Chapter 279 We’re staying here tonight.

The snow had accumulated far higher than before, and the road that had been barely passable earlier was now buried beneath a thick layer of snow.

BOOM!

Everyone turned toward the glass doors of the mall behind them when a powerful gust of wind slammed against the building door.

Snow flew violently through the air, swirling so thickly that it nearly blocked their vision. The trees in the distance bent under the force of the wind, their branches being battered mercilessly by the storm.

"What the hell..."

"This is insane."

Murmurs immediately spread among the soldiers as they stared at the sudden change in weather.

Ivy, however, remained calm.

The blizzard had arrived.

"What the actual fuck?!" Darren cursed under his breath as he quickly climbed into the Fierce Hunter armored vehicle.

He attempted to move forward, but the truck’s tires simply spun uselessly against the thick snow, throwing up piles of white powder without making any meaningful progress.

"Come on!"

Darren pressed down harder, but the vehicle barely moved.

Soldiers from Diamond Base also hurried into their trucks, hoping they could somehow force their way through the snow. Unfortunately, their vehicles only managed to crawl several meters before becoming completely stuck.

Darren eventually climbed out of the Fierce Hunter Base truck and stared at the road in disbelief.

"The snow is too deep," he said grimly. "We can’t drive through this."

Another gust of freezing wind swept across the parking lot, prompting everyone to instinctively pull their coats tighter around themselves.

Ivy narrowed her eyes as she looked into the distance. The snowfall was becoming heavier by the minute, and the visibility was quickly deteriorating.

"We’re staying here tonight," she finally announced.

Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

However, no one argued.

They all knew that trying to force their way through the blizzard would only put everyone at unnecessary risk. Their vehicles were already struggling to move, and if they ventured too far into the storm, they could easily become stranded somewhere outside the mall.

"It’s better to fight any monsters we come across inside this building than fight monsters in the snow," Erick muttered under his breath as he heaved a heavy sigh, folding his arms over his chest. "It’s not like the trucks can move away from here tonight anyway. Hence, we’ve got no choice."

"All right, everyone. Let’s head back inside," Erick finally announced as he turned to face the soldiers. "As we can all see, we can’t travel right now."

The soldiers offered slight nods in response before immediately turning around.

Together, they all returned to the mall and secured every entrance, making sure there were no openings through which monsters could easily get inside.

Since they had already emptied the clothing stores, there was more than enough material to keep everyone warm.

Once inside the mall, they all made their way to the fifth floor, which they had already cleared as well.

But within minutes, the temperature inside the mall began dropping.

The warmth they had felt earlier quickly disappeared, replaced by a bone-chilling cold that seemed to seep through every layer of clothing.

People began spreading blankets across the floor while one person after another settled down.

Soon, the soldiers began murmuring among themselves, their arms wrapped tightly around their bodies as they tried desperately to preserve whatever warmth they had.

"Fuck! It’s so cold."

"I feel like I might turn into ice before tomorrow."

"I can barely feel my fingers anymore."

"Why the hell did the temperature drop this quickly?"

The complaints continued as everyone tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible.

Ivy watched them quietly for a moment.

Even the thick winter sweaters they had collected earlier weren’t enough to keep everyone properly warm.

"Why don’t we all come together?" Ivy finally suggested after noticing what everyone was going through.

"Huh? Come together?" One of the soldiers raised an eyebrow, confusion filling his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

"Since we’re stuck here anyway, don’t waste energy trying to keep your distance," Ivy explained calmly. "Huddling together will keep everyone warmer."

Her calm voice eased some of the tension in the room.

The soldiers exchanged glances with one another before gradually relaxing.

With that, the soldiers began moving closer together.

Everyone created a large circle, sitting so close together that their shoulders and arms touched, while their blankets were pulled over their bodies.

Another circle was formed nearby with the other survivors, who followed the same arrangement.

Instead of everyone remaining scattered across the cold floor, they now stayed clustered together, sharing body heat beneath the thick blankets.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly better than everyone sitting alone.

Seeing this, Ivy couldn’t help but smile warmly.