Chapter 55 System Upgrade
The darkness before dawn is always the darkest. The electric car stopped quietly in the bushes, and the four of them cuddled together to rest.
Su Wanqing leaned against the car door, looking at the sky that was gradually turning white. The jade bracelet on her left wrist was faintly visible in the faint morning light.
"It's time to go," Xiao Ran said softly, standing up first and stretching his slightly stiff shoulders, "We can't stay in one place for too long."
The other three also stood up and simply sorted out their equipment.
Lin Che gently touched the test tube in his pocket to make sure it was still safe; Lu Zhao checked the USB flash drive in his pocket to make sure that this important evidence was intact.
"That town looks relatively safe," Su Wanqing pointed to the vague outline of a building in the distance, "Perhaps we can find supplies and shelter there."
Lu Zhao nodded: "It's worth a try. But we need to be cautious."
The four of them got back into the car, Xiao Ran started the electric car, and drove towards the town.
The vehicle was driving along a desolate road, surrounded by abandoned pre-apocalyptic buildings and overgrown wasteland.
The nuclear power plant was several kilometers away, but what happened there was still echoing in their minds.
At this moment, the jade bracelet on Su Wanqing's left wrist suddenly emitted a warm light and vibrated slightly.
“What’s going on?” Lin Che noticed this abnormality and asked with concern.
Su Wanqing looked down at the jade bracelet, and saw a translucent blue interface automatically unfolding in front of her eyes, with a line of eye-catching text displayed on it:
【System upgrade notice】
Congratulations to the host for making a major discovery and revealing the truth about the virus
Reward: System rebate rate increased Current rebate rate: 5 times → 10 times
"My system has been upgraded," Su Wanqing said with surprise and joy, "The rebate rate has increased from five times to ten times!"
"What do you mean?" Xiao Ran glanced back briefly, still concentrating on driving, "How does this help us?"
Su Wanqing explained: "That is to say, if I spend one yuan to buy something, I could get five yuan in return before, but now I can get ten yuan in return."
Lu Zhao's eyes lit up: "This is a huge advantage. We can get more resources."
"I need to test it," Su Wanqing took out a coin from her pocket and operated on the jade bracelet interface, "I want to buy a small bag of biscuits to try."
The interface showed that the transaction was successful, and a small bag of cookies appeared in her space.
However, when she took it out, she found that it was ten packs of identical cookies.
"It's really ten times!" Su Wanqing said excitedly, distributing cookies to everyone, "The system upgrade is real."
Lin Che took the biscuit and smiled: "This is really good news. It seems that our efforts have paid off."
"I think this has something to do with our discovery of the truth about the virus," Lu Zhao analyzed. "The system believes that our actions are of great significance."
Xiao Ran took a bite of the biscuit and thought: "If we make good use of this advantage, we can prepare more sufficient supplies for the next operation."
Su Wanqing nodded and began to plan in her mind: "I can buy more food, medical supplies, and even weapons and equipment."
"Don't rush to consume," Lu Zhao reminded, "We need to carefully consider how to maximize this advantage. Prioritize necessities and hard-to-obtain resources."
"That's right," Su Wanqing agreed, "I'll make a list and make sure every penny is spent wisely."
The electric car continued to move forward, and the atmosphere in the car became noticeably more relaxed.
The good news brought by the system upgrade gave them new hope. In this doomsday world with scarce resources, the importance of supplies is self-evident.
"I'm thinking of buying some weapons," Su Wanqing said, "just in case we get into more trouble."
"A wise move," Xiao Ran agreed, "In a world like this, the ability to protect yourself is paramount."
Just as they were discussing the list of supplies, Xiao Ran suddenly slowed down the car and stared ahead vigilantly.
"What's wrong?" Lin Che asked.
"There are unusual movements in the direction of the town," Xiao Ran pointed forward, his tone serious, "Look at those moving black spots."
