Chapter 2、Top-notch Shelter Talent! Rewards on the First Day!

Yi Bai was a cautious man.

Naturally, he had no doubt that the apocalypse was truly upon them.

He was terrified, but his instincts kicked in. He knew he had to use everything he'd learned to increase his chances of survival.

Yet, when the shelter's talent appeared, Yi Bai suddenly realized that he might not need to do anything at all—he could simply relax and let things unfold.

"SSS-level talent? This has to be something powerful!"

"Although, I won't know how it works until tomorrow..."

"For now… I've done everything I can. I just have to wait."

Yi Bai muttered to himself, but before he could finish, a scorching heat suddenly enveloped him.

The heat seemed to come out of nowhere, drying up the air around him, and the temperature kept climbing. Yi Bai felt as though the very air he was breathing had caught fire.

He quickly turned his head and saw the sky outside had turned a deep crimson, signaling that the world was changing in an instant.

Unbearable waves of heat poured in through the open window. Within moments, the room felt like a furnace.

"Shit, I forgot to close the window!"

"The first wave of the apocalypse has begun!"

Yi Bai's face turned pale as he rushed to the window, reaching for the curtain. But in his haste, he accidentally burned his hand on the steel bars of the security window.

"Dammit, that's hot!"

"Has the temperature really risen this quickly?"

He paused for a moment, just in time to hear the shrill screams and desperate cries from the street below.

"It's too hot! I'm going to die from the heat! What kind of weather is this?!"

"The apocalypse is here for real! The temperature's too high—honey, we need to get home!"

"Someone, help me! I'm dizzy… I think I've heatstroked… I… ugh!"

People who hadn't made it home were now drenched in sweat, desperately searching for shelter.

Above them, the sun loomed monstrously large, radiating an unimaginable amount of heat.

The sky had turned an intense, blood-red hue.

On the streets, the weak were collapsing from the unbearable heat, their bodies showing clear signs of severe heatstroke.

But no one could help them. Everyone was either rushing home or looking for buildings to shield themselves from the sun.

At this moment, every human on Earth understood:

This was no illusion. The world had truly changed.

The apocalypse had arrived—there was no doubt about it.

Life and death now hung in the balance.

Yi Bai sighed quietly. He couldn't save anyone else—he could only look out for himself.

He quickly grabbed the curtain to protect his hand, gritted his teeth, and yanked the window shut before drawing the curtains.

The temperature inside the room dropped slightly.

Though still scorching, it was now a little more bearable than the furnace-like heat outside.

Only a few minutes had passed since the disaster began, yet Yi Bai was already drenched in sweat. His body was rapidly losing water, and his lips were cracked and dry.

His head felt light, and a sense of fatigue and irritability slowly crept over him.

These were the unmistakable signs of dehydration setting in.

Yi Bai didn't waste time. He quickly stripped off his clothes, drank a bottle of water, and hopped into the bathtub.

But even the bathwater had become slightly warm. The extreme heat had affected everything around him, including the water in the tub.

"If I stay in here too long, will I cook myself alive?"

The thought crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

"If the temperature's only 60°C, it shouldn't be that bad…"

"But the notice said the minimum temperature will be 60°C. It didn't say it couldn't rise higher."

The overwhelming heat made it difficult for Yi Bai to stay calm. His mind raced with worries.

Yi Bai tried to think of a way to break free from this situation or increase his odds of survival.

But with everything the way it was, it seemed impossible.

Most people, trapped in their homes under the onslaught of extreme heat, could only wait in silence, uncertain of what to do next.

"Looks like I'll just have to wait for the talent effect," Yi Bai sighed.

But then, he quickly snapped out of it.

After soaking in the bathtub for a while, he stood up, drenched in sweat. Before he could even step out of the bathroom, the water on his body evaporated instantly.

"Better. Now, I should eat something. Food will spoil in this heat if I leave it out too long."

