The Extreme Cold Arrives, and He Teases Him Eight Hundred Times a Day!

"Brother Jing, you've been home for a while now, and I feel like my body's been completely drained..."

With two heaters running in the room, Jiang Nian huddled beneath a thick down comforter, admiring the man who could clean up their battlefield bare-chested in minus fifty-degree weather. He was the one who got carried away, and he was the one who couldn't take it. Life was so hard!

"..."

This guy! Cheng Jing's ears grew hot. He walked over and asked in a low voice:

"How about I sleep in the living room for a few days, starting tomorrow..."

Jiang Nian was far too unrestrained, yet Cheng Jing's self-control was practically nonexistent around him. Sigh!

"No, I'm afraid of the cold!"

The man under the covers refused, his voice muffled. Then he smacked his lips and added:

"Besides, I'm craving you. If I can't have you, I won't be able to sleep."

All right, he was joking. Ability users didn't get depleted so easily.

Cheng Jing was long used to his nonsense. Without another word, he climbed into bed to serve as his personal heater:

"Go to sleep and keep your hands to yourself. If you don't behave, there'll be none tomorrow."

"..."

Jiang Nian looked up at his solemn face and withdrew the hand reaching for his abs. Fine, he'd show a little restraint.

He could tell the difference between eating until he puked in one sitting and getting his fill every day.

In December, three months after the apocalypse began, temperatures across the country stabilized, fluctuating between minus sixty-six and minus seventy degrees. Just as Jiang Nian had said, all they could do now was tough it out.

At minus seventy degrees, though a tiny number of places in the world experienced such extreme cold, it was a deadly temperature for most people. It could freeze a person's skin until it split open, and without adequate protection, they could hear ice crystals forming as they breathed.

On top of that, a slowing heart rate, drowsiness, loss of appetite, and a drop in body temperature could each prove fatal.

Supplies were dwindling, but as long as they kept people alive, that was enough. That was what everyone thought after the extreme cold set in. As long as they held on, it would pass, and as long as they lived through it, there was hope.

Although many people had died since the temperature began to fall, the overall results of managing each district separately had been good.

Once the extreme cold passed, the base would be complete and operational. When the army came to rescue them and they reached the base, most people would be able to survive.

Building resistance to the cold took an adjustment period. They had to tough it out for ten days or half a month before things got a little easier.

Even though the zombies were gone, people had died every day since the extreme cold arrived. After the threat of zombies, a chilling fear weighed on everyone's hearts.

That was the state of the world, and no one could help. Every time they closed their eyes, they didn't know whether they would wake up the next day.

Jiang Nian had experienced it in his previous life. Yet even though his circumstances were far better now, with heaters and hot water in the room and the added benefit of an ability user's constitution, he still couldn't keep up with his teammates' speed of adaptation.

The reason was probably that he hadn't suffered from the very beginning of this life, and hadn't gradually come to terms with the worsening conditions as others had.

So, every day, all he wanted to do besides eat was sleep. If he hadn't worried about losing his abs and V-lines, he would have canceled his daily exercise routine and become one with his bed.

His boyfriend was already more handsome than he was. If he developed a little potbelly on top of that, people would surely think his Brother Jing was the one living off him whenever they went out.

He absolutely wouldn't allow it!

Two heaters, a fan heater and a four-sided heater, stood on either side of a small treadmill. Jiang Nian ran on the treadmill while Cheng Jing did push-ups on a yoga mat beside him.

As Jiang Nian ran, he suddenly turned to the man exercising in summer workout clothes and said:

"Brother Jing, you're not afraid of the cold anyway, so take your clothes off while you do those. I want to watch."

If he took them off for him, he'd have more motivation to run.

"No."

Without a second thought, Cheng Jing rejected his request, knowing he was up to no good.

But a certain someone persisted shamelessly:

"Brother Jing~ Come on, take them off..."

Cheng Jing kept count with his full attention and couldn't be bothered to respond.

"Tsk..."

Jiang Nian stared unblinkingly at his boyfriend's perfect push-up form. No matter how he looked at it, it was a sight to behold. He turned off the treadmill and, after steadying his breathing, walked over.

Then, with one smooth slide, he slipped right underneath Cheng Jing.

"You..."

Cheng Jing paused on his way down, thrown off by the sudden interruption:

"Stop messing around. Get out."

"Nope, hehe..."

Jiang Nian refused with a grin, then leaned up to kiss him as he lowered himself:

"Just keep doing them like this."

"Jiang Nian!"

Cheng Jing's breath caught, his attention instantly captured by the troublemaker.

Teasing him even at a time like this-was he asking for a spanking?!

"What's wrong, Brother Jing? Can't keep going?"

Jiang Nian smiled, playing dumb, and kissed him again. He slipped his cold hand under Cheng Jing's shirt, feeling his muscles shift as he exercised. It felt amazing!

Boyfriends were for playing with and taking liberties with. What was wrong with that?

"..."

Cheng Jing breathed heavily, his face turning red. He wanted nothing more than to carry him back to the bedroom and teach him a lesson, but he kept going despite the little rascal's provocative expression. He stopped only after Jiang Nian had touched his fill, just as he'd wanted.

He lowered himself, pinning Jiang Nian completely beneath him:

"You can't handle much yourself, but you still love to play. Aren't you asking for it?"

"I'm not asking for it. I'm clearly hungry."

The words came readily to a certain someone, who smiled without a care.

Cheng Jing ground his teeth in anger:

"When have I ever failed to feed you till you were full?"

He teased him eight hundred times a day, with his mind full of dirty thoughts!

"Ah..."

Worried that he would take it seriously, Jiang Nian quickly pushed him away:

"I was joking. I just wanted to touch you and recharge a little. Now that I'm charged up, I'll get back to exercising. Thanks, Brother Jing~"

He'd had his fun touching and teasing him, and now he had his motivation back.

"..."

Cheng Jing watched him glumly for a moment, then suddenly laughed. How could there be such an aggravating yet lovable little rascal?

More than half a month later, people began to slowly grow accustomed to the extreme cold. Their primal survival instincts helped their bodily functions recover and adapt to the harsh climate brought on by the apocalypse.

After the adjustment period, the icebound world slowly began to come back to life, as if restarting, and new survivors began arriving at the aid stations again.

Another ten days or so passed, and more and more people trekked through the snow and ice to reach the shelters. Besides ability users, there were ordinary people too, traveling in groups with their families.

Now that the weather was cold, the slow-moving zombies were easily frozen in place. Once people had adjusted somewhat to the harsh weather, it actually became easier for them to go out seeking help and supplies.

The commanders at the aid stations began considering their options as well.

After the apocalypse, life had been difficult for most people. As more and more survivors were taken in, the pressure to distribute supplies at the shelters in each district grew.

So, seeing that the adjustment period for the extreme cold had passed, the authorities called on those who were capable to form teams and go out in search of supplies. They could keep whatever they found or turn in half:

Those who chose to turn in half would continue receiving supplies distributed by the authorities.

Those who chose not to turn any in would receive nothing from the authorities beyond shelter, though everyone was allowed to barter.

Ability users began forming teams to go out in search of supplies. Although it was difficult, they did bring back a good haul.