ID 8901: "I'm starting to feel a chill… When's this rain going to let up? If it keeps pouring all day, I'll freeze out here in the wilds…"
ID 369852: "My rickety old shack is letting in drafts from every direction. I can't take it anymore—I think I'm about to catch a cold."
Chen Du glanced out the window at the overcast sky. There was no sign that the relentless downpour would stop anytime soon. Earlier, someone in the chat channel had joked about whether the rain might last all day. Chen Du thought it wasn't entirely out of the question.
"Achoo!" Sitting on the couch in the villa's living room, Xie Li sneezed. She rubbed her goosebump-covered arms, trying to warm herself by friction.
Chen Du moved closer and asked, "Feeling cold?"
Xie Li nodded. "A bit," she admitted. "The temperature dropped so fast—it caught me off guard."
And indeed, even Chen Du, who had upgraded his abilities, still felt a faint chill. So it was no surprise that Xie Li, who hadn't leveled up yet and was physically frail, felt it even more acutely. They needed something to keep warm.
Chen Du considered lighting a fire but then remembered today's unlimited supply cache. What perfect timing! Cotton could easily be used to make blankets! While crafting high-quality quilts might be beyond him, simply stuffing fabric with cotton wouldn't pose much of a challenge. Besides, there was plenty of cotton to go around—if one blanket wasn't enough, why not two?
As Chen Du opened the trading platform to gather materials like fabric and sewing supplies, he turned to Xie Li with a grin. "Just wait a moment. I'm going to perform a little magic trick for you."
Before long, he retrieved the materials needed for making the blankets. Xie Li stared at the piles of cotton and fabric scattered across the floor, astonished.
"Chen Du, where did you get all this cotton?" she exclaimed.
He chuckled. "From the trading platform, of course. Dr. Xie, if you want to speed things up, help me sew these fabrics together. Needles aren't exactly my strong suit."
Xie Li eagerly nodded. "Hehe, sewing's my specialty."
With needle and thread in hand, Xie Li quickly stitched together several quilt covers. For someone with her medical precision, this task was child's play.
Soon enough, both Chen Du and Xie Li were cozily wrapped in their makeshift blankets. From his backpack, Chen Du produced steaming hot food and warm coffee. As they nestled under the blankets, eating and sipping their drinks, it almost felt like a relaxing weekend retreat—despite the storm raging outside.
Outside the villa, many players trembled in the biting cold. But inside, they were blissfully insulated from the chaos.
After finishing her meal, Xie Li snuggled deeper into the blanket, murmuring contentedly, "Mmm… so cozy!"
Chen Du leaned closer and teased, "What's so cozy?"
Xie Li's ears flushed red as she felt his breath near her ear. She pulled her head further under the blanket and playfully scolded him. "You're impossible, Chen Du! Always teasing me!"
Chen Du laughed heartily, ruffling her hair. Unlike his usually calculated and sometimes ruthless demeanor during combat, Chen Du preferred to unwind when there was no immediate threat. He enjoyed joking around with Xie Li and having someone to chat with. If he stayed constantly on edge, he knew he wouldn't last long.
Xie Li also realized that after just a few days of surviving this brutal world, she had grown somewhat dependent on Chen Du. Whenever he wasn't around, a strange unease crept over her. Reflecting on how she had once plotted to kill him—and now found herself clinging to him—she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Yet deep down, she knew she'd made the right choice. With Chen Du by her side, she finally felt a sense of security that this apocalyptic world desperately lacked.
Suddenly, an idea crossed Xie Li's mind. Biting her lip, she hesitated for a moment before blurting out, "Chen Du… maybe tonight you could come to my room…"
Chen Du froze. Being single his whole life, he never expected a beautiful woman to make such an offer. His mind went blank, and he instinctively blurted out, "No way! Women would only distract me when I need to focus on survival. I can't afford any distractions—not even thoughts of them!"
Xie Li was taken aback. She hadn't anticipated such a blunt rejection, especially after being so forward.
Fuming, she stood up, grabbed her blanket, and stormed upstairs, slamming her bedroom door shut behind her.
Only then did Chen Du's brain kick back into gear, and he immediately regretted his words. "Damn it!" he muttered. "What was I thinking?"
He tried to rationalize it by reminding himself that they were still relatively new to the villa, and danger could still be lurking. Now wasn't the time to entertain romantic thoughts.
Glancing at the chat channel, where players continued to grumble about the weather and the unbearable cold, Chen Du gritted his teeth and muttered, "If I'm miserable, then everyone else can suffer along with me!"
He then took a screenshot of himself lounging comfortably on the plush sofa, wrapped snugly in a warm blanket.
ID 1945: "Huh? You guys don't have blankets? I assumed everyone did." (Attached image)
ID 85285: "???"
ID 846: "What?! How do you even have a blanket?!"
ID 55567: "1945, give us your coordinates. I promise I won't hurt you… much."
ID 1945: "Hehe. Turns out I have a few extra blankets. Anyone interested? They're listed on the trading platform."
While chatting, Chen Du listed the blankets on the trading platform—but with steep conditions: only combat supplies would be accepted in trade. This was practically extortion! Combat supplies were already scarce and required significant resources to acquire. Trading for a blanket now meant sacrificing even more precious goods. Few players could afford such a luxury!
Once the blankets hit the market, the chat channel erupted in outrage.
ID 756894: "Are you serious?! You might as well rob us blind! All those supplies for a lousy blanket?"
ID 1945: "Feel free to ignore the offer if you don't want one. I'm not the one freezing. But just a heads-up, this rain doesn't look like it's stopping anytime soon."
ID 8547: "Let's boycott him! Let him sit on those blankets until New Year's!"
ID 85678: "That's right! Freeze to death outside before buying that overpriced blanket!"
ID 14257: "Wait… someone just bought a blanket?"
ID 4567: "Sorry, guys. That blanket is seriously warm… Keep boycotting—I'm out."
Watching the chat channel turn its wrath toward ID 4567, Chen Du struggled to suppress a laugh. Despite stirring up envy among the players, he successfully traded several blankets for a hefty stockpile of combat supplies.
Next, Chen Du listed some cold medicine on the trading platform and announced in the chat channel, "Hey everyone, I've just put up some cold medicine at reasonable prices. If you're feeling unwell, grab it while you can—you don't want to fight zombies with a fever, do you?"
This time, the chat channel wasn't as lively with players denouncing Chen Du like before.
The players weren't fools—they understood the importance of cold medicine all too well.
Many players who were already experiencing cold symptoms stared at the cold medicine still requiring combat supplies for exchange. Though grumbling inwardly, they ultimately had no choice but to grit their teeth and make the trade.