[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-frozen-apocalypse-building-my-own-safe-house":3,"chapter-frozen-apocalypse-building-my-own-safe-house-frozen-apocalypse-building-my-own-safe-house-chapter-3":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Frozen Apocalypse: Building My Own Safe House",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":12,"novelImage":21},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2215500,3904,"Chapter 3: Someone Was Killed","frozen-apocalypse-building-my-own-safe-house-chapter-3",3,"\u003Cp>When the gate of the old house courtyard was kicked open, rust flakes scattered across the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Nuan rushed into the kitchen first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lifting the stone slab to reveal the cellar entrance, Lin Chen followed close behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beam from the mobile phone flashlight shook violently in the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's in that wooden box over there,\" Xia Nuan said, pointing to the corner, her voice trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen walked over; the wooden box was locked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smashed it open directly with a steel pipe; the shotgun, wrapped in oilcloth, felt ice-cold to the touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>System notification: [Obtained Shotgun x1, Side Quest Completed].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several burlap sacks were piled in the depths of the cellar; Xia Nuan opened one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside were dried sweet potato slices: \"My grandmother dried these; they can last for several years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen stuffed them all into his pockets, then spotted a kerosene lamp in the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dust covered the glass chimney; shaking it revealed it was still more than half full of oil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's go.\" Lin Chen lifted the wooden box, but just as he turned,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he heard movement outside the courtyard. The two pressed themselves against the cellar opening to listen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was footsteps, more than one. \"That's Zhang Hao's voice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Nuan clapped a hand over her mouth; outside came a stream of curses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They're definitely in there; the tricycle was left by the roadside.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen disassembled the shotgun, quickly reassembled it, and loaded a round into the chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>System notification: [Firearm Maintenance Kit Activated, Weapon Durability +20].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hide well.\" He shoved Xia Nuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He himself crept outward along the base of the wall. The footsteps at the courtyard gate grew nearer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone kicked the door open and entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the burly men Zhang Hao had brought with him. \"Search!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao shouted, his plaster-cast arm shaking violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen raised the shotgun, aiming at the burly man closest to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang out, hurting his ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The burly man collapsed on the spot. The remaining men froze in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Hao cursed, \"Damn it,\" and turned to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen did not pursue; he fired another shot, hitting the leg of the slowest runner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Screams of agony echoed through the courtyard. Xia Nuan crawled out of the cellar,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>her face deathly pale: \"You... you killed someone?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\" Lin Chen checked the magazine. \"Only wounded two.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slung the shotgun across his back, grabbed Xia Nuan, and ran outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passing the fallen burly man, he kicked the steel pipe out of his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the courtyard gate, tire tracks marked the snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a van. Lin Chen ran in the opposite direction; Xia Nuan couldn't keep up,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>so he hoisted her onto his shoulders and charged forward with long strides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Put me down,\" Xia Nuan said, pounding his back. \"I can run.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen ignored her until they had run half a li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did he set her down; the two leaned against a tree, gasping for breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How did they find us?\" Xia Nuan asked. Lin Chen took out his phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He realized he hadn't discarded the bag snatched yesterday from Su Qing; inside was a tracker,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>flashing red. He snapped it in half and threw it into the snowdrift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>System notification: [Tracking Neutralized, Safety Level +5].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen checked the time: 3 PM. There was still some distance to the warehouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The snow fell heavier; visibility was less than ten meters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Head back,\" Lin Chen said, dragging Xia Nuan along. \"We'll take a small path.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They passed a vegetable patch where a small wooden watchman's hut stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen pushed the door open; the interior was empty, containing only a broken wooden bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He told Xia Nuan to go inside and rest while he guarded the doorway,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the shotgun resting across his knees. \"Do you know Li Wei?\" Xia Nuan suddenly asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The student brought back yesterday.\" \"No, I don't.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen stared outside. \"System mission.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Nuan asked no further; she fished a compressed biscuit out of her bag\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and handed it over: \"Replenish your strength.\" Lin Chen took it and took a bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was so dry he couldn't swallow; Xia Nuan passed him a thermos, and he gulped down two large mouthfuls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wolf howls came from outside the wooden hut, more than one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen stood up, gripping the shotgun tightly, as the system notified: [Mutated Creatures Detected,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Distance: 100 meters, Threat Level: Low].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's wild dogs,\" Xia Nuan said, peering through the crack in the door. \"The kind bitten by zombies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Their eyes are red.\" Lin Chen remembered the days in his past life when he was chased by wild dogs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His stomach churned. Three wild dogs burst through the wooden door and charged in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen raised his hand and fired a shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hit the leader in the head; the corpse slammed into the wall, splattering blood everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining two circled around to the side as Xia Nuan grabbed a wooden stick from the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smashed it hard onto one dog's leg. Lin Chen took the opportunity to load a round.