Chapter 186 The Poor Kid in the Apocalypse 16

Inside the underground villa, in the physical training room.

Shen Ci was exhausted and covered in sweat; beads of sweat never stopped forming on his forehead.

Constant shooting practice, with limited ammunition, meant that training could only be done through simulations.

Bullets are too precious. The system only provided 100 bullets, which are the means for the mother and son to survive in this world where order has collapsed. They cannot be wasted.

Commonly known as one's family fortune.

More importantly, we must rely on our own strength to resist danger.

Although this underground villa is safe, there's always the risk that plans might change. We still need to find an opportunity to get some more guns and ammunition; being prepared is always better than being caught off guard.

When she first came to this world, she tried to bring back more firearms from abroad through certain special channels and store them here.

If money is no object, then of course the more supplies the better.

But none of this worked. Dongfang City seemed to be isolated by an invisible barrier, becoming an isolated island.

Not only can people not get out, but things from the outside world can't get in either, as if they are isolated here by some mysterious force.

All contact with the outside world has been cut off; an invisible and intangible barrier exists nonetheless.

After completing today's shooting simulation training, she walked to the control panel to check the latest temperature data.

The screen displays today's latest temperature, which remains at 68 degrees Celsius.

However, the temperature seems to have stabilized, recently hovering around a high of 68 degrees Celsius, without the previous pattern of rising by one degree per hour.

Shen Ci thought silently that if the temperature rose any higher, all the survivors in Dongfang City, even those hiding inside buildings, would probably be steamed and roasted alive.

Ultimately, fate, or rather the rules governing this world, left a glimmer of hope, preventing the complete destruction of the world.

As night fell, Shen Ci started up the drone as usual.

The survivors in the city have learned their lesson and try to avoid being active during the day, as direct sunlight can be fatal.

The temperature didn't actually drop much at night, but the good thing was that there was no direct sunlight, so it wasn't as dangerous as during the day.

Fortunately, the sun was setting at night, and the darkness provided cover, allowing the survivors to go out and search for supplies.

Shen Ci chose the quietest drone and flew it over the silent night sky. The quieter the sound, the less likely it was to be detected.

After the drone flew around the city, the footage it transmitted back was chilling.

Traces of the fire remain in many places, and some buildings are still on fire, with the flames standing out starkly in the darkness.

No one went to put out the fire, and no one cared about the burning flames. Water resources are so scarce now that there isn't even enough to save lives.

In order to get a clearer view of the entire street, after surveying the airspace above, Shen Ci controlled the drone to descend and use the darkness and the shadows of the tall buildings to investigate the situation underground.

The plane was flying smoothly until it turned a corner, at which point the image suddenly started shaking violently.

After a dizzying moment, a stick appeared out of nowhere and knocked the drone down!

In the footage, a hand wearing a dirty glove grabs a drone as if it's catching a chicken—and a drone is a machine, after all.

The image is facing upwards, and you can see that he is completely covered up. All you can see is that he is wearing a hat and a mask, which covers his entire face. You have no idea who he is or how to tell.

Shen Ci was stunned.

Drones? These things are solid and hard; you can't eat or drink them in the apocalypse. Why would they want to steal them?

Moreover, without a dedicated remote control, taking it back would just result in a pile of scrap metal. They're really just wasting their time and energy.

Just as she was wondering, the person who had snatched the drone pointed the lens at the camera, shook the drone hard, and said in a low, menacing voice.

"Listen! I know you're watching! If you want this thing back, trade it for food and water! Bring it here, or I'll smash it!"

Shen Ci was both amused and exasperated. Was this drone being used as a hostage?

This threat might have been somewhat useful before the apocalypse, since drones aren't cheap, but right now, she has several boxes of brand-new spare drones in her warehouse. Losing this one would be a pity, but it's not worth the risk.

She immediately cut off the drone's signal connection, destroyed the stored records in the camera, and ignored the man's threats.

Soon, even the real-time signal transmitted back by this drone became intermittent and very unstable.

The last faint signal remaining in the city is gradually disappearing. Before long, the entire city will be completely cut off from communication. At that time, the only way to learn about the outside world will be by bringing back video footage recorded by drones.

There's no place like home.

Shen Ci murmured softly, looking around this safe and luxurious underground fortress. Only here could she and Da Bao truly escape the harm from the outside world.

Shen Ci unpacked a new drone, inspected it, and decided that he must be more careful during the next flight, maintaining the correct altitude and not descending unnecessarily.

It seems that more people have survived in the city than we imagined.

"Mom! Dinner's ready!"

Da Bao's voice came from the living room. He sounded quite happy, unlike at the beginning when he spoke so softly, timidly, and cautiously.

People grow up in an environment full of love and security, and they become cheerful and brave.

Shen Ci walked over and saw that the food was already laid out on the table: sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried green vegetables, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

She flashed an exaggerated, delighted smile and praised him.

"Wow! Da Bao, you're amazing! Did you prepare all this? It looks so delicious!"

Although these dishes were simply taken out of the space by Da Bao untouched, still steaming hot from the pot, Shen Ci believed in encouragement-based education.

Affirmation and praise are what give children confidence. Sure enough, after hearing the praise, Da Bao smiled shyly, but his eyes were full of light, and he was obviously very happy.

It was late at night, long after the sun had set, but the temperature was still scorching, only the burning, stinging sensation of direct sunlight was gone.

Suddenly, the access control system on the upper level of the villa issued a notification, and a surveillance video popped up on the control panel, showing that someone had rang the doorbell of the villa's main gate on the ground floor.

In the video, a man wearing a vest and shorts, covered in sweat, is standing outside the door with obvious anxiety on his face.

Shen Ci held her breath. There was no response. The entire upper floor of the villa was dark, and the lights had never been turned on. Why would an outsider come knocking on this door? It looked like no one lived here at all.

A few minutes later, the man outside the door seemed to have run out of patience.

Although the temperature in the mountains is one or two degrees lower than in the city, under the overall high temperature, this difference is almost negligible, and it is still unbearably hot.