Chapter 96 Warmth Of Resolve

• The storm had finally eased its hold.For three days, the world outside lay silent — the kind of silence that hummed with restrained energy, as if the land itself was waiting for permission to breathe again. The frozen winds had quieted to gentle whispers, brushing past the metal walls of the shelter like restless spirits reluctant to depart. Inside, warmth and routine had begun to return, the rhythm of survival settling into something almost human again.
• The shelter — one of the main hubs within Talawan’s southern district — had transformed into a miniature city of its own. What was once a massive underground logistics center was now a haven for the living: its halls echoed with quiet conversations, footsteps, and the hum of electric generators. The communal gardens glowed faintly under the warmth of artificial sunlight, green vines threading over trellises that stood in defiance of the frozen world above. Poultry coops clucked softly at the far end of the agricultural sector, while the medibay bustled with orderly calm — treating minor frostbites, checking air filters, and monitoring nutrition levels.
• The systems worked as they were designed to — self-sustaining for two years, capable of holding a thousand souls.And though the storm still loomed in distant horizons, those within could finally sleep without counting the seconds between howls of the wind.