Chapter Fifteen: Many Froze to Death

Although they had planned to revise the strategy, the discussion resulted in several versions being discarded, leaving everyone exhausted by the end. Li Wangcheng checked his watch; it was nearly midnight. After a long day, everyone’s energy was flagging.

"Let’s call it a night. We still have a few days. If we truly can't come up with a suitable plan, we might as well bring the military in to help brainstorm."

Hearing this, no one objected. They dispersed to wash up and prepare for sleep. Since they were on military-controlled grounds and soldiers were patrolling outside, there was no immediate danger. Consequently, Li Wangcheng did not arrange for a night watch. Everyone tidied up and lay down on their respective floor mats.

This situation was a bit awkward for Fang Yun, as she was the only woman among the five. However, when Shang Xingbing had moved their supplies earlier, he had anticipated this, placing Fang Yun’s bedding at the very back, separated from the men by a gap. Naturally, the spot closest to her was occupied by Li Wangcheng.

Seeing Li Wangcheng stoke the stove until the fire roared and then shift slightly toward her, she opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated and remained silent. Outside, only the sound of the wind and snow raged through the night. Fang Yun thought she wouldn't be able to sleep, but to her surprise, she drifted off shortly after closing her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, she had been awakened by the cold. Shivering, she sat up and wrapped herself in her quilt, only to see that the fire in the stove was nearly extinguished. More importantly, she noticed that the tent seemed to have a layer of frost on the inside.

"Hiss—it’s so cold! Why is it so cold?" Just as she was about to inspect it closely, a voice came from nearby. Turning her head, she saw that Shang Xingbing and the others had also woken up.

Perhaps because women are more sensitive to cold, Fang Yun had been the first to wake, while the men were only just stirring.

"Woke up from the cold?" Li Wangcheng, startled awake, sat up and saw Fang Yun huddled in a ball. After asking, he got up to add firewood to the stove.

As the semi-damp wood entered the fire, it began to smoke, and soon the tent was filled with a choking, thin haze. Shang Xingbing got dressed, intending to open the tent flap to let in some air so it would be less stifling.

"Damn it! It’s frozen!" He had barely reached the flap when he noticed something wrong. Upon closer inspection, he gasped in shock.

Hearing his exclamation, Fang Yun realized she hadn't been mistaken; it really had frozen over. It seemed the temperature had plummeted even further overnight. With the wood added, the stove finally burned more brightly. Feeling less cold, Fang Yun crawled out of her bedding to get dressed.

"It’s truly freezing." She exhaled a puff of white mist as she stepped out of her bedding. Through the opening Shang Xingbing had made, she saw the scene outside. The wind and snow had stopped, leaving a vast, white expanse. When Shang Xingbing stepped out, the snow reached above his knees.

"We’re going out to assess the situation. Could you prepare some breakfast?" Li Wangcheng interrupted her gaze.

"Alright," Fang Yun nodded and turned to rummage through her backpack. She intended to go out later too, so she didn't prepare anything complex—just hot water for soy milk powder and some reheated steamed buns and dumplings.

She had only just finished heating the food when Li Wangcheng and the others returned. Seeing the solemn expressions on their faces, Fang Yun’s heart sank.

"What happened? Is the situation outside very bad?"

Li Wangcheng nodded, his face grim. "The temperature dropped too sharply last night. Many people froze to death in their sleep, and the sea has begun to freeze over."

Compared to the news of the deaths, Fang Yun was more concerned about the sea freezing. Liao Zhaonan and Feng Li were still in the submarine. If they couldn't surface before the sea froze, they risked being trapped underwater. While it might be fine for a short time, she knew the temperatures wouldn't rise soon, and a prolonged entrapment would spell disaster.

"We must get them to shore while the ice isn't too thick. If this cold continues, they’ll be in danger," Fang Yun said anxiously.

Li Wangcheng certainly understood this, though he wasn't as panicked as Fang Yun; after all, Yi Chuping wasn't a fool—he had likely already surfaced and was hunkered down somewhere.

"Do you intend to stay on Dongming Mountain for the time being?" Li Wangcheng asked, looking at her with a serious expression.

Fang Yun was taken aback, then frowned. Of course she didn't want to. Dongming Mountain was like a nightmare to her, and the complex situation here was not conducive to her seeking revenge. But why was Li Wangcheng asking her this?

"I have no thoughts on it," Fang Yun deliberated for two seconds before replying. She wanted to ask him why he asked, but realized it was unnecessary. Even if she wanted to leave, it wouldn't be easy. They had been under surveillance the moment they set foot on Dongming Mountain. To leave while tied to Li Wangcheng, she would either need significant skills or be prepared to never see tomorrow's sun.

"Then we’ll stick to the original plan: retrieve the supplies and leave." Li Wangcheng didn't pursue the matter, making a direct decision.

"But where would we go if we leave?" Shang Xingbing scratched his head and raised the crucial question.

Li Wangcheng glanced at him. "Head toward the highlands. We’ll find a place to settle. As it gets colder and the ice thickens, the people on Dongming Mountain will eventually be forced to head down." Even if a group of people had died, the mountain was still overcrowded. Although the cities had been largely destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami, once the ice formed, it would become a temporary flatland. Rather than being squeezed on the mountain and guarding against one another, people would naturally prefer to descend and live on the ice.

After breakfast, Li Wangcheng and his team went out as usual, though they reminded Fang Yun to stay in the tent. Having learned the situation outside from Li Wangcheng, she was no longer in a hurry to leave. She first accessed the system to "check-in," receiving some supplies. This time, the items were quite useful and well-suited for their current needs. Most importantly, she received a small bag of coal, enough to last for a few days.

Fang Yun immediately filled the stove with coal. Before long, the fire was roaring, and the choking smoke in the tent dissipated as the coal burned clean and bright. She sat by the fire, intending to study the "Treehouse" provided by the system. She wanted to manifest it to take a look, but was warned that there wasn't enough space. She decided to explore the treehouse using her mind instead.

Experimenting with storing supplies in the treehouse, she discovered how it worked. Whether it was because the treehouse hadn't been manifested or just its nature, she found that while real-world objects could only be placed into her villa's storage space, items from the villa space could be freely transferred into the treehouse. Was this not another ready-made storage space?