Chapter 108: Assistance
In the dormitory, all the students were leaving. The entire dorm building was nearly empty.
Jiang Hong hugged He Jian, Jin, and Zhang Xiting goodbye, each weighed down with thoughts. Lu Xiu, meanwhile, used their astronomical telescope in the dormitory, hoping to see more details of Yinghuo.
"We'll meet again," He Jian sighed.
They had fought side by side more than once, and Jiang Hong felt that his college dormitory was one of the best in the world.
"Everything will be fine," Jiang Hong smiled and said, "Everyone will be alright. Consider this an early vacation. Go ahead."
The other people in the dormitory had left. Lian Jiang came to take a look and said, "Aren't you going home, Jiang Hong? Oh, Teacher Lu is back. Well, then, everything's fine."
Jiang Hong asked, "Lian Jiang, aren't you going back?"
Lian Jiang replied, "I'm staying at the school to take care of Xiao Pi. I promised Teacher Xuan Hezhi."
Only then did Jiang Hong remember that perhaps on that last day, Xuan Hezhi had sensed something, which is why he said those words.
Xiao Pi also arrived. Though he was anxious, he carefully controlled himself, not wanting to add to everyone's worries, and asked, "Teacher Lu, have you noticed anything?"
Lu Xiu, adjusting the astronomical telescope, casually answered, "Can't see more details, but I guess it's slowing down."
"Why?" asked Xiao Pi.
Lu Xiu explained, "Because if it doesn't slow down, it will collide with Earth. It has entered the solar system and must decelerate."
"Right!" Jiang Hong said, "So we should still have quite some time."
"Hmm," Lu Xiu acted as if everything was normal, and said, "Shall we go eat? Sleep over at my dorm tonight?"
"Okay," Jiang Hong never expected that during this time, with Yinghuo nearing, he and Lu Xiu would strangely return to their previous relationship.
Only the teachers' cafeteria was still open in the school, with only a few people inside, mostly teachers and some senior couples, sitting scattered. The cafeteria TV was showing astronomical experts analyzing on a TV channel.
Next to Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong's table were Keda and Cao Bin. Keda was eating a curry dish, while Cao Bin was having stir-fried noodles.
"...So it won't collide with Earth?"
"That's absolutely impossible. This comet will only graze past the outer part, without even touching the atmosphere. Look, it's already being affected by the planets in the solar system and starting to slow down..."
The screen showed a comet with a dark red aura.
"Oh, yes, yes. What if a comet of this size hit the Earth?"
"There shouldn’t be such assumptions. Even the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs over 65 million years ago was much larger than this one…"
Keda mocked, "Don’t these experts have a conscience?"
"According to trajectory predictions," Cao Bin said, "he isn’t wrong. If Yinghuo were inert, it indeed wouldn’t hit us. The key point is that this thing is not only alive but can also turn."
Jiang Hong wanted to chat with Lu Xiu, but his attention was completely drawn to the next table. He glanced at Lu Xiu, wanting to smile, but found that Lu Xiu was staring at him intently.
Jiang Hong: "?"
Touching his face, Jiang Hong asked, "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing," Lu Xiu said, "I was just daydreaming."
Since his return, Lu Xiu had been unusually quiet.
Cao Bin turned to Jiang Hong and said, "Jiang Hong, I need your help with something later."
"Ah, sure!" Jiang Hong responded, "What do you need?"
After dinner, Cao Bin took Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu to the top of the administrative building, where there was a high-powered astronomical telescope.
But Cao Bin didn’t turn it on, saying instead, "Come, Jiang Hong, let's see the capabilities of the Book of Everything. Even though it's only the general outline, I've been curious for a long time. Lu Xiu, could you please clear the clouds for a moment?"
Lu Xiu used a dragon incantation, which seemed especially clear in the dark night. The clouds immediately receded, revealing the clear night sky in the eastern horizon.
"Uh?" Jiang Hong immediately took out the Book of Everything, asking, "What should I do?"
Cao Bin said, "Look at Yinghuo. Although it's just a small dot now, can you interpret any useful information from it?"
"Ah, yes!" Jiang Hong pointed the wand-like Book of Everything towards the sky, like an antenna receiving signals from outer space.
Instantly, the flow of everything changed again, the starry sky began to show the trajectories of stars, and the night sky transformed into a star map with coordinates!
"Wow!" Jiang Hong exclaimed, "I see it! But it's all useless information."
