Since We're Here

Song Weishi had also secretly drunk a bottle of banana milk, and by the dim firelight, she quietly stuffed the carton into the flames to burn it, erasing any trace.

Truth be told, she had everything she owned hidden on her person and had barely taken any of it out to eat. What she ate came from the hotel, but occasionally the craving got too strong, and this was the only way—sneaking a bite when no one was looking.

Luckily, the food didn't have a strong smell. As long as she ate while everyone else was eating, she could get away with it.

When Song Weishi left, she took the power bank that still had charge. Her phone could still turn on, and the battery held up well—as long as she kept it in her space, it wouldn't drain much.

She opened the map and took a look. Without an internet connection, only the areas she'd loaded before were visible.

The original owner had probably been browsing along the way, because there was a complete route from home to here displayed.

Song Weishi's first thought was to go back to the original owner's home, but then she looked at the map.

This team-building trip was way too far. Director Zhang, that bastard, had cut corners and signed them up for a tour group. They'd ridden a bus all day to get here—it was exhausting.

If she had to walk back, she'd be done for. Her legs would break before she made it.

She thought back to the opening scenes of the book. In the brief synopsis that flashed past, it seemed to say that the disasters in this book were local.

Maybe if she walked out of this frozen wasteland, there'd be a new chance at life.

She just didn't know how large the snowfield was. Their team-building was in the west, and the original owner's hometown was in the east. Going back there seemed like a good choice.

With a direction in mind, Song Weishi quickly began planning her next steps.

Her gaze fell on the makeshift snowboard she'd built by hand. The bamboo strips were already showing signs of wear from friction.

Relying on gear like that to walk out of this snowfield was clearly impossible.

So her primary goal was to check if there were any ski resorts or skiing supply stores nearby, to grab some ski equipment for free and stock up on survival supplies.

Next, she needed to map out the route, establish stopovers, and prepare consumables for the road. That was a big project.

Song Weishi didn't mind the tedious work herself—she had plenty of patience. She turned her gaze toward Wang Jie and Manager Zhao, who were sitting nearby talking.

She wondered if they'd be willing to come with her. There were advantages to numbers, at least they could look out for each other if something happened.

From what she'd seen, these people were pretty decent. At least when she was in danger, they were willing to lend a hand.

With that thought, Song Weishi didn't hesitate. She walked over and asked directly. Yes or no, one word—no need to be coy or guess at people's intentions. Just ask.

"Wang Jie, I have something to ask you all."

Song Weishi moved over to the three of them, and Xiao Li, hearing her voice, scooted closer too.

Wang Jie looked at Song Weishi's serious face and lowered her voice. "What's wrong? Something happen?"

Song Weishi shook her head. "No, actually, I wanted to say that I'm leaving this place. Given the situation, rescue won't be coming anytime soon. I wanted to ask what you all thought—do you want to come with me?"

The technology here wasn't actually that advanced—pretty much the same as Song Weishi's original world, maybe even a few years behind, in a phase of rapid development.

With the whole world affected by disaster, the government simply didn't have the capacity to organize large-scale rescues. Or rather, local government institutions had already collapsed.

Death tolls were skyrocketing. Waiting here for rescue was like waiting for a rabbit to die of old age at the base of a tree.

Song Weishi laid out her thoughts and weighed the pros and cons, even hinting at a bit more. "Staying here is definitely not a good choice. The food and the wood will run out eventually. When that happens, who knows what we'll do. But if we leave now and head south, there might still be a chance. Of course, I'm not saying you have to come with me—this is just my suggestion. Think it over."

The three of them fell silent. Honestly, Song Weishi was right. They just hadn't dared to face reality yet. Song Weishi had torn open a crack and shoved the harsh truth in front of them, forcing them to confront their situation.

"Xiao Song, do we really have to leave?"

Wang Jie's eyes shimmered with tears in the firelight. She didn't know what was wrong with her—she just felt so pressured she couldn't hold it together.

She hadn't cried at first, not even when she was an accomplice. But now she missed her daughter, her mother, and those peaceful times from before.

She'd always complained that life wasn't easy, but she'd never imagined it could get so much harder.

Xiao Li started crying too, muffling his sobs so only a low sniffle escaped.

Song Weishi could understand how they felt. They'd just escaped from one hell, finally felt a little safer, no longer freezing, just waiting patiently for rescue.

They hadn't expected to go from one abyss straight into another hell.

This endless winter was freezing people's minds, making them sluggish.

Manager Zhao sat off to the side, quiet. She was a local, and she hadn't even gone home to check on her family. She didn't know if they were okay. Her mother was so old—could she survive this kind of winter?

