Before Ye Shu could make a move, something unexpected happened. It was the afternoon of the game's fourth day. Snow had begun to fall. White flakes drifted down in a heavy silvery veil, layering the ground. Standing by the window, Ye Shu cast a sidelong glance at the rapidly accumulating drifts—within just a few hours, the snow had risen above ankle height. An ominous premonition welled up inside her. If it were to snow for half a month... Would the lower floors be completely buried? Long ago on Blue Star, handbooks had been issued on how to survive cold waves. Yet no one imagined the temperature would drop so quickly in this game's world—none of those guidelines applied here. Pang Pangzi's face changed, his voice rising in panic. “Heroine, it’s snowing all over the world now. All flights in this area have been suspended—we probably can’t get anywhere.” Mentioning flights, a flicker of something cracked across Su Bai’s otherwise calm expression. On the plane, aside from using her Lucky Star item, things had not been as effortless as she’d let on to Ye Shu. Hail had shattered a hole in the upper fuselage, freezing air flooding in—most people lost consciousness for a time as the plane dove out of control. Her seat was just beneath that opening. She'd nearly cracked her skull. Hundreds of ice chunks the size of eggs pummeled her—any ordinary person would not have survived. At that desperate moment, she unbuckled her seatbelt and swapped places. Yet even those few minutes changing seats nearly saw her sucked out by the turbulence. Once bitten, twice shy. Su Bai thought: she would probably fear flying for life. Luckily she'd had enough items on her, and the Restoration Serum had healed most of her wounds. The captain, too, had proven capable, wresting the plane out of the storm. Otherwise, she wouldn't be alive right now. The research institute had warned, before their departure, that the clouds were behaving abnormally and there might be extreme weather. Yet, at the time, Su Bai thought of nothing but reuniting with Ye Shu as quickly as possible. An old player—and yet she’d made such a rookie mistake. “As expected,” Ye Shu replied calmly, as if nothing could rattle her. A minor freezing rain had already caused dozens of car accidents. Now, with the snow thickening by the hour—these blizzards wouldn’t be stopping anytime soon. Seeing Ye Shu so composed, Pang Pangzi’s anxious heart began to settle. After all, Heroine Ye was a veteran, a core member who's cleared every game round from the very start. He could trust her. If the Heroine could remain unflappable, so could he. “Awooo... Boring.” No monsters had shown up, so in this round the creature could only trail after Ye Shu, gnawing on tasteless, frozen zombie meat. Pah! Even the frozen meat wasn’t fresh. Terrible. How could these humans stand to swallow it? If only its master would deign to offer a live chicken or duck for a change! It didn’t even long for live, wriggling people anymore. Da Piaoliang suddenly remembered its days thriving in the bizarre world—a time when humans would flee like rodents before a cat, their terror fueling its killing sprees. Its gaze followed Pang Pangzi now, green eyes flickering with a hunger born of violence. The essence of the uncanny was always bloodthirst. Even with a contract binding it to Ye Shu, Da Piaoliang couldn’t change its true nature. A lazy side glance at Su Bai—then in the next instant, its eyes settled hungrily upon Pang Pangzi. That woman, Su Bai, still held a sliver of esteem in its master's heart. But this stupid fat man—quite another matter. He was not important at all. Covered in layers of fat, he must taste exquisite! Why was the Heroine’s pet staring at him like that?! Could it be—did he feed the cat too little just now? The scrutiny made Pang Pangzi squirm in discomfort. He looked away, shivered, and rubbed his hands for warmth. “Uhh… It’s getting a bit cold! I’ll go boil some water.” With that, he fled toward the kitchen. Ye Shu seemed to see right through the uncanny beast's intentions, offering a quiet warning. “Pang Pangzi is a teammate.” “Awooo... I get it! I’m just fantasizing, aren’t I even allowed to dream?” Su Bai understood immediately. This high-level uncanny, tamed by Ye Shu, might appear docile on the surface, but was still innately bloodthirsty—a creature of slaughter. She spread her hands over the portable sun heater, luxuriating in the warmth. “Awooo… When can we finally leave this instance? I’m freezing to death.” “Awooo... My fur is all damp and matted—it’s so uncomfortable.” Da Piaoliang batted at the little sun, swiveling it lazily with a paw, and yawned. Even for an uncanny black tiger—a creature of the feline order—the plunging temperature made it seek out any cozy room. Su Bai: “......” Seriously? Even this cat was fighting her for things now? Weren’t uncanny beings supposed to be above things like breathing or the cold? ...... All in one afternoon, the wind and snow intensified suddenly. The roads of the complex vanished beneath thick snowdrifts; far off, half of the open-air parking spaces were buried completely. Dongguang hadn’t seen snowfall like this in decades—let alone in midsummer. A few residents, wise to the situation, began hoarding what they could and turned to the neighborhood chat group to organize supplies. [a block 12-2 Wen Xu: Folks, my family is running out of food. Takeout’s down, is anyone willing to sell food? I can pay.] [a block 1-1: The snow came out of nowhere—the shop I run is on the first floor. If anyone needs supplies, order from me: instant noodles, snacks, pasta, drinks… Same prices as usual, but with extra delivery fees.] [b block 7-1: My kid has a fever. Anyone got medicine? Ambulances can’t get through, damn this cursed weather—how can it snow like this?] [I want some.] [Good old boss.] […………] [c block 6-12: Hey, I’ve got homemade dumplings. Don’t worry about payment; we’re neighbors, no need to be polite. The snow should stop by tomorrow—don’t worry.] [b block 11-3: I have medicine, but you’ll need to pay up. 300 a bottle.] [b block 7-1: What? Are you trying to scam me? What kind of antipyretic costs that much? We’re neighbors, how could you have the nerve to ask for so much?] [a block 18-9: I also have medicine, no charge—your child’s health is more important.] [b block 7-1: Thank you! Unlike certain people, who put profit over decency.] [a block 10-03: I made braised prawns and hotpot, everyone’s welcome!] [d block 13-05: I have fresh vegetables—anyone want some?] [a block 2-3: Got food mailed in from my hometown; I thought it was a hassle, but never imagined I’d get trapped at home by the snow.] Residents began posting photos in the group chat. Fridges crammed with supplies, several bags of rice and nuts piled on the floor. […………] Camaraderie filled the chat group. Now and then, someone announced they'd gone to a neighbor’s for dinner; those with surplus shared their stores freely. Su Bai leaned in, peeking at the lively chat, lamenting quietly, “Tsk, in a disaster, revealing your supplies—big taboo in the game.” Ye Shu scrolled through her phone expressionlessly. She could not help but wonder, when these people finally realized the snow was just beginning, would they regret giving away their food so soon?