Everyone: "……"
Jiang Hong said, "I’m looking for Yinghuo! Hold on! Yes, there are numbers, 21, 79, 137."
"Those are coordinates," Cao Bin said, "Keep looking."
Lu Xiu asked, "Can you see its health bar?"
"Even if I could, it would probably all be question marks," Jiang Hong said, "The mana bar too, I guess... wait, there's another line of numbers."
In Jiang Hong's vision, the time marker indicating the future appeared once again.
[228:01:37 until Nibiru's arrival.]
Jiang Hong put away the Book of Everything, looking incredulously at Cao Bin.
"It will reach Earth in nine and a half days."
"Not much different from the Exorcism Committee’s prediction; they think it's seven days," Cao Bin said to Keda, "Inform Chen Zhen, we have a precise time now."
"Jiang Hong! Jiang Hong!"
After leaving the administrative building, Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu walked slowly through the campus.
Old Sun, piloting a drone, flew at a low altitude and finally located them.
"What happened?" Old Sun asked, "Is it really the end of the world?"
Jiang Hong suddenly realized that Old Sun knew almost nothing about the situation.
"Right," said Jiang Hong, "I... sorry, I haven't told you yet. Do you really not know anything?"
Lu Xiu said succinctly, "A small asteroid is about to hit Earth. The world is going to end."
Old Sun stood frozen, the drone's engine humming steadily but motionless in the air. As Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu walked on, Old Sun followed them with the drone.
"But I haven't become human yet," Old Sun said.
"Yeah, it's a bit regrettable," Jiang Hong replied, "Life is always full of regrets. But it's not certain yet. Lu Xiu and Principal Cao will protect us, fighting with all their might. I believe the world won't end. What do you think?"
Old Sun paused for a moment before responding, "Hmm."
Jiang Hong said, "But you... go wherever you want, it's okay. Remember to bring enough power banks. Now that you can fly, as long as you find a place to charge, there shouldn’t be a big problem."
"Okay," Old Sun replied, "I'll think about it myself."
Since his return, Jiang Hong no longer restricted Old Sun's movements. As a drone capable of flying, all he needed was to come back for recharging on time. Most of the time, Old Sun would fly near the administrative building, looking for places rich in spiritual energy.
"What about you?" Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong returned to their old dormitory, which hadn't been lived in for several months. The heating had just been turned on, and it was so cold that Jiang Hong shivered.
"Is there anywhere you want to go?" Lu Xiu asked, "I can accompany you."
"No... not for now," Jiang Hong replied, sitting on the bed, "It's just too cold."
Lu Xiu sat beside him on the bed and said, "It'll be better after the heating is on for a few nights. I remember you said you wanted to go to Xinjiang during the winter break. I can take you there tomorrow."
Jiang Hong said, "No."
Lu Xiu turned his head, looking at Jiang Hong with a gaze filled with complex emotions.
"You'll come back, won't you?" Jiang Hong said, "You promised me, we'll go during the winter break."
"Okay," Lu Xiu nodded.
"I'm so cold..." Jiang Hong said, "Let's sleep, I'm really tired."
That night, Jiang Hong held Lu Xiu tightly. The dormitory finally grew warmer, as if isolating them from all external dangers, creating a small paradise.
A cold front continued to move south along the North China Plain, slowly spreading westward. After several days of heavy snow, Xi'an fell into a snow disaster, nearly bringing the entire city to a halt. Residents were trapped, medical resources cut off, and countless accidents occurred one after another.
Eight days remained until Yinghuo's arrival.
In front of the administrative building, a huge floating countdown timer appeared in the sky above the school, visible to all remaining staff and students. It counted down every second, much like the approach of a college entrance examination.
Jiang Hong thought about where to go and what to do. Lu Xiu was by his side, and they could go anywhere – or choose to stay at the school and quietly spend these days.
But Jiang Hong still wanted to do something.
He entered the S class activity room. Cao Bin was sitting in a swivel chair, facing a projection screen, engaged in a video conference with Chen Zhen. When Jiang Hong entered, both were in a silent phase, not speaking.
Si Gui sat to the side, looking at a pop-up book of "The Little Prince."
"Jiang Hong, what is it?" Cao Bin didn't stop the video conference, turning his head to ask.
"I couldn't find you in the principal's office, so I guessed you might be..." Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu had searched several places that day.
