Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy! - Chapter 140

Chapter 140: Sleet-Storm Sanctum (1)
After the lockdown, the base immediately isolated all fever patients in the hospital, establishing it as a quarantine zone, and publicly announced:

“Attention, all residents of the base. This is Colonel Tang speaking. Please listen carefully to this important announcement: everything is under control, and we are acting to ensure everyone’s safety.

“For the time being, we ask all residents to remain in your assigned living quarters unless otherwise instructed. Meals and water will be delivered to you directly. Medical staff will conduct routine health checks.

“If any of your family members or neighbors experience a fever, please notify the officers assigned to your building.

“Please follow all instructions from military personnel and report any concerns calmly. Your cooperation is critical to ensuring everyone’s safety.”

Despite the reassuring tone of the announcement, the entire base was gripped by unprecedented fear.

All non-essential activities, except security, came to an abrupt halt. Markets, mission halls, and cafeterias were closed indefinitely.

Asymptomatic survivors and soldiers alike murmured about what might have occurred in the hospital and the underground. Theories and rumors spread like wildfire, with whispered conversations filling every corner of the base:

“What’s happening? Is the disease contagious? Are we going to catch it too?”

“Lockdown? How can they manage this? There are over 10,000 survivors in this base!”

“Monsters and rioting patients? You think those people are exaggerating?”

“I saw it myself! I barely escaped that nightmare!”

“How long are we going to be stuck here?”

“Did the base managers say anything about when this lockdown will end? Can we visit relatives in the hospital?”

A handful of people ignored the warnings and ventured outside, some to watch the hailstorm, others to chat with their neighbors.

However, within minutes of exposure, these individuals began exhibiting fever symptoms as well.

“Someone, help!”

After witnessing this, no one dared step outside again.

The tense atmosphere only worsened as more people began falling ill.

To ensure the safety of the patients and those around them, calming medicines were administered, and each patient was restrained to their beds. This measure was necessary to prevent self-harm or harm to others.

As time passed, several critical issues began to arise. Supplies of antibiotics, IV fluids, and basic fever medications were running dangerously low. Isolation areas were overcrowded, and the medical staff was on the verge of burnout.

The only silver lining was the gradual reduction in the ferocity of the hailstorm, which made outside conditions slightly less treacherous.

In the meantime, the medical research team, led by Pei Zhi, began investigating the source of the outbreak. Lin Weihao suggested starting their investigation in the air vents of the base farm, as the goats had exhibited the same violent behavior as the fever patients.

The team proceeded to the farm and collected samples, including air from the vents, blood tests, and lung tissue samples from the dead mutated goats.

Simultaneously, they conducted exhaled breath analysis and blood tests on 20 fever patients.

After an hour, the results came in. All blood, air, and lung tissue samples contained an unknown pathogen. A second round of tests confirmed the same results.

Everyone instinctively tightened their masks.

…..

At home, Nanzhi hesitated as she glanced at Lin Yicheng’s door.

“Are you going to see that cutie, Sister Nan?” Yu Baoyin asked teasingly.

Nanzhi shook her head. She recalled the air ducts and the bloodstains on their coats from fighting the Gravar Goats. Even though they had cleaned the stains with wipes, the metallic scent still lingered.

The base hadn’t officially announced the cause of the fever yet. It wouldn’t be wise to visit Lin Yicheng under these circumstances.

Yu Baoyin tilted her head in confusion but said nothing as she headed to clean herself up.

Nanzhi checked the time and remembered the Resource Dungeon. With everything going on, she hadn’t had the chance to check it.

Entering the Daily Dungeon, she found the chickens thriving. In just 12 hours, they had laid 25 more eggs. She collected the eggs and added dried firewood to her inventory before drying another batch.

When the clock struck four in the afternoon, she locked her door and entered the Weekly Dungeon.

Stepping through the portal, Nanzhi emerged in a small, rundown cottage amidst a snowy wilderness.

[You’ve entered the Weekly Resource Dungeon.]

[Dark Sleet-Storm Sanctum]

[Dungeon Difficulty: Low]

[Clear and receive 500 EXP.]

Her eyes lit up at the reward notification.

“Dark Sleet-Storm Sanctum?” She frowned, trying to recall the dungeon’s details from the game.

Ah, yes—this was the dungeon known for its perilous terrain and bioluminescent mushrooms. Those mushrooms could provide both warmth and light for a full day after being harvested.

The cottage itself was a safe zone, similar to the Daily Dungeon. Though she couldn’t bring items in, there were useful objects scattered around the room: a lamp containing a glowing mushroom, a wooden staff, a rope, a notebook, a tattered cloak, a charcoal pen, and a satchel.

Nanzhi packed the cloak into the satchel before crouching at the entrance. She tightened the laces of her ankle boots and adjusted her patched gloves. Quickly, she scribbled notes in the notebook:

Mushroom: Bioluminescent, potential medicinal use.

Ice: Fragile in places. Possible traps. Avoid stepping on dark patches.

Wind: Sleet reducing visibility. Locate paths with fewer exposed areas.

Satisfied, she braced herself and stepped outside.

The wind bit at her exposed face as she tightened her coat and scarf. Without hesitation, she began walking. She couldn’t afford to waste time.

The mini-dungeon had a time limit.

Her breath clouded in the frigid air as she surveyed the path ahead. The terrain was treacherous—with jagged rocks.

The cold seeped into her bones, far more oppressive than the temperature outside the base. Dark patches on the ground signaled thin ice, hidden drops, or other potential traps.

Sleet hissed as it fell, coating everything in a slick, reflective layer.

Nanzhi recalled how her game avatar had died countless times in this dungeon. The sleet wasn’t the only hazard.

The uneven ground beneath the frost could send her sliding into a ravine with one mistake.

Even there were no monsters, the terrain itself was just as deadly. If not for the system granting her multiple lives, she wouldn’t have dared to attempt this dungeon.

Midway through the forest, the weight of ice began snapping branches from the trees. She ducked as one plummeted near her, its sharp edges glinting in the dim light.