That night, the temperature dropped once more—to just 5°C.

Ye Shu awaited Pang Pangzi’s arrival, but he was nowhere to be seen; even her messages received no reply.

Thankfully, the torrential rain hadn’t left the city underwater.

On the third day within the game, the cold intensified.

Minus one degree Celsius. Dongguang saw its coldest winter in decades. Everyone bundled themselves in thick cotton coats.

Ye Shu turned the heat in her home up to full blast. Even in a thin shirt, she was perfectly warm.

She was slurping rice noodles when a knock sounded at the door.

Su Bai was still en route and had only been given the address alongside Pang Pangzi. Ye Shu couldn’t remember knowing anyone else in this building.

"Heroine! It’s me—Fatty!"

"I’m here!"

She let him wait for an age, not opening the door. Pang Tong thought he must have the wrong apartment.

He pulled up his light screen and double-checked the address. "Yangguang Community, Building B, 13-02. That’s right, isn’t it?"

"Better message the heroine just to make sure…" Better safe than sorry. Or had he blundered into the wrong complex? Impossible.

With a sharp snap, Ye Shu flung open the door. Her voice was low: "Get in."

"Got it! Here I come! Boss, hold on—I need to dry off first."

When Pang Pangzi's eyes landed on Ye Shu, his face broke into a wide, beaming grin. She didn’t mind his weakness, still welcomed him in. Did that mean she truly considered him a friend?

"Where did you disappear to yesterday?" Ye Shu leaned against the doorframe, arms folded across her chest.

"You wouldn’t believe it, Heroine Ye. I figured it was close—a subway trip, just about an hour. Never thought the downpour would flood the subway. I nearly drowned in a carriage! Lucky for me, my fortune held and I escaped with my life."

Pang Pangzi still held that fright, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes before he regained his usual warmth.

"So long as you’re safe," Ye Shu said.

With her approval, all reserve faded. Pang Pangzi took a hot shower, cheerfully cleaned the place, cooked dinner and even found time to sprinkle food into the stainless steel bowl holding the pet clownfish.

Chou Bagua glanced at him. "Fatty, your fortune today—Five Blessings. Escape from calamity..."

Pang Pangzi only smiled and tossed the little fish extra flakes. "I owe you for the good luck."

Ye Shu opened her browser; the news matched Pang Pangzi’s tale. The subway was flooded in the storm, an entire train trapped, twenty-four injured, two dead—it had the whole city reeling. In her rush to redecorate the house, Ye Shu had missed the news entirely.

Su Bai was still on the road back to Longguo. Ye Shu could only hope nothing went wrong. She hadn’t heard from her for half a day; unsettled, she messaged Su Bai again.

[I’m Your Dad]: Xiaobai, check in every hour, understand?

[Sexy Cockroach in Black Stockings]: Aw, are you worried about me, my darling? I’m so touched.

[Your Dad]: Knock it off. Enough already.

……

"You say you’re not worried, but your mouth says no and your heart says yes." Su Bai reclined her seat, champagne in hand, perfectly at ease.

Ever since the survival game leveled up, everything had spun out of control. Her memories from a previous life were now little more than a reference.

Especially before this new round began—Blue Star had become one of the game’s very dungeons, all resources snatched up overnight. The Su family, once so mighty, was now just an empty shell. The whole country’s order was in ruins...

And now, she was thrown all the way to the farthest north. Thank heavens she’d caught the last flight out, or she’d be an ice sculpture in the arctic wilderness.

So far, nothing had gone wrong. If anything happened now...

She turned, gazing at the blue sky and clouds streaming past the window. For some reason, her heart felt clenched, drumming wildly in her chest.

Just a few more hours till she’d land safely in Dongguang.

Su Bai glanced at her wristband and sent Ye Shu another message.

[Mother Cockroach]: Safe.

[Your Dad]: Got it. I’m waiting. If you’re late, all this lamb is mine.

She attached a photo: roasted whole lamb, charred and crisp. Tearing off a piece revealed juicy meat inside, glazed with honey-mustard.

Su Bai swallowed heavily. She wanted to beg Ye Shu to teleport her just a taste, but before she could type, the seat beneath her jerked violently, her stomach lurching with the turbulence.

At that moment, the intercom buzzed overhead:

"Ladies and gentlemen, our plane has encountered a jet stream... Please fasten your seatbelts... Do not leave your seats..."

The stewardess’s sweet voice echoed, but nothing could soothe the dread gripping the passengers.

Time ticked by. The shaking only grew worse. Suitcases rained from the overhead compartments, slamming to the carpet, oxygen masks trailing down before everyone’s eyes.

‘Bang, bang, bang—’

The pounding came again and again, louder each time, until everyone looked bleakly out the windows and saw the rotten dusk and hailstones, each the size of a fist, hammering the glass.

Su Bai blanched. Hailstorm on a plane… That never ended well. A single mistake could be fatal.

"How could there be hail in weather like this?"

"Are we... are we going to die?"

"If I’d known, I wouldn’t have flown home…"

"Should’ve just waited till next year to head home from the arctic. Now look, stuck. There’s no way back."

"Should I leave a will? My little girl at home is waiting, at least she’ll know Dad never broke his word."

"Mom and Dad, next time I’ll listen—I swear I’ll never go on a polar expedition again!"

The cabin was chaos. The crew did their best to calm everyone, but the terror in their faces couldn’t be hidden.

Outside, it was as dark as the abyss, lightning threading the heavens; hailstones battered the steel shell of the plane.

With a great ‘crash,’ part of the fuselage blew open. Cold wind screamed through the gap, and the passengers’ sobs rose louder.

"Was this plane made of paper? The hail just split it open?"

"Help! I don’t want to die!"

"I’m reporting this airline—the flight should have been grounded in this weather!"

The fissure widened—from as big as a palm to the size of a grown man.

The wind howled; nobody even felt the cold. People followed broadcast instructions, fitted oxygen masks, huddled together.

But hailstones now pelted straight into the cabin. Some passengers were struck, scalped bloody. No one dared dash about. All they could do was scoop up luggage to shield themselves.

Su Bai alone stayed poised, clutching the armrest, but her face had gone ghostly pale.

What now? Was she really going to die in a plane crash? That one-in-a-million stroke of fate—had it chosen her?

Ye Shu would worry, never finding her. Pang Pangzi’s roasted lamb would remain uneaten. What a pity—on Blue Star, food was meted out by game points. Even bottled water was something to savor. If she made it back to reality, maybe she’d actually buy some mineral water.

But what she regretted most... was that once the revival card was spent, it was gone forever.

As dusk approached, Ye Shu stared at their chat thread. Ten minutes had ticked past without a reply. Still no word from Su Bai.