Chapter 71


    Having slept the day away, Ste was wide awake and ready to continue exploring Arcadia by night.


    She had harvested the peppers, eggnts, and cucumbers from her garden, and now the


    grapevines on the old tree were starting to ripen. The grapes were turning from a vibrant green to a


    deep, sun-kissed red. She guessed they would be ready to pick in about a month.


    There weren''t many grapes this first year, only about ten bunches, but she estimated she would get


    around fifty pounds when they were fully ripe.


    On a whim, Ste decided to try and pick a grape using her consciousness. She didn''t hold out


    much hope, as she had never been sessful at harvesting this way before, but to her surprise, a


    single, ripe grape appeared in her hand.


    This unexpected sess brought a surge of joy, and she quickly tried to pull some vegetables from


    the garden. She was sessful in pulling a few, but the effort left her feeling dizzy and drained.


    Ste wondered if she could use this new ability to till her garden. After the dizziness passed, she


    decided to give it a try. She was able to till the soil, but only for a short while before her energy was


    depleted.


    She wondered why she had been sessful now when she had tried before without any results.


    Could it be due to her increased physical strength from her daily workouts?


    Overjoyed by her discovery, Ste realized that she could train her mind just like her physical


    strength, saving time and making full use of her garden.


    She nted corn, peanuts, sweet potatoes, regr potatoes, soybeans, green beans – everything


    she could think of.


    Ste practiced this new technique all night, managing to till around 50 square feet of soil before


    exhaustion forced her to copse onto her bed.


    Cooper, her loyal dog, sensing something was off, came over and sniffed around her. "Woof,


    woof…" Cooper seemed worried. What was wrong with his owner?


    Ste shared her excitement with Cooper, "We''ll have more food now, Cooper. Are you happy?"


    "Woof!" Cooper spun around in excitement, clearly pleased with the news.


    The next day, Ste continued to till the soil with her mind until she was exhausted, then finally got


    up to have breakfast. She opened the curtains and was shocked to see that it was snowing outside.


    Snow in the South was a rare sight, usually only seen during natural disasters.


    The snowkes were small and light, barely noticeable unless you looked closely.


    Ste frowned. In her previous life, it had been extremely cold, but now it was snowing? Things


    were definitely different!


    The extreme cold was already deadly enough, but now they had to deal with snow as well? The


    floodwaters had already reached the sixth floor. If there was a snowstorm, they would have to go


    even higher. Would this city end up buried?


    The thought was terrifying.


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    Just as she finished breakfast, there was a knock at the door. A meeting was being held at number


    1803, regarding the water situation.


    The previous day had been so cold that everyone had stayed indoors, huddled around their fires for


    warmth. Today was even colder, but at least they could breathe a little easier.


    Cody and Lukas were bundled up like snowballs. Their hands and feet still trembled from the cold.


    "The water tower is frozen. How are we going to get water?"


    Ste had water in Arcadia, so she wasn''t worried. But she couldn''t let the others know that, so she


    feigned concern. "Yeah, what are we going to do?"


    Cody scratched his head. "I didn''t shower yesterday, and I feel ufortable."


    Ste quickly agreed, "Me too, my scalp itches."


    When even Ste, the life-hacks expert, didn''t have a solution, everyone''s hopes fell on Jasper.


    With everyone''s attention on him, Jasper took a deep breath. "It looks like it was snowing earlier."


    Although the snowfall was light, if they collected enough of it, it could be used.


    Ste went along with his idea. "Are you suggesting that we go up to the rooftop to collect snow?"


    "Why didn''t we think of that before?"


    So, everyone hurried up to the rooftop.


    The moment they opened the door, the icy air flooded in, making everyone ufortable.


    Ste wrapped her face with a scarf and stepped outside. The weather was so cold that the falling


    snowkes had turned into ice. She suddenly slipped. Cooper, seeing his owner about to fall,


    rushed forward to try and cushion her fall with his body.


    But someone else was quicker. Jasper reached out and steadied her.


    Cooper was instantly furious and red at Jasper. How dare he interfere?


    Ste was only slightly off bnce and could have easily righted herself. But before she could,


    Cooper darted forward and bumped into Lukas.


    Caught off guard, Lukas slipped and ended up falling hard onto the icy ground. Even though he was


    bundled up like a bear and didn’t hurt, he felt wronged inside. Ang, his wife, was supposed to


    protect him!


    However, Ang couldn''t do anything. Cooper was a survival expert and Jasper was the strongest


    man around. She couldn''t possibly confront them. Besides, Lukas was a grown man. He could


    handle a small fall. If he couldn''t, he would just have to suck it up!


    Cody was also pretty unlucky. He was walking half a step ahead of Jasper, but was suddenly


    pushed aside, colliding with the door frame. Well, as long as Ste is fine, that''s enough.


    Ste''s near fall had caused a stir among the group. Even Ang felt a pang of envy. She looked at


    Jasper, then at Lukas. Except for his handsome face, Lukas was... well,cking in certain areas.


    Jasper, the gentleman, quickly let go of Ste after steadying her. "Be careful."


    Ste didn''t think much of it. "Thank you."


    "Woof!" Cooper was upset and started to scratch at the snow, looking anxious.


    "Cooper, go back inside." Ste was worried about him because he didn''t have a mask to filter out


    the freezing air.


    Cooper was upset when Ste scolded him and started to run around the rooftop in protest.


    Cody protested, "Cooper, stop running around. We need to collect this ice and snow for water. We


    don''t want to drink water that smells like your paws."


    Hearing this, Cooper started to run even faster. ‘Hmph, they could all drink his foot-washing water


    for all he cared!’


    German Shepherds were known for their high energy levels. When they got excited, not even a


    chain could hold them back. Ste had to use all her strength to get Cooper to leave the rooftop.


    The rooftop wasrge, and a thinyer of ice had formed from the snow that had fallen overnight.


    They could break it up with a shovel and collect it.


    They were worried that the rooftop floor would be contaminated, so Lukas and Cody brought up


    some corrugated metal sheets toy down. These sheets were left over from an unfinished


    construction project. They had brought them back to block the water on their balcony from getting


    into their room. Now, they had found another use for them.


    Each household was given two sheets. If they collected the ice and snow from them every day, it


    would be enough. Plus, they could also scrape off the ice from the water tower.


    With the water problem solved, everyone was relieved. It was clear that there were benefits to


    sticking together and pooling their knowledge and resources.


    After they closed the rooftop door and descended the cold stairs, they could hear the sound of


    hammering from downstairs. Ang thought someone was trying to break into their floor and felt


    her temper ring. Then she saw Cooper nonchntly standing at the staircase entrance, it dawned


    on her that it was a misunderstanding all along.


    “What on earth are these knuckleheads up to again?


    Their ears nearly froze off from the trip to the rooftop, leaving them with a ringing sensation. It took a


    while for their hearing to return to normal.


    Everyone was gathered at the staircase entrance. Themotion was sounding like quite a


    hubaloo.