When people saw the sunshine once more, they were overjoyed, thinking that the nightmare had come to an end.
But soon, they realized that the sun was no longer as bright or warm as it had been. Even standing under the sunlight, they could feel little warmth.
Those living on the ground floor, without any roof to shield them from the snow, soon discovered that their doors wouldn't budge.
The relentless snowstorm had blanketed South City with over a meter of snow.
Those with windows climbed out to clear the snow blocking their doors, while those without had to figure out a way out from the second floor.
For Logan, however, this was not an issue.
When designing his safehouse, he had drawn from his experiences in his previous life, installing inward-opening doors.
No matter how much snow piled up outside, he could still open the door. He just needed to regularly clear away the snow to avoid getting trapped inside.
Now, the door of the safehouse swung open.
Logan and Max Knight stepped out.
Max Knight's wounds had fully healed, leaving behind only faint pink scars. The fur that had been shaved off was already growing back, with a layer of fuzz covering his body.
Still, it wasn't enough to protect him from the outdoor temperatures, so Logan had dressed him in a rather ugly outfit he had made.
As for Logan, he was fully equipped with waterproof, insulated outerwear, layered with thermal underwear and a high-neck fleece inside.
He wore snow boots with good grip, insulated waterproof gloves, a windproof hat, and a face mask to shield him from the cold.
To top it off, he donned ski goggles to protect his eyes from the harsh reflection of sunlight off the snow.
He was completely suited up.
Taking a set of ski equipment from his space, Logan strapped on the skis and, ready to go, said to Max Knight, who was already eager to get moving,
"Let's go! Don't run too fast, and watch your turns!"
The moment Max Knight heard "go," he bolted, running wild through the snow like an untamed horse.
Logan chuckled helplessly and skied after him.
Man and dog soon reached the base of the mountain.
After putting away his skis, Logan and Max Knight trudged through the snow towards the city.
Along the way, they saw many people emerging from their homes, bundled up in layers of clothes.
It was clear they were wearing everything they could from home.
Compared to them, Logan was dressed quite lightly.
If you ask who was warmer, it's obvious by looking at others' purple lips and frostbitten, red faces and hands.
A young man, seeing Logan's outfit, called out enviously,
"Hey! The guy with the dog!"
Logan seemed to ignore him, and that prompted the young man to rush after him. In his haste, he stumbled in the snow, landing face-first. Undeterred, he quickly got up and continued to chase after Logan.
When the young man finally caught up, Logan stopped and turned, his cold gaze locking onto him. The young man's face was flushed bright red from the biting cold.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Finn Cooper. May I know your name?"
Finn brushed the snow off his clothes, flashing an obsequious smile at Logan.
Logan glanced at him. "Get to the point."
With envy in his eyes, Finn looked over Logan's attire. "I was just wondering where you got this set. I'd like to buy one too."
"Downtown, at the mall," Logan replied curtly, then resumed walking.
"Wait! Don't go!" Finn hurried after him. "How much did the whole set cost? Do you have a spare at home? Maybe I could borrow one?"
Logan shot him a cold glare. "Buy your own. Stop following me, or you'll regret it."
At that moment, Max Knight paused and growled, his eyes fixed on Finn in warning.
Finn nervously eyed the massive dog, far larger than any he'd seen before. "…Alright, alright. Take care."
As Logan walked away, Finn spat in his direction, muttering, "Pah! You're nothing without that dog. Who do you think you are?"
Moments later, a middle-aged man in a down jacket passed by. Finn quickly ran up to him.
"Hey! That jacket of yours—"
"Get lost!"
In recent days, when Logan ventured out, some shops had still struggled to stay open despite the power outage. But today, everything had changed. After the terrifying transformations of the last few days, people had come to realize that unless they desperately scavenged for food and winter supplies, survival was uncertain.
The streets had descended into chaos. People armed with makeshift weapons smashed shop windows, rushing inside to loot clothing and food. Others resorted to stealing from one another, and in some cases, even murder occurred in broad daylight. The social order had completely collapsed.
Logan, accompanied by Max Knight, reached a jewelry store. His objective today was to gather gold—an essential material for upgrading the Cornucopia, which hadn't seen an upgrade in some time. The Cornucopia's origin remained a mystery, but it had foreseen the apocalypse and revealed the existence of "source power" and "source beasts," concepts foreign to Logan in his previous life. It seemed to know everything.
With its unique abilities to replicate items, store goods, and even bring someone back to life, the Cornucopia was unlike anything Logan had ever encountered. He suspected that by upgrading it further, he might unlock even more extraordinary powers. And so, he remained determined to pursue his goal.
Logan signaled for Max Knight to stand watch, then pulled out the hammer he'd brought and swung it at the store's tempered glass. His enhanced strength shattered the glass on the first blow, sending shards tumbling to the ground. A few more strikes and the entire pane fell away.
Inside, the store was eerily silent. No alarms, no terrified employees. Just the quiet remains of what once was.
Leaving Max Knight outside to guard, Logan stepped in and methodically smashed open display cases, pocketing gold, silver, platinum, rose gold, and diamonds. Anything of value went into his backpack, which he quickly stowed away in his space. The entire process took under half an hour.
Logan chose not to use the Cornucopia to directly transport the jewelry from the cases. He feared that if anyone passed by later and found untouched cases with all the valuables mysteriously gone, it would raise suspicions—and Logan had no intention of risking exposure.
After clearing out the first store, Logan and Max Knight moved on to the next. Having scouted the city before the apocalypse, Logan knew there were plenty of jewelry stores downtown. By the time he finished, he had emptied eight shops, including three large ones. The gold, silver, and gems he'd collected would have been worth hundreds of millions in the old world.
There were plenty of other scavengers in the city that day. Some saw Logan looting the jewelry stores and considered joining him, but Max Knight's imposing presence quickly dissuaded them. Others sneered at Logan, thinking him foolish for hoarding valuables that couldn't feed or clothe him.
By noon, Logan and Max Knight took a break for lunch in one of the jewelry stores they had just emptied. Using his backpack as a cover, Logan discreetly retrieved some pre-prepared beef patties from his space and shared them with Max Knight. Though the store appeared deserted, Logan remained vigilant. His experiences from the past had taught him never to let his guard down.
As they ate, the sound of footsteps echoed near the entrance.