- 6 hours ago
Apocalypse Survival Guide Chinese
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Short filmTranscript
00:01I could never forget the pain when I died of starvation during my previous life.
00:05The temperature was negative 70 degrees Celsius.
00:07My family huddled together.
00:09My uncle and his family took the last bit of rations.
00:12My mom was an actuary and dealt with numbers her whole life.
00:15In order to spare me a warm drink, she froze to death in a negative 50 degrees Celsius warehouse.
00:19Hazel, wake up. Look at this set of data.
00:21A cold voice brought me back to my senses.
00:23I quickly raised my head and found myself behind the counter.
00:26The AC was blowing out a cool breeze.
00:28The sunlight poured through the windows.
00:31My mom, Martha Taylor, was wearing a white shirt.
00:34She frowned as she looked at an Excel table.
00:36It was 15 June, 2025.
00:38There were only 45 days before the ice ages.
00:41Mom, my voice was hoarse.
00:42Tears welled up in my eyes.
00:44Don't cry, honey. Listen to me.
00:45My mom kept her head down as her fingers tapped on the keyboard.
00:48Ever since last week, there's been a weird trend in global commodity trading.
00:52Shipments of food, fuel, and antibiotics have dropped by 85%.
00:56Yet prices are being stabilized through false transactions.
00:59That just doesn't make sense.
01:00Unless someone's cutting off global supply chains, social order will collapse due to the lack of supplies in the next
01:06two months.
01:07Mom, what if I told you the temperature will reach 50 degrees Celsius in 45 days, then drop rapidly to
01:11negative 70 degrees Celsius?
01:12Would you believe me?
01:13She stopped typing and turned to me.
01:15She didn't think I was crazy like the others.
01:17She pushed up her glasses and asked calmly,
01:19How long will the cold last?
01:20I don't know.
01:21I died after three months and the temperature continued to drop.
01:24I see.
01:24My mom closed her laptop.
01:25A ruthless look appeared in her eyes.
01:27Everything makes sense now.
01:28If it's going to get cold, then our store will definitely be a target.
01:31The ground floor isn't safe.
01:32We must move.
01:33Hazel, according to your memories, we need a sealed, high elevation, fortress-level shelter.
01:39We need to list every asset we own.
01:41I quickly got a pen and some paper, besides Taylor Mart, which we ran for 10 years.
01:45We also have an old downtown apartment, and there's my mom's investment products.
01:49The stocks we have are worth about $100K.
01:50The old apartment is worth about $200K.
01:52Investments and savings total about $400K.
01:55Plus, the credit cards and personal loans will have around $800K in cash.
01:58That's not enough.
01:59When order collapses, this is nowhere near enough.
02:02We need to liquidate all our assets.
02:03How, mom?
02:04Loans and mortgages.
02:06Go apply for every business loan we can.
02:08Before the banks notice, there's a supply chain failure.
02:11We need to turn the money we have into supplies.
02:13My mom stood up and looked at the shelves in the store.
02:16From now on, the store is closed for inventory.
02:18We won't sell a thing.
02:20We need to move everything into our fortress.
02:22We got straight to work.
02:24My mom went to banks to gather loans, while I went to look for a fortress.
02:28I chose the best neighborhood in the city, the 32nd floor of Star Bay.
02:31It's the top floor, so there's only one apartment with a massive loft and a private rooftop deck.
02:35Most importantly, the developer installed a bulletproof door, normally used in banks.
02:40The walls were 10 centimeters thicker than normal walls.
02:42My mom signed a three-year lease at a high price and gave the landlord a sum of money so
02:47that we could reinforce the walls.
02:49This will be our fortress.
02:51My mom stood on the balcony and looked at the city with a fixed stack of contracts in her hand.
02:55Hazel, we just received $500,000 in loans, plus our savings.
02:59That's $800,000.
03:00We must turn all the money into supplies within 15 days.
03:03The next couple of days were a race for survival.
03:06I drove our van to its limits.
03:08I didn't go to the big markets.
03:10Only fools would do that.
03:11My mom used her connections as an actuary to contact the major food factories and medical wholesalers.
03:16The first delivery was 3,000 boxes of pot noodles and 500 sacks of rice, each weighing 25 kilograms.
03:21When all these things arrived in the huge living room, the sight gave me goosebumps.
03:26The sacks of rice were piled up, leaving only a small gap to walk through.
03:29Only carbohydrates aren't enough.
03:31My mom held a notebook looking like a strict general.
03:34We need fat and protein.
03:35Go order 500 cases of luncheon meat, 1,000 cans of meat sauce, plus dehydrated vegetables.
03:40We shouldn't rely on fresh greens.
03:41Once the temperature drops, the dehydrated vegetables will be golden.
03:45My mom was even stricter about the medicine.
03:47She didn't just buy any random medicine.
03:48She used her connections to buy ibuprofen, antibiotics, and huge amounts of iodophor.
03:54Under extreme temperatures, even a small cold could be lethal.
03:57We also cleared out all our store's stock overnight.
04:00We didn't use the lift because we didn't want to raise any suspicions.
04:03I hired a dozen people who didn't know each other and said we were moving our boss's stuff
04:07and hauled everything up 32 floors in shifts.
04:09Every single room in the apartment, even the bathtub, was filled with goods.
04:16Seeing the large apartment filled with goods, I had an unusual feeling of security.
04:22These weren't just goods.
04:23These were our bargain gems in the upcoming apocalypse.
04:26Just when we were moving the last 50 gallons of water, an uninvited guest showed up at the
04:29store entrance.
04:30It was my ex-husband, Andy Burke.
04:32He was the guy who sold me for half a loaf of bread during my previous life.
04:35Andy was wearing a suit and was leaning against the car he bought with a car loan.
04:39He looked at the store disdainfully.
04:41Why did you close the store, Hazel?
04:42My mom was planning to come to buy some whiskey tomorrow.
04:44Go get some out of your stock.
04:46I looked at his arrogant face and nearly crushed the tape cutter in my hand.
04:50Memories of my previous life flashed in my mind.
04:52My mom went down on her knees in the snow to beg him to save me some water, but he
04:55just
04:56kicked her aside.
04:56We've been divorced for six months, Andy.
04:58I looked at him with cold eyes.
04:59Nothing in this store has anything to do with you.
05:02Hey, how could you say that?
05:03Are we not a family just because we're divorced?
05:05I'm only here because my mom speaks highly of you.
05:06By the way, why are the shelves empty?
05:08Are you trying to move your assets and dodge taxes?
05:10I'm warning you, my uncle works at the Business Bureau.
05:12Andy was just a leech.
05:14He didn't care about the unusual weather.
05:16He only cared about whether he could leech off others.
05:19My mom walked out of the store with a list of unpaid bills in her hand.
05:22Andy, you're here just in time.
05:24You borrowed $50,000 from Hazel when you divorced her, plus all the things your mom took from
05:28us over the past six months.
05:29It totals to $55,000.
05:31Sign here.
05:32If you don't pay us back, I'll take this to court and have your BMW confiscate it.
05:36My mom's voice wasn't loud, but it was very authoritative.
05:40Andy was stunned.
05:41Mrs. Taylor, you must be joking, right?
05:43The money.
05:43Who's joking?
05:44Call the police, Hazel.
05:46Tell them that there's a thief.
05:48My mom picked up her phone indifferently.
05:50Andy started to feel afraid under my mom's cold gaze.
05:52He spat on the ground and cursed.
05:54You two are so unbelievable.
05:56You can keep all your crap.
05:58My mom was right.
05:59You're just a jinx.
06:00This store will definitely close down soon.
06:02I watched as he drove away.
06:02My mom breathed a sigh of relief.
06:04It's better to sever ties with someone like him.
06:06Now, we need to deal with our fortress.
06:08My mom found someone who designed bank vaults to add insulating layers to all the walls,
06:13making them 20 centimeters thick.
06:15The windows were switched to bulletproof glass.
06:18The most important thing was the heating system.
06:20Star Bay had underfloor heating, but under extreme weather, the power and gas supplies
06:22will definitely be cut off.
06:24My mom installed a small diesel generator in the loft and three 1,000 liter tanks.
06:29To not raise suspicion, the tanks were disguised as water tanks.
06:32They were slowly moved upstairs on pickup trucks.
06:35Remember, Hazel, in the apocalypse, heat means survival.
06:38My mom pointed to a corner in the living room.
06:40There were 500 sets of body warmers and countless thick duvets.
06:45By then, there were only one day's left before the apocalypse.
06:48The temperature outside was around 40 degrees Celsius.
06:50People were complaining about their electricity bills.
06:52What they didn't know was that this heat was the last bit of warmth they would experience.
06:5525 July, 2025.
06:57The temperature reached 48 degrees Celsius.
06:59The asphalt streets were starting to melt.
