VIII. Supply Compartments
As expected of a game developed by a high-dimensional civilization, the game system's newbie protection mechanism is truly amazing.
The door opened, revealing the pitch-black, boundless universe outside, yet everything inside remained completely unaffected. The water glass, the roses, the sheets… everything remained obediently in its place, motionless, as if an invisible protective barrier separated the inside from the outside, dividing everything into two worlds.
Pi Min glanced back. The safety rope was connected to the main beam of the house. Unless the rope snapped or the main beam broke, there was no need to worry about never coming back.
Four, three, two, one...
The opportunity was fleeting. As the supply pod on the game screen approached its closest point, she suddenly took a deep breath, pushed off the ground, and used the reaction force to shoot towards the supply pod like an arrow.
Although she had prepared herself mentally, the feeling of suddenly falling from a normal gravity environment into a weightless environment was worse than she had imagined. The moment she left her residence, she felt dizzy and nauseous. Her internal organs churned and twisted as if she were vomiting. In just a moment, her clothes were soaked with cold sweat.
Pi Min closed her eyes, trying to clear her somewhat blurry vision. Her timing was perfect; the supply pod in her field of vision was rapidly expanding as she approached.
When she lunged at the supply pod, she was only worried that the reaction force generated by her push was not enough. She even wore the "Human Decomposer" aura. Only when she watched the supply pod rapidly approach did she realize that she might have used too much force.
Unfortunately, in the vast expanse of space, there was nothing around to slow her down. She could only hold her breath, spread her arms and legs to increase the contact area as much as possible, and forcefully embrace the supply pod.
"clang--"
Fortunately, although she was frugal, she never skimped on life-threatening matters. Considering that the suit needed to be reused, she even specifically bought the most expensive one.
Thanks to the cushioning provided by the spacesuit, although I felt a tightness and pain in my chest, it wasn't a major problem.
The egg-shaped supply pod is smooth and rounded overall, with no fatal protrusions on its surface, which, while avoiding damage, also creates problems.
Her powerful impact caused the supply pod to quickly change course and was about to leave her. However, there was nothing on the pod that it could grab onto or tow.
Just as Pi Min was about to miss the supply pod, her eyes suddenly lit up. She thought of the all-powerful online store, quickly exchanged 50 points for a sturdy fishing net, and threw it towards the supply pod.
The system-generated fishing net automatically opened, enveloping the supply compartment as easily as taking something out of a bag.
Pi Min felt relieved. All he had to do was follow the safety rope back to his residence, and the salvage operation would be complete.
Unfortunately, to her surprise, the supply pod was much larger than she had imagined. Even with the "human decomposer" aura granting her double the strength of a human, she still couldn't easily lift the pod back to her residence using the safety rope.
Under the immense centrifugal force, the safety rope began to be dragged and pulled. The taut straight line gave people a terrifying feeling that the rope was about to snap at any moment.
Pi Min gasped, once again relieved that she hadn't been stingy at this crucial moment, and that the safety rope she bought was also among the best of its kind in the system. Since it was said to be able to make connecting cables between two spaceships, then a mere supply pod would naturally be no problem.
Feeling reassured, she tightened her harness around the supply pod and began climbing back up the safety rope without hesitation.
Looking back at the supply pod, which was twice her size, Pi Min chuckled to herself. At that moment, she must have looked just like an ant that had gone out to forage and was dragging its food back home.
Fifty meters is a distance that would only take a few minutes to walk, but for her, who was towing a supply pod and had to contend with the powerful centrifugal force, it was like an insurmountable chasm.
Pimin could only climb for a while and then stop, moving back little by little at a snail's pace.
It's not a big problem; we can always climb back if we keep going.
Aside from looking a bit ridiculous, it does not cause any harm to the body.
How ridiculous!
Pi Min's pupils contracted, and she quickly opened her live stream.
Sure enough, laughter filled the room.
[Hahaha, the bunny dragging the supply pod looks like a giant snail.]
[It's her fault for refusing the cat's help.]
The funniest part is when it's spread out like a rabbit pancake and splatters onto the supply pod, hahaha...
Why did you stop climbing? Are you out of energy?
[Ahhh, the cat moved! The cat broke free from its restraints, and he came to help! This couple is truly in love!]
...
Pi Min looked up in shock and saw a person standing in the wide-open doorway; in the backlight, only a familiar silhouette could be seen.
Before she could even be shocked at how the man had managed to break free, the safety rope in front of her began to shorten rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
She was dragged back to the room along with the supply pod by the man, and she was still somewhat dazed even after her feet touched the solid floor.
She had been relieved to be a lone wolf player, not having to worry about being betrayed by her roommate. She forgot that while a lone wolf player without companions avoids threats from their roommate, they also lose potential allies.
It feels so good to have someone helping you from behind.
As soon as she removed the visor from her spacesuit, the man rushed over and cupped her face in his hands, his expression full of concern.
"Are you tired?" His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, and his eyes were slightly red, making one wonder if he would burst into tears at any moment.
That fragile appearance made Pimin feel as if he were back in the underground city in a dream.
The man standing before her was neither some noble ruler of Earth nor a madman who had driven humanity to its doom. He was still her spoiled little boyfriend, whom she secretly kept at home, waiting for her to come home every day, waiting for her to feed him, and unable to live without her.
It was clear that he really wanted to hold back his tears, to the point that his face contorted and his lips trembled, but in the end, the tears still flowed uncontrollably.
Pi Min was both amused and exasperated: "Didn't I come back alive? Why are you crying? Don't you know that's incredibly undignified?"
It's fake, it must be fake. How could such a delicate person be the legendary cold-blooded and ruthless maternal grandmother?
"Wipe your tears, you look awful!"
