Chapter 125
“You’re asking… if I can generate heat?”
Lan Lin wondered if he had misheard. Or perhaps… these two kids didn’t know about his abilities?
That didn’t seem likely. When he had gone to meet Lin Zhen earlier, they had clearly seen him using his powers. To make his point, he opened his palm.
A shard of ice slowly formed, floating above his hand.
“See this?” he said.
“Ice,” Tang Yu’an replied.
“Exactly. I’m an ice ability user,” Lan Lin said proudly as he dissipated the ice.
Not only could he control ice, but he could also manipulate water. Fire abilities, in his opinion, were nothing compared to his own.
But then…
“Great! So can you help me generate heat?”
“…”
Was this kid incapable of understanding basic facts?
Lan Lin stared at Tang Yu’an, suspecting he might be playing a prank.
However, thanks to Old Li’s “brainwashing” and the “savior aura” the young boss exuded, Lan Lin held a certain degree of respect for Tang Yu’an and refrained from snapping back.
“Ice abilities can only lower temperatures,” Lan Lin said with great restraint.
Tang Yu’an, however, smiled. “Ice abilities lower temperatures by removing heat, right?”
Lan Lin blinked in surprise.
He thought for a moment before shaking his head. “Not exactly. Around me, there’s an ice-element energy. When this energy gathers, the temperature drops, and I feel cold.”
This explanation didn’t align with Tang Yu’an’s prior understanding of physics.
He had learned that heat is released during freezing and absorbed during melting. Hot and cold temperatures are tied to heat transfer.
However, in this mysterious world where supernatural powers existed, many phenomena defied his prior knowledge.
Tang Yu’an wasn’t particularly surprised by Lan Lin’s answer, but Zhou Qi seemed to be deep in thought.
Lan Lin had no idea that his explanation perfectly aligned with the reasoning Tang Yu’an was trying to lead him toward.
“So, when this ice-element energy gathers,” Tang Yu’an asked, “what happens to the heat around it?”
Lan Lin frowned slightly.
By “heat,” did he mean fire-element energy?
Though he couldn’t control heat the way a fire ability user could, he could sense its opposite nature to his own power.
Recalling past experiences with freezing, he hesitantly replied, “The heat… gets repelled?”
The two energies were inherently oppositional. When he gathered ice-element energy around him, the fire energy would naturally be pushed away.
Tang Yu’an’s eyes lit up. “If you absorbed all the ice energy in the building, would the other rooms become warmer?”
Lan Lin’s mouth twitched.
Absorb all the ice energy in the building? Did this kid think too highly of him?
Still, the idea was intriguing.
Running the scenario in his head, Lan Lin realized… there might be something to it.
“It might not exactly get warmer, but it could feel less cold,” he conceded.
Temperature perception is relative. Currently, the night was just starting, and ice-element energy was accumulating in the building but hadn’t reached saturation.
Given the high humidity caused by the flood, if the ice energy were saturated, everything would have frozen solid by now.
Conversely, this meant that despite the cold, a small amount of heat energy was still present. If the ice energy were absorbed, the remaining heat would become more concentrated, making the air feel warmer.
Bodies themselves radiated heat over time, so staying in the room long enough might genuinely create a sense of warmth.
“So, Brother Lan Lin, can you help warm the place up?” Tang Yu’an asked, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Lan Lin gave him a frosty look.
The theory was interesting, sure—but why should he do it?
“The fourth and fifth floors are a bit far. Could you try absorbing the ice energy just from the seventh and eighth floors?” Tang Yu’an suggested.
Lan Lin remained silent, his expression unreadable.
Seeing his reluctance, Tang Yu’an’s face fell. “Ah… I guess that’s too much to ask.”
He scratched his head sheepishly. “I shouldn’t have assumed. Sorry about that.”
Lan Lin’s temple twitched, and before he could stop himself, he blurted, “Who said I couldn’t do it?”
Tang Yu’an’s eyes lit up again. “Wow! You can?”
Caught between pride and practicality, Lan Lin gritted his teeth. “Of course I can!”
“Great! Thank you so much!”
Tang Yu’an suddenly thought of something and added, “Can you absorb the ice energy while you sleep?”
