- 7 hours ago
Apocalypse Survival Guide [Dubbed] - FULL EP 2026
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Short filmTranscript
00:00I could never forget the pain when I died of starvation during my previous life.
00:03The temperature was negative 70 degrees Celsius.
00:05My family huddled together.
00:07My uncle and his family took the last bit of rations.
00:10My mom was an actuary and dealt with numbers her whole life.
00:13In order to spare me a warm drink, she froze to death in a negative 50 degrees Celsius warehouse.
00:17Hazel, wake up. Look at this set of data.
00:19A cold voice brought me back to my senses.
00:21I quickly raised my head and found myself behind the counter.
00:24The A.C. was blowing out a cool breeze.
00:26The sunlight poured through the windows.
00:29My mom, Martha Taylor, was wearing a white shirt.
00:31She frowned as she looked at an Excel table.
00:34It was 15 June, 2025.
00:36There were only 45 days before the ice ages.
00:38Mom.
00:39My voice was hoarse. Tears welled up in my eyes.
00:41Don't cry, honey. Listen to me.
00:43My mom kept her head down as her fingers tapped on the keyboard.
00:46Ever since last week, there's been a weird trend in global commodity trading.
00:50Shipments of food, fuel, and antibiotics have dropped by 85%.
00:53Yet prices are being stabilized through false transactions.
00:56That just doesn't make sense.
00:57Unless someone's cutting off global supply chains, social order will collapse due to the lack of supplies in the next
01:03two months.
01:04Mom, what if I told you the temperature will reach 50 degrees Celsius in 45 days, then drop rapidly to
01:09negative 70 degrees Celsius?
01:10Would you believe me?
01:10She stopped typing and turned to me.
01:12She didn't think I was crazy like the others.
01:14She pushed up her glasses and asked calmly.
01:16How long will the cold last?
01:17I don't know.
01:18I died after three months and the temperature continued to drop.
01:21I see.
01:21My mom closed her laptop.
01:22A ruthless look appeared in her eyes.
01:24Everything makes sense now.
01:25If it's going to get cold, then our store will definitely be a target.
01:28The ground floor isn't safe.
01:29We must move.
01:30Hazel, according to your memories, we need a sealed, high elevation, fortress level shelter.
01:36We need to list every asset we own.
01:38I quickly got a pen and some paper, besides Taylor Mart, which we ran for 10 years.
01:42We also have an old downtown apartment, and there's my mom's investment products.
01:45The stocks we have are worth about $100K.
01:47The old apartment is worth about $200K.
01:49Investments and savings total about $400K.
01:51Plus, the credit cards and personal loans will have around $800K in cash.
01:55That's not enough.
01:56When order collapses, this is nowhere near enough.
01:58We need to liquidate all our assets.
02:00How, mom?
02:00Loans and mortgages.
02:02Go apply for every business loan we can before the banks notice there's a supply chain failure.
02:07We need to turn the money we have into supplies.
02:09My mom stood up and looked at the shelves in the store.
02:12From now on, the store is closed for inventory.
02:15We won't sell a thing.
02:16We need to move everything into our fortress.
02:18We got straight to work.
02:20My mom went to banks to gather loans, while I went to look for a fortress.
02:24I chose the best neighborhood in the city, the 32nd floor of Star Bay.
02:27It's the top floor, so there's only one apartment with a massive loft and a private rooftop deck.
02:31Most importantly, the developer installed a bulletproof door, normally used in banks.
02:35The walls were 10 centimeters thicker than normal walls.
02:38My mom signed a three-year lease at a high price and gave the landlord a sum of money so
02:42that we could reinforce the walls.
02:44This will be our fortress.
02:46My mom stood on the balcony and looked at the city with a fixed stack of contracts in her hand.
02:51Hazel, we just received $500,000 in loans, plus our savings.
02:54That's $800,000. We must turn all the money into supplies within 15 days.
02:59The next couple of days were a race for survival.
03:01I drove our van to its limits.
03:03I didn't go to the big markets.
03:05Only fools would do that.
03:07My mom used her connections as an actuary to contact the major food factories and medical wholesalers.
03:12The first delivery was 3,000 boxes of pot noodles and 500 sacks of rice, each weighing 25 kilograms.
03:17When all these things arrived in the huge living room, the sight gave me goosebumps.
03:21The sacks of rice were piled up, leaving only a small gap to walk through.
03:25Only carbohydrates aren't enough.
03:26My mom held a notebook looking like a strict general.
03:29We need fat and protein.
03:30Go order 500 cases of luncheon meat, 1,000 cans of meat sauce, plus dehydrated vegetables.
03:35We shouldn't rely on fresh greens.
03:36Once the temperature drops, the dehydrated vegetables will be golden.
03:39My mom was even stricter about the medicine.
03:41She didn't just buy any random medicine.
03:43She used her connections to buy ibuprofen, antibiotics, and huge amounts of iotaphore.
03:49Under extreme temperatures, even a small cold could be lethal.
03:52We also cleared out all our store's stock overnight.
03:55We didn't use the lift because we didn't want to raise any suspicions.
03:58I hired a dozen people who didn't know each other and said we were moving our boss's stuff
04:02and hauled everything up 32 floors in shifts.
04:04Every single room in the apartment, even the bathtub, was filled with goods.
04:10Seeing the large apartment filled with goods, I had an unusual feeling of security.
04:16These weren't just goods.
04:18These were our barganges in the upcoming apocalypse.
04:20Just when we were moving the last 50 gallons of water, an uninvited guest showed up at the
04:24store entrance.
04:24It was my ex-husband, Andy Burke.
04:26He was the guy who sold me for half a loaf of bread during my previous life.
04:29Andy was wearing a suit and was leaning against the car he bought with a car loan.
04:33He looked at the store disdainfully.
04:34Why did you close the store, Hazel?
04:36My mom was planning to come to buy some whiskey tomorrow.
04:38Go get some out of your stock.
04:40I looked at his arrogant face and nearly crushed the tape cutter in my hand.
04:44Memories of my previous life flashed in my mind.
04:46My mom went down on her knees in the snow to beg him to save me some water, but he
04:49just
04:49kicked her aside.
04:50We've been divorced for six months, Andy.
04:51I looked at him with cold eyes.
04:53Nothing in this store has anything to do with you.
04:55Hey, how could you say that?
04:57Are we not a family just because we're divorced?
04:58I'm only here because my mom speaks highly of you.
05:00By the way, why are the shelves empty?
05:01Are you trying to move your assets and dodge taxes?
05:03I'm warning you, my uncle works at the business bureau.
05:06Andy was just a leech.
05:08He didn't care about the unusual weather.
05:10He only cared about whether he could leech off others.
05:12My mom walked out of the store with a list of unpaid bills in her hand.
05:16Andy, you're here just in time.
05:17You borrowed $50,000 from Hazel when you divorced her, plus all the things your mom took from
05:21us over the past six months.
05:22It totals to $55,000.
05:25Sign here.
05:25If you don't pay us back, I'll take this to court and have your BMW confiscated.
05:29My mom's voice wasn't loud, but it was very authoritative.
05:33Andy was stunned.
05:34Mrs. Taylor, you must be joking, right?
05:36The money.
05:36Who's joking?
05:37Call the police, Hazel.
05:39Tell them that there's a thief.
05:41My mom picked up her phone indifferently.
05:43Andy started to feel afraid under my mom's cold gaze.
05:45He spat on the ground and cursed.
05:47You two are so unbelievable.
05:49You can keep all your crap.
05:51My mom was right.
05:52You're just a jinx.
05:53This store will definitely close down soon.
05:54I watched as he drove away.
05:55My mom breathed a sigh of relief.
05:57It's better to sever ties with someone like him.
05:58Now, we need to deal with our fortress.
06:01My mom found someone who designed bank vaults to add insulating layers to all the walls,
06:06making them 20 centimeters thick.
06:08The windows were switched to bulletproof glass.
06:10The most important thing was the heating system.
06:12Star Bay had underfloor heating, but under extreme weather,
06:14the power and gas supplies will definitely be cut off.
06:16My mom installed a small diesel generator in the loft and three 1,000 liter tanks.
06:21To not raise suspicion, the tanks were disguised as water tanks.
06:24They were slowly moved upstairs on pickup trucks.
06:27Remember, Hazel, in the apocalypse, heat means survival.
06:30My mom pointed to a corner in the living room.
06:32There were 500 sets of body warmers and countless thick duvets.
06:37By then, there were only one day's left before the apocalypse.
06:40The temperature outside was around 40 degrees Celsius.
06:42People were complaining about their electricity bills.
06:44What they didn't know was that this heat was the last bit of warmth they would experience.
