Watching Sun Zhi and his group disappear from the surveillance screens, Keke Wen decided to put those matters aside. After all, she was just an ordinary person who wanted to live her life peacefully.

Her meal had gone cold, a layer of white oil solidified on top of it. Keke looked at it with a lack of appetite and opted not to eat, storing it away to heat later. She touched her head; it was greasy, and Keke felt a little troubled. With the freezing weather, how could she wash her hair?

Even washing her hair by the heater wouldn’t help much; the water wouldn’t stay warm for long, and her hair would easily freeze with the moisture. 

Wait a minute! Don’t I have a space?

Keke suddenly remembered that she had a space! She could wash her hair there and dry it with a battery-free hairdryer before coming out.

Gathering some snow from outside, she set it beside the heater to melt. Even in tough times, it was important to conserve resources; she was lucky enough not to worry about food or clothing, but many were still lacking in basic necessities. 

Like Sun Zhi and his comrades, although they were soldiers, their faces were darkened from cold exposure, their hands chapped. When they were given supplies, one young soldier had looked at the steaming self-heating hot pot with such a pitiful gaze. 

The military surely wasn’t eating well; resources were scarce.

As the water boiled with a bubbling sound, Keke found a showerhead and attached a funnel to it, securing a bucket above the funnel with screws so that water would flow evenly. This setup allowed for both showering and washing her hair.

Feeling comfortable in her space, Keke washed her hair and, unable to resist, took a shower as well. Using the hairdryer to dry her hair, she wrapped herself in warm clothes before stepping out.

As soon as she exited, she found Jinbao, her cat, meowing restlessly on the bed. The little feline seemed unsettled, as if it was worried about Keke's absence. Keke scooped Jinbao into her arms, stroking its fluffy head:

"Aww, Jinbao missed me, didn’t you? I’m right here! Just wait, and I’ll get you some cat treats."

She couldn’t help but feel a little more playful when talking to her cat.

After giving Jinbao some treats, the cat calmed down, but still clung to Keke’s arm with its front paws, resting its head against her as it fell asleep, its tail swishing gently. 

Keke looked at the slumbering Jinbao and smiled, feeling a warmth in her heart. It was so nice to have this companionship.

She had considered living solely in her space, where the temperature was always comfortable and nothing was lacking. But Jinbao couldn’t be brought inside, and this world—one where she had lived in her past life and this one—was important to her. She didn’t want to forget everything outside; after all, humans were inherently emotional beings. Living alone for too long could lead to sickness.

Though she was currently living alone, the outside world remained familiar, albeit changed. It still felt like home after so many years. 

People must have their beliefs and convictions. Keke wanted to survive in this life and do her best to help others survive too. 

Without people, there would be no world; without people, there would be no Huaguo. 

Five thousand years of heritage shouldn’t be allowed to fade away in the face of adversity. 

As she pet Jinbao, Keke felt a bit bored and pulled out her phone to check for updates from the outside world. 

Upon entering the app, she saw an announcement from Huaguo on the homepage!

[Dear survivors, please remain indoors and do not venture outside! Our military has dispatched rescue teams to distribute supplies in all provinces. Please stay home, gather resources, and ensure your safety to the best of your ability! Have faith in our country; we will not abandon anyone! You are all citizens of the nation, so please trust in us. Thank you for your cooperation!]

The document was issued by the A City government, and it failed to mention that A City was establishing a base. Tsk tsk, it seemed the struggle was intense.

As the capital of Huaguo, A City’s official announcements were persuasive, and early on, there was still considerable trust in the government. 

[Believe in the nation! Believe in ourselves! We can persevere!]

[That’s right! Once we get through this, we’ll have stories to tell the next generation! How impressive would that be? Haha!]

[Agreed, brother!]

[+10086 to that!]

Keke chuckled lightly at these comments. At the beginning of the last world catastrophe, there had been similar feelings online; the military did distribute supplies and gathered everyone in A City.

However, as the flooding continued and the apocalypse persisted, societal order started to collapse, leading to the emergence of small groups. As people lost sight of the future, their frustrations grew, and the internet became a platform for venting their grievances.

Many were actively commenting on the official accounts, questioning why the government hadn’t yet figured out the cause of the apocalypse and ended it, lamenting how things had come to this. The comments section was filled with complaints.

In the later stages, as supplies ran scarce, there would only be a single compressed biscuit for sustenance each day. 

The soldiers tasked with distributing supplies were robbed and assaulted, as people believed those soldiers were wasting the resources meant for them. 

Eventually, A City was submerged, and many survivors fled to S City, where living space was limited. 

They forcibly took over the residences of S City’s residents, leading to rampant bullying and oppression—strength dictated reason. 

Keke’s home had the best geographical position. She could easily guess that her home would become a target, with her taking whatever food she could carry and blending into the lowest tier of society.

In the end, during an extreme heat wave, she fell ill and died.

By the time Keke turned off her phone, night had fallen. Outside, the biting cold wind whipped through the air, snow covering every surface. It felt like stepping into a kingdom of ice and snow. Who would have thought that just a day prior, the landscape was lush and green?

Still not feeling hungry after her meal, Keke retrieved a meat crab burger and paired it with a cup of vitality peach milk tea from her space.

Mmm~ The taste burst with peach flavor, with some crunchy peach bits—sweet and delightful!

Keke reclined on her bed, Jinbao snuggling against her, and with her milk tea in hand, she felt warm inside despite her face still being a bit cold.

As she lay there, fatigue washed over her, and she drifted off to sleep, pondering how it felt like she was living more comfortably in this post-apocalyptic world than before…

——

Far away in the Central Star of the Ailan Star System, in a magnificent palace adorned with gold and jewels.

"Your Highness, the Blue Star Project has been initiated."

A man in a white robe bowed respectfully to the woman seated before him. 

The woman wore a black gown, her hair softly cascading behind her. A sparkling crown adorned her head, its jewels glinting, while mysterious runes flickered faintly across her forehead. 

With exquisite brows and lustrous red lips that glowed like the sun, she lounged lazily in her chaise, playing with a ring in her hand, and said softly:

"Has the envoy been found?"