The four of them looked in the direction he pointed, and saw that there were indeed a large number of tiny black dots moving in the distance, like a colony of ants.
"Lu Zhao, did you bring the telescope?" Xiao Ran asked.
Lu Zhao took out a small telescope from his backpack and pointed it at the distance to observe.
As he observed more deeply, his expression became more and more solemn.
"Those are zombies," he finally said in a low voice, "A large number of zombies are gathering towards the center of the town."
“How many?” Lin Che asked, worry in her eyes.
"Hundreds, maybe more," Lu Zhao replied, continuing to observe. "They seem to be attracted by something and are rushing towards the town from all directions."
Xiao Ran immediately slowed down and parked the car in a secluded place: "In this case, rashly entering the town is tantamount to suicide."
"But we need supplies," Su Wanqing pointed out, "and our electric cars are running low on power."
The four of them fell into silence, thinking about their next move. The town was not only a place where they hoped to obtain resources, but also a potential death trap.
"I have an idea," Su Wanqing said suddenly, "Now that the system has been upgraded, I can buy some necessary items to help us get through this difficult time."
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She opened the system interface and browsed the list of items available for purchase. After a while, a look of determination appeared on her face.
"I want to buy some weapons," she said, "not guns, because the sound of gunfire will attract more zombies. I want to buy some cold weapons."
On the system interface, she selected four military tactical daggers and confirmed the purchase.
After the transaction was completed, four exquisite daggers appeared in her space.
"This is a military tactical dagger," she handed out the daggers to everyone, "It is light, strong, and most importantly, quiet."
Xiao Ran took the dagger, turned it around in his hand skillfully, and checked the sharpness of the blade: "Good choice."
Lin Che also took the dagger. Although she seemed a little uncomfortable, she still carefully put it away: “I hope I don’t have to use it.”
"Remember, this is only the last resort," Su Wanqing emphasized, "We should try to avoid direct confrontation and focus on concealment and speed."
Lu Zhao picked up the telescope again and observed the town: "Strange, there seem to be fewer zombies in the direction of the shopping mall on the west side of the town."
Hearing this, Lin Che also took the telescope and looked over: "You are right, there are indeed fewer zombies over at the shopping mall."
"This could be an opportunity," Lu Zhao said, "If we can quietly approach from the west, we might be able to get into the shopping mall and look for supplies."
Xiao Ran shook his head and objected: "The risk is too great. The zombie swarm may change direction at any time. We should look for other safer places."
"But we're low on power, so we need to find a place to rest," Lin Che pointed out, "and the shopping mall may well have the supplies and shelter we need."
The four of them were once again arguing, each weighing the pros and cons. In the end, all eyes turned to Su Wanqing, waiting for her decision.
Su Wanqing pondered for a moment, looking at the newly acquired dagger in her hand, and then looked at the system interface on the jade bracelet.
The system upgrade gave her more confidence, but reason told her not to act rashly.
"I think we should try to get to the mall," she said finally, her voice firm. "It might be risky, but the system upgrade gives us more resources. Supplies are vital to us, especially since we don't know where the next safe place is."
Xiao Ran looked like he wanted to object again, but in the end he just nodded: "In that case, I'll listen to you."
"We can use the terrain and buildings as cover," Lu Zhao suggested, "approach the shopping mall from the west and avoid the main group of zombies."
Lin Che also joined the discussion: "If the situation is critical, I can try to use my water ability to create some interference."
"Remember, speed and silence are key," Xiao Ran stressed, "Once we attract attention, we must retreat immediately. No supplies are worth risking our lives."
Su Wanqing nodded in agreement: "I will be ready to use my spatial ability to deal with emergencies at any time."
The four of them simply ate some biscuits to replenish their energy, and then began to prepare for the next action.
Su Wanqing checked the system interface again to confirm what other items could help them survive the impending crisis.
The new possibilities brought by the system upgrade made her both excited and worried.
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