"I'm exhausted, my hands are shaking, I can't wipe it." His voice was muffled and weak. Just when he was a powerful warrior, he looked incredibly weak with trembling hands and tears streaming down his face.
Pi Min closed her eyes helplessly, went to the bathroom, wrung out a towel, and vigorously wiped the man's face.
"Could you please not be so rough? Be gentler, be more graceful."
"Sorry, I'm just a rough, unrefined person who collects trash; I can't be gentle or elegant!"
When the towel was removed, the man's entire face turned red, whether from crying or from Pi Min's rough rubbing.
"By the way, how did you escape just now?"
Pi Min went over to take a look, and the cable ties were intact. Could it be that the man in front of her could contort his bones?
Unfortunately, the other party had no intention of giving a direct answer, only stammering, "I just want to help you."
Pi Min frowned and couldn't help but ask him, "If you were able to escape, then what about before?"
"I'll play along with you." The man gave an awkward smile. "Are you calm now? If you are, don't tie me up anymore, it's uncomfortable."
"I'm not stupid. Why would I tie you up knowing you could break free? What's the point of having nothing better to do?"
Upon discovering that the man was only wrapped in a bed sheet, Pi Min remembered that she had just stripped him naked. She hurriedly turned around, went to the wardrobe, and pulled out the old clothes he had worn in the underground city, throwing them hard at him.
She naturally wouldn't have clothes for a young man; the clothes she had given him before were all hand-me-downs from the original owner's father. Durable tan overalls paired with baggy black pants—all he needed was a mechanical exoskeleton to go out and scavenge for trash.
The man looked much more pleasing to the eye when he changed back into his familiar attire, and even Pi Min's gaze towards him softened considerably.
The atmosphere was just right, and Pi Min kindly prepared to elevate the status of the man in front of her.
"Do you know why I haven't asked your name? Because people don't name pets they don't intend to keep long-term. Since you're planning to live and die together, it's time to tell me your name."
She had initially thought it was a simple problem, and had even regretted her oversight.
However, to her surprise, the man frowned slightly upon hearing her words and remained silent for a long time.
Just when Pimin thought he wasn't going to answer, the man's voice finally echoed softly in the room: "In some ancient legends, names have power. Do you know about taboos? In ancient times, people would try to avoid calling people of high rank by their names, considering it an offense."
"What's the meaning?"
The man looked up into Pi Min's eyes, his expression serious: "You don't need to know my name, knowing yours is enough for me."
Pi Min was shocked, Pi Min was stunned, Pi Min was incredulous.
She stared at the man in front of her for a long time before suddenly standing up and throwing a pillow hard at his face.
"You won't even bother to make up a fake name to fool me? Fine! You think you're so great, so high and mighty, that I don't deserve to know your name!"
Anger surged within her, and any goodwill she had felt for him earlier, from his desperate attempt to break free of his restraints to help her, vanished completely. At that moment, Pi Min used every ounce of her strength to suppress the urge to beat the man in front of her to a pulp.
Seeing how angry she was, the man panicked and stood there helplessly.
"No, you're worthy, of course you're worthy! I really have my own reasons."
"What's your predicament?" Pi Min looked up and stared at him coldly.
Unfortunately, she kindly gave him a chance to explain, but he didn't appreciate it.
The man hesitated for a long time, but in the end he still shook his head firmly: "I can't say."
Pi Min was immediately amused by his words: "Fine, fine, I won't say! Who cares!"
After saying that, she glared at him fiercely, opened the game panel, and started browsing the forum.
She still has a supply depot to open; she shouldn't waste her time on unworthy people.
The forum has indeed been flooded with topics related to the supply depot.
She randomly picked a post complaining about how difficult it was to retrieve the supply depot and clicked on it.
"This is outrageous! What a crappy supply pod! It's completely bare and you can't even grab onto it."
Most of the replies were cursing the game's developers, feeling that designing the supply pod in such a ridiculous way was deliberately making things difficult for players.
However, there are exceptions.
"I threw up from drinking the nutrient solution": "I could only choose to have the system recycle the whole thing the moment I made contact. Hey, I have to say, even if it's recycled the whole thing, it's still worth a lot of money. A supply pod is worth 1,000 points, which is equivalent to all of Brother Poor's belongings."
"I'm really not unlucky": "Help, can you please not mention me? I just accidentally pressed a button, I didn't kill your whole family, OK?"
"Stay-at-home for ten thousand years": "It can be like this? Why didn't you say so sooner? I'm so ripped off! I just watched the supply pod float away right before my eyes. Come to think of it, with such a smooth surface and such a fast speed, is it really possible for anyone to successfully capture it?"
"*** is my brother": "I did it. I flew out and kicked the supply pod hard, kicking it straight into the house. Apart from a big hole in the roof, all I can see is the starry sky. For now, there are no problems."
"Stay-at-home for 10,000 years": "The guy upstairs is ruthless, a suicide-style recovery. Do you know what level it takes to deliberately destroy your own spaceship in space? If it weren't for the newbie protection period, you would be dead by now."
"*** is my brother": "Isn't there a newbie protection period? I'm just making good use of the rules. Playing games is like being a person; you can't be too cowardly. You have to act when the time is right. Don't worry about whether there's a hole in my roof or not; the problem now is how to crack open this metal egg. Nobody told me before that this damn supply pod has a combination lock!"
Is there a password?
Pi Min was taken aback. He walked up to the supply pod and gently tapped its metal shell. Sure enough, a six-digit password input box suddenly appeared in front of him.
Not only is there a password, but it's a six-digit password.
Are you crazy?!
In her past life, she had read novels about road trips and ocean voyages. Who goes through all the trouble to find a treasure chest with a password?
This means they never intended for the players to survive, right?
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