"Compared to my office," Cao Bin said casually, "I prefer to be in the activity room. Go ahead."
"We want to make a trip to Xi'an," Jiang Hong said, "to report to you. We couldn't find Teacher Keda either..."
"He went back to Inner Mongolia," Cao Bin answered, "Why go to Xi'an?"
Jiang Hong: "To volunteer."
"Go ahead," Cao Bin said, "and be careful."
Chen Zhen said, "Although both sides have ceased hostilities, you still need to be cautious. Don’t let the enemy steal the crystal at the last moment."
"I will," Lu Xiu replied.
"With Lu Xiu there, there shouldn't be any problems," Cao Bin said.
"I was talking about you," Chen Zhen said.
Cao Bin chuckled, "Only I remain in the school now. What use would they have occupying this place?"
Jiang Hong curiously asked, "What are you doing?"
"Nothing much," Cao Bin said, "just chatting."
Si Gui put down his book, waved at Jiang Hong, and said, "Come here, I have something for you."
He stretched out his finger, and between his fingertips appeared a golden-red feather, saying, "Carry this with you, and you won’t feel cold anymore."
"Thank you so much!" Jiang Hong, relieved, carefully stored the feather.
Xi'an faced the worst snow disaster in a thousand years, even surpassing that of over twelve hundred years ago during the An-Shi Rebellion.
"I really don't feel cold!" Jiang Hong, riding on the motorcycle and hugging Lu Xiu's waist, leaning against his back, happily said, "I thought it would be freezing!"
"Hmm," Lu Xiu responded.
Jiang Hong asked, "Do you feel the warmth?"
Lu Xiu: "No, but I feel your body heat."
Lu Xiu, riding the Kawasaki H2, took Jiang Hong towards the downtown area of Xi'an. Jiang Hong then asked, "Aren't we flying there?"
Lu Xiu, turning his head, answered, "In these special times, the Exorcism Committee is already overwhelmed. If ordinary people see us flying, it might cause unnecessary panic."
Jiang Hong thought that during natural disasters, the appearance of a dragon in the sky would indeed lead to various interpretations. They were going to volunteer, and causing more trouble for their already overburdened colleagues was the last thing they wanted.
The two went to Xi'an's Exorcism Committee to register. Only one person was on duty there, seemingly a student too, with thick glasses. "Ah, they must be really happy, we're short on people. But... Teacher Lu, shouldn't you stay at the school?" he asked.
"Ah," Jiang Hong recognized the boy, "You're the one who sold us the magical artifacts last time. Wang... Wang..."
"Wang Leqin," the boy, the grandson of the old man who ran the magical artifact shop, said. "You're senior Jiang Hong! The exorcists are all out, so I'm filling in for my grandfather. Wear these badges. During your time as volunteers, the Committee will provide lodging and meals. You can stay in the dormitory in the small building behind here. Here are the keys. It's an old building without heating, just a flame talisman. You have to channel spiritual power into it for it to heat up, otherwise, you'll have to find other ways to keep warm."
Wang Leqin handed them two badges. Lu Xiu, while pinning his on, replied, "Since the school is close, we decided to come over."
Jiang Hong asked, "Lu Xiu and I are ready to help. What can we do?"
"Well... right now, we're clearing the snow off the electrical grids," Wang Leqin said. "We need to restore power and internet as soon as possible. I'll send you the map."
Wang Leqin added them to a group and became friends with them individually, reminding, "Please be careful not to use magic where ordinary people can see, especially since there's a ban on such actions. Even though there aren't many people outside and it's a special situation, we still need to follow the rules. There have already been rumors of 'demons descending from the sky' due to a colleague's carelessness..."
"Got it, got it," Jiang Hong said. "Let's go then."
By noon, Lu Xiu was already on his motorcycle heading to severely affected points of the electrical grid, using magic to move trees crushed by snow and clearing broken cables. In the suburbs, where huge overhead power lines had fallen, Lu Xiu rode swiftly past, pointing from afar and the iron towers groaned, slowly righting themselves.
Jiang Hong released the Samadhi True Fire, the flames swirling around, melting the fractured steel frame, and recasting it.
"This should hold for now," Jiang Hong said. "But we'll still need to wait for technical staff to do permanent repairs. Your move is similar to the one the principal used to raise the Exorcism Committee building!"
"Stellar Transformation," Lu Xiu said. "I taught him that."
