Chapter 441: Instructions

Chapter 441: Chapter 441: Instructions

"Really?" Lily Hart was skeptical. She’d only arrived this year, so she didn’t know much about the past.

She glanced at the temperature again. Good heavens, it was already fifteen degrees below zero!

She had been wearing warm clothes the whole time with her hands stuck in her pockets, so she hadn’t really felt the temperature change.

"This really is too much," Lily Hart said, her expression grave.

She remembered the torrential rain that had lasted for days. The temperature only began to drop after it ended.

She’d heard from Frost Shaw and the others that there had been many natural disasters this year.

She stepped aside and called Elder Shaw to tell him her thoughts.

They were in a meeting on the other end, figuring out preventive measures.

They had clearly considered it. If the temperature continued to fall at this speed... she couldn’t imagine how many survivors would be left for dead in the wilderness.

Seeing that they had already thought of it, Lily Hart didn’t say any more.

She simply said, "If you need help with anything, just come to me. As long as the Crystal Cores are sufficient."

She was willing to help, but not for free.

After delivering the warm clothes to Molly Mason at the hardware store, Lily Hart proceeded to the next shop on her route.

It was a car dealership.

The place was warm and bustling thanks to the crowd inside. You could feel the lively energy the moment you walked in.

Fiona Finch was darting all over the massive showroom, one moment chatting with a customer, the next answering another’s questions.

Every so often, a customer would come to pick up their car. Despite how busy she was, she was brimming with energy.

Lily Hart navigated the crowd and appeared before her, but Fiona was so focused she didn’t notice at first.

Fiona Finch’s first sentence was, "Hello, which model are you interested in?"

Their eyes met. After a moment, Lily Hart laughed, and only then did Fiona realize who it was. "Boss Hart!"

"The one and only. Talk about a reflex!" Lily Hart had to hand it to her.

Fiona Finch was a bit embarrassed, saying apologetically, "I’ve just said that line so many times, it just slips out."

Lily Hart nodded in understanding and took some thermal wear out of her space.

"Here," Lily Hart said with concern. "The temperature’s dropped today. Wear this when you go out, and don’t catch a chill."

Fiona Finch felt a warmth spread through her. She hadn’t expected Boss Hart to care about such a small thing.

She quickly took them and stored them in her space, but she was a little confused.

"Did the temperature drop? I’ve been in the store all day, so I haven’t felt a thing."

Fiona Finch raised her hand, and her Light Brain lit up. The real-time temperature was visible on the lock screen.

She hadn’t noticed, but one look gave her a shock. It was already seventeen degrees below zero.

"What? It’s that cold out? Has it really dropped this much in just one day?" Fiona Finch stammered a little.

"Not in one day. To be precise, it dropped from ten degrees to seventeen below zero in less than two hours," Lily Hart stated precisely.

The two of them stood in speechless silence.

Against the forces of nature, humans always seemed so small.

"Warn your customers, too," Lily Hart said. "Tell them to be careful not to get hurt by the drastic temperature difference outside."

"Okay." Fiona Finch’s expression was grim as she agreed, but the moment she turned to face a customer, a smile automatically spread across her face.

Seeing how busy she was, Lily Hart didn’t bother her any longer. She still had another stop to make.

It was a courier station.

Sylvia Jarvis was completely oblivious. She darted between shelves, so busy she was drenched in sweat.

She hadn’t even stepped out the door.

It wasn’t until Lily Hart arrived, gave her the clothes, and explained the situation that Sylvia Jarvis found out.

She was still caught up in the frenzy of shipping packages, so Lily’s words left her feeling a bit dazed.

It wasn’t until she saw the temperature displayed on her Light Brain that it all dawned on her.

An expression of disbelief crossed her face. "What? The temperature plummeted."

Lily Hart gave her a definitive nod.

She sighed, then rushed back to sorting packages for delivery, without even a moment to spare for a bit of gossip.

Lily Hart had nothing to say. She turned and left. As long as she had given her the warning, her job was done.

’Better than them wandering out cluelessly and freezing to death. That would be a real waste.’

After leaving the courier station, Lily Hart crossed the street. The last establishment on this side of the street was always the night market.

The shop before the night market was a barbershop owned by a man named Milton Holt.

Even though there were shampooing and haircutting robots, he was still swamped with work.

You could tell he was someone who really liked to style himself.

Even before, when conditions were poor, you could tell he was a trendy guy. Now that he had the means, it was even more obvious.

He was dressed flashily, his hairstyle was a bit alternative, and he wore a gold chain around his neck.

Good thing he owned the place. If he acted that ostentatious out on the streets, he’d be getting beaten up by afternoon.

Lily Hart gave him the thermal wear. He didn’t know why, but he thanked her instinctively.

Given that he was kinda cute, she offered a bit more explanation. "The temperature plummeted today. This is thermal wear. Put it on, and you won’t have to worry about the cold. Be careful not to catch a chill."

Milton Holt was startled. "Another sudden temperature drop? The year before last, I almost froze to death outside."

With that, he didn’t even look at the temperature on his Light Brain, but instead abandoned the customer whose hair he was cutting.

He bolted out the door to feel it for himself for a few seconds.

He came back shivering and rubbing his arms. "It’s really cold! Colder than the year before last, and it dropped even faster."

Lily Hart looked at him like he was an idiot. "You... seriously? Never mind."

’Some people are like that. They have to see things for themselves and doubt everything they’re told. I get it.’

The shop was heated, and on top of being busy, Milton Holt hadn’t felt a thing.

Only after going outside did he realize just how cold it really was.

He couldn’t help but recall the time the temperature plummeted the year before last. He had gone out to kill zombies and almost froze to death.

The past was too painful to dwell on. Milton Holt watched Lily Hart leave, then reached out and felt the clothes she had given him.

’Thermal wear? Is this stuff any good?’

A nearby customer had overheard their entire conversation and had also heard about the factory’s thermal wear.

"Ah, winter again. I wonder if we’ll make it through this year..." a customer said.

"Tell me about it. Winter and summer are always the hardest. You either bake to death or freeze to death," another customer chimed in.

"But this year we have this thermal wear. Probably not as many people will freeze to death."

"I’m gonna go buy one and try it out." The moment he finished speaking, he was already getting up to leave.

"Hey, hey, what’s the rush? It’s almost your turn!" Milton Holt called out, blocking his path.

"If I’m not quick, they’ll all be sold out!" the customer said urgently.

The other customers heard this and realized he had a point. They could get their hair cut anytime, but what if the clothes sold out!

So they stopped waiting in line and all headed out, leaving only a few scattered customers in the shop.

Milton Holt was curious. "Why aren’t you guys going?"

"We already bought some before coming here," they said in unison.

Milton Holt: ... ’Look at this bunch. So clever!’

Lily Hart left the barbershop and quickly arrived at the next store, clearly feeling the temperature dropping lower and lower.

Inside the chicken cutlet shop, Brock Finch was also busy. Lily Hart didn’t bother him much, just left the clothes and went on her way.

She went from shop to shop like this, leaving two sets of thermal wear at each one.

For those who weren’t busy, she’d offer a few words of caution. For those who were, she’d just leave the items and go.

By the time she returned to the lottery shop, the temperature had already dropped to twenty degrees below zero.

She used to be a southerner and had never experienced such low temperatures. Winter for her had meant wearing pajamas and warming herself by the fire at home.