07:01People outside looked dehydrated.
07:03Everyone was storming the markets for ice and bottled water.
07:06A bottle that used to cost 30 cents came to $1.40 on the black market.
07:10But mom, grandma, and I were holed up in our fortress at Star Bay.
07:14The A.C. hummed quietly, holding the room at a comfy 24 degrees Celsius.
07:18Grandma bustled around the big kitchen, tossing dried mushrooms from our stash and canned luncheon
07:21into a sizzling stir fry.
07:23It smelled amazing.
07:24Eat up, Hazel.
07:25It'd be a shame to let all this food go to waste.
07:28Grandma placed food in my bowl joyfully.
07:30She still didn't know about the apocalypse.
07:31She just thought that my mom and I made a fortune.
07:33Mom sat at the table, sipping a glass of Coke, while scrolling through the resident's group chat.
07:37The Star Bay group chat was blowing up.
07:39Unit 302, resident.
07:40At management.
07:41What's going on?
07:42The elevator's out again.
07:43The ice I just bought melted before I even got home.
07:46Property manager.
07:47We're sorry.
07:47The usage is insane.
07:48Two transformers blue.
07:49We're on it.
07:50Unit 2501, resident.
07:51It's so hot.
07:52My kids already got heat stroke.
07:54I heard the residents on the top floor have generators.
07:56Can I borrow one?
07:56I can pay you.
07:57My mom sneered at her phone and just left the group chat.
08:01Borrow?
08:01I might never get the generator back.
08:03My mom said calmly.
08:04Right now, it's just the heat wave.
08:06And no one's stepped over the line.
08:07When the temperature drops, people will show their true colors.
08:10At that moment, the doorbell rang.
08:12The surveillance showed a woman in a silk nightgown standing outside.
08:15She lived on the 28th floor and claimed she was a KOL.
08:18She was always sending photos of her designer bags in the group chat.
08:21Anybody home?
08:22I know you've got water.
08:23She forced a smile at the camera.
08:25I don't have any water left.
08:26Can you spare me some?
08:28I can give you $100 for the water.
08:30I stood behind three layers of steel doors.
08:32My voice was cold.
08:33We don't have any.
08:34Get lost.
08:35What the hell's wrong with you?
08:36We're all neighbors here.
08:37Can't you help us out?
08:38I saw you moving all bottled water upstairs.
08:41Can't you spare me some?
08:42Do you know how many followers I have?
08:44One video and they'll overwhelm you.
08:46I pressed the mute button.
08:48My mom walked over and patted my head.
08:50You did the right thing.
08:51Remember, Hazel, the first rule of an actuary.
08:53When resources are limited, the core unit survives first.
08:57Everyone else is just expendable data.
08:59That night, we lost all signals.
09:02The city went dark.
09:03The only faint light was from our house.
09:06The diesel generator was idling.
09:08My mom pulled out a notebook.
09:10Its pages crammed with notes.
09:12Diesel stock, 3,000 L's.
09:14Estimated to last for 18 months.
09:16Fresh water, 5 tons.
09:17With recycler on, it's estimated to last for 24 months.
09:20Food, at 2,000 calories a day.
09:21It's estimated to last for 48 months.
09:23Let's get some rest, Hazel.
09:25My mom closed the notebook.
09:26The world's going to be different tomorrow.
09:28The cold woke me up.
09:30Even with the heating and thick duvet, I could still feel the cold.
09:34I jumped out of bed and ran to the balcony.
09:36Through layers of insulation and bulletproof glass,
09:39I saw something I would never forget.
09:41The city that was hot and muggy last night
09:42was now buried under a thick layer of frost.
09:45The sky wasn't dark blue, but a weird shade of dark gray.
09:49The thermometer outside had already frozen and shattered.
09:52But my mom installed a digital one indoors.
09:54Outdoor, negative 72.5 degrees Celsius.
09:56Inside, 22 degrees Celsius.
09:58The once-busy street below had vanished.
10:01Every car was frozen in the middle of the road,
10:03like rows of metal coffins.
10:04There were figures by the side of the road.
10:06They were people who tried to escape the heat outdoors.
10:08They didn't even have time to scream
10:10before they were frozen on the streets.
10:12Oh my god.
10:13Grandma stood behind me, staring out the window.
10:15The glass in her hand slipped and shattered on the floor.
10:17It's all right, Grandma, I said as I held her.
10:19We've got food and heating.
10:20My mom walked over with some hot tea.
10:23The first cold wave is the worst.
10:25The power, water, and gas systems all failed at 2 a.m.
10:29Right now, the whole city's a giant freezer.
10:32That was when a dull thud sounded at our door.
10:35Bang, bang, bang!
10:37Someone was trying to break in.
10:39The surveillance showed that the corridor was packed.
10:41The once-elegant residents were now wearing curtains and carpets.
10:44Some even ripped apart their leather sofa.
10:46Their faces were pale and their eyes wild.
10:49Open up! Open up!
10:51We know you have a generator.
10:52You can't just stand by and do nothing.
10:54We're freezing out here.
10:55Let us inside.
10:56My mom walked over and pressed a button.
10:59It was the intercom that we had installed.
11:02Guys, this is a bank-level security door.
11:04All gaps are sealed using aerogel.
11:06If you keep this up, you'll all die of heat loss
11:09instead of opening the door.
11:11It's negative 70 out there right now.
11:13I'd suggest you all go home and put more clothes on.
11:16Maybe then you can survive a little longer.
11:19My mom's voice was indifferent, like a machine.
11:22You bitch!
11:23You've got so many resources.
11:24What's wrong with sharing some?
11:26Andy's voice sounded from the crowd.
11:28He's here as well?
11:29Andy, if you're still yelling, then it's not that cold.
11:32Have you ever thought this would happen
11:33when you took my water in my previous life?
11:35What the hell are you talking about?
11:36Open the door!
11:37I'm your husband!
11:37My mom turned off the intercom.
11:39She turned to the kitchen and asked grandma,
11:41Mom, what do you want for lunch?
11:43That crate of Kobe beef is brand new.
11:45Let's make some steak and add more butter for extra calories.
11:48Outside, the wind roared like a chorus of wailing ghosts.
11:52Inside, steaks sizzled in the pan
11:54and the smell of butter filled the room.
11:57It was the scent of life.
11:58Watching mom calmly flip the steaks,
12:00I suddenly understood something.
12:02The apocalypse wasn't about saving the world.
12:04It was about being able to have warm food in this cold weather
12:07and keeping my family safe.
12:08As long as this door remained closed,
12:10we would be the last survivors on this frozen planet.
12:12The blows on the bulletproof door were heavy and chaotic.
12:15Through the camera, I saw Andy panting
12:17as he swung a huge fire axe with both hands
12:20as he tried to bust open the door.
12:22Hazel, open up!
12:23I own half the house as well!
12:25But he ignored a basic law of physics.
12:26At negative 70 degrees Celsius,
12:28regular carbon steel would become brittle.
12:30On his 40th swing at the door,
12:33the axe shattered.
12:35A shard cut into Andy's thigh.
12:37Dark green fluid crystallized midair.
12:39Andy felt no pain at first.
12:41Not until his pant legs stiffened.
12:43A few neighbors crept closer.
12:45They had starved for three whole days.
12:47They had become hungry beasts.
12:49Andy's scream cut off.
12:51My mom covered grandma's eyes
12:52and walked her back to the warm bedroom.
12:54That's nature.
12:55My mom handed me a glass of Coke.
12:57When supplies are running out,
12:58only those who have basic knowledge
13:00and can keep calm
13:01will earn the right to survive.
13:02It was the fifth day of the extreme cold.
13:04Order downstairs had totally collapsed.
13:06Property manager Gary Wilson
13:07used the spare keys he had
13:08and the riot shields from the storage room
13:10to summon all the guards
13:11and control the ground floor.
13:12Residents of 3201, listen up!
13:14This is Gary Wilson from property management.
13:15Because you refused to share your supplies
13:17and caused other residents to be in danger,
13:19we've cut off your water supply.
13:20You either open the door or die of thirst.
13:23My mom's listening to the broadcast
13:24as she peeled a hard-boiled egg for grandma.
13:26She pointed at the pressure chart on her phone.
13:28Mom, he's shut off the main valve.
13:29He knows nothing about physics or plumbing.
13:31Shutting off the valve to the top floor
13:33will only jack up the pressure on the lower floors.
13:35Our five-ton storage tank is an isolated system.
13:37The pump runs on the generator.
13:38Totally off-grid.
13:39As for our excretion,
13:40my mom installed a biodegradable toilet.
13:42At that moment,
13:43Gary's scream came from the surveillance.
13:44He forced open the fire hydrant on the 31st floor.
13:46As he tried to spray water upward,
13:48the water froze instantly.
