Volume 2: Winter’s End
Shu Xun retracted his small head, quickly plugging the gap with his clothes. The whiskers on his face were almost tangled together. The weather outside was clearly unsuitable for venturing out. It was not only easy to lose direction, but the temperature was extremely low. Without finding shelter, one could easily freeze in the snow and quickly succumb.
While contemplating, the sound of gurgling suddenly echoed in the small tree hollow. Shu Xun used his paw to touch his little belly, smacked his lips, and suddenly missed that fish tank. Shu Xun wanted to exit the game, fill his stomach, and then figure things out, but there was a silent void in his mind, and the game system showed no response.
Shu Xun only now realized that this so-called realistic survival game was more than just talk. It seemed that one could only leave this game world through death or completing the game. Moreover, the game system, as an external force, wouldn’t easily intervene. After entering the game, it was entirely up to the players to explore, adding to the realism of the game.
His stomach rumbled again, and Shu Xun bit his front paw, contemplating whether to leave the tree hollow to find food.
At the same time, countless players, welcoming the dawn of the second day, were all pondering the same question. The howling blizzard blurred their vision completely. Starvation was one issue, and not eating meant their bodies couldn’t replenish energy or warmth. If the blizzard didn’t stop, how should they decide?
In the midst of the blizzard, some stepped out of their houses, some stayed behind waiting, some died in the search for food, and some slept to death in the low temperatures. Everything seemed unpredictable, relying entirely on luck.
Inside the tree hollow, Shu Xun once again curled into a fluffy ball, nestled in the tree hollow, listening to the howling wind outside. With this weather, Shu Xun felt he couldn’t last more than half an hour outside, so he decided to wait a bit. If the weather didn’t clear tomorrow, he would have to take the risk of going out.
The actual situation was slightly better than what Shu Xun had anticipated. As dusk approached, the blizzard gradually weakened. An hour later, the howling snowstorm outside the tree hollow finally fell silent.
Having rested for a day, the godly Shu Xun twitched his small ears, sensing that the wind outside had ceased. He stretched his small body, let out a long yawn, transformed into a human form, walked to the edge of the tree hollow, and cautiously poked his head out.
Outside the tree hollow seemed like a different world, covered in silver, silent, and everything appeared immaculate and tranquil as if the catastrophic snowstorm before was just an illusion.
Shu Xun’s shallow breath turned into a white mist. He pulled back his head, hesitated for a moment, and then decided to put on his clothes and climb out of the tree hollow.
Although night had fallen, the overcast sky was slowly clearing for the first time, leaving only a thin layer of clouds. Moonlight illuminated everything through the reflection of the white snow, and without the disturbance of the blizzard, the visibility was even clearer than in the daytime.
Descending along the tree trunk, stepping on the white snow, Shu Xun walked towards the depths of the white rock forest. His small size ensured he didn’t have to worry about collapsing the accumulated snow, leaving a trail of small footprints extending into the distance.
After walking for some time, Shu Xun reached the windward side of the mountain forest. The disappearance of the blizzard was truly complete, and in the black night, not a hint of wind could be felt. The snow on the windward slope was blown away by the wind, noticeably thinner.
Shu Xun rubbed his chubby hands together, then transformed his paws and began digging in a spot where the snow was less accumulated. After a few swipes, he could see a layer of tree leaves with a hint of green. Shu Xun paused for a moment and continued to expand the area around him. Soon, in the silver-white world, a special dark color appeared.
Bent over, clearing the snow and leaves, Shu Xun quickly found his target—a round, white nut. The fruit wasn’t large; Shu Xun could cup it in both hands. The outer shell of the fruit closely matched the color of the surrounding tree bark, indicating it was a tree-borne fruit.
Shu Xun hadn’t seen this type of tree before and was taking a chance to see if the fruit was edible. Now, with hunger and bone-chilling cold, Shu Xun had no other choice. Using his sharp claws, he peeled away the outer shell, revealing the white flesh inside, accompanied by a faint milky fragrance.
Shu Xun couldn’t wait and took a bite. Instantly, the chewy texture with a refreshing coolness came through, and the slight milky aroma made Shu Xun very satisfied. Holding the fruit, Shu Xun quickly swallowed it down.
To others, a nut the size of a fingertip might not be enough, but for Shu Xun, it was sufficient to pat his little belly with contentment. The feeling of hunger was alleviated, and it seemed like even his body wasn’t as cold.
A small nut elevated Shu Xun’s mood instantly. With a chubby face puffed up, he hummed a tune happily and continued energetically searching for more nuts in the deserted jungle. In the moonlit wilderness, the cheerful humming with a hint of a childish voice echoed for a long time.
It wasn’t until the nuts piled up into a small mountain on the cleared ground that Shu Xun stopped. Counting the nuts, he had a total of eighteen. After picking them up, Shu Xun became a bit troubled. How would he move this small hill that was taller than himself? The use of his spiritual space was limited, and he had no small package to utilize.
At this moment, Shu Xun fervently wished he had a small bag with him. However, the charm of the real game lay in its refusal to yield to individual will, completely severing ties with reality. It was based on the game world’s background and resources, leaving no room for any cheating possibilities.
