On the morning of the fifth day of the lunar new year, the bone-piercing chill stabbed in from all directions like countless fine needles, yanking me awake from my intermittent light sleep. The air conditioner display jumped to -19 degrees, the blizzard outside had already buried the entire balcony into a vast expanse of white, the frost flowers on the glass were so thick that the outside was almost invisible. The wind sound was no longer howling but had turned into a low, continuous roar, as if the entire building was trembling in the snow. I wrapped all the quilts tightly, but still felt my joints filled with ice shards, hurting with every movement. That kind of cold was not simple low temperature but despair deep in the marrow, making every breath feel like wrestling with the god of death.
First I closed my eyes and felt the warm current inside my body. The light blue panel emerged:
[Current spirit-breaking power: 37 points (remaining from last night) + 11 points recovered from night rest = 48 points]
The recovery was stable. I did not think much about it and immediately moved the chair aside, opened the bedroom door a crack. All the alarms and sprayers in the hall were quiet, only the refrigerator was still running with difficulty, the compressor sound carrying fatigue. After confirming safety, I walked to the suite main door and looked out through the peephole. The corridor light was deathly pale, the opposite 1401 door was still tightly closed, and the corridor floor had accumulated a thick layer of snow powder that had leaked in from the door seams, with no footprints or traces whatsoever.
I turned on the phone and only read the WeChat groups. The corridor group had already exploded to 999+, and the community big group had over a thousand messages. I quickly scanned a few:
[The snow is too scary, has anyone on the 14th floor of Building 11 seen the outside situation?]
[Property management said emergency supplies may be delivered today, but stay-behind personnel must register, why is there no response at all from the 14th floor?]
[1402 has nonstop express deliveries during the day but never replies to messages, nothing happened, right?]
[If this temperature keeps dropping, minus seventy or eighty degrees, who can hold on?]
I did not reply with a single word. Any message, any knock, any request for help that sounded reasonable, would only be met with deathly silence from me. In this parallel world, except for myself, anyone could be a trap disguised by dream hunters. That loneliness felt like a blunt knife slicing my heart again and again, but I could only grit my teeth and endure it.
After the sky brightened a little, I first opened Dingdong Buy Vegetables and Meituan Supermarket, prioritizing items that could arrive within 30 to 90 minutes. The hall alarms and traps were already plentiful, so I no longer bought new alarms and instead bought weapons that could directly counterattack and heating equipment. I found a blank-level "portable hand crossbow gun kit" priced 279 yuan, estimated 45 minutes arrival, including three crossbow arrows; another "small electric heater" 199 yuan, within 60 minutes, moderate power, able to raise the bedroom temperature a few degrees to prevent frostbite. I placed the order directly with Huabei, total 478 yuan + 25 yuan shipping. While paying, my fingers were trembling slightly — every consumption might trigger cashback, but it might also continue to drain me; I had to spend every single spirit-breaking power point on the blade.
After confirming the instant platforms had no more suitable options, I switched to Taobao. The blank-level door panel reinforcement board I ordered yesterday was estimated to arrive this morning, order status showing "10-12 delivery". I picked two new orders: "basic inscription stabilizer" 269 yuan, which could make level 5 inscription more stable, estimated tomorrow arrival; "blank-level hall infrared camera" 189 yuan, which could transmit the picture to the computer for real-time monitoring, also tomorrow arrival. All paid with Huabei.
My heart suddenly jumped. 4.2 times! Another big increase, and even higher than last time. I did not waste half a second and directly smashed 40 points into the suite main door inscription.
[Consumed 40 spirit-breaking power points, suite main door inscription upgraded to level 5 (can resist 12 attempts from lowest-level dream hunters). Remaining 8 points]
The return panel popped out again:
[This use of 40 spirit-breaking power points, random cashback multiplier calculating…]
[This cashback multiplier 4.2 times, returned 168 points!]
[Current total: 176 points]
Around 9:15, the first batch of instant delivery arrived. I had been constantly monitoring the app and, the moment the packages arrived, put on the thickest cotton gloves, confirmed the corridor was empty through the peephole multiple times, opened the suite main door a crack just wide enough for the packages to squeeze through, quickly dragged the two packages inside, immediately slammed the door shut, locked it, and chained it, the entire process making my heart race as if it would explode. I tore open the packaging, moved the small electric heater into the bedroom and plugged it in at the lowest setting. Now the bedroom finally had a trace of warmth. After assembling the portable hand crossbow gun kit, I was surprised to discover that this thing had a mechanism I could not understand at all — it did not require opening the peephole or door crack and could cause damage to targets outside through the complete door panel, seeming to be some kind of special energy penetration effect. At that moment, a strong hope surged in my heart: finally I had a weapon that could truly counterattack. (I collected them immediately upon arrival to prevent any weird pollution.)
