Chapter 172: Winter is coming
Translator: _Min_ Editor: Rundi
Rather than saying winter was coming, it was more fitting to say winter was here.
His vision was covered by the monochrome silver as the entire pool was filled with snow. A thick layer of snow covered the mansion, and the edges of the roof were decorated with daunting icicles. Like a castle standing in the northern kingdom. Solemn. Proud.
But Jiang Chen was not in the mood to enjoy the atmosphere of his mansion. He only wore a thin t-s.h.i.+rt.
The second he stepped into the apocalypse, he began to s.h.i.+ver uncontrollably.
[This weather is too f*cking cold.]
Even with his body condition strengthed by the genetic vaccine, he couldn’t withstand it anymore.
Jiang Chen covered his arms with his hand as he dashed into the mansion from the backyard. The last time he was here, he started his time travel beside the pool because he was lazy, but he sure suffered on his way back.
Different from the extreme conditions outside, the mansion was as warm as spring. The broken wall and window had been long repaired by Sun Jiao, and after a series of modifications and improvements, as long as the window was closed, the mansion would not be bothered by the severe wind chills outside.
But before he even gained his footing in the mansion, Sun Jiao, who also ran toward him, pushed him onto the sofa.
“You are finally back.” This girl’s voice certainly had a hidden bitterness to it.
“Uh, a lot happened over there.” Jiang Chen said apologetically.
Although it was not entirely accurate, he did become lazy after having to much fun.
Jiang Chen seemed to have sensed something, but she didn’t point it out. Her beautiful eyes dreamily gazed into his.
Jiang Chen looked away as he was shy from the pa.s.sionate gaze, but he discovered Sun Jiao was holding something in her hand.
“Eh? What is this?”
“Ah, this is, umm, this is…” Out of nowhere, Sun Jiao’s face immediately turned red as there was a sense of panic to her voice.
“Towel?” Jiang Chen asked with uncertainty.
“It’s a scarf! Fool!” After seeing her proud work being slandered as a towel, Miss Sun Jiao was immediately enraged.
The furious Sun Jiao gave a solid punch in Jiang Chen’s chest, and then she pulled out the scarf, forcefully putting it around his neck out of shame.
“Cough cough! Are you trying to strangle me!” Although the softness was continually squeezing onto him because of the violent action, the suffocating feeling around his neck canceled the sensation.
“Stop, stop moving, just resist a bit longer!” Sun Jiao with a blushed face said fiercely.
“Wait, why do I have to resist against wearing a scarf-”
“You are so talkative!”
After awhile, the scarf was finally put around Jiang Chen’s neck.
Sun Jiao got up from Jiang Chen’s body with a blushed face as she looked away.
“Looks pretty good. It would be even better if you give it to me normally. Especially because this is not how you wear a scarf…” Sun Jiao, with a troubled smile, pulled the scarf around his neck. This girl was clearly confused about the difference between a rope and scarf.
The pure black scarf was without any pattern. With a beginner’s skill, it would be too difficult to put any patterns on it. But being able to knit the scarf was an accomplishment nonetheless.
Hearing Jiang Chen’s praise, Sun Jiao’s eyes immediately lit up. As to the ridicule of “method of tying the scarf,” she selectively ignored the sentence.
“Really! Haha, this is what I am saying. How could I mess up on a scarf.” With a red face, and scratching the back of her head, c*ckiness was written all over her face.
“So why did you think about knitting a scarf?” After putting on the scarf properly, Jiang Chen asked nonchalantly.
“Because…” Sun Jiao’s mind drifted again. Her face changed to a bright red hue. “In the magazines before the war, it said, girlfriends should knit scarves for their boyfriend. Therefore…”
“It is not a requirement, or the better way to put it, the girl that is willing to knit a scarf for her boyfriend would be a rare species.” Jiang Chen let out a sigh as she smiled.
Jiang Chen was quite touched by her.
“What do you mean a rare species!” Sun Jiao gave Jiang Chen a dirty look.
“It means adorable,” Jiang Chen rushed to explain.
“Adorable?!” Her expression suddenly softened, and her bright eyes looked around shyly.
At this time, Jiang Chen suddenly noticed Yao Yao standing on top of the stairs. This small loli pouted her lips as the cute eyes stared straight at the scarf around his neck.
“Ooo! Too devious…”
As if she heard the noise in the living room, Lin Lin walked in from the side door with her pure white hair.
Still not hesitant to bad mouth people.
“Psh, it’s only a dumb devil couple. Why would you guys display affection in the living room? Go close the door and do what you did-.” But before she finished, the words were stuck in her throat. A grim sight instantly locked onto her vision as she was forced to swallow her unfinished sentence.
“Ahem. I think as the owner of the mansion, I need to do something now,” Jiang Chen mustered to himself.
“That’s right. For example, building a wooden shack outside for her.” A devil-like smile spread on Sun Jiao’s face as she also enjoyed the feeling of bullying Lin Lin.
In the end, she still could not be defiant.
