Chapter 166: Ice Rain

Chapter 166: Chapter 166: Ice Rain

"Shi Zhile, the rain is freezing!"

’The rain is freezing?’

It was freezing rain!

The two pilots also connected via video one after another. Without exception, the news was of a drastic drop in temperature.

They exchanged a glance, immediately left the space, and returned from the Primitive Forest to Huaxia Base.

Having crossed between two spaces in quick succession, they shivered the instant they felt the outside air.

The temperature had been dropping for the past few days, so everyone had already switched to long sleeves. But even dressed in long-sleeved shirts and jackets, the sharp difference in temperature still gave them goosebumps.

Shi Zhile was relieved she hadn’t brought Mr. Wen out of the space. Otherwise, the sudden change from warm to cold would have surely made the old man sick.

She moved quickly, pulling out several padded jackets for Shi Zhiyi before bundling herself up in a military greatcoat and thick pants.

Even so, the chill still seeped into their bones.

This cold wasn’t like the last time. It was a damp, wet cold, like half-melted ice being injected straight into their bones.

The others also pulled out their own heavy clothes and quickly threw them on.

Jiang Jing’s breath formed a white cloud as he opened his panel. "Current temperature: minus 10 degrees. Minus 11 degrees. It’s still dropping."

The two base commanders threw on their military greatcoats and made several video calls, ordering the base to begin emergency distribution of supplies. Soon, the sounds of hurried activity rose from within the base.

The rain outside was still falling, but from the sound of the drops hitting the ground, it seemed to have lessened somewhat.

Shi Zhile walked to the door and looked out. The misty rain had disappeared, replaced by distinct pellets of freezing rain.

The pellets of freezing rain weren’t large, and they made a crisp, sharp sound as they struck the ground.

Shi Zhile bundled herself up tightly, threw a raincoat over her layers, and said to the others as she rushed outside,

"The team the base sent out is still guarding the shore near Stone Island. Jiang Jing, message them to return to the base immediately. I’m heading back to Stone Island."

Shi Zhiyi also put on a raincoat and followed closely behind. "I’m going with you!"

Wen Bai hesitated for a moment. He glanced at the deputy base commander, who was still busy assigning tasks, then quickly followed after the two sisters.

’A new disaster has arrived. Huaxia Base is important, but so is Shi Zhile.’

’She has the Planting Space. Aside from food found in treasure chests, her Planting Space is the only way to grow food.’

’And food is crucial for the survival of every player in this game. If something happens to her, it’ll be even harder for everyone to survive.’

’Of course, he couldn’t deny his own selfish motives. He was afraid something would happen to Shi Zhiyi.’

Arriving at the edge of the base, ten players were still standing guard on the shore, braving the freezing rain. The temperature was dropping lower and lower; in just half an hour, it had already fallen to minus 20 degrees.

She immediately took out a sailboat, connecting it to Stone Island, and then had the ten players cross over to the island with them.

They were about to refuse, but Shi Zhile immediately started a video call with Jiang Jing. At the same time, the base commander standing beside Jiang Jing issued them a military order: the ten men, with Wen Bai as their captain, were now assigned to the exclusive protection of Shi Zhile, her sister, and Academician Wen.

It took another twenty-plus minutes to reach the shelter, where Shi Zhile immediately closed the main gate.

There was a furnace in the courtyard, so the temperature was slightly higher. Everyone took off their raincoats and followed Shi Zhile to hang them on a clothes rack.

The ten players lined up in a row before Shi Zhile. Even in an unfamiliar environment, they stood tall and ramrod straight, their gazes fixed forward.

They were still damp, and because their clothes were too thin for the extreme cold, bits of ice were already forming on the fabric.

Shi Zhile had everyone move closer to the furnace and took out the Magma Stone Basin from her backpack, which barely managed to raise the surrounding temperature to ten degrees.

"There’s no hot water on the island right now. Change your clothes quickly. Once you’re changed, go straight into the rooms to get warm. I’ll go start a fire."

After saying that, she immediately headed for the Stone Castle.

With the shelter’s upgrade, the first-floor fireplace had also been significantly improved. Its ductwork now branched out everywhere, connecting to nearly every room across all three floors.

The benefit was that all the rooms on the three floors would be heated to a comfortable temperature.

The downside was that it consumed an enormous amount of firewood.

But firewood was the one thing Shi Zhile had in abundance. She had picked up every combustible branch and piece of dry wood she came across in every instance.

Entering the first floor, she immediately stuffed firewood into the fireplace, then dripped a drop of magma in to light it.

The outside temperature was dropping even faster. Shi Zhile decided to just make several stone basins, poured magma into them, and within moments, the room’s temperature shot up.

Once the indoor temperature stabilized at around 20 degrees, Shi Zhile took off her greatcoat. She removed the extra basins of magma, leaving just one in the middle of the room to act as a dehumidifier.

Shi Zhiyi and Wen Bai also took out a lot of dry firewood and stacked it neatly by the fireplace.

Shi Zhile brought Mr. Wen out from the Planting Space, then took out a stove, an iron pot, and some brown sugar.

"They were caught in the rain and exposed to the cold wind. It would be best for them to drink some ginger soup to warm up, but I don’t have any ginger."

Shi Zhile looked at Mr. Wen.

’Mr. Wen was the last person who’d be short on seasonings like that.’

’Oh, no!’

’Seeds!’

The ten men from the courtyard filed in. The leader, a tall man named Luo Chuan, was the first to speak.

"You don’t have to trouble yourselves!"

Wen Bai, beating Mr. Wen to it, took out a large bag of ginger and poured its entire contents onto the coffee table.

"Don’t argue," Wen Bai said. "This disaster is going to be even worse. Staying healthy is what’s most important. None of you can afford to get sick."

Shi Zhile took out two more basins and put the ginger in water to wash it.

She looked at the ten men, who seemed a bit reserved, and said bluntly, "Don’t just stand around, come and help. Some of you chop the ginger, and others tend the fire."

In no time, a large pot of thick, spicy, and pungent ginger soup was ready.

Wen Bai had provided a lot of ginger, and they had chopped a lot of it. After confirming Mr. Wen still had plenty of ginger root left for planting, Shi Zhile decided to brew another huge pot.

Two stoves, two large pots. The ginger soup in the pots boiled continuously.

They reduced the heat, letting the soup simmer, and then ladled out a bowl for everyone.

More than a dozen people held their bowls, squatting on the floor and drinking the ginger soup.

Shi Zhile opened her panel, and after deducting 5 Spirit Value points, she opened the surveillance monitor.

On Stone Island, the freezing rain continued.

Only now, the pellets of ice had grown from the size of rice grains to the size of thumbnails.

On Stone Island, many of the budding branches in the forest had been broken by the ice. The waves had disappeared, replaced by a calm sea surface.

She didn’t keep the information to herself, projecting the panel into the air for everyone to see.

Shi Zhiyi’s expression was grim. "Look at the third grid. The seawater pooled on the gravel beach has frozen over. The path to the South Sea Coast is also frozen."

Wen Bai added, "There’s more. Look at the fifth grid. The sea between here and the base has frozen over. The large pieces of freezing rain can break through the ice, while the smaller ones bounce off the surface. The ice is thin for now, but who knows what tomorrow will bring."

Mr. Wen said, "The outdoor temperature is minus 30 degrees now. This freezing rainstorm combined with the sudden temperature drop... I’m afraid many players won’t survive it."

And just as Mr. Wen had said, at that moment, the chat channels were filled with cries for help.