The temperature drop came without warning.
If not for experiencing it firsthand, no one would believe that in a southern city in September, the temperature had plunged to zero degrees.
To conserve gasoline, the heater inside the off-road vehicle was turned off.
Wrapped in a down jacket, Pang Cancan gripped the steering wheel with bare hands exposed to the cold, constantly exhaling warm breath onto them and rubbing her left hand frantically against her right.
“Sister Su Su, you really have a godlike foresight! If it weren’t for you telling us to bring down jackets and bedding, we’d be freezing to death by the roadside right now!”
Her tone was full of admiration.
On the first day of the temperature drop, some quick-witted people were the first to react. By the time they passed through towns and counties again, the supermarkets had long been emptied of cold-weather supplies.
Clothing stores that had previously been ignored had their doors smashed open, leaving only a few thin summer outfits for those who came late.
Some people even mustered the courage to climb into residential buildings and steal mattresses and quilts from others’ homes. It was immoral, but undeniably efficient.
This showed that the apocalypse was not lacking in smart people, nor was it short of ruthless individuals with exceptional action.
“Better to be prepared.” Su Su repeated the same phrase.
She had driven all night and was now lying in the last row of seats, covered with a thick cotton quilt.
Beneath the quilt was a thick python.
It coiled around the human body, its sleep becoming deeper and longer.
Su Su had no sleepiness for now. She held up a map of G City, estimating their next route in her mind… Plop. Xiao Hei’s head nudged into the hollow of her collarbone, finding a comfortable angle and nestling down.
Its large head blocked her view. She tried pushing it aside but failed, so she had to shift the map to the side instead.
“The temperature is very likely to keep dropping.”
“What?!”
Pang Cancan hadn’t had her driver’s license for long. Shocked by the statement, she swerved the off-road vehicle into a huge S-shape across the road.
Luckily, the road was wide. Otherwise, they would have crashed straight into the roadside ditch.
Plop.
The car swayed too violently, causing half of the python’s tail to slip out from under the quilt, dangling down below the seat.
Su Su picked it up and tucked it back under the quilt. “It’s only been a week, and the temperature has already dropped by over twenty degrees. At this rate, in another week, it could drop to minus ten degrees or even lower.”
Pang Cancan instinctively refuted, “But G City’s temperature has never dropped this low before…”
“This is the apocalypse. Anything can happen.”
Indeed, with the apocalypse here, what else was truly impossible?
Pang Cancan immediately pulled a long face. “Then what do we do? If the temperature keeps dropping, it’ll be freezing outside, and the car won’t keep us warm. Should we find a town to take shelter in first?”
Pang Cancan’s worries were exactly what Su Su was considering.
In the next week, the temperature would drop to below minus ten degrees, and the sky would begin to snow heavily. The snowfall would continue for ten days to half a month, eventually forming an extremely rare snow disaster.
The highways and national roads were coated in thick layers of ice. Many survivors who failed to find shelter in time could neither move forward nor retreat, ultimately freezing to death in their cars.
Some managed to find shelter, but with the roads sealed by heavy snow, the outdoors plagued by zombies, and the extreme cold preventing any resupply of resources, most perished from starvation.
Su Su’s gaze returned to the map.
In the southwestern part of this provincial city, about dozens of kilometers from G City, there was a hot spring resort located halfway up a mountain.
In her previous life, she and Lin Weiran’s group had stumbled upon the place just as the first snowfall began.
The village contained hundreds of natural hot springs, some outdoors, others within mountain caves… The moment they stepped into the village, they immediately felt the temperature difference—it was an average of ten degrees warmer than the outside!
This stroke of luck had allowed them to endure the three-month-long snow disaster in the resort. It was also what had enabled her, an ordinary person, to survive against all odds.
Now, there were three paths before them.
The first option: drive straight ahead. There was a fifty percent chance they could reach the southern base before the snowstorm hit, but also a fifty percent chance of getting stranded by various unforeseen events, experiencing multiple ways to die, or being forced into extreme wilderness survival.