Around 10:25, the Taobao packages began arriving one after another. First was the blank-level door panel reinforcement board I ordered yesterday. I repeated the extremely cautious process: checked the peephole three times, put on gloves, opened the door a narrow crack, quickly dragged the package in, immediately dead-locked and chained it. After tearing open the packaging I immediately stuck the reinforcement board on the inner side of the main door, the panel refreshed:
[Suite main door physical strength +1, level 5 inscription comprehensive defense further improved]
The supplementary materials for the water pipe insulation kit I ordered yesterday also arrived; I carefully received them again and finished wrapping all remaining anti-freeze tape on every water pipe in the kitchen and bathroom to further reduce the risk of freezing and cracking.
At 11:50, familiar light slow footsteps suddenly came from the corridor outside, stopping right outside the main door. The door handle turned — once, twice. Almost at the same time, the two electric shock stickers both erupted with two crisp "pa pa" electric sounds, blue-white arcs flashing fiercely. A suppressed muffled groan immediately came from outside, as if the whole body twitched from the shock, and the door handle turning motion stopped instantly. Then the sound-light alarm host exploded at full power, the piercing alarm bells plus red-blue flashing light instantly turned the hall into a police interrogation room, the pressure-sensing mat screamed, and the paralyzing spray can and smoke sprayer both triggered, white fog instantly filling the entire hall. I grabbed the hand crossbow gun and aimed at the door direction, pulling the trigger; through that incomprehensible mechanism, the crossbow arrow's power directly penetrated the door panel, and a more miserable muffled cry came from outside, the footsteps staggered backward, and the elevator dinged and left quickly.
I huddled on the bedroom chair, my back covered in cold sweat. Only after half an hour did I dare move to the peephole to look — the corridor was still empty, only a little snow powder blown in by the wind on the ground.
In the afternoon at two o'clock, the temperature had already dropped to -20 degrees, the snow still falling relentlessly, the balcony almost completely buried. I gradually felt I had stood firm and began searching Taobao for some folk town-house exorcism treasures. For some reason, in this parallel world other people could also buy these things, but the effects were pitifully weak, with a pile of bad reviews under Taobao, things like "completely useless" "pure psychological comfort" "still scared after hanging for three days"… But because of my cashback system and micro-lucky talisman, I bought a big pile for cheap, including God of Wealth statues, town-house talismans, peach wood swords, Bagua mirrors, lucky cats and more than a dozen items, total only over six hundred yuan, paid with Huabei. I was gambling that these things could slightly boost luck and make the cashback a bit higher. That gambling-like expectation made my heart race, yet it also gave me a trace of long-lost excitement.
Around three fifteen, the basic hall laser warning device supplementary accessories I ordered yesterday afternoon also arrived. I repeated the same extremely cautious process again: peephole confirmation, narrow door crack, quick drag-in, dead lock and chain. I tore open the packaging and fixed the laser warning device in the hall corner, adjusting the angle so the weak laser would cover a wider area and interfere with sight once intrusion occurred.
At five o'clock, the sky had already darkened like deep night, the wind-snow sound growing more violent. I cooked some frozen rice, sat on the bedroom bed eating slowly. The computer was on but the volume turned almost inaudible, continuing the movie. In the group someone posted: "14th floor received even more express deliveries today, someone must definitely be home, why won't they reply to property management messages at all?" I immediately turned off the phone.
At eight o'clock in the evening the sky was completely dark, temperature -21 degrees, blizzard smashing against the glass like sandpaper rubbing. At nine thirty-five, movement appeared outside again. This time it was not only footsteps but also heavy "dong dong dong dong" like someone slamming the door with their body. The sound-light alarm host erupted at full power, paralyzing spray sprayed wildly, lasers swept randomly, and the electric shock stickers also triggered "pa pa" twice again when the handle was touched. I once more grabbed the hand crossbow gun and aimed at the door direction, pulling the trigger; through that incomprehensible mechanism, the crossbow arrow's power directly penetrated the door panel, and two continuous miserable cries came from outside, the slamming sound clearly weakened, hesitated for a moment, then slammed four more times before gradually weakening, and the elevator sound left.
I huddled on the bedroom bed, my fingers ice-cold and almost losing sensation. With 176 spirit-breaking power points, tomorrow daytime I could continue strengthening defense. The mortgage and credit card Huabei bills would be automatically deducted next month, and the system would remind me. I had to support myself step by step.
At three o'clock in the morning, the wind-snow sound had already turned into a continuous low roar like a wild beast. I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, listening to the increasingly crazy blizzard outside, my mind repeatedly calculating what to buy first tomorrow daytime and how to allocate the remaining spirit-breaking power. The entire suite was like an isolated island in the snowy night, quiet with only my own breathing left.
I forced myself to sit up, opened the AI background, and reviewed last night's kill records. The AI in unattended mode had performed beautifully again, killing 14 low-tier dream hunters and 3 mid-tier ones, dropping soul crystals and body recovery liquids. I drank the newly dropped low-tier body recovery liquid in one gulp; the liquid tasted slightly sweet with a faint herbal flavor, sliding down my throat and immediately spreading a warm current through my limbs. A few minutes later, the shoulder soreness was noticeably reduced, my waist was no longer so stiff, and my legs finally had strength. I tried walking two laps in the bedroom, and my steps were already much steadier. In the past when reading novels I always thought recovery potions were "drug-fueled upgrading", but now I knew that the feeling of slowly warming up from the bones was the real foundation for surviving.
