She stood at the entrance to the warehouse, reaching out to catch a snowflake. It was nearly the size of her palm.

Stella Sterling’s pupils shrank. The snow at the start of the apocalypse in her previous life had been just as heavy and had fallen just as quickly.

’Is this just a weather anomaly before the apocalypse, or has it already begun?’

The snowflake on her palm was bone-chillingly cold. Stella considered for a moment, then went back inside the warehouse. She found some winter clothes and pants, pulled on a long down jacket, and finally stepped outside.

She drove to a supermarket. Once inside, she shook the snow from her clothes, her face already flushed red from the cold.

"Why is it so cold?"

She overheard a clerk talking with someone. The people inside the supermarket had no idea what was going on.

The supermarket wasn’t crowded. Most people were still in summer short-sleeves, and every one of them was shivering. Someone had asked the staff to turn off the air conditioning, but it was still freezing.

Stella glanced around before ignoring the others and heading straight for the aisles. She spotted her favorite snacks and swept them all into her cart. She still had some money left after buying the petroleum, and she intended to spend every last bit of it.

As she was leaving the supermarket, carrying several bags of snacks and fruit, a crowd of people surged inside, heading for the clothing section. Their hair was caked with snowflakes that looked like ice, and their faces were bluish-purple from the cold. They were all grumbling about the cursed weather.

’Looks like the snow hasn’t stopped yet!’

Stella thought to herself as she walked toward her parked car. The streets were nearly empty of pedestrians; only a few people were scattered by the roadside, waiting for a bus or a ride.

"Look how warmly that girl is dressed. Why didn’t you check the weather before we left and remind me!"

"Babe, you can’t blame me for this. The weather was great when we left. Besides, who would have thought it would snow so heavily in May?"

"The weather has been getting weirder and weirder lately. A couple of days ago it was a sudden downpour, now it’s a huge snowstorm. Who knows what’s next!"

Not far away, a couple wearing matching summer outfits were huddled together for warmth.

When the girl saw Stella, she started muttering to the boy. No one had expected the sudden blizzard, so they were all dressed for a normal day. Seeing someone in a down jacket was so strange that they couldn’t help but stare.

Stella glanced back, her gaze freezing for a moment. She hadn’t expected to see an acquaintance. "Lydia?"

’The guy next to her... I’ve seen him in photos. It’s Claire Xavier, Lydia Magnus’s boyfriend of one month!’

"Stella, it’s you!" Lydia Magnus’s eyes lit up as she trotted over.

"What are you two doing out here in this snow?"

"We were out on a date and didn’t expect this blizzard. Our driver is already on his way to get us!"

Lydia Magnus laughed, then asked quizzically, "Stella, don’t tell me you knew it was going to snow today? You’re dressed so warmly. Look at me, I’m about to freeze to death in this dress!"

Just then, Claire Xavier walked over. Despite his face being pale from the cold, he still carried himself with an impressive air. He nodded and smiled at Stella. "Hello."

"Hello," Stella nodded, then calmly answered Lydia’s question. "I just happened to have some spares in my car. I changed as soon as the weather turned."

After a moment’s thought, she got into her car, blocking their line of sight. She then pulled two coats out of her storage space. "I have a couple more spare coats in the car. Here, put these on."

"Ah! This is amazing! Stella, you’re an absolute lifesaver!"

Lydia cried out, taking the coats. She handed one to Claire and hastily threw the other over her own shoulders. Warmth instantly flooded through her. She turned to Claire excitedly. "This is so much warmer! We can tell Uncle Xavier to come get us later. It’s not every day you see a snowstorm this big! I want to have some fun. You have to take lots of pictures for me!"

"Okay."

Stella’s expression remained neutral. She didn’t say anything more to the pair. "I won’t keep you two. I have to go."

’Those two coats can be considered repayment for the help Lydia gave her at the beginning of their past life. Their friendship ended the moment Lydia betrayed her.’

’I don’t know if she’s noticed that I blocked her, but since she hasn’t said anything, I won’t either. We probably won’t see each other again anyway.’

Lydia started to say something else, but Stella was already in her car and driving away, leaving Lydia’s words hanging in the air.

"I was going to ask her to join us so I could introduce you two properly!" Lydia said, her voice full of disappointment. She couldn’t understand why Stella was being so cold to her.

"There’ll be other chances. But babe, this weather is just too strange. I have a bad feeling about it. We shouldn’t stay out here too long. Let’s just go home as soon as Uncle Xavier arrives."

...

"Snowstorm in May"

Stella looked at the trending topics online. Every platform was pushing notifications about today’s massive snowstorm.

The snow had stopped by now, but the bizarre phenomenon had ignited a firestorm of discussion online.

She scrolled through comments and photos from people all over the country.

The snow wasn’t a regional event—it was falling all over the country. Some users even mentioned that people on international forums were reporting heavy snow where they were, too. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

’She recalled the great snowstorm that marked the beginning of the apocalypse—it had been a worldwide event, too. She wondered if the two were connected.’

She browsed a few more comments. Some people online were worried about the freak weather, but others were unconcerned. There had been so many weather anomalies lately, and nothing had ever come of them. They had grown accustomed to it and assumed this, too, would blow over quickly.

There were also users from the south who had never seen snow before. They were cheering, changing into warm clothes to go play outside, and posting all kinds of pictures.

Stella watched for a while before logging off. She ate a hot pot dinner, took a hot shower, and changed into warm clothes. With the heat turned up on her apartment’s air conditioner, she drifted off to sleep.

That night, Stella slept soundly, not waking until broad daylight. She had no idea that the internet had already exploded into chaos. Even her own apartment building was in turmoil; several families had been up all night, their screams echoing through the halls.

However, Stella’s apartment had been renovated, and the soundproofing was excellent. She couldn’t hear a thing and slept without any disturbance. The next morning, it was a full bladder that finally woke her up.

"It’s so cold!"

She shivered as she sat on the freezing toilet seat, and the water from the tap was just as icy. Stella turned the thermostat up a little higher.

"Did it snow again last night?"

Muttering to herself, she walked to the window and pulled open the curtains. A blinding expanse of white met her eyes. The snow was still falling relentlessly. Looking down, she saw that overnight, all the flowers and trees in the complex had been buried under a blanket of white.

She estimated that the snow on the ground was already two or three meters deep—almost high enough to reach the second story.

Her hand, which had been on the curtain, froze. Her face was calm, but her eyes held a complex mix of emotions.

’The apocalypse... it really has arrived early—’