The second option: find a town to settle in and rely on their accumulated supplies to endure the winter until spring.
The third option: head to the hot spring resort. If Lin Weiran, Si Zhe, and their group still found their way there in this lifetime, they would be forced to coexist for over three months, spending every waking moment together.
…
Su Su left the choice to Pang Cancan and Le Rui.
The moment Pang Cancan heard about the hot spring resort, her eyes lit up. But when she heard Lin Weiran and Si Zhe’s names, the brightness in her eyes immediately dimmed, and the corners of her mouth twitched uncontrollably.
“You mean, Lin Weiran and Si Zhe also know about this place?”
Su Su casually came up with a reason. “I overheard them mentioning it on the way. They plan to head south, and their route overlaps with ours. If the temperature keeps dropping, there’s a high chance they’ll also go there to escape the snowstorm and cold snap.”
“What do you guys think? Which path do we take?”
Pang Cancan and Le Rui exchanged glances before speaking in unison: “The third one!”
A hot spring! A resort! It was far better than dying on the road or being trapped in a freezing town!
Since the decision was made, Su Su no longer hesitated. “Alright, then we head for the hot spring resort.”
At a remote gas station along the way, they took the last two barrels of gasoline.
Then, they drove straight toward the mountain where the hot spring resort was located.
But all their anticipation and hope were doused in a bucket of ice-cold water the moment they arrived.
At the foot of the mountain, a five-meter-long roadblock blocked the path, and a guard post stood ominously by the roadside.
Ahead, a vehicle had already stopped. Surrounding it were seven or eight burly road bandits, arrogantly taunting and tormenting the survivors inside the car.
“You wanna enter the village? Sure! Hand over all your supplies and your women, then we might consider letting you in!”
Inside the small sedan sat a family of three. They had lived near G City and had been hiding in their home since the apocalypse began. When the temperature dropped, they decided to come here to seek warmth.
But they never expected to be intercepted by bandits. The driver, seated behind the wheel, immediately turned pale. “You can take our supplies, but nothing else!”
“Oh? Got some backbone, huh?” Zou Gaoming clapped his hands in mock admiration. The next second, his gaze turned ice-cold. “I love guys like you—makes it all the more satisfying to kill you!”
Just as his words fell, the steering wheel in the driver’s hands suddenly detached. Caught off guard, it flew straight at him, smashing viciously into his head.
Bang!
The driver’s skull was crushed, his head slumping lifelessly against the seatback. His vital signs disappeared instantly, yet his wide, terror-stricken eyes remained frozen, staring blankly ahead.
“Ahhh! Husband!!”
“Daddy!!!”
The woman and child let out piercing screams.
Zou Gaoming slammed a hand heavily on the car roof. “What are you screaming for?! Scream again, and I’ll kill you all!”
The cries were abruptly cut off, leaving only uncontrollable sobbing.
Zou Gaoming waved his hand. “Take all the supplies from the car, dump the man’s body on the mountain, and bring the woman and child into the village.”
“Yes, sir!”
Just then, a lackey who had been keeping watch hurried over. “Brother Zou! Another car is coming!”
Zou Gaoming lifted his head and looked into the distance. A rugged off-road vehicle was driving straight along the road leading to the foot of the mountain.
“Bring me my binoculars.”
The subordinate, understanding without needing further instruction, quickly handed them over.
Through the lenses, Zou Gaoming clearly saw the driver—she was an extremely young girl, no older than eighteen or nineteen. Her features carried a sharp, valiant aura, though there was still a slight baby fat on her cheeks.
In the passenger seat sat a child, harmless and posing no threat.
Could they be siblings?
Zou Gaoming’s interest was piqued. “Go, stop that vehicle.”
In a flash, several speed-type ability users sprinted hundreds of meters ahead. Before the off-road vehicle could even turn around, the front and back were simultaneously blocked.
Seeing that the driver was a young girl, the men surrounding the car exchanged lecherous glances, desire flickering in their eyes.