That day, they circled most of the suburbs, encountering many fellow exorcists along the way. Everyone wore their badges, greeting each other from a distance.
When they returned to the city, the power was still out, probably due to ongoing repair efforts. The heavy snow, like goose feathers, buried all the streets, piling up over a meter high. Initially, Lu Xiu chose his path carefully, but eventually, frustrated, he used magic to make the motorcycle float above the snow, speeding along like a wave.
Every household had lit candles. When they got back to the city, Jiang Hong received a request to deliver medicine and promptly set out with fast-acting heart-saving pills.
The whole city was without power, eerily quiet without the flicker of neon lights, only the faint glow from countless windows, as if guarding the last flicker of hope.
By midnight, when they returned to the Exorcism Committee, Jiang Hong was yawning incessantly. He and Lu Xiu each got a self-heating rice box and slept in the dormitory provided by the Committee.
It wasn't until 3 am that exorcist volunteers gradually returned, with many leaving the dormitory again to answer calls.
The next morning, Jiang Hong woke up to cheers – the power system had been restored.
He first checked the electric water heater at the end of the corridor. There was barely enough hot water, so he and Lu Xiu quickly showered to leave hot water for brushing teeth for their fellow volunteers.
"Can someone help with a fireball?" another exorcist outside asked. "Is there anyone who's trained in fire magic? Come and thaw this frozen pipe."
"I'll do it." Jiang Hong used the Samadhi True Fire to help, feeling quite proud of himself. He thought: Hey, I'm finally useful! It seems learning fire magic is quite handy in winter.
Their plan for the day was to continue assisting in the city. The duty room was empty, so while Lu Xiu was showering, Jiang Hong went upstairs looking for someone and suddenly saw two middle-aged men arguing in the director's office.
"…It’s pointless!" one of them said. "Once Huixing descends, the power will go out anyway, and people will still die. Instead of thinking about evacuating people, you're wasting exorcists' precious energy maintaining the city, exhausting everyone..."
"Evacuate? Where to?" the other retorted. "Tell me, where do we evacuate to? Will you ask the Monster Association to open the gates? Haven’t you seen... Who are you? What do you want?"
Both men noticed Jiang Hong at the door and simultaneously turned, warily eyeing him.
"I'm a volunteer," Jiang Hong said. "Um… it's okay, you guys keep arguing. I just wanted to ask about today's tasks."
"Go outside," said the man standing behind the desk, seemingly a local supervisor. "Everyone's out there."
But the man who started the argument seemed to remember something, making eye signals at the supervisor, so Jiang Hong left.
Moments later, Lu Xiu finished washing up and was waiting for Jiang Hong downstairs, receiving their task from the dispatch room.
"Today we're on a search and rescue mission," Lu Xiu said. "Let's go."
"Lu Xiu?" The supervisor noticed him, hurried down the stairs, and chased after them to the parking lot. As Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong got on the motorcycle, the supervisor caught up, asking, "Is that really you, Lu Xiu?"
Lu Xiu replied, "What is it?" while flicking the throttle with his thumb.
"Can you ask the local Monster Association to open for a few days…"
"Chen Zhen is already preparing that," Lu Xiu said. "By the day after tomorrow at the latest, you'll have a place to relocate." Then he sped out of the Xi'an Exorcism Committee.
Their task that day was to search for people, including rescuing those in dangerous houses in the suburbs and searching for homeless people stranded around Xi'an. Once they found someone, they sent a location to the Exorcism Committee for other social departments to pick up.
"The Book of Everything can only detect living people," Jiang Hong said. "If they’ve already passed away, it's no use."
The number of casualties from the snow disaster far exceeded Jiang Hong's imagination. The hidden sorrow underneath the city of Xi'an revealed far more than the usual joy and prosperity – reluctant homeless people, laborers burning coal at home for warmth without heating, and lonely elderly living in dilapidated houses…
Ordinary people’s health bars usually range between 120 to 200, with no blue bars. If it drops below 50, it's a sign of impending loss of life, and an "Frozen" debuff would appear below the health bar.
Some extremely poor individuals were registered in the community, but Xi'an had too many transient people. Many homeless or those who came to Xi'an with just a few hundred yuan were stranded by the sudden snowstorm.
Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu’s task was to find these homeless people to prevent them from freezing to death, and incidentally, they also picked up a few drunkards.