06:4725 July 2025, the temperature reached 48 degrees Celsius.
06:51The asphalt streets were starting to melt.
06:53People outside looked dehydrated.
06:55Everyone was storming the markets for ice and bottled water.
06:58A bottle that used to cost 30 cents came to $1.40 on the black market.
07:01But mom, grandma, and I were holed up in our fortress at Star Bay.
07:06The A.C. hummed quietly, holding the room at a comfy 24 degrees Celsius.
07:09Grandma bustled around the big kitchen, tossing dried mushrooms from our stash
07:12and canned luncheon meat into a sizzling stir fry.
07:14It smelled amazing.
07:15Eat up, Hazel.
07:16It'd be a shame to let all this food go to waste.
07:19Grandma placed food in my bowl joyfully.
07:21She still didn't know about the apocalypse.
07:22She just thought that my mom and I made a fortune.
07:25Mom sat at the table, sipping a glass of Coke, while scrolling through the resident's group chat.
07:28The Star Bay group chat was blowing up.
07:30Unit 302 resident, at management.
07:32What's going on?
07:33The elevator's out again.
07:34The ice I just bought melted before I even got home.
07:37Property manager.
07:38We're sorry.
07:38The usage is insane.
07:39Two transformers blew.
07:40We're on it.
07:41Unit 2501 resident.
07:42It's so hot.
07:43My kids already got heat stroke.
07:45I heard the residents on the top floor have generators.
07:47Can I borrow one?
07:47I can pay you.
07:48My mom sneered at her phone and just left the group chat.
07:51Borrow?
07:52I might never get the generator back.
07:54My mom said calmly.
07:55Right now, it's just the heat wave.
07:57And no one's stepped over the line.
07:58When the temperature drops, people will show their true colors.
08:01At that moment, the doorbell rang.
08:03The surveillance showed a woman in a silk nightgown standing outside.
08:06She lived on the 28th floor and claimed she was a KOL.
08:09She was always sending photos of her designer bags in the group chat.
08:12Anybody home?
08:12I know you've got water.
08:13She forced a smile at the camera.
08:16I don't have any water left.
08:17Can you spare me some?
08:18I can give you $100 for the water.
08:20I stood behind three layers of steel doors.
08:23My voice was cold.
08:24We don't have any.
08:25Get lost.
08:25What the hell's wrong with you?
08:26We're all neighbors here.
08:27Can't you help us out?
08:28I saw you moving all bottled water upstairs.
08:31Can't you spare me some?
08:32Do you know how many followers I have?
08:34One video and they'll overwhelm you.
08:36I pressed the mute button.
08:38My mom walked over and patted my head.
08:40You did the right thing.
08:41Remember, Hazel, the first rule of an actuary.
08:44When resources are limited, the core unit survives first.
08:47Everyone else is just expendable data.
08:50That night, we lost all signals.
08:52The city went dark.
08:53The only faint light was from our house.
08:56The diesel generator was idling.
08:58My mom pulled out a notebook, its pages crammed with notes.
09:02Diesel stock, 3,000 L's.
09:04Estimated to last for 18 months.
09:06Fresh water, 5 tons.
09:07With recycler on, it's estimated to last for 24 months.
09:09Food, at 2,000 calories a day.
09:11It's estimated to last for 48 months.
09:13Let's get some rest, Hazel.
09:14My mom closed the notebook.
09:16The world's going to be different tomorrow.
09:18The cold woke me up.
09:19Even with the heating and thick duvet, I could still feel the cold.
09:23I jumped out of bed and ran to the balcony.
09:26Through layers of insulation and bulletproof glass, I saw something I would never forget.
09:30The city that was hot and muggy last night was now buried under a thick layer of frost.
09:34The sky wasn't dark blue, but a weird shade of dark gray.
09:38The thermometer outside had already frozen and shattered.
09:41But my mom installed a digital one indoors.
09:43Outdoor, negative 72.5 degrees Celsius.
09:45Inside, 22 degrees Celsius.
09:47The once busy street below had vanished.
09:49Every car was frozen in the middle of the road, like rows of metal coffins.
09:53There were figures by the side of the road.
09:55They were people who tried to escape the heat outdoors.
09:57They didn't even have time to scream before they were frozen on the streets.
10:00Oh my god.
10:02Grandma stood behind me, staring out the window.
10:04The glass in her hand slipped and shattered on the floor.
10:06It's all right, Grandma, I said as I held her.
10:07We've got food and heating.
10:09My mom walked over with some hot tea.
10:11The first cold wave is the worst.
10:14The power, water, and gas systems all failed at 2 a.m.
10:18Right now, the whole city's a giant freezer.
10:20That was when a dull thud sounded at our door.
10:24Bang, bang, bang!
10:26Someone was trying to break in.
10:27The surveillance showed that the corridor was packed.
10:30The once elegant residents were now wearing curtains and carpets.
10:33Some even ripped apart their leather sofa.
10:35Their faces were pale and their eyes wild.
10:38Open up! Open up!
10:39We know you have a generator.
10:40You can't just stand by and do nothing.
10:42We're freezing out here.
10:43Let us inside.
10:44My mom walked over and pressed a button.
10:47It was the intercom that we had installed.
10:50Guys, this is a bank-level security door.
10:52All gaps are sealed using aerogel.
10:54If you keep this up, you'll all die of heat loss instead of opening the door.
10:59It's negative 70 out there right now.
11:01I'd suggest you all go home and put more clothes on.
11:04Maybe then you can survive a little longer.
11:07My mom's voice was indifferent, like a machine.
11:10You bitch!
11:10You've got so many resources.
11:12What's wrong with sharing some?
11:13Andy's voice sounded from the crowd.
11:15He's here as well?
11:17Andy, if you're still yelling, then it's not that cold.
11:19Have you ever thought this would happen when you took my water in my previous life?
11:22What the hell are you talking about?
11:24Open the door!
11:24I'm your husband!
11:25My mom turned off the intercom.
11:27She turned to the kitchen and asked Grandma,
11:29Mom, what do you want for lunch?
11:30That crate of Kobe beef is brand new.
11:32Let's make some steak and add more butter for extra calories.
11:36Outside, the wind roared like a chorus of wailing ghosts.
11:39Inside, steaks sizzled in the pan.
11:42And the smell of butter filled the room.
11:44It was the scent of life.
11:46Watching Mom calmly flip the steaks, I suddenly understood something.
11:49The apocalypse wasn't about saving the world.
11:51It was about being able to have warm food in this cold weather and keeping my family safe.
11:55As long as this door remained closed, we would be the last survivors on this frozen planet.
11:59The blows on the bulletproof door were heavy and chaotic.
12:02Through the camera, I saw Andy panting as he swung a huge fire axe with both hands as he tried
12:08to bust open the door.
12:09Hazel, open up!
12:10I own half the house as well!
12:11But he ignored a basic law of physics.
12:13At negative 70 degrees Celsius, regular carbon steel would become brittle.
12:17On his 40th swing at the door, the axe shattered.
12:21A shard cut into Andy's thigh.
12:23Dark green fluid crystallized midair.
12:26Andy felt no pain at first.
12:28Not until his pant legs stiffened.
12:30A few neighbors crept closer.
12:32They had starved for three whole days.
12:33They had become hungry beasts.
12:36Andy's scream cut off.
12:37My mom covered Grandma's eyes and walked her back to the warm bedroom.
12:41That's nature.
12:41My mom handed me a glass of Coke.
12:43When supplies are running out, only those who have basic knowledge and can keep calm will earn the right to
12:48survive.
12:48It was the fifth day of the extreme cold.
12:50Order downstairs had totally collapsed.
12:52Property manager Gary Wilson used the spare keys he had and the riot shields from the storage room to summon
12:56all the guards and control the ground floor.
12:58Residents of 3201, listen up!
13:00This is Gary Wilson from property management.
13:01Because you refused to share your supplies and caused other residents to be in danger, we've cut off your water
13:06supply.
13:06You either open the door or die of thirst.
13:08My mom's listening to the broadcast as she peeled a hard-boiled egg for Grandma.
13:11She pointed at the pressure chart on her phone.
13:13Mom, he's shut off the main valve.
13:15He knows nothing about physics or plumbing.
13:17Shutting off the valve to the top floor will only jack up the pressure on the lower floors.
13:20Our five-ton storage tank is an isolated system.
13:23The pump runs on the generator.
13:24Totally off-grid.
13:25As for our excretion, my mom installed a biodegradable toilet.
13:28At that moment, Gary's scream came from the surveillance.
13:30He forced open the fire hydrant on the 31st floor.
13:32As he tried to spray water upward, the water froze instantly.
13:35Gary immediately became an ice statue.
13:37The guards were terrified.
