CHAPTER 246: EXTREME HEAT IS COMING

Seeing the door open, Oslo rushed forward with urgent news.

"Chief, it’s happening—the sun has finally appeared. I think the extreme heat is approaching."

Hearing the news, Ethan wasn’t surprised—he had already anticipated it; it just arrived sooner than expected.

"Tell everyone to prepare and finalize everything that still needs to be done. Also, ask Xander to head to the abandoned building where we used to exchange supplies with the military. Have him place the water tanks and supplies around the area. We’ve already made a deal with them. For the items, check with Butler Aki—he’s prepared everything."

"Roger, Chief. I’ll head out now," Oslo confirmed, then left in a hurry.

Time was running out.

If they waited too long, the ice might melt and flood the Camel Tower area, making it difficult to move the heavy supplies.

Ethan then returned to the dining table and quietly began placing food on his wife’s plate.

"Eat more, wife. "

Elena studied her husband’s face, sensing something was off. Trouble was written all over his expression.

"What happened? Who was at the door just now?" she asked, clearly intrigued.

"It was Oslo. He said the sky is clear now—bright blue—and the sun is up and shining."

"Sigh... it’s way too soon. The extreme heat is here already... Let’s finish eating quickly. I want to check the situation outside."

"Take your time, wife. No matter what, we can’t change anything. So eat more—you might get hungry later. And don’t forget your vitamins," Ethan replied, watching his wife gulp down her food in a hurry.

He smiled as he saw her finally free from morning sickness and able to enjoy her meal again.

When she was almost done, he handed her a glass of fresh orange juice.

"Thank you, husband."

A few minutes later, they both finished breakfast and got ready to leave the space. But before that, Elena teleported Poochi back to Grandpa Caldwell’s place.

At first, the dog protested, but with Elena’s gentle coaxing—saying his siblings missed him and the kids wanted to play—Poochi finally agreed.

Appearing inside the unit, Elena quickly rushed to the balcony and opened it in a hurry.

There, the sun was finally shining again above the clear blue sky, casting its warmth over the frozen world.

It was mesmerizing—truly beautiful.

After months under gloomy skies, their longing for sunlight had only grown stronger, and now she saw a few residents on their balconies, basking in the sun.

If only it didn’t signal another disaster, it could have been perfect.

Elena sighed, knowing it was only a matter of time before the ice started melting and the world heated up to dangerous levels.

Seeing the residents take off their masks, she finally saw their faces clearly.

Their skin was peeled and reddened from prolonged exposure to extreme cold, and their posture seemed off—likely due to a lack of vitamin D from the absence of sunlight.

Fortunately, the Paradise Shop had provided meats and eggs that helped supply essential nutrients.

Without them, their condition could have been even more tragic than it already was.

She took a deep breath and then retrieved a telescope to check the situation in the area.

Through it, she saw many people walking across the ice.

Some were heading toward unknown places, while others were dragging dead bodies with the help of military officers.

She then remembered the military had likely begun hiring corpse retrievers.

Feeling relieved that the cleanup had started, Elena continued to observe them closely for a while, her eyes fixed on the movement below.

Ethan, meanwhile, was also gazing up at the sun, sharing the same thoughts as his wife.

While Elena felt calm, he, on the other hand, couldn’t help but shiver at the idea of the scorching heat that would soon sweep across the world.

Life was getting harder with each passing day.

And now, how would these people survive the next disaster?

Sure, abilities might awaken soon and help them defend against it—but would that really be enough when the disasters were already so brutal that left people unable to breathe.

He sighed and brushed those negative thoughts aside.

As long as his family and friends stayed safe, he was content.

Turning to his wife with a soft gaze, he pulled her into a gentle hug, hoping to ease the worry weighing on his heart.

"Wife, have you noticed how happy everyone looks? Didn’t the military announce the extreme heat already?"

"I think they already did, but the residents around Camel Tower might not see it as something serious. They’re holding on to the hope that the world has finally healed after the disaster. So, they believe that the extreme heat is just nature’s way of melting the ice and turning everything back to normal."

In her past life, this kind of thinking had already spread among the people. They truly believed the world would go back to the way it was.

But they were soon proven wrong—because the sun’s extreme heat became so intense that it scorched the land instead.

Ethan raised his brows upon hearing her explanation. "If they don’t prepare and ignore the warning, then they might—"

"Perish," Elena finished his sentence with a sigh.

"The people’s mindset is starting to break. The extreme cold really scared them, and now, after seeing the sun for the first time in months, they’re clinging to it like it’s their only hope."

"We can’t do anything more, husband. Their survival is in their hands now—it’s up to them to stand on their own. What we can do is keep the shop open and let them buy more supplies to help them survive."

Even though she deeply wished for the people to survive and fight against future enemies, she still wouldn’t give her supplies away for free.

They needed to adapt—for these disasters were just the beginning. If they wanted to live, they had to overcome their weak mentality.

Maybe she could donate some supplies to the military and let them handle the people.

Aside from that, she would watch from the sidelines, helping in quiet ways from behind the scenes.

In this life, she wouldn’t create a base; she would leave that task to the military. Instead, she planned to form a merchant guild to serve as her resource network.

She had already had enough of being a leader in her past life, always worrying about others.

This time, she only wanted to focus on her family and the members of Paradise.

"You’re right. Since we have time, let’s head to the newly opened Paradise shop and observe the situation there."

"Sure."

Ethan then closed the balcony and stored the telescope in his [Inventory], while Elena checked the thermometer.

It now reads -20 degrees Celsius. The temperature seems to be rising quickly.

Soon after, the two entered the space and exited to Ramon’s location at the military evacuation center.

The moment they arrived, Ramon approached them with a serious expression.

"Mistress, the government contacted me earlier. They’re demanding an explanation—why we opened a branch inside the military base instead of their area, and why we haven’t responded to any of their requests."

Elena raised her brows.

She had completely forgotten about the government after the fight with the mutated cat. She had assumed they had gone back to their main base after their defeat.

But realizing they were still active made Elena admire their persistence.

Still, she had no intention of getting involved. Their system was already too broken, and the officials were far too corrupt.

"So, what did you tell them?"

"I said you two were still on vacation and to come back later," Ramon replied with a bit of hesitation.

Elena chuckled. "I bet that made them furious."

"Yeah, indeed. I can feel that even though they’re smiling, it’s not genuine. And I don’t like how those scientists are staring at me."

"Scientists? They’re still alive? Did they say anything about us?"

The last time she saw them was during the battle in the ice field.

When the avalanche hit, she thought they had died—so how did they manage to survive?

Besides, their leader, Dr. Cee, was already dead. So, who was leading them now?

Seeing Ramon’s confused expression, Elena went on to explain what happened after they left the battlefield, including how they had fought against the group of scientists and Troy Heather’s men.

Speaking of Troy... did he survive, too?

"They didn’t ask anything. But I could feel the malice in the way they stared at me—like they wanted to skin me alive," Ramon said with a shiver.

Then, he suddenly remembered something else.

"Oh, right. A police officer was looking for you both earlier... He introduced himself as Lieutenant Fern. He told me the jades and antiques from the trade we made for the Paradise ointment are ready to be claimed."

Elena smiled, having completely forgotten about that trade. She still had the promissory note with her.

"Yes, that’s the lieutenant who still owes us. So, what else did he say?"

"He said we should claim the items as soon as possible. He’s planning to leave the government forces, and he’s afraid that if he’s gone, someone else might take them."

Upon hearing that, Ethan and Elena exchanged glances, thinking the same thing: Recruit the lieutenant.