Pang Cancan’s heart sank. Sensing trouble, she wanted to wake Su Su immediately, but before she could act, one of the men on the right struck first—he violently smashed the right-side car window.
Shattered glass flew toward Le Rui.
“Watch out!”
Having been well-fed and properly clothed for some time, Le Rui’s reflexes had improved significantly. The instant the fist hit the window, he activated his ability. A thick ice wall instantly formed, blocking all the shards and protecting both himself and Pang Cancan from injury.
Seeing that Le Rui was unharmed, Pang Cancan’s fury erupted. “Bastard! You wanna die?!”
More than twenty venomous insects crawled out from all over her body, including one clumsily emerging from the pocket of her down jacket. They swarmed out through the window, with the fastest one sinking its fangs viciously into the face of the man who had smashed the glass.
“What the hell?! Ahhhhhh!!!”
As expected, agonized screams followed.
The man collapsed instantly.
The once-arrogant ability users paled in horror, instinctively retreating several steps.
“She’s a poison-type ability user!”
“What’s going on?!”
Zou Gaoming arrived a step later, and the first thing he saw was his own man lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth and unable to move.
Immediately, a subordinate scurried to his side. “Brother Zou, that little boy is an ice-type ability user, probably at Tier 2! The girl is a poison-type ability user, but we can’t tell her exact strength yet!”
Zou Gaoming frowned slightly.
He glanced at the off-road vehicle. Inside, there were only two people… no, three—another person had just sat up from the backseat.
Separated by several rows of seats, he could only see that it was a woman, but her exact appearance was unclear.
Le Rui whispered, “Sister Su Su, we just arrived at the foot of the mountain, and someone stopped our car.”
Someone stopped the car?
Su Su’s drowsiness vanished instantly.
She distinctly remembered that in her previous life, they had never encountered anything like this. The resort had been completely abandoned, and they had reached their destination without obstruction.
What had changed?
Thinking carefully, she could only come up with one possibility—timing.
In her last life, they had arrived a week later.
Taking a deep breath, she firmly tucked the still-sleeping Xiao Hei under the blanket.
“Why are you stopping us?”
Her pleasant voice drifted out of the car, making Zou Gaoming’s ears tingle slightly.
He raised an eyebrow. “Because this resort belongs to our village. Now that the cold wave is coming, if you want to seek shelter here, you’ll have to pay an entry fee.”
So they were nothing more than road bandits in disguise.
Su Su glanced out the window in mild surprise. The seven or eight people surrounding the vehicle were all capable ability users. As for their leader, Zou Gaoming, since he hadn’t made a move yet, his ability and strength remained unknown.
After a brief pause, she pursed her lips. “What kind of entry fee do you want?”
Zou Gaoming rested his left arm on the car roof, his gaze sweeping meaningfully across the entire vehicle. “Either hand over a Grade 4 crystal, or give up a large stockpile of food. You can choose.”
Such an outrageous demand instantly infuriated Pang Cancan. “That’s just robbery! Who the hell has a Grade 4 crystal on hand?! And food is even scarcer—how dare you ask for a large stockpile?!”
“If you can’t provide either, there are… other ways to pay.” Zou Gaoming’s eyes drifted toward the back of the car again. “The one in the back—is she your sister? If she’s pretty enough and agrees to be my girlfriend, I can let you all in for free.”
“Dream on, you filthy toad!”
Only someone ugly would be triggered by an insult like that.
Zou Gaoming considered himself quite decent-looking, with a tall 1.8-meter frame. He smirked, eyes narrowing. “You’ve got quite the fiery temper. You’re young and pretty, too. Why don’t you be my girlfriend instead?”
“Spit!”
Pang Cancan desperately wanted to send her venomous insects to tear this bastard apart, but… they still didn’t know how many people were inside the resort. If they killed these guys and still couldn’t get in, then what?
She instinctively turned to Su Su, seeking her decision.
The three options they were given were all unacceptable.
