"Leave this place?" Pang Pangzi could hardly believe it. The snow outside now piled as high as an adult’s knees. Escaping was no easy task—especially for an ordinary man like him who relied on stronger companions. Su Bai, blessed with powers, might just stand a chance, but him? He'd only drag Ye Shu and the others down.
"Yes, we have to go." Ye Shu had thought it through. The deathly cold—minus 274 degrees Celsius—was beyond what any mortal could endure. Even she couldn’t guarantee her complete safety. The only choice left was to leave and head for the Noah’s Ark—perhaps their one sliver of hope!
"But..."
They were still a long way from Tibet. It usually took hours even by plane or train. Striking out across this wasteland alone was practically a death sentence, especially since they had no proper gear. How could leaving be anything but impossible? Yet, staying meant only one thing: turning into frozen statues.
"It takes at least two days to drive to Tibet from here. Along the way, we’ll face plenty of dangers. If you don’t want to leave, Pang Pangzi, you can take some of the supplies here... As for Su Bai, we need to plan our route carefully."
"Alright, Shushu, maybe we should leave now."
"The temperature drops more every day. The sooner we go, the better."
Su Bai was always impatient. She immediately started gathering her things, but as she staggered to her feet, her vision blurred and she almost toppled forward.
"There’s no need to rush. You’ve just broken through—you need more rest."
Ye Shu caught her deftly, scooping her back into the warm blankets.
"Okay, I’ll rest a bit longer. It won’t slow us down much," Su Bai agreed without the slightest hesitation—she had always been Ye Shu’s steadfast friend. If Ye Shu asked her to tread fire or steel, she wouldn’t even blink.
If not for the intelligence on Noah’s Ark, Ye Shu felt she might have chosen, like so many others, to stay put and wait for an official rescue. But knowing the truth, she couldn't just sit and wait for death. Leaving was perhaps the only way to survive this nightmare "instance."
"Heroine Ye, I want to go with you too. I can pull my weight—I won't slow you down," Pang Pangzi blurted out after a long internal struggle. Whenever he spoke of leaving with Ye Shu, a flicker of determination danced behind his eyes.
"Good. We’ll go together," Ye Shu replied, her voice unwavering.
That night, the three packed everything they could carry: chocolate, candy, compressed biscuits—high-calorie food suitable for travel. What didn’t fit in their packs, Ye Shu tucked away in her private dimension.
Eighth day of the game.
2:21 A.M.
The endless snow finally ceased.
The freezing rain, too, had stopped.
The temperature stabilized around minus 20 degrees—not pleasant, but at least it had stopped dropping.
"Heaven must be watching over us—this is our chance to leave!" Pang Pangzi was visibly excited. He'd thought the snow would only get heavier, trapping them inside, but as luck would have it, just when he needed it, the world gave him an opening.
Ye Shu merely grunted in acknowledgment, her expression unusually grave. The break in the weather would be short-lived. Once they hit the road, there would be no turning back.
She packed the leftover building materials from the recent renovations into her spatial storage. Long ago, she'd stashed an off-road vehicle in there—perfect for climbing snow-peaked mountains and crossing grasslands. She hadn’t expected it would ever be so useful.
With no electricity, their only connection to outside intelligence was the game’s digital noticeboard.
[Red Carp: Damn this game! It's killing us from the outset—I nearly froze to death. Was going to charter a jet, but the fuel tank exploded!]
[Green Carp & Donkey: It’s the end times—frozen! Frostbite sent me to the hospital, nearly froze solid in the ward. Lost half an arm. The old lady next door died in bed last week, couldn’t bear to spend on heating... by the time her family found her, her body had turned to ice.]
[Chubby Orange Sis: There’s no more heat anywhere; no power, nothing but cold and hunger... Good thing I drew an unlimited thermos at the start. I’ve survived by constantly refilling it with hot water.]
[Guest10086: Get out while you can! People in this instance knew about the coming freeze in advance and built a Noah’s Ark... in (*%#@#) [game encrypted, can’t say]... I’m on the Ark right now, we’ll launch in a few days!!]
Ye Shu was stunned by the guest account’s message. The details of the Ark had spilled out just like that? Soon it would launch... Before she could react, the guest account was deleted and their comment erased.
[Goji Berries in My Thermos: Noah’s Ark? Is that for real?]
[Mary the Bald: Does it matter? In this blizzard, I can’t take a single step. I don’t even own a thick coat, and I can’t get out of my building.]
[…...]
If not for the comments, Ye Shu would’ve thought she imagined it all.
......
5:11 A.M.
At last, the wind and snow subsided.
Electricity still hadn’t returned.
Stepping outside at last, Ye Shu donned her thick cotton coat, though the chill still seeped through. Thank heavens her powers were ice-based—she was nearly immune to such bitter cold. In short, she did not fear winter.
Elevators had long since stopped running. The trio descended the stairs.
Frost blanketed the stairwell in sheets of white; the silence was eerie. The windows had been smashed, letting in the biting wind.
Su Bai puffed frosty breath, tucking her nose into her scarf. "So cold," she muttered. Never before had she felt so grateful for her awakened fire powers. She’d made a breakthrough just yesterday, so staying warm was the least of her worries.
Outside, the air seemed to drop with every step.
The snow reached up to their knees. All ordinary cars were buried out of sight.
Pang Pangzi realized, belatedly, that they had no way to travel. Shaking like a leaf, he stammered, "Heroine, how are we supposed to leave... with... no car?" His nerves were shot—he’d overlooked something so basic.
"There is a way," Ye Shu replied calmly—and released her off-road vehicle.
The black SUV towered higher than two meters and plowed through the snow as if it were nothing. The roof had been reinforced, impervious even to a new bout of freezing rain.
She had custom-ordered this vehicle in the game world—capable of withstanding temperatures of minus thirty degrees, and fitted with anti-skid technology, driving through this blizzard would be a breeze.
"Awesome," Pang Pangzi’s eyes lit up. He didn’t care much for cars, but he couldn't help admiring this one.
"Get in, let’s move while there’s no rainfall," Ye Shu said, hopping into the passenger seat and signaling Pang Pangzi to drive.
"Alright, alright! I’m coming!"
Gripping the steering wheel tight, Pang Pangzi’s expression grew serious. Last night’s freezing rain had coated the streets in a thin layer of ice. As the vehicle rolled out, its tires crunched crisply over the ground.
Everything went smoothly. By midday, they’d left East Guang behind.
Everywhere the eye could see was smothered in white, not a sign of life anywhere.
Luck was on their side—no more snow, no hail.
At their current pace, taking turns at the wheel, the trio would make it to Tibet in less than three days.
Night fell.
The temperature dropped again.
In the back seat, Su Bai squatted eating instant noodles, her feet bundled in warm packs, cradling Da Piaoliang in her lap. "This thing’s creepily cold—like a block of ice, it’s freezing my hands," she muttered.
Da Piaoliang shot an annoyed glance at her before closing its eyes again.