Chapter 111
The moment Su Jing's finger touched the communicator on the control panel, the screen was flooded with messages from global channels—
Messages in pale red, gold, and blue flooded in like a tide, each carrying anxiety or despair. One message from a Chinese user named "Xiaolin" was pushed to the top.
The accompanying blurry short video reads: "Everyone be careful! A 'superpowered robbery gang' has appeared in the east of the city. Some of them are earth-type superpowered individuals who can dig tunnels into the shelter. We just had half a warehouse of food stolen, and two people were injured! More and more people are freezing and starving to death outside, and many small shelters can't hold on any longer!"
The video shows the damaged shelter gate, obvious craters in the ground, and several people wearing tattered protective suits squatting in a corner, holding empty food bags in their arms, their lips frozen purple.
Su Jing swiped her finger across the screen and opened another message from a US user: "We've been out of food for three days in New York. The streets are full of frozen people. The superhuman robbery team is not only stealing supplies, but also superhuman crystal cores. It's insane!"
EU users reported that "the shelter supplies are only enough for 5 days, there is no iron ore for heating, and the temperature at night can drop to -80°C. Some people have already started burning furniture."
"We must reinforce the villa's defenses as soon as possible." Su Jing turned off the channel, turned around and walked towards the villa's gate. The patrol robot "Xun1" had already pushed a piece of manganese crystal ore over. The screen displayed "50 kilograms of manganese crystal and 100 kilograms of hematite have been prepared as instructed. Both are of high purity and suitable for making a defense net."
She walked to the edge of the moat and looked down at the frozen surface—the ice was 1.5 meters thick and covered with fresh snow. The previous defenses, consisting only of infrared alarms and laser shields at the entrance, were clearly insufficient against superhumans who could dig holes or cause damage.
Su Jing raised her hand and manipulated the ore to control her supernatural power. A faint blue light emanated from her fingertips, and the manganese crystal and hematite on the ground instantly floated up. The two ores merged in mid-air, with deep purple and dark red intertwining, gradually turning into a silver-gray alloy molten liquid, like flowing metallic silk.
"First, determine the mesh specifications: 5-centimeter aperture, 2 meters high, enough to block most impacts." She murmured to herself, and with a thought, the molten liquid began to stretch and weave, quickly forming a fine metal mesh. The mesh was uniform in size, with each node reinforced by alloy solidification, and sharp metal spikes extending from the edges, like a row of miniature spears.
Next came the securing—Su Jing manipulated the metal net to slowly descend onto the snow outside the moat, allowing the metal spikes on the edges to penetrate deeply into the ice and the ground, with each spike penetrating at least 1 meter deep, ensuring it could not be easily pulled out or pushed over.
She walked around the moat, deploying a total of 10 such metal nets, connecting them end to end to form a complete ring of protection, completely enclosing the villa and courtyard in the middle. The metal nets gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the sunlight, forming a double barrier with the frozen moat.
"We still need to test its resistance to supernatural attacks, especially electrified ones like lightning." Su Jing walked to a metal mesh and raised her hand to activate her lightning supernatural power—
A pale purple electric spark appeared at his fingertips. As his will intensified, the electric spark gradually lengthened to 1.5 meters before shooting towards the metal mesh with a "sizzle".
The moment the electric spark struck the metal mesh, there was no leakage or rebound. Instead, it quickly dispersed along the nodes of the mesh and was eventually conducted into the ground, leaving only faint scorch marks on the mesh surface without any damage.
She conducted three more tests: one with a stronger electric beam (2 meters long), one simulating a physical impact (hitting the metal mesh with a laser gun), and one freezing the surface of the metal mesh with ice-based powers. The results showed that the metal mesh could withstand the lightning attack completely, the laser gun only left small dents after hitting it, and the ice layer did not become brittle or break due to the low temperature after freezing.
A system panel pop-up notification appears: "[Ore and Metal Mesh Defense Test Completed: 1. Can withstand lightning/laser attacks of level ≤3;]"
2. Physical impact resistance ≥ 500 kg;
3. Low temperature resistance ≤ -100℃, no risk of leakage, and can effectively defend against attacks from low-level superhumans.
Su Jing approached the metal mesh, touched the scorch marks on the surface to confirm that there was no structural damage, and then tried to push the metal mesh, but it didn't budge—the metal spikes on the edges were firmly fixed.