After all, the cold would persist throughout the night, growing even more intense by midnight. It would be ideal if the process could continue passively during sleep to maintain warmth until morning.
Another avenue Lan Lin hadn’t considered!
After a brief pause, he gritted his teeth again. “Of course.”
He hadn’t tried it before, but he figured it wouldn’t be too hard. After all, he usually trained at night—this shouldn’t be beyond his capabilities.
At worst… he’d just pull an all-nighter and catch up on sleep during the day!
“Wow, Brother Lan Lin, you’re amazing!”
Tang Yu’an wasn’t just full of compliments, though. He knew that to make this arrangement sustainable, Lan Lin couldn’t be expected to work for free.
“As payment, is there anything you’d like?” Tang Yu’an asked. “Feel free to name it, and I’ll do my best to provide.”
Lan Lin hesitated, his eyes wavering as he looked at Tang Yu’an.
“Really, anything. Just say it,” Tang Yu’an encouraged confidently.
Lan Lin spoke quietly, “Do you… have any glass bottles?”
Tang Yu’an blinked, tilting his head in curiosity.
He studied Lan Lin for a moment, and when Lan Lin turned away, seemingly embarrassed, Tang Yu’an smiled. “Sure, how many do you need?”
“Three?”
“Any specific size?”
“Not too small,” Lan Lin mumbled.
“Alright, three medium-sized glass bottles. I’ll bring them to you tomorrow,” Tang Yu’an promised. “For tonight, could you start by absorbing the ice energy on the seventh and eighth floors?”
Lan Lin frowned. “I can absorb ice energy, but controlling the range is tricky.”
“No problem, let’s see how it goes for now,” Tang Yu’an replied, showing his understanding.
“Fine,” Lan Lin agreed.
“Anything else?” Tang Yu’an asked, ensuring there were no lingering issues.
Lan Lin hesitated, his voice dropping even lower. “About the bottles… can you give them to Lin Zhen and say they’re from me?”
So, they’re for Sister Lin! Tang Yu’an’s grin widened.
“I don’t lie, but if Sister Lin doesn’t ask, I won’t say anything,” Tang Yu’an replied.
Lan Lin’s face darkened with embarrassment.
“It’s just three bottles…” he muttered before finally snapping, “Fine! Fine! Just leave already!”
Tang Yu’an chuckled, reached into his bag, and with a bit of sleight of hand pulled out an ice cream bar from the shop’s refrigerator. He handed it to Lan Lin.
“Brother Lan Lin, thanks for your hard work tonight. Have a treat!”
Without waiting for a response, Tang Yu’an grabbed Zhou Qi and darted away.
Lan Lin stared at the cool object in his hand, puzzled.
Ice cream? What was that? Could he eat it?
Feeling confused, he returned to his room. After fiddling with the wrapping for a while, he finally managed to unwrap it—thankfully avoiding the tragic mistake of eating the plastic.
When he put the ice cream in his mouth and felt it melt, a sweet, creamy coldness spread across his tongue. His eyes lit up instantly.
What on earth is this? It’s delicious!
*
While Lan Lin enjoyed his ice cream and began absorbing ice energy, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi got to work.
They installed doors on the remaining rooms on the seventh floor, shutting them tightly. These rooms were unoccupied, so sealing them off would reduce the circulation of ice energy.
Next, they added doors to the stairwells on the bottom three floors, as well as the sixth, ninth, and tenth floors.
The external windows had already been sealed earlier when they used the refrigerators and freezers to cool the building. Replacing them with glass panes later had saved them additional effort.
The first person to notice a change was Lin Zhen, who lived next door to Lan Lin.
She had just finished organizing her belongings and lay down on the worn-out little bed in her room—one that Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi had somehow moved in for her.
Though she didn’t know how they managed it, she felt genuinely grateful as she rested on the bed.
Finally, she could sleep comfortably tonight.
The blanket she had wasn’t thick—it was something she had scavenged from the ruins. It was old and dirty, as she hadn’t been able to clean it properly, but airing it out in the sun during the day as Old Li had suggested kept it reasonably usable.
A’Mu and the little chicks had already left their cardboard box and nestled into the blanket with her.
