Chapter 21: This Is the Consequence

"Zhang Zhengyu! Zhang Junchen?"

Song Hui called out twice, but received no reply. Meng Ran had already appeared behind him, dealing a swift, decisive blow. Song Hui’s eyes rolled back, and his heavy body collapsed onto the tiled floor, the knife slipping from his hand.

After confiscating the tools they had brought, Meng Ran struggled to drag the three men to the doorway. She stripped them of their coats and sweaters, then cast a cold gaze around.

"If anyone else dares to target my home, this will be your fate!"

With a sharp kick, she shoved the three men into the drafty corridor and shut the door, returning to her sanctuary. Dealing with the corpse earlier had only succeeded because it had been wedged in the window, and after handling these three men, Meng Ran realized she needed to accelerate the growth of her abilities. If those three had turned into something like the zombies on the spot, she wouldn't have been able to cope.

Meng Ran crouched beside the vegetable patch, stroking the newly sprouted greens and the nearly ripe cucumbers and tomatoes. "You all must grow quickly."

Her plant affinity had remained stagnant at 1%. She expected some changes once these crops matured.

*Ding-dong.* Meng Ran pulled out her phone and glanced at the chat group she had joined earlier. The netizen who had been bitten by a zombie finally spoke up.

*Sleepy-Headed:* "Oh my god, I’m fine! Being bitten by a zombie doesn't lead to infection. You can all stop worrying now."

He had spent the last few days in terror, fearing he would turn into one of those monsters outside. Fortunately, he had survived, his mind remained clear, and he showed none of the characteristics of the zombies.

At this early hour, the thirty or so people in the group seemed to be awake. After his message, many surfaced to ask for details.

*Love Tomato Egg Noodles:* "I'm glad you're okay. I haven't seen you for days and thought you'd really turned into a zombie."

*Meteor Streak:* "It's a bit different from what we've seen, but the fact that zombies won't infect us is good news."

*Sleepy-Headed:* "Although we won't be assimilated, you must still be careful. The bacteria in their bodies can cause severe illness. Find a way to get some medicine."

He had survived by relying on the medicine stored at home. If someone were injured by a zombie without supplies, they would be utterly helpless. There were no ambulances coming to take them to the hospital anymore.

Meng Ran read the messages. The netizen's words brought her some relief, and she took the opportunity to ask about the situation in his area. Since these people were from different places, more information couldn't hurt.

Several people replied, and Meng Ran realized the situation elsewhere was much the same as theirs.

*Ten Years to Sharpen a Sword:* "The snow-clearing teams came out at first, but I haven't seen them since. The snow hasn't stopped, and the temperature outside is approaching minus eighty degrees Celsius. Even in Antarctica, the lowest temperature is only near minus one hundred. I suspect the internet will be cut off soon."

The group owner sent a long message that mirrored Meng Ran’s own thoughts. There was no sign of the temperature rising; the deep freeze had arrived, and no one knew where the lower limit of this cold would land. It was exactly as Niannian had described in her dreams; it was clear now that this extreme cold would last a long time.

Meng Ran exhaled and turned off her phone. She knew what she needed to know.

She returned to her room to wash up. In the mirror illuminated by the lamp, she saw a bruise on her shoulder. "That’s where Mu Qiuyun hit me."

Meng Ran pressed on it. She hadn't been wrong; Mu Qiuyun’s strength was shockingly great. She had thought it was an illusion at the time, but subconscious reactions were often the most truthful. Did Mu Qiuyun also possess extraordinary abilities?

She fetched the medicine kit and applied oil to the bruise, rubbing it in until the skin began to feel warm. At times like these, injuries had to be treated promptly. Meng Ran stretched her shoulder; the soreness from striking the men had vanished.

It was late, so she climbed into bed to get some rest and recover her strength.

The three men she had dumped in the drafty corridor were woken by the cold. They looked at each other, screaming for help at the top of their lungs. Bound together and stripped of their outer clothing, their teeth chattered uncontrollably.

"Help! Someone, help!"

They could barely get a full sentence out. Snowflakes drifted in through the broken window, and frost began to form on their eyelashes and eyebrows.

"Over here! This way!"

There was movement in the stairwell—their families had come looking for them. Seeing their miserable state, the family members burst into tears.

"That Meng Ran is too vicious! She threw you out and threatened you!"

Zhang Zhengyu couldn't help but curse, "Then why didn't you come sooner!" A few minutes later, they would have been collecting their corpses.

With purple veins beginning to trace across their skin, the three were carried back. Before dawn, they all developed high fevers, but their families had no fever reducers and dared not waste water to cool them down. They tried to ask for help in the group, but no one responded.

Meng Ran slept well. When she woke up, she found there was no signal, but she still saw the messages those people had posted in the property management group the night before.

"The internet is down."

Meng Ran unplugged her power bank. Since the network was gone, there was no need to charge her phone for now. The group hadn't said much about Fang Weiwen and his group going out last night, but Meng Ran guessed that, more likely than not, people had died there.

The property management office was some distance away, and with the thick snow, she didn't need to worry about zombies wandering over from there for the time being. However, Meng Ran knew that staying here wasn't a long-term solution, yet there was nowhere else to go.

Niannian was already up, sitting in a chair with bread and milk. "Mommy, the tomatoes are ripe!"

Hearing Niannian, Meng Ran went to the vegetable patch. The tomatoes were bright red. She picked them and said, "We can have tomato-stewed beef tonight."

There was still some meat in the freezer that would go perfectly with the tomatoes. The moment she picked them, she heard the announcement:

*[Plant affinity increased to 3%]*

Harvesting the tomatoes had increased her affinity by 2%. Meng Ran summoned a vine, and it was different from when she was at 1%. The vine was thicker, more flexible, and resilient, with a much wider range and longer reach.

Looking at her own progress, Meng Ran realized that the maturation of the plants in her space was directly tied to the growth of her abilities. She was fortunate to have planted these before the deep freeze began.

As the tomatoes ripened, the other vegetables were not far behind. The growth rate inside the space was different from the outside world, but the two chickens hadn't changed much, other than becoming quite plump. Niannian was feeding them; she used these tasks to pass the time every day.

Over at the property management office, Qu Zixuan took his final breath, dying in absolute agony.