Chen Shouyi carried a bow bag and sword case, walking out of the old-style corridor apartment.

Fine snowflakes fell gently, it was already snowing outside. Chen Shouyi restrained the urge to use his innate ability, allowing the snow to fall on him. In just a few steps, a layer of white snow had gathered on his shoulders.

What terrible weather.

The past few days have been getting colder and colder.

He exhaled a long breath of white mist, hung the bow bag and sword case on the bike's handlebars, unlocked it, got on, and hurried back home.

This place was in the suburbs, some thirty to forty kilometers away from his home. If he didn't hurry, it would be dark by the time he got there.

On the way, one could see relief stations set up by the city government from time to time.

Not only were they full of people inside, but there were also long queues at the entrance. Some people were holding umbrellas, while others let the snow fall on them directly. In such cold weather, everyone wore coats or down jackets, yet still shivered, their faces pale and blue.

The banks still couldn't offer withdrawals, and most companies had completely closed down. Without any source of income and with many people having little cash saved—mostly living paycheck to paycheck—

Without relief, the entire Hedong City would likely fall into chaos in an instant.

Chen Shouyi remained silent, pedaling his bicycle quickly, speeding along the road.

...

Three steam trucks covered with tarps drove towards him.

The engine resembled an old steam locomotive, white smoke puffing out, with six pairs of linked rods turning constantly, creating a huge noise. Chen Shouyi stared at these gigantic vehicles in a daze until they passed by him, bringing him back to his senses.

Back at the residential district, it was already five o'clock, and the sky had just turned dark.

The snow on the ground was already over half a foot thick,

Riding his bike into the parking lot, he glanced around at the rows of cars covered in a thick layer of gray snow. He parked in the corner, locked the bike, brushed the snow off his shoulders and hair, and steam rose from his body.

...

At night, the flame of a candle as small as a bean flickered weakly on the computer desk.

Chen Shouyi pulled out the strange alloy sword, wiped off the oil from its surface, and examined it closely.

Under the dim light, the blade shimmered with a fine, scale-like pattern, with no flaws as if it had never been used, emitting a cold glare.

He gently caressed the blade with his fingers.

"Hiss!"

Suddenly feeling a slight pain, he looked at his forefinger to find it had been cut, and blood slowly oozed out.

What a sharp sword.

A hint of astonishment flickered in his mind, knowing that with his physique, even a nano-hardened matte sword requires some force to cut the skin, yet this sword just lightly grazed it and caused an injury.

Suddenly, he stood up and swung the sword towards the corner of the table, the blade slicing through the computer desk's composite board smoothly, hardly making a sound, feeling almost no resistance as the corner fell off.

"No wonder, I heard from Cao Zhenhua's wife that the previous owner was fond of this sword, it's definitely not an ordinary metal," Chen Shouyi thought deeply.

He flicked a few sword flowers, feeling more and more satisfied. A sword over ten kilograms would seem too heavy for a Martial Artist, but for him, it felt just right, not affecting the speed of his swing at all.

From now on, I'll use this sword.

He placed the sword back into its scabbard, looked at the cut on his finger, and found it had completely healed.

...

"Big gemstone, one—one—one!"

"Big gemstone, one—one—one!"

The Shell Lady was sitting on the bed, in front of her were four crystal balls, and several glass beads and small glass beads, counting them with rosy cheeks in self-entertainment. After being calmed by a large crystal ball, she temporarily stopped insisting on watching cartoons.

"Small gemstone, one—one—one!" The small glass beads were particularly numerous. She counted for more than two minutes, nearly running out of breath.

Chen Shouyi almost laughed, correcting her: "One, two, three, four, that's how you count!"

The Shell Lady raised her head slightly, looking at Chen Shouyi with a gaze full of disdain, saying: "You stupid giant, you shouldn't count like that!"

Chen Shouyi felt a tightness in his chest.

Your idiotic math skills actually scorn mine.

"Why not? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, you know that, right?"

"I know!"

"Try counting!"

The Shell Lady sneered disdainfully as if trying to prove the stupidity of a giant through intellect. She pretended to count.

"One, two, three, four…" She stopped at four, picking up the fourth small glass bead: "See, it's just one, why do you insist on calling it four?"

...

In the blink of an eye, a few more days had passed, and the approach of the Spring Festival was getting closer.

However, in present-day Hedong, there wasn't the slightest feeling of festivity associated with the upcoming Spring Festival, only a progressively oppressive atmosphere day by day.

As soon as a young clerk from the neighborhood committee posted a recruitment notice at the entrance of the district, a crowd quickly gathered around.

Chen Shouyi went downstairs, curious, to take a look.

Most of the jobs being recruited were for general workers in mechanical factories, though there were some positions with higher benefits, such as mechanical maintenance, mechanical engineer, mechanical designer, but all required certain professional skills and knowledge, making most people in the community look on as if out of reach.

He looked up into the distance and saw that unconsciously, several smoke-emitting chimneys had emerged nearby.

Chen Shouyi had never been one to lament the past, but at this moment, he felt an unexplained heaviness.

He could clearly feel that the glorious material civilization of humanity was rapidly declining. Perhaps this was a turning point towards another kind of splendor, or perhaps it was permanent downfall.

...

In the afternoon, someone started promoting the Barbarian God's faith in the district. This person, holding a tin horn, loudly declared that believing in the gods was humanity's only way out, the start of humanity's glory. If humanity insisted on resisting the gods, humans would face extinction, and the whole world would fall into hell, fervently claiming to have seen the gods with their own eyes.

Instantly, it attracted quite a crowd.

But a few hours later, police arrived to take the man away.

As he was being taken away, he shouted and yelled frantically.

Claiming he had been appointed the gods' representative, arresting him was desecration.

...

"If worshipping the gods truly guarantees safety, then maybe it's not impossible to believe." Mrs. Chen said worriedly after specially going downstairs to see the commotion.

People in the country have always been pragmatic and utilitarian about faith, for most, as long as there's benefit, whichever god is worth worshipping.

"This should only be said privately, you can't say it outside." Chen Dawei advised.

"I'm not a fool, I was just saying it casually!" Mrs. Chen glared at him.

At this moment, the anti-aircraft guns outside started sounding again, and Chen Shouyi walked to the balcony. A few small dots in the sky were constantly circling. Over the past ten days or so, the invasion of creatures from the other world had grown increasingly severe.

"Stop watching, come and eat!" Mrs. Chen said.

ps: Sorry, I've been having a bit of writer's block lately.

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