strictlysupreme Chapter 55 Blizzard
Chapter 55 Blizzard
After confirming that the radio could reliably receive external broadcast signals, Xu Mo incorporated it into his daily routine. Just like gathering qi at dawn and dusk or practicing standing meditation, at specific times, he would turn on the radio, tune it to a familiar frequency, and listen carefully to the sounds from afar that represented the embers of civilization.
Initially, this information did bring Xu Mo a lot of novelty and valuable insights. However, as time went on, Xu Mo quickly discovered that the core content of the daily broadcasts from both the Jiangcheng Shelter and the Rock Fortress, whose signal was intermittent, was largely the same, falling into a certain fixed pattern.
It was nothing more than a repetition of the extreme weather continuing, urging survivors to seek refuge there, and broadcasting announcements of cleared safe zones around the shelters. This repetitive information was of diminishing value to Xu Mo, who was already aware of the situation and had decided to remain inactive for the time being. This caused Xu Mo to gradually go from being fully focused to simply listening to the background noise as a "routine check," just to catch any possible, minute changes in the information.
Of course, there were occasionally some different contents on the radio, like a few unique notes jumping in a dull symphony, which would cheer Xu Mo up a little.
For example, regarding the weaknesses of zombies, although it's no secret to him: "To reiterate, ordinary zombies mainly rely on hearing and smell, and their vision is severely degraded. Low temperatures will significantly reduce their activity, but won't kill them. The head is still the only confirmed effective vital point; when encountering one, please remain quiet and use obstacles to maneuver..."
"Based on current observations, the Strength-type mutant has extremely high defense but is relatively clumsy in turning. It is recommended to use the terrain to maneuver around it and avoid direct confrontation. The Agility-type mutant is incredibly fast and excels at surprise attacks, but it shows some hesitation towards bright light and loud noises, and its defense is relatively weak. We reiterate our urgent warning: if you spot any suspicious individuals with bluish-green skin or who may be dripping slime while moving, stay away at all costs and never engage in close combat, as the venom or virus they carry is extremely deadly..."
Other information reveals the shelter's own status and needs: "Jiangcheng Shelter urgently needs various antibiotics, surgical instruments, fuel, and high-energy food that can be stored for a long time. Anyone who has relevant supplies and is willing to exchange them can receive extra points upon arrival at the shelter."
"Rock Fortress is recruiting engineering technicians, doctors, and personnel with combat experience. These individuals will receive special treatment..."
These fragmented pieces of information, though unsystematic, helped Xu Mo continuously improve his understanding of the outside world, and also gave him a vague understanding of the operation and difficulties faced by various shelters.
Besides listening to the radio every day, Xu Mo's daily observations have also included a new regular visitor—wolf packs.
Perhaps emboldened by their previous "feast" of powerful zombies on the outskirts of town, the pack of wolves seems to regard Qingsongling Town as a potential "hunting ground." They no longer merely frantically pass through as before, but instead appear from time to time on the edge of town, wandering in packs among the snow-covered ruins.
Xu Mo could see them clearly through his binoculars. Their numbers fluctuated between seven or eight and ten, their fur grayish-black, forming moving spots in the snow. The wolves were very wary and did not enter the town. Instead, they sniffed repeatedly along the town's outskirts, especially in the direction where the zombie corpses had been found, as if hoping to find a similar "windfall" again.
The wolves looked a little better than before, at least not as emaciated as when they were first seen, but it was still clear that food was scarce. Xu Mo was happy that they were active on the outskirts; these creatures with their keen sense of smell had become, in a way, natural "alarms" for the outskirts of the town, often reacting first if any dangerous creature approached.
Aside from the occasional wolf pack, the town returned to complete silence in the days that followed. No new survivor teams ventured into this ruin marked "no resources." It made sense; with days so short they were practically negligible, resources depleted, and the need to hurry to the shelter, no one would want to linger. This expected "desolation" actually allowed Xu Mo to enjoy a rare period of undisturbed peace, allowing him to focus more intently on his cultivation.
However, this fragile tranquility was soon shattered by the even more violent force of nature.
The leaden-gray clouds that had been brewing in the sky for who knows how long finally reached their critical point.
At first, it was the wind. The cold wind suddenly intensified, turning from a whimper into a roar. It violently pounded against the buildings, whipping up the thick snow on the ground and forming a snow fog that obscured the outside world.
Sensing the biting cold wind, alarm bells rang in Xu Mo's mind. He immediately sprang into action, finding the thick wooden planks, metal brackets, and other reinforcement materials he had collected earlier, and began to reinforce all the windows on the second floor once again.
For several larger windows, Xu Mo even added internal bracing with metal frames to ensure they could withstand greater impact. This work took him quite a bit of time, but seeing the reinforced windows looking incredibly sturdy, Xu Mo felt somewhat relieved. At least the second floor, the main activity area, was now much more resilient to wind and snow.
Xu Mo's premonition was quickly confirmed; not long after the reinforcement work was completed, the heavy snow arrived as expected. But this time, it was no longer the gentle drizzle of before; instead, it was like a celestial river pouring down, with dense snowflakes violently crashing down at almost horizontal angles. Visibility instantly dropped to extremely low levels; outside the window, nothing could be seen but a chaotic white expanse.
"Snap—Splash!"
A sickening cracking sound, mixed with the howling wind and snow, came from upstairs.
Xu Mo's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately realized it was a window on the third floor. The window on that floor was already somewhat damaged, and under the impact of such a violent wind and snow, it finally succumbed to the force.
He quickly went upstairs to check.
Sure enough, the windows of several rooms on the third floor were shattered by the strong wind! The snowflakes seemed to have found an outlet, rushing into the rooms and piling up rapidly on the floor, causing the temperature on the entire third floor to plummet, turning it into an ice cellar.
Xu Mo secretly rejoiced that he had reinforced the second floor in advance. He didn't try to plug the breach on the third floor, but quickly closed all the doors of the rooms on the third floor tightly, forming a barrier to prevent the wind and snow from further invading the corridor and the space where he mainly moved downstairs. As for the third floor, he could only let it be occupied by the wind and snow for the time being.
After finishing all this, Xu Mo returned to the relatively safe second floor, listening to the howling wind and snow outside, and feeling the occasional slight tremors from the building, his expression grave. This snowstorm was even more intense than he had anticipated.
Occasionally, during a brief respite from the wind, Xu Mo would push open the rooftop passageway, half-blocked by snow, and climb up to observe the situation. But all he could see was a vast expanse of white; dense snowflakes and swirling snow dust formed an absolute visual barrier. He couldn't even see the outline of the town, let alone the solar panels on the opposite building. After a few attempts, Xu Mo gave up; such observation was pointless.
Another change followed – the broadcast signal was interrupted.
Both the relatively clear channel from Jiangcheng Shelter and the erratic signal from Rock Fortress had vanished, leaving only a constant hissing sound on the radio. Xu Mo tried many times, adjusting the antenna and switching bands, but to no avail.
"It seems that this heavy snow has completely blocked signal transmission." Xu Mo guessed, which severed the fragile connection he had just established with the outside world, and he was back to that state of information isolation.
Outside the window, the cold wind and snow danced wildly; in my ears, there was an endless roar.
Xu Mo sat by the stove, adding a few pieces of machine-made charcoal to make the flames burn brighter. He picked up his long-time companion machete and began its daily maintenance and polishing.
No matter how violent the outside world is, all he can do is remain vigilant, maintain his composure, and wait for the storm to pass.