Chapter 226: Changing Winds
In the evening, Zhang Yi and his companions hosted a banquet to welcome Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran. Having gone so long without such good food, even these elite students from a prestigious school quickly abandoned their initial restraint and began eating with enthusiasm.
Zhang Yi quietly put down his chopsticks, amused by the sight of the two girls eating. While watching with concern, Yang Siya and Zhou Ke'er kept adding food to their plates while asking about their time at Tianqing Academy.
With her mouth full, Lu Keran explained, "The school wasn’t short on food! There were over three hundred students, but we had twelve dining halls and an internal supermarket. We had plenty of supplies."
Zhang Yi smiled faintly, trying to imagine the aristocratic school based on Lu Keran's description. She swallowed a meatball and gratefully looked at Zhang Yi, "But if you hadn’t come to rescue us, even with all the food, we wouldn’t have lasted long in such cold weather."
Zhang Yi nodded, "It's fortunate you were underground with a large group. The temperature would have been less severe."
Snow and ice are good insulators, at least effective against wind. In Xudong Village, the snow-covered houses maintained warmth thanks to Xu Chunlei's efforts to build them with ice and snow.
"As long as you work hard here, you won’t go hungry," Zhang Yi assured them. He appreciated Lu Keran’s straightforward personality, not because he had ulterior motives, but because he preferred dealing with honest people.
Lu Keran kept nodding, "Thank you, Brother!"
Even if they all ate freely every day, their supplies would last over two hundred years. Moreover, Zhang Yi could always find more frozen supplies, so food was never an issue.
After dinner, Yang Siya took the initiative to clean up, a task she had recently taken over entirely. Even when Zhou Ke'er was around, Yang Siya would take on the chores, transitioning from initial wariness to trust and feeling guilty.
In this household, Zhou Ke'er was a doctor, Yang Xinxin was a computer genius, and Lu Keran was a mechanical expert. But what about her? Apart from keeping Zhang Yi company, what could she do? Although Zhang Yi never criticized her, Yang Siya was a strong-willed woman who disliked being a useless ornament.
At the dinner table, Zhang Yi discussed the shelter’s rules with Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran. Their harmonious interaction left Yang Siya feeling a bit left out. She wished to be as indispensable as Zhou Ke'er and the others.
After dinner, they relaxed on the sofa, watching TV. Zhang Yi leaned back, with Zhou Ke'er and Yang Siya beside him. Given the presence of the two younger girls, they refrained from being too affectionate. Yang Xinxin, observing the dynamic, noticed something unusual but kept quiet, understanding that such relationships were common in the apocalypse.
Only Lu Keran, sitting cross-legged and barefoot on the bed, was completely engrossed in the giant TV. They could watch stored movies and TV shows or official news from around the world. Domestic news was largely ignored as it held little valuable information.
As they watched, the atmosphere in the living room grew tense. Today’s news delivered a crucial yet unsettling message:
"The snow disaster has shown no signs of stopping after over a month, with extremely cold temperatures remaining. Connections between most global regions have begun to break down, leading to increasing resource conflicts, especially between countries and regions. The extreme weather has caused many official institutions to lose control, with armed organizations rising to seize resources and survivors."
This news was alarming, indicating that the world had officially entered a state of anarchy in which armed forces would no longer be restrained.
"This is bad!" Zhang Yi muttered, arms crossed.
Yang Siya didn’t quite understand, "Hasn’t the chaos already started? I didn’t expect it to become so dire."
She sighed, having once hoped the world would return to normal so she could resume her life as a beloved star. But now, she no longer dared to entertain that thought.
"It’s different," Zhang Yi explained. "Previously, even armed organizations feared higher authorities. But after a month of extreme cold, it’s clear the ice age won’t end soon. Without fear of retribution, these groups will act without restraint."
Yang Xinxin added, "It’s like regulations in an organization. Not everyone follows them strictly, but their existence keeps people in check. Now, there’s no order left in the world!"
"Not entirely," Zhang Yi glanced at Yang Xinxin. "The most powerful forces still belong to the highest levels. However, the extreme cold has hampered their ability to manage other regions effectively, leading to the rise of warlord-like powers."
"It’s akin to the Shang and Zhou era," he continued. "The Zhou king controls the central power, while local armed forces govern their areas. This situation will persist unless the apocalypse ends."
Yang Xinxin nodded in agreement. Yang Siya, blinking, remarked, "Isn’t that somewhat positive? At least there’s still some deterrence."
Zhang Yi laughed, "Not at all!"
"Why not?" Yang Siya asked.
"In the past, all power belonged to the central authority. Now, local armed forces have control, signaling the start of a chaotic warlord era," Zhang Yi explained, taking a deep breath. "An era where human lives will be as cheap as grass."
Battles between ordinary people resulted in limited casualties. However, when superhumans got involved, the death toll would rise sharply, though still incomparable to the devastation wrought by armed forces vying for resources. The safety of civilians would become even more precarious.