The patrol robot "Xun1" then walked over, and the screen displayed "An infrared sensor has been installed inside the metal mesh. Once an object approaches (within ≤1 meter), an alarm will be automatically triggered and synchronized to your communicator."
“Very good.” Su Jing nodded, turned around and went back to the villa, feeling much more at ease—with this metal net and the previous defenses, they could handle even if they encountered a robbery team of superhumans.
She walked to the control panel and remembered that she needed to organize her dungeon inventory. So she first brought out the dungeon-related supplies in her space: the Golden Crystal Dagger was placed in a conspicuous position, the laser gun was fully charged, and there was enough high-energy food (compressed biscuits and energy bars). Her ice-type ability was just right to deal with possible high-temperature environments.
The global news channels outside the window kept popping up with messages, but Su Jing no longer paid attention—she knew that in this extremely cold apocalypse, only by protecting herself and preparing enough supplies could she stand firm when danger came.
In the control room on the first floor of the villa, a dark green canvas backpack was spread out on the light gray solid wood control table. This was a special adventure backpack that Su Jing had redeemed in the "Alien Mineral World" instance. The fabric was reinforced with silver crystal fragments, making it wear-resistant and puncture-proof. There were also two waterproof side pockets sewn on the side, enough to hold various emergency equipment.
Su Jing stood at the front of the platform, a warm iron ore hand warmer between her fingers. Her gaze swept over the neatly arranged items on the platform as she began to methodically organize the supplies she would be bringing into the dungeon, each step revealing her caution.
After all, the next dungeon, "The Savage Monster World," is full of unknowns, and the reliability of equipment is directly related to survival.
"Deal with the weapons first; the golden crystal dagger must be kept close at hand." Su Jing bent down and retrieved the dagger, crafted from 95% pure golden crystal, from her spatial "weapon section."
The bright yellow metal blade gleamed with a cold luster. The anti-slip texture on the handle had been deepened by half a millimeter using her mineral ability. Now, when her fingertips ran along the texture, she could clearly feel the uneven texture, preventing slippage during combat.
She took a black, soft leather scabbard from the drawer, carefully inserted the dagger, and secured it with Velcro closures along the edge, allowing it to be easily attached to a compartment inside her backpack without scratching other items and allowing for a one-second draw if needed. She tested the draw twice to ensure it was smooth before firmly attaching the scabbard to the compartment.
A light blue notification pops up on the system panel: [Golden Crystal Dagger (Anti-Drop Fixation): Sharpness ≥ Laser Blade, Hardness ≥ 3 times that of Ordinary Steel, Current Status: Intact, Can Handle Monster Fur/Skeleton Cutting].
Next up is the enhanced laser gun. Su Jing picked up the gun from the corner of the control panel. The gun body was made of dark gray alloy. She had previously reinforced the barrel with silver crystals in the dungeon, which effectively reduced energy loss.
She pressed the energy button on the side of the gun, and the green indicator light on the panel lit up instantly, displaying "Energy: 98%"—just 2% away from full.
She immediately took out a new energy block from the "energy zone" in the space, unscrewed the energy chamber cover at the end of the gun, took out the old block (which still had 30% energy left, and casually put it into the side pocket of her backpack for backup), and the moment the new energy block was pushed in, the indicator light jumped to "100%" and emitted a slight "humming" sound, indicating that the energy calibration was complete.
To prevent the gun from shaking in the dungeon, she used two black elastic bands to secure the laser gun to the right side pocket of her backpack, with the muzzle facing down to avoid accidental triggering. She also placed three spare energy blocks next to it, wrapped in waterproof bags to ensure they would not be damaged by water or high temperatures.
"Ice-type abilities need to be prepared in advance for emergencies, and we can't wait for temporary deployment to deal with high-temperature environments."
Su Jing's gaze fell on a small silver ice box on the workbench—it was specially made of manganese crystal yesterday, with a wall thickness of 5 millimeters, which could insulate against external temperatures and prevent the ice inside from melting.
She raised her hand and activated her ice-type ability. A faint white light emanated from her fingertips, and the moisture in the air quickly gathered in her palm, condensing into five ice cubes the size of pigeon eggs in just 10 seconds. The ice cubes were completely transparent and without any impurities.