13:38They dropped their shields and fled.
13:40The air in the corridor kept getting nastier.
13:42At negative 70, bacteria couldn't multiply.
13:44But a heavy, hopeless vibe was spreading through the building.
13:47Peaked through the peephole.
13:48A few frozen corpses were stacked in the corridor.
13:50These elites had become nothing but obstacles.
13:52The KOL on the 28th floor was wrapped in Hermes carpet.
13:55Kneeling pathetically at the neighbor's door, she pounded on the door with her cold hands.
13:58There was only silence.
13:59In the dead of night, some neighbors torched a leather sofa as they tried to warm themselves up.
14:03Black smoke went up the vent shaft.
14:05The smoke alarm screeched like crazy.
14:07Grandma was terrified.
14:08It's alright.
14:09Close the internal circulation.
14:10Hazel, switch on the pressure defense mode.
14:12I immediately pressed a button on the control panel.
14:14The variable speed motor roared to life.
14:16The airflow pushed the smoke back into the corridor.
14:18The arsonists almost choked on the smoke they created.
14:20Meanwhile, we were sitting in our living room, which was at 22 degrees Celsius as you flip through an old
14:23hook.
14:23To see how the people outside were holding up, my mom decided to do an experiment.
14:26She took out a drone fitted with a low-temp battery.
14:29I strapped a pack of expired hardtack to the landing gear and tied on a bright red ribbon so everyone
14:34could see it.
14:34Hazel, keep your eyes on the feet.
14:35Log every reaction at every window.
14:37The drone flew out the window and over the once luxurious community.
14:40Most of the French windows were already shattered, patched with soggy cardboard and grimy sheets.
14:44When the drone hovered outside a window on the 12th floor, a guy went nuts and lunged onto the balcony.
14:48He reached for the biscuits and forgot about the ice piled up along the edge.
14:52He went over and slammed into the snow.
14:54Ten stories down, the rest of the survivors went crazy after that.
14:57Some took out a slingshot and tried to shoot the drone down.
14:59Others waved frantically, screaming for help, losing every bit of that feedback.
15:02My mom calmly marked crosses and tickets on her spreadsheet.
15:051201, adult male, mid-level threat.
15:062005, gang cluster, high-risk threat.
15:09The food wasn't charity.
15:11That pack of biscuits was pure bait, drawing out anyone who might endanger our fortress so we could tag them
15:16one by one.
15:17Frontal assault didn't work.
15:18The scavengers started looking for a way in from below.
15:20Late at night, a power drill whirred under the floor.
15:23Grandma was taking a nap, hugging a hot water sack.
15:25The sound was razor sharp.
15:26Mom, the people on the 31st floor are drooling their ceiling.
15:28I clenched my compound crossbow, palms slick with sweat.
15:31But my mom remained calm.
15:32She pointed to the renovation log we kept.
15:34I put manganese steel plates under the concrete and packed in high-density fire-retardant insulation.
15:39It would take them forever to break through.
15:41Still, my mom planned to fight back.
15:43She took out two big subwoofers, flipped them face down over the noise spot, and played a custom track.
15:49It was a digitally warped horror soundtrack laced with infrasound that scrambled the heartbeat.
15:53She pressed play, sending the vibrations to the 31st floor.
15:57Within 10 minutes, the drilling stopped.
15:59It was replaced by something heavy falling to the ground and loud arguments.
16:03When people were starving and freezing, such mind tricks could kill them.
16:07Peeking through the periscope, I saw the crew downstairs beating each other up.
16:10Their alliance was ripped apart by sheer terror.
16:12Day 12 of the extreme cold.
16:14The intercom lights started flashing like crazy.
16:16On the screen, a guy wrapped in a thermal suit showed up.
16:19He was wearing snow goggles.
16:20His chin was covered in stubble.
16:21From his stance?
16:22I could tell he had military training.
16:24Owner of 3201, how about we make a deal?
16:26He took a heavy blue cloth pouch out of his coat and slowly opened it in front of the camera.
16:30Inside was a pile of gold jewelry.
16:31Gold won't keep you warm in the apocalypse.
16:33It actually takes the heat from you.
16:34If you're here to swap it for food, you're in the wrong place.
16:36The man pulled out a combat knife and a pistol from his belt.
16:39Gold might be worthless, but these aren't.
16:41The name's Clark, Unit 11, former special rescue member.
16:44My teammates got a fever.
16:45I need a bottle of amoxicillin.
16:46I don't want to use force.
16:47I'll trade the knife and make two promises for the meds.
16:49My mom studied Mr. Clark on the screen.
16:51She pushed up her glasses.
16:52Deal.
16:52The meds are in the pass-through box.
16:53Keep the knife.
16:54I want to see what you'll do next.
16:55The deal was made quite quickly.
16:57We used the one-way rail system under the door to give the man two boxes of antibiotics
17:01and a pack of vacuum-sealed rations.
17:03Once Mr. Clark received the goods, he gave a slight nod to the camera.
17:06He handled the bodies like a pro.
17:08He hooked their frozen ankles with an iron hook and dragged them into the elevator shaft.
17:12Broken pieces of a fire axe and the ashes were swept clean.
17:14Then Mr. Clark pulled out a small bottle of industrial alcohol from his bag and sprayed
17:18it on the floor for disinfection.
17:19It evaporated fast, taking the stink with it.
17:21The corridor was icy but spotless again.
17:24Mr. Clark aced the first round of the trust test.
17:26My mom put a star next to his name.
17:28That night, we sat by the crackling fireplace, watching the spotless corridor on the monitor.
17:31That long-lost sense of security caused me to sleep like a baby.
17:34The first time, it was an ice age outside, but up in the attic, it was a completely different world.
17:39The once spacious attic was now painted in a mirror silver color.
17:42Rows of LED grow lights glowed pink and purple.
17:44Vegetable in foam boxes were growing like crazy.
17:46The lettuce was thick and green.
17:48Cherry tomatoes and dwarf wheat were thriving.
17:50Grandma's hands trembled as she held the scissors.
17:52She snipped a few tender leaves and dropped them into the soup.
17:55A light herbal scent filled the kitchen.
17:57Hazel, come quickly!
17:58These greens look way better than anything at the market.
18:01This bowl of soup was now more than just food.
18:03We sat under the warm glow of the lights, breathing in oxygen that plants had just produced.
18:07My mom looked at that tiny patch of green and added another line to her notebook.
18:10Resource recycling system, operating normally.
18:12Psych eval, family bonds getting stronger.
18:14Day 20 of the extreme cold.
18:15Thick layer of ice coated the generator's exhaust vent.
18:18It was the residue, fused with frozen vapor.
18:20The RPM was dropping.
18:21We had to shut it down for four hours of maintenance.
18:23My mom looked at the gauges with a serious expression.
18:25We all scrambled into our cold weather gear.
18:27We wrapped ourselves in coats and sleeping bags.
18:29My mom fired up the backup smokeless coal stove.
18:31Such an old heating method.
18:32Wasn't very efficient, but it kept the core area above freezing.
18:35We curled up on the sofa and hugged each other.
18:38White mist could be seen with every breath.
18:40The temperature in the room soon dropped to zero.
18:42To calm grandma down, my mom told stories about her actuary days.
18:45As long as we calculate all angles, then nothing can be a threat to us.
18:48She squeezed my hand.
18:49Her grip was solid and confident.
18:50Four hours later, the generator roared back to life.
18:52Warm air flooded the room again.
18:54I felt the blood flowing in my veins again.
18:56It was the second month of the extreme cold.
18:58At dawn, I scanned the streets below with binoculars.
19:00The snow was over ten feet deep.
19:02Huge white creatures had peered.
19:04Thick silver white fur covered them like armor.
19:06They had long limbs and their claws could be seen.
19:08Mom, those are no stray dogs.
19:09They move in packs across the snow.
19:11When they claw out a frozen body, their jaws could snap the bones like twigs.
19:16The lead giant wolf lifted its head.
19:18Its red eyes locked onto the vents on the 32nd floor.
19:21Heat from the generator formed a rising column.
19:23To these predators, it was a beacon.
19:25It jumped up.
19:26Its claws dug into the facade grooves.
19:28It climbed up slowly but determinedly.
19:30They can smell strangers.
19:31My mom stepped onto the balcony, gripping her compound crossbow.
19:34Hazel, double check every door and window.
19:35Humans are no longer our only enemies.
19:37We're now food to those monsters.
19:39I ran off to secure every door and window.
19:41The mutant wolves were climbing way faster than we thought.
19:43Their claws dug straight into the gaps in the insulation.
19:46When it reached the 15th floor, those blood-red eyes burned with hunger.
19:50Hazel, treat it like a moving target from physics class.
