Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Turn on the planting function, and work hard on farming...

"Congratulations to the host for completing the first task and improving your residence. Activate the new function of the redemption mall. The items in the redemption mall are all from other worlds. The system rewards 100 gold coins. Complete more tasks and you can get gold coins for redemption."

The system suddenly spoke, and two small icons appeared at the bottom of the interface in Su Qing's mind. One was a house, and the other was the exchange mall that the system had just mentioned. She opened the exchange mall first, and there were all kinds of items on the page.

She took a quick look and found that most of the items inside were still gray, and with the gold coins she currently had, her choices were very limited.

After looking around, Su Qing discovered that there was no food, drinking water, or other essential supplies for survival in the exchange mall. He asked the system in confusion, "Why is there no food?"

"Food and daily necessities need to be obtained by the host. The system has detected that there are refreshable items in your backpack. You can check it first."

After hearing this, Su Qing opened the refresh mall and found that there were several things that could be refreshed.

[Contaminated bottled water - pure water x 10 bottles, can be refreshed. ]

[Expired and moldy bread - 2 bags of bread, can be refreshed.]

[Dirty blanket - Blanket × 1, can be refreshed. ]

[Damaged and infested sanitary napkins - 1 pack of sanitary napkins, refreshable]

It looked like it should be something she had found in the lumber mill office building, and Su Qing pointed them out one by one.

[Refresh successfully, get 10 bottles of safe and pure water. ]

[Refresh successfully, get 2 bags of sweet and delicious bread. ]

[Refresh successful, get a new blanket. ]

[Refresh successfully, get 1 pack of brand new sterile sanitary napkins. ]

The inedible items in her backpack disappeared, and new items appeared. What she didn't expect was that sanitary napkins could also be refreshed!

Su Qing sat down at the table and took out a freshly baked loaf of bread. Inside the transparent packaging bag were a few slices of bread, which were no different from those sold on the market.

She opened the bag, and a rich aroma of milk hit her nose. The sweet scent lingered in her nose, making Su Qing a little tempted. She took a small tentative bite. The bread was sweet, soft, and tasted especially good. It was not comparable to the bread produced on the assembly line in the market at all. It seemed like a handmade product from a high-end bakery.

Su Qing finished a bag of bread in just a few bites, but she still felt a little unsatisfied. She had been hungry for a long time, but her food was limited and she had to be frugal. She could only force herself to suppress the desire to continue eating.

She thought that it was now a year after the end of the world, and most of the things left outside were rotten and unusable, so could these things be refreshed and made brand new?

It looks like we have to start searching for supplies tomorrow.

The system's safe cabin is far away from the town. There is no transportation and the journey is long. It is difficult to obtain anything, so you must stock up on enough survival supplies first.

Opening his backpack, Su Qing looked at the things he had collected. Most of them were wood. In addition to the refreshed food and supplies, the rest included a few coats, cups and other miscellaneous small items.

She was about to close the interface when she saw a packet of seeds at the back, but it said they were contaminated wheat seeds.

Contaminated? Then can it be refreshed? Su Qing immediately opened the refresh mall again. Sure enough, there was a refresh option on the interface. She had only paid attention to the food and ignored the following information.

[Contaminated Wheat Seeds - Wheat Seeds x 1 pack, can be refreshed.]

[Refresh successfully, obtain a pack of high-yield wheat seeds. ]

But she had never grown wheat before. She had only used wheat seeds to grow cat grass hydroponically before, so she didn't know if the process was the same.

Just as I was thinking about it, the system in my brain made a sound.

"Congratulations to the host for activating the planting function."

Planting function? Su Qing looked at the small icon that appeared next to the redemption mall and clicked it.

“Please plan the planting area.”

Her eyes suddenly lit up, and a topographic map with the wooden house as the center appeared. Su Qing looked at the surrounding terrain and decided to place the planting area in the northwest corner of the wooden house.

"The planting area has been determined. The land in the area is contaminated and cannot be planted. Please complete the land refresh first."

How could the land here be polluted? Su Qing opened the refresh mall in confusion.

[Contaminated Land - Soil x 50 bags, Fertilizer x 50 bags, Seeds x 50 bags, can be refreshed.]

"Here is the new route map. Go to the Seed Supply and Marketing Cooperative to collect supplies and refresh the land for planting. You will obtain efficient and pollution-free land, and the crops planted on the land will grow twice as fast."