13:50Gary immediately became an ice statue.
13:52The guards were terrified.
13:53They dropped their shields and fled.
13:55The air in the corridor kept getting nastier.
13:57At negative 70,
13:58bacteria couldn't multiply.
13:59But a heavy, hopeless vibe
14:01was spreading through the building.
14:02Peaked through the peephole.
14:03A few frozen corpses were stacked in the corridor.
14:05These elites had become nothing but obstacles.
14:08The KOL on the 28th floor
14:09was wrapped in Hermes carpet.
14:10Kneeling pathetically at the neighbor's door,
14:11she pounded on the door with her cold hands.
14:13There was only silence.
14:14In the dead of night,
14:15some neighbors torched a leather sofa
14:17as they tried to warm themselves up.
14:18Black smoke went up the vent shaft.
14:20The smoke alarm screeched like crazy.
14:22Grandma was terrified.
14:24It's alright.
14:24Close the internal circulation.
14:26Hazel, switch on the pressure defense mode.
14:27I immediately pressed a button on the control panel.
14:29The variable speed motor roared to life.
14:31The airflow pushed the smoke back into the corridor.
14:33The arsonists almost choked on the smoke they created.
14:35Meanwhile,
14:36we were sitting in our living room,
14:37which was at 22 degrees Celsius,
14:38as you flip through an old cookbook.
14:39To see how the people outside were holding up,
14:41my mom decided to do an experiment.
14:42She took out a drone fitted with a low-temp battery.
14:45I strapped a pack of expired hardtack to the landing gear
14:47and tied on a bright red ribbon so everyone could see it.
14:50Hazel, keep your eyes on the feet.
14:51Log every reaction at every window.
14:53The drone flew out the window
14:54and over the once luxurious community.
14:56Most of the French windows were already shattered,
14:57patched with soggy cardboard and grimy sheets.
15:00When the drone hovered outside a window on the 12th floor,
15:02a guy went nuts and lunged onto the balcony.
15:04He reached for the biscuits
15:05and forgot about the ice piled up along the edge.
15:08He went over and slammed into the snow 10 stories down.
15:11The rest of the survivors went crazy after that.
15:13Some took out a slingshot and tried to shoot the drone down.
15:15Others waved frantically,
15:16screaming for help,
15:17using every bit of that feedback.
15:18My mom calmly marked crosses and tickets on her spreadsheet.
15:211201, adult male, mid-level threat.
15:232005, gang cluster, high-risk threat.
15:25The food wasn't charity.
15:27That pack of biscuits was pure bait,
15:30drawing out anyone who might endanger our fortress
15:31so we could tag them one by one.
15:33Frontal assault didn't work.
15:35The scavengers started looking for a way in from below.
15:37Late at night, a power drill whirred under the floor.
15:39Grandma was taking a nap,
15:41hugging a hot water sack.
15:41The sound was razor sharp.
15:43Mom, the people on the 31st floor are drooling their ceiling.
15:45I clenched my compound crossbow,
15:46palms slick with sweat.
15:48But my mom remained calm.
15:49She pointed to the renovation log we kept.
15:51I put manganese steel plates under the concrete
15:53and packed in high-density fire-retardant insulation.
15:56It would take them forever to break through.
15:58Still, my mom planned to fight back.
16:00She took out two big subwoofers,
16:02flipped them face down over the noise spot,
16:04and played a custom track.
16:06It was a digitally warped horror soundtrack
16:08laced with infrasound that scrambled the heartbeat.
16:10She pressed play,
16:11sending the vibrations to the 31st floor.
16:14Within 10 minutes, the drilling stopped.
16:16It was replaced by something heavy falling to the ground
16:19and loud arguments.
16:20When people were starving and freezing,
16:22such mind tricks could kill them.
16:24Peeking through the periscope,
16:25I saw the crew downstairs beating each other up.
16:27Their alliance was ripped apart by sheer terror.
16:30Day 12 of the extreme hold.
16:31The intercom lights started flashing like crazy.
16:33On the screen,
16:34a guy wrapped in a thermal suit showed up.
16:36He was wearing snow goggles.
16:37His chin was covered in stubble.
16:38From his stance?
16:40I could tell he had military training.
16:41Owner of 3201, how about we make a deal?
16:43He took a heavy blue cloth pouch out of his coat
16:45and slowly opened it in front of the camera.
16:47Inside was a pile of gold jewelry.
16:49Gold won't keep you warm in the apocalypse.
16:50It actually takes the heat from you.
16:52If you're here to swap it for food,
16:53you're in the wrong place.
16:54The man pulled out a combat knife
16:55and a pistol from his belt.
16:57Gold might be worthless,
16:58but these aren't.
16:59The name's Clark.
17:00Unit 11.
17:01Former special rescue member.
17:02My teammates got a fever.
17:03I need a bottle of amoxicillin.
17:04I don't want to use force.
17:05I'll trade the knife
17:06and make two promises for the Mets.
17:07My mom studied Mr. Clark on the screen.
17:09She pushed up her glasses.
17:10Deal.
17:10The Mets are in the pass-through box.
17:11Keep the knife.
17:12I want to see what you'll do next.
17:13The deal was made quite quickly.
17:15We used the one-way rail system under the door
17:17to give the man two boxes of antibiotics
17:19and a pack of vacuum-sealed rations.
17:21Once Mr. Clark received the goods,
17:22he gave a slight nod to the camera.
17:24He handled the bodies like a pro.
17:26He hooked their frozen ankles with an iron hook
17:28and dragged them into the elevator shaft.
17:30Broken pieces of a fire axe
17:31and the ashes were swept clean.
17:33Then Mr. Clark pulled out
17:34a small bottle of industrial alcohol from his bag
17:36and sprayed it on the floor for disinfection.
17:38It evaporated fast,
17:39taking the stink with it.
17:40The corridor was icy but spotless again.
17:42Mr. Clark aced the first round of the trust test.
17:44My mom put a star next to his name.
17:46That night, we sat by the crackling fireplace
17:48watching the spotless corridor on the monitor.
17:50That long-lost sense of security
17:51caused me to sleep like a baby.
17:53The first time, it was an ice age outside.
17:55But up in the attic,
17:56it was a completely different world.
17:58The once spacious attic
17:59was now painted in a mirror silver color.
18:01Rows of LED grow lights glowed pink and purple.
18:03Vegetable and foam boxes were growing like crazy.
18:05The lettuce was thick and green.
18:07Cherry tomatoes and dwarf wheat were thriving.
18:09Grandma's hands trembled as she held the scissors.
18:11She snipped a few tender leaves
18:12and dropped them into the soup.
18:14A light herbal scent filled the kitchen.
18:16Hazel, come quickly!
18:17These greens look way better than anything at the market.
18:20This bowl of soup was now more than just food.
18:22We sat under the warm glow of the lights,
18:23breathing in oxygen that plants had just produced.
18:26My mom looked at that tiny patch of green
18:27and added another line to her notebook.
18:29Resource recycling system, operating normally.
18:31Psych eval.
18:32Family bonds getting stronger.
18:33Day 20 of the extreme cold.
18:35Thick layer of ice coated the generator's exhaust vent.
18:37It was the residue fused with frozen vapor.
18:39The RPM was dropping.
18:40We had to shut it down for four hours of maintenance.
18:42My mom looked at the gauges with a serious expression.
18:44We all scrambled into our cold weather gear.
18:46We wrapped ourselves in coats and sleeping bags.
18:49My mom fired up the backup smokeless coal stove.
18:51Such an old heating method.
18:52It wasn't very efficient,
18:53but it kept the core area above freezing.
18:55We curled up on the sofa and hugged each other.
18:58White mist could be seen with every breath.
19:00The temperature in the room soon dropped to zero.
19:02To calm grandma down,
19:03my mom told stories about her actuary days.
19:05As long as we calculate all angles,
19:07then nothing can be a threat to us.
19:08She squeezed my hand.
19:09Her grip was solid and confident.
19:10Four hours later, the generator roared back to life.
19:12Warm air flooded the room again.
19:14I felt the blood flowing in my veins again.
19:16It was the second month of the extreme cold.
19:18At dawn, I scanned the streets below with binoculars.
19:20The snow was over 10 feet deep.
19:22Huge white creatures had peered thick silver white fur
19:25covered them like armor.
19:26They had long limbs and their claws could be seen.
19:28Mom, those are no stray dogs.
19:30They move in packs across the snow.
19:32When they claw out a frozen body,
19:34their jaws could snap the bones like twigs.
19:36The lead giant wolf lifted its head.
19:38Its red eyes locked onto the vents on the 32nd floor.
19:41Heat from the generator formed a rising column.
19:44To these predators, it was a beacon.
19:46It jumped up.
19:46Its claws dug into the facade grooves.