Chapter 108: Assistance
In the dormitory, all the students were leaving. The entire dorm building was nearly empty.
Jiang Hong hugged He Jian, Jin, and Zhang Xiting goodbye, each weighed down with thoughts. Lu Xiu, meanwhile, used their astronomical telescope in the dormitory, hoping to see more details of Yinghuo.
"We'll meet again," He Jian sighed.
They had fought side by side more than once, and Jiang Hong felt that his college dormitory was one of the best in the world.
"Everything will be fine," Jiang Hong smiled and said, "Everyone will be alright. Consider this an early vacation. Go ahead."
The other people in the dormitory had left. Lian Jiang came to take a look and said, "Aren't you going home, Jiang Hong? Oh, Teacher Lu is back. Well, then, everything's fine."
Jiang Hong asked, "Lian Jiang, aren't you going back?"
Lian Jiang replied, "I'm staying at the school to take care of Xiao Pi. I promised Teacher Xuan Hezhi."
Only then did Jiang Hong remember that perhaps on that last day, Xuan Hezhi had sensed something, which is why he said those words.
Xiao Pi also arrived. Though he was anxious, he carefully controlled himself, not wanting to add to everyone's worries, and asked, "Teacher Lu, have you noticed anything?"
Lu Xiu, adjusting the astronomical telescope, casually answered, "Can't see more details, but I guess it's slowing down."
"Why?" asked Xiao Pi.
Lu Xiu explained, "Because if it doesn't slow down, it will collide with Earth. It has entered the solar system and must decelerate."
"Right!" Jiang Hong said, "So we should still have quite some time."
"Hmm," Lu Xiu acted as if everything was normal, and said, "Shall we go eat? Sleep over at my dorm tonight?"
"Okay," Jiang Hong never expected that during this time, with Yinghuo nearing, he and Lu Xiu would strangely return to their previous relationship.
Only the teachers' cafeteria was still open in the school, with only a few people inside, mostly teachers and some senior couples, sitting scattered. The cafeteria TV was showing astronomical experts analyzing on a TV channel.
Next to Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong's table were Keda and Cao Bin. Keda was eating a curry dish, while Cao Bin was having stir-fried noodles.
"...So it won't collide with Earth?"
"That's absolutely impossible. This comet will only graze past the outer part, without even touching the atmosphere. Look, it's already being affected by the planets in the solar system and starting to slow down..."
The screen showed a comet with a dark red aura.
"Oh, yes, yes. What if a comet of this size hit the Earth?"
"There shouldn’t be such assumptions. Even the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs over 65 million years ago was much larger than this one…"
Keda mocked, "Don’t these experts have a conscience?"
"According to trajectory predictions," Cao Bin said, "he isn’t wrong. If Yinghuo were inert, it indeed wouldn’t hit us. The key point is that this thing is not only alive but can also turn."
Jiang Hong wanted to chat with Lu Xiu, but his attention was completely drawn to the next table. He glanced at Lu Xiu, wanting to smile, but found that Lu Xiu was staring at him intently.
Jiang Hong: "?"
Touching his face, Jiang Hong asked, "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing," Lu Xiu said, "I was just daydreaming."
Since his return, Lu Xiu had been unusually quiet.
Cao Bin turned to Jiang Hong and said, "Jiang Hong, I need your help with something later."
"Ah, sure!" Jiang Hong responded, "What do you need?"
After dinner, Cao Bin took Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu to the top of the administrative building, where there was a high-powered astronomical telescope.
But Cao Bin didn’t turn it on, saying instead, "Come, Jiang Hong, let's see the capabilities of the Book of Everything. Even though it's only the general outline, I've been curious for a long time. Lu Xiu, could you please clear the clouds for a moment?"
Lu Xiu used a dragon incantation, which seemed especially clear in the dark night. The clouds immediately receded, revealing the clear night sky in the eastern horizon.
"Uh?" Jiang Hong immediately took out the Book of Everything, asking, "What should I do?"
Cao Bin said, "Look at Yinghuo. Although it's just a small dot now, can you interpret any useful information from it?"
"Ah, yes!" Jiang Hong pointed the wand-like Book of Everything towards the sky, like an antenna receiving signals from outer space.
Instantly, the flow of everything changed again, the starry sky began to show the trajectories of stars, and the night sky transformed into a star map with coordinates!
"Wow!" Jiang Hong exclaimed, "I see it! But it's all useless information."
