At Sun Chenghao's house, Ai Bing waited anxiously for Zhou Lin, but there was no call or message. Her anger was mixed with a sense of foreboding. Had Zhou Lin sensed something?
She glanced at Tang Yili and Sun Chenghao playing online games. Compared to Zhou Lin's family's recent bustling preparations, something felt off.
It was midday, yet the sky was a dim, overcast gray. The normally brilliant July sun was hidden behind thick clouds, making it look as dull as an old, yellowing egg yolk.
Bored, Ai Bing scrolled through her phone, finding countless posts discussing the apocalypse. Posts that would have been deleted days ago were now left unchecked.
"Could it be..." She thought back to Zhou Lin's family's behavior. "They've been preparing for this all along?" If that were the case, Ai Bing decided it was safer to head to Zhou Lin's house.
"Ice Ice, are you hungry? Let's go out to eat."
Tang Yili finally put down his phone, realizing he was hungry.
"Go out to eat?" Ai Bing pointed out the window irritably. "With this weather, do you think any restaurants are open?"
In fact, restaurants had closed the night before. Food supplies were either controlled or sold out. With no raw ingredients, how could any restaurant stay open?
"No worries, I have instant noodles at home." As a typical bachelor, Sun Chenghao had stocked up on instant meals, but Ai Bing disliked eating them. They were unhealthy and bad for her skin.
Seeing the instant noodles, Ai Bing couldn't help but think of Zhou Lin's farm. The pigsty and chicken coop she once despised now seemed like a haven.
They must have plenty of food! Ai Bing thought.
"I'm leaving."
With no call from Zhou Lin and no response to her message, Ai Bing grew nervous. As a pragmatic gold-digger, she needed to assess her options clearly.
At the moment, Zhou Lin, with his big house and a supporting farm, was far more valuable than Tang Yili. She knew the difference between short-term pleasure and long-term survival.
Tang Yili, however, was upset. He had traveled all the way from Shen City, surely not just for one night?
"Stay a few more days. If you're hungry, I'll go buy something!"
Ai Bing couldn't stop him. She didn't expect that as soon as Tang Yili left, Sun Chenghao would sidle up to her, grinning slyly. "Ice Ice, your voice was lovely last night."
"What do you want?" Ai Bing asked coldly.
"Hey, what can I do? Lao Tang and I are brothers. You're his woman, so how could I take advantage of you, right?"
His words said one thing, but his expression conveyed a different message. It was clear what he wanted.
Ai Bing wasn't particularly concerned with such matters. What mattered to her was whether it was worth it. Any physical activity would cost energy, and she wouldn't waste it unless there was something to gain.
What could Sun Chenghao offer?
Meanwhile, outside, Tang Yili quickly regretted his decision.
It was freezing!
So damn cold!
Inside, with the windows shut, the cold wasn't as noticeable. But outside, the wind felt like it was cutting through his clothes. His hands and feet were almost numb.
It was July, but it felt like the dead of winter!
Shen City had never been this cold. Jiazhou must be cursed.
Tang Yili was mistaken. Jiazhou had never been this cold either. In fact, Shen City was even colder now.
The entire atmospheric circulation was disrupted. Ground cooling wasn't due to northern cold air anymore. Shen City, close to the sea, couldn't rely on the ocean's warm air mass for protection. If Tang Yili contacted friends in Shen City, he'd learn that the city had frozen over by noon the previous day.
Not just Shen City, but nearly all coastal cities were hit by unprecedented low temperatures. A massive meteorological disaster was forming worldwide. Disaster relief had become the top priority for governments everywhere.
Japan, however, was suffering the most severe impact.
Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and severe weather had brought torrential rains and secondary disasters. Outside the capital, all cities were paralyzed. Ordinary citizens received no help except their own unprepared efforts, which were largely ineffective.
Thirteen cities were flooded, with three-quarters of their populations missing, essentially dead.
Three small towns near mountains vanished in mudslides, with almost no survivors.
The area within a thirty-kilometer radius of Mount Fuji was covered in toxic volcanic ash and unbreathable gases. Anyone or anything unable to escape in time had no chance of survival. The Japanese government could only express helplessness.
Rumor had it that the Japanese royal family had shamefully evacuated. They didn't go to the powerful military nation or wealthy Europe, but to the economically backward Africa.
This confirmed the rumors of Japan's extensive planning in Africa over the years. Living in such a volatile environment, it's no wonder everyone there imagined what to do in an apocalypse.
The wealthy and powerful also fled, most leaving on the day Mount Fuji erupted. Some went to Africa, but most headed to Europe. The rich especially benefited from properties they had bought in Europe long ago.
Using a secretly built navy and the extensive civilian fleet, the Japanese government managed to send two-thirds of its military to sea, heading for Africa. Perhaps they saw this disaster as an opportunity to claim African land, something they wouldn't dare in peacetime.
Yesterday morning, a mysterious cold wave hit Japan. Like a real-life Snow Queen, it swept from south to north, dropping temperatures by as much as fifty degrees!
A movie once depicted the devastating low temperatures of a superstorm. Many thought it was an artistic exaggeration, impossible in reality.
But now it was happening. Every nation watched to see the damage this new cold wave would cause.
Surviving cameras and networks showed rivers freezing instantly, skyscrapers frosting over, and people turning into crystal-clear ice statues in moments.
Experts estimated the cold wave's center temperature might be minus one hundred degrees Celsius!