19:49It climbed up slowly, but determinedly.
19:51They can smell strangers.
19:52My mom stepped onto the balcony,
19:53gripping her compound crossbow.
19:54Hazel, double check every door and window.
19:56Humans are no longer our only enemies.
19:58We're now food to those monsters.
20:00I ran off to secure every door and window.
20:02The mutant wolves were climbing way faster than we thought.
20:04Their claws dug straight into the gaps in the insulation.
20:07When it reached the 15th floor,
20:08those blood red eyes burned with hunger.
20:10Hazel, treat it like a moving target from physics class.
20:13My mom took out a compound crossbow and handed it to me.
20:16It had a scope and carbon fiber bolts.
20:18She slid the window open a little.
20:19Gust of icy wind blew into the room.
20:21Range, 82 meters.
20:23Elevation, 62 degrees.
20:24Wind, moderate.
20:25Northerly.
20:25Aim 2 centimeters above its nose.
20:27I held my breath, finger on the trigger.
20:29Through the scope, a giant wolf seemed to slow down.
20:32As my mom gave the order,
20:33the carbon bolt ripped through the air.
20:35It punched clean through the lead wolf's left eye.
20:37The force yanked it right off the wall.
20:39The rest of the wolves bolted in panic.
20:41The first threat is neutralized.
20:43One bolt used.
20:44Defensive premium equilibrium.
20:45Accurate calculations and clean executions is what we rely on to survive.
20:48Day 25 of the extreme cold.
20:49A burst of static crackled from the radio.
20:51Mr. Clark's voice was weak and strained.
20:53Martha, I need help.
20:54The frost wolves have eyes on my building.
20:56They've got explosives and I'm injured.
20:57I'm pulling back toward your place.
20:59I held the radio and turned to look at mom.
21:01She snatched a pen and started crunching numbers.
21:03Mr. Clark has provided effective intel three times.
21:05He has cleared 12 bodies.
21:06He can be trusted.
21:07Let's help him.
21:08Hazel, prep the rooftop basket.
21:09Mom, set out the iotaphore, suture kit, and cepho-parazone.
21:12Ran to the roof and fired up the industrial winch.
21:15The steel wire basket lowered into the blizzard.
21:17Three minutes later, the line suddenly lurched.
21:20Mr. Clark was inside, half-conscious, drenched in dark green slime.
21:22A penetrating wound was on his left shoulder.
21:24I dragged him into the warmed quarantine room.
21:26We had rigged it into a mini operating room.
21:28This warm room was Mr. Clark's last shelter.
21:31When Mr. Clark woke up, it was already the afternoon of the next day.
21:34His first reaction was to grab his gun.
21:36But he found his wound had been neatly stitched up.
21:37A steaming bowl of plain rice porridge sat by the bed.
21:40This is the Taylor family's turf.
21:41You're safe now.
21:42She popped the mag, checked it, reloaded, and handed the gun back to Mr. Clark.
21:46Mr. Clark stared at the bowl of porridge.
21:48His Adam's apple bobbed.
21:50Miss Taylor, from now on, my life belongs to you.
21:52My mom nodded and produced the Taylor safe house rules she had drafted overnight.
21:56Mr. Clark, starting today, you're our head of security.
21:59Your duty is to guard the corridor and rooftop and watch for anything off within a three kilometer radius.
22:04We'll provide you with food, water, and meds.
22:06But you must obey my every command.
22:07Mr. Clark scanned the detailed rules, which even listed,
22:10Help me, grams of food would be given per meal.
22:11A helpless smile appeared on his face.
22:13He knew that he had better the chance to survive if he stuck with us.
22:16It was the second month of the extreme cold.
22:17Diesel reserves were running low.
22:19We were burning through fuel faster than any model predicted.
22:21We had to do something.
22:22There's an industrial district.
22:23They would have a backup diesel stash.
22:25If we can bring back 500 L, we can last another three months.
22:27My mom sat at the control desk, giving us the bird's eye view.
22:30Before we headed out, Mr. Clark ran a check on my gear and on the custom trailer that could carry
22:33five drums.
22:34When we pushed open the heavy fire door and stepped outside,
22:37I felt like my lungs were filled with needles.
22:39I was no longer familiar with the city.
22:41Follow my footprints.
22:43Stay clear of manhole covers.
22:44With every step, Mr. Clark probed the snow with a crowbar.
22:47Tom's voice sounded in my Bluetooth earphones.
22:49Hazel, two o'clock.
22:51There's an overturned truck.
22:53Watch the glass shards.
22:54Wind's picking up.
22:55You've got a 45 minute window.
22:57Countdown starts now.
22:58In this white, silent world, every extra second out here was torture.
23:02We were about 200 meters from the gas station when Mr. Clark signaled for me to stop.
23:05He dropped into a crouch, half his body disappearing into the snow.
23:08I copied him instantly.
23:09The drone's overhead feed showed four thugs prying at the fuel tank lid.
23:14Miss Taylor, they've got heavy crowbars.
23:15It's already halfway open.
23:17If we don't drop them now, they'll grab all the diesel.
23:19Don't go head to head with them.
23:20We can use our chemistry knowledge.
23:21Hazel, you've got potassium, permanganate, and glycerin in your bag.
23:24Use the ratio I taught you and whip up a smoke bomb.
23:26Toss it up, wind.
23:26Mr. Clark, take the leader out once chaos hits.
23:29I yanked two vials from my pack and mixed them with pinpoint accuracy.
23:32As I hurled it hard, a cloud of thick black smoke appeared.
23:36The thugs were swallowed by sudden darkness choking.
23:38Using the smoke as cover, Mr. Clark snuck behind a sentry and dropped him silently into the snow.
23:44The other three panicked, firing crossbow bolts everywhere.
23:47Soon, they all fled.
23:49Mr. Clark connected the hose, pumping the precious black fuel into the barrels.
23:52Killing was just a method to get the supplies we needed.
23:55By the time we brought 500 L's of diesel back home, the sky had turned dark gray.
24:00The two massive drums left deep marks in the snow.
24:03Each breath frosted the inside of my mask.
24:06Wait.
24:07Mr. Clark yanked the tow rope, pointing at a mess of broad tire tracks by the main entrance.
24:11They were carved in deep, with clear stud marks for traction.
24:14No way those came from regular snowmobiles.
24:16These were heavily armored off-road rigs.
24:18Mr. Clark dropped to the snow for a closer look.
24:20Face darkening.
24:21It's the Frost Wolves.
24:22At least five vehicles.
24:23They've started coordinated raids on upscale blocks.
24:25Smith Taylor looks like they've got their eyes on the luxury complex.
24:28My mom's voice crackled in my earpiece.
24:30Her voice was cold, but serious.
24:31I've got them on the drone feed.
24:32They're sweeping floor by floor, grabbing every scrap of firewood and can of food.
24:37Hazel!
24:37Clark!
24:38Fall back!
24:38Take the maintenance ladder in the elevator shaft.
24:40From now on, we're at DEFCON 1.
24:43We slipped in through the secret tunnel and hit the 32nd floor.
24:46The sudden warmth nearly made my knees buckle.
24:48But my mom didn't let me rest.
24:49She pointed at the live camera feeds.
24:51A squad of men in matching black parkas packed the lobby on the ground floor, hauling welders
24:56and explosives.
24:57They're no ordinary people.
24:59They're coordinated raiders.
25:00My mom highlighted the wolf head emblem on the leader's chest.
25:03They only believe in power.
25:06That mindset could endanger our fortress.
25:08If we go head to head, we've got maybe a 30% chance of winning.
25:12We need to use scarcity economics to fracture their ranks.
25:14I glanced at mom's calm, razor-sharp profile, realizing what lay ahead was a war for humanity
25:18itself.
25:19Far harsher than the cold.
25:20The frost wolves didn't hit the 32nd floor right away.
25:23They first set up a base on the 20th floor.
25:25They had beaten everyone and stolen every last scrap of food.
25:28On the security feed, we saw those bastards were vicious, but their hierarchy was airtight.
25:31The bottom grunts got nothing but a dribble of watery rice porridge.
25:34Good.
25:34My mom uttered.
25:35She pushed her glasses and armed the drone's payload bay.
25:37We didn't drop bombs.
25:39We showered the 20th floor with flyers, scrawled in bright red markers.
25:43The pitch was simple.
25:44Rad out one member.
25:45Bring his badge to the 32nd floor for two packs of food.
25:49Miss Taylor, you sure this'll work?
25:51Mr. Clark frowned.
25:52They're all on the same team.
25:53When resources are scarce, alliances are nothing.
25:55It's called marginal cost baiting.
25:57To a grunt at the bottom, offing the boss who's been riding them will get them food and
26:01freedom.
26:02All it costs is a single treacherous thought.
