Chapter 82 Cave Survival: A Cataclysmic Start

"Are we really in Dawn City right now?"

Fang Zhiyi sat up straight and asked a question.

Crack.

The crystal chandeliers hanging on the street lit up and slowly rotated, while music boxes played from inside the shops.

Fang Zhiyi opened the taskbar.

Along the way, they took on many missions, but so far only two remain unfinished.

[Task - Father's Longing]

[Mission - Arrive at Dawn City]

The former was a delivery task. He had previously thought that the reason it wasn't marked as completed was because the repairman's daughter hadn't personally received the package.

The latter... the mission to reach Dawn City was also not completed, and the countdown was still refreshing.

"The mission wasn't completed. Could it be because we never even reached Dawn City?" Fang Zhiyi was caught up in an indescribable excitement. He almost jumped up from his seat and said impatiently, "Let's go back to Avenue 3. Mira definitely knows where to leave from!"

The city was uninhabited; Mira was the sole survivor. His ability to escape from the research institute suggests he knew the way out. There must have been crucial information left in Mira's home, but they hadn't discovered it.

Return to 103 3rd Avenue.

By this time, the sky had completely darkened, and the stars twinkled in the dim yellow night sky, like strings of colorful lights.

Pushing open the door, Fang Zhiyi strode into the room, picked up the clothes that were scattered all over the floor, and rummaged through each pocket.

No.

Still no.

His pockets were empty; he hadn't found the clue he was looking for.

Fang Zhiyi slumped onto the sofa, surrounded by magazines and dirty clothes scattered on the floor. Her amber eyes reflected the static on the television screen.

Chu Zhao came down from the second floor, shook her head at him, and said, "There aren't any upstairs either."

Fang Zhiyi held her head in her hands, her fingers running through her hair, making a mess of it.

How could there not be?

Was he wrong?

Or... is there something we've overlooked?

If he were Mira, where would he put the important things?

Fang Zhiyi put himself in Mira's shoes.

Although I have never met Mira, the schedule he kept in his notebook shows that he is a researcher who is focused on his work, cares little about anything else, and whose life consists only of going between two points.

His daily routine consists of going to work, coming home, and occasionally picking up packages and washing dirty clothes...

Fang Zhiyi stood up and walked out of the room like a wandering ghost.

Chu Zhao wanted to follow, but was stopped by his action.

He locked himself out, completely mimicking Mira's behavior.

"After get off work..." Fang Zhiyi muttered, "I should go pick up the package." He pushed open the door and sure enough, he saw a neatly folded package box under the shoe cabinet. He rummaged through it and found that it contained packaging bags and foam paper, nothing else. He put the package box down and followed Mira's movements to the laundry room.

There was a washing machine and a dryer in the laundry room, and the washing machine was filled with washed clothes.

Fang Zhiyi pressed the button for the washing machine, and with a "beep," the door opened. The clothes inside emitted the fresh scent of detergent.

Looking down again, there were some messy footprints and scattered documents on the ground.

If Mira learned some crucial information in the laundry room and fled in panic, then she most likely hid the key information here.

Fang Zhiyi picked up the dirty laundry basket on the ground and shook out all the clothes inside.

...Still no.

Fang Zhiyi frowned, looked around, and then looked at the washer-dryer set.

Finally, he discovered the clue behind the washing machine. The washing machine was built-in, but—the thickness of this cabinet was somewhat different from the rest.

Fang Zhiyi called Chu Zhao over, and the two of them unloaded the washing machine and dryer together. Before them lay a walnut wood door. A light tap revealed a hollow panel that echoed. Further searching revealed a small indentation that required a key to open.

【Mysterious Key O】

[Perhaps we can open the door to one of the rooms.]

Fang Zhiyi took out the key, inserted it into the recess, and turned it forcefully. With a "click," the mechanism of the door panel turned, and a door appeared in front of the two people.

Fang Zhiyi was the first to crawl inside.

Turn on the chandelier, and the room behind the door is instantly illuminated.

The space behind the door was small, only 10 square meters, containing some confidential materials and a desk. Mira had destroyed most of the materials before leaving, leaving only some unimportant items with disorganized and incomprehensible information.

Fang Zhiyi put down a thick stack of documents and caught a glimpse of a crystal ball on the table.

The crystal ball was exquisitely crafted and adorned with sequins, which clashed with the atmosphere of the secret room and didn't seem like the kind of toy that Mila would like.

Fang Zhiyi picked up the crystal ball as if possessed and examined it in his hand.

Inside the crystal ball was a city, with towering buildings, clean streets, and crystal chandeliers lining both sides... It was clearly a miniature version of Dawn City.

Slowly rotating the crystal ball, I indeed found Avenue 2, Avenue 3, and the research institute inside... exactly the same as the scenery along the way.

