Chapter 36: The Approach of a Harsh Winter

During this time, Chen Fan crafted ten iron buckets, went to the river to collect water, and stored them in the warehouse, thinking they might come in handy later.

He went up to the second floor to check on the food supplies and nodded with satisfaction at the large crate. If it hadn't been for his luck in discovering the skeleton monster spawner, he wouldn't have been able to collect so much food in such a short time. The only pity was that there were only 18 pieces of pork, with most of the meat being fish.

Even though he had stockpiled enough supplies for the winter, Chen Fan felt an inexplicable, lingering sense of unease deep down. After all, he had never experienced a winter of minus 70 degrees. At minus 70 degrees, without any protective measures, the cold would tear through skin tissue in just a few seconds and could cause death in mere minutes.

Just then, Yang Keli walked into the room after showering. Her cheeks were flushed, making her look exceptionally charming. Seeing Chen Fan lost in thought, she asked, "What's wrong, Chen Fan? You seem troubled."

"Minus 70 degrees," Chen Fan said with a worried expression. "Can we really survive that?"

"Yes!" Yang Keli sat down beside him and said, "Actually, there is a special group of people on Blue Star who can survive in minus 70 degrees."

"You mean?" Chen Fan’s eyes lit up as he turned to look at her. "The Inuit?"

Yang Keli nodded. "Exactly."

"I hope we can safely make it through this winter," Chen Fan said, lying down with a calm tone. "Let's sleep. Only one day left until tomorrow."

"Mm, okay."

In the middle of the night, the temperature plummeted to four or five degrees. Fortunately, with the thick down quilt, Chen Fan did not feel cold. However, Yang Keli remained huddled tightly against him, her breath hitting his face, which made it a bit difficult for him to breathe. He helplessly pushed her head down slightly and pulled her into his arms. He had to wake up at least once every night, or he feared he might actually suffocate.

Even through her clothes, Chen Fan could feel Yang Keli’s curvaceous figure. He patted her back and drifted back into a deep sleep without any excessive movements; he simply wasn't in the mood right now. He figured that once they survived the winter and he had sufficient strength, he could consider other things.

As she slept, a faint smile curled on Yang Keli's lips. She felt a mix of happiness and a tinge of disappointment. "Stupid Chen Fan, what would it even matter if you were a bit more aggressive? I wouldn't... resist."

The night passed in silence.

...

[Weather: Sunny, Temperature: 9~15°C]
[Daylight Duration: 10 hours]
[Reminder: 1 day remaining until the arrival of winter.]
[At 0:00 tomorrow, the temperature will drop sharply. It is expected to reach minus 70 degrees by 6:00 AM. Strive to survive.]

"Chen Fan, am I doing the same thing as today?" Yang Keli asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Yes. I’m heading to the Great Plains today to see if any animals have appeared." Chen Fan turned to Rem and said, "You two work together to excavate a 20x20x4 basement under the house and move the crops down there. Then, upgrade the wooden cabin to a stone house."

"As you command, Master," Rem and Ram replied in unison with respectful bows.

After making all the arrangements, Chen Fan took some wheat seeds, wheat, and carrots, and stepped out. It was the final day.

On a high mountain, Gu Feng was listening to the report from a scarred man.

"Boss, I’ve found Chen Fan’s location, about a dozen kilometers away. And..." The scarred man’s face broke into a lewd grin as he continued, "He has three extremely beautiful women with him."

"Hahaha, good." Gu Feng stood up excitedly and waved his hand. "Brothers, go and loot their resources. We won't have to worry about the winter anymore."

"Boss is mighty!" a dozen lackeys shouted in unison.

Gu Feng drew his iron sword and shouted, "Brothers, let's move out! We’re having a feast tonight!"

"Yes!"

The dozen men were all equipped with stone swords, except for Gu Feng and two others who wielded iron swords and wore iron chestplates. They had been lucky; while mining the day before, they happened to strike iron ore. Following Gu Feng's logic, he treated the iron chestplate like a piece of clothing that took up a separate equipment slot, and sure enough, he succeeded.

In his mind, a man accompanied by three women couldn't possibly have any combat prowess. He, on the other hand, was muscular; taking out a few students would be a breeze. As for the other survivors around Chen Fan, they likely wouldn't intervene. Once Chen Fan was killed, those people would simply become his new subordinates.

"Boss Feng, can we actually beat him? After all, he’s the man who has claimed the rewards several times. Could there be any surprises?"

Gu Feng glanced at the scarred man as if he were an idiot and slapped him across the face. "Did you fry your brain playing around last night?"

"When I was back on Blue Star fighting a gang, taking on ten people at once was nothing. Do you really think I can't handle a few students?"

The scarred man covered his face, unable to express his grievances, and quickly put on a sycophantic look. "Boss is right, it was my mouth running loose. I was confused."

Gu Feng and his lackeys hadn't spent much time collecting resources these days. His strategy was simple and direct: he felt there was no need to waste time and effort gathering when he could focus entirely on developing combat power. In his view, he only needed to keep an eye on who had the most resources and the greatest strength, then strike at the right moment to kill them and seize their nest. Then, all the food and resources would naturally be his.

However, he seemed to underestimate Chen Fan's strength. At this moment, he was blinded by the fantasy of seizing a massive cache of resources, completely ignoring any potential risks.

In a nearby forest, Zhao Gang and his three companions were moving quickly toward Chen Fan’s location, hoping to arrive before sunset.

"Brother, are you sure we’re heading in the right direction?" Zhao Xiaoqian looked around, asking skeptically.

Zhao Gang wasn't entirely certain either, but he insisted confidently, "We definitely haven't gone wrong. You have to trust your brother's judgment."

Zhao Xiaoqian felt that her brother's judgment wasn't very reliable, but she couldn't bring herself to say it outright, so she swallowed her words. Just then, they heard a voice.

"Come on, Happy Sheep, Beauty Sheep, follow me home."

The four of them exchanged glances; the voice sounded very familiar. They stopped in their tracks, scanned their surroundings vigilantly, and crept toward the source of the sound.

At that moment, Chen Fan was holding a stalk of wheat, coaxing two small sheep to follow him home. Suddenly, a hyena lunged from behind him, sinking its teeth into his leg.

In an instant, Chen Fan lost three hearts of health.

"What the hell!"

He spun around, only to see a hyena, half a human in height, with 60 health points displayed above its head. It stared at him, baring its teeth and drooling, its eyes filled with ferocity and greed.

Chen Fan watched the hyena vigilantly, switched to his diamond sword, and swung it hard at the beast's head. The hyena dodged nimbly, avoiding the attack, and then lunged at Chen Fan again, its sharp claws slicing through the air as if to tear his body apart.