26:04Soon, my mom's method worked.
26:06On camera, the 20th floor camp erupted into chaos, followed by dull thuds and shrieks.
26:11One member with frostbite all over his body waited until his leader was asleep, then caved
26:15his skull in with a wrench, snatched the metal wolf head badge, and bolted for the staircase
26:18like a lunatic.
26:19He dropped to his knees in front of the heavy steel door, howling and clawing at it.
26:23Through the slot, my mom passed him two packs of food.
26:28He grabbed them, didn't care they were rock hard, ripped one open and shoveled it straight
26:32into his mouth, eyes blazing with post-apocalypse mania.
26:34Just watch, my mom said coldly.
26:36Once he goes back, he'll be a walking billboard.
26:38The Frost Wolves' trust between members was no more.
26:40The battle at Star Bay slid into a weird stalemate.
26:43Because of our plan, the Frost Wolves had to waste their energy on purges and backstabbing.
26:49Meanwhile, Grandma was also busy.
26:50She dug through those hundreds of boxes of old clothes we'd hoarded and salvaged piles
26:54of cashmere yarn and thermal batting.
26:56Sitting by the fireplace, her fingers flew like lightning, knitting a dozen thick wool
27:00knee pads and fleece gloves with grip dots.
27:02Hazel, you'll need knees when you go out.
27:04If you injure your knees, then you're crippled for life.
27:06She passed me a stack of knee pads.
27:08Her eyes were full of kindness.
27:10My mom looked over the pile of crafts and her eyes lit up.
27:13Mom, you did a great job.
27:14These are high value, handmade goods.
27:16That very day, we flew the drone again and dropped the gear to residents still in the
27:20building with a little note.
27:22Give us intel on Frost Wolf ammo and you'll get one pair of knee pads.
27:26The trade fired the survivors right up.
27:28Neighbors who'd been pissed but didn't dare speak up became our eyes and ears.
27:32Thanks to their tips, Mr. Clark rigged precise booby traps in the corridor, blowing up two
27:36Frost Wolf scouts sneaking upstairs.
27:39Miss Taylor, what a great move.
27:40Now the whole building's watching those guys for us.
27:43The credit's not mine alone.
27:44Mom handed Grandma a hot drink.
27:46It's a trade.
27:47In this world, brute force only lasts for so long.
27:50Only the people who bring essentials and warmth can really lay down order.
27:53Grandma's knee pads carry more warmth than bullets, which makes them deadlier.
27:56Day 45 of the extreme cold.
27:58Our old radio was hissing with static, then suddenly snagged a faint government channel.
28:02This is the emergency shelter center.
28:04All surviving citizens proceed to the downtown underground city.
28:07Warmth and government rations are available.
28:09Abandon your private shelters.
28:10Grandma's face lit up.
28:11Hazel, the government's coming for us.
28:13Why don't we move there?
28:14There's safety in numbers.
28:15My mom remained on the sofa, writing equations on a scrap of paper.
28:19Five minutes later, she looked up.
28:20There was no joy in her eyes.
28:22Only seriousness.
28:23No, that place is a death trap.
28:24Why?
28:25I asked, baffled.
28:26The numbers don't add up.
28:27Mom turned the notebook for us to see.
28:29They say the shelter holds 500 that's and people.
28:32At our city's survival rate, at least 3 million will flood in.
28:35The oxygen system, waste processing, the power supply, none of it can handle that load.
28:40Foods, the killer.
28:41With broken supply lines, everyone inside gets under 200 grams of starch blocks a day.
28:47That's not a rescue.
28:48It's herding people together for a quiet massacre.
28:51My mom stood up, staring at the white world outside.
28:53When resources are fixed, the denser the crowd, the likelier individuals would be sacrificed.
28:57We stay in Star Bay.
28:59It might be isolated, but we control all the resources.
29:01Going there, we'd just be expendables to them.
29:04Mr. Clark nodded too.
29:04A place like the underground city will inevitably turn into gladiatorial arena of survival of
29:09the fittest.
29:10Ms. Taylor's calculation is right.
29:11We shouldn't go.
29:11We turned off the radio.
29:12At that moment, this decision to refuse official rescue was the last of our clear understanding
29:16of this world.
29:17Late at night, the brutal cold outside seemed to hit its limit.
29:21In the pitch black sky, ribbons of green light suddenly bloomed.
29:24They rolled and intertwined overhead.
29:26The aurora.
29:27My mom stood at the bulletproof window, her voice for once soft.
29:31The atmosphere's hot, cold currents are out of balance, so the geomagnetic field is going
29:34haywire.
29:35Such beauty in the apocalypse shot through with a killing chill.
29:38A gorgeous view like this deserves a feast.
29:40Grandma grinned and began cooking.
29:42My mom popped a precious can of premium Russian luncheon meat.
29:45Mr. Clark added a few frozen wild eggs he had scavenged.
29:48Grandma used the attic-grown lettuce and dried chilies to cook up a steaming plate of greens.
29:53The staple food was rice.
29:54Power and gas had been dead for ages.
29:56Yet we dined on the 32nd floor of Star Bay with the heater humming.
30:00The temperature was set at 23 degrees Celsius.
30:02Mr. Clark felt a little awkward sitting at our table for the first time.
30:06Mom piled him a mountain of rice topped with two thick slices of luncheon meat.
30:09Mr. Clark, you've been working hard lately.
30:11We've got plenty of food for you.
30:13My mom raised a glass of coke.
30:15Thank you, Miss Taylor.
30:16His voice was a little hoarse.
30:17Eyes fixed on that plate of vivid greens, rimmed with tears.
30:20Out there, that kind of green was a myth.
30:22In here, it was dinner.
30:23Outside, the aurora lights shined over the ruined city.
30:26Countless people froze or starved to death.
30:28Inside, warm amber light wrapped around us.
30:31Spicy hot pot steam curled upward.
30:33Looked at mom and grandma, then at Mr. Clark beside me.
30:36The apocalypse didn't break us.
30:37It just burned away the fake social crap.
30:39We went back to blood relations and promises.
30:42As long as we were still family, this coldness was nothing but scenery to us.
30:46The calmness was ripped apart by the low, gloomy roar of engines.
30:50Day 48 of the extreme cold through a high-power thermoscope.
30:53I saw five modded, heavy off-road trucks spreading out in a fan around the star bay building.
30:57Knife-edged snow plows were welded to the grills.
31:00Blinding searchlights glared from the roofs.
31:01Miss Taylor, they've rounded up every stray scumbag nearby.
31:04Mr. Clark checked his rifle safety while giving mom a rapid sit rep.
31:07There's roughly 40 of them.
31:08Their leader is the head of the Frost Wolves.
31:10His name's Scar.
31:11They're loaded with homemade bombs and industrial cutters.
31:14Looks like they're set on busting into the lobby of the ground floor.
31:16My mom didn't panic.
31:17Instead, she pulled out Star Bay's structural blueprints.
31:20A frontal assault is inevitable.
31:21Their supplies have ran out.
31:22If they don't take ours, half of them will freeze to death tonight.
31:24The lobby glass downstairs is reinforced, but a homemade charge will blow right through it.
31:28Hazel, Mr. Clark, abandon the first 10 floors.
31:31Lock every fire door.
31:32Lure them into the shafts and stairwells.
31:34Those tight vertical tubes, their numbers turn into dead weight.
31:38It's the best choice we've got.
31:39Mom noted the energy drain in her notebook.
31:41This time, we burned 3 kilowatt hours and 10 liters of industrial lube.
31:44They flooded into the lobby like a tide.
31:46Mr. Clark, get ready for the next wave.
31:48They're going to use the cutters.
31:50They don't know that.
31:51From the moment they stepped into this building, they had entered my mom's death trap.
31:55In this vertical steel chimney, each floor they climbed would cost them precious stamina and oxygen.
32:00The thugs quickly realized that the fire escapes to the upper floors were sealed by over a dozen steel doors.
32:05Scar, their leader, wasted no time giving orders.
32:08He told a couple of his nimblest guys to climb the elevator shaft.
32:11Few agile members started scrambling up the cables.
32:13They've gone into the shaft.
32:15I kept my eyes on the pressure sensors on the monitor.
32:17Mr. Clark had mounted them on the cable base in advance.
32:19Start the lube plan.
32:20Mom gave the order.
32:21Mr. Clark hit the remote.
32:22All four spray tanks we had hidden in the machine room fired at once.
32:26A torrent of industrial lubricant cascaded down the four main lift cables.
32:30Even at mega to 60 degrees Celsius, that stuff was still very slick.
32:34After that, Mr. Clark hooked a high voltage discharge module to the cables.
32:37It was stripped from a Tesla battery pack.
32:40The thugs who'd been climbing like monkeys a moment earlier knew something was off.