The night was bitterly cold. Even without worrying about safety, it was still a difficult ordeal for an ordinary person like Lin Zhen.
She hugged A’Mu tightly, curling up under the blanket. Though it felt stuffy, the blanket trapped her body heat, providing some warmth.
Even so, the cold still seeped through.
Lin Zhen knew this was because of the flood. Without the sun’s warmth during the day, the night’s chill grew even harsher.
By midnight, it would only get colder.
In such harsh conditions, she couldn’t help but wonder how many more people would freeze to death tonight.
Shivering, Lin Zhen thought how wonderful it would be to light a fire—but without firewood, she couldn’t bring herself to burn the hard-earned scraps of furniture she had salvaged.
A’Mu burrowed deeper into her embrace.
They had spent countless freezing nights like this, huddled together for warmth. Now there were the three little chicks as well.
Would they survive this cold night?
Lin Zhen’s concern deepened. But slowly, she began to notice something strange.
Why did it feel… less cold?
She stopped trembling and focused on the sensation. Sure enough, the biting chill seemed to have subsided.
The temperature was still low, but the bone-chilling cold had faded. Even her icy hands and feet felt slightly warmer.
What’s going on?
Knock, knock, knock—
A crisp sound came from the door.
Lin Zhen sat up, leaving A’Mu and the chicks snuggled in the blanket. Moving carefully in the moonlight, she tiptoed to the door.
“Who’s there?” Lin Zhen asked warily.
“It’s me, Sister Lin,” Tang Yu’an replied. “You’re still awake, right?”
Lin Zhen cracked the door open and peered out, relaxing slightly when she saw Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi standing there.
“It’s so late. What’s the matter?”
Zhou Qi handed her a deep purple carpet, and Tang Yu’an explained, “This carpet can generate heat. We’re lending it to you for now.”
“The little chicks just hatched and might be fragile,” Zhou Qi added.
These three chicks had been hatched from eggs brought over from his world and weren’t well-adapted to this world’s harsh temperature changes. Zhou Qi had remembered this detail and quickly brought the carpet to her.
Lin Zhen stared in surprise as she accepted it.
The moment she touched the carpet, she felt its soft, plush warmth and instantly grew attached to it.
“You’re lending this to me?” she asked.
“Exactly!” Tang Yu’an confirmed. “Just return it when you no longer need it.”
Despite the trust they had built, Tang Yu’an’s offer left Lin Zhen momentarily speechless.
“I… I’ll make sure to give it back!” she promised.
Tang Yu’an nodded and added, “For now, keep your room door cracked open a bit. Once it warms up, you can close it.”
“Why?” Lin Zhen asked, puzzled.
Recalling the odd warmth she had noticed earlier, she suddenly had a thought.
“It’s Brother Lan Lin,” Tang Yu’an explained. “He’s absorbing the ice energy in the building.”
He gave her a brief explanation of the process.
“That’s incredible!” Lin Zhen was amazed at the ingenious use of his abilities.
“Ice abilities can be used to generate warmth? An’an, you’re a genius!” she exclaimed sincerely.
Tang Yu’an shook his head modestly. “I just provided the idea. Brother Lan Lin’s doing the real work—he deserves the credit.”
Lin Zhen nodded in agreement.
After the boys left, Lin Zhen took the carpet into her bedroom and laid it on her small, makeshift bed.
A’Mu immediately nestled on top with the chicks.
Their stiff little bodies visibly relaxed, and they soon fell soundly asleep.
Lin Zhen, though still outside the blanket, didn’t feel cold either.
For someone born and raised in the wasteland, this temperature was tolerable, even if it would have been considered frigid before the disaster.
Lin Zhen glanced at the wall adjoining her neighbor’s room.
After a moment’s thought, she quietly left her room and tiptoed to the door of Room 702.
As soon as her hand touched the doorknob, she recoiled from the icy cold. It felt like a freezer in there!
She couldn’t even imagine how freezing it must be inside Lan Lin’s room.
Shaking her head, Lin Zhen returned to her own room, thanking, An’an, Zhou Qi, and Lan Lin. Tonight, she finally got a good night’s sleep!
