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The snow was getting heavier, and the windshield of the car was completely covered, making it impossible to see outside.
Chen Xu broke off a piece of chocolate and stuffed it into his mouth, listening to the howling wind outside. He couldn't help thinking of the unexpected typhoon a month ago. He had begun to understand the hidden content behind the name of this dream world.
"So, 'Surviving the Apocalypse' doesn't just refer to the disappearance of humans in the world. There are also many natural disasters. When the dream is about to end, it might really be the end of the world."
He sighed, unscrewed the cap off his thermos, and poured a cup of hot water. Watching the steam rise from the cup, his brow furrowed deeper.
Now, he was caught in a dilemma. If the snow continued incessantly, the final outcome would be freezing to death. The provisions he had would last three to five days at most.
There were no buildings within ten kilometers. Leaving would mean that, since he couldn't ski and only had ice skates, he would be ineffective in the snowy terrain. In such heavy snow, he might even die faster.
For him, this was just a dream. If he died, he died. At most, it would just mean the dream ended early.
But—
"If I die, what will happen to Luo Xiyun?"
He mumbled, "Besides, I haven't even slept with her yet. How can I die just like that?"
Indeed, in the past few months, he had endured so much from her. How could he feel at ease without sleeping with her?
He quickly finished the remaining chocolate and drank the water, then lay down in his seat, preparing to rest up. When the hail stopped, he would leave this place and walk back.
...
He waited the whole night.
The hail stopped at dusk, but it was more dangerous to go out at night. Chen Xu waited another night.
In the morning, he was ready. Before setting off, he cooked a steaming bowl of instant noodles, ate and drank plenty, opened the car door, and left against the wind and snow without looking back.
He was fully equipped, wearing thick mountaineering cold-weather gear, goggles, holding a trekking pole, and carrying a backpack.
"What a strong wind."
As soon as Chen Xu stepped out, he felt the wind was unimaginably strong. Each step was exceptionally strenuous. A thick layer of snow on the ground increased the difficulty of moving forward.
At this time, all he could do was to grit his teeth and forge ahead.
Amid the windswept snow, everything was a vast expanse of white; direction was hard to discern. After walking for a while, he would glance at the compass to avoid losing his way.
As he walked, a sense of loneliness crept over him. Perhaps it was only after losing something that one learned to cherish it. He increasingly longed to see Luo Xiyun.
It was at this moment that he realized how important her companionship had been to him over the past few months.
Without her presence, could he really have borne such immense loneliness and endured until now all by himself?
He was just an ordinary person, even if somewhat introverted, not very sociable, and preferred being alone. He was still a normal person, an inseparable part of human society. To separate him entirely from society, he simply couldn't survive.
...
A few hours later, Chen Xu stopped for the fifth time, struggling to pull out a piece of chocolate from his pocket, using his teeth to tear off the wrapper, and gulping it down.
Next, he took the thermos from the side of his backpack, poured the remaining water, and drank it all in one go.
He casually tossed the empty thermos aside and looked ahead. The wind and snow had diminished somewhat since he set out, and visibility had increased a bit.
The surrounding terrain had not changed at all.
"I must have walked about ten kilometers by now," he roughly estimated. With the snow continuously falling and the ground cover deepening, coupled with his dwindling physical strength, his speed was slowing down.
"I should be able to get off this icy surface before dark."
He rested for a few minutes, feeling the heat rapidly seeping from his legs, and didn't dare delay further. He lifted his feet and continued onward.
After walking for a few more hours, he finished all ten pieces of chocolate in his pocket, and the water in the two thermos flasks was gone.
Exhaustion.
At this moment, he had only one feeling. His legs felt as if they weren't his own; they just mechanically moved forward. He gasped continuously, with his lungs burning as if they'd burst out of his throat at any moment.
Gradually, his vision began to darken.
"No, I have to stop and rest for a while."
Reason told him that his body had reached its limit.
Just then, he noticed something: a silhouette of some buildings not far ahead. His spirits lifted; he had finally gotten off this icy expanse.
Buildings meant he could take shelter inside, rest for a while, and eat to regain his strength.
Thinking of this, a new wave of energy surged within him, and he headed towards the buildings.
After another dozen steps, the outline of the building became clearer.
"Just a bit more effort," he panted heavily, encouraging himself.
He stepped forward again, when suddenly something caught his toe, throwing him off balance. At that moment, his energy was exhausted, making it impossible to regain his balance. He fell headlong, body rolling continuously downhill.
"Damn it."
He was startled. The path had been an unusually flat ice surface all along. He hadn't expected there to be a slope here. Rolling downhill, his forehead struck something hard with a thud, making stars dance in his eyes.
Finally, he rolled to the bottom of the slope. Struggling to open his eyes, his vision was entirely filled with red.
"It's over."
He tried hard to stay conscious, but his mind kept sinking till he finally lost awareness.
...
"Why hasn't that bastard returned yet?"
When Chen Xu hadn't returned by eight o'clock that evening, Luo Xiyun began to feel uneasy.
For months, Chen Xu had often driven out but had never stayed out overnight, not even during their cold war.
"Is he up to some new trick?"
She thought begrudgingly. During the day, she had discovered the heater in Chen Xu's room was fine—they simply unplugged it. He had had the nerve to trick her into thinking the heater was broken, causing her to tidy up that storeroom for two days.
As time wore on, her unease grew until, at midnight, she had to face that something might indeed have happened to Chen Xu.
That night, she sat on her bed, covered in blankets, feeling icy cold inside. She felt as if she had returned to the first month. The surrounding darkness felt like an abyss, gradually consuming her.
"Chen Xu..."
Only this man, who often infuriated her to the point of gritting her teeth, could give her the strength to resist loneliness in this empty world.
She sat sleepless through the night.
When dawn broke, she suddenly stood up.
She had to go find him.
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