32:44The instant their hands touched the cables, that greasy mess made it impossible to keep a grip.
32:48Then a blue arc ripped down the steel lines.
32:51Screams echoed through the narrow shaft.
32:54Losing their hold, the thugs dropped from various heights.
32:57And landed hard at the bottom of the shaft.
33:00Take away friction, add a blast of high voltage.
33:02And we just wiped out five of their best men.
33:05Repeated setbacks made Scar furious.
33:07They stacked a mountain of junk tires and cheap plastic on the ground floor.
33:10Doused it in gas and lit it up.
33:11The thick, toxic smoke, powered by the chimney effect, rocketed up the vents toward the higher floors.
33:16Ms. Taylor, they're trying to choke us to death.
33:18Mr. Clark's voice sounded through his gas mask, low and muffled.
33:21This tactic is a joke against a modern building.
33:23My mom pushed her glasses and started working the console.
33:25Hazel, switch the air ventilation to reverse and hook that crate of concentrated CS gas to the atomizer heads.
33:31I sprinted to the machine room.
33:32I twisted a cylinder labeled CS tear gas concentrate into the port.
33:36Three giant centrifugal bands roared to life, spinning in reverse.
33:39The rising smoke was blown back down to the 25th floor.
33:43At the same time, air laced with tears gas, blood at every floor through the vents.
33:48Contact with it would make one feel like their skin is on fire.
33:51Breathing would cause one to go blind.
33:54Two in the stairwell echoed with coughs and puking.
33:57The raiders quickly dropped their cutters.
33:59They stumbled in the dark like headless chickens trampling on each other.
34:02That's the power of chemistry.
34:04Mom watched the monitors as the figures on the floor writhed in agony.
34:06No bullets needed.
34:07Just change the air composition.
34:08It can destroy their organizational cohesion.
34:10Mr. Clark, prepare for the decapitation strike.
34:12Scar should be hiding on the 10th floor where there's no ventilation.
34:15That's his only way out.
34:16And that's where we'll catch him.
34:18Scar has to die.
34:19If he's alive, he'll always be a threat.
34:20My mom drew a circle on the map.
34:22Her eyes had that cold, number cruncher look only an actuary would have.
34:25Mr. Clark suited up in a lightweight spec ops rig.
34:27Two coils of high tensile Kevlar rope were slung across his back.
34:30He glanced at the blizzard, howling outside the window.
34:32Ms. Taylor, I'll rappel straight down the outside wall to the 10th floor.
34:35At that height, they'll never see someone dropping in from above.
34:37Hazel, you handle the drone.
34:39Use the strobes to blind them.
34:40I'll blast high decibel static through the building's speakers to jam their short-range comms.
34:46Once we move, make it fast and clean.
34:48I piloted the modified drone, easing it down the outside of Star Bay.
34:52Bathed in moonlight and the aurora lights, Mr. Clark slid down the outside wall with practiced ease, skating past every
34:58jutting icicle.
34:59The second my mom hit the static button, deafening white noise flooded every motion sensor speaker in the building.
35:05The roar was ear-splitting.
35:06At the same moment, I jerked the drone to hover outside the balcony of the 10th floor.
35:10Four high-power LED strobes were turned on, turning the room into daylight.
35:14Scar hacking behind.
35:15The curtains was blinded immediately.
35:17He pulled out his homemade shotgun and fired wildly.
35:20At that moment, Mr. Clark broke into the room.
35:23He didn't say anything and just swung his knife.
35:26Scar didn't even have time to close his eyes before a warm jet of blood burst from his neck and
35:31became a red mist in the cold air.
35:33Scar's head was hauled into the lobby on the 20th floor by Mr. Clark.
35:37The thugs who survived the tear gas were now huddled under blankets, shaking.
35:40The instant they saw that head, their will to fight disappeared.
35:43From now on, Frost Wolves is no more.
35:46Mr. Clark's domineering voice echoed through the silent hallway.
35:49My mom, wrapped in a heavy mink coat, was escorted downstairs by Mr. Clark and me.
35:54She stood among the crowd, pushed her glasses, and opened some files.
35:57My name's Martha Taylor.
35:58I'm the one in charge here.
35:59We don't feed dead weight.
36:01Anyone with a medical license or mechanical repair skills, step up.
36:04Anyone with farming or electrical experience, step up.
36:07Under the threat of death and hunger, the survivors raised their trembling hands.
36:11Good.
36:11Mom jotted their names in her notebook.
36:13Dr. Wallace, Mr. Barton, Mr. Brooks.
36:15You are tier one tech labor.
36:17You live on the 30th floor and have meat with every meal.
36:19Everyone else who's young and fit falls into tier three manual labor.
36:22You'll clear snow and patch the walls.
36:24Do well and you can move up.
36:25As for the ones with criminal records or who just want a free ride.
36:28Mom glanced at the pitch black ice field outside.
36:30Her tone remained flat.
36:31Mr. Clark, toss those last five punks outside.
36:33This is a fortress, not a charity.
36:35Every calorie has to be earned.
36:37The sounds of the five begging for mercy were swallowed by the blizzard.
36:40Star Bay had finally set up a hierarchy.
36:42This new order built on supplies and skill was far sturdier than any rule of brute force.
36:46The entire Star Bay building was cleared out and split into zones.
36:49My mom named the place the Taylor Cooperative.
36:52She set up a precise point management system.
36:54Hazel, you don't run a crowd with force.
36:56You bait them with payoff.
36:58She sketched a pyramid on the chalkboard.
37:00The 32nd floor was still the core restricted zone.
37:02Only our family and Mr. Clark live there.
37:04We kept the generators, the seed bank, and most of the premium supplies.
37:07Floors 30 to 31 were turned into a tech hub.
37:10Dr. Wallace plus our two mechanics, Mr. Brooks and Mr. Barton, live there.
37:13They kept everyone healthy.
37:15And the building running, floors 23 through 29, became the labor zone.
37:19Those guys took turns scavenging fuel and clearing threats nearby.
37:22Mom gave each of them a custom point token.
37:24The amount of food or fuel one was allowed to trade for was labeled specifically.
37:29Betray us, you starve.
37:30Obey us, you live.
37:31Such simple logic is the most effective.
37:34Grandma became the logistics chief.
37:35She and a crew of women built a bigger indoor greenhouse on the 25th floor.
37:39They used scrap plastic to do so.
37:42They composted kitchen waste with water pumped up from the basement.
37:45When people got their first bowl of food, which was a mixture of rice, meat bits, dried vegetables,
37:50many just dropped to their knees and cried.
37:52In a time when morals had collapsed, Mom used ice-cold calculus to give these desperate souls the illusion of
37:58order.
37:58Day 60 of the extreme cold.
38:01An armored vehicle pulled up at the building entrance.
38:03It was a matte black armored truck.
38:05The government shelter logo was plastered on the side.
38:07Two envoys climbed out, wrapped in high-tech exo-armor and sealed helmets.
38:11They stopped at the locked steel doors and barked through a megaphone.
38:14Manager of Star Bay, we're here on behalf of the central underground city.
38:17Under emergency regulations, you must hand over all remaining supplies and generators.
38:21Everyone will be relocated.
38:23Relocated.
38:23My mom stood in front of the monitor, sneered, and pressed the intercom.
38:26Relocation.
38:27You mean, turned into labor for your bunker or maybe forced to dig mines for your rich pals?
38:31We've got no spare supplies, just landmines.
38:33Locked and loaded.
38:33You should leave.
38:34The envoys clearly didn't expect anyone to defy the authorities.
38:37Miss Taylor, face reality.
38:38The underground city has real troops and a full industrial base.
38:41Resistance is pointless.
38:43You have 24 hours to comply or you'll face the consequences.
38:46Mr. Clark tightened his grip on the sniper rifle and glanced at my mom.
38:49Miss Taylor, they're after our resources.
38:51Sure, the underground city's big, but with this weather, their supply lines are cut too.
38:54They're here to steal our resources.
38:56They're desperate.
38:57If they still had resources to spare, they wouldn't just send two envoys.
39:00They'd kick things off with attack choppers.
39:0124 hours?
39:02That means they're hesitating.
39:04Hazel, haul out that crate of antibiotics we've been hoarding.
39:06We're not surrendering our resources.
39:08We can make a deal with them.
39:09When the envoys knocked on our door again, my mom kept them out and sent Mr. Clark outside with a
39:14crate.
39:14He popped it open in the snow.
39:1550 boxes of amoxicillin, 20 bottles of ibuprofen, and 10 bags of saline were stacked neatly.
39:21Even through their masks, I could hear those two envoys panting.
39:24Call it a welcome gift.
39:25Mom's voice boomed from the speaker.
39:27Right now, you don't lack gold or generators.
39:29You lack meds.
39:31I can keep them coming, but you need to trade for them with what I want.