Su Su frowned. “Turn the car around. We need to think this through.”
“Alright.”
Pang Cancan had just touched the steering wheel when it suddenly moved on its own, causing the entire vehicle to swerve erratically in place.
Zou Gaoming folded his arms and sneered. “Leave? I’m afraid it won’t be that easy!”
This place wasn’t somewhere people could come and go as they pleased!
The seven or eight ability users around him burst into loud, mocking laughter.
Pang Cancan gripped the steering wheel tightly. “What’s going on?! Why is it out of control?!”
As time passed, not only did the steering wheel stop responding, but the entire off-road vehicle started spinning in place, the speed increasing with every turn.
Inside the car, the passengers were being thrown around, their heads dizzy, barely able to stay seated.
Su Su braced herself against the seat, struggling to stabilize her posture. “Get out of the car! He has a metal-type ability!”
With that, she reached for the door lock—
Clunk! Clunk! No matter how hard she tried, the door wouldn’t open.
Pang Cancan’s expression darkened. “He locked the doors too!”
This ability was downright cheating! He was treating them like playthings!
Su Su took a deep breath. “Forget the car! Take them down! Let’s see whose fists are harder!”
The moment her words fell, the two people in the front seat struck simultaneously.
More than twenty venomous insects swarmed outside, attacking indiscriminately, their sharp mandibles relentlessly seeking flesh. At the same time, a storm of ice shards rained down with deadly precision, aimed at each and every opponent.
The villagers, who had been laughing just moments ago, could no longer smile.
Now, they were forced to dodge both the venomous creatures and the razor-sharp ice shards. The scene turned chaotic, with abilities firing off in every direction, yet their formation quickly collapsed. In the end, they were all scurrying for cover like frightened rats.
Zou Gaoming’s face finally darkened. “Is this all you’ve got? You’re underestimating me far too much!”
Intent on teaching these two women and the brat a lesson, he activated his ability even as he dodged.
The entire off-road vehicle began to disassemble at high speed as it spun. Parts and components fell away in flashes of light—first the exterior, then the roof—until, in the end, only the bare chassis remained.
The three inside were completely exposed, sitting atop what now looked like an open-air skeleton of a vehicle.
At last, Zou Gaoming could clearly see the woman in the back seat.
She was… beyond his expectations.
Even in her anger, her delicate features seemed to carry a soft, spring-like allure. Being glared at by her sent a strange, pleasurable shiver down his spine.
In that instant, he felt an overwhelming desire—he had to make her his.
The next second—
Su Su threw off the blanket in fury.
“Xiao Hei!!!”
A monstrous python rose up, launching itself out of the car.
The dreaming fool Zou Gaoming barely had time to react before a massive blue fireball shot toward him.
In an instant, the flames incinerated his entire outfit, along with all his body hair.
A charred, roasted stench wafted through the air.
Tier 3 ability!
Zou Gaoming was also a Tier 3 ability user, yet even after rolling on the ground several times, he still couldn’t put out the flames.
Zou Gaoming forcefully suppressed the agonized screams rising in his throat, barely managing to roar, “Shunzi! Put out the fire for me!”
“Brother Zou, just give me a sec—AHHH! STOP BITING ME!!”
The only Tier 2 water-type ability user was completely occupied—still running for his life, clutching his head, screaming so loudly it echoed two hundred meters away.
With the culprit properly punished, the violently spinning off-road vehicle finally came to a halt.
Su Su jumped out of the car and turned to look at their team’s most valuable asset—the off-road vehicle that had carried them all this way—now dismantled into a pile of scrap metal!
A tiny flame of rage erupted into a roaring inferno inside her.
Her rationality snapped.
She picked up a piece of scrap metal from the ground and smashed it down on Zou Gaoming’s head.
BANG!
The Tier 3 ability user’s skull was as tough as an iron pot, denting the metal instead of himself.
Through clenched teeth, Su Su spat out a single command:
“Right now. Immediately. FIX. MY. OFF-ROAD. VEHICLE.”