*
Just as Lan Lin had said, he couldn’t precisely control the range of his absorption.
As he continuously released his abilities, the ice energy in the entire building steadily converged toward his room.
While it took longer to affect the fourth floor, the temperature drop slowed, stabilized, and then began to rise gradually. It eventually settled at a relatively stable level.
On the fourth floor, among the five residents, no one—besides Huo Qiu—dared to sleep deeply.
Even so, they noticed the change.
Lang Ya, sitting cross-legged in a corner, opened his eyes. Feeling the room’s warming up, he raised an eyebrow.
In Tie Muhua’s room, defensive plants had sprouted in several corners. She wasn’t sleeping on the ground but had crafted a hammock from vines.
Though she lay in the hammock with her eyes closed, she remained alert, ready to react to any disturbances. When the temperature rose, she sighed softly, her exhaustion making her vigilance waver.
Jin Guang, wrapped in a thin blanket, had let his fire burn out hours ago. He had been struggling against the cold but finally succumbed to sleep as the warmth returned.
The only ones unaffected by the cold from the start were Shu Gen. With his son’s fire ability, cuddling him was like holding a living heater.
Shu Gen gazed around the sturdy room, a deep sense of satisfaction settling over him.
If only life could always be this peaceful—if everyone just followed the rules and coexisted harmoniously…
That night, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi decided not to visit Jufeng Town.
Thanks to Xiao Cao’s efforts, the shop’s popularity had already risen dramatically. There was no urgent need.
At such a late hour, finding anyone in Jufeng Town willing to trade would also be difficult.
Leaving their four pets behind to guard Shop No. 1, they used the teleportation array to return to the attic of the Peace Grocery Store.
“Today was such a packed day!” Tang Yu’an yawned, exhaustion evident in his voice.
They had done so much to deal with the unexpected flood, working nonstop from morning until night. Now, at last, they could rest.
“Go take a shower,” Zhou Qi said, patting his head.
“Mm-hmm!”
As Tang Yu’an headed off to shower, Zhou Qi went to the front of the store and opened the door to take a look outside.
Darkness engulfed everything.
Shining a flashlight, he saw the floodwaters had risen to head height. The beam illuminated vague shapes of strange creatures writhing in the water.
Zhou Qi felt a deep sense of relief knowing the protective barrier was in place. Coupled with the store’s closed status, the barrier could remain active 24/7.
Otherwise, their shop might have already been destroyed by the flood or overrun by mutated creatures.
Zhou Qi observed the water outside for a while before closing the door and heading back inside.
After both had finished their showers, they sat on the sofa to discuss the next day’s tasks.
“Now that the store’s popularity has reached 300, which 24/7 feature should we upgrade first?” Tang Yu’an asked, revisiting the earlier discussion.
“The one that defends against dangerous creatures,” Zhou Qi decided.
Given today’s relatively mild flood conditions, even if future storms become more violent, the barrier around Building No. 1 should be able to hold for a while. But if mutated creatures breached their defenses, the situation would be far more critical.
“Alright!” Tang Yu’an nodded.
“But let’s hold off on upgrading until tomorrow morning at 8.”
“Got it. I know that already,” Tang Yu’an replied.
Leveling up Shop No. 1 to Level 2 required 500 points of store popularity. They were just 40 points away. If they upgraded the barrier now, deducting 300 popularity points, they wouldn’t have enough left to level up.
Glancing at the panel, Tang Yu’an suddenly had an idea. “How about moving the emerald-green storage cabinet to Shop No. 1 tomorrow?”
He was referring to the storage cabinet with the special effect that helps grow red beans.
“We can also leave the plants inside it under Granny Guo’s care,” he added.
The cabinet, a valuable inheritance from his mother, was hard for Tang Yu’an to part with. However, knowing Granny Guo would be staying at Shop No. 1 long-term made it easier to let go.
Zhou Qi agreed.
“She’ll take good care of it,” Zhou Qi said, reassuring him with a pat on the head.
Tang Yu’an nodded and leaned back, resting against Zhou Qi’s lap. Another thought came to him, and he said, “Do you think we should hire another assistant for Grandpa Li?”
Although Shop No. 1 had already reached its staff capacity, there were still vacancies at other locations.
