Liu Hong immediately thought of those cargo pallets and fork trucks used in supermarkets.
A fork truck was out of the question, but a pallet? Absolutely!
In this heavy snow, wouldn't a pallet make a ready-made sled?
Liu Hong hurried back to find a pallet near the warehouse entrance. If time had permitted, he would have loved to wander around the warehouse a bit more.
He could already feel the temperature dropping, so he had better hurry!
The pallet was a lightweight plastic one. As he hoisted it onto his shoulder and walked through the produce section, he paused, then grabbed a bag full of potatoes and onions.
Even if he couldn't get rice, he could at least make a potato chicken stew.
With dozens of pounds of vegetables in one hand and his fingers hooked under the pallet's base to hoist it over his head, Liu Hong dashed toward the window.
The snow outside was falling harder and harder. When he first arrived, the snow had barely covered the tops of his shoes, but now it reached up to his calves. Fortunately, it was cold enough that the snow hadn't turned to slush; otherwise, his feet would have frozen solid.
He flipped the pallet upside down onto the ground, piled all his supplies onto it, and then tied down the load with the mountaineering rope he had grabbed earlier.
Turning around, he strapped the rope across his back and pulled forward with all his might. Liu Hong felt as though he barely had to exert any effort before the pallet followed right behind him.
Excellent, plan a success!
He was practically a sled dog now.
Liu Hong dragged the supplies all the way toward the library.
If anyone asked why he didn't stay at the supermarket—where there was plenty of food and drink, and he would never starve—he had actually considered it, but rejected the idea himself.
First of all, keeping warm. It was a supermarket, and once the heating went out, trying to stay warm there was a joke. The library, on the other hand, was full of wooden structures, all of which could be used to make a fire and keep warm.
The supermarket, conversely, was made of steel and could not provide adequate warmth.
Secondly, Liu Hong had no idea when this disaster would end, but the main character was bound to come and rescue his son.
He had come specifically for the protagonist; with the protagonist around, he would definitely not die.
Even though he constantly ranted about the end of the world, having experienced the sensation of death once, Liu Hong still didn't want to be tortured to death like that.
Couldn't they just make it quick if he had to die?
Just getting to the supermarket side had taken him about half an hour when the snow was only ankle-deep.
Now, heading back, the snow was nearly piled up to his knees, forcing him to move forward step by laborious step.
Fortunately, the sea was deep enough and the ice layer formed was thick enough.
Liu Hong didn't have to worry about running into any obstacles along the way; they were all frozen beneath the ice.
He trudged forward with great difficulty toward the library.
After walking for forty minutes, he finally reached the location of the ship.
Liu Hong felt as though he was about to freeze solid.
Especially his bare feet, which had been buried deep in the snow.
No, he had to hurry. There was only one or two hundred meters left—faster!
The protagonist and the others should already be starting a fire; once he got inside the library, he would be warm!
Hurry! Faster!
Liu Hong didn't know why, but he felt an inexplicable sense of unease, as if he were being watched.
When he looked back, he didn't see a single soul.
Yet this very feeling drove him to push his pace even faster.
He had to keep looking back every now and then.
Finally, as he was nearing the library, Liu Hong noticed something amiss.
Against the vast expanse of white snow, were there gray figures flashing by? They blended in so well with the white that Liu Hong hadn't noticed them at all before.
That flash of gray flickered across the snow from time to time, drawing closer and closer to Liu Hong.
Liu Hong felt a jolt of alarm. Though he didn't know what those creatures were, they were definitely not friendly.
They must be animals. He glanced at the meat on his pallet—were they attracted by this?
Liu Hong stopped in his tracks and pulled out a dressed whole chicken.
He tore open the packaging, and the smell of blood drifted out.
The animals following behind seemed to pick up speed.
He quickly hurled the whole chicken toward another intersection.
As the creatures behind him were drawn away in that direction, Liu Hong realized there wasn't just one animal; a smaller one was already very close to him, but because it was so low to the ground and hidden beneath the snow, he hadn't noticed it until now.
Realizing this, a cold sweat broke out on his back, and he felt a surge of gratitude.
He then pulled out a whole duck and tossed it in yet another direction.
He needed to keep these animals busy eating so they wouldn't have time to mind him.
To divert the animals' attention, Liu Hong threw out five whole chickens and ducks.
The animals stopped following him.
It seemed they had all gone off to eat.
Liu Hong quickly resumed his march toward the library. He remembered seeing skis back at the supermarket and now regretted not thinking to grab a pair for himself.
Finally, he reached the entrance of the library, dragged his supplies inside, and left them in the foyer.
Then he headed upstairs. As soon as he stepped into the second-floor lobby, he saw the remaining members of the protagonist's group busy moving books, and a momentary sense of surrealism washed over him.
He remembered complaining about this exact detail back then.
The library was full of wooden structures, including tables, chairs, and benches—why on earth would they bypass all that furniture and burn books instead?
In the end, even some rare single editions were burned.
Now, however, Liu Hong could simply ask them directly.
"What are you guys doing?"
Everyone was frantically hauling books. Hearing Liu Hong's voice, they instantly froze.
It was like watching a movie when the internet suddenly cuts out, leaving the figures stuck in place.
After a moment, the members of the protagonist's group turned their heads and saw Liu Hong standing at the entrance.
They seemed to spring back to life in an instant.
"You're back! Where are the others? Did everyone make it back?"
The protagonist lived up to his name; he still remembered Liu Hong.
