Chapter 22 Natural Disaster 10

Chapter 22 Natural Disaster 10

On the 13th day, the snow was falling heavily outside, while the two of them were inside, warming themselves by the fire and drinking hot water. The atmosphere was harmonious and cozy.

Su Han thought that having some hot pot would make it feel just like a holiday at home.

Just then, someone knocked on the door vigorously and shouted, "It's me, the landlord! Let me in!"

Zhong Rui cracked the door open and asked, "What do you want?"

Cai Cheng, wrapped in a coral fleece blanket, with frost on his eyelashes and his teeth chattering, pleaded, "This damn weather is freezing! I know there's a fire inside, can I come in and rest for a while?"

"Not a good idea," Zhong Rui refused coldly. With only two people inside, he could rest assured. Adding Cai Cheng to the mix, who knows if he might stab them in the back?

In this survival scenario, being too nice isn't smart, especially since Cai Cheng has a history of bringing robbers to their door.

With that, Zhong Rui started to close the door.

Cai Cheng hurriedly pushed against the door and spoke quickly, "I'm not here to freeload; I'll pay! I've got money!"

Zhong Rui's face showed a flicker of interest. He had already spent most of his cash preparing for this. If there was a way to obtain gold and jewelry, it would make entering the next instance more comfortable.

"How much?" he asked through the door.

Cai Cheng grimaced, frustrated. This was his house, yet not only was he not collecting rent, but he also had to pay to get back in. It was a real tragedy.

But he kept his mouth shut. He couldn't fight off the four robbers, and the four robbers couldn't handle the two people inside, so he absolutely didn't dare to conflict with the tenants.

Cai Cheng hesitated, then ventured, "200 shells a day?"

"No deal." Zhong Rui was speechless and immediately wanted to close the door.

"Hold on!" A icy blast of wind and snow swept into the corridor, and Cai Cheng shivered all over, instantly sobering up. He quickly corrected himself, "I meant two gold bars a day."

Afraid Zhong Rui would shut the door, Cai Cheng fumbled in his pocket.

Zhong Rui was taken aback. In his hand were two small, square gold bars, each 5 grams, and they looked genuine.

His expression softened. "Wait here," he said, then went to consult Su Han.

Cai Cheng waited anxiously.

After a while, Zhong Rui opened the door, "Come in."

Cai Cheng, relieved, hurried in after him. Stepping inside, he immediately felt the stark contrast in temperature. Outside, the cold wind was biting, chilling to the bone, while inside, the heat waves rolled, driving away much of the cold.

Cai Cheng felt that the money was well spent.

"It's too cold outside," he said, sitting down in a corner and starting to complain, "Exhale, and it freezes immediately. Exposed skin in the air gets frostbitten in no time. I've lived on this island for several years and have never encountered weather like this. It's like a ghostly nightmare!"

Su Han casually said, "Hang in there." Although not many people would likely make it to the 20th day.

Cai Cheng kept shaking his head, feeling that the future was very bleak, and he might not be able to hold on much longer.

However, looking at the piles of snacks, charcoal, and cold-weather supplies in the room, he inexplicably felt a sense of security.

**

At 9 a.m. the next day, the system's mechanical voice announced, "Day 14, today there will be hail, with the lowest temperature at -30 degrees Celsius. Those with weak constitutions are prone to frostbite. (Those with a stamina value > 80 will be immune.)"

As soon as the words fell, hailstones the size of a child's fist began to fall.

A look of shock flashed in Cai Cheng's eyes. "What's next, raining knives?" he muttered under his breath.

"Who knows?" Zhong Rui shrugged.

Just then, faint shouts came from downstairs: "Is anyone there—is the innkeeper here—"

"Someone's calling for you downstairs," Su Han pointed out.

Cai Cheng shook his head vigorously. "Going out now would mean freezing to death! Feel free to stay in any empty room, take your pick. Besides, the landlord's too busy to collect rent."

Su Han was at a loss for words.

After a while, the noise downstairs died down. It was unclear if the person had left or just found a place to stay.

Su Han looked out the window, only to find a vast expanse of silver-white, with not a soul in sight on the streets.

She wondered if it was too cold for anyone to go out, or if those who had no choice had already turned into white light and been 'refreshed'.

Shaking her head, she stopped overthinking and sat quietly in the chair, patiently waiting for the cold wave to pass.

For players who had prepared well, the cold wave wasn't too hard to endure. By staying quietly in the room and doing nothing, they could get through it safely. But for those who were completely unprepared, the cold wave was deadly and hard to survive.

Fortunately, Su Han and Zhong Rui belonged to the former.

At 9 a.m. the next morning, the system's mechanical voice announced, "Day 15: The cold wave has ended, and temperatures are gradually rising."

