Chapter 138: Let's Go to West Mountain Wilderness
"Captain Lu."
After the severe cold spell ended, Meng Ci and Shen Que stayed at home for another five days before deciding to check out the official exchange.
If they could run into Lu Chen, it would be perfect to ask if they could still stay in West Mountain Wilderness.
By now, the snow had already reached up to the ninth floor, and the official exchange was likely submerged.
However, to meet Lu Chen, Meng Ci felt it was worth a try.
Sure enough, not far from the exchange, they spotted Lu Chen.
At this moment, Lu Chen was leading a group of people, planning to set up a temporary exchange at the original location.
"Hello."
Lu Chen handed a map-like document to a soldier beside him and strode over.
"What are you doing here, Captain Lu?" Meng Ci asked curiously.
Lu Chen replied, "Before the cold spell, we moved all the items from the exchange."
"Now that the snow has stopped, we plan to rebuild the exchange."
This new exchange was much simpler than the previous one, surrounded only by a wire fence.
At both ends, a few large tents were set up as before.
Meng Ci nodded. From his previous conversations with Lu Chen, he knew that Lu Chen disliked beating around the bush, so he directly pulled out a property deed from his pocket.
"Captain Lu, I heard that the villa area in West Mountain Wilderness has been requisitioned by the government."
"I came to ask if I can still live in the house I bought there."
As he spoke, Meng Ci handed the property deed to Lu Chen.
Lu Chen knew that West Mountain Wilderness was M City's top-tier villa area, and he was surprised that the person in front of him could afford it.
Although they had met several times, Lu Chen had never asked their names.
Upon opening the deed and seeing the owner's name, Lu Chen raised an eyebrow. The Meng surname?
The former richest family in M City was the Meng family.
While there were many people with the Meng surname in M City, it was likely that only the richest could afford a villa in West Mountain Wilderness.
"Of course you can." Lu Chen handed the property deed back to Meng Ci.
"Are you from the Meng family, the former richest family in M City?" Lu Chen asked curiously.
Meng Ci nodded, "That was before the apocalypse; this identity is no longer useful now."
After receiving Lu Chen's confirmation, Meng Ci said he would inform Lu Chen in advance if they decided to move, to avoid causing any unnecessary trouble.
Since the heavy rain began, although the government had made preparations, most adults had their own minds and could not be easily controlled.
Especially during this severe cold spell, many did not believe how much colder it could get, so they refused to listen.
Many people did not take it seriously, failing to add extra blankets or prepare for the cold, resulting in many deaths.
When the M City government received Shen Que's letter, detailing the Prime Minister of R country's message, which arrived precisely on time, they immediately took it seriously.
Relevant leaders reported the matter level by level, and subsequently, various provinces and cities began preparing for the impending apocalypse one month later.
In total, ten refugee camps were established within M Province, two of which were in M City.
One of them was in West Mountain Wilderness.
The other was reportedly in a town to the south of M City, chosen for its flatter terrain and larger camp size.
From his conversation with Lu Chen, Meng Ci learned that the population of M City had indeed suffered less loss than described in the novel, but it had dwindled to just over four million.
The most significant loss occurred during the -70°C cold spell.
Such a severe population decline was not what anyone wanted to see.
However, Meng Ci understood that the current population was the best the government could manage.
Back home, Meng Ci and Shen Que did not go out again, only waiting for the right moment to head to West Mountain Wilderness.
They occasionally met with Zhang Mingtian and others to keep abreast of the situation.
With the extreme cold about to end and extreme heat approaching, Lu Chen and his team began organizing people to dig through the snow, trying to salvage useful items buried under the snow.
The government had preserved some bulldozers, snowplows, and snow blowers, significantly reducing the labor required.
Meng Ci thought that even if it snowed for another month, the accumulation would only reach about one meter, making it feasible to start digging now.
Some people, seeing the official efforts to dig, organized themselves to do the same, hoping to keep the salvaged items for themselves.
Meng Ci's space contained plenty of supplies, and they were self-sufficient, so he and Shen Que stayed at home and did not go out.
They waited until July 16th, when the temperature had risen to -33°C.
In four days, the temperature would rise above zero.
At that time, the melting ice and snow would cause flooding, affecting travel once again.
Thus, Meng Ci and Shen Que packed two large bags and slung them over their shoulders, and they also tied some items in a bedsheet for Eggplant to carry.
Since they only intended to check out the villa in West Mountain Wilds to see if it was habitable or if anyone had taken it over, they didn't bother saying goodbye to Zhang Mingtian and the others.
They locked several doors before the two of them, along with the dog, made their way downstairs.
In fact, whether those doors were locked or not didn't matter much, since most of the important things from the house had already been stored in Meng Ci's spatial bag.
But it was necessary to create an illusion.
The two of them headed west.
After walking for two hours, they began to climb the mountain.
At first, without knowing about the government-established refugee camp, Meng Ci had planned to wait until the snow melted before heading to West Mountain Wilds.
But now that he knew the authorities had set up a refugee camp there, it meant they must have cleared the snow; otherwise, how could the houses built before the blizzard be livable?
Moreover, Zhang Mingtian had mentioned that people still lived in the refugee camp.
Therefore, Meng Ci changed his mind.
"Shen Que, do you think we'll find the house easily?"
Shen Que and Meng Ci each held a hiking stick, moving slowly.
"We will," Shen Que said confidently.
"That's good." Meng Ci nodded.
Although both of them carried large packs, they mainly contained warm clothes, while Eggplant carried some food.
However, even this small amount of food didn't stop Eggplant from exploring around.
After walking for a while, Meng Ci saw a cave ahead.
Or rather, it wasn't a cave but a snow cave.
At the entrance of the snow cave, more than a dozen soldiers stood guard, all armed.
As they approached the entrance, a soldier stepped forward to intercept them.
"Please show your passes."
Because most of the residents had moved out of the refugee camp and taken their belongings,
anyone who decided to stay would receive a pass with their photo and the date of their move-in.
If someone inside wanted to leave, their pass had to be returned.
And for new arrivals, the date on their pass would be checked to ensure they had left at least six months ago before being allowed entry.