The mountain was pitch dark, with nothing much to do.
So shortly after dinner, Jin Xiaoqing prepared two rooms for Yun Xiaoxiao and her companion.
"Where will you all sleep?" Yun Xiaoxiao asked.
Jin Xiaoqing pressed her lips together and said, "I'll sleep with my mom in one room, and my dad will share a room with my brother. The room you're getting was mine, and his is the guest room."
She was referring to Ling Jing.
"Won't that be inconvenient for you all?"
"Not at all, please make yourselves at home," Jin Xiaoqing smiled.
Seeing this, Yun Xiaoxiao and her companion couldn't refuse any further.
After all, neither of them was the type to be overly polite.
Yun Xiaoxiao first went to Ling Jing's room to drop off the fresh meat before closing the door and leaving.
In the dark mountain forest, the wooden cabin extinguished its last kerosene light, and the whole world turned completely black.
Only the sound of pouring rain and howling wind could be heard.
The next day, Yun Xiaoxiao took out many items from her small bag.
Things like instant noodles, bread, sausages, and canned meat.
Jin Shengjie stared curiously at Yun Xiaoxiao's bag, thinking it was magical.
How could such a small bag contain so many things?
He wasn't the only one puzzled; Jin Xiaoqing and her parents also occasionally glanced at Yun Xiaoxiao's small backpack.
But as if by mutual agreement, none of them asked about it.
The thunderstorm continued for two days and three nights.
During this time, Yun Xiaoxiao and her companion stayed on the mountain.
On the third night, while they were sound asleep, a sudden tremendous boom exploded, startling everyone awake.
"What happened?"
"What's going on?"
Everyone came out of their rooms, and Jin Xiaoqing lit the kerosene lamp.
Her father frowned, looking in one direction.
"It sounds like a landslide."
"I'll go check."
He was about to put on his raincoat.
"Don't go, Dad. The rain is too heavy; it's not safe to go out," Jin Xiaoqing persuaded.
Her mother pulled her clothes tighter and added, "Yes, let's wait until dawn. It's only two or three hours away. There's no rush; safety comes first."
Hearing everyone's persuasion, Jin Xiaoqing's Father finally gave up the idea of going out immediately.
He sighed, "Ah, this rain has been going on for so long, with no sign of letting up."
"Indeed, this heavy rain must be causing flooding in many places. Low-lying areas will suffer greatly," Jin Xiaoqing's Mother said worriedly.
This was a global downpour.
Low-lying areas and places near rivers and seas were submerged by accumulated rainwater.
Especially along the coast, seawater had backflowed, turning coastal cities into water cities.
The survivors there frantically fled in the heavy rain.
They were both avoiding zombies and searching for shelter from the rain.
Many people perished in the surging flood waters.
Many inland cities were also disturbed by this heavy rain.
In places like Rongsheng Base, some survivors were living directly in tents.
The heavy rain had soaked through their remaining clothes and blankets.
Although Jiang Huai and others had built temporary earthen houses, diseases began to spread slowly as many people crowded into the dark earthen rooms.
So this rain was another massive disaster for humanity.
People who hadn't yet caught their breath were facing another catastrophic crisis.
At dawn, the rain miraculously lessened.
By nearly noon, the rain had basically stopped.
Jin Xiaoqing's Father immediately went out.
Yun Xiaoxiao and the others curiously followed along to investigate.
The landslide site was quite far from them.
The group walked for about forty to fifty minutes before arriving.
Of course, this was partly due to the slippery mountain paths and fallen branches blocking the way after the rain.
When they arrived at the scene, they found that a hillside had broken in half, with soil and branches washed down the mountain, stretching continuously and breaking trees below.
Suddenly, Yun Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows, staring fixedly at a particular spot.
It was in the middle of the broken mountain.
While other areas showed yellowish soil, that spot revealed a blackish color.
"Hey, Sister Xiaoxiao, what are you doing?!"
Jin Xiaoqing cried out in alarm.
Everyone except Ling Jing widened their eyes in shock.
They saw Yun Xiaoxiao suddenly release a green vine, which wrapped around a large standing tree, and she swung across holding onto it.
Keep in mind that this area had just experienced a landslide, and the mountain might still be unstable.
If the soil above loosened and another landslide occurred, Yun Xiaoxiao would fall right along with it.
Jin Xiaoqing and the others were extremely worried.
Yun Xiaoxiao swung to the middle of the broken mountain, holding the vine with one hand while bracing her feet against the soil, intently staring at the black substance.
It was... coal!
Could there be a coal mine here?!
She quickly pulled out the small knife from her waist and began digging around the black coal.
Soon, more and more black appeared.
Yun Xiaoxiao's eyes brightened, and she increased her speed.
The black area gradually expanded.
This time, even Jin Xiaoqing and the others were shocked.
Jin Xiaoqing's Father said, "If I'm not mistaken, that's a coal seam!"
"It really seems to be."
Ling Jing smiled; this little one had such good luck, finding coal even in a landslide.
After confirming it was indeed coal, Yun Xiaoxiao swung back.
Coal would be extremely useful during the extreme cold weather.
Especially in survivor bases without electricity, coal meant a heat source.
Having discovered the coal, Yun Xiaoxiao didn't want to let it go.
They needed to mine it before the extreme cold weather truly arrived.
Although this might damage the ecological environment, when animals and plants mutated later, the mountain would become uninhabitable anyway.
So destroying just this small area to help more humans survive seemed worth it.
She looked at Jin Xiaoqing and her family.
"Sister, we're actually from Yun City Base. It's very safe there with plenty of food. Would you like to come live there with us?"
This family was very simple and kind-hearted, and the Jin siblings were ability users, so recruiting them would be beneficial for her.
As soon as she finished speaking, Jin Xiaoqing's family exchanged glances.
Then, Jin Xiaoqing's Mother smiled kindly and said, "Girl, we're used to living in these mountains and aren't good at dealing with people. If we went to the place you mentioned, we probably wouldn't feel comfortable. We'll stay here."
Yun Xiaoxiao frowned.
Because she heard their collective thought that they didn't want to trouble her.
"It wouldn't be any trouble at all. There, you'd be self-sufficient, working to earn your food," she explained.
Jin Xiaoqing's Father still shook his head, "I've lived in these mountains since I was eighteen, and my daughter and son grew up here. This is our home, and we choose to stay."