Yi Bai picked out some food that was less perishable, forcing himself to swallow despite the overwhelming heat.

"I guess I am a bit of a homebody. At least I've got food and water. For those who didn't have that habit… they'll probably be the first to die."

Yi Bai thought for a moment, then chuckled. "Well, looks like the apocalypse is favoring homebodies like us."

Finding humor in hardship was a skill that homebodies had perfected.

Yi Bai ate slowly, conserving his energy and trying to minimize the depletion of his body's resources.

Throughout it all, he could hear distant shouting and screaming from outside and from other floors.

He couldn't make out the words, but the tone was filled with despair and suffering.

It was just too hot.

Human bodies couldn't adapt to such a sudden rise in temperature.

When the apocalypse hit, many people who couldn't handle the pressure would panic or even break down.

"The extreme heat will drive people mad. The pressure is too much for anyone to bear calmly."

To avoid his own stress overwhelming him, Yi Bai continued to drink water, picking up a pen and paper to work through his survival plan.

"If the talent works, by noon tomorrow, I should get my first reward."

"Looking at the talent's effects… what do I need most right now?"

Yi Bai scanned his supplies, pondering. "The first disaster is heat, and the biggest threat with extreme heat is dehydration. So, water is probably what I need the most."

"However, looking at what I have, both food and water should last me for a few more days. Neither is urgent yet."

"Compared to water, food is a bigger issue. In this heat, food will spoil faster."

"So, tomorrow's reward will likely be either food or water."

Yi Bai glanced up at the ceiling, a bit puzzled. "But how will the reward be delivered? Will it just drop from the sky?"

He didn't know. All he could do was wait.

Beyond hoping for the shelter's talent to deliver, Yi Bai also wondered if humanity's social order would still hold.

The system had always been ready to fight back against disasters.

Would it still be useful now?

Yi Bai didn't know. All he could do was endure the heat and keep his mind focused on the passing time.

Eight hours later, night fell.

Yi Bai could still hear the sounds of people moving about on the streets. Some had ventured out at night, when the temperature was slightly lower, in search of food.

But there was still no sign of any official rescue.

"Human technology has completely failed. The sudden disaster has crushed nations around the world."

"Even if there are efforts to rescue people, they're likely futile in the short term."

"After all, next month brings another disaster."

"Humanity is now just a plaything."

Yi Bai closed his eyes and lay back on the bed.

A night of reflection had cleared up his understanding of the situation.

Rather than relying on anyone else, he would have to rely on himself.

How would he survive?

Simple. Stay home.

...

The next day, at noon, Yi Bai lay in bed, half-dazed. He suddenly snapped awake and glanced at the clock on the wall, muttering to himself, "It's time. The shelter's talent reward should be here."

Before he could finish speaking, a translucent message box appeared before him.

[Congratulations! You've successfully triggered the shelter talent and received a random reward: "Ice Water Generator (D-level)".]

As the message box popped up, a bright flash of white light spread out on the floor.

When the light faded, a large freezer-like object appeared in front of him.

Yi Bai froze for a moment, staring at it.

He could clearly see a line of text written on the top of the freezer:

[Ice Water Generator]: D-level shelter item. It has permanent cooling effects and provides cold storage. Every 24 hours, it can generate 10 servings of ice water (for drinking). The ice water can effectively lower body temperature (by 5°C for 2 hours). A maximum of 10 servings can be generated at a time.]

With the appearance of the freezer, the shelter's item list was updated, and the shelter's comfort level increased from 1 to 11 points.

"Wow, a real reward!"

Yi Bai breathed a sigh of relief, quickly walked over to the freezer, and slowly opened the door.

A blast of cold air hit him, and the cool sensation was so refreshing that Yi Bai nearly closed his eyes in pleasure, unable to stop himself from grinning.

It felt like stepping into an air-conditioned room on the hottest summer day—absolutely blissful.

Yi Bai bent down and nearly buried half his body inside, savoring the cold air.