"Anyone up for boxing in a snowy landscape, add me"
"Black Sea Gang is recruiting shelter members, large shelter area with many benefits, ladies prioritized."
"Finally freed, showing off the snowy view from my place!"
"Are you insane? The radiation outside is so high, going out is seeking death?"
"So terrifying, the streets of Mei City were littered with bodies a few days ago, the heavy snow has only recently made the thugs lay low."
"We're experiencing the same here, starting to miss the peaceful times..."
...
On the forum, Some people were joking around, laughing and jesting, Others expressed their fear, sharing what they had seen and heard, And some daring individuals even went outside to take photos of the snowy landscape, not worrying about revealing their location.
There were also shelters recruiting people, with very clear intentions.
In such times, The usual precautions people took to hide their true intentions were abandoned, Some even showcased their shelters, seeking a beautiful companion to spend the rest of their lives with.
For a while, It was like a dance of demons, The atmosphere on the forum was deteriorating!
"These are even worse than spam posts!"
Sam frowned and stopped reading further.
With communications cut off these days and rampant thugs in various places, plus the lack of communication and the oppressive atmosphere, people's stress continued to build.
The forum posts were just one way for them to vent their own stress.
Checking the forum messages, he saw that many people had messaged him.
Farming at the End of the World: "Back, call me."
Wang Haoran: "Let me know when you're here"
...
Dozens of messages, all from friends he frequently contacted,
Sending their greetings.
Hesitating for a moment, Sam messaged Wang Haoran back: "What's up?"
Quickly, Wang Haoran replied, "Finally, the signal is restored. How are things on your end?"
Sam: "All good, no issues with the shelter."
Wang Haoran: "That's good to hear. Be careful, though. A lot of people who seemed honest before have turned into thugs now, stealing supplies and women."
Sam: "Don't worry, I'm not afraid."
Wang Haoran: "True, after all, we're all equipped with mechanical crossbows, so we can ensure our safety."
Wang Haoran: "Anyway, onto serious matters. Old Chen and the others got in touch, planning to set up a chat group! It'll include people we know, owners of personal shelters, to make it easier to stay in touch."
"Here you go!"
He sent a brief invitation,
After thinking it over, Sam chose "Confirm."
This chat group, a feature of the forum, also serves as a tool for netizens to form small organizations.
As soon as the group was opened, friends began to join.
Many were people Sam knew, like "Metal Old Chen," "Wang Haoran," "Farming at the End of the World," etc.,
All were forum heavyweights from before, Each with their own expertise, Including an agricultural professor, a factory owner, and some tech geniuses.
In this group, Sam was known as the "software genius."
Old Chen: "Yo, Invincible Son has arrived. How's the invincible one?"
Old Farmer: "Nice, Invincible is here."
Chen Yu: "Invincible is so impressive."
Silently: "Honestly, I thought Invincible was at least 50 years old."
...
As soon as he entered, many people started messaging, Either welcoming him or joking around.
Sam chuckled and changed his nickname to "Invincible" before saying, "Hello everyone."
Old Chen replied, "Okay, 'Invincible' is gone."
Momo remarked, "'Invincible' as a nickname, are you planning to go on a rampage in the apocalypse?"
Momo added, "Then you can't have a girlfriend, she'll slow down your sword-drawing speed!"
"Invincible" retorted, "I want to shark you!"
Wang Haoran laughed, "Haha, Momo is asking for it! Be careful or 'Invincible' will invade your home network!"
Momo countered, "I'm not afraid, everyone uses satellite signal networks, you can't invade anything!"
...
The people in the group were generally amiable. Since they knew each other, there were no conflicts, and they exchanged information.
Perhaps because they had prepared a lot before the disaster, their individual shelters were quite decent.
Unlike Sam's shelter, theirs were varied; for example, "Old Chen's" shelter was filled with various machines and metals, piled up like mountains.
"Old Farmer's" shelter, on the other hand, used most of its area for growing crops, with vegetables and fruits available!
Sam really wanted to trade with "Old Farmer" for some fresh vegetables, but with the continuous heavy snow, it was irrational to go outside.
Moreover, the "Old Farmer's" shelter was in another city, making it practically impossible for him to visit.
Aside from vegetables, someone else's shelter had fish, seeming to have created an ecosystem, and the fish fry were doing well.
However, not many people raised pigs, cattle, or sheep. Personal shelters could hardly bear the cost, and even official or corporate shelters might not be able to afford large-scale breeding.
After all, with countless mouths to feed, thousands or even tens of thousands of meat animals might not last many days.
From other personal shelter owners, Sam also learned some news about the marauders.
Like him, in other cities, even counties and towns, marauders have appeared.
