Shenzi woke up refreshed.
His makeshift bed of piled blankets and office chairs felt luxurious. Several portable heaters surrounded him, keeping the 12th-floor office comfortably warm.
Outside the frosted windows, the blizzard howled fiercely. The contrast made him smile.
He stretched lazily and walked to the side office.
Zhao Qing lay curled on the cold floor with only one thin blanket. Her face was pale. Dark circles hung under her eyes. Her lips were badly chapped. She shivered slightly even under the blanket. Clearly, she hadn't slept well.
Shenzi smirked.
"Oh? Did a frozen beauty sneak into my base overnight? You look like you fought the blizzard and lost."
Zhao Qing glared at him weakly. Her voice came out hoarse.
"…Bastard."
Shenzi chuckled.
Two nights of cold and hunger. She's breaking faster than I expected. Good.
He sat down comfortably near a heater, wrapped in a thick blanket.
Shenzi opened his email with a casual swipe.
"Ding!"
A new system notification rang in his mind.
[Congratulations on obtaining unlimited high-calorie freeze-dried rations!]
The icon appeared in his backpack with the glowing ∞ symbol.
Perfect.
Shenzi pulled out several packets. He melted some snow water in a small pot on a heater and rehydrated the rations. Soon, steaming hot beef stew and rice meals filled the room with rich aroma.
The system really understands the Eternal Frost. Heat and food together.
He took the first bowl and began eating slowly. Loudly.
"Mmm… so warm. The beef is tender. The rice is perfectly seasoned."
Zhao Qing's stomach growled loudly. She tried to suppress it, but her eyes locked onto the steaming food involuntarily.
Shenzi continued eating, making satisfied sounds on purpose.
He glanced at her.
"You know, Zhao Qing, a logistics expert like you would be very useful for my future plans. Sign the master-servant contract and you can eat this every day. Three hot meals guaranteed. No more freezing on the floor."
Zhao Qing bit her lip. Her body trembled with anger and hunger.
"Go to hell… I won't become your slave just for some food!"
Shenzi chuckled and scooped a small spoonful of the hot stew. He brought it to her mouth.
Zhao Qing hesitated for a second, then swallowed it instinctively.
The warmth and taste hit her hard. Her stomach reacted strongly, making the hunger surge even worse.
Then Shenzi turned the next spoonful toward his own mouth.
"Mmm… so delicious and warm!"
He ate it with exaggerated satisfaction.
Zhao Qing's eyes followed every movement. Her fists clenched tightly against the ropes.
Shenzi "accidentally" spilled a bit of stew on the floor near her. The warm liquid spread, releasing more aroma. He casually cleaned it up with a tissue.
"In this cold, sharing body heat under the blankets could warm you up nicely too… if you behave."
Zhao Qing's face flushed red from a mix of rage and embarrassment.
"You scumbag! Unprincipled bastard!"
Shenzi felt a brief flicker of modern discomfort.
Is this too much?
He quickly pushed the thought away.
Kindness gets you frozen or eaten. She'll submit eventually and thank me when she's part of a real base.
While continuing to eat, Shenzi opened the trading platform.
He listed small amounts of the unlimited rations. Trades came in quickly. He gained thicker ropes, metal pipes for better barricades, more maps, and a few basic weapons — a crowbar and a knife.
He checked the chat channel.
Number 38383: "The storm is getting heavier! My heater died and I'm freezing!"
Number 9527: "Anyone trading food? I'll give anything — even… myself."
Number 589345: "Zombies are starting to harden from the frost. Their skin is like ice now!"
Number 112233: "Temperatures keep dropping. How are we supposed to survive this Heavy Freeze?"
Shenzi chewed another bite and muttered to himself.
"While they're dying out there, I'm building my foundation."
He used the new metal pipes to reinforce the stairwell barricade a little more. The banging from below sounded farther away now.
Shenzi finished his meal. He wiped his mouth slowly and threw the empty container into the corner right in front of Zhao Qing.
He squatted down near her and lifted her chin gently with one finger.
"Last chance today, Zhao Qing. Agree to the contract and I'll give you a full hot meal. Refuse… and you can keep enjoying the floor."
Zhao Qing's eyes showed clear conflict. Hunger versus pride. Her body trembled.
She spat out a weak refusal.
"…Never."
Shenzi shrugged, not angry.
He threw her one extra thin blanket as "mercy." It wasn't nearly enough.
He returned to the main office and lay down comfortably near the heaters.
Zhao Qing lay awake again. Her stomach kept growling. The lingering taste of that single spoonful tortured her mind.
As Shenzi began to doze off, louder banging echoed from the lower floors. More zombies, or perhaps other survivors trying to climb during a brief lull in the blizzard.
The system suddenly chimed with a city-wide notification.
"Heavy Blizzard Warning — temperatures dropping further tonight."
Shenzi opened his eyes slightly. A calm but calculating smile spread across his face.
Things are about to get interesting.