“Why is the land polluted?”

"Due to the large number of untreated biological corpses, their decaying bodies seep into the soil with rainwater and contaminate the soil. It is now difficult to grow crops in this world, and the germination rate of existing seeds is extremely low."

"Then... is the water source also polluted?"

"Since this planet is mostly water, the carrier is large. Currently, the flowing rivers and oceans have not been greatly affected. However, the water in the cities has been polluted and cannot be drunk."

Su Qing frowned after hearing this. The land and some water were polluted. How could the people in this world survive?

She looked at the route map carefully. The seed supply and marketing cooperative was in the urban area, more than 30 kilometers away. It seemed that she needed to find a handy self-defense weapon first, and then look for gasoline or a car that could start.

The plan was roughly completed. It was completely dark outside. There was no light in the wooden house and it was cold. Although the temperature inside the house was higher than outside, Su Qing was still shivering with cold.

She took out a coat and put it on. She saw there was a fireplace in the room and tried to make fire by rubbing two sticks together. As expected, she failed again.

There was no other way, so Su Qing lay on the wooden bed holding a wooden stick, covered with a fresh blanket, and took out all the coats she found in her backpack and covered herself on the blanket. She curled herself up into a ball and gradually felt the warmth, which also gave her some sense of security.

It was quiet all around and night was falling little by little.

"System, are you there?"

"I'm here, any questions?"

"nothing."

...A few minutes passed.

"system."

"I am here."

...Another ten minutes passed.

"system."

"Host! Please rest assured. I will ensure your absolute safety until you complete your mission and return to your world! The cabin is 100% defensive, and nothing can get in."

"OK."

From then on, no more sound was heard.

…

The sky brightened and sunlight gradually shone in through the windows of the wooden house.

Su Qing opened his eyes due to the glare of the sun, and after a moment's rest, he suddenly jumped out of bed and stood up in a hurry. "It's over, it's over, I'm going to be late for class!"

Just as she was about to take action, she realized that she was in a small wooden house instead of her home, and she finally reacted.

I have traveled through time and space and don’t need to go to class anymore.

Su Qing came back to her senses, opened the door of the wooden house, took a bottle of water, washed up briefly, and went back into the house to sit at the wooden table. She took out bread from her backpack and planned today's itinerary while eating.

First, she needed to find a working car or gasoline, and then she needed to find some food and water, as she had no food left in her backpack.

As for weapons, since the system has repeatedly guaranteed her absolute safety, weapons are not urgently needed.

If she could solve the car problem before noon, she could probably finish the planting task today.

Su Qing planned her day's plan and got up to walk out of the wooden house. The seed supply and marketing cooperative was located in a place completely opposite to the sawmill. Her car had run out of gas, so she had to walk to her destination today. She hoped that she would be lucky enough to find a drivable car.

"system!"

"What's the problem? Host."

“Why can’t cars be refreshed?”

"Maybe you could try it more."

Hmm? What does that mean? Is she looking for more cars, maybe one of them can be refreshed in the refresh store?

"By the way, what are the rules for refreshing? How do I determine what can be refreshed?"

"The host needs to explore on his own."

Very good, it’s as good as not saying anything.

Su Qing took the wooden stick and set out to find the car.

It was quiet all the way. She didn't know if it was because the place she was in was too deserted, or if everyone nearby had evacuated. It was already the second day since she arrived here, and she hadn't seen any living or... dead creatures.

There was silence all around, and all she saw was desolation and ruin, which made her feel scared. Only holding the wooden stick tightly in her hand could give her a little comfort.

After walking for a long time, the wilderness was no longer in sight. Buildings appeared in front of us, which looked like a small village.

Su Qing approached cautiously. The crops planted in the fields had been left unattended and had long since withered, rotted, and were covered with weeds. Occasionally, a car appeared on the road, but none of them could start.

Then she saw some mutilated and rotten corpses, with black and brown marks everywhere. The dry bones were lying on the road, under the trees, and in the yard. The empty eye sockets seemed to be staring at her silently.

Her brain couldn't help but imagine how tragic the situation was. Su Qing began to shiver all over and almost vomited. This was the first time in her life that she saw a corpse, and it looked so terrible. Her hands and feet were so limp that she didn't know how to move them.