Everyone: "……"
Jiang Hong said, "I’m looking for Yinghuo! Hold on! Yes, there are numbers, 21, 79, 137."
"Those are coordinates," Cao Bin said, "Keep looking."
Lu Xiu asked, "Can you see its health bar?"
"Even if I could, it would probably all be question marks," Jiang Hong said, "The mana bar too, I guess... wait, there's another line of numbers."
In Jiang Hong's vision, the time marker indicating the future appeared once again.
[228:01:37 until Nibiru's arrival.]
Jiang Hong put away the Book of Everything, looking incredulously at Cao Bin.
"It will reach Earth in nine and a half days."
"Not much different from the Exorcism Committee’s prediction; they think it's seven days," Cao Bin said to Keda, "Inform Chen Zhen, we have a precise time now."
"Jiang Hong! Jiang Hong!"
After leaving the administrative building, Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu walked slowly through the campus.
Old Sun, piloting a drone, flew at a low altitude and finally located them.
"What happened?" Old Sun asked, "Is it really the end of the world?"
Jiang Hong suddenly realized that Old Sun knew almost nothing about the situation.
"Right," said Jiang Hong, "I... sorry, I haven't told you yet. Do you really not know anything?"
Lu Xiu said succinctly, "A small asteroid is about to hit Earth. The world is going to end."
Old Sun stood frozen, the drone's engine humming steadily but motionless in the air. As Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu walked on, Old Sun followed them with the drone.
"But I haven't become human yet," Old Sun said.
"Yeah, it's a bit regrettable," Jiang Hong replied, "Life is always full of regrets. But it's not certain yet. Lu Xiu and Principal Cao will protect us, fighting with all their might. I believe the world won't end. What do you think?"
Old Sun paused for a moment before responding, "Hmm."
Jiang Hong said, "But you... go wherever you want, it's okay. Remember to bring enough power banks. Now that you can fly, as long as you find a place to charge, there shouldn’t be a big problem."
"Okay," Old Sun replied, "I'll think about it myself."
Since his return, Jiang Hong no longer restricted Old Sun's movements. As a drone capable of flying, all he needed was to come back for recharging on time. Most of the time, Old Sun would fly near the administrative building, looking for places rich in spiritual energy.
"What about you?" Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong returned to their old dormitory, which hadn't been lived in for several months. The heating had just been turned on, and it was so cold that Jiang Hong shivered.
"Is there anywhere you want to go?" Lu Xiu asked, "I can accompany you."
"No... not for now," Jiang Hong replied, sitting on the bed, "It's just too cold."
Lu Xiu sat beside him on the bed and said, "It'll be better after the heating is on for a few nights. I remember you said you wanted to go to Xinjiang during the winter break. I can take you there tomorrow."
Jiang Hong said, "No."
Lu Xiu turned his head, looking at Jiang Hong with a gaze filled with complex emotions.
"You'll come back, won't you?" Jiang Hong said, "You promised me, we'll go during the winter break."
"Okay," Lu Xiu nodded.
"I'm so cold..." Jiang Hong said, "Let's sleep, I'm really tired."
That night, Jiang Hong held Lu Xiu tightly. The dormitory finally grew warmer, as if isolating them from all external dangers, creating a small paradise.
A cold front continued to move south along the North China Plain, slowly spreading westward. After several days of heavy snow, Xi'an fell into a snow disaster, nearly bringing the entire city to a halt. Residents were trapped, medical resources cut off, and countless accidents occurred one after another.
Eight days remained until Yinghuo's arrival.
In front of the administrative building, a huge floating countdown timer appeared in the sky above the school, visible to all remaining staff and students. It counted down every second, much like the approach of a college entrance examination.
Jiang Hong thought about where to go and what to do. Lu Xiu was by his side, and they could go anywhere – or choose to stay at the school and quietly spend these days.
But Jiang Hong still wanted to do something.
He entered the S class activity room. Cao Bin was sitting in a swivel chair, facing a projection screen, engaged in a video conference with Chen Zhen. When Jiang Hong entered, both were in a silent phase, not speaking.
Si Gui sat to the side, looking at a pop-up book of "The Little Prince."
"Jiang Hong, what is it?" Cao Bin didn't stop the video conference, turning his head to ask.
"I couldn't find you in the principal's office, so I guessed you might be..." Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu had searched several places that day.
