"What's going on outside?"
Su Nian asked as she sat up.
Due to just waking up, Su Nian's voice still carried a bit of hoarseness.
Jing Mo shook his head. "I don't know what's happening, but judging from the noise, it seems like someone has returned. I'll go check."
With that, Jing Mo got up and walked towards the door.
Jing Mo had just reached the door when it was knocked.
Hearing the commotion, Su Nian acted even faster, coming out of her sleeping bag and quickly walking towards the door.
By now, Jing Mo had already opened the door.
"How many people are in this room? Let us in to rest."
The person outside spoke very quickly, with a firm tone that brooked no refusal.
However, Jing Mo, standing at the door, remained unmoved. "No."
"Why not? This isn't your room, it's a communal area. Why can't we enter just because you're inside? We have someone injured. The lobby is crowded and noisy; it's impossible to rest there..."
"Then find another room. There's plenty of space here, and many empty rooms."
"It's already pitch dark outside, and it's so cold. If we have to find another room, we'll have to make a fire, which will take time. The injured person might not survive."
Jing Mo coolly retorted, "What does that have to do with me?"
"How can you say that? We all came from the base. As comrades, shouldn't we help each other?"
"Who said we're comrades?" Jing Mo's voice turned cold. "We all came from the base, that's all. Apart from that, we have no relationship."
"So you've decided not to let us in? Then don't blame me for being impolite."
As the man outside spoke, he swung his fist towards Jing Mo's face.
But before his fist could reach halfway, Jing Mo firmly grabbed it, rendering it motionless.
Jing Mo stood lazily, applying a slight force to push the man out.
The man staggered backward, colliding with the person behind him, eliciting several cries of pain.
"With just this ability, you still want to be rude to me?" Jing Mo sneered. "While I'm still in a good mood, you'd better disappear from my sight, or else—"
Jing Mo didn't finish his sentence, but the person outside felt a chill creeping up his spine.
It was colder than the icy wind and freezing snowflakes.
The group hastily turned and left, eventually heading towards the lobby.
Watching them enter the lobby, Jing Mo withdrew his gaze.
As he turned around, he saw Su Nian standing behind him.
"It's still early; you should go back and continue sleeping," Jing Mo said gently.
Su Nian shook her head. "Those people who just left were injured, and there's a strong scent of blood on them."
Hearing this, Jing Mo's expression became serious.
Although he didn't ask how those people were injured, it was likely they were injured while fighting wild animals.
They were lucky to have made it back, but they brought disaster to the resort.
Whether those wild animals let them go due to luck or strength, or if they were baited by those animals, their intelligence couldn't be underestimated.
Just thinking about it made one's scalp tingle.
However, this situation couldn't be ignored.
If it was true, tonight wouldn't be peaceful.
Jing Mo's tone became serious. "Stay here for now; I'll go find Captain Kong."
"Okay."
Watching Jing Mo hurriedly leave, Su Nian packed up her sleeping bag and put it into her backpack.
Checking the time, she hadn't slept for long, just over an hour.
However, her spirit was much better now.
Looking at the blazing fire, Su Nian suddenly realized something.
When she was sleeping just now, she felt the temperature around her rise significantly, making her feel warm.
But after waking up for a while, she felt the room's temperature drop slightly.
Could it be that the sleeping bag's insulation was really good?
Before Su Nian could figure it out, Jing Mo returned quickly.
"I've informed Captain Kong of my speculation; he said they'll reinforce their vigilance."
Su Nian nodded without comment.
Alerting Captain Kong was enough.
If Captain Kong didn't take it seriously and it led to irreparable losses, it wouldn't be their fault.
Neither of them spoke again, just leaning against their backpacks, resting with their eyes closed.
As time passed, only the crackling of the burning firewood and their steady breathing filled the room.
After about an hour, it was already past 8 o'clock in the evening.
Before the apocalypse, this was just the beginning of the night's activities.
But now, it was already bedtime for many people.
In fact, many had already fallen into a deep sleep.
However, Su Nian and Jing Mo remained awake, showing no signs of drowsiness.
Even in death, one could rest peacefully, but it was better to remain vigilant while alive.
Just past 9 o'clock, Su Nian heard some movement outside again.
It was the sound of heavy objects stepping on the snow, not very loud, but due to its frequency and complexity, Su Nian could discern it.
Su Nian looked at Jing Mo, who also looked back at her.
They exchanged a glance, nodding simultaneously, then quietly picked up their weapons and headed towards the window.
The windows were made of wood and couldn't be sealed tightly.
Looking out through the gaps, they could see many dark figures in the courtyard.
These figures were gradually approaching the lobby, forming a surrounding pattern.
Although Su Nian expected this scene, seeing it still weighed heavily on her heart.
After such a long time, these animals only surrounded them now. Did it mean they had been waiting outside, intending to attack when it was quiet and everyone was asleep?
Surprise attacks were the key to victory.
Although it was known that animals had hunting instincts, it was still shocking.
With continuous natural disasters, life was already very difficult for people.
Now that animals were becoming so cunning and preying on humans, wouldn't the survival environment become even more challenging?
The animals in the courtyard weren't moving fast, but considering the distance, it didn't take long for them to approach the lobby.
At this moment, the windows of the lobby opened one after another, with dark muzzles protruding. With the sound of gunshots, the entire resort erupted into chaos.
The animals in the courtyard were startled by the gunfire and fled in all directions, but they didn't turn back.
Meanwhile, screams and cries echoed from the lobby.
Although Su Nian and Jing Mo were some distance from the lobby, they could hear the sounds clearly.