Chereads / Surviving the End Times / Chapter 37 - The Key to Survival

Chapter 37 - The Key to Survival

Su Nian approached the trio step by step, causing the auntie to scream in fright.

Meanwhile, Da Cheng and Er Cheng, both injured, were gradually stiffened by the cold. At this moment, they could only glare at Su Nian fiercely, with no room for resistance.

Quickly, Su Nian reached the three of them and gave a heavy tap behind their necks with the hilt of her knife, knocking them all unconscious.

Just as she finished this, Su Nian sensed someone and turned to look down the stairs.

She saw Jing Mo standing on the fifth floor, looking up at her.

Su Nian raised an eyebrow. When did Jing Mo return?

Before Su Nian could ask, Jing Mo smiled and spoke, "I've been back for a while, but it seems like you don't need my help, so I didn't interfere."

Hearing Jing Mo's words, Su Nian was very satisfied.

She didn't want others to intervene in matters she could handle herself, let alone someone dictating what she should do.

But now, Su Nian needed Jing Mo's help.

"Can you help me carry them back home?" Su Nian asked.

Jing Mo readily nodded, "Of course."

Su Nian found the keys on the auntie's body and successfully opened the door to their home.

Inside, the place resembled a snow cave, with very few belongings, let alone furniture.

A fire was burning in the living room, but the firewood was almost burned out. It wouldn't last more than a few minutes.

Su Nian and Jing Mo together carried the mother and her two sons into the living room, placing them by the fire.

Clapping her hands, Su Nian nodded in satisfaction, "Let's go!"

Glancing at the three on the ground, Jing Mo sighed with some emotion, "Indeed, girls are too soft-hearted."

If it were him, he would have ended them with a single stroke.

At Jing Mo's words, Su Nian smiled, her eyes curving.

Soft-hearted?

That term had nothing to do with her.

She knew exactly how much force she used with her own hands.

These three wouldn't wake up for another two to three hours.

And although the fire in the living room was still burning, it had lost its warmth.

Despite being indoors, the temperature in the house was no different from outside.

In this temperature, two to three hours were enough to freeze someone to death.

Killing them one by one would also require dealing with the bodies afterward.

Leaving them here to freeze to death meant no need to handle the corpses.

When the lease on this house expired, people from the base would come to collect the property, and naturally, they would dispose of the bodies.

Wasn't this much more convenient?

Su Nian didn't explain further. Together with Jing Mo, she left the house, casually closing the door behind her.

Back on the sixth floor, as they passed the iron gate, Su Nian carefully observed it.

The quality of this gate was indeed good, and the mother and her two sons didn't have any suitable tools.

Though they struggled for a while, they only managed to leave some scratches on the gate.

Su Nian was very satisfied with this gate. It was worth the hefty price she paid; you get what you pay for.

Locking the iron gate, Su Nian planned to go home.

But as she approached her doorstep, Su Nian stopped and turned to Jing Mo, "With the weather so cold, does the base have any measures in place? Any news?"

Su Nian felt that since the base had already predicted the arrival of extreme cold, there must be some contingency plans in place.

It had been several days already, why hadn't any announcements been made?

"Yes," Jing Mo nodded, "There are heating systems installed in the base's communal dormitories. As long as you're willing, you can move there, but you'll need to contribute some points. If you don't have points, you can follow the base's arrangements like the others who originally lived there, going out to work every day."

"What if one doesn't want to move there?" Su Nian asked.

"If you don't want to move, then you'll have to find your own way to keep warm. The base does sell some fuel, but it's not cheap."

Hearing Jing Mo's explanation, Su Nian wasn't disappointed.

The base was indeed too large. It wasn't realistic to provide heating facilities for the entire base, especially in such circumstances.

The only option was to select a place that could accommodate more people for heating, allowing everyone to move there.

As for those unwilling to move, if they were capable of self-preservation, it would be even better, relieving pressure on the base.

Su Nian nodded in understanding and said to Jing Mo, "It's getting late, and it's too cold outside. Let's hurry back and rest."

"You should rest early too!"

Both returned home without asking each other if they wanted to move to the communal dormitory.

Because they both knew they wouldn't.

The thermal underwear Jing Mo provided was indeed effective.

With it on, layered with a few more clothes, even after spending so long outside, Su Nian only felt a bit cold, but she didn't suffer much.

Back in her bedroom, warmth enveloped her, dispelling the lingering chill.

Su Nian took off her outerwear and hung it on the coat rack near the door, then changed into comfortable and warm pajamas.

After the brief hustle and bustle, Su Nian wasn't sleepy. She had no intention of lying down immediately.

Anyway, she had nothing to do during the day, so she could catch up on sleep then.

Su Nian walked over and sat on the cushion beside her, snuggling into the huge teddy bear.

In her previous life, when she lived in those small bases, Su Nian had also stayed in communal dormitories.

Back then, Su Nian didn't have the conditions she had now. When extreme cold came, she couldn't survive alone and had to move into the base's communal dormitory.

Though it was called a dormitory, it was actually just a room filled with beds.

The distance between beds was at most 30 centimeters. If you wore thick clothes, you could only walk sideways.

There was no centralized heating in the small base, just a few large iron barrels burning firewood for warmth.

With so many people living in a small room, the body heat kept the temperature from dropping too low.

But with more people, poor ventilation, the smell inside the room was rich.

Su Nian didn't know how the communal dormitories in the First Base looked like.

But when there were too many people living together, the outcome was the same.

Su Nian lay there thinking for a while until it was bright outside. Then she got up and started training.

Even in such cold weather, Su Nian didn't give up training herself.

No matter when, having a strong physique and excellent physical fitness was the key to survival.

The bedroom wasn't spacious. Every time she trained, Su Nian would fold up the bed and the sheepskin rug on the floor, taking out the things she needed for training.

Three hours later, the training ended, and Su Nian was already sweating.

The temperature in the room was now around twelve or thirteen degrees. It would still be cold to take a bath.

But Su Nian had a solution.

When she was shopping, thinking about the inconvenience of bathing in extreme cold, Su Nian specifically bought an outdoor shower tent.

The size of this tent was not large, but it was more than enough to accommodate a bathtub.

After arriving at the base, Su Nian used the shower water she had used in the apartment to flush the toilet.

After cleaning the bathtub, she reheated the water and put it in the tub for use in such situations.