She missed home too. When she was busy, she didn't feel it much, but the moment someone mentioned it, homesickness gripped her like invisible hands, squeezing so tight she could hardly breathe.

"Why don't we wait a little longer? The government wouldn't just abandon us, right..."

Manager Zhao said hesitantly, while the other two's eyes had already drifted over, filled with hope.

Song Weishi said nothing more. The decision was made. Once someone wanted to stay, it was hard to change their mind.

Song Weishi knew what that meant—they wanted to stay. She nodded and quietly handed each of them a bottle of banana milk.

The three took it silently. Wang Jie turned her face away, her voice choked with tears. "Xiao Song, do you really have to go?"

"Mm. I know you all have your own considerations, and I have my own plans. Take care."

Wang Jie gripped her hand tightly. "Good luck."

"We all need luck."

"Good luck!"

With her goal set, Song Weishi asked Manager Zhao for paper and pen. The hotel had large sheets, and she took several. Manager Zhao also gave her two flashlights and a bunch of batteries to help with her planning.

They weren't idle, either. After hearing Song Weishi's words, they felt they shouldn't just sit around waiting to die. At least they could prepare for rescue or a future move.

Song Weishi didn't take any food from the hotel. She had enough to eat, and she could grab more supplies before she left. She wouldn't starve.

But she stocked up on firewood and other thermal supplies. Manager Zhao also marked some spots on the map where they might find equipment stores.

Actually, the Garden of a Hundred Herbs ran a ski resort in winter, and plenty of people came each year. There were supplies nearby. The park was large, but Manager Zhao didn't know the specifics.

Song Weishi planned to look around the area but not go back into the park. She didn't want to see Director Zhang's ugly face again. She wondered if the fire she'd set before leaving had worked—whether those people had been smoked out.

Given her previous experience trekking on a snowboard, she set up plenty of stopovers along her route, never straying too far from buildings. Otherwise, even with her space, she'd risk freezing to death outside in this weather.

The only hard part about the trek now was that her supplies weren't plentiful, and the main constraint was her space.

Even if she stacked firewood neatly, her space might not fit it all.

It was a headache, but she'd figured it out—she'd find a cart to pull behind her and try that.

Song Weishi worked quickly. After drawing the route for half a day, her hands had gone stiff from the cold. She confirmed it was about four hundred kilometers from here to the original owner's hometown. She prayed she could cover more distance each day; otherwise, at a few kilometers a day, she'd be walking for a hundred or eighty days.

Song Weishi sighed. Looks like tools were essential.

Night fell. Since coming upstairs, there had been no unusual activity outside. Everyone's taut nerves finally relaxed a little. It seemed there was no danger. Aside from those on watch duty, everyone lay down to sleep.

Song Weishi lay down too, but she didn't sleep peacefully. Though she'd eliminated the monster, the most terrifying and unpredictable thing was still the people around her.

The next day, she got up early. As soon as it was light, she got ready to go out and wash up.

Manager Zhao gave Song Weishi the lobby receptionist's down work jacket to wear, and she accepted gladly. It wasn't as warm as her own mountaineering jacket, but at least she wouldn't suffer as much when she went outside.

When she went out, Wang Jie and Xiao Li followed along, both carrying big packs, planning to look for supplies with her.

Manager Zhao stayed behind with the others to watch their belongings, and everyone would take turns going out later.

The other survivors staying with them were easygoing and had no objections.

Song Weishi split up with the two of them. Before they parted, she told them the location of the convenience store she'd found earlier, saving them the trouble. It also worked out perfectly—they could bring her some food on the way back.

The two waved at her excitedly, then slid off in the opposite direction with practiced ease.

The snow was piled high on one side of the hotel, and sliding there saved a lot of effort.

Song Weishi found a good spot and "whoosh"—she shot out far. She wore a black motorcycle helmet on her head, another find from Manager Zhao. It was a bit heavy, but it was safe and warm.

The shop was on a street two kilometers away. Using the snow slope, Song Weishi reached the landmark building Manager Zhao had mentioned in just an hour.

The Baolong Plaza sign was eye-catching, covered in a thick layer of snow.

It wasn't surprising that a big shopping mall here had a ski supply store.

The tricky part was how to get in.

Panting, Song Weishi finally made it to the front of the mall and found a third-floor stairwell entrance.

Most of the entrance was buried under snow. You'd have to look carefully to notice it.

Song Weishi clapped her gloved hands together, saw no one around, and stowed her ski gear in her space. Staring at the pitch-black stairwell, she felt a bit nervous for some reason.

She muttered to herself to reassure herself: "Since we're here, might as well check it out. Maybe it's locked anyway."