On the base of the crystal ball, there is a mark that reads "no.013", and next to it is a badge of the Crown of Thorns.

Fang Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat. He seemed to see a familiar car driving through the car, but before he could see it clearly, it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

He looked up and met Chu Zhao's gaze, then handed him the crystal ball: "We... might be inside the crystal ball."

As soon as the words were spoken, the sky brightened, as if someone had turned on the lights. The entire city was illuminated, with light and shadow intertwining, and the whole city was enveloped by an inverted spherical crystal.

Further away, the faint sound of children's laughter could be heard.

Then, an enlarged and distorted face came closer, its gaping maw pointing at the things inside the crystal ball.

Fang Zhiyi held her breath and gripped the crystal ball tightly in her hand until her palm hurt from being hit by the sharp base.

The Dawn City admission ticket didn't take them to Dawn City itself, but rather sent them into a miniature crystal ball, so none of the Dawn City quests were completed.

The important thing now is not how we got here, but how we get out of here.

Fang Zhiyi held the crystal ball up in front of him.

The crystal ball is a sealed space filled with antifreeze and some glitter, enveloping a miniature city with crisscrossing roads, making it impossible to find a way out.

Fang Zhiyi watched for a while, then suddenly reached out to pull the crystal ball, but the crystal ball was glued to the base and could not be pried open by hand.

After several attempts, even with my palms turning red from exertion, the crystal ball remained completely still.

Chu Zhao said, "You can't open it with brute force. You have to use fire to melt the glue at the bottom." He took the crystal ball and heated the base with a lighter. When the temperature rose, the crystal ball detached from the base and fell intact into his hand.

...

"Ha ha……"

The children laughed happily, running around the room with their crystal balls in their hands.

"Sweetie, don't break the crystal ball. Can you put it on the table instead?" Mom said gently.

The child nodded: "Okay, Mom!"

The crystal ball sat quietly on the table, and a child lay on it, gazing at it. The world inside the crystal ball was truly wonderful—tiny houses, tiny trees, and even tiny cars, which could move on their own! This was the latest crystal ball developed by the research institute, and all sorts of little people could appear inside it.

The children were engrossed in the crystal ball, with a complete set of model roads displayed nearby.

The mother peeked out from the kitchen, saw the child was behaving well, and went back to cooking. But after only a short while, she heard the child scream again: "Mommy! Mommy!"

"What's wrong?"

"Mom! The crystal ball is on fire!"

Mom didn't believe it: "How could a crystal ball catch fire? Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"

"Mom, I didn't see wrong, the crystal ball is on fire, look!"

Mom, holding a spatula, said, "Okay, I'm busy. I'll do it later, okay?"

The child refused, insisting that his mother come to see it now, and picked up the crystal ball to go to the kitchen.

"Mother!"

He held the crystal ball, and could clearly see a cluster of flames burning inside, the flames blazing fiercely, making the whole ball hot to the touch.

"Hiss—" The child gasped as he was burned. "Mom, look!"

In the kitchen, Mom was busy cooking and had no time to pay attention to the crystal ball: "You must have seen it wrong, honey."

Child: "I didn't see wrong!"

Inside the crystal ball, flames shot into the sky, and the faint roar of an engine could be heard. A motorhome burst out of the flames and crashed directly into the glass shell of the crystal ball.

Under the high temperature, the glue on the base melted, and the crystal ball, which was already teetering on the edge, lost its balance and fell from my arms after the impact.

Bang!

The sphere shattered into pieces, and a miniature city lay amidst the broken glass. A miniature RV leaped out, its tires crushing the glass shards and sequins before disappearing in a flash of white light.

The child stared blankly.

Hearing the noise, Mom came out with a spatula and saw the mess on the floor: "Did you drop the crystal ball and break it?"

The child shook his head: "No, Mommy! The crystal ball broke by itself! The little people inside ran away too." He looked like he was about to cry, "My ball, boo-hoo—"

The mother said gently, "It's alright, baby, it's good that you're not hurt. As for the crystal ball—there are plenty of those. The research institute has sold 999 of them. As for the little people, there are plenty of those outsiders."

...

You have successfully completed post-apocalyptic world 03-146000-city-highway survival.

Rating: SS

[After completing the game, the apocalyptic factors (zombies, toy-like appearance) in the main world have been eliminated.]

[Rewards are being processed...]

Fang Zhiyi opened his eyes and found himself back in the game's system space, where countless words were flashing before his eyes.

[Unlock Achievement: Veteran Driver]

You have accumulated 1000 kilometers of driving, making you a seasoned and experienced driver.

[Gain 10 basic skill points]

[Unlock Achievement: Survival Expert (Advanced)]

You have fully mastered survival skills.

