It was precisely because of the swift response from the imperial authorities that patrol officers like Dong Hao were going door-to-door, attempting to register every potential Awakened individual in their jurisdiction as quickly as possible.

  Initially, lower-level patrol officers like Dong Hao weren't given the full explanation; they were only informed that a recent epidemic had emerged, necessitating an understanding of all residents in their area to prevent further spread of the illness.

  Because of this, when Dong Hao reported his findings after learning about Dong Qi's situation, Dong Qi's name was not included on the list.

  Due to social customs within the Great Xia Empire, in bustling cities, cases of dehydration going unnoticed were actually quite rare. In remote areas, because neighborly relations were closer, instances of dehydration-induced coma were also discovered quickly.

  Only individuals like Dong Qi, living alone in the suburbs, would remain undiscovered during the onset of the illness, thus completing the entire awakening process.

  This sudden onset of Dehydration Syndrome didn't just occur within the Great Xia Empire; it affected everyone across the entire Blue Star.

  However, only a few nations like the Great Xia Empire responded promptly when the illness appeared.

  Many other countries, for various reasons, failed to react in time during the concentrated outbreak period of Dehydration Syndrome, resulting in a massive number of deaths.

  Yet, precisely because of this, most of those who endured the onset period awakened various supernatural abilities.

  These individuals, having suddenly acquired powerful abilities, consequently triggered unrest in their respective regions.

  Fortunately, the regions they originally inhabited were not very stable to begin with, so the disturbances caused by these Awakened didn't have a significant impact.

  Nevertheless, all nations began to take this matter seriously.

  Since Dong Qi still had some pre-written chapters in reserve, he didn't start writing immediately after getting up in the morning. Instead, he drove to the wholesale market to make purchases.

  The suburban wholesale market originally consisted of just two streets with about thirty or forty shops specializing in bulk wholesale business.

  Over time, however, many people from surrounding villages, riding their own tricycles, began sporadically selling their self-produced agricultural and sideline products here, eventually spontaneously forming a relatively large-scale market.

  Although there were many brands here not found in downtown supermarkets, if one was willing to spend money, they could still buy products of their desired brands.

  Having experienced lockdowns due to epidemics back on Earth, Dong Qi directly spent a large sum this time to stockpile a massive amount of supplies in one go.

  Although it was easier to find transport trucks for hauling at this wholesale market, for the sake of safety, Dong Qi preferred to use his own vehicle for multiple trips rather than hiring a large truck for delivery.

  Even though making five or six round trips a day, coupled with repeatedly unloading the goods, was exhausting, Dong Qi ultimately managed to purchase enough supplies to last one person for over six months, as planned.

  On the very next day after Dong Qi finished procuring the supplies, the temperature plummeted by over ten degrees Celsius without warning.

  Actually, it was already the end of the year, approaching winter, so although people felt the temperature was somewhat abnormal, they didn't pay too much attention.

  What no one expected was that the sudden temperature drop was just the beginning.

  That night, snowflakes began to drift down from the sky sporadically. While snowfall in the Northeast Provinces was normal, high-temperature regions like Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, which are close to the equator, actually experienced snowfall as well.

  Under normal circumstances, even during the coldest part of winter in those regions, temperatures remained above zero. Even during rare extreme weather events, temperatures would only briefly dip below zero for a day or two at most.

  But this snowfall not only didn't result in just bits of ice as in the past, but showed signs of intensifying.

  The down jackets that had been mere display items in shopping malls suddenly became in short supply.

  In contrast, regions like the Northeast Provinces, which experience winter every year, were less affected by this sudden cold snap because many households had already begun purchasing winter supplies.

  Pengcheng, where Dong Qi lived, happened to be in an area straddling the north-south divide. While the minimum winter temperature here wasn't as low as the negative twenty or thirty degrees Celsius in the Northeast Provinces, it would occasionally drop below negative ten for about a week, so many households already had heating equipment prepared.

  In the city center, even if homes didn't have centralized heating, many had installed wall-mounted boilers during renovation or kept electric heaters at home.

  Any experienced household knew that the colder it got, the worse air conditioners were at heating. No matter how effective the advertisements claimed, gas wall-mounted boilers were the first choice for heating, followed by electric heaters.

  For standalone villas in the suburbs like Dong Qi's, because the rooms were larger, radiant floor heating powered by wall-mounted boilers was typically installed in bedrooms and studies.

  For more spacious rooms like the living room, coal stoves or wood-burning fireplaces were used directly. Although not very aesthetically pleasing, they were highly practical.

  The moment Dong Qi noticed the temperature drop, he closed the basement entrance to prevent snow from accumulating inside.

  As for why Dong Qi took preventive measures in advance, one had to mention the painful experience a certain year when a blizzard filled the entire basement with snow.

  Perhaps because having ample supplies brought peace of mind, even while watching the blizzard outside and listening to the latest snow disaster warning from the meteorological bureau, Dong Qi didn't feel particularly panicked.

  With nothing else to do, Dong Qi could only continue writing to replenish the backlog of chapters used up over the past few days.

  Facing this sudden heavy snow, no one paid much attention on the first day, especially southerners who rarely saw snow. Instead of feeling anxious, they went out in the snow to enjoy this rare weather phenomenon in the south.

  But on the second day, and the third day, the heavy snow still didn't stop.

  For northerners, blizzards were commonplace; while somewhat disruptive, the impact wasn't major.

  For the vast majority of southerners unprepared for blizzard conditions, this was a disaster.

  If staying warm could be barely managed by wearing more clothes and piling on blankets, then several consecutive days of blizzard were a catastrophic disaster for most southerners without the habit of stockpiling vegetables.

  Three consecutive days of blizzard forced many wet markets to close. Even if some large supermarkets remained open, simply getting there became a huge challenge.

  Compared to the Northeast Provinces, which not only had rich snow removal experience but also plenty of specialized snowplows, the southern regions lacked both practical experience and professional snow removal equipment. Faced with snow already half a meter deep on the roads, everyone was powerless.

  Not to mention, due to the temperature, not only electric vehicles but even many gasoline-powered cars were extremely difficult to start.

  Now, if one wanted to go out to buy food, they could only rely on braving the snow on foot.

  But because they lived in temperate zones, many households also lacked clothing that could withstand sub-zero temperatures. Consequently, many people now wrapped themselves in their own quilts to brave the snow and go to supermarkets to purchase food.