Su Qing didn't dare to stay here any longer. She was very afraid that zombies would appear. She clenched the wooden stick in her hand, endured the physical discomfort and ran away quickly along the route.

She really wanted to go back to the cabin and never come out again, but now she had no food in her hands. Escape was not an option and she could only bite the bullet and continue walking. After a few hours, Su Qing finally reached the edge of the city.

As she walked, several human figures appeared in her field of vision, pacing unsteadily. One of them suddenly turned around, with empty eye sockets, half of his face missing, and dragging twisted and deformed legs, as if walking towards her.

It's a zombie!

Before Su Qing's brain could react, his body had already turned around and started running quickly.

"Host! Don't worry! The zombies won't hurt you! The system has blocked your presence, they will just ignore you, don't be afraid!"

Su Qing ran a long way in one breath, and stopped because she gradually ran out of strength. She looked around in panic, and seeing that there were no zombies around, it seemed relatively safe. Then she bent over and gasped for breath.

She whispered, "I'm living well in my own world, why do you ask me to come to a place like this! Even if I die in a car accident, it will be all over, which is better than facing everything here!" As she spoke, tears fell uncontrollably.

"Since I've chosen you, I will absolutely guarantee your safety. Please trust me."

Listening to what the system said, Su Qing sat down on the ground exhausted. After mentally preparing himself for a long time, he finally stopped crying.

"Are you sure... they won't do anything to me...?" Su Qing said with sobs.

"Yes!"

After hearing what the system said, Su Qing's tense body gradually relaxed. Then, she felt sore and weak all over, and her stomach began to ache a little bit. She was so hungry...

"Well, do you have any more powerful weapons for me to defend myself? That way I'll feel safer. Besides, I'm really hungry now and I don't have any strength at all. Do you have any food?"

The system choked. This host really didn't miss any opportunity to make demands on it.

After a long while, Su Qing saw that the system had remained silent, so he said, "I'm really hungry and scared. Without a weapon, my stick can barely hold me up. Can you at least give me some food?"

"Listen, my stomach keeps growling. I've been running for so long, I'm really hungry." She paused and continued, "Can I use those gold coins to buy it? Just a little bit will be enough to fill my stomach first, and then I'll find food on my own."

"A loaf of bread has been put on sale in the exchange mall for a limited time. Since this has never happened before, you will need to pay all your current gold coins. This is only once, and it will not happen again!"

"Thank you!" Su Qing expressed her sincere gratitude. She had discovered from the beginning that although the system's attitude was average, it was still a good system and could be discussed with them on everything.

There was a bread icon on the front of the page. She clicked on it and a loaf of bread appeared in her backpack.

He took out the bread and ate it in a few bites, then drank a bottle of water. After calming down for a while, Su Qing stood up and continued walking towards the seed supply and marketing cooperative.

Not long after walking, they saw the zombies again. Su Qing took a detour to stay as far away from them as possible. She held her breath and walked lightly. She found that the zombies seemed to really ignore her existence, and her heart gradually calmed down.

At this time, she was holding her breath and her face turned red. She couldn't bear it anymore, so she opened her mouth and took a few deep breaths. After taking a few breaths, she quickly looked back. The zombies were still walking around in the same place and didn't notice her. Only then did she feel completely relieved.

She didn't know if it was influenced by the horror movies in her childhood, but when she encountered these strange things, she subconsciously thought about holding her breath. Sometimes she dreamed about it, and she was holding her breath in her dreams and then woke herself up.

Su Qing unconsciously held his breath and walked quickly while his mind was full of wild thoughts. Before he knew it, he had walked into the city. The further he went inside, the more zombies appeared, wandering around in groups of three or five. The population here was dense, and the situation was even more tragic than that of the village. There were traces of burning everywhere, as well as a lot of damage caused by heavy weapons.

Most of the shops on the street had broken doors and windows, and the houses were burned to ashes. The furnishings in the shops that were not burned were scattered all over the place, and the shelves were basically empty. I don’t know how many people had searched them.

Su Qing suppressed his nausea and fear, and tried not to look at the hideous zombies. He quickly moved towards his destination while putting whatever he could into his backpack.

She found a drivable car on the road and temporarily marked it. There were too many zombies and she didn't dare to drive. Her driving skills were limited and there were too many obstacles on the road. She planned to wait until she returned later and drive away.