"Compared to my office," Cao Bin said casually, "I prefer to be in the activity room. Go ahead."
"We want to make a trip to Xi'an," Jiang Hong said, "to report to you. We couldn't find Teacher Keda either..."
"He went back to Inner Mongolia," Cao Bin answered, "Why go to Xi'an?"
Jiang Hong: "To volunteer."
"Go ahead," Cao Bin said, "and be careful."
Chen Zhen said, "Although both sides have ceased hostilities, you still need to be cautious. Don’t let the enemy steal the crystal at the last moment."
"I will," Lu Xiu replied.
"With Lu Xiu there, there shouldn't be any problems," Cao Bin said.
"I was talking about you," Chen Zhen said.
Cao Bin chuckled, "Only I remain in the school now. What use would they have occupying this place?"
Jiang Hong curiously asked, "What are you doing?"
"Nothing much," Cao Bin said, "just chatting."
Si Gui put down his book, waved at Jiang Hong, and said, "Come here, I have something for you."
He stretched out his finger, and between his fingertips appeared a golden-red feather, saying, "Carry this with you, and you won’t feel cold anymore."
"Thank you so much!" Jiang Hong, relieved, carefully stored the feather.
Xi'an faced the worst snow disaster in a thousand years, even surpassing that of over twelve hundred years ago during the An-Shi Rebellion.
"I really don't feel cold!" Jiang Hong, riding on the motorcycle and hugging Lu Xiu's waist, leaning against his back, happily said, "I thought it would be freezing!"
"Hmm," Lu Xiu responded.
Jiang Hong asked, "Do you feel the warmth?"
Lu Xiu: "No, but I feel your body heat."
Lu Xiu, riding the Kawasaki H2, took Jiang Hong towards the downtown area of Xi'an. Jiang Hong then asked, "Aren't we flying there?"
Lu Xiu, turning his head, answered, "In these special times, the Exorcism Committee is already overwhelmed. If ordinary people see us flying, it might cause unnecessary panic."
Jiang Hong thought that during natural disasters, the appearance of a dragon in the sky would indeed lead to various interpretations. They were going to volunteer, and causing more trouble for their already overburdened colleagues was the last thing they wanted.
The two went to Xi'an's Exorcism Committee to register. Only one person was on duty there, seemingly a student too, with thick glasses. "Ah, they must be really happy, we're short on people. But... Teacher Lu, shouldn't you stay at the school?" he asked.
"Ah," Jiang Hong recognized the boy, "You're the one who sold us the magical artifacts last time. Wang... Wang..."
"Wang Leqin," the boy, the grandson of the old man who ran the magical artifact shop, said. "You're senior Jiang Hong! The exorcists are all out, so I'm filling in for my grandfather. Wear these badges. During your time as volunteers, the Committee will provide lodging and meals. You can stay in the dormitory in the small building behind here. Here are the keys. It's an old building without heating, just a flame talisman. You have to channel spiritual power into it for it to heat up, otherwise, you'll have to find other ways to keep warm."
Wang Leqin handed them two badges. Lu Xiu, while pinning his on, replied, "Since the school is close, we decided to come over."
Jiang Hong asked, "Lu Xiu and I are ready to help. What can we do?"
"Well... right now, we're clearing the snow off the electrical grids," Wang Leqin said. "We need to restore power and internet as soon as possible. I'll send you the map."
Wang Leqin added them to a group and became friends with them individually, reminding, "Please be careful not to use magic where ordinary people can see, especially since there's a ban on such actions. Even though there aren't many people outside and it's a special situation, we still need to follow the rules. There have already been rumors of 'demons descending from the sky' due to a colleague's carelessness..."
"Got it, got it," Jiang Hong said. "Let's go then."
By noon, Lu Xiu was already on his motorcycle heading to severely affected points of the electrical grid, using magic to move trees crushed by snow and clearing broken cables. In the suburbs, where huge overhead power lines had fallen, Lu Xiu rode swiftly past, pointing from afar and the iron towers groaned, slowly righting themselves.
Jiang Hong released the Samadhi True Fire, the flames swirling around, melting the fractured steel frame, and recasting it.
"This should hold for now," Jiang Hong said. "But we'll still need to wait for technical staff to do permanent repairs. Your move is similar to the one the principal used to raise the Exorcism Committee building!"
"Stellar Transformation," Lu Xiu said. "I taught him that."