19:52My mom took out a compound crossbow and handed it to me.
19:55It had a scope and carbon fiber bolts.
19:57She slid the window open a little.
19:58Gust of icy wind blew into the room.
20:00Range, 82 meters.
20:02Elevation, 62 degrees.
20:03Wind, moderate.
20:04Northerly.
20:04Aimed two centimeters above its nose.
20:06I held my breath, finger on the trigger.
20:08Through the scope, a giant wolf seemed to slow down.
20:10As my mom gave the order, the carbon bolt ripped through the air.
20:14It punched clean through the lead wolf's left eye.
20:16The force yanked it right off the wall.
20:18The rest of the wolves bolted in panic.
20:20The first threat is neutralized.
20:21One bolt used.
20:22Defensive premium equilibrium.
20:23Accurate calculations and clean executions is what we rely on to survive.
20:26Day 25 of the extreme cold.
20:28A burst of static crackled from the radio.
20:29Mr. Clark's voice was weak and strained.
20:31Martha, I need help.
20:32The frost wolves have eyes on my building.
20:34They've got explosives and I'm injured.
20:36I'm pulling back toward your place.
20:37I held the radio and turned to look at mom.
20:39She snatched a pen and started crunching numbers.
20:41Mr. Clark has provided effective intel three times.
20:43He has cleared 12 bodies.
20:44He can be trusted.
20:45Let's help him.
20:46Hazel, prep the rooftop basket.
20:47Mom, set out the iotaphore, suture kit, and cephoperazone.
20:50Ran to the roof and fired up the industrial winch.
20:53The steel wire basket lowered into the blizzard.
20:55Three minutes later, the line suddenly lurched.
20:57Mr. Clark was inside, half conscious, drenched in dark green slime.
21:00A penetrating wound was on his left shoulder.
21:02I dragged him into the warmed quarantine room.
21:04We had rigged it into a mini operating room.
21:06This warm room was Mr. Clark's last shelter.
21:09When Mr. Clark woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day.
21:11His first reaction was to grab his gun.
21:13But he found his wound had been neatly stitched up.
21:15A steaming bowl of plain rice porridge sat by the bed.
21:17This is the Taylor family's turf.
21:19You're safe now.
21:19She popped the mag, checked it, reloaded, and handed the gun back to Mr. Clark.
21:24Mr. Clark stared at the bowl of porridge.
21:25His Adam's apple bobbed.
21:27Miss Taylor, from now on, my life belongs to you.
21:29My mom nodded and produced the Taylor safe house rules she had drafted overnight.
21:33Mr. Clark, starting today, you're our head of security.
21:36Your duty is to guard the corridor and rooftop and watch for anything off within a three kilometer radius.
21:41We'll provide you with food, water, and meds.
21:43But you must obey my every command.
21:45Mr. Clark scanned the detailed rules, which even listed healthy grams of food would be given per meal.
21:49A helpless smile appeared on his face.
21:50He knew that he had better the chance to survive if he stuck with us.
21:52It was the second month of the extreme cold.
21:54Diesel reserves were running low.
21:56We were burning through fuel faster than any model predicted.
21:58We have to do something.
21:58There's an industrial district.
22:00They would have a backup diesel stash.
22:01If we can bring back 500 L, we can last another three months.
22:04My mom sat at the control desk, giving us the bird's eye view.
22:06Before we headed out, Mr. Clark ran a check on my gear and on the custom trailer that could carry
22:10five drums.
22:10When we pushed open the heavy fire door and stepped outside, I felt like my lungs were filled with needles.
22:16I was no longer familiar with the city.
22:18Follow my footprints.
22:19Stay clear of manhole covers.
22:20With every step, Mr. Clark probed the snow with a crowbar.
22:23Mom's voice sounded in my Bluetooth earphones.
22:25Hazel, two o'clock.
22:27There's an overturned truck.
22:29Watch the glass shards.
22:31Wind's picking up.
22:31You've got a 45-minute window.
22:33Countdown starts now.
22:34In this white, silent world, every extra second out here was torture.
22:38We were about 200 meters from the gas station when Mr. Clark signaled for me to stop.
22:41He dropped into a crouch, half his body disappearing into the snow.
22:44I copied him instantly.
22:45The drone's overhead feed showed four thugs prying at the fuel tank lid.
22:49Miss Taylor, they've got heavy crowbars.
22:51It's already halfway open.
22:52If we don't drop them now, they'll grab all the diesel.
22:55Don't go head-to-head with them.
22:56We can use our chemistry knowledge.
22:57Hazel, you've got potassium for manganate and glycerin in your bag.
22:59Use the ratio I taught you and whip up a smoke bomb.
23:02Toss it up, wind.
23:02Mr. Clark, take the leader out once chaos hits.
23:05I yanked two vials from my pack and mixed them with pinpoint accuracy.
23:08As I hurled it hard, a cloud of thick black smoke appeared.
23:12The thugs were swallowed by sudden darkness, choking.
23:14Using the smoke as cover, Mr. Clark snuck behind a sentry and dropped him silently into the snow.
23:20The other three panicked, firing crossbow bolts everywhere.
23:22Soon, they all fled.
23:24Mr. Clark connected the hose, pumping the precious black fuel into the barrels.
23:28Killing was just a method to get the supplies we needed.
23:30By the time we brought 500 L's of diesel back home, the sky had turned dark gray.
23:35The two massive drums left deep marks in the snow.
23:38Each breath frosted the inside of my mask.
23:41Wait.
23:42Mr. Clark yanked the tow rope, pointing at a mess of broad tire tracks by the main entrance.
23:46They were carved in deep, with clear stud marks for traction.
23:49No way those came from regular snowmobiles.
23:51These were heavily armored off-road rigs.
23:53Mr. Clark dropped to the snow for a closer look, face darkening.
23:56It's the Frost Wolves.
23:57At least five vehicles.
23:58They've started coordinated raids on upscale blocks.
24:00Miss Taylor looks like they've got their eyes on the luxury complex.
24:03My mom's voice crackled in my earpiece.
24:05Her voice was cold, but serious.
24:06I've got them on the drone feed.
24:07They're sweeping floor by floor, grabbing every scrap of firewood and can of food.
24:11Hazel, Clark, fall back.
24:13Take the maintenance ladder in the elevator shaft.
24:15From now on, we're at DEFCON 1.
24:17We slipped in through the secret tunnel and hit the 32nd floor.
24:20The sudden warmth nearly made my knees buckle.
24:22But my mom didn't let me rest.
24:24She pointed at the live camera feeds.
24:26A squad of men in matching black parkas packed the lobby on the ground floor,
24:30hauling welders and explosives.
24:31They're no ordinary people.
24:33They're coordinated raiders.
24:34My mom highlighted the wolf head emblem on the leader's chest.
24:38They only believe in power.
24:40That mindset could endanger our fortress.
24:42If we go head to head, we've got maybe a 30% chance of winning.
24:46We need to use scarcity economics to fracture their ranks.
24:48I glanced at mom's calm, razor-sharp profile,
24:50realizing what lay ahead was a war for humanity itself, far harsher than the coal.
24:54The Frost Wolves didn't hit the 32nd floor right away.
24:57They first set up a base on the 20th floor.
24:59They had beaten everyone and stolen every last scrap of food.
25:02On the security feed, we saw those bastards were vicious,
25:04but their hierarchy was airtight.
25:05The bottom grunts got nothing but a dribble of watery rice porridge.
25:08Good, my mom muttered.
25:09She pushed her glasses and armed the drone's payload bay.
25:11We didn't drop bombs.
25:12We showered the 20th floor with flyers,
25:15scrawled in bright red markers.
25:16The pitch was simple.
25:17Rad out one member.
25:18Bring his badge to the 32nd floor for two packs of food.
25:23Miss Taylor, you sure this'll work?
25:24Mr. Clark frowned.
25:25They're all on the same team.
25:26When resources are scarce, alliances are nothing.
25:28It's called marginal cost baiting.
25:30To a grunt at the bottom, offing the boss who's been riding them will get them food and freedom.
25:35All it costs is a single treacherous thought.
25:38Soon, my mom's method worked.
25:39On camera, the 20th floor camp erupted into chaos, followed by dull thuds and shrieks.
25:44One member with frostbite all over his body waited until his leader was asleep,
25:47then caved his skull in with a wrench, snatched the metal wolf head badge,
25:50and bolted for the staircase like a lunatic.
25:52He dropped to his knees in front of the heavy steel door,
25:55howling and clawing at it.
25:56Through the slot, my mom passed him two packs of food.
26:01He grabbed them, didn't care they were rock hard,
26:03ripped one open and shoveled it straight into his mouth.