She gently placed the ice cubes into the ice box, closed the lid (the sealing ring on the inside of the lid further insulated the ice), and then put the ice box into the front pocket of her backpack, where it was closest to her hand. When needed, she could open the lid and use her supernatural powers to melt or freeze the ice.
"In high-temperature environments, ice can cool down quickly. If you encounter a fire-breathing monster, it can also condense an ice shield to block the flames and even freeze its fire-breathing nozzle."
She murmured to herself, then tried to sense the ice cubes in the icebox with her mind to make sure her powers could be used smoothly before she was satisfied and fastened the front pocket button.
Finally, there are high-energy foods, which are essential for ensuring energy supply during dungeons.
Su Jing retrieved a bunch of vacuum-packed food from the "snack food storage area" in her space and sorted them on the worktable: 10 chocolate-flavored compressed biscuits, each containing 500 calories, with "shelf life 24 months" printed on the packaging. She stacked them in the mesh bag in the middle of her backpack for easy access.
Eight nut energy bars, each with added almonds and chopped walnuts, provide both calories and protein. Tie them into two bundles with rubber bands and place them next to the cookies.
There were also 5 packets of dehydrated vegetables that could be eaten after being soaked in hot water, to avoid vitamin deficiency from eating compressed food for a long time. She stuffed them into the bottom compartment of her backpack and padded them with a soft cloth to prevent them from being squeezed and deformed.
"I have a 3-day emergency supply in my backpack, and I also have 20 kilograms of compressed biscuits and 5 kilograms of energy bars in my storage space. It should be enough to last even if the dungeon takes a long time."
She counted and checked the items to make sure the quantity was correct, then zipped up the main zipper of the backpack. The zipper pull was tied with a rope so that it could be quickly opened when wearing gloves.
After packing her backpack, Su Jing put it on and tested its weight—about 8 kilograms, not too heavy, it wouldn't affect her movements, and the center of gravity was very stable. The positions of the weapons and food were also in line with her usage habits.
She walked to the control panel, preparing to do a final check of the spare supplies in her space. The moment her fingertip touched the system panel, a striking golden light suddenly popped up on the screen, even more noticeable than the previous dungeon warnings—it was a preview of the "Savage Monster World" dungeon:
[Instance Announcement: The fifth global instance, "Savage Monster World," will open in 3 days. Eligibility: 1 million active players who have already registered (including those who have registered as "God of Wealth"). Instance Core Rules:]
1. Survival Objective: Survive in the monster habitat for 7 days and gain favor with at least one friendly monster (through feeding, assistance, etc.).
2. Risk Warning: There are "Ferocious Beasts" (marked in red) in the dungeon. They are highly aggressive and there is no way to gain favor with them. You must actively avoid or kill them.
3. Ranking Rewards: The top 10 in the overall dungeon score can choose between "Rare Monster Contract Rights" or "Millennium Herbs (which can be used for alchemy)". The top 100 will be rewarded with monster materials (fur, bones, etc.).
Recommended preparations: Monster bait (meat/plant), defensive equipment, elemental abilities (to counter different monster attributes)
Su Jing stared at the "monster contract rights" and "monster materials" in the trailer, her eyes suddenly lit up - she had a breeding area in her space, and 300 chicks had begun to molt. If she could obtain a monster egg, hatching it would not only increase her combat power, but also enrich the species in the breeding area, and might even cultivate a monster that could adapt to extreme cold, which had more potential than contracting an adult monster.
"My goal is to get the monster eggs," she thought to herself. "The golden crystal dagger can cut the vines in the monster's nest, the laser gun can deter the ferocious beasts, the ice-type ability can freeze the guards around the nest, and the high-energy food can sustain me for the time it takes to find the nest. I can use the equipment I've prepared."
She raised her hand and touched the backpack on her back, clearly feeling the outlines of the dagger and laser gun. The coolness of the ice box seeped through the fabric, making her feel much more at ease.
The iron ore hand warmer on the control panel was still emitting a gentle warmth, and sporadic messages occasionally came through the global channel outside the window, but Su Jing no longer paid attention to them—her attention was entirely focused on the upcoming dungeon, and she began to devise a route to find the monster eggs and how to deal with the monsters she might encounter with her existing equipment.
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