Su Wan nodded, turning to look at the vast wasteland behind her.
Anchor points, Energy-Siphoning Towers, the Source of Guixu...
And that unknown disaster, looming on an uncertain horizon...
It seemed she needed to raise her strength as quickly as possible.
Watching Zhou Yuanqi depart, Su Wan stood in the center of the clearing, spreading her perception until it blanketed the entire area.
Once she confirmed that no one else was around, she focused her mind.
The body double puppet emerged from her system space, landing silently before her.
“Master,” the puppet said with a slight nod.
Su Wan looked at her and said calmly, “Go back to Room 102 first. You will continue to handle things on Blue Star.”
The puppet nodded. “Understood, Master.”
It turned and quickly vanished into the night.
Su Wan withdrew her gaze and sank her consciousness into her system space.
The silver Energy Source Crystal floated quietly in a corner of the system space, its surface shimmering with a faint halo, pulsing slowly like a heartbeat.
She looked at it, sensing the pure, almost primal energy emanating from it, yet her mind remained exceptionally calm.
She couldn't absorb this crystal in peace on Blue Star.
There were too many eyes here, too many uncontrollable variables.
She couldn't take the risk.
Su Wan reflected that she had spent nearly a week on Blue Star this time.
On the apocalyptic side, the Cold Wave should be drawing to a close.
In any case, she had to go back and check on things.
If there was nothing urgent in the apocalypse, she could return to Blue Star after absorbing the energy crystal.
With that thought, Su Wan hesitated no longer.
“System.”
【Here.】
“Initiate travel.”
【Pre-travel reminder: The host's current location is a Blue Star native anchor point (Level 2 (Stable)), not a system-generated anchor point.】
【This location has been marked as Travel Point Two. Travel Point One is Jinxiu Garden Room 102.】
【From now on, when the host initiates travel, you may select any marked travel point as your destination.】
【Do you wish to confirm travel?】
“Confirm.”
【Travel initiating. Destination: Apocalyptic Plane—coordinates corresponding to Travel Point Two.】
A sensation of weightlessness washed over her like a tide, and the entire world shattered into countless points of light before her eyes.
Su Wan closed her eyes, letting the power engulf her.
The next moment—
A biting cold, like countless ice needles, pierced her body from all directions!
Su Wan snapped her eyes open.
What lay before her was not the familiar Room 102 of Terminal Station, but a vast, white wasteland.
A blizzard packed with ice shards and snow pelted her relentlessly, reducing visibility to less than ten meters.
The ground beneath her feet consisted of frozen, rock-hard ruins, with snow already piling past her knees.
Su Wan’s brow furrowed tightly.
It seemed there had been a slight deviation in the travel coordinates.
Instead of landing inside Terminal Station, she had traveled directly into the Ruin Zone.
Su Wan expanded her mental power and quickly sensed the location of Terminal Station.
It wasn't far from here, roughly eight kilometers away.
Su Wan channeled her ability, forming an invisible energy barrier around her body to block out most of the cold and wind.
After getting her bearings, she set off in the direction of Terminal Station.
She keenly noticed that the storm's intensity had weakened significantly compared to before.
The howling wind had quieted, as if an invisible hand were slowly closing the door on the blizzard.
The temperature was also beginning to rise.
Though still bitterly cold, the bone-chilling freeze that threatened to solidify her very blood was receding.
“System, what is the current status of the Cold Wave?”
【Retrieving meteorological data...】
【Retrieval complete.】
【Current outdoor temperature: minus forty-nine degrees. The peak period of the Cold Wave (minus sixty-five degrees) has passed. We are currently in the tail end of the Cold Wave, and temperatures will continue to rise. It is expected to return to around minus forty degrees within the next 24 hours, and around minus thirty degrees within the next 72 hours.】
【The blizzard's intensity is weakening and is expected to cease entirely within the next 12 hours.】
Minus forty-nine degrees.
Rising from minus sixty-five to minus forty-nine was still cold, but it was a massive improvement compared to the absolute coldest days.
Su Wan pulled up the collar of her windbreaker and continued walking toward Terminal Station.
Suddenly, she froze in her tracks.
As her mental power unconsciously extended outward, it caught an unusual wave of energy.
The fluctuations were coming from the direction of the Non-Safe Zone.
They were dense and countless, like an undercurrent surging in the dark, slowly advancing toward the Safe Zone.
Su Wan stopped, closed her eyes, and pushed her mental power to its limit toward the Non-Safe Zone.
Then, her pupils contracted sharply.
On the snow-covered wasteland just outside the Non-Safe Zone, a massive horde of Rot-Walkers was swarming!
Their skin was an unnatural grayish-white, blending in so perfectly with the snow that it was nearly impossible to tell their bodies apart from the landscape at a glance.
Their eyes were cloudy and hollow, and their mouths hung slightly open, revealing dark red gums and jagged, yellowed teeth.
They shambled forward with slow, stiff steps, yet the blizzard didn't seem to hinder their movement in the slightest.
The biting wind howled past them, pelting their pale skin with ice shards and snow, but they didn't react at all.
Su Wan’s brow furrowed slightly as she stared toward the Non-Safe Zone.
She suddenly realized something.
According to Black Rat, Rot-Walkers only appeared when it snowed.
The Cold Wave had lasted for nearly half a month, so logically, the Rot-Walkers should have appeared long ago.
Yet throughout the entire duration of the Cold Wave, Terminal Station hadn't received a single report about Rot-Walkers.
So why were they showing up now?
Doubt flickered in Su Wan’s mind.
“System, it's been snowing for so many days during the Cold Wave. Why are the Rot-Walkers only appearing now?”
【Retrieving research data related to Rot-Walkers...】
【Retrieval complete. Analyzing the relationship between environmental parameters and Rot-Walker activity patterns...】
【Analyzing...】
【Analysis complete.】
【Conclusion: The bodily functions of Rot-Walkers are significantly affected by low-temperature environments.】
【When their core body temperature drops below minus fifty degrees, their muscle tissues enter an irreversible frozen state, rendering them incapable of any effective movement or attack.】
【During the peak period of the Cold Wave, temperatures in the Ruin Zone and the periphery of the Non-Safe Zone fell below minus sixty-five degrees, far exceeding the activity threshold of the Rot-Walkers.】
【Therefore, despite the snowfall, the Rot-Walkers were unable to emerge from the depths of the Non-Safe Zone.】
【The current temperature has risen to minus forty-nine degrees, reaching the lower limit of the Rot-Walkers' activity threshold.】
【As the temperature continues to rise, the Rot-Walkers' activity levels will gradually strengthen, and their numbers will increase accordingly.】
Su Wan looked at the analysis results on the system panel, understanding dawning upon her.
So that was why.
Rate on N.U.
