One month after the pirate incident.

Zhou Yi continued with the resource gathering work beneath the Dead Sea.

Samurai crabs were born warriors but lacked intelligence in other areas, capable only of simple tasks like transporting and dismantling buildings; screening and directing had to rely entirely on Zhou Yi.

The residential buildings in the anonymous district were all six stories with two apartments per floor, containing not much unopened food and drink.

Zhou Yi's attention quickly shifted to other items.

Like books.

In the past, flipping through a book would weigh down his eyelids, but in the Wasteland Era, those books sealed with an oily film became a way to pass time and entertain himself.

Zhou Yi had virtually cleared out the district's books, storing some in containers for his collection and keeping others for his personal use at his house in Jade City.

Then came the electronics.

Regrettably, Jade City made it clear that it was unable to connect or use those ancient devices. It illuminated the building, controlled the temperature, and made local modifications, essentially regulating its own body.

In the end, Zhou Yi only took a few cellphones and two computers, displaying them in his home as memorabilia and decoration.

Besides these, the biggest hauls were medicine and daily necessities.

Every household had stocked up on some medicine—various cold capsules and sachets, amoxicillin, digestive tablets, iodine, etc.

Then there were body lotions, sunscreens, face washes, razors, combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, shower gels, shampoos, air fresheners, various quilts, and mattresses...

Zhou Yi had never bothered with these in the past since they took up so much space in his pack and White Suanni's body didn't really absorb external impurities; he mostly just used wet wipes for cleaning.

But now that he had established Jade City as his base, he naturally packed everything up.

They could be sold or given out as employee benefits.

The only problem was the frequent appearances of long-necked crocodiles nearby.

They marked their territories clearly and did not interfere with each other, hunting Bubble Fishes living in higher elevations.

Still, there were no traces of Hunters.

Red Kestrel reminded him, "Zhou, winter is approaching, you need to be cautious."

"Most lower Guangna Species have a hibernation habit during winter to reduce the risk of being hunted. The winter season greatly reduces daylight hours, increasing the length of nights, and Death Light uses natural light as an energy transference medium. So, the proportion of nighttime increases significantly during the day, greatly impacting the life of Guangna Species."

"Winter is a chaotic season."

Having spent many years on the sea floor, Zhou Yi knew that Bone Fish periodically dove deep into the mud layers and that higher-level monsters would occasionally hunt in the lower regions, but he didn't realize this was directly related to seasonal changes.

He asked, "How long will winter last?"

"Based on data from the past 20 years, the winter period occupies about 5—6 months."

Zhou Yi frowned.

Half a year.

Red Kestrel stated with a cold, mechanical voice, "With the advent of winter, aside from Skywalkers and sea lords at the top level, middle and lower tier Guangna Species, unable to obtain sufficient daylight Death Light, will become hungry and irritable, and will frequently hunt weaker Guangna Species to obtain Light Seeds."

"Major violent conflicts will erupt intensively, not limited to the hunting and killing among Guangna Species; sea lords across regions will also seize the opportunity to wage wars, encouraging slaughter and expansion to enlarge their territories and further weaken competitors."

If regular times belonged to a stable season of mutual restraint, winter was the Wasteland Era's season of warfare.

Zhou Yi dared not take any chances.

Even with Jade City and the Samurai Crab Army stationed, preparations had to be made to handle external impacts.

...

Inside Jade City, the Wasteland Development Company held its first official meeting to confront the challenges of the approaching winter.

Attendees included Ye Zhao, Ajin, Gong Zheng, A Feng, and Yuan Tong, with Sun Chonglai absent due to an accidentally broken leg bone.

Zhou Yi asked, "What were past winters like here?"

Gong Zheng was the first to respond, "Chairman, in Mao Valley Town, it's usually necessary to stockpile enough fuel before winter. Mushrooms can be grown in the cave, so by sleeping as much as possible and reducing activities, we can survive the day with less food."