[Gain 20 basic skill points]

[Unlock Achievement: Tremble, World!]

You have successfully instilled fear of your power in over 1000 people, making them afraid to oppose you. Even... they can't do anything about you.

[Gained 20 survival points]

[Unlock Achievement: Good Things Come in Pairs]

You've found a good friend you can trust... or maybe not a friend, what do you think?

[Gained 10 survival points]

...

Perhaps because the car didn't reach level 5 in the end, the score for clearing the world this time was only SS, and the rewards were also reduced, with a total of 80 survival points and 30 basic skill points.

Fang Zhiyi has now reached 530 survival points. As for the basic skill points, he has evenly allocated them to stamina and satiety.

My personal panel is now as follows.

[Player: Fang Zhiyi]

[Titles: ...I'm going to be number one...Snow Hunter...Dragon Slayer...Fast and Furious, Unbeatable Destroyer...]

[Stamina: 100 (+79)]

Satiety level: 100 (+15)

Points: 530

[Items: Youjia Fresh Supermarket Lv4 (Bound), Mall Discount Coupon x1]

[Completed the post-apocalyptic world: 01-36500-Ocean-Raft Survival, 02-73000-Extreme Temperature-Winter Survival, 03-146000-City-Road Survival]

[...]

After reviewing his personal panel, Fang Zhiyi waited expertly for the new world to load.

But this time, instead of the electronic voice, a panel appeared in front of me.

【Doomsday World Travel Package】

[Active...]

Please select the world you wish to visit.

【1. Ocean - Desert Island Survival (Low difficulty, repeated apocalyptic factors, -50% score)】

[2. City - Zombie Survival (Low difficulty, repeated apocalyptic factors, -50% score)]

【3. Wilderness Survival (Low Difficulty)】

4. Cave Survival (Medium Difficulty, Score +50%)

Without a second thought, Fang Zhiyi immediately eliminated the first two options. Worlds with low difficulty and few points were not within his selection range. As for the latter two, wilderness survival and cave survival were both completely unfamiliar worlds, one with low difficulty and the other with medium difficulty. After hesitating for a moment, he finally chose the latter.

The world has made its choice.

[Transferring]

[Countdown: 10, 9, 8...]

Before being teleported into the new world, Fang Zhiyi suddenly remembered that Chu Zhao should also have this post-apocalyptic world travel package. He quickly opened his private chat and edited the message at the last minute.

【fzy: Choosing a Cave】

The moment the message was sent, a flash of white light appeared.

[Loading post-apocalyptic world]

[Doomsday Code 04-999 - Underground - Cave Survival]

The sound of cold water rushed in.

Fang Zhiyi opened his eyes. It was pitch black, and dark currents surged from all directions, carrying him into a deeper vortex.

Fang Zhiyi struggled instinctively, slapping the water with both hands and swallowing several mouthfuls of water.

"Cough cough—"

The water was cold, and his body was heavy; it felt as if a hand was supporting him as he sank.

Fang Zhiyi realized what was happening, rummaged through her clothes, and finally found the strap wrapped around her shoulder. She untied it forcefully, and the heavy backpack fell into the water. After being freed, her body felt lighter, and she paddled on the water with her hands, trying to keep herself afloat.

After spending a long time in the dark, my eyes gradually adapted to the dim light, and I was able to discern the direction. I swam towards the shore in one go.

Splash—

Fang Zhiyi grabbed a rock on the shore, pushed off with all his might, and finally climbed ashore, lying on the bank, panting heavily.

So tired, so sleepy...

Fatigue, cold, and weakness.

Various negative effects began to appear on my body, and my stamina and hunger kept dropping.

Fang Zhiyi closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and got up.

Having been soaked in the water for so long, he was completely drenched and his teeth chattered uncontrollably from the cold. He rubbed his fingers to warm them up, then took off his soaking wet clothes. After drying himself off, the damp chill of the underground lake water made him shiver involuntarily.

[Task has been issued]

Find your companions and escape the cave.

This mission is different from the previous ones; there are no upgrade or modification tasks, only a simple line of text.

Generally speaking, the fewer words in a task description, the more difficult the task.

Fang Zhiyi wiped her wet hair and studied the mission.

This mission even has a backstory.

You are a cave exploration enthusiast. You and your companions venture into a famous cave, but unfortunately, you encounter an accident and become trapped inside. Fortunately, you have enough supplies to last you two days. Now, you need to find your teammates or the nearest supply point.

Fang Zhiyi: "..."

Supplies?

Does he mean the backpack that he just released?

Looking down into the underground lake, you can see the backpack bobbing on the surface. The backpack isn't far from the shore, so you can retrieve it if you want to go into the water.

Fang Zhiyi shuddered as he recalled the icy cold groundwater.

A disastrous start.