Steamed fish head with chopped chili peppers is fine, it's a gold entry for every level.

Shen Wen sat in the car, looking out the window.

Quiet.

It's too quiet.

Even the occasional roars of monsters that could be heard during the day disappeared; the whole world seemed to have been muted.

But Shen Wen did not let his guard down.

He glanced at the temperature display on the dial.

Current temperature: 12℃

It dropped another 4 degrees.

It's only been an hour since night fell.

Shen Wen frowned.

He recalled some post-apocalyptic novels he had read in his previous life. In some of these novels, the nights were accompanied by extreme weather, such as extreme cold, extreme heat, or acid rain.

Could it be...?

Just then, a cold notification sound suddenly rang in his mind.

[Ding—Attention all survivors—]

[First Nightmare Unveiled: Extreme Cold Nightmare]

Duration: 7 days

[Effect: After nightfall, the temperature will drop in stages. The lowest temperature on the first night: -10℃. The lowest temperature will decrease by 5℃ each subsequent night.]

[Note: Survivors must maintain body temperature inside the vehicle. The vehicle's energy can provide basic heating, but energy consumption will increase significantly.]

[Special Note: The regional exchange will officially open after dawn. Survivors can trade resources through the vehicle system.]

Best of luck to everyone.

Upon hearing the system notification, Shen Wen's brows furrowed into a deep frown.

"A nightmare of extreme cold? Seven consecutive days? A drop of 5 degrees Celsius every night?"

He counted on his fingers: the first night was -10 degrees Celsius, the second night was -15 degrees Celsius, the third night was -20 degrees Celsius... and on the seventh night, it was -40 degrees Celsius.

What does -40 degrees Celsius mean?

Water poured on it turns to ice, urine turns to sticks, and when you come back from peeing outside, you have to tap your penis to retract it.

"Is this a path to survival or a path to death?" Shen Wen gasped, then realized that the air inside the car was indeed a bit chilly.

He glanced at the temperature display on the dial.

Current temperature: 8℃

[Expected minimum temperature at midnight: -10℃]

Temperature difference: 18℃

"Alright, at least we have a few hours to prepare." Shen Wen rubbed his hands together and exhaled a puff of white breath.

He opened the regional channel to see how the other survivors were reacting.

[Regional Channel]

[Holy crap! -10 degrees Celsius?! This is a convertible! And there's a hole in the roof! This is going to kill me!]

"Dude, you're lucky. This is a bicycle, it doesn't even have a roof. I've put on all my clothes, and I'm still freezing like a dog."

[This is where the advantage of gasoline cars comes in, isn't it? I can use the engine's waste heat as much as I want, and run the heater all day without a care in the world! My condolences to my fellow electric car enthusiasts.]

"Waaaaah, I'm an electric car, and my range is already insufficient. If I turn on the heater, I'm afraid I won't make it to tomorrow morning and I'll be frozen solid."

[Any ladies who need heating? My big truck is spacious, has great heating, and even provides hot water!]

【roll!】

[This is so realistic! During the day, you're chased by black fog, and at night, the extreme cold is enough to freeze you to death. Is the game designer a psychopath?]

Forget all that useless talk, does anyone have any good ideas for keeping warm? I'm waiting online, it's urgent.

Shen Wen looked at the wailing filling the channel and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Extreme Cold Nightmare? Would it work on me?"

He glanced at the status of his vehicle.

[Current Form: Normal Mode]

Energy: 62%

[Golden Roc Form Passive: Reduces energy consumption of the entire vehicle system by 90% (including but not limited to drive, heating, and lighting)]

[Estimated nighttime heating energy consumption: 2% energy consumption per hour in normal mode, and 0.2% energy consumption per hour in Golden Rooster mode]

"0.2% per hour?" Shen Wen calculated. "Even if it's on all night, it only consumes 2%-3% of the energy."

"And I have 62% of the energy, which is equivalent to..."

He was silent.

It's like he can sleep for ten days and ten nights straight with the heating on, and still have enough energy.

"What kind of god-tier passive skill is this?"

Shen Wen suddenly felt that his Golden Roc engine was practically tailor-made for such extreme environments.

What does a 90% reduction in energy consumption mean?

While others can run the heater for one hour, he can run it for ten.

While others were freezing, he was so hot he wanted to open the window.

"and……"

Shen Wen's gaze fell on the pile of supplies in the trunk.

"It's getting cold, hot pot is the only way to go!"

Without saying a word, he pulled a self-heating hot pot out of the trunk.

The spicy beef flavor comes with a picture of a delicious-looking cow printed on the packaging, along with the small print: "No spice, no money back."

Shen Wen unpacked the package and arranged the ingredient pack, hot pot base, and self-heating pack one by one.

Add water, place the self-heating pack, and close the lid.

Then he sat in the driver's seat, holding the self-heating hot pot that was starting to steam, feeling the warmth coming from the bottom of the box.

"Ah, that feels so good!"

Shen Wen let out a satisfied sigh.

The temperature outside the window was still dropping, but he remained completely calm.

The heat from the self-heating hot pot is transferred through the box to your hands, and then through your palms to your whole body.

Although it can't compare to the effect of a car heater, this little bit of warmth feels especially precious on this increasingly cold night.

What's more, this thing is edible.

Fifteen minutes later.

Shen Wen lifted the lid, and a rich, spicy aroma instantly filled the entire carriage.

The red oil sizzles, beef slices float in the soup, and lotus root slices, potatoes, kelp knots and other side dishes gleam enticingly.

Shen Wen took a deep breath, feeling completely soothed by the fragrance.

He picked up a piece of beef, blew on it, and put it in his mouth.

Holy crap!

His eyes lit up instantly.

Spicy and savory, the beef is tender and flavorful, and the broth is rich and creamy.

Although it can't compare to the quality of a proper hot pot restaurant, on the first night of this survival journey, being able to eat a hot and spicy beef is already like living in paradise.

Shen Wen ate heartily, and fine beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead.

The temperature inside the car rose by one or two degrees because of this self-heating hot pot.

"This is the life a human being should live!" Shen Wen exclaimed, taking another swig of mineral water.

Although it's cold, it has a unique flavor when paired with a hot pot.

Just then—

"Bang bang bang!"

The car window was knocked on again.

Shen Wen, with beef still stuffed in his mouth, turned his head and saw Liu Min again.

She stood outside the car, wrapped in a windbreaker, her arms crossed over her chest, curled up into a ball.

His lips were a little purple, and the tip of his nose was red from the cold; he looked pitiful.

Shen Wen lowered the car window, and a blast of cold air rushed in, dissipating much of the heat he had just accumulated.

"What is it now?" Shen Wen asked, his words muffled.

Liu Min's nose twitched, her eyes fixed on the steaming self-heating hot pot in Shen Wen's hand.

"You...you're eating hot pot?"

Her voice was trembling, whether from the cold or from cravings, it was hard to tell.

"Hmm." Shen Wen picked up another slice of beef, slowly put it in his mouth, and said, "Spicy tender beef flavor, want to try it?"

Liu Min's eyes lit up instantly, but Shen Wen's next words extinguished her hopes.

"Dream on."