rice and served Jinbao a can of cat food along with some goat milk. She turned on her iPad to find a variety show, and the two—one human, one cat—enjoyed their meal cozily by the heater.

Midway through their meal, Clara noticed the surveillance video from the table by the window showing around ten figures dressed in camouflage and bundled in heavy army coats. They wore felt hats and masks, with some frost lining their eyebrows.

The oldest among them appeared no more than twenty-five, while the youngest looked barely in their teens. Each person carried weapons, with supply packs slung on their backs, trudging through the snow with great difficulty.

They must be a rescue team sent by Huaguo. Clara thought to herself, realizing they were approaching her villa, the only house at the mountaintop.

Lost in her thoughts, she heard the rescue team reach the entrance of her yard. One slightly older man, seemingly the leader, pressed the doorbell and yelled, "Is anyone there? We are the rescue team here to distribute supplies!"

Sun Zhi stomped his feet as he spoke, the cold beginning to seep through, making him shiver just as he felt a faint warmth earlier. 

As the leader of the ninth team stationed in S City, he had been out in the field, training the previous night. They hadn't anticipated the sudden drop in temperature; even soldiers were suffering from frostbite.

But many citizens were in need. Sun Zhi, taking it upon himself, led a group of twelve who had fared slightly better against the cold conditions. The area had nearly exhausted its supply runs, yet when they spotted the villa at the mountain base, they figured they wouldn’t miss the opportunity to check. Unfortunately, the snow proved too thick for their vehicles, forcing them to carry the supplies up by foot.

Sun Zhi had prepared himself for disappointment, but to his surprise, when the door opened, a young girl stepped out, bundled up tightly, obscuring her features.

Clara had put on her outdoor clothes, wrapping herself snugly and clutching a heated hand warmer as she descended the stairs. The moment she opened the door, a gust of icy wind made her stagger back momentarily.

Regaining her balance, Clara moved towards the entrance and opened the door wider, gesturing them in, saying, "It's too cold outside; we can't talk out here."

The group followed Clara into the villa, immediately breathing in the warmth of the interior. The ninth team savored the warmth that felt a hundred times better than the frigid air outside.

They had never imagined that inhaling warm air would feel like a luxury.

Sun Zhi removed his mask to reveal a handsome face, though etched with signs of exposure to the elements. He stood at attention, exuding the special aura that soldiers carry.

With a friendly smile, trying to ease Clara's tension about their numbers, Sun Zhi said, "Miss, we are the rescue team here to distribute supplies and also bring news: A City is building a base. Please stay in your home during this time; we will come back to take you to A City. We will not abandon anyone!"

Sun Zhi carefully navigated the warm room; since all of S City was experiencing a blackout, the chill was everywhere. Yet, this house somehow still had electricity, likely through a generator.

Truly, wealthy people were different!

The first floor had been converted into a training room, leaving no seating. Clara feigned going upstairs to fetch a few chairs from her hidden space for them to sit.

"My surname is Wang. I’m not going to A City, so you don’t need to come to pick me up," Clara said, looking directly at them.

Though A City was the capital and had survived the bitter cold of the previous era, it ultimately succumbed to floods due to its geography. S City, being situated at a higher altitude, had been less affected, and most survivors from A City ended up here.

Thus, Clara planned to remain in S City, intending to weather the flood before making further plans.

Sun Zhi frowned, advising, "Miss Wang, it is not safe for you alone at this mountaintop."

Clara remained adamant about not going to A City. Watching their sincere concern for her wellbeing, she kindly expressed, "What if the weather warms up? Where will all this snow go?"

The soldiers were not fools; Sun Zhi immediately grasped her reasoning for not wanting to go to A City. Her concerns were valid.

The weather was indeed unnatural, changing drastically overnight. One never knew when the snow would melt.

Sun Zhi furrowed his brow, realizing the implications. If the snow melted, then A City...

He recalled what his superior had told him before this mission: "Sun, sometimes absolute orders are not necessarily correct. You need to observe, think, and listen more."

If command had considered such conditions, why were they still gathering citizens for relocation to A City?

Clearly, something was amiss!

With this thought, Sun Zhi quickly signaled his team to unpack the supplies they had carried, totaling about fifty packs of compressed biscuits, twenty packs of instant noodles, five boxes of self-heating hot pots, and a case of water. 

They only had ten warmers since all machines in the city had frozen, making warmers a rare commodity.

Once they unloaded, Sun Zhi’s group prepared to head back.

Watching their retreating figures, Clara sighed softly.

Ah!

In her past life, she had met a girl survivor from A City who warned her that before the flooding, some leaders had escaped early. 

This indicated they knew of the impending disaster. Luring citizens with the news of a new base was surely for nefarious reasons.

All she could hope for was that more people made it through this time around...