Chapter 100 - 99: Blizzard

Words : 1146 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 100: Chapter 99: Blizzard"Beep beep beep... beep beep beep..." The alarm on the phone went off on time, waking Chen Xin, who was still sound asleep. Chen Xin reached for his phone, glanced at the time, put it back on the bedside table, yawned, then rubbed his face before sitting up in bed. Grabbing the clothes from the bedside, as soon as he put on a shirt, Chen Xin immediately felt a chill transmitting from the clothes to his body. Shivering from the chill, Chen Xin hurriedly shrank back into the covers. Wrapped in the blanket, letting the residual warmth warm the clothes on his body, Chen Xin finally poked his head out of the covers, pondering what was going on today that made it so cold. This isn’t like before; if it was before the disaster and suddenly got this cold in the morning, it was probably a cold wave, and a temperature drop of over ten degrees overnight in autumn and winter wasn’t uncommon. Moreover, ordinary houses in the south have limited insulation effectiveness, and if the external temperature drops by over ten degrees, the indoor temperature, without heating, would decrease by three to five degrees or even more, so feeling cold in the morning is quite normal. But now it’s the apocalypse, and Chen Xin lives in a well-insulated shelter, so it logically shouldn’t be this cold. Could it be a problem with the ventilation system’s insulation? This thought flashed through Chen Xin’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Even though it feels cold now, that’s only because he’s not wearing much and just climbed out of a warm bed, donning clothes that were originally at a lower temperature. In reality, the temperature hasn’t dropped to an unbearable level; it’s still a few degrees warm. If the ventilation duct’s insulation failed, causing the cold outside air to pour in directly, the temperature would have dropped below freezing. If that were the case, what Chen Xin felt wouldn’t be cool but ice-cold. Moreover, he only used a camel hair quilt last night, which, although offering decent warmth, wasn’t enough to withstand freezing temperatures with just one quilt. Confronting this strange situation, Chen Xin didn’t overthink it. He quickly put on the clothes beside him piece by piece and crawled out of bed. Once dressed, although the initially cold clothes made Chen Xin feel slightly numbingly cold, it wasn’t to an unbearable extent. Especially after he took out the wool sweater and cotton pants from the wardrobe and put them on, the cold wasn’t noticeable anymore. Previously, due to the shelter’s insulation capability, the temperature inside remained over ten degrees even if the external temperature fell below zero. As long as he dressed warmly and was active, Chen Xin didn’t feel cold. But today’s sudden temperature drop caught him off guard. If it were before the disaster, Chen Xin might have checked the weather forecast on his phone before getting out of bed, but now he could only go check the thermometer on the living room wall after brushing his teeth and washing his face. "Seven degrees? The temperature dropped six degrees overnight, that’s not possible, right?" Chen Xin looked at the temperature, which had dropped to a single digit, feeling a burst of surprise. This is inside a shelter; not to mention the reinforced concrete walls and the insulation measures inside, the geothermal warmth from the two hundred meters of soil above shouldn’t cause the shelter’s temperature to drop this much in one night! Feeling puzzled, Chen Xin skipped breakfast, left the living room, and headed to the public space to check the ventilation system. Yet, seeing the ventilation system running smoothly, and the noticeable cool breeze blowing out from it, Chen Xin couldn’t help but touch his face; he thought he understood what was happening. Chen Xin didn’t think much further about it; it’s not a problem with the ventilation system or the shelter’s insulation unless he upgrades the ventilation system again or the entire shelter; otherwise, this issue couldn’t be resolved. Returning to the bedroom, he dug out an infrared thermometer, checked that it was still usable, then grabbed a large tool hammer from the workbench before heading to the prep room to change into a Protective Suit. After donning a protective mask, he took a flashlight and crawled through the corridor pathway to the small bunker where the communication antenna was installed. As soon as he opened the door, a cold wind rushed in, instantly covering Chen Xin’s protective mask with a layer of frost. Looking at the frost on his mask, Chen Xin tried to wipe it but couldn’t, so he left it alone as it didn’t significantly affect visibility. With the flashlight on, Chen Xin scanned the interior of the small bunker. Unsurprisingly, as he had predicted, a layer of ice had formed near the vent, and the crack connecting the bunker to the outside was covered in thick ice, nearly sealing it shut. With hammer in hand, Chen Xin approached the crack and delivered a strong blow. Fortunately, the ice layer wasn’t frozen too thickly. Though solid, a few blows managed to break it. As Chen Xin shattered the ice sealing the crack, more cold wind rushed in. Chen Xin raised his infrared thermometer towards the crack where the cold wind was blowing in, revealing a temperature of -34°C. "Impossible, isn’t it? Wasn’t it -4°C only yesterday? Has it dropped thirty degrees overnight?" Chen Xin found it hard to believe; this temperature drop was terrifyingly similar to the instantaneous freezing scenarios depicted in movies like "The Day After Tomorrow." However, if it did indeed drop by thirty degrees overnight, it would indeed resemble the effects shown in "The Day After Tomorrow." After all, the Ice Age was only 8-12°C cooler than pre-disaster temperatures, not as dramatically cold as it is now. Still, Chen Xin couldn’t help but worry about another issue. Before the disaster, Blue Star’s climate had already shown abnormalities. Scientists claimed it was due to environmental destruction and the solar activity cycle entering a minimum, reducing the heat reaching Blue Star, leading it into a mini Ice Age. But this was always just a theory, and the mini Ice Age scientists predicted had never arrived, despite their predictions falling within thirty years. However, Blue Star’s situation now might mean it directly enters an Ice Age, or it might already be in one. If we enter the Ice Age, the anticipated century-long polar night might extend even longer. Humans are creatures that need a warm environment to survive. Although we’ve extended our activity range to frigid zones using buildings, clothing, and heating, it doesn’t mean humans can survive long-term in temperatures tens of degrees below zero. Even in polar research, long-term outdoor activities are challenging; most of the time is spent inside research stations.

Chapter 100 - 99: Blizzard

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