Su Han waited for more, but the system's voice didn't continue. She was momentarily stunned—was there no debuff? But the next second, she realized: if stamina was too low, frostbite would set in, and without the right medication, the negative state would stick with the player, acting like a continuous debuff.

The temperature outside rose to 10 degrees—not exactly spring weather, but much better than the previous few days.

Cai Cheng let out a long breath, his face showing relief. He stood up and said politely, "The weather's warmed up, so I should head back to my room. Thanks for letting me stay these past two days."

"No problem," Zhong Rui said calmly.

After thanking them, Cai Cheng left the room.

Zhong Rui put out the bonfire and turned to ask, "What about you?"

"I'm heading back to my room. Let me know if anything comes up," Su Han said, waving as she gathered her things. Having shared a room with two men for the past few days, she hadn't been able to rest properly. Now, with a rare day off, she was eager to get back to her room and catch up on sleep.

Once alone, Zhong Rui locked the doors and windows and then fell asleep. Because of Cai Cheng, he had stayed on guard the entire time.

**

Su Han slept soundly for a full day and night, until the next day when the system's mechanical voice woke her: "Day 16: A storm is coming. The weather is abnormal, with temperatures suddenly rising to 30 degrees and a sharp increase in mosquitoes and insects."

Su Han set aside a storage box, packed away her down jacket, cotton quilt, and blankets, and then turned her attention to the next challenge.

"A summer storm background?" she pondered, resting her chin on her hand. "Mosquito bites might lead to negative states, rising temperatures easily cause dehydration, and as for the storm..."

Su Han fell silent. Although she didn't want to jinx it, she deeply felt that, given the system's shamelessness, it might very well turn into a flood, with everyone floundering in the water.

Thinking this, she could no longer stay peacefully in the room, but quickly got up, planning to go out for a walk to see if she could get a rubber boat.

Outside, the snow had piled up thickly and was now rapidly melting.

Su Han walked step by step along the street, looking around at the markets, stalls, and shops. But the streets were eerily quiet, completely deserted, as if uninhabited.

All the shops along the street were closed, not a single one open. She wandered for a while, but didn't encounter a single market.

Even if she listened carefully, she couldn't hear any bargaining or hawking from the surrounding stalls.

Su Han muttered to herself, wondering how many people hadn't survived. Why couldn't she see any living people around, making the place feel like a dead island?

After wandering for a full half hour without finding anything, Su Han sighed and decided to head back.

Coincidentally, just as she returned to the inn, the sky suddenly turned pitch black. Heavy rain poured down, and occasional thunderclaps echoed outside, crackling like a symphony.

"What's it like outside?" Cai Cheng dared not go out, fearing robbery, but was extremely curious about others' situations and couldn't help but ask the tenants.

Su Han shook her head, "Not sure. I went out for a stroll and didn't see a single soul."

Cai Cheng muttered, "Could they all be dead?" The thought even startled him. He immediately shut his mouth, not daring to speak carelessly again.

"Who knows?" Su Han thought to herself, if they were all dead, it might not be so bad, at least she wouldn't have to worry about attacks from other players. If a shooting battle like in the novice dungeon broke out, no amount of stamina would save her.

"Ah, why am I so unlucky to run into such a mess!" Cai Cheng lamented with a bitter face, feeling utterly miserable.

"You're lucky to have survived this long," Su Han said, before hurrying back to her room to rest. She had a premonition that the last few days would be grueling. She needed to conserve her energy to have enough stamina to cope.

The heavy rain lasted all day. Not only did it not show any signs of easing, but it also intensified.

By evening, Su Han took a moment to look outside and found that if someone stood outside, the accumulated water could submerge a person's calves.

"Why is the inn flooding?!" Cai Cheng panicked, becoming increasingly frantic. But water flows to lower places, and the water in the inn kept increasing, leaving him helpless.

Su Han offhandedly warned him, "If you keep staying in the first-floor room, I'm afraid I'll have to fish you out of the water when I wake up tomorrow morning."

Cai Cheng fell silent, then, after a long pause, muttered, "It can't be..."

"If you're not worried, then keep staying on the first floor," Su Han said nonchalantly, "I've already warned you."

Cai Cheng immediately changed his mind, "Better safe than sorry. It's fine if I get flooded, but there are other things in the room that absolutely must not get wet!"

Once food and supplies get wet, they're ruined. Even worse, if the stockpiled materials float away with the water, he'd really have nowhere to cry.

Therefore, Cai Cheng decided on the spot to move to room 503, next to the two guardian beasts. If something really happened, the aura of the beasts could protect him.

Author's note:

The third scenario is a maritime disaster, and the fourth is wilderness survival.

In total, there are expected to be 9-10 scenarios, with possible additions or reductions.