39:34What do you want?
39:35The envoy asked.
39:36Voice suddenly polite.
39:37Heavy weapons.
39:38Two QJG-02AA guns.
39:40Three crates of grenades and schematics for two nuclear fuel cell interfaces, plus intel on whoever's bankrolling the Frostwolves.
39:47The envoys went silent, clearly checking with HQ.
39:49That violates protocol.
39:51Rules don't mean anything at minus 70 without the meds, and you'll have a hundred extra bodies in your clinic
39:56by dawn.
39:57Deal or war, you've got ten minutes.
39:59The armored truck finally dumped two crates of heavy ammo and left with the medicine.
40:03Mom eyed the brand new guns, turned to Mr. Clark and said,
40:06Mount these weapons on the roof.
40:07They won't let this slide.
40:09They gave in because they needed time.
40:11Once they're ready, they'll come back in a larger scale.
40:14We need to use these weapons and turn Star Bay into a fortress they can't punch through.
40:19Just as we were scrambling to get ready, a weird illness suddenly broke out inside Star Bay.
40:23Two workers on the 25th floor started puking and getting fevers.
40:26But unlike a normal cold, their skin turned to creepy bluish purple,
40:30like ice shards were running through their veins instead of blood.
40:32Ms. Taylor, it's the low-temp mutant virus.
40:34Dr. Wallace, wrapped in a homemade hazmat suit, reported to mom from behind the glass of the observation room.
40:38This virus is most active around negative 40 degrees Celsius.
40:41The infected first feel unbearably hot, then die when their organs flash freeze.
40:45If it spreads, the whole co-op is finished.
40:48Everyone in the building began to panic.
40:49People started eyeing each other with suspicion.
40:51Some even tried to bolt out of the building.
40:53Lock down every passage from the 25th to the 30th floor.
40:56Hazel, take out those 50 crates of antibiotics, the antiviral syrup, and our mountain of vitamin C.
41:00Tell everyone that as long as they stay in quarantine, there's more than enough meds to go around.
41:04The mic herself, voice steady and commanding.
41:06Listen up, we've got plenty of medicine.
41:08Take your preventive doses on schedule.
41:10And this thing is curable.
41:11Anyone who tries to hide their symptoms will be executed.
41:13Anyone who stirs up trouble will be executed.
41:16Mr. Clark, lead a patrol.
41:17Under that mix of threat and promised meds, the panic miraculously died down.
41:21Mom never had any magic cure.
41:22She had just done the math.
41:23The virus killed the weak.
41:25But for the well-nourished, the fatality rate was under 5%.
41:27By doling out those pricey preventatives, we not only kept everyone calm,
41:31we also used the outbreak to weed out every last piece of dead weight.
41:34Just as the outbreak was finally under control, the underground city launched an attack.
41:38But it wasn't armored trucks this time.
41:39It was a full squadron of attack choppers.
41:41They slipped in during a lull in the blizzard, trying to fast rope onto Star Bay's roof.
41:45They just broke the deal!
41:46A glare of the red dots on the radar with cold eyes.
41:48Classic market competition.
41:49Mom took a sip of hot tea calmly.
41:50When looting costs less than trading, war's inevitable.
41:54They think we're just civilians guarding meds.
41:56Mr. Clark is already on the roof.
41:58The two heavy machine guns we got from them roared to life.
42:01From our perch on the 32nd floor, the choppers were already fighting the sub-zero turbulence.
42:06One burst from the AA gun shredded the lead rotor.
42:09A blinding fireball followed.
42:11The birds spiraled into the abyss.
42:13Hazel, set off the thermite traps on the roof!
42:16I pressed the red switch.
42:17A ring of white-hot fire erupted around Star Bay's rooftop.
42:21The heat spike flipped the pressure, kicking up a savage updraft.
42:25The last two choppers were shaking as if they had hit an invisible wall.
42:29Their instruments went dark one by one.
42:31The pilots screamed for help, but could only watch the birds lose control as they crashed into a building nearby.
42:36The deal's off.
42:37Now we must be on the defense.
42:39Mom stood up, eyes on the distant flames.
42:40As of today, Star Bay answers to no one.
42:43We are the new law of this frozen wasteland.
42:46The fireball from the crash flared for only a few seconds in the blizzard before darkness swallowed it whole.
42:50At dawn, as the first faint light broke over the horizon,
42:53I spotted a few giant steel beasts crawling across the distant snowfield.
42:57They were assault vehicles painted in white camouflage.
42:59The sound of their tires crushing the snow sounded like thunder rolling over the earth.
43:03They had gone all out this time.
43:04Mr. Clark wiped the frost off his face, clutching the binoculars tightly.
43:07Three assault vehicles and two platoons of infantry.
43:10Miss Taylor, with armor that thick, our AA machine guns won't even scratch them.
43:14They're planning to blast our building's foundation.
43:16My mom sat at the command desk.
43:18There was not a hint of panic in her eyes.
43:19She pushed her glasses and pointed at the temperature readout on screen.
43:21It's negative 75 degrees Celsius out there.
43:23Those trucks were built for normal wars.
43:25In this kind of weather, their hydraulics, steel, and lube are all about to crack.
43:30They're only pushing forward because they think we lack heavy weapons.
43:33Mom, what should we do?
43:35My palms were sweating as those monsters kept closing in.
43:38We hit them asynchronously.
43:40Hazel, take out some hydraulic coolant and concentrated liquid nitrogen.
43:44Mr. Clark, tell every co-op member to get to basement level two.
43:48We're turning the ground floor of Star Bay into a deep freeze that'll shatter their vehicles.
43:51Facing a sweep by a regular army.
43:53People in Star Bay were in turmoil.
43:55Those former thugs and ordinary citizens stared at the distant vehicles with despair all over their faces.
43:59Some even suggested opening the gates and surrendering just to stay alive.
44:03My mom did a co-op broadcaster.
44:04Her voice booming through loudspeakers on every floor.
44:06Everyone, the envoys from Underground City, have made it clear.
44:09They want the supplies and the generators, not you.
44:12In their math, you're a negative number on the ration spreadsheet.
44:14If you go with them, your only role is slave labor in the mines or be left for dead when
44:19the food runs out.
44:19But here in the Taylor Cooperative, as long as you pick up a weapon, then you'll have hot food, dignity,
44:23and the right to stay alive.
44:25My mom's words crushed their illusions and dreams.
44:28Mr. Clark, hand out the guns.
44:30We dragged out the grenades we've recently got.
44:32Plus piles of homemade Molotovs and steel crossbows.
44:35The workers who had been cowering a minute ago burst into raw savagery under the threat of death.
44:39As long as Star Bay stands, no one will starve.
44:41Dr. Wallace was the first to shout.
44:43Those once selfish, greedy, petty people locked ranks for the very first time.
44:46With brutal honesty, Mom laid out the numbers and pulled off the tightest, fastest pre-battle rally ever.
44:50The first armored truck plowed straight through the compound wall.
44:53A giant camber slowly slipped.
44:54He threw in on the ground floor lobby.
44:55A Star Bay.
44:56Using its own weight, he tried to ram the main doors.
44:58Now!
44:59My mom roared over the radio.
45:00Mr. Clark charged in with a team behind him.
45:02They erupted from a pre-duft sewage tunnel on the flank.
45:04They didn't have any explosives on them.
45:05Just a few massive industrial liquid nitrogen tanks they roll on.
45:08In an environment of minus 73 degrees, the nitrogen spray made a temperature around it drop drastically.
45:12The truck's tracks and arm already brittle from the cold.
45:14Under the influence of the liquid nitrogen, it began to screech loudly.
45:18That's the physics of cold embrittlement.
45:20Under such brutal temperature swings, alloy steel turns as fragile as glass.
45:24Spotting his moment, Mr. Clark lifted a weighted industrial sledgehammer and smashed it down on the track joint.
45:29With a sharp metallic cracking sound.
45:32The assault vehicle, which weighed tons, cracked into pieces.
45:35After being immobilized, it was now a steel coffin in the snow.
45:39Members of the co-op poured a gas cocktail from above.
45:41The flames couldn't melt that armor.
45:43But the whiplash of heat against deep freeze made the viewing ports blow out one after another.
45:47Their commander could only watch helplessly as the vehicle was turned to scraps.
45:51Seeing a ground assault fall down, the underground city commander ordered the last two choppers to skim low.
45:56To cover the rooftop and the repelling troops with machine gun fire.
45:59Hazel, bring out the big surprise we've prepared for three years.
46:02It was a crate of high-density display fireworks.
46:04Um, snag the Maccasar, the apocalypses were no ordinary fireworks.
46:07They were pro-grade flame jets used in big shows.
46:09Mom, you really think these can take down a helicopter?
46:11I wasn't so sure.
