The rumbling sound thundered continuously from afar.
Lin Yue looked out of the window, which had plunged into darkness.
He realized that his view was blocked by snow that had unknowingly piled up to nearly three meters high.
"Is it really snowing this much? This isn't just a snow disaster anymore."
Moreover, this rumbling sound, it seems like...
"Is it the wind?" Lin Yue detected a hint of something.
At that moment, as if to affirm his guess, a large clump of snow violently smashed against the glass with the storm.
The combination of the fierce winds and the blizzard, it's truly a lethal mix.
Did the system intend to kill everyone from the start?
The disaster has begun and will last for 48 hours!
Those who tried to sneak through this disaster by hiding in the Secret Realm, as the system stated, have been kicked out.
This could be sugar-coated as fairness, but to put it less nicely, it's punishment and elimination!
By the way, what are points and rankings?
Lin Yue took out a glass cup he acquired from the Secret Realm, placed a tea bag inside, and poured hot water after boiling it.
The fragrance of tea filled the shelter.
"Squee?" Bai crawled out of the bucket, came to the table, showing great interest in the steaming light yellow liquid in the glass cup.
"You want to drink too, little glutton?" Lin Yue sat on the chair, watching Bai, who was relentlessly stretching its tongue towards the tea, and couldn't help teasing it.
His eyelids fighting, Lin Yue felt he would definitely fall asleep without the tea.
After opening a pack of chips and feeding Bai a piece, he ate while contemplating.
But to gather more intelligence, he felt it's better to stay up late a bit.
After all, in a snow disaster, there's no way to go out during the day, so sleeping as long as needed the next day is fine.
He sipped his tea, opened the group chat, and discovered a scene full of wailing!
"48 hours? Is this a joke? It's extinction, it must be extinction!"
"I encountered a monster in the Secret Realm just now, got chased immediately, experienced a flash of white, and found myself thrown into the snow, barely escaping with my life haha."
"I found out that as long as the shelter doesn't collapse, it seems the snow can block some of the cold, doesn't feel as cold?"
"It's true, seems like after the disaster officially started, it's much better than before? Even the mutated creatures that used to go berserk at night are gone."
"Will the mutated creatures be gone forever?"
"I hope so."
"Hope, my ass. Although the drop rate of treasure chests is low, they're only obtainable from mutated creatures."
"I'm going to sleep. When I wake up, I hope the disaster will have only 1 hour left. Besides, I don't want to never wake up again; I need to hold on until my parents arrive!"
"By the way, how's the person eating snow doing? And also, those few dozen fools near the equator who were rolling in the snow?"
"All their avatars are gray, you can't see it? Damn it, haven't you noticed, the total number of people has dropped by more than half!"
"Speaking of which, is no one concerned about the points?"
...
Lin Yue frowned deeply, examining the chat history line by line.
At the same time, he noticed that the total remaining number of people had dropped to 4,655.
After the disaster officially started, it didn't take much time before the total deaths exceeded half!
These were all people who were eliminated or couldn't adapt to this severe change.
When their families arrive after these eliminations, how will they sustain themselves in this brutal world?
Just relying on three days of water and food, they can hardly accomplish anything.
Lin Yue prepared some firewood, looked outside the window, and added more into the fireplace, tossing in some coal as well.
Better warm than cold.
After pouring a capful of tea, Bai licked a small sip before retracting its head, but just as Lin Yue thought this little creature couldn't handle it, Bai surprisingly drank the tea down to the last drop.
Patting its little head, Lin Yue laid out the mat, writing "FIGHT" on the bed, and as he lay down, a cool sensation spread across his back instantly.
For the first time since the snow disaster began, Lin Yue felt a sense of coolness.
Bai, having licked up the last bit of Lin Yue's tea residue, crawled over, enjoying the magic of the mat with a blissful expression.
Glancing at the time, the disaster had officially started 20 minutes ago.
It seemed that except for him, everyone else was desperately struggling.
Lin Yue understood too, in times of great disaster, it's not only oneself to consider, but he had done all he could.
When thinking of helping others, one must first secure their well-being.
Is he doing well?
For now, not too bad, ample food, enough water, with a very sturdy shelter, and good insulation.
However, after 48 hours, when the disaster passes, these advantages will diminish infinitely.
Most people will have a family to help survive, while he's just a lone wolf, only accompanied by Bai.
By then, who will still care about him, the "God Lin"?
Just as he took a sip from a bottle of water, he suddenly realized an important issue.
He still had a Silver Treasure Chest unopened!
Emma, he was so caught up opening Copper Treasure Chests that he forgot about the Silver Treasure Chest left aside.
Retrieving the Silver Treasure Chest, Lin Yue looked at the half-meter-long, silver-white large chest in front and couldn't help feeling thrilled.
This was the first Silver Treasure Chest he had opened.
What could it possibly contain?
Could it be a design for a more advanced weapon? Or something to help improve living conditions? Perhaps even a shelter design?
Excited, Lin Yue took a deep breath and opened the Silver Treasure Chest with both hands.
[You have obtained: Basic Exoskeleton Blueprint X1]
Exoskeleton blueprint?
Is this the blueprint for that thing he knew?
Once worn, it will significantly enhance mobility, making it very easy to carry heavy loads and use heavy weapons!
It can also transform an ordinary person into a powerful warrior instantly!
He had seen similar items in some documentaries, where exoskeletons utilize the simplest lever principles, yet after incorporating numerous technological advancements and using alloy materials, they become powerful equipment.
Eagerly, Lin Yue used the blueprint.
[Basic Exoskeleton:]
However, after using the blueprint, Lin Yue fell into contemplation.
[Basic Exoskeleton: Body, arms, legs, feet, connecting joints, active joints, elbow joint components (Hard Aluminum Alloy X10, Power Controller X1, Battery Pack X1, Power Cord X10, Copper Ingot X15, Durable Cotton Fabric X5, Rubber X1), Precision Electric Actuator]
Ah, this...
It seems not to be easy at all.
Does a Basic Exoskeleton require so many components to assemble?
What kind must the advanced ones be then?
Lin Yue now understood a principle: the more something far exceeds current productivity, the higher the cost to obtain it.
Glancing at the already-sleeping Bai, Lin Yue also lay back down.
Just as he prepared to take another look at the group chat and get ready for sleep, he suddenly discovered Du Ping had tagged him again in the group.
"Lin Yue, I've found something good again, do you want it?"