26:05Eyes blazing with post-apocalypse mania.
26:07Just watch, my mom said coldly.
26:09Once he goes back, he'll be a walking billboard.
26:11The Frost Wolves' trust between members was no more.
26:13The battle at Star Bay slid into a weird stalemate.
26:16Because of our plan, the Frost Wolves had to
26:18waste their energy on purges and backstabbing.
26:21Meanwhile, Grandma was also busy.
26:23She dug through those hundreds of boxes of old clothes we'd hoarded
26:26and salvaged piles of cashmere yarn and thermal batting.
26:28Sitting by the fireplace, her fingers flew like lightning,
26:31knitting a dozen thick wool knee pads and fleece gloves with grip dots.
26:34Hazel, you'll need knees when you go out.
26:36If you injure your knees, then you're crippled for life.
26:39She passed me a stack of knee pads.
26:40Her eyes were full of kindness.
26:42My mom looked over the pile of crafts, and her eyes lit up.
26:45Mom, you did a great job.
26:46These are high-value, handmade goods.
26:49That very day, we flew the drone again
26:50and dropped the gear to residents still in the building with a little note.
26:54Give us intel on Frost Wolf ammo, and you'll get one pair of knee pads.
26:58The trade fired the survivors right up.
27:00Neighbors who'd been pissed but didn't dare speak up became our eyes and ears.
27:04Thanks to their tips, Mr. Clark rigged precise booby traps in the corridor,
27:08blowing up two Frost Wolf scouts sneaking upstairs.
27:10Ms. Taylor, what a great move.
27:12Now the whole building's watching those guys for us.
27:15The credit's not mine alone.
27:16Mom handed Grandma a hot drink.
27:18It's a trade.
27:19In this world, brute force only lasts for so long.
27:21Only the people who bring essentials and warmth can really lay down order.
27:25Grandma's knee pads carry more warmth than bullets, which makes them deadlier.
27:28Day 45 of the extreme cold.
27:30Our old radio was hissing with static, then suddenly snagged a faint government channel.
27:34This is the emergency shelter center.
27:35All surviving citizens proceed to the downtown underground city.
27:38Warmth and government rations are available.
27:40Abandon your private shelters.
27:42Grandma's face lit up.
27:43Hazel, the government's coming for us.
27:44Why don't we move there?
27:46There's safety in numbers.
27:47My mom remained on the sofa, writing equations on a scrap of paper.
27:50Five minutes later, she looked up.
27:51There was no joy in her eyes.
27:53Only seriousness.
27:54No, that place is a death trap.
27:56Why?
27:56I asked, baffled.
27:57The numbers don't add up.
27:58Mom turned the notebook for us to see.
28:00They say the shelter holds 500 that's and people.
28:03At our city's survival rate, at least 3 million will flood in.
28:06The oxygen system, waste processing, the power supply, none of it can handle that load.
28:11Foods, the killer.
28:12With broken supply lines, everyone inside gets under 200 grams of starch blocks a day.
28:17That's not a rescue.
28:18It's hurting people together for a quiet massacre.
28:21My mom stood up, staring at the white world outside.
28:24When resources are fixed, the denser the crowd, the likelier individuals would be sacrificed.
28:28We stay in Star Bay.
28:29It might be isolated, but we control all the resources.
28:32Going there, we'd just be expendables to them.
28:34Mr. Clark nodded too.
28:35A place like the underground city will inevitably turn into gladiatorial arena of survival of
28:39the fittest.
28:40Ms. Taylor's calculation is right.
28:41We shouldn't go.
28:42We turned off the radio.
28:42At that moment, this decision to refuse official rescue was the last of our clear understanding
28:47of this world.
28:48Late at night, the brutal cold outside seemed to hit its limit.
28:51In the pitch black sky, ribbons of green light suddenly bloomed.
28:55They rolled and intertwined overhead.
28:57The aurora.
28:57My mom stood at the bulletproof window.
28:59Her voice, for once, soft.
29:01The atmosphere's hot, cold currents are out of balance, so the geomagnetic field is going
29:05haywire.
29:05Such beauty in the apocalypse shot through with a killing chill.
29:08A gorgeous view like this deserves a feast.
29:10Grandma grinned and began cooking.
29:12My mom popped a precious can of premium Russian luncheon meat.
29:15Mr. Clark added a few frozen wild eggs he had scavenged.
29:18Grandma used the attic-grown lettuce and dried chilies to cook up a steaming plate of greens.
29:23The staple food was rice.
29:24Power and gas had been dead for ages.
29:26Yet we dined on the 32nd floor of Star Bay with the heater humming.
29:30The temperature was set at 23 degrees Celsius.
29:32Mr. Clark felt a little awkward sitting at our table for the first time.
29:35Mom piled him a mountain of rice topped with two thick slices of luncheon meat.
29:39Mr. Clark, you've been working hard lately.
29:41We've got plenty of food for you.
29:42My mom raised a glass of Coke.
29:44Thank you, Miss Taylor.
29:45His voice was a little hoarse.
29:47Eyes fixed on that plate of vivid greens, rimmed with tears.
29:50Out there, that kind of green was a myth.
29:52In here, it was dinner.
29:53Outside, the aurora lights shined over the ruined city.
29:56Countless people froze or starved to death.
29:58Inside, warm amber light wrapped around us.
30:00Spicy hot pot steam curled upward.
30:02Looked at mom and grandma, then at Mr. Clark beside me.
30:05The apocalypse didn't break us.
30:06It just burned away the fake social crap.
30:08We went back to blood relations and promises.
30:10As long as we were still family, this coldness was nothing but scenery to us.
30:15The calmness was ripped apart by the low, booming roar of engines.
30:19Day 48 of the extreme cold through a high-power thermoscope,
30:22I saw five modded heavy off-road trucks spreading out in a fan around the Star Bay building.
30:26Knife-edged snowplows were welded to the grills.
30:28Blinding searchlights glared from the roofs.
30:30Miss Taylor, they've rounded up every stray scumbag nearby.
30:33Mr. Clark checked his rifle safety while giving mom a rapid sit rep.
30:36There's roughly 40 of them.
30:37Their leader is the head of the Frost Wolves.
30:39His name's Scar.
30:40They're loaded with homemade bombs and industrial cutters.
30:42Looks like they're set on busting into the lobby of the ground floor.
30:45My mom didn't panic.
30:46Instead, she pulled out Star Bay's structural blueprints.
30:48A frontal assault is inevitable.
30:49Their supplies have ran out.
30:51If they don't take ours, half of them will freeze to death tonight.
30:53The lobby glass downstairs is reinforced, but a homemade charge will blow right through it.
30:56Hazel, Mr. Clark, abandon the first 10 floors.
30:59Lock every fire door.
31:00Lure them into the shafts and stairwells.
31:03Those tight vertical tubes, their numbers turn into dead weight.
31:06It's the best choice we've got.
31:07Mom noted the energy drain in her notebook.
31:09This time, we burned 3 kilowatt hours and 10 liters of industrial lube.
31:12They flooded into the lobby like a tide.
31:14Mr. Clark, get ready for the next wave.
31:16They're going to use the cutters.
31:18They don't know that.
31:19From the moment they stepped into this building, they had entered my mom's death trap.
31:23In this vertical steel chimney, each floor they climbed would cost them precious stamina and oxygen.
31:28The thugs quickly realized that the fire escapes to the upper floors were sealed by over a dozen steel doors.
31:33Scar, their leader, wasted no time giving orders.
31:35He told a couple of his nimblest guys to climb the elevator shaft.
31:38Few agile members started scrambling up the cables.
31:41They've gone into the shaft.
31:42I kept my eyes on the pressure sensors on the monitor.
31:44Mr. Clark had mounted them on the cable base in advance.
31:46Start the lube plan.
31:48Mom gave the order.
31:49Mr. Clark hit the remote.
31:50All four spray tanks we had hidden in the machine room fired at once.
31:53A torrent of industrial lubricant cascaded down the four main lift cables.
31:57Even at mega to 60 degrees Celsius, that stuff was still very slick.
32:01After that, Mr. Clark hooked a high-voltage discharge module to the cables.
32:05It was stripped from a Tesla battery pack.
32:07The thugs who'd been climbing like monkeys a moment earlier knew something was off.
32:11The instant their hands touched the cables, that greasy mess made it impossible to keep a grip.
32:15Then a blue arc ripped down the steel lines.
32:18Screams echoed through the narrow shaft.
32:21Losing their hold, the thugs dropped.
32:23From various heights and landed hard at the bottom of the shaft.
32:27Take away friction at a blast of high voltage.
32:29And we just wiped out five of their best men.
32:31Repeated setbacks made Scar furious.
