Temperature-Controlled Greenhouse  

"I'll go wash some fruits for you," Hurley set down the supplies in his hands and took off his heavy coat. Underneath, he wore only a white shirt, broad shoulders, narrow waist, and a tall figure.Hurley not only washed fruits but also prepared some snacks. He smirked, "The Safe House sends me these things every three days."

Alice remained expressionless. Did she take pride in her well-stocked space?

"Why are you the only one here? What about Doreen?" Alice casually inquired.

"Doreen doesn't have as high a title at the research institute as I do, so she can't live in the villa."

Seeing a corner of the room piled with various items, Alice asked curiously, "What are you working on?"

"A temperature-controlled greenhouse. Once it's developed and placed over the Safe House, it won't be cold inside anymore."Originally, the research aimed to prevent everyone from feeling too hot, but unexpectedly, the temperature dropped overnight. Nevertheless, the greenhouse managed to maintain a temperature of around twenty degrees.

"How's your progress now?" Alice showed some anticipation.

The extreme cold lasts for a year, and wearing heavy down jackets and boots every day is uncomfortable. If the temperature-controlled greenhouse is successful, it means they can move freely within the Safe House.

Hurley paused in peeling the fruit, feeling somewhat awkward. "I've just started the research, but I'm confident I can make it. It'll probably take about three months for comprehensive use."

Three months is acceptable, as long as it's not more than a year. They would still benefit from it.Alice scrutinized him earnestly, surprised to find that he indeed had some skills.Hurley didn't seem as indifferent to worldly matters as he appeared on the surface."If you need materials, let me know. Maybe I can help you find them," Alice offered. Besides the things she bought herself, she had collected various odds and ends, and she had all kinds of tools.

Hurley's attractive lips curled slightly. "Thanks."

Alice didn't stay for dinner in the end. Hurley gave her a bag of items. When she opened it, there was meat, rice, and fresh vegetables inside.

"I noticed you came back empty-handed. Take these back; I have plenty to eat here," Hurley said. The Safe House occasionally delivered food to him. If he finished it, he just needed to call the management to restock, much more convenient than queuing up.

Alice hesitated for a moment but ultimately accepted the items. She considered it a thank-you gift from him.

Finding her car, Alice drove home. Arnold and Alexander had already returned, but they didn't buy much as they went late.

Alexander said, "When it was my turn, there was only one kilogram of rice left, and the supermarket staff said they would have more tomorrow."

There were two types of rice in the supermarket, good quality and inferior quality. But now, no one cared about the type; as long as it was edible, it was good rice.

Arnold only bought a winter melon and a can of canned fish. They didn't force themselves to buy more since they already had enough food at home.

In the next few days, the family rarely went out. The outside temperature had dropped to minus thirty-five degrees Celsius. The Safe House forum was filled with people seeking medicine. Many hadn't taken proper protective measures or had nothing to keep warm and had developed illnesses due to the extreme cold.

At night, the family had a lamb hot pot with herbs like Codonopsis, red dates, and wolfberries, aiming to nourish and replenish.

After finishing the meal, they were sweating profusely.Alice then spent an hour running on the treadmill; in the cold weather, she couldn't afford to skip exercise.

"The water pipes are frozen again," Blanche sighed, picking up the boiled kettle to pour water until it thawed.

Extreme cold was a hardship for people from the south. Some had never experienced such harsh weather since birth and struggled to adapt. The time for water heaters to heat up during showers also increased, causing concern about potential power outages.

When bored, Alice could only open the forum she created within the Safe House to see the latest news. Other software systems had bugs and couldn't be accessed. Unable to receive external messages, it seemed that the situation was similar nationwide.

As Alice logged in, she saw an official announcement from the Safe House. It roughly stated that the Safe House was running out of food. The vegetables they had painstakingly grown had all frozen, and now they had to go to the national food reserve to get supplies.

Every city had a food reserve, and it was about five hundred kilometers from the Safe House. They were now recruiting people for transportation, offering a reward of a hundred kilograms of rice, twenty kilograms of meat, and two hundred work credits.

In times of shortage like this, it was a tempting offer.especially the hundred kilograms of rice, which could last a person for several months. However, the official response from the Safe House also emphasized that everyone should prepare their own food and warm clothing.

Many people expressed interest in the post, but few signed up.

"I want to go, but it's freezing outside. I'm afraid I'll freeze to death."

"I'd rather have hot weather than cold. I don't even have warm clothes; how am I supposed to manage?"

"Heat may not kill, but cold certainly can."

"The Safe House is being stingy. During the extreme heat, they used to distribute food. Why not this time?"

"This Safe House is unbearable. If they say they won't give it, they won't."

After browsing through the comments, Alice found that the main concern for everyone was the lack of warm clothing, and the Safe House explicitly stated that they wouldn't provide any.

Although she was tempted by the offered conditions, Alice registered online. The departure time was yet to be determined.

Before going to bed, Alice turned on the electric blanket. Despite having heating devices on, the indoor temperature didn't reach twenty degrees as the external temperature continued to drop.

The next day, the Allen family received a notification to go to work. They had breakfast and headed out.

Alice, fully dressed, went downstairs to dispose of garbage. Unexpectedly, she encountered a frozen corpse just as she reached the ground floor.

At that moment, a pickup truck pulled up, and two individuals got out, placing the corpse onto the vehicle. Alice passed by and noticed that there were already five or six bodies stacked on the truck.

One of them mumbled, "This weather changes on a whim. With this truckload, we've collected thirty bodies today. Who knows how many more will die in the coming days."

As he spoke, he exhaled white breath, and ice had formed on his hat, clothes, eyebrows, and eyelashes. He forcefully stomped his feet to shake off the ice particles from his shoes.The pickup truck quickly drove away, and as Alice disposed of her garbage, she casually turned her head to find the vehicle stopping about fifty meters away. It was evident they had discovered another corpse. This was only what she could see; there might be many more in places she couldn't observe.

The roads within the Safe House were cleared daily by snowplows, ensuring smooth travel. However, the residential buildings adjacent to it required residents to clear the snow themselves.

As Alice was about to head upstairs, she suddenly noticed a tall figure running towards her. With one glance, she recognized who it was and stood there without moving.

Hurley was wearing a military coat, a black hat, and black gloves. While others might look bulky in such attire, his tall stature and physique gave off a military leader's vibe.

"Why are you here?" Alice asked as she looked at him.

"Are you planning to join the team to collect supplies?" Hurley stared directly at her with his black eyes.