46:11They don't have to punch through the fuselage.
46:13Just blind pilots and scramblers.
46:14Up here, the hot gold air currents are a mess.
46:16A burst of metal powder makes a brutal heat bubble that chokes a turbine in seconds and fries the infrared
46:22sensors immediately.
46:23When the choppers hovered at less than 20 meters overhead, I hit the remote.
46:27Dozens of fireworks shot towards the sky, detonating right under the rotors.
46:31Lazing white fireballs bloomed like tiny suns.
46:34The glare stunned the pilots for a moment.
46:36But the real filler was magnesium-aluminous ash sucked into the intakes, triggering catastrophic mechanical failure.
46:42The birds spiraled out of control like a hammered trunk, tail smashed to the lighting wrong roof.
46:46With a hopeless roar, it cartwheeled into the office building across the street, scrawling a brief, brilliant streak of fire
46:52across the gray sky.
46:53The attackers were completely crippled.
46:55Broken tanks and burning wreckage littered the snowfields.
46:58The remaining infantry were stuck out there at minus 70.
47:00Their morale had hit an all-time low, with no supplies or heat.
47:03If they don't get back to Underground City within an hour, they would freeze to death.
47:06Mom had Mr. Clark set up a huge screen at the entrance.
47:09There was no threat on it, there was just a detailed map.
47:12It tagged three hidden supply caches around Underground City.
47:14A thundering loudspeaker carried our offer.
47:17Commander, this is Martha Taylor.
47:19You know exactly what that unit of yours is worth.
47:21Instead of letting them die in a pointless siege, how about we make a deal?
47:25The enemy commander's reply crackled over the public channel.
47:27He sounded lost and exhausted.
47:29What do you want?
47:29We want access to your city's energy nodes.
47:31In return, I'll hand over the locations of those three caches.
47:34They're packed with antibiotics and concentrated fuel, enough to squash the outbreak in your city.
47:39Plus, Star Bay gets official status as an independent district.
47:42We mind our own business, but trade when needed.
47:43My mom played a dangerous game.
47:45Those three spots did have supplies, but they were all booby-trapped.
47:48But at that moment, facing total annihilation, Underground City had no choice.
47:53Deal.
47:53The commander's tone finally softened.
47:55In this fight, Mom won with almost no losses and bought the cooperative 10 years of legal standing.
47:59Three days after the deal, the Underground City.
48:02Convoy returned to Star Bay.
48:03But this time, they weren't hauling ammo.
48:05They brought precision parts and high-grade industrial alcohol.
48:08Star Bay was officially renamed the Taylor Zone.
48:10Mom met the city's liaison in the living room on the 32nd floor.
48:13She held a steaming cup of tea.
48:14The liaison stared at the fresh lettuce on the table.
48:16He swallowed.
48:18Ms. Taylor, our experts are curious about how you set this place up.
48:22How are your living standards so high when resources are so scarce?
48:25Through actuarial science, every habit gets a calorie audit.
48:28Every input has to equal output.
48:30In your world, people are dead weight.
48:32In mine, people are part of the cycle.
48:34Now everyone in the cooperative is fired up.
48:36They just have to mine the greenhouse and patrol the corridors.
48:39Mr. Clark had become the Zone's official instructor.
48:41He trained all the young and strong male members.
48:43With just a calculator, Mom carved us a slice of land out of these ruins.
48:47Day 70 of the extreme cold.
48:49Something worth celebrating had happened in Star Bay.
48:51Dr. Wallace, the woman Mr. Clark saved whilst on patrol, after working together for weeks.
48:55The two of them developed feelings for each other.
48:56Mom decided to throw them a simple wedding.
48:58It was in the hall on the 30th floor.
49:00There was no wedding dress.
49:01No fresh flowers.
49:01Everyone showed up in their tidiest parkas.
49:03A red plastic blossom pinned to each chest.
49:05Grandma took out her most valuable treasure.
49:07A few pounds of flour and some butter.
49:09She personally baked a big and tasty cake.
49:11Just to stay alive in the apocalypse and still meet the one you'd spend forever with.
49:14Was a true blessing.
49:14Grandma smiled as she wiped her tears.
49:16Mom stood up front as the witness.
49:18She raised a glass of sparkling water.
49:20Here in the Taylor Cooperative, marriage means sharing every risk and living a happy life together.
49:24May your love last forever.
49:26The hall erupted in applause.
49:28That day, everyone got a tiny slice of cake.
49:31That long lost buttery sweetness made most people's eyes turned red.
49:34Outside, it was minus 70 degrees Celsius.
49:36Inside was the glow of the warm lights.
49:38For a moment, we almost forgot it was the apocalypse.
49:41It was the third year of the extreme cold.
49:43There was a tiny bump on the temp chart.
49:45Mom, look!
49:46I pointed to the screen.
49:47The temperature's gone up to minus 40 degrees Celsius.
49:4940 degrees Celsius.
49:50Back for the eclipse, that was hell.
49:51Now it felt like the first hint of spring.
49:54Throw on a lighter parka and took Mr. Clark's recon team with me.
49:56The snow was still thick, but that cold wind had finally eased.
50:03In one corner of the garden, a weird pale purple shimmer caught my eye.
50:06Under a thick layer of ice, a plant had broken through.
50:09Its tiny green tip shined under the sunlight.
50:11Life would always find a way.
50:13Mr. Clark crouched down.
50:14His rough fingers brushed the green.
50:16Miss Taylor was right.
50:17As long as we survive the coldest days, the rest is just rebuilding.
50:20I took out my camera.
50:21Took a picture of the first plant after the apocalypse.
50:23That day, everyone in Star Bay rushed to the windows.
50:26When they saw us returning with that pot of sprouting grass, the whole building exploded
50:31with cheers.
50:31We didn't just survive.
50:32We caught the first spark of new life.
50:35As the temperature slowly rose, Mom tweaked the cooperative's development plan.
50:38Supplies would run out, but knowledge and productivity wouldn't.
50:41She started an apocalypse school inside the co-op.
50:43Grandma taught the women to turn scrap clothes into gear and make compos.
50:46Mr. Clark showed the men how to keep the machines running and stay alive outdoors.
50:49Dr. Wallace ran basic first aid classes, and Mom personally taught the surviving kids math
50:53and logic.
50:54Why are we learning such things?
50:56A little boy clutching dry biscuit asked,
50:58It's nothing but snow outside.
51:00Will math scare off mutant wolves?
51:01Mom patted his head calmly.
51:02That won't kill wolves, but it'll tell you the odds of a pack showing up.
51:06Logic keeps you clear-headed when everyone else is losing.
51:08Civilization isn't a skyscraper.
51:10It's how we make sense of the world in our heads.
51:12The co-ops started expanding outward.
51:13Using the underground city's heavy machinery, we cleared the nearby streets and set up small
51:18settlements that could back each other up.
51:20Star Bay was no longer a fortress cut off in the world.
51:22It became a beacon that lit up the surrounding area.
51:24Mom still wrote in that old notebook every day.
51:27She was crunching numbers on food and on the future.
51:29She wanted to combine the survival tips into a set of rules to be passed down.
51:33Three more years passed in the blink of an eye.
51:35I stood on the rooftop of Star Bay.
51:36I was already 26.
51:38The temperature had gone up to minus 10 degrees Celsius.
51:39The sky was no longer that dark gray color.
51:41In the distance, the snow was melting, revealing the outline of a ruined city.
51:45Snowmobiles zipped through the streets and smoke curled from chimneys.
51:48We're telling me that mankind were taking back their lands.
51:50Hazel, don't stay up there for too long.
51:52Grandma made some pork.
51:53Come have some.
51:54Mom's voice echoed in the stairwell.
51:55She still sounded calm like before.
51:57Turned around and saw Mom and Grandma at the door.
52:00Grandma had aged a lot, but she still looked energetic.
52:02Mom had a few more streaks of gray hair, yet those eyes behind her glasses still gleamed with
52:06wisdom of an actuary.
52:08Mr. Clark was downstairs training the new guards.
52:10Dr. Wallace and his daughter were in the rooftop greenhouse picking our first strawberries.
52:14Mom, you said that the apocalypse was a test of humanity.
52:17I wrapped my arms around hers.
52:18Mom, you said that the apocalypse was a test of our humanity.
52:21No, it's just one massive ledger.
52:23It erases every phony value and leaves only what's real.
52:26Blood, courage, and the urge to survive.
52:29We never saved the world.
52:30We've only saved ourselves.
52:32I gave Star Bay, the building that sheltered us, for six years.
52:35One last look.
52:36In my past life, I died from the cold and betrayal.
52:38This time, I used my knowledge to build a fortress that no one could break through.
52:41No matter what the future was like, as long as we had family, as long as we had hope,
52:46life would always carry on.
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