With much better spirits, I wrapped myself in thick pajamas and sat at the computer. Previously when freezing half to death I had no mood for online shopping, but now with 176 spirit-breaking power points and Huabei bill due in a week, I was completely rich and unconcerned about any bills. I directly opened Taobao and several mainstream shopping platforms and started a complete indulgence.
First on Taobao I searched "high-tier defense treasures" and directly ordered three sets of "mid-tier town-house array disks" enhanced version, each over four thousand yuan, arriving tomorrow. Then I searched "AI weapon upgrade accessories" and bought the highest-spec electromagnetic cannon arrow magazines, cooling modules, and aiming modules all at once, spending over twenty thousand yuan in one go. Next were comfort items — four sets of the most expensive wool thermal underwear, two top-grade down quilts, ten pairs of wool socks, and a full-house intelligent constant-temperature system. Seeing nice insulated cups, automatic heating plates, even a small projector, I unhesitatingly added them to the cart.
I switched to Dingdong Buy Vegetables and Meituan Supermarket and placed one-time orders for all the food I wanted: fresh steaks, king crabs, various imported fruits, ten boxes of milk, twenty boxes of mineral water, and a large pile of frozen dumplings, tangyuan, hotpot base. Since they could arrive during daytime, I could eat hot food tomorrow.
On the overseas shopping platform I also bought three bottles of "mid-tier body strengthening agent" and a box of "mysterious magical heat source supplement crystals", the prices ridiculously expensive, but now I did not care at all. Whatever I liked I ordered, whatever I saw I bought, the cart instantly filled to over a hundred items, total amount directly breaking over sixty thousand yuan. I leaned back in the chair, looking at the full screen of order confirmation information, and a long-lost sense of satisfaction actually rose in my heart — this was the first time in my life I shopped so unscrupulously without worrying about money. In the past the suffocating feeling of calculating accounts every month was now completely washed away by these 176 spirit-breaking power points. But I knew clearly in my heart that this was not extravagance but strategic reserves: defense, recovery, heating, food, each one was one more life.
Satisfied with the shopping desire, I confirmed all orders and turned off the computer. My body was still a bit tired, so I changed into the most comfortable pajamas, covered myself with the two new quilts, wrapped tightly like a big worm and burrowed into the bed. The bedroom at 22 degrees, the air conditioner humming gently, the folk array in the living room emitting faint light, everything was quiet and reassuring.
I soon fell into deep sleep.
In the dream, my phone started vibrating crazily. First the building corridor WeChat group had the building manager @ all with a voice message: "1402 Li Wei, are you home or not? Property management and the police station are coming! Reply with a message!" Then property management video calls, the screen showing "Property Manager Zhang" calling three times in a row. I did not even open my eyes and simply flipped the phone over.
Before long, the police station number also called, leaving a voice message: "Mr. Li, we received reports from neighbors that you may need help, please answer as soon as possible." The neighborhood committee aunt also called, her voice carrying a crying tone: "Little Li, you are alone in Shanghai, be careful, your family is very worried…" The neighbors took turns bombing, some sending voice messages, some direct video, some even @ me asking "Did something happen to 1402?"
What tightened my heart the most were the calls from my parents and sister. Mom and Dad each called seven or eight times, my sister also called video from Beijing, the voice message carrying crying: "Brother, what exactly happened to you? Why don't you answer the phone? Mom and Dad are going crazy with worry!" I listened to those familiar voices, but my fingers did not move at all. In the parallel world, who knew if the people outside were disguised by dream hunters? No matter how similar the voices were, I could not take even the slightest risk. In the past I always thought "paranoia" was exaggeration in novels, but now I was grateful for this paranoia — it had kept me alive until today.
I ignored everything. All incoming calls, all messages, all videos were treated as nonexistent. Finally, I directly turned off the phone, removed the battery, and stuffed it into the deepest drawer. The whole world finally became quiet.
Wrapped in the thick quilts, I soon fell into deep sleep again. This time I slept especially soundly, without freezing awake, without startling awake, only warmth and quiet wrapping my whole body. In the dream I returned to my childhood, Mom and Dad wrapping dumplings in the kitchen, I sitting on a small stool counting coins, the air full of the fragrance of meat filling and green onions. That long-lost sense of security made me sleep like a child.
When I woke up it was already the next morning. The snow was still falling outside, but a trace of pale sunlight finally came through. I stretched, feeling much lighter all over. The spirit-breaking power panel jumped to over eighty-three thousand points, the folk array's faint light steadier. I knew the real turning point had come.
The entire suite was like an isolated island surrounded by ice and snow yet completely warmed up, with only my steady breathing gently echoing in the quiet air.