In peacetime, those who seemed honest, once left unsupervised, began to rob, kill, and commit all sorts of crimes!
Initially, law enforcers were present to maintain order, but as communication was cut off, the enforcers suddenly stopped appearing, and the number of marauders gradually increased. Some people started to rob, and those who were robbed, being timid and fearful, would rob others in turn.
During that time, many people encountered misfortune.
Most people in the group had weapons like mechanical crossbows but were also terrified and dared not go out.
"Old Chen" made the mistake of being too soft-hearted, allowing marauders to break into his shelter and kill his brother, for which he deeply regretted.
Just now, he specifically messaged Sam, warning him never to trust strangers.
"Ordinary people can't get their hands on firearms, so facing marauders, they can only hide in their shelters."
Sam shook his head slightly.
Frankly speaking, if he didn't have The Infinite Shelter Upgrade System, his choice in dangerous situations would definitely be the same: not to go out and to huddle in his shelter, sleeping through the chaos.
After chatting for a while, Wang Haoran suddenly said, "Have you guys heard about the meteorite fragments?"
Old Farmer asked, "You mean, the stuff in the meteorite fragments?"
Wang Haoran replied, "Yes!"
Milk Cap said, "I've heard about it and thought it was just bragging. Is it true?"
Wang Haoran confirmed, "I can assure you it's true! There's something in the meteorites, and after they exploded, many fragments contained it!"
Old Chen commented, "I haven't heard about it, but considering it's been officially sealed off, the stuff inside must be extraordinary, not just simple materials."
Ah Zhe laughed, "No way? Could it be the zombie virus? I'm ready to go on a rampage!"
Wang Haoran said, "Ah Zhe, there you go again. Go dream about slaying zombies."
Momo commented, "Ah Zhe won't really dream about killing zombies, huh. Stay away from me."
...
They were engrossed in their conversation, and Sam was somewhat curious too.
Meteorites come from deep space, and humanity's technology isn't yet capable of discovering what's inside them, but after the meteorites exploded, their fragments scattered across the world, containing something that even led to official blockades!
What could it be!?
Extraterrestrial metals, alien artifacts?
"Forget it, guessing is useless. I can't possibly run off to Heyang City!"
Sam shook his head. Heyang City wasn't far, but with the roads blocked by heavy snow, there was no reason for him to go there now.
After chatting for a while longer, Sam started playing games.
...
December 23rd,
Today, he had a hearty meal and slept soundly. The fresh meat in the shelter was all eaten up.
December 24th,
The vegetables were nearly depleted, so he started eating potatoes.
December 25th, all was quiet.
...
December 31st!
...
2022,
January 1st.
The new year,
In the shelter, Sam lay lazily on the couch in a "Ge You slouch," resembling a salted fish, having lost all dreams in life.
He had been lying around at home for several days now, feeling aimless and unsure of what to do with his life, which was stable but also made him very uncomfortable.
Suddenly,
A pair of small hands reached out from behind his head, covering his eyes.
"Guess who!"
A crisp voice rang out.
Sam, somewhat helpless, said, "Do we have to be this boring, Liuli? There are only three people in the shelter, and you're the only one who likes to say just one word!"
Behind him, the girl pursed her lips, her short hair framing a pair of clear, smiling eyes.
She leaped forward, jumping into Sam's arms.
Unlike Sam's boredom, Han Xiaowu and Liuli were quite content with their current lives, finding each day to be very comfortable.
Sam yawned, Checked the time, It was only 9 AM!
He got up at 6 AM, had breakfast, worked out in the gym for an hour, and then lay down until now...
"So boring!!"
Sam regretted it deeply. When he was preparing supplies for the shelter, he only casually prepared some games and hardly any other entertainment products. There were only a few dozen songs, and he was sick of them!
Sam, with a vacant look in his eyes, wanting to find something to pass the time, said, "The Infinite Shelter Upgrade System, show me yesterday's settlement!"
The Infinite Shelter Upgrade System replied, "Yes!"
...
[December 31, 2021]
You wake up feeling refreshed, looking at the petite beauty in your arms with satisfaction. Points +5!
Breakfast was not lavish, and you feel a bit uncomfortable, perhaps a stomach upset? Points +1.
Progress in physical exercise is slow, you start to wonder why you don't have an attribute panel. Points +3.
You woke up in the afternoon, stayed awake for a while, and then went back to sleep. Points +5.
...
Today, with nothing much to do, you chatted with Han Xiaowu for a while and gave her a kiss. Points +5.
Checked the shelter, everything is normal. Points +5!
...
"Final settlement: Points +29!"
...
"Ding! The new year has arrived, The Infinite Shelter Upgrade System - Shelter Version is about to start updating!"