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second shot went wide, grazing past the dog's ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wild dog howled and pounced; he sidestepped to dodge, then smashed the butt of his gun into its head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dog dropped instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Clean them up,\" Lin Chen said, gasping for breath. The wild dog corpses began to twitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something was moving beneath their skin. Xia Nuan found some kerosene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She poured it over the corpses, and Lin Chen lit a match and tossed it over; flames erupted instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They crackled as they burned. The system notified: [Mutated Creatures Eliminated x3].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reward: Physical Enhancement Serum x1. After Lin Chen injected it,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he felt his strength increase slightly, his clenched fist feeling harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's getting dark,\" Xia Nuan said, looking out the window where snowflakes danced in the firelight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen disassembled the shotgun for maintenance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using the kit provided by the system, he polished it until it gleamed, then loaded bullets one by one into the magazine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We'll rest here tonight,\" Lin Chen said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He re-barred the wooden door. \"We'll take turns keeping watch.\" Xia Nuan nodded,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>curled up in the corner of the wooden bed, and fell asleep quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen leaned against the door, listening to her breathing\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and the howls mixed in with the wind and snow outside. He pulled out his phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Signal strength was down to one bar; the system panel displayed [Countdown: 28 days, 12 hours].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the early morning, Xia Nuan suddenly woke with a start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grabbing Lin Chen's arm, she said, \"I dreamed of my parents; they said they were cold.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen said nothing, draping his military coat over her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wrapped his own jacket tightly around himself. \"We will find them,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he said, his voice sounding somewhat dry. Xia Nuan did not respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tears fell onto the military coat, spreading into a small wet patch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By dawn, the snow had lessened slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen kicked Xia Nuan awake, and the two continued toward the warehouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They passed a river where the ice was frozen thick enough to see the fish trapped beneath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They lay motionless. \"Chip off some ice to take back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen found a stone and smashed the ice surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He filled his thermos cup to the brim. The system notified: [Obtained Clean Water Source,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Safe House Score +3].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they neared the warehouse, they saw Li Wei pacing at the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon spotting them, he shouted, \"Someone has been here!\" Lin Chen rushed over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warehouse door had been pried open; half the supplies inside were missing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cement bags had been slashed, spilling powder all over the floor. \"Su Qing did this,\" Lin Chen said, clenching his fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the ground lay a perfume bottle, a brand Su Qing often used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Wei cowered in the corner, clutching a wooden stick. \"They brought over a dozen people.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They said if you didn't come out, they would burn the warehouse. \"Useless,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen cursed, ignoring him as he began to inventory the remaining supplies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only three boxes of compressed biscuits remained, and half the canned food was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worst of all, the diesel generator had been smashed, its parts scattered everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system notified: [Safe House Damaged, Score decreased by 10 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emergency Mission Triggered: Repair the Generator. Reward: Solar Charging Panels x2].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen squatted down to assemble the generator; there were too many parts, making his head spin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Nuan walked over, picked up a gear, and said, \"This should be installed on the side.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She fiddled with it for a moment and actually assembled it correctly. \"You know how to do this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen asked in surprise. Xia Nuan nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My father was a mechanic; I watched him work on them since I was a child.\" The two worked together to repair the generator,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>while Li Wei handed them tools nearby, occasionally saying a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They said they're coming back tomorrow with more people.\" Lin Chen ignored him,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his movements speeding up. By noon, the generator was finally repaired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of it starting up made the warehouse hum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system notified: [Emergency Mission Completed, Rewards Issued].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The solar panels were placed directly in the cellar by the system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chen climbed down to take a look; the two panels were quite large, suitable for laying atop the warehouse roof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We'll reinforce the roof today,\" Lin Chen said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hoisted the solar panels up while Xia Nuan and Li Wei handed him nails.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hammered with swift strokes; snow fell into his collar, melting into an icy chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the afternoon, the sound of a car horn drifted from afar. Lin Chen lay prone on the roof to watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a truck, stopping two hundred meters outside the warehouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among those who disembarked was Su Qing, along with a figure in military uniform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rifle rested on his shoulder. \"They've brought someone from the army,\" Xia Nuan said, her voice trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>",1674,"2026-06-17T08:59:25.148Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","ef11d87a9277c2b140b763e40be36cdb78083e3fa450ee0e7c0486837cfc6b00",null,"frozen-apocalypse-building-my-own-safe-house-chapter-2","https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffrozen-apocalypse-building-my-own-safe-house-cover.jpg"]