Chapter 21: Cold and Heat

“You finally returned! I almost thought you had abandoned me here!” Bill exclaimed, his voice laced with a mix of relief and sarcasm. His eyes scanned the group, his gaze fixating on the new warm jackets they were wearing.

Not wasting any time, the CEO quickly demanded his share, his tone carrying a sense of entitlement. Alan, maintaining his composure, casually reached into his bag and pulled out one of the jumpers that provided minor cold resistance.

Bill’s face lit up for a moment, a glimmer of satisfaction crossing his features. However, his joy was short-lived as his eyes darted back to the group, his gaze narrowing with dissatisfaction.

“You think I’m a fool? Give me one of the good jackets you’re wearing!” Bill’s voice grew more insistent, his demand leaving no room for negotiation.

The tension in the group became palpable, and Luis felt his emotions flare up. His voice trembled with a mix of frustration and anger as he responded, “Hell no! I didn’t even get one myself, so you’re not getting one either!”

Bill’s face contorted into a scowl, his frustration now evident. In an attempt to assert his dominance, he once again revealed the gun that was securely strapped to his waist, its presence sending a chilling message.

“Give me one,” Bill pleaded, his voice tinged with desperation. “I must insist, I don’t have the same endurance as all of you. I need it to survive!”

The situation rapidly deteriorated, and even Vicky, typically composed and level-headed, couldn’t contain her irritation. 𝗈𝒱𝑙xt.𝑐𝞸𝐌

Although it was such an asshole move by Bill, Alan couldn’t help but understand the desperate lengths to which people would go to survive in such a harsh and unforgiving game.

Before the tension escalated further and chaos ensued, Alan intervened, his voice commanding attention.

“There is no need to worry about the weather” Alan’s tone was calm yet firm.

Bill looked puzzled as he said “What’s your plan?” he asked, his voice laced with skepticism.

Alan’s confident gaze remained fixed on Bill as he calmly responded, “I will make this place warmer”

Such statement quickly bring pause toward the chaos, after all everyone knew that being inside the building provided only minimal resistance and the game mechanics dictated that the fireplaces created by non-player characters (NPCs) would not provide any heat buffs, regardless of how long they burned.

While one option was to burn marked items and toss them into the fireplace, it would be a wasteful use of valuable resources. Fortunately, Alan had come prepared with a better plan.

“Alright, grab me toilet rolls, some books, and two large bowls.”

Hearing Alan’s words, everyone swiftly tried to make themselves helpful. They shook their shivering bodies and got into action, searching for the things requested. While they were gone, he prepared the other things he needed.

Vicky kept herself close to Alan as he took out ten [Canned Meat] and asked her to take all the alcohol they collected from the lab in the hospital. Under the gazes of everyone, he then poured all the alcohol into a large bowl that one of the three players found.

Toilet papers, books, canned meat, and then bowl. Vicky was getting increasingly confused by what Alan was trying to make, but at the same time, she was also enthralled seeing what the man was doing.

Afterwards, Alan took out all five pieces of [Shirt] they had looted. Using his recently-obtained [Hunting Knife], he cut all five of them into long pieces of fabric. Moments later, a pile of long strips of cloth lay before everyone’s eyes.

He then put the clothes strips into the bowls of alcohol. After making sure each strip was completely submerged, he let them sit for a minute before laying them one at a time on a nearby table to dry.

When the second large bowl arrived with all the toilet rolls and books, Alan opened one of the canned meat, started to take out all the meat inside the canister, and poured it into the bowl after cleaning it with tissue paper.

He then filled the empty canister with tissue paper and poured the leftover alcohol into it, soaking the paper in it. The next moment, Alan used his [Lighter] to light the paper inside.

When all the tissue paper started to burn away, Alan tore the pages of the books apart and threw them into the can to keep the fire burning. As a result, the canister itself was smoldering hot several moments later.

[You have successfully crafted an item]

[Your (Science – novice) allows you to create a common item]

[Name: Small Fire Barrel]

[Type: Miscellaneous]

[Rarity: Common]

[Attributes: None]

[Effects: Heat]

[Able To Bring Outside The Game: No]

[Remarks: A handmade fireplace for kids to play with]

Everyone was shocked when they saw what Alan had just created. Instead of burning marked items as a source of heat, he used the [Canned Meat] canisters – a worthless marked item after the meat was taken out – as a furnace and utilized unmarked toilet papers and books as fuel instead.

Alan waited for a few seconds before he opened the second canned meat canister and did the same thing. The second [Small Fire Barrel] was quickly made, then the third, and finally the fourth.

The cold air in the hall began to lessen as the heat radiated from the items spread throughout the place. Finally, everyone received a notification simultaneously when the eighth [Small Fire Barrel] was made.

[You Have Received Status: Heat level one]

Everyone was elated to see their cold status drop by another level. The hall of the New York Public Library now provides two-level resistance to cold status, which should be sufficient to keep everyone inside through the end of the round.

Seeing what Alan had done, Vicky was impressed and said, “You are amazing… You are just like that character in Richard Anderson series!”

Ignoring the remarks, he told Luis, who has [Cooking skill], to do something with the meat. Hearing the order, Luis saluted excitedly.

“Right on it!”

Alan glanced at Bill, a hint of satisfaction evident in his eyes, and a subtle question in his voice. “Are you satisfied now, Bill?”

Bill, though he would have preferred a jacket, found himself unable to voice any more complaints. He had witnessed firsthand the resourcefulness and ingenuity of Alan’s solution, leaving him with a sense of admiration and gratitude.

Meanwhile, Vicky’s face still held a perplexed expression as she pointed her finger at the first bowl, her curiosity piqued. With a raised eyebrow, she voiced her question. “What about all those cut-out clothes? What are you going to do with them?”