Logan slowly opened his eyes.
The safe house was pitch black without any light.
Had the solar flare and geomagnetic storm passed?
Logan rubbed his forehead, his head still feeling a bit groggy.
He turned his hand and took an emergency flashlight from his space, hanging it on the wall. Then, he took out a household gasoline generator and connected it to the house's electrical wiring. As he flipped the switch, the entire safe house regained power.
Logan wasn't sure how long he had been unconscious. In his previous life, he had been out for a day and a night—he wondered if it was the same this time.
His mechanical wristwatch showed the current time as 11:34.
"Gurgle... gurgle..."
The hunger pangs in his stomach made Logan realize that he hadn't eaten for two or three days.
Logan decided to rehydrate and eat something before going out to check the situation.
He suddenly recalled the prompt that had appeared on the Cornucopia before he passed out:
[The solar flare has arrived, geomagnetic storm forming, "Source" material rapidly generating]
What is "Source" material?
He checked the Cornucopia interface but saw no changes, and the previous countdown had disappeared.
"Gurgle..."
His stomach protested again.
Pushing aside his curiosity, Logan took out a pot, an induction stove, and a piece of beef from his space.
He filled the pot with water, added hot pot base seasoning to the bottom, and brought it to a boil before slicing the beef into the pot.
The beef was fresh, and Logan sliced it while eating. Paired with some fresh vegetables, he quickly devoured five pounds of beef.
"When did I start eating so much?"
Even though his stomach was full, he still felt a lingering sense of hunger.
After washing the dishes, Logan changed into long sleeves and pants and opened the first door of the safe house.
The soundproofing of the safe house was excellent, and Logan approached the front door, checking the peephole before opening it.
Outside, it was raining heavily. Logan extended his hand to catch some of the rainwater.
The outdoor temperature was just a bit cool.
It seemed his unconsciousness lasted about the same time as in his previous life.
In his previous life, after the solar flare, the sun's light visibly weakened, and within three days, The Earth's overall temperature dropped by dozens of degrees.
At the time, Logan was in Harbor City and remembered that the day after he woke up, the temperature had dropped by more than ten degrees Celsius, and it started raining outside.
People were still panicking over the loss of power and the inability to receive news from the outside world and hadn't noticed the abnormal weather, merely thinking it was a strong cold front.
But by the third day, the temperature dropped another twenty degrees.
Hail, strong typhoons, and blizzards occurred in many places.
People began to realize something was wrong and braved the snow to loot supplies.
On the fourth day, the temperature plummeted again, dropping by more than thirty degrees in a single day.
A temperature difference of 20-30 degrees between morning and afternoon is terrifying.
Many people who went out to buy supplies didn't make it home in time and froze to death in the blizzard.
In the South City, temperatures dropped to around minus fifty degrees Celsius, and it was even worse in the north.
The human body needs time to adjust to temperature changes.
But the sun didn't give humanity any time to adapt.
Even those who stayed home wrapped in blankets couldn't withstand the sudden drop in temperature. Many people became ill, suffered frostbite, and froze to death.
Hospitals were overwhelmed, equipment and ambulances were destroyed by the solar flare, and there was no electricity.
Treatment couldn't keep up with the number of sick people, and medical supplies began to run out. In a single day, countless people died.
Panic and chaos began to spread.
People finally realized that the apocalypse had arrived.
South City, near the equator and currently in summer, likely wouldn't cool down as quickly as Harbor City.
Two days ago, South City's daytime temperature was still 32 degrees Celsius.
Logan took out an electronic air thermometer.
The reading was 22 degrees Celsius.
He returned inside, put on a jacket, and slung a backpack over his shoulder.
Before the blizzard arrived, he needed to go out and gather some more supplies.
Although he already had enough supplies in his space, you can never have too many.
Excess supplies could be traded or kept for emergencies.
Now that there was no longer any surveillance outside, Logan no longer had to be cautious about revealing his space.
Putting on a waterproof raincoat, Logan went outside and picked up the shared bike he had casually tossed on the ground earlier.
The bike's electronic lock had been damaged by the electromagnetic pulse, but it was still usable.
He hopped on the bike and sped down the mountain.
As Logan descended the mountain, he noticed that cycling felt much easier today.
Previously, he had to pedal hard to reach 40-50 km/h, but now he did so effortlessly.
Had his physical condition improved after a night's sleep?
Logan pondered this, not noticing the intersection ahead.
A group of people was emerging from the intersection.
They were all wearing identical raincoats, their faces resolute and their expressions serious and vigilant.
A closer look revealed that beneath their raincoat collars, they were wearing matching olive-green military uniforms.
In the center of this group, a girl in a white dress, protected by a transparent raincoat, was being carefully guarded.
Seeing the group suddenly appear around the corner, Logan tried to brake, but it was too late.
"Eek!!"
The screech of the brakes echoed, but the shared bike still crashed into the group.
"Ah!" a girl's cry came from within the group.
One of the men in the group, a middle-aged man, frowned and stepped forward, his leg moving like the wind.
He kicked at the bike's frame above Logan's front wheel!
Normally, such a kick would have resulted in a broken leg due to the force.
However, instead of the expected cry of pain, Logan and his bike were sent skidding backward!
Logan's eyes narrowed as he stabilized the bike several meters back.
Looking down, he saw that the bike's frame had caved in because of the kick.
Who are these people? So strong!
"Who are you?!"
The others in the group tensed up, watching Logan warily, some even reaching inside their raincoats.
Logan quickly realized the situation and scratched the back of his head, putting on an apologetic face:
"Sorry, I just came out to collect some supplies and was in a hurry to get home. Luckily, I didn't crash into you. Hey, old man, is your leg okay?"
The middle-aged man said nothing, just stared at Logan with a frown, his eyes filled with scrutiny and caution.
Logan's grip on the bike's handlebars tightened slightly.
Both sides fell silent, the atmosphere tense.
At that moment, a female voice came from within the group:
" Uncle Quentin, let go. He didn't mean it."