Chapter 186 The Ultimate Cold Protection

Chapter 186: Winter Survival Essentials

Beyond Chu’s mother, several other households who had witnessed the golden dragon’s assault from their windows now regarded the 18th floor with newfound respect and awe.

Next door, on the 17th floor, Jiang’s mother no longer dared to harbor malicious thoughts. Terrified that the couple might recall the venomous glare she’d cast at Hua Diao that afternoon, she remained housebound for days—until a man came knocking.

Unaware of these trivial concerns, Hua Diao and Xie Tingsheng, having repaired the third-floor window and left Granny Bai some valuable items and defensive tools, held hands and returned upstairs to resume their grand feast.

The situation in the eastern district remained stable. Although the heavy snow had spawned several new monsters, the frequency of monster surges had significantly decreased. The Peanut Squad stationed there could easily manage. Upon receiving the report, Xie Tingsheng and Hua Diao decided against going, opting instead to rest at home for the night.

After a refreshing shower, the two lay in bed, habitually opening the game’s chat channel before sleep to gather information.

Unsurprisingly, the day’s hottest topics were the extreme temperature drop and the intelligence dungeons.

The premium public channel, as usual, featured official announcements:

[Chinese Government Official Announcement: Global temperatures are undergoing a widespread and significant drop. All city Special Operations Bureaus are urged to prepare for severe winter conditions and stockpile supplies. The Qingcheng Research Institute has developed a heating stove fueled by Fire Stones, which reduces Fire Stone consumption, extends heating duration, and expands the warming range. Current experimental data shows all metrics have doubled compared to using Fire Stones alone. Cities with insufficient Fire Stone reserves can purchase more through the sales channel opened by the Qingcheng Research Institute.

Meanwhile, the Shengjing Research Institute has combined the Elf Flower Robe and Fire Stones to create lightweight, cold-proof suits capable of withstanding temperatures as low as -80°C. Most importantly, like the heating stoves, these suits reduce Fire Stone consumption and prolong heat retention, with all metrics doubling. The Shengjing Research Institute has also opened a sales channel, and those in need can purchase them in the free trade zone.]

Hua Diao was impressed, marveling at the research institutes’ efficiency in developing such powerful cold-resistant gear so quickly.

However, with ample Fire Stones already on hand, she decided not to compete with those in greater need. She continued scrolling.

[Chinese Government Official Announcement: Research indicates that the probability of obtaining food from treasure chests has been gradually decreasing, now almost negligible. The official trade zone on the game interface has also implemented limited purchase quantities for food. Experts predict that food shortages will become a paramount challenge in the future. Even the government may struggle to maintain basic relief supplies. Therefore, all citizens are advised to prepare accordingly, preferably by starting their own cultivation and stockpiling food.

[Chinese Government Official Announcement: Experiments conducted by major research institutes across cities have confirmed that ordinary soil from the fantasy continent, obtained from treasure chests, promotes plant growth, shortens growth cycles, and offers some resistance to cold and frost. When paired with seeds from treasure chests, plants grow even faster. Citizens are encouraged to utilize available space at home for food cultivation. The government has already listed soil and seeds in the free trade zone. Households with elderly individuals living alone or disabled persons who cannot go outside can provide proof to receive a free bag of soil and ten sweet potato seedlings.]

After reading this, Hua Diao thoughtfully turned to the man holding her close. "Didn’t Lin Xiaobao mention something about digging up soil in the intelligence dungeon earlier? And didn’t they also accept food seeds as payment when selling brains at their stall?"

Xie Tingsheng raised an eyebrow. "Yes, he did."

Hua Diao sighed. "It seems the Special Operations Bureau was well-prepared. I should have dug up more soil when I had the chance."

Xie Tingsheng chuckled, tightening his embrace. "If you want soil, I have some. I had people gather some from the fox den when I was there."

"Wow, you're so foresighted!" Hua Diao lifted her head from his chest, her eyes sparkling.

Xie Tingsheng smiled, gently stroking her hair. "Well, I did have people planting vegetables and crops all over the villa, so I naturally thought ahead. But you don’t need to worry—you already have the island space. The crops grown there are far more effective than anything cultivated with fantasy continent soil, so it’s understandable that you didn’t think of it."

"True," Hua Diao conceded, comforted. She turned in his arms, adjusting into a more comfortable position before continuing to read the official announcements.

[Chinese Government Official Announcement: This morning, the Qingcheng Special Operations Bureau officially conducted a trial run of the intelligence dungeon. Intelligence dungeons are composed of 20 or more fragments. Experts have determined that these dungeons exist in real domains within the fantasy continent. All items within the dungeon are real and can be taken out. Players who wish to attempt intelligence dungeons must bring storage space items.

Additionally, intelligence dungeons are extremely dangerous. The strength of the characters within far exceeds our capabilities, and their personalities vary, making their actions unpredictable. Players entering must be careful, adapt flexibly, and complete the dungeon’s tasks wisely.

Killing monsters or people in intelligence dungeons does not yield treasure chests—only physical items. The only guaranteed treasure chest is the final completion reward. Therefore, players are advised not to use violence solely for treasure chests. Alternative methods, such as trading with dungeon characters, can be used to obtain desired items.

Since the Qingcheng Special Operations Bureau has only cleared the Succubus Dungeon so far, the information provided is for reference only and not conclusive. Players must use their judgment wisely when entering dungeons...]

The government truly went all out to guide players through intelligence dungeons.

Then again, they might also be worried that reckless players could expose too much, alerting the races of the fantasy continent and complicating future dungeon exploration.

Regardless, the information disclosed by the government would be immensely helpful to those planning to explore intelligence dungeons.

After finishing the paid public channel, Hua Diao switched to the free one.

[Qingcheng Farming Expert: Our Qingcheng Special Operations Bureau is stepping up—they were the first to experiment with intelligence dungeons. Could it be that the leaders of Qingcheng’s four major forces went to the Special Operations Bureau specifically for this?]

[Qingcheng Survive: Forget "could it be"—it’s a definite yes. They went for the intelligence dungeon. I have a relative in the Flying Wolf Team, and according to them, four members entered, and one died inside. The Flying Wolf Team’s captain is a good man—after returning, he brought supplies to the deceased member’s family. Since word got out to the rest of the team, most of them now know about the intelligence dungeon.]