“You are all bullying me.” With tears, Lin Lin escaped back to her room/lab with a sad expression.
This narcissistic and bad-tempered girl, always instantly forgets to stand her ground.
Seeing Lin Lin’s fleeting figure, a smile appeared on Jiang Chen’s face.
[I wonder if she finished her task yet. I’ll pick a time to take a look.]
…
There was no fireplace in the future. Except for the poorest survivors, no one would use fire to generate heat. Jiang Chen’s mansion obviously didn’t have that either. The reason the place was so warm was due to the heating grids placed within the wall. This device was extremely convenient, and it would provide heat as long as it was connected to electricity.
The heat resistant electric wire would not be burned by EMPs. Therefore, the heating grid became one of the few electronic devices that was not destroyed by the nuclear blast.
In the top floor office, Jiang Chen and Sun Jiao stood together and gazed into the distance.
The thick snowflakes twirled in the north wind as they raided through every corner of the world. The ice shards that occasionally smashed on the window played a whimpering noise as it crashed into the frozen window.
Even if he was just looking, he could still feel the coldness that could freeze one’s soul.
“Such heavy snowfall.” After a while, Jiang Chen could only produce four words while looking outside.
“This is not too bad. Usually, it would start snowing in October.” In regards to the snow, Sun Jiao’s expression was rather calm. “It was rumored that when the war just ended, the entire world was covered by nuclear winter. It was the same cruel scene every day. I wonder how did the people outside of the survival shelters survive.”
Outside of their walls, apartments built with concrete were built for residents of Fishbone base. The Fishbone base that “didn’t lack money” would obviously not mistreat its people. Every family was connected with heat and electricity. The life here was so much better than in the ghetto.
On the empty streets, a pickup truck, modified to be a snow shoveling vehicle, was working hard to push the snow out of the base. The patrol on the wall regularly walked around to watch for any incoming danger. The white winter suit made him look like a snowman carrying a rifle.
“With a snowstorm this big, the mutated humans shouldn’t be able to invade us.” Although it certainly was inconvenient to the construction of the base, the thick snowfall gave a hint of tranquility.
“Speaking of mutated humans, Zhao Gang, who you sent out scouting, brought back some interesting information.”
“Oh?” Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows.
“There are at least three thousand mutated humans in the 7th area. A lot of signs indicate that they are preparing war supplies.”
Every mutated human was a natural warrior. If there were actually three thousand of them, even if they sent one thousand people, it would be an unstoppable force that the Fishbone base could not resist with only a population of two hundred.
No, it would be difficult even for the Sixth Street.
“Hopefully this snow will bring them some trouble.” Jiang Chen watched the flying snowflakes as a worried expression flashed on his face.
“Mutated humans are known for their cold resistance. This amount of snow will do nothing to them. We can only pray that this storm will kill more of their slaves. That is the only way that would make things difficult for them,” Sun Jian’s voice was stern.
Slaves? Speaking of this, How did the dancers in Jia City survive under the violent force of the mutated human?
Jiang Chen shook his head as he put his thoughts away. Then he asked, “Is that all?”
“Also, based on Zhao Gang, when he returned from the 7th area, he encountered a group of survivors fleeing from Shenxiang Town.”
“Survivors fleeing?” Jiang Chen touched his chin in thought.
“Mhmm. They originally belong to the survivor groups in Shenxiang Town, but the survivor group was wiped already. Zhao Gang brought them back. I ordered people to keep them outside of the base for now.” Sun Jiao nodded before she took out a tablet to show a map to Jiang Chen.
“Shenxiang Town is between Qingpu and 7th area. It is on the Taifu River, a way for the mutated humans to enter w.a.n.ghai City. There were around seven hundred survivors there, and because of the lack of mutant activity around the area as well as the lack of external threat, they lacked an organized system. They only established a simple defense outside of the town with a civilian force of 21 people…”
“Therefore they were enslaved by the mutated humans?” Hearing this, Jiang Chen guessed the outcome.
“That’s right.” Sun Jiao nodded, “A force of 40 mutated humans were stationed in Shenxiang Town as they established an out post there. Based on this, they are indeed going to take the route through Shenxiang town to w.a.n.ghai City.”
That meant that they would go through Qingpu, not Songjiang.
It was the worst outcome. Deep in Jiang Chen’s heart, he hoped to avoid direct conflict with mutated humans. Even if they really arrived in Carmen Pharmaceutical and obtained the improved FEV virus, they would only torment Jia City.
Jiang Chen took a deep breath as he asked in a serious tone.
“What about the seven hundred survivors?”
“Based on the survivors who are there, because of the snow blocking the roads, they are temporarily imprisoned in Shenxiang Town and have not moved yet.” Hearing this, Sun Jiao looked at Jiang Chen.
Snow blocking the road? A “singled out” mutated human out post.
Watching the snow on the window, a smile suddenly surfaced on Jiang Chen’s face.
“This is an opportunity.”
“You mean?”
“Take them out! Reinforce Shenxiang town’s defense, and intercept the mutated human force there, blocking them out of Qingpu!”