The freezing rain outside intensified.
The cold, icy rain struck Xiao Mo's face and hair.
Her hair was soaked, and tiny ice crystals had formed at the tips. Frost coated her face, and stray strands of hair stuck to her skin.
In less than a minute, the clothes and shoes from her back to her feet were encased in a layer of ice, all frozen together.
Beneath her, it wasn't just her toes touching the ground anymore, but her knees, elbows, and all other points of contact with the surface were now stuck.
Inside the supermarket, customers were being organized by official registrants and armed personnel to leave through the back door.
After finishing their task, two armed men arrived at the main entrance and were startled by the scene.
One of them raised his foot, about to rush out to help.
The other quickly grabbed him, saying, "Old Lu, are you crazy? Just charging out like that?"
Old Lu replied, "Old Wu, I know our mission is to protect supplies. But as a soldier, I can't just stand by and watch someone die!"
"I know you want to save her. But if you just charge out like this, what can you do besides freezing yourself there? Can you save her?" Old Wu challenged.
Old Lu paused at this.
But in the next moment, he seemed to remember something.
He quickly asked the surrounding people, "Is there any hot water here?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a store employee quickly brought out a thermos from the supermarket and a kettle that had been heating water on a charcoal stove.
Old Lu took the hot water and, grabbing an umbrella, rushed out.
He poured the hot water onto Xiao Mo's elbows, and soon, Xiao Mo's arms were freed from the ground.
Seeing that the method was effective, Old Lu was overjoyed.
He went back and forth, continuously pouring hot water from the supermarket onto Xiao Mo, discarding the frozen umbrella and taking a new one.
Soon, Xiao Mo's entire upper body was freed from the ground.
Xiao Mo propped herself up with her hands, but after a short while, her hands froze to the ground again.
When Old Lu returned to the supermarket to get more hot water, he was told, "This is the last kettle of hot water!"
Old Lu said, "This little bit of hot water isn't enough, we need at least one more kettle."
"It's already being heated."
Hearing this, Old Lu once again held an umbrella and went outside.
The hot water only melted the ice up to Xiao Mo's knees, but Xiao Mo finally managed to straighten her upper body and was kneeling on the ground.
Old Lu returned to the supermarket again and asked, "Is the hot water ready?"
"It's not boiling yet!"
But Old Lu couldn't wait any longer.
The freezing rain outside was getting heavier, and the ice layer on the road was accumulating thicker.
The longer they delayed, the harder it would be to melt.
So, he took the not-yet-boiling hot water, grabbed another umbrella, and went out again...
Tang Li received a message from Tang Guo, but she shook her head.
She knew it was futile.
In her past life, others had also taken hot water out to save people, but the result was always the same: they froze to death outside along with the person they were trying to save!
The best method was to not go out.
Perhaps Xiao Mo was close to the door, or perhaps the freezing rain had only just begun, making her seem savable.
However, as time went on, the ice layer on the ground would only thicken.
Even pouring hot oil wouldn't help much compared to the immense volume of rain; the temperature would be like a drop in the ocean.
Furthermore, the supermarket didn't have enough hot water.
The hot water, having lost its heat, would turn into ice, only further cementing people to the ground.
As Tang Li had expected, the outcome was just as she predicted.
This time, Old Lu poured the unboiled hot water onto Xiao Mo's legs, but it didn't melt the ice layer at all.
Instead, it encased Xiao Mo's lower legs even more tightly in the ice.
Old Lu angrily threw down the kettle.
He cursed at the sky, "Damn heavens! Are you trying to kill us?"
Seeing this, Xiao Mo also despaired and cried, "Uncle, am I going to die?"
"I really don't want to die! I'm only 18, and there are so many things I haven't done yet..."
Hearing this, Old Lu's eyes instantly reddened.
He threw away his umbrella and tried to pry the ice off Xiao Mo's legs with his bare hands.
"Old Lu, what are you doing? Come back quickly!"
Another armed man, seeing this, tried to rush out but was held back by someone beside him.
Xiao Mo was also surprised and quickly said, "Uncle, I don't need you to save me anymore, please go back!"
Old Lu looked up with his red eyes and said, "Uncle also has a daughter, she's 18 this year, the same age as you. She... was caught in the flood..."
As he spoke, the strong man began to sob uncontrollably.
Hearing this, Xiao Mo also thought of her parents.
"Uncle, you say... where do people go after they die?"
"Will they be reunited with their deceased loved ones?"
Xiao Mo asked faintly.
Hearing Xiao Mo's question, Old Lu also became somewhat dazed, "Perhaps... perhaps they will..."
The two who had lost loved ones, in the freezing rain, yearned for a reunion after death.
Inside the supermarket, the shouts of people grew fainter in their ears...