Too much has happened over these past two to three months.
Since December, as the weather gradually turned colder, by January 2029 in the Western calendar, all countries in the Northern Hemisphere had plunged into extreme cold. Heavy snow and blizzards blanketed everything on the surface.
Many areas in the northern regions of Daxia experienced water and power outages. However, through the coordinated efforts of multiple departments, these services were eventually restored.
The reason for this was the severity of the snow disasters in these regions. Ice and snow accumulated on power lines, causing them to bear excessive weight loads, snapping the wires and breaking the circuits. Heavy snow could also lead to the collapse of utility poles.
It was only natural for water to freeze under such extreme blizzard conditions.
Without electricity or running water, people had to resort to burning firewood for cooking and boiling water. This bitter winter claimed many lives.
This year's cold wave was so intense that even some equatorial regions experienced frost—just short of actual snowfall and ice formation.
The sheer abnormality of the situation drew significant attention from media outlets and the public.
In the Far Star Union, Daxia, the Polar Bear Federation, and other nations in colder regions, temperatures in some areas even dropped below -80°C.
This extreme cold was alarmingly close to the lowest temperatures ever recorded by humans in Antarctica.
Fortunately, these frigid conditions didn't last long—only about a day or two.
But it was terrifying nonetheless.
At such temperatures, wildlife showed almost no signs of activity, either seeking shelter or freezing to death.
Almost no human could survive such cold without specialized equipment.
The reason Antarctic research stations could sustain life was due to their advanced facilities.
But ordinary citizens had no access to such sophisticated equipment.
Without ample firewood, combustible materials, and a properly insulated shelter, survival under these conditions was nearly impossible.
In January 2029, parts of Guangnan Province experienced the rare phenomenon of snowfall—lasting a full month and a half, with temperatures dropping as low as -10°C. Snow even fell during the Lunar New Year celebrations.
This unexpected snowfall delighted many residents of Guangnan.
Countless people ventured out to play in the snow—building snowmen and having snowball fights.
Having grown up in southern regions where snow was virtually unheard of, many locals had never seen or experienced snowfall before, making it a rare and cherished sight.
This was why many southerners, including those from Guangnan, would travel to northeastern regions during winter if they had spare money—just to experience snow and winter scenery.
The extreme cold also helped curb the spread of the Biohazard Virus to some extent, as heavy snowfall reduced outdoor activities and limited people's movement.
The virus itself might not withstand such low temperatures.
Under extreme cold or heat, the Biohazard Virus could become inactive or perish.
Blue Star's climate had become abnormal—while the Northern Hemisphere suffered extreme cold, the Southern Hemisphere baked under scorching heat.
Since December of the previous year, the Southern Hemisphere had been gripped by relentless high temperatures—a highly unusual phenomenon.
Similar to the Northern Hemisphere's heatwave the previous year, some Southern Hemisphere nations hadn't anticipated the severity of this heat.
Heat-related deaths became alarmingly frequent.
The two hemispheres had become starkly divided—a clear dichotomy of climatic extremes.
Additionally, the bushfires in the southern continent of Australia continue to burn due to the extreme heat, affecting an increasing number of people.
Other continents and islands in the Southern Hemisphere have also experienced severe bushfires, suffering significant damage.
Coastal areas of some island nations have been struck by typhoons.
Volcanoes along the Volcanic Earthquake Belt are still erupting, accompanied by ongoing earthquakes.
Some countries, severely affected by these disasters, have had no choice but to seek international aid.
However, most nations on Blue Star are currently overwhelmed by their own domestic crises and various troubles, leaving little time to respond to these pleas for help.
Many don't even bother to acknowledge them.
As a result, these countries are left to fend for themselves.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the three superpowers remains fixated on the meteorites and asteroids in space.
They are busy discussing how to respond.
Amid these crises, the three superpowers on Blue Star have temporarily set aside their differences and come together to cooperate.
This can barely be considered a silver lining.
...
"Is this a mutation, an aberration, or the result of radiation exposure?"
After parking the car in the underground garage at home, Li Dong shook his head to clear his thoughts and stepped out of the vehicle.
The mutated zombie he had just seen was definitely not ordinary—it was far too large and had an extra arm.
This timing also coincides with the period when the island nation east of the Great Xia Republic is set to release nuclear-contaminated water.
Of course, that island nation might have already been secretly discharging the water.
No one has bothered to investigate or hold them accountable.
Moreover, since the island is located along the Volcanic Earthquake Belt, experiencing earthquakes every few days, it wouldn't be surprising if the storage tanks for the contaminated water have started leaking.
Some nuclear power plants might also be leaking, though it hasn't been reported.
"Aunt Liu, what's for dinner tonight? Seafood?"
Entering the house, Li Dong tossed his coat onto the sofa and caught a whiff of something delicious from the kitchen.
"Yes, tonight's a seafood feast."
"Seafood again? I'm worried I'll get gout."
"It was Madam's request. I had no choice, Young Master Dong. Second Young Madam Weiwei is pregnant," Aunt Liu said as she placed a prepared and cooked king crab on the table in front of Li Dong.
"Aunt Liu, are you saying my sister-in-law Weiwei is pregnant?" Li Dong immediately sat up straight.
Great, even his younger brother is about to become a father, while he still doesn't have a single child of his own.
"Yes, Madam told me herself at noon," Aunt Liu replied before turning back to the kitchen to continue her work.
Li Dong took out his phone and messaged his brother Li Tiang on the Star Chat software.
Soon, he received confirmation—it was true.
"At least we can still eat seafood now. In a while, it won't be safe. Ugh, why did they have to go and dump nuclear wastewater?" Li Dong sighed, staring at the king crab on the table.
The Shelter Base has plans for aquaculture and seafood farming.
But Li Dong hasn't yet found an expert skilled in seafood cultivation—after all, not everyone is a jack-of-all-trades who can both farm crops and raise aquatic life.
For now, seafood on the market is still edible, but after the apocalypse, it won't be.
Food production post-apocalypse will be crucial, as it can be traded for other supplies with personal shelters, corporate shelters, and even official shelters.
Now, the cheap seafood and aquatic products would become priceless treasures in the apocalypse.
Who would want to eat instant noodles, biscuits, or canned food when fresh food is available?
Many construction projects on the surface of the Great Qin Heavy Industries Technology Company headquarters had already been completed. The AI Supercomputer was operational, and some factory buildings had also been put into use.
Li Dong had also managed to acquire a large number of production equipment, machine tools, and mechanical devices.
Hundreds of thousands of tons of grain were gradually being transported and stored in the newly built granaries here.
Of course, the underground Shelter wouldn't be completed so quickly.
The earliest it could be finished was May, and now it was the end of February—still two months away.