Chapter 24: The Shelter

Just as Zhao Kuo was about to fall asleep, the private message channel suddenly vibrated.

Zhao Kuo jolted awake and opened the message. It was from Li Er.

Since the incident at Lushan Station, Li Er had been silent. Could it be...?

Sure enough, Li Er was short on charcoal. Knowing that Zhao Kuo's steam locomotive used charcoal as fuel, he had come to make a purchase.

Li Er: "Someone measured it. The temperature outside has already dropped to over -50°C, and it's expected to get even colder in the latter half of the night. I'm currently hiding in an abandoned station. There's a small room here that's relatively intact, but the wooden planks burn inefficiently and release heat slowly. So, I'd like to buy some charcoal from you to get through this."

Li Er's words were well-organized, and his reasoning was solid.

It was only then that Zhao Kuo realized how timely this storm had arrived.

By now, most people had reached the abandoned station. After killing the monsters, they would have a natural shelter.

The few who had already passed the abandoned station had mostly unlocked their train carriages and could directly take refuge inside to weather the storm.

Unexpectedly, Li Er had just arrived at the station. His speed was somewhat slow, which was unusual.

However, Zhao Kuo didn't press further and immediately initiated a trade.

Although the amount of charcoal Tang Yingying produced daily was limited, it was still sufficient. However, there wasn't much to sell.

After receiving the charcoal, Li Er quickly sent a message: "Thank you. I don't know how long this storm will last. I just dismantled part of the wall and found that it can be converted into resources. Unfortunately, you've probably already gone far ahead."

Li Er's message made Zhao Kuo pause.

Damn it, the walls of the abandoned station could actually be converted into resources. No wonder Li Er had stayed behind instead of moving on immediately.

The resources from an entire station must be substantial.

What a pity. Including Luo Ping'an, everyone had already passed the abandoned station, and there was no turning back now.

After exchanging a few more words, Zhao Kuo closed the chat interface.

Outside, the storm continued to rage. Zhao Kuo lay on the bed, deep in thought.

"You're still awake?" Tang Yingying suddenly asked.

"No, I just received a message. You've just recovered from your illness, so you should rest well," Zhao Kuo replied.

Tang Yingying shifted her body: "I feel a bit cold. I can't sleep."

Girls tend to have a colder constitution. Even in a normal winter, it's hard for them to warm up under the covers, let alone in this extreme cold.

Even with a hot water bottle, Tang Yingying still felt a bone-chilling cold.

If this continued, she might end up with a fever again... She bit her lip and asked softly, "Can I... squeeze in with you?"

Her voice was so soft that Zhao Kuo didn't catch it: "Huh? What did you say?"

Tang Yingying's face turned red, and she shouted, "Can I squeeze in with you? I'm freezing!"

Zhao Kuo was startled and looked at her strangely: "Ah... in the same bed? Aren't you afraid I'll take advantage of you?"

Without another word, Tang Yingying rushed over and crawled into Zhao Kuo's bed.

"Whatever. I'm wearing clothes, and my period hasn't ended yet. If you want to fight through the blood, I don't mind," Tang Yingying said, her words so bold that Zhao Kuo rolled his eyes.

It had to be said, a boy's bed was indeed warm.

Tang Yingying quickly shed her earlier shyness and placed her feet on Zhao Kuo's legs.

"You're really not holding back..." Zhao Kuo sighed helplessly.

At this moment, he was glad that Tang Yingying wasn't too beautiful—just cute, with nothing else going for her.

If she were a campus beauty, he definitely wouldn't be able to control himself.

With Zhao Kuo's warmth, Tang Yingying soon fell asleep, letting out soft snores.

Zhao Kuo, however, couldn't sleep. Not because there was a girl with a nice figure and a cute face sleeping next to him... To be honest, Tang Yingying's figure was indeed good—curvy in all the right places...

What am I thinking? Zhao Kuo slapped himself.

But with the two of them pressed so close together, Zhao Kuo could feel the softness of the girl's body.

As Tang Yingying turned over and hugged Zhao Kuo's arm, the sensation became even more intense.

Big, big, must buy big.

Zhao Kuo glanced down. In the dim light, he could see a large expanse of white and a deep cleavage.

What a joke! Testing a cadre like this!

Zhao Kuo wanted to get up and escape, but considering the extreme cold and the fact that Tang Yingying might catch a chill if she slept alone, he decided against it. If she got sick again, her body might not be able to handle it.

Zhao Kuo sighed... Fine, it's not like I'm losing out. If she wants to hug, let her hug.

At that moment, Tang Yingying's mouth opened slightly, and she murmured in a barely audible voice, "Sister... sister..."

"Huh? What did you say?" Zhao Kuo thought she had woken up, but it was just a dream.

Listening to the howling wind outside, Zhao Kuo sighed again.

As Li Er had said, no one knew how long this extreme cold storm would last. He hoped it would be over by the time he woke up.

Amidst his wandering thoughts, Zhao Kuo slowly fell asleep.

He had a dream. In it, he and Tang Yingying were high school classmates. They were caught in a puppy love by their homeroom teacher, who, instead of scolding them, actually held a wedding for them.

The wedding was Western-style, held in a romantic, white-filled banquet hall. Looking at the cute girl in a white wedding dress, Zhao Kuo felt a moment of confusion. He turned to look at the guests below.

But the guests sat expressionless and motionless in their seats.

Romantic music played, but the atmosphere was eerily strange.

Slowly, the music seemed to fade in and out, and all the sounds became distant and unclear.

Even the priest's voice became muffled.

"Mr. Zhao Kuo, do you take Miss Tang Yingying to be your wife, to remain faithful to her forever..."

"Even through betrayal, death, and reincarnation, never changing your heart..."

"Mr. Zhao Kuo..."

"Zhao Kuo..."

Zhao Kuo suddenly woke up.

It was just a dream... Zhao Kuo breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, there was no way he would marry Tang Yingying. Impossible.

Zhao Kuo turned to look at the still-sleeping girl. Her slightly chubby face was nestled against his shoulder, making her look just like his girlfriend.

She was quite cute, to be honest, exactly his type, but...

At that moment, Zhao Kuo suddenly held his breath.

He heard, amidst the sound of the wind and snow, faint footsteps. They were close, right outside the room.

There was something inside the carriage!

Zhao Kuo's entire body tensed up, and he pulled out a talisman from his inventory, gripping it tightly.

Impossible! There's a stove outside. How could something have gotten in?!

Just then, Tang Yingying slowly woke up. Before she could speak, Zhao Kuo covered her mouth.

"Outside... there's something..." Zhao Kuo mouthed the words without making a sound.