"I wasn't with them. I heard the ice could hold people's weight, so I went out to look for food. Who knows how long this damn weather is going to last? Stocking up on some food is safer."
Liu Hong replied to the protagonist.
Hearing this, the protagonist looked somewhat excited.
"You found food? How much? Do you need us to help?"
The protagonist's group had only managed to find some snacks in the employee breakroom, which was nowhere near enough to feed everyone.
Hearing that Liu Hong had food, everyone turned their attention toward him.
When Liu Hong went out for food this time, he had intended to include a share for the protagonist's group anyway.
He was still counting on the protagonist's dad to rescue him; if he didn't prepare a share for the protagonist, how would he get on the helicopter later?
If he were truly left out in the wilderness by himself, goodness knows when the rescue helicopter would finally reach him.
Staying with the protagonist's group meant he would undoubtedly be among the first to be rescued.
"I do need help. I dragged the stuff back, but I don't have the strength to carry it up. Come help bring the food inside!"
Hearing the protagonist ask if he needed help, Liu Hong didn't stand on ceremony at all.
They needed food anyway, so this wasn't just helping him—it was helping themselves.
At these words, the members of the protagonist's group dropped the books they were carrying and walked over toward Liu Hong.
Seeing them approach, Liu Hong returned to the second-floor stairwell.
He pointed down below.
"Down there. It took me nearly an hour to drag it back. You guys go carry it up!"
When the group saw the pile of food on the pallet downstairs, excitement flickered across their faces.
The vast majority of it consisted of meat and staple foods.
Now nobody had to starve.
They could even eat without holding back.
The protagonist's group wheeled the small cart used for moving books over to the top of the stairs, carried the food up from below, and loaded it onto the cart. Once the cart was piled high, the people upstairs pushed it toward the room they had prepared for warmth.
Then another cart was brought over for more loading, and it took nearly three full cartloads to get everything inside.
Three women pushed the carts into the room, while two men from downstairs hauled the pallet up as well.
Liu Hong followed them inside and shut the door behind him.
"Why are you closing the door? What if someone else comes back?"
Seeing Liu Hong close the door, the protagonist asked with a hint of confusion.
"When I was dragging the food back just now, I noticed carnivorous animals roaming outside. I had to throw five whole chickens and ducks just to shake them off.
I'm afraid they might catch our scent and follow us here, so it's better to keep it closed!"
Upon hearing that Liu Hong had encountered such a thrilling brush with danger, and that there were ferocious beasts right outside the door, the protagonist lost his composure. He immediately turned around, double-bolted the door, and shoved the pallet they had just carried up against it to prevent any outside creatures from crashing through.
With everything secured, the protagonist went back to handling the food Liu Hong had brought, supported Liu Hong, and guided him toward the room they had claimed.
Liu Hong's feet were frozen stiff, so he genuinely needed someone to lean on.
"By the way, what were you guys doing just now?"
Liu Hong asked, feigning confusion.
"Gathering books to burn for heat. My father is a meteorologist..."
The protagonist repeated his lines along with his father's predictions. Liu Hong listened and nodded.
"Then why not burn those tables and chairs? Aren't they all made of wood? They'd last much longer as fuel."
Liu Hong pointed toward the tables and chairs that had been pushed aside to clear a path for carrying books.
"And once the tables and chairs are burned, there are still those bookshelves. They're wooden too. I came back specifically because wooden furniture can be burned for warmth; otherwise, I would have just stayed at the supermarket."
The protagonist froze for a moment, looking at the furniture. Ah, right—why hadn't they thought of burning the furniture?
Still, he didn't dwell on it. He helped Liu Hong over to the fireplace to warm up by the fire, and told the others about the idea of burning the furniture.
The library staff member was overjoyed—they finally didn't have to burn books!
Her heart had ached terribly when they burned those dozens of books just moments before.
She hurriedly pushed the books away into a corner, went out to the lobby to grab a wooden chair, and tossed it straight into the fireplace.
The fireplace was large enough to fit a chair inside.
Sure enough, the chair caught fire after a short while, burning even more fiercely than the books.
Everyone conveniently ignored the fact that they hadn't thought to bring in furniture to burn in the first place.
It seemed the movie's logic would automatically smooth over such details.
Thus, everyone moved the books back to the corners—reserving them just in case the tables and chairs weren't enough.
Next, they placed the food near the fireplace for easy access.
Then they went back out to haul more furniture.
They even found a fire axe in the fire cabinet so they could chop the furniture up to make it burn easier.
Some people hauled pieces into the room, others took charge of chopping them up, and Liu Hong—the hero who had brought back the food—simply sat to the side and rested.
Liu Hong curled up on the sofa in front of the fireplace to thaw out. He had taken off his shoes and held his bare feet right up against the edge of the hearth.
It was freezing; while he was outside, he had felt as though his feet no longer belonged to him.
Seeing that it was completely dark outside, the room piled high with books and firewood, and the fire blazing at its maximum while the indoor temperature still lingered on the chilly side, everyone piled on whatever layers they could wear and mechanically kept feeding fuel into the fire.
The protagonist's friend was tinkering with a radio. Liu Hong had heard earlier that they had already picked up a signal.
It was broadcasting that the disaster had swept across the entire Northern Hemisphere, and Europe was completely buried.
Liu Hong paid none of that any mind. According to how the movie played out, the protagonist's father was already on his way.
He sat on the sofa near the fireplace, closing his eyes to rest. Curled up on the rug right at his feet was the homeless man's dog.
The dog snuggled close against his shoes, making his feet feel wonderfully warm.