"The greatest threat is fuel and keeping warm, with the townspeople mainly relying on branches for firewood. But to keep the fire burning constantly, or to maintain warmth after it goes out, a significant amount of wood is needed."

"The trees in the Oasis are constantly decreasing, and the fuel gap is getting larger. In the last few years, several people in Mao Valley Town have been sleeping in one cave, sharing one fire. Additionally, there is a shortage of warm blankets and grass mats."

"Another issue is that the accumulated branches can become very smoky when lit due to the damp environment inside the cave, and not all the smoke can be timely vented through the exhaust hole above the firepit. Normally, burning dry wood isn't a big issue, but in winter, we use old, stored wood, and the smoke can sometimes cause people to faint or contract a cough, or even risk dying in their sleep."

Gong Zheng thought for a moment and then added, "Lastly is water. People dare not go out in the winter because monsters go mad, killing each other indiscriminately regardless of day or night. So, we can only use groundwater which, after filtration, is drinkable but can cause bleeding gums and stomach aches. That's what I know about the situation."

"Ajin should know more about the outside conditions."

Zhou Yi nodded as he listened.

Survival of the fittest in Mao Valley Town meant those with weaker bodies had already perished. Those who remained were survivors adapted to harsh conditions.

"Ajin."

Zhou Yi's gaze turned towards the young man.

Named, the yawning Ajin instantly sat up straight.

"Well, Chairman... outside, the monsters start fighting each other, big monsters eat smaller ones, and monsters that usually don't appear would come to the surface. They produce a lot of feces, as well as some skin, bones, and rotten flesh. From the Scavenger's viewpoint, winter is the easiest time to harvest."

"However, after the Winter Beast arrived two years ago, everyone was too scared to go out."

Ajin rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, showing a regretful expression, "The Winter Beast is very large, probably the most terrifying monster here. It's very tall and looks like a kind of bird without feathers."

"Nobody here dares to provoke it, whether it's a clawed pig or an Antlion, they are all eaten by it."

"The Winter Beast hangs its prey on trees or icicles, it disassembles the bones of its prey, leaving just a saggy layer of skin and flesh, letting the blood flow everywhere – it's a very horrifying and brutal monster."

The youth furrowed his brows, trying to recall, "The Winter Beast not only kills monsters but also people. As long as it's a living animal, it likes to tear them open and dig out the bones."

"After a few Scavengers died, no one dared to go out in winter anymore. Anyway, the Winter Beast would come here during the winter and leave when winter was over."

Due to the Winter Beast's arrival, the nearby monsters of Mao Valley Town became very subdued in the winter, with clawed pigs hiding in the north and Antlions shrinking underground, even the mushrooms were trembling in fear.

Humans and monsters alike shivered equally.

With too little related information, the Red Kestrel couldn't determine exactly what kind of species the Winter Beast was.

Then suddenly, Ajin changed the subject, "Chairman, there really is something beneath the Death Dune, I found a large array of neatly arranged stones, and some dry mushrooms – these are definitely sacrificial items!"

"Can we excavate the entire dune?"

Zhou Yi directly rejected this proposal.

Winter was fast approaching, and it was too risky to start major excavations now.

Zhou Yi said, "Ajin, hold off on that for now. After winter, if you find more evidence, I'll initiate an excavation."

"Yes, Chairman."

Ajin immediately brightened up.

While discussing in the meeting, Zhou Yi suddenly received a message.

"Commissioner, I have completed 100% charging."

The voice of Jade City entered directly into his mind.

"Now, my body is experiencing an urge like never before. I suspect, this might be the 'skill' you told me about."

"But I don't know what it is exactly; confirming it will require a large amount of energy."

"Do you permit me to use this ability?"

Zhou Yi felt a surge of excitement.

Jade City had returned to its prime!

And possibly another skill after the 'Flying House Bombardment'.

Zhou Yi ordered, "Permission granted. Let me see your capability!"