Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy!

Even though the place wasn't decorated with Lunar New Year ornaments, the festive mood was still in the air.

The basement and bunkers were filled with the rich aroma of smoke and delicious food wafting from stoves and bonfires. The dishes—steamed dumplings, egg drop soup, congee, pickled vegetables, and dried fruit cakes—were simple yet brought smiles to everyone's faces.

"Eggs! Eggs! Dan Dan likes them!"

"Honey, don't put any more in my bowl! You need the nutrients more than I do," Auntie Yang's husband chided gently, picking up the egg yolk and placing it in his wife's bowl.

The survivors formed small and large circles, chatting as they enjoyed their meals together.

The doors of the basement creaked open, and soldiers carrying crates and black-covered boxes entered. They set up enormous pots, making the survivors crane their necks in curiosity.

All of a sudden, one of the soldiers called out, "Get your cards, grab your bowls, and line up!"

The survivors hesitated, unsure of what was happening, but they still obeyed. Meanwhile, those who had attempted crimes or theft in the past few days were escorted to the first floor, where they were briefly exposed to the blizzard's freezing darkness as a warning.

After that, no one dared to commit another crime.

The people in line grew nervous, only to realize that the soldiers were handing out free soft wine to adults and warm soy milk to children and the elderly.

Laughter and cheers filled the air as the tension dissipated.

Winter continued until the thirtieth day.

On the last day of the dungeon, the temperature plunged to a staggering negative 85 degrees Celsius and remained there. Nanzhi heaved a sigh of relief.

Outside, the world had turned into an icy wasteland, as if the Ice Age had returned. Every plant, tree, and living creature caught in the blizzard had frozen into ice sculptures. The snow piled so high that it reached the second floor of buildings, and the bone-chilling cold crept into even the deepest basement shelters.

The soldiers took out the frostbane serum, diluted it with water, and distributed it in small doses to both residents and soldiers. Additional stoves were lit, burning coal and charcoal to fend off the cold.

A portion of the deep, penetrating chill miraculously dispersed.

Inside Unit 1502, Nanzhi checked her inventory. Her coal and charcoal reserves had dropped to 50 kilograms. She then turned her gaze to the countdown timer of the double dungeon.

Something was nagging at her.

"Didn't you say this was a double dungeon?" she asked.

The system responded:

[Yes, it was supposed to be a double dungeon, but you prevented that from happening.]

She frowned. I prevented it from becoming a double dungeon?

Sifting through her memories, she reviewed her actions. If the system had said "it was prevented" rather than "you prevented it," she would have thought it was related to the mass fever. But if it was something she actively did…

"Are you referring to the winter plum blossom tree?" she guessed.

[Yes.]

The system didn't elaborate further, but Nanzhi's mind raced.

She quickly pieced things together. If given enough time, the winter plum blossom would have borne more fruit due to the snow's nutrients. That could have helped the wolf king upgrade to Tier 2—or worse, created more wolf kings, possibly with ice attributes.

With the wolf king's night vision and the eternal night, that would have been a disaster.

What she hadn't realized was that if the winter plum blossom had continued to evolve, it wouldn't have just strengthened the wolves—it would have further lowered the temperature. The cold wouldn't have stopped at negative 85 degrees.

On the thirty-first day, the snowfall ceased, and the pitch-black sky lightened to a dull gray. The temperature rose to negative 40 degrees Celsius.

By the thirty-second day, it had climbed to 5 degrees Celsius.

Finally, everyone emerged from the basements and underground bunkers, their faces filled with relief.

[Host, the next dungeon will be difficult. You are on your own.]

Nanzhi narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

The system didn't elaborate. The cryptic message lingered in her mind for days.

She wasn't expecting the system to spoon-feed her, but she made sure to etch its words into her memory.

[Congratulations on surviving the double dungeon!]

[You've earned 1,500 EXP.]

[You've earned a function card.]

Despite her gains, her survival points were still short of 200. She estimated that she would finally be able to unlock the system shop by the third dungeon.

However, what truly excited her was the function card.

Ding—

[You have three available functions to unlock: [Well], [Guild], and [Store].]

Nanzhi's gaze immediately landed on the [Well] option, but her brows furrowed when she saw the [Store] function among the choices.

"My points aren't enough to unlock the system store yet. Why is this store function here?" she asked.

[It's not the system store. The store function allows you to set up a shop in any location you've visited.]

She was worried about the store for several reasons since she would be gone for months. "Tell me more about it."

[The most basic store is a self-serve function with 20 product slots. The storage within these slots shares the same time dilation as your inventory, preventing spoilage. The store can accept any currency you set, has an auto-restocking system, and the slots are connected to your inventory. Wherever you may be, you can fill up the store!]

[It can appear as a small stall, a vending machine, a market tent, or even a full shop, depending on upgrades. It also has an anti-theft system and is indestructible against any threats.]

Nanzhi's heartbeat quickened. This was exactly what she needed!

"And the other functions?" she asked, trying to stay calm. "Is the guild function the same as the ones in games?"

[Yes. Unlocking the guild function allows you to invite at least one person who will have limited access to its features.]

Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire

Her eyes sparkled with interest. "Are there any hidden costs?"

[You'll need spars or jades to create a guild and recruit members. I recommend only inviting people you trust completely.]