32:34They stacked a mountain of junk tires and cheap plastic on the ground floor.
32:37Doused it in gas and lit it up.
32:38The thick, toxic smoke, powered by the chimney effect, rocketed up the vents toward the higher floors.
32:43Ms. Taylor, they're trying to choke us to death!
32:44Mr. Clark's voice sounded through his gas mask, low and muffled.
32:47This tactic is a joke against a modern building.
32:49My mom pushed her glasses and started working the console.
32:52Hazel, switch the air ventilation to reverse and hook that crate of concentrated CS gas to the atomizer heads.
32:57I sprinted to the machine room.
32:59I twisted a cylinder labeled CS tear gas concentrate into the port.
33:02Three giant centrifugal fans roared to life, spinning in reverse.
33:05The rising smoke was blown back down to the 25th floor.
33:09At the same time, air laced with tear gas flooded every floor through the vents.
33:14Contact with it would make one feel like their skin is on fire.
33:17Breathing would cause one to go blind.
33:20Soon the stairwell echoed with coughs and puking.
33:23The raiders quickly dropped their cutters.
33:25They stumbled in the dark like headless chickens trampling on each other.
33:28That's the power of chemistry.
33:29Mom watched the monitors as the figures on the floor writhed in agony.
33:32No bullets needed.
33:33Just change the air composition.
33:34It can destroy their organizational cohesion.
33:36Mr. Clark, prepare for the decapitation strike.
33:38Scar should be hiding on the 10th floor where there's no ventilation.
33:41That's his only way out.
33:42And that's where we'll catch him.
33:43Scar has to die.
33:44If he's alive, he'll always be a threat.
33:46My mom drew a circle on the map.
33:47Her eyes had that cold, number cruncher look only an actuary would have.
33:50Mr. Clark suited up in a lightweight spec ops rig.
33:52Two coils of high tensile Kevlar rope were slung across his back.
33:55He glanced at the blizzard, howling outside the window.
33:57Ms. Taylor, I'll rappel straight down the outside wall to the 10th floor.
34:00At that height, they'll never see someone dropping in from above.
34:03Hazel, you handle the drone.
34:04Use the strobes to blind them.
34:06I'll blast high decibel static through the building's speakers to jam their short-range comms.
34:11Once we move, make it fast and clean.
34:13I piloted the modified drone, easing it down the outside of Star Bay.
34:17Bathed in moonlight and the aurora lights, Mr. Clark slid down the outside wall with practiced ease,
34:22skating past every jutting icicle.
34:24The second my mom hit the static button, deafening white noise flooded every motion sensor speaker in the building.
34:30The roar was ear-splitting.
34:31At the same moment, I jerked the drone to hover outside the balcony of the 10th floor.
34:35Four high-power LED strobes were turned on, turning the room into daylight.
34:39Scar hacking behind.
34:40The curtains was blinded immediately.
34:41He pulled out his homemade shotgun and fired wildly.
34:44At that moment, Mr. Clark broke into the room.
34:48He didn't say anything and just swung his knife.
34:51Scar didn't even have time to close his eyes before a warm jet of blood burst from his neck and
34:55became a red mist in the cold air.
34:57Scar's head was hauled into the lobby on the 20th floor by Mr. Clark.
35:01The thugs who survived the tear gas were now huddled under blankets, shaking.
35:04The instant they saw that head, their will to fight, disappeared.
35:08From now on, Frost Wolves is no more.
35:10Mr. Clark's domineering voice echoed through the silent hallway.
35:13My mom, wrapped in a heavy mink coat, was escorted downstairs by Mr. Clark and me.
35:18She stood among the crowd, pushed her glasses, and opened some files.
35:21My name's Martha Taylor.
35:22I'm the one in charge here.
35:23We don't feed dead weight.
35:25Anyone with a medical license or mechanical repair skills, step up.
35:28Anyone with farming or electrical experience, step up.
35:31Under the threat of death and hunger, the survivors raised their trembling hands.
35:35Good.
35:35Mom jotted their names in her notebook.
35:37Dr. Wallace, Mr. Barton, Mr. Brooks.
35:39You are tier one tech labor.
35:40You live on the 30th floor and have meat with every meal.
35:43Everyone else who's young and fit falls into tier three manual labor.
35:45You'll clear snow and patch the walls.
35:47Do well and you can move up.
35:49As for the ones with criminal records or who just want a free ride.
35:52Mom glanced at the pitch black ice field outside.
35:53Her tone remained flat.
35:54Mr. Clark, toss those last five punks outside.
35:56This is a fortress, not a charity.
35:58Every calorie has to be earned.
36:00The sounds of the five begging for mercy were swallowed by the blizzard.
36:03Star Bay had finally set up a hierarchy.
36:05This new order, built on supplies and skill, was far sturdier than any rule of brute force.
36:09The entire Star Bay building was cleared out and split into zones.
36:12My mom named the place the Taylor Cooperative.
36:15She set up a precise point management system.
36:17Hazel, you don't run a crowd with force.
36:19You bait them with payoff.
36:21She sketched a pyramid on the chalkboard.
36:23The 32nd floor was still the core restricted zone.
36:25Only our family and Mr. Clark lived there.
36:27We kept the generators, the seed bank, and most of the premium supplies.
36:30Floors 30 to 31 were turned into a tech hub.
36:33Dr. Wallace, plus our two mechanics, Mr. Brooks and Mr. Barton, lived there.
36:36They kept everyone healthy, and the building running.
36:39Floors 20 through 29 became the labor zone.
36:41Those guys took turns scavenging fuel and clearing threats nearby.
36:44Mom gave each of them a custom point token.
36:47The amount of food or fuel one was allowed to trade for was labeled specifically.
36:51Betray us, you starve.
36:53Obey us, you live.
36:54Such simple logic is the most effective.
36:56Grandma became the logistics chief.
36:58She and a crew of women built a bigger indoor greenhouse on the 25th floor.
37:02They used scrap plastic to do so.
37:05They composted kitchen waste with water pumped up from the basement.
37:08When people got their first bowl of food, which was a mixture of rice, meat bits, dried vegetables,
37:12many just dropped to their knees and cried.
37:14In a time when morals had collapsed, mom used ice-cold calculus to give these desperate souls the illusion of
37:20order.
37:21Day 60 of the extreme cold.
37:22An armored vehicle pulled up at the building entrance.
37:24It was a matte black armored truck.
37:27The government shelter logo was plastered on the side.
37:29Two envoys climbed out, wrapped in high-tech exo-armor and sealed helmets.
37:33They stopped at the locked steel doors and barked through a megaphone.
37:35Manager of Star Bay, we're here on behalf of the central underground city.
37:39Under emergency regulations, you must hand over all remaining supplies and generators.
37:43Everyone will be relocated.
37:45My mom stood in front of the monitor, sneered, and pressed the intercom.
37:48Relocation, you mean turned into labor for your bunker or maybe forced to dig mines for your rich pals?
37:52We've got no spare supplies, just landmines, locked and loaded.
37:55You should leave.
37:56The envoys clearly didn't expect anyone to defy the authorities.
37:58Ms. Taylor, face reality.
38:00The underground city has real troops and a full industrial base.
38:02Resistance is pointless.
38:04You have 24 hours to comply or you'll face the consequences.
38:07Mr. Clark tightened his grip on the sniper rifle and glanced at my mom.
38:10Ms. Taylor, they're after our resources.
38:12Sure, the underground city's big.
38:13But with this weather, their supply lines are cut too.
38:15They're here to steal our resources.
38:17They're desperate.
38:18If they still had resources to spare, they wouldn't just send two envoys.
38:21They'd kick things off with attack choppers.
38:2224 hours?
38:23That means they're hesitating.
38:25Hazel, haul out that crate of antibiotics we've been hoarding.
38:27We're not surrendering our resources.
38:29We can make a deal with them.
38:30When the envoys knocked on our door again, my mom kept them out and sent Mr. Clark outside
38:34with a crate.
38:35He popped it open in the snow.
38:3650 boxes of amoxicillin, 20 bottles of ibuprofen, and 10 bags of saline were stacked neatly.
38:42Even through their masks, I could hear those two envoys panting.
38:45Call it a welcome gift.
38:46Mom's voice boomed from the speaker.
38:48Right now, you don't lack gold or generators.
38:50You lack meds.
38:51I can keep them coming, but you need to trade for them with what I want.
38:55What do you want?
38:55The envoy asked.
38:56Voice suddenly polite.
38:58Heavy weapons.
38:58Two QJG-02AA guns.
39:01Three crates of grenades and schematics for two nuclear fuel cell interfaces.
39:04Plus intel on whoever's bankrolling the Frostwolves.
39:07The envoys went silent.