Having just entered the game world and not yet had a chance to explore, Shu Xun speculated that before players entered the game, the game developers must have randomly distributed resources in the game world. The possibility of a storage backpack being among them was quite high. After all, to keep players engaged in the game under such difficult conditions and to maintain their enthusiasm, game resources were essential.
Looking up at the weather, the moonlight still veiled, Shu Xun decided to bring the nuts back to the tree hollow in two trips. The trees here were as hard as rocks, and Shu Xun needed to use spiritual power for excavation. However, due to his limited cultivation level, he had to be cautious about using spiritual power.
Wrapping enough nuts in his clothes, Shu Xun quickly retraced his steps, heading toward his small tree hollow. He stacked the nuts at the innermost part of the hollow and then climbed down the tree to continue the next round of transportation. However, what Shu Xun never expected was that with just one trip, he encountered the first life form in the game world—a squirrel currently pilfering his nuts.
Having seen many squirrels in the Changbai Mountains, Shu Xun was aware of their high sensitivity and aggressiveness when it came to food disputes. Now, the squirrel, diligently stuffing nuts into its mouth, had clearly spotted Shu Xun as well. Shu Xun stood on the slope, and the squirrel stood below at an angle. The two locked eyes, both momentarily stunned.
But quickly realizing the situation, the squirrel puffed up its cheeks, stood upright, and with a pair of round, alert eyes filled with aggressiveness, stared at Shu Xun. Clearly, it knew that these nuts were gathered by Shu Xun.
In some cases, creatures without awakened intelligence could be more terrifying than enlightened demon spirits, as they possessed a formidable dedication and reactive ability to food, territory, and instincts. Shu Xun could imagine the value of a pile of nuts, especially in times of food scarcity.
Almost in the blink of an eye, the squirrel lunged fiercely at Shu Xun. Apparently, judging from the squirrel’s perspective, this chubby creature, more than twice its size, posed no threat at all. Therefore, upon being discovered stealing food, it immediately launched an attack.
The flat white snow scattered in all directions under the squirrel’s vigorous and rapid movements. Like a gust of wind, the squirrel swiftly ascended the slope, revealing two sharp teeth, and its claws were poised for action.
However, reality often deviates significantly from ideals. The aggressively charging squirrel was slapped away by the mere five-centimeter small creature. The little creature quickly caught up and, at the moment the squirrel landed, grabbed its whiskers and delivered two punches. “I told you not to steal my food, I told you not to hit people, dare to snatch my food…”
Although Shu Xun had limited cultivation, he was not an ordinary being. Dealing with a squirrel was quite effortless, so this violent conflict ended in an even more violent way.
The squirrel obviously didn’t expect to encounter such resistance. It squeaked and wailed, took two punches, then obediently spat out the nuts and scurried away.
Shu Xun picked up the nuts one by one. The full moon in the night sky slowly became blurry, and the clouds in the sky were silently thickening. Shu Xun carried the nuts back to the tree hollow and then went out to search again. This time, his keen senses detected that many creatures were lurking in this jungle. The brief clear weather had prompted various creatures to come out foraging. The squirrel was just one of them.
After searching for most of the night, Shu Xun’s small tree hollow was already filled with nuts, and even a few brown mushrooms were mixed in. Around three in the early morning, the moon in the sky was completely obscured, plunging the world into darkness once again. A gentle breeze began to blow.
This brief period of clear weather allowed players who seized the opportunity to gain some harvest, while those who missed the chance had to continue venturing out in the windy and snowy weather or face a slow death.
After several hours of bustling around, Shu Xun nestled in the tree hollow and gradually fell asleep. The next day, accompanied by the howling wind, faint sunlight cast down, unable to bring even a trace of warmth to the world.
Shu Xun opened his eyes and poked his head out of the tree hollow to check the weather, only to find it was still snowy and stormy. Could it be that the so-called winter here meant daily snowstorms?
Retracting his small head, Shu Xun peeled another nut and sat in the tree hollow, nibbling on it thoughtfully. While eating, he contemplated his plans for the coming days. Calculating, he realized he had spent two nights in the game world, meaning he had earned 200 stellar points. Shu Xun’s eyes curved into crescent moons, appearing quite content.
After finishing a nut, Shu Xun licked his lips, feeling quite thirsty. Right, since entering the game world on the first day, he hadn’t drunk any water. Shu Xun peered outside at the swirling white snow and climbed down from the tree hollow. In no time, he returned with a hat full of white snow.
During his month on Changbai Mountain, Shu Xun drank snow water and tasted mountain streams, finding it quite pleasant. Therefore, he didn’t think there was anything wrong with this action. However, Shu Xun forgot that this was a world facing its end, gradually descending into decay.
As the snow in Shu Xun’s arms slowly melted, he lifted the nutshell, ready to drink. Suddenly, he noticed that the melted snow had an odd color. Instead of being transparent, it appeared grayish-white, as if contaminated with gray impurities.
Shu Xun hesitated for a moment, deciding not to drink it. He licked his lips, glanced at the white world outside, and felt a moment of confusion. The sudden water crisis disrupted Shu Xun’s plans to stay longer. Looking at the tree hollow filled with nuts, Shu Xun had to start planning to leave.
