Chapter 93, "Youyou," emphasizes participation.
After Lu Xici and his companions finished off the remaining giant scorpions, they finished off the rest.
The blade sliced open the carapace and extracted the crystal core hidden deep within the flesh.
They meticulously searched every corner of the battlefield, leaving no stone unturned, not even the corpses half-buried by the sandstorm.
"Good luck." Lu Xici used the tip of his dagger to pick up a reddish crystal core.
"Among the first batch of scorpions dealt with, there were actually a few level-two ones mixed in." He threw the crystal core into the bag.
After confirming that nothing was missing, the group walked over Lu Nange and the others, stepping on the charred scorpion shells.
Lu Xici and the others poured the collected crystal cores into a bucket: "Nannan, they're all here."
Lu Nange: "The ones I received before are enough. Each of you take one and see if you can upgrade."
"Give the extra three to Sister Wen Qing first; she needs a level two crystal core to heal us. As for this level three crystal core..."
Before the words were finished, a streak of colorful light flashed by.
"Crunch!" A crisp cracking sound rang out, and the macaw's Adam's apple bobbed as it flapped its wings triumphantly: "Delicious! Absolutely delicious!"
Lu Nange sighed, just about to pull the macaw back.
The macaw suddenly ruffled its feathers: "My beauty! It's so hot...so hot!"
It shrank like a deflated balloon with a "pop" and fell straight into Lu Nange's arms.
A pale, shimmering light emanated from Wen Qing's fingertips, swirling around the macaw: "The energy fluctuations are abnormal; it seems about to level up!"
Lu Nange pinched the parrot's little claw and shook it: "Isn't this straightforwardness a bit too much?"
He Zhuo nodded seriously: "After all, they are birds, just like how they poop after eating."
Everyone...
Apart from Lu Nange, Lu Beiye, and Chi Yanzhou, everyone else needs to absorb the crystal core.
Lu Nange then only took out the RV.
A gust of wind swept through, violently clearing a purplish-black trail of blood to both sides of the scorpion's corpse.
The group crammed into the RV, making the compartment look like a sardine can.
Gu Wan and her two companions occupied one room for secluded cultivation and leveling up, while the rest of the people were crammed haphazardly into the living room and the second bedroom, leaving no room to even step.
Chi Yanzhou drove, and Lu Nange carried the drowsy Lu Beiye, while Lu Beiye carried the macaw. The two of them and the bird sat in the passenger seat.
......
The number of zombies outside the window gradually outnumbered the mutated beasts, and they finally left the Shashi area.
A cheerful electronic voice suddenly rang in my mind: [Congratulations, host, for triggering the hidden mission—Eliminate the potential crisis in Shashi!]
[Reward: Free access to the space (for the host's sole use only)]
Lu Nange then remembered that she hadn't finished asking about yesterday's conversation.
"Brother Yanzhou, are you sleepy?" Lu Nange asked softly.
Chi Yanzhou glanced at her and saw that Lu Beiye was fast asleep, so he lowered his voice even further: "I'm not sleepy. Nannan, you can rest if you're tired. I'll wake you up if I get sleepy!"
Lu Nange nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, Brother Yanzhou. I'm going to close my eyes and rest for a while!"
Lu Nange closed her eyes and communicated with 'Youyou' in her consciousness: ['Youyou,' have you entered the space on your own?]
【Nan Nan, you can only enter the space when no one is watching! And this is amazing.】
You rewarded the ecological planting model last time, and now that you can enter the space, you can sow some seeds and wait for the results!
The growth rate of the planted crops varies, so you can harvest them in just one week! You won't lack vegetables and fruits in the apocalypse!
Lu Nange: [...You let me into this space just so I'd have to do chores?]
Complete more tasks and you'll receive rewards from the smart assistant! Just tell it to do the work!
So, you're not a smart home assistant?
【'Youyou' and the housekeeper are not on the same service platform!】'Youyou' replied confidently.
Lu Nange: [...What is the meaning of your presence in my life?]
'Youyou': [Participation is key...]
......
Lu Nange asked herself in her mind: "What exactly are the main quest and the hidden quest?"
【Nan Nan~】The electronic voice suddenly sounded pitiful: 【Program settings restrict it, so I really can't say it right now... You need to trigger it naturally to unlock it!】
What if I miss it?
[No way!] The system immediately responded energetically: [Nan Nan, don't worry, as long as you're yourself, you won't miss anything! If I told you in advance, it might be noticed and cause the mission to fail...]
Lu Nange sighed and complained... So, what's the difference between you being awake and not being awake?
【Waaah——】Youyou suddenly started crying and got all flustered: 【Nannan, waaaah...I heard you!】
I'm incredibly useful! I brought you here, and I can even help you avoid being detected as an intruder... I've also prepared daily sign-in rewards, a system inventory, and I can level up with tons of rewards! And you actually say I'm useless! I'm so angry!
【No, no, I just misspoke. Our 'Youyou' is the best!】 She nodded in her mind like she was coaxing a child, and then withdrew from the mental dialogue.
Since she couldn't get anything out of him anyway, Lu Nange opened her eyes and asked, "Should I drive?"
Chi Yanzhou raised an eyebrow: "You passed your driving test?"
"Yes," she nodded subconsciously, following the original owner's memories, "I just got the certificate during summer vacation. At that time, my parents..."
The words came to an abrupt halt.
The screech of brakes suddenly exploded in my mind—the rolling carriage, blood, my mother shielding me, her blood-stained hands, my father pushing me out of the car, the warmth of her back.
Lu Nange unconsciously tightened her arms around Lu Beiye, and her other knuckles unconsciously gripped the seatbelt.
She turned her head to look out the window, the red at the corner of her eye tinged amber by the sunlight.
Chi Yanzhou noticed that Lu Nange's mood was off, and rubbed his fingertips on the steering wheel twice: "I'll switch with you when I can't take it anymore."
"Hmm," she responded softly, her gaze falling on the scene outside the window—the cracked asphalt road was eerily empty, with only the grotesque giant trees receding into the distance, their thick roots uprooting the road surface like countless twisted black blood vessels.
As the sun began to set, the aura of supernatural power surrounding Lu Xici and his companions gradually dissipated.
I parked on the side of the road, and the tires made a soft "rustling" sound as they rolled over the overgrown weeds.
Lu Nange then brought out another SUV.
The group continued on their journey.
As I drove along the road signs in Chiayi City, the view outside the window became increasingly unsettling.
The road, which should have been littered with abandoned vehicles, was eerily clean, and there was no sign of wandering zombies.
What's even stranger is that not a single intact building can be seen along the way—houses, gas stations, and service areas have all vanished completely.
The once spacious four-lane road has unknowingly narrowed to two lanes, with dense, mutated plants encroaching from both sides...
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