I Am My Own First Responsible Party

Limei Hotel.

Five hours after Guan Tong left, the place was already packed to capacity.

More than three hundred people were crammed into the first-floor lobby alone. The restaurant, bar, and other areas on the same floor had also been cleared out, with all the space-consuming tables and chairs moved away to make room for mattresses and bedding on the floor.

The lobby's air conditioning had been turned to maximum, continuously blowing out warm air. But it was still not enough to keep hundreds of people warm by itself.

Most people huddled up as they scrolled through their phones for the latest news, occasionally looking up at the heavy snow outside.

What made them uneasy was that the slopes of the steps on both sides of the entrance had already been filled in by snow. The rate at which it was piling up was truly frightening.

More than three hours ago, the public had already learned of the Hidden Rule stating that "regional snowfall is positively correlated with population density."

Yet everyone at Limei Hotel had chosen to remain there. No one had any intention of leaving.

After all, the hotel stood beside a major road. Huge snowplows passed by from time to time, and the roar of helicopter rotors could occasionally be heard overhead. All of it gave everyone an indescribable sense of security.

And besides...

Quite a few people kept glancing toward a corner of the hotel lobby, where an armed squad of eight had stationed themselves.

They had entered the hotel not long ago. Their captain had informed all the refugees inside that the squad was only there to maintain order and that there was no need for anyone to feel nervous or worried.

Naturally, everyone welcomed them.

Though people usually only dealt with peace officers and rarely had the chance to see armed squads like these, they still deeply respected and trusted soldiers who protected the country and its people. With them around, everyone felt even safer.

"Quick, look at this video! On those side roads in the city that no one has cleared, the snow has completely buried the curbs!"

"This is way too fast. It isn't even nighttime yet..."

"Good thing we're beside a main road. Snowplows come through often."

"I think that might not be enough... Don't forget, this snow is supposed to last a whole month... The first day isn't even over yet! Do you think a lot of people will die in the end..."

"Don't jinx it! There's so much food and water, and the Support Department will send over quilts and things later. Everything will be fine!"

"Exactly. And there are soldiers here too, so stop worrying about nothing."

Most people remained optimistic, but Xu Xiaotian, sitting near the entrance, stared mournfully at the snow outside. "I wonder how Brother Tong is doing. If he's out in the open right now, that's really dangerous."

"Whew, whew..."

Guan Tong carried his backpack and sleeping bag as he trudged through the snow, taking deep and shallow steps while panting heavily.

Shadow had carried him for a long stretch, but there were still about five kilometers left afterward. Guan Tong could only walk the rest himself.

Five kilometers was neither particularly long nor short. With his current physique, it was nothing much. The snow on the road simply made it more strenuous than usual.

There was no need to worry about the temperature. If he was not going to use the six-hour effect of the [Thermostatic Tech Underwear] now, then when would he?

Once the underwear's effect took hold, he no longer had to worry about hypothermia.

And the snowfall here really was much lighter than in the city. Judging by both sight and feel, if the urban area was experiencing an "extreme blizzard," then the area around Mingdao Mountain was somewhere between "moderate snow" and "heavy snow."

That was more than satisfactory for him. Mingdao Mountain was sparsely populated, but that comparison was made against villages and cities. Truly desolate places—the kind where "a thousand mountains held no flying birds, ten thousand paths showed no human tracks"—were still the uninhabited zones along the borderlands.

The mere five kilometers took Guan Tong over an hour. At a little past four in the afternoon, as the sky dimmed, he finally reached the foot of Mingdao Mountain.

Because the mountain had not been developed, there were barely any buildings around its base. There was no proper road up the mountain either, only a narrow, winding trail stretching upward, looking like a path trampled out by hiking enthusiasts.

The trail was now covered by a thin layer of snow. Combined with the dim light, it did not look particularly safe.

Guan Tong had originally planned to go up the mountain and find a safe place to camp, but after thinking it over, he gave up on the idea. He did not have mountaineering boots with spikes. If he accidentally stepped on a snow-covered rock, slipped, and fell, he would truly be asking for trouble.

Besides, he had come here only because there were few people and less snow, not because he had some special obsession with climbing mountains. There was no need to take that risk.

"I'll find a sheltered slope and rest for a while first."

Guan Tong walked around the foot of the mountain for some time until he reached the leeward side. He found a spot beneath a huge rock protruding overhead, where he could shelter from the snow.

He was not worried about the rock collapsing. A boulder that huge could not possibly be crushed down by accumulated snow so easily. Even if it somehow did collapse, the slope of the mountain would block it and send it bouncing away midway down. It would not threaten Guan Tong's safety.

After finding a suitable spot, Guan Tong immediately began clearing the area.

He used his folding shovel to move some of the surrounding snow aside, then spread the sleeping bag he had brought on the ground. He adjusted its exact position according to its size, preparing for when he slept that night.

Then he sat down, took out a pack of compressed biscuits from his bag, and finished dinner early with the water he had brought.

After eating, he regained some strength. Since it was not completely dark yet, he continued working.

At the foot of the mountain, he gathered some wood and bound it together with electrical tape to form a small wooden platform. He brought it back, laid dry paper over it, and used it to place batteries and other items vulnerable to moisture. Then he chopped the remaining wood into pieces, piled them in a ring, and made a simple campfire.

There was no need to learn this sort of thing. It was practically an instinct engraved in humanity's bones. Fortunately, modern humans had invented lighters, so starting a fire was no longer as troublesome as it had been in the past.

Once the campfire was burning, Guan Tong watched its flickering flames drive back the surrounding gloom and felt his whole body relax.

He knew this somewhat "primitive" way of living was something he had chosen for himself. If he had stayed in the city, at Limei Hotel, perhaps he could have lived comfortably with heated air conditioning and supplied food.

But could that comfortable life really last for thirty days? The pressure might not be obvious during the first few days, but as time passed and the snowfall showed no sign of weakening, all kinds of serious problems could emerge.

Rather than believe the authorities could provide tens of millions of people with perfect protection for thirty whole days, Guan Tong trusted himself more. Because he knew he was the first person responsible for his own life.

Others might have noticed that something was wrong, but stayed only because they had no other choice. But since he had a choice, he needed to make his decision according to his own judgment.

"Tomorrow, once it's light, I'll look around nearby and see if there's anything useful," Guan Tong thought. "As for food, if I ration what I brought, it should barely be enough. If worse comes to worst, there's still one Food Box in the Storage Box. One of those should last at least two or three days."

"As for water, what I brought probably won't be enough. But I have a portable filter and a single-person gas stove in my bag. I can melt snow, filter the water afterward, and drink it. That shouldn't be a problem."

"Then I need to make some Binding Coins as soon as possible and save up a hundred to buy those [Multi-terrain Marching Boots] from the Ascension Shop. With them, I'll definitely be able to move much faster through the snow..."