39:08Clearly checking with HQ.
39:10That violates protocol.
39:11Rules don't mean anything at minus 70.
39:13Without the meds, then you'll have a hundred extra bodies in your clinic by dawn.
39:17Deal or war?
39:18You've got ten minutes.
39:19The armored truck finally dumped two crates of heavy ammo and left with the medicine.
39:23Mom eyed the brand new guns, turned to Mr. Clark and said,
39:26Mount these weapons on the roof.
39:27They won't let this slide.
39:29They gave in because they needed time.
39:31Once they're ready, they'll come back in a larger scale.
39:34We need to use these weapons and turn Star Bay into a fortress they can't punch through.
39:39Just as we were scrambling to get ready, a weird illness suddenly broke out inside Star Bay.
39:42Two workers on the 25th floor started puking and getting fevers.
39:45But unlike a normal cold, their skin turned to creepy bluish purple,
39:49like ice shards were running through their veins instead of blood.
39:52Ms. Taylor, it's the low-temp mutant virus.
39:54Dr. Wallace, wrapped in a homemade hazmat suit, reported to mom from behind the glass of the observation room.
39:58This virus is most active around negative 40 degrees Celsius.
40:01The infected first feel unbearably hot, then die when their organs flash freeze.
40:05If it spreads, the whole co-op is finished.
40:07Everyone in the building began to panic.
40:08People started eyeing each other with suspicion.
40:10Some even tried to bolt out of the building.
40:12Lock down every passage from the 25th to the 30th floor.
40:15Hazel, take out those 50 crates of antibiotics, the antiviral syrup, and our mountain of vitamin C.
40:19Tell everyone that as long as they stay in quarantine, there's more than enough meds to go around.
40:23Mom took the mic herself, voice steady and commanding.
40:25Listen up, we've got plenty of medicine.
40:27Take your preventive doses on schedule.
40:29And this thing is curable.
40:30Anyone who tries to hide their symptoms will be executed.
40:32Anyone who stirs up trouble will be executed.
40:35Mr. Clark, lead a patrol.
40:36Under that mix of threat and promised meds, the panic miraculously died down.
40:40Mom never had any magic cure.
40:41She had just done the math.
40:42The virus killed the weak, but for the well-nourished, the fatality rate was under 5%.
40:46By doling out those pricey preventatives, we not only kept everyone calm, we also used
40:50the outbreak to weed out every last piece of dead weight.
40:53Just as the outbreak was finally under control, the underground city launched an attack.
40:56But it wasn't armored trucks this time.
40:58It was a full squadron of attack choppers.
41:00They slipped in during a lull in the blizzard, trying to fast rope onto Star Bay's roof.
41:04They just broke the deal!
41:05A glare of the red dots on the radar with cold eyes.
41:06Classic market competition.
41:07Mom took a sip of hot tea calmly.
41:08When looting costs less than trading, war's inevitable.
41:12They think we're just civilians guarding meds.
41:14Mr. Clark is already on the roof.
41:16The two heavy machine guns we got from them roared to life.
41:19From our perch on the 32nd floor, the choppers were already fighting the sub-zero turbulence.
41:24One burst from the AA gun shredded the lead rotor.
41:27A blinding fireball followed.
41:29The birds spiraled into the abyss.
41:31Hazel, set off the thermite traps on the roof!
41:34I pressed the red switch.
41:35A ring of white-hot fire erupted around Star Bay's rooftop.
41:39The heat spike flipped the pressure, kicking up a savage updraft.
41:43The last two choppers were shaking, as if they had hit an invisible wall.
41:47Their instruments went dark, one by one.
41:48The pilots screamed for help, but could only watch the birds lose control as they crashed
41:53into a building nearby.
41:54The deal's off.
41:54Now we must be on the defense.
41:56Mom stood up, eyes on the distant flames.
41:58As of today, Star Bay answers to no one.
42:01We are the new law of this frozen wasteland.
42:03The fireball from the crash flared for only a few seconds in the blizzard before darkness
42:07swallowed it whole.
42:08At dawn, as the first faint light broke over the horizon, I spotted a few giant steel beasts
42:12crawling across the distant snowfield.
42:14They were assault vehicles painted in white camouflage.
42:16The sound of their tires crushing the snow sounded like thunder rolling over the earth.
42:20They had gone all out this time.
42:21Mr. Clark wiped the frost off his face, clutching the binoculars tightly.
42:24Three assault vehicles and two platoons of infantry.
42:27Miss Taylor, with armor that thick, our AA machine guns won't even scratch them.
42:31They're planning to blast our building's foundation.
42:33My mom sat at the command desk.
42:34There was not a hint of panic in her eyes.
42:36She pushed her glasses and pointed at the temperature readout on screen.
42:38It's negative 75 degrees Celsius out there.
42:40Those trucks were built for normal wars.
42:42In this kind of weather, their hydraulics, steel, and lube are all about to crack.
42:47They're only pushing forward because they think we lack heavy weapons.
42:50Mom, what should we do?
42:51My palms were sweating as those monsters kept closing in.
42:54We hit them asynchronously.
42:56Hazel, take out some hydraulic coolant and concentrated liquid nitrogen.
43:01Mr. Clark, tell every co-op member to get to basement level two.
43:04We're turning the ground floor of Star Bay into a deep freeze that'll shatter their vehicles.
43:08Facing a sweep by a regular army.
43:09People in Star Bay were in turmoil.
43:11Those former thugs and ordinary citizens stared at the distant vehicles with despair all over the faces.
43:16Some even suggested opening the gates and surrendering just to stay alive.
43:19My mom sat at a co-op broadcaster.
43:20Her voice booming through loudspeakers on every floor.
43:23Everyone, the envoys from Underground City, have made it clear.
43:25They want the supplies and the generators, not you.
43:28In their math, you're a negative number on the ration spreadsheet.
43:30If you go with them, your only role is slave labor in the mines.
43:34Or be left for dead when the food runs out.
43:35But here, in the Taylor Cooperative, as long as you pick up a weapon,
43:38then you'll have hot food, dignity, and the right to stay alive.
43:41My mom's words crushed their illusions and dreams.
43:44Mr. Clark, hand out the guns.
43:46We dragged out the grenades we've recently got.
43:48Plus piles of homemade molotovs and steel crossbows.
43:50The workers who had been cowering a minute ago burst into raw savagery under the threat of death.
43:55As long as Star Bay stands, no one will starve!
43:57Dr. Wallace was the first to shout,
43:58Those once selfish, greedy, petty people locked ranks for the very first time.
44:02With brutal honesty, Mom laid out the numbers and pulled off the tightest, fastest pre-battle rally ever.
44:05The first armored truck plowed straight through the compound wall.
44:08The giant cambell slowly settled.
44:10It threw in on the ground floor lobby of Star Bay.
44:11Using its own weight, it tried to ram the main doors.
44:13Now!
44:14My mom roared over the radio.
44:15Mr. Clark charged in with a team behind him.
44:17They erupted from a pre-dust sewage tunnel on the flank.
44:19They didn't have any explosives on them.
44:20Just a few massive industrial liquid nitrogen tanks roll along.
44:23In an ironed of 973-3, the nitrogen spray made a temperature around it drop drastically.
44:27The truck cracked and almost already brittle from the cold.
44:29Under the influence of the liquid nitrogen, began to screech loudly.
44:33That's the physics of cold embrittlement.
44:35Under such brutal temperature swings, alloy steel turns as fragile as glass.
44:39Spotting his moment, Mr. Clark lifted a weighted industrial sledgehammer
44:42and smashed it down on the track joint with a sharp metallic cracking sound.
44:47The assault vehicle, which weighed tons, cracked into pieces.
44:50After being immobilized, it was now a steel coffin in the snow.
44:53Members of the co-op poured a gas cocktail from above.
44:56The flames couldn't melt that armor.
44:57But the whiplash of heat against deep freeze made the viewing ports blow out one after another.
45:01Their commander could only watch helplessly as the vehicle was turned to scrap.
45:05Seeing a ground assault bogged down, the underground city commander ordered the last two choppers to skim low
45:10to cover the rooftop and the repelling troops with machine gun fire.
45:13Hazel, bring out the big surprise we've prepared for three years.
45:16It was a crate of high-density display fireworks.
45:18Um, snagged them back the start.
45:19The apocalypses were no ordinary fireworks.
45:21They were pro-grade flame jets used in big shows.
45:23Um, you really think these can take down a helicopter?
45:25I wasn't so sure.
45:26They don't have to punch through the fuselage.
45:27Just blind the heights and scramble their senses.
45:28Up here, the hot and gold air currents are a mess.
45:30A burst of metal powder makes a brutal heat bubble that chokes a turbine in seconds.