“Grandpa’s legs aren’t great, and he’s always climbing stairs, selling goods, and managing the lodgers. It feels like so much work for him,” Tang Yu’an added with concern.
Zhou Qi gently stroked his hair and nodded. “Do you have someone in mind?”
Tang Yu’an started counting on his fingers.
Of the few trustworthy people at Shop No. 1, Tie Jin needed to focus on metal production, and Granny Guo had her hands full with the plants. Plus, her age made running up and down stairs unsuitable for her.
That left…
“Sister Lin?” Tang Yu’an suggested.
Lin Zhen was agile, skilled, and knowledgeable about poisons—qualities that could help her manage unruly residents.
Zhou Qi considered it and nodded. “It’s worth discussing with Grandpa Li tomorrow.”
“Great!”
After finalizing their plans, Tang Yu’an opened the Lucky Spin Wheel for a round of prizes.
They had five spins today!
Earlier, after Zhou Qi helped Tie Jin’s family deal with the swarm of mutated piranhas, Tang Yu’an had completed the task [Eliminate Dangerous Creatures (2)].
The rewards included a 30% discount card, a 48-hour Traffic Boost Card, and four spins on the lucky wheel.
Additionally, he triggered [Eliminate Dangerous Creatures (3)], which required eliminating 30 creatures—24 of which were already counted.
Rewards for Task (3):
– Random points (up to 300)
– Two 30% discount cards for the wholesale market
– Two 48-hour Traffic Boost Card
– Five spins on the Lucky Wheel
Although the rewards were better, the target number of creatures had increased dramatically. If it hadn’t been for the swarm of piranhas, completing the task would have seemed almost impossible.
Regardless, having extra spins was always exciting!
Tang Yu’an began spinning enthusiastically. But whether it was bad luck or something else, the first four spins yielded only modest rewards, including small amounts of points.
“Big points! Big points!” he muttered, clasping his hands together in prayer.
Zhou Qi teased him. “You know saying it out loud ruins the luck, right?”
Tang Yu’an’s mouth snapped shut too late. He could only watch as the pointer stopped on—
[Congratulations! You have received a special item: “Double Points Card (12 Hours)”]
Tang Yu’an: O_O
“Brother Qi, I got a special item!” he exclaimed in surprise.
“What is it?”
“A 12-hour Double Points Card!”
Zhou Qi inhaled sharply. “Double Points Card?”
“Does it come with detailed instructions?” Zhou Qi asked cautiously.
“Let me check.”
Tang Yu’an opened the item’s details:
[Double Points Card (12 Hours)]
Description: Upon activation, all points earned will be doubled for the next 12 hours.
Zhou Qi’s eyes widened. This was incredible.
Tang Yu’an’s excitement spilled over. “If this doubles my profit points, then when I trade with Sister Hong Li, I could earn 20,000 points, right?”
His eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“More than that,” Zhou Qi corrected. “This card lasts 12 hours. Every transaction during that time will have doubled points. If we keep trading, we could rack up at least 30,000 points.”
“We’re rich! We’re rich!”
Tang Yu’an jumped up in excitement. “This card needs to be stored somewhere safe. We can’t afford to lose it!”
Zhou Qi nodded solemnly.
This Double Points Card was far more valuable than simply winning a large chunk of points in a spin.
After some thought, Zhou Qi suggested, “Let’s hold off on withdrawing points from the Interdimensional Store for now.”
Tang Yu’an blinked in surprise. “You mean…?”
“Yeah!” Zhou Qi nodded firmly. “Based on the description, withdrawing points from the Interdimensional Store might also be doubled. Let’s give it a try when the card is active!”
Tang Yu’an glanced at the Interdimensional Store’s backend.
Points Available for Withdrawal: 950
“Wait, what? Not only did the Mutated Lantern Fruit sell, but the Dark Green Spider Legs, too?”
He had previously priced the spider legs at 500 points each, but they hadn’t sold. Lowering the price to 450 points had done the trick!
Excited, Tang Yu’an quickly listed two more spider legs for sale.
He prayed fervently for them to sell soon. If the Double Points Card worked as expected, then this was going to be an absolute windfall! (???)