Seeing that it was already afternoon, Su Qing finally found the supply and marketing cooperative.

The door of the supply and marketing cooperative was also wide open. Su Qing walked in and found that most of the items inside had not been touched. It seemed that the things here were of no use and no one came to patronize them.

There are not only seeds, fertilizers and planting soil here, but also some agricultural tools and small machinery. Su Qing collected everything he could.

Next, she walked around the city again and found a shopping mall in the central area with a sign of a large supermarket on the outer wall. She thought about it and decided to go in and try her luck, thinking that she might be able to find supplies there.

The mall was pitch black, with many zombies wandering around. She tiptoed around the zombies and moved slowly in the dark.

There was actually a flashlight that she had just found in her backpack, but Su Qing didn't dare to use it for fear of disturbing the zombies and discovering her whereabouts. Fortunately, the system provided a supermarket route map so that she would not get lost.

Walking into the supermarket, most of the shelves were empty, and some of the items had already rotted. The air was filled with the smell of mold and decay. The space was enclosed and the smell was so bad that Su Qing took out a piece of clothing from his backpack and covered his mouth and nose to feel better.

It has been more than a year since the apocalypse. There are many rotting corpses lying on the floor of the supermarket, but fortunately there is not a single zombie inside. I guess those who came here to look for supplies have cleared out all the zombies in the supermarket.

Everything that could be taken away here had been taken away, and all that was left for her were rotten or damaged things, but she had a big bug in the refresh system, otherwise she would have starved to death.

Walking in, many shelves were dumped and piled together, with some scattered things on the ground. Su Qing turned on the flashlight and scanned the rows. So far, he had not found any food. The remaining ones had already moldy and rotted, leaving behind black marks.

As she walked past the wine and beverage area, she occasionally saw some scattered items on the ground. She didn't take a close look to see what they were and put them away first.

What made Su Qing feel fortunate was that she found a small amount of sanitary products under a collapsed shelf. It would have been a big trouble without these things.

Su Qing searched the supermarket for a long time without missing a single place. He took away everything he could and even put away the shelves. Nothing was left. At this time, the supermarket was completely empty.

Then Su Qing left the supermarket and walked upstairs to the mall. Walking in the dark and deserted mall, her senses became very sensitive. She could clearly hear the movement of zombies around her and the "ho ho" sounds they made from time to time.

Su Qing's hair stood up uncontrollably, her scalp felt numb, and she was extremely nervous. After searching a few clothing stores, she couldn't bear it any longer and turned to run away.

He quickly ran out of the mall and suddenly his eyes were bright. The light outside dispelled the fear in his heart. Su Qing raised his hand to stroke his pounding heart to calm it down for a while, then walked towards the basements of the surrounding buildings.

Her psychological endurance is limited, so it’s better to search for shops outside...

Su Qing walked and stopped, and checked the fuel tanks of all the cars on the road, pumping out all the gasoline that could be taken away. However, after all his efforts, he still couldn't collect even a full barrel.

As it was getting dark, she went to the marked car and drove out of the city.

Su Qing returned to the cabin only when it was completely dark.

She turned on the flashlight and placed it on the table. The light in the wooden house made Su Qing feel at ease. She opened her backpack and began to organize the supplies she had found today.

Click to refresh the mall, and a long row of refreshable items will appear. Su Qing first clicks on the land to refresh.

[Contaminated Land-Refreshable]

[Refresh successfully, obtain efficient and pollution-free land, crops planted on the land can grow twice as fast. ]

"Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. The system rewards you with 200 gold coins."

Su Qing ignored the system and clicked on the planting icon again. The page that popped up looked a bit like the screen of a farm game. A large area of ​​land in reality was shown as separated squares on this page, making planting crops simpler and clearer.

However, planting and watering still need to be done manually, and there is no one-click solution like in the game. This page can only show the crops planted, and there will be reminders of what to do and when.

I picked up a lot of seeds, fertilizer, and tools at the supply and marketing cooperative today. Tomorrow I'll start working on my farm. The sooner we get planting, the sooner we can achieve food freedom with fresh fruits and vegetables! Relying solely on scavenging for supplies will eventually run out. Self-sufficiency is the way to go.

The author has something to say:

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Have you ever subconsciously held your breath when you encountered something scary?