That day, they circled most of the suburbs, encountering many fellow exorcists along the way. Everyone wore their badges, greeting each other from a distance.
When they returned to the city, the power was still out, probably due to ongoing repair efforts. The heavy snow, like goose feathers, buried all the streets, piling up over a meter high. Initially, Lu Xiu chose his path carefully, but eventually, frustrated, he used magic to make the motorcycle float above the snow, speeding along like a wave.
Every household had lit candles. When they got back to the city, Jiang Hong received a request to deliver medicine and promptly set out with fast-acting heart-saving pills.
The whole city was without power, eerily quiet without the flicker of neon lights, only the faint glow from countless windows, as if guarding the last flicker of hope.
By midnight, when they returned to the Exorcism Committee, Jiang Hong was yawning incessantly. He and Lu Xiu each got a self-heating rice box and slept in the dormitory provided by the Committee.
It wasn't until 3 am that exorcist volunteers gradually returned, with many leaving the dormitory again to answer calls.
The next morning, Jiang Hong woke up to cheers – the power system had been restored.
He first checked the electric water heater at the end of the corridor. There was barely enough hot water, so he and Lu Xiu quickly showered to leave hot water for brushing teeth for their fellow volunteers.
"Can someone help with a fireball?" another exorcist outside asked. "Is there anyone who's trained in fire magic? Come and thaw this frozen pipe."
"I'll do it." Jiang Hong used the Samadhi True Fire to help, feeling quite proud of himself. He thought: Hey, I'm finally useful! It seems learning fire magic is quite handy in winter.
Their plan for the day was to continue assisting in the city. The duty room was empty, so while Lu Xiu was showering, Jiang Hong went upstairs looking for someone and suddenly saw two middle-aged men arguing in the director's office.
"…It’s pointless!" one of them said. "Once Huixing descends, the power will go out anyway, and people will still die. Instead of thinking about evacuating people, you're wasting exorcists' precious energy maintaining the city, exhausting everyone..."
"Evacuate? Where to?" the other retorted. "Tell me, where do we evacuate to? Will you ask the Monster Association to open the gates? Haven’t you seen... Who are you? What do you want?"
Both men noticed Jiang Hong at the door and simultaneously turned, warily eyeing him.
"I'm a volunteer," Jiang Hong said. "Um… it's okay, you guys keep arguing. I just wanted to ask about today's tasks."
"Go outside," said the man standing behind the desk, seemingly a local supervisor. "Everyone's out there."
But the man who started the argument seemed to remember something, making eye signals at the supervisor, so Jiang Hong left.
Moments later, Lu Xiu finished washing up and was waiting for Jiang Hong downstairs, receiving their task from the dispatch room.
"Today we're on a search and rescue mission," Lu Xiu said. "Let's go."
"Lu Xiu?" The supervisor noticed him, hurried down the stairs, and chased after them to the parking lot. As Lu Xiu and Jiang Hong got on the motorcycle, the supervisor caught up, asking, "Is that really you, Lu Xiu?"
Lu Xiu replied, "What is it?" while flicking the throttle with his thumb.
"Can you ask the local Monster Association to open for a few days…"
"Chen Zhen is already preparing that," Lu Xiu said. "By the day after tomorrow at the latest, you'll have a place to relocate." Then he sped out of the Xi'an Exorcism Committee.
Their task that day was to search for people, including rescuing those in dangerous houses in the suburbs and searching for homeless people stranded around Xi'an. Once they found someone, they sent a location to the Exorcism Committee for other social departments to pick up.
"The Book of Everything can only detect living people," Jiang Hong said. "If they’ve already passed away, it's no use."
The number of casualties from the snow disaster far exceeded Jiang Hong's imagination. The hidden sorrow underneath the city of Xi'an revealed far more than the usual joy and prosperity – reluctant homeless people, laborers burning coal at home for warmth without heating, and lonely elderly living in dilapidated houses…
Ordinary people’s health bars usually range between 120 to 200, with no blue bars. If it drops below 50, it's a sign of impending loss of life, and an "Frozen" debuff would appear below the health bar.
Some extremely poor individuals were registered in the community, but Xi'an had too many transient people. Many homeless or those who came to Xi'an with just a few hundred yuan were stranded by the sudden snowstorm.
Jiang Hong and Lu Xiu’s task was to find these homeless people to prevent them from freezing to death, and incidentally, they also picked up a few drunkards.