45:35And fries the infrared sensors immediately.
45:37When the choppers hovered at less than 20 meters overhead, I hit the remote.
45:41Dozens of fireworks shot towards the sky, detonating right under the rotors.
45:45Lazing white fireballs bloomed like tiny suns.
45:48The glare stunned the pilots for a moment.
45:50But the real filler was magnesium-aluminous ash sucked into the intakes, triggering catastrophic mechanical failure.
45:55The birds spiraled out of control like a hammered trunk.
45:58Its tail smashed a delighting wrong roof.
46:00With a hopeless roar, it cartwheeled into the office building across the street,
46:03scrawling a brief, brilliant streak of fire across the gray sky.
46:06The attackers were completely crippled.
46:08Broken tanks and burning wreckage littered the snowfields.
46:11The remaining infantry were stuck out there at minus 70.
46:13Their morale had hit an all-time low.
46:15With no supplies or heat, if they don't get back to Underground City within an hour, they would freeze to
46:19death.
46:19Mom had Mr. Clark set up a huge screen at the entrance.
46:22There was no threat on it.
46:23There was just a detailed map.
46:25It tagged three hidden supply caches around Underground City.
46:27A thundering loudspeaker carried our offer.
46:30Commander, this is Martha Taylor.
46:32You know exactly what that unit of yours is worth.
46:34Instead of letting them die in a pointless siege, how about we make a deal?
46:38The enemy commander's reply crackled over the public channel.
46:40He sounded lost and exhausted.
46:41What do you want?
46:42We want access to your city's energy nodes.
46:44In return, I'll hand over the locations of those three caches.
46:47They're packed with antibiotics and concentrated fuel, enough to squash the outbreak in your city.
46:52Plus, Star Bay gets official status as an independent district.
46:54We mind our own business, but trade when needed.
46:56My mom played a dangerous game.
46:58Those three spots did have supplies, but they were all booby-trapped.
47:01But at that moment, facing total annihilation, Underground City had no choice.
47:05Deal.
47:06The commander's tone finally softened.
47:07In this fight, Mom won with almost no losses and bought the cooperative 10 years of legal standing.
47:12Three days after the deal, the Underground City.
47:14Convoy returned to Star Bay, but this time, they weren't hauling ammo.
47:17They brought precision parts and high-grade industrial alcohol.
47:20Star Bay was officially renamed the Taylor Zone.
47:22Mom met the city's liaison in the living room on the 32nd floor.
47:25She held a steaming cup of tea.
47:26The liaison stared at the fresh lettuce on the table.
47:28He swallowed.
47:30Ms. Taylor, our experts are curious about how you set this place up.
47:34How are your living standards so high when resources are so scarce?
47:37Through actuarial science, every habit gets a calorie audit.
47:40Every input has to equal output.
47:42In your world, people are dead weight.
47:44In mine, people are part of the cycle.
47:46Now everyone in the cooperative is fired up.
47:48They just have to mind the greenhouse and patrol the corridors.
47:51Mr. Clark had become the Zone's official instructor.
47:53He trained all the young and strong male members.
47:54With just a calculator, Mom carved us a slice of land out of these ruins.
47:59Day 70 of the extreme cold.
48:00Something worth celebrating had happened in Star Bay.
48:02Dr. Wallace, the woman Mr. Clark saved whilst on patrol, after working together for weeks.
48:06The two of them developed feelings for each other.
48:08Mom decided to throw them a simple wedding.
48:10It was in the hall on the 30th floor.
48:11There was no wedding dress, no fresh flowers.
48:13Everyone showed up in their tidiest parkas, a red plastic blossom pinned to each chest.
48:16Grandma took out her most valuable treasure, a few pounds of flour and some butter.
48:20She personally baked a big and tasty cake.
48:22Just to stay alive in the apocalypse and still meet the one you'd spend forever with was a true blessing.
48:26Grandma smiled as she wiped her tears.
48:27Mom stood up front as the witness.
48:29She raised a glass of sparkling water.
48:31Here in the Taylor Cooperative, marriage means sharing every risk and living a happy life together.
48:35May your love last forever.
48:37The hall erupted in applause.
48:39That day, everyone got a tiny slice of cake.
48:41That long-lost buttery sweetness made most people's eyes turned red.
48:45Outside, it was minus 70 degrees Celsius.
48:47Inside was the glow of the warm lights.
48:49For a moment, we almost forgot it was the apocalypse.
48:52It was the third year of the extreme cold.
48:53There was a tiny bump on the temp chart.
48:55Mom, look!
48:56I pointed to the screen.
48:57The temperature's gone up to minus 40 degrees Celsius.
48:5940 degrees Celsius.
49:00Sack for the apocalypse.
49:01That was hell.
49:02Now, it felt like the first hint of spring.
49:04Throw on a lighter parka and took Mr. Clark's recon team with me.
49:06This outside star-based mean gate for the first time.
49:08The snow was still thick, but that cold wind had finally eased.
49:13In one corner of the garden, a weird pale purple shimmer caught my eye.
49:16Under a thick layer of ice, a plant had broken through.
49:19Its tiny green tip shined under the sunlight.
49:21Life would always find a way.
49:23Mr. Clark crouched down.
49:24His rough fingers brushed the green.
49:26Miss Taylor was right.
49:27As long as we survive the coldest days, the rest is just rebuilding.
49:30I took out my camera.
49:31Took a picture of the first plant after the apocalypse.
49:33That day, everyone in Star Bay rushed to the windows.
49:36When they saw us returning with that pot of sprouting grass, the whole building exploded with cheers.
49:41We didn't just survive.
49:43We caught the first spark of new life.
49:45As the temperature slowly rose, mom tweaked the cooperative's development plan.
49:48Supplies would run out, but knowledge and productivity wouldn't.
49:51She started an apocalypse school inside the co-op.
49:53Grandma taught the women to turn scrap clothes into gear and make compos.
49:55Mr. Clark showed the men how to keep the machines running and stay alive outdoors.
49:58Dr. Wallace ran basic first aid classes.
50:01And mom personally taught the surviving kids math and logic.
50:04Why are we learning such things?
50:05A little boy clutching dry biscuit asked,
50:07It's nothing but snow outside.
50:09Will math scare off mutant wolves?
50:10Mom patted his head calmly.
50:12That won't kill wolves, but it'll tell you the odds of a pack showing up.
50:15Logic keeps you clear-headed when everyone else is losing it.
50:18Civilization isn't a skyscraper.
50:19It's how we make sense of the world in our heads.
50:21The co-op started expanding outward.
50:23Using the underground city's heavy machinery, we cleared the nearby streets and set up small settlements that could back each
50:28other up.
50:29Star Bay was no longer a fortress cut off in the world.
50:31It became a beacon that lit up the surrounding area.
50:33Mom still wrote in that old notebook every day.
50:36She was crunching numbers on food and on the future.
50:38She wanted to combine the survival tips into a set of rules to be passed down.
50:42Three more years passed in the blink of an eye.
50:44I stood on the rooftop of Star Bay.
50:45I was already 26.
50:47The temperature had gone up to minus 10 degrees Celsius.
50:48The sky was no longer that dark gray color.
50:50In the distance, the snow was melting, revealing the outline of a ruined city.
50:53Snowmobiles zipped through the streets and smoke curled from chimneys.
50:56Were telling me that mankind were taking back their lands.
50:59Hazel, don't stay up there for too long.
51:00Grandma made some pork.
51:02Come have some.
51:02Mom's voice echoed in the stairwell.
51:04She still sounded calm like before.
51:05Turned around and saw Mom and Grandma at the door.
51:08Grandma had aged a lot, but she still looked energetic.
51:10Mom had a few more streaks of gray hair.
51:12Yet those eyes behind her glasses still gleamed with wisdom of an actuary.
51:16Mr. Clark was downstairs training the new guards.
51:18Dr. Wallace and his daughter were in the rooftop greenhouse picking our first strawberries.
51:22Mom, you said that the apocalypse was a test of humanity.
51:25I wrapped my arms around hers.
51:26Mom, you said that the apocalypse was a test of our humanity.
51:29No, it's just one massive ledger.
51:31It erases every phony value and leaves only what's real.
51:34Blood, courage, and the urge to survive.
51:37We never saved the world.
51:38We've only saved ourselves.
51:40I gave Star Bay, the building that sheltered us, for six years one last look.
51:43In my past life, I died from the cold and betrayal.
51:46This time, I used my knowledge to build a fortress that no one could break through.
51:49No matter what the future was like, as long as we had family, as long as we had hope, life
51:54would always carry on.
52:00You said that the next one was like, why is it all going to have to be an innovation?
52:00Gracias.
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