Chapter 169
It wasn't the spirit insects that were causing trouble...
Zhou Qi grabbed Tang Yu'an's hand and pulled it away from his face, stuffed it stiffly back into the quilt, and then quickly withdrew his hand.
"Brother Xiaoqi?" Tang Yu'an was puzzled.
Zhou Qi coughed lightly to hide his panic.
"No, no..." he said, "Go to sleep."
Then he turned over with his back to Tang Yu'an and pretended to be asleep.
If the lights were on at this time, you would find that Zhou Qi's face was already flushed, even his ears were red, as if they were about to bleed.
But in the darkness, Tang Yu'an couldn't see Zhou Qi's appearance clearly.
Hearing Zhou Qi's voice sound normal, he closed his eyes again, leaned against Zhou Qi's back, and then quickly fell into unconsciousness again.
Zhou Qi was almost sticking to the canvas of the tent.
He took a few deep breaths, silently recited a few texts in his mind, and thought about mathematical formulas, physical concepts, and the periodic table...
Finally, he calmed down.
Zhou Qi opened his eyes and looked at himself as if from a bystander's perspective.
Why does he have these strange reactions?
My face is flushed, my ears are hot, my heart is beating faster...
He came from an era of extremely developed information, and had watched many movies and TV dramas with his grandmother since he was a child, so Zhou Qi quickly realized why this was the case.
He seems to... like An An?
A ray of moonlight shone through the gap in the roof, reflecting the boy's confused face.
Is this feeling of love?
For Zhou Qi, who was just about to turn 16, this was an unfamiliar field that he had never been exposed to before, and he felt a little confused and at a loss.
Is he wrong?
He and An An are both boys, how could he fall in love with An An?
This is not normal.
When Zhou Qi thought that if this strange idea was exposed, it would probably make An An hate him, his face turned pale and he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
No, this absolutely cannot happen...
Zhou Qi closed his eyes and decided to bury this inappropriate feeling. He thought that after a while, it might disappear.
Now their most important thing is to survive and get home.
-
The next day, when Tang Yu'an woke up from his sleep, he found that Zhou Qi was no longer by his side.
He got up in a hurry, and when he came out of the tent and saw Zhou Qi boiling water, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Brother Xiaoqi, good morning!"
"morning."
Tang Yu'an took out the automatic water storage thermos from his portable storage and said, "Brother Xiaoqi, there's hot water in it."
Fortunately, when he left yesterday, he took the automatic water storage thermos with him, which was already filled with 10 cubic meters of water.
However, there is plenty of water vapor here, and Zhou Qi can condense water, so there is no shortage of drinking water. The only advantage worth mentioning is that you can drink hot water at any time.
Zhou Qi took the thermos cup, poured a cup for Tang Yu'an, and said, "Go wash up quickly."
"good!"
Last night he had reported his safety to Grandpa Li through the store channel on the message board. Now all he had to do was build a house and set up a teleportation array.
After breakfast, they left here and started walking towards the beach where Tang Yu'an had woken up before.
"There are so many crystals there!" Tang Yu'an said, "The whole beach is covered with them!"
Having said this, he suddenly paused.
Tang Yu'an looked at Zhou Qi and asked with some concern: "Is it okay for you to go there?"
Zhou Qi had experienced this before, when he was controlled by spirit insects because he had come into contact with too many crystals.
Zhou Qi felt his body and nodded, "It should be fine. I know my limits."
After this spiritual insect devouring his body, he seemed to be able to vaguely sense the spiritual insect's condition -
The spirit insect in his body is still digesting the energy of the fire spirit insect and probably won't want to absorb more power in the short term.
"That's good."
Zhou Qi used the light body technique to run forward quickly, while Tang Yu'an flew beside him.
Yuanbao guarded them all night and was now taken back by Tang Yu'an to the pet box to sleep, while Black Pearl turned into a kitten and hid in his pocket.
At this moment, a cat head appeared on Black Pearl, curiously feeling the sensation of flying in the sky.
Because the tide was high, the rocky beach where Zhou Qi woke up yesterday was submerged in water, so they could only move forward along the rock wall.
Fortunately, apart from encountering a few big insects along the way, no accidents happened.
The stone wall gradually extended downwards, then turned and continued forward. As long as they looked down at the stone wall, they could always see the water.
Tang Yu'an looked at the foggy area on the map that they had cleared, and felt that the water area looked more like a river.
But, is there such a big river in the world?
He felt that there was nothing but water as far as he could see, with no end in sight.
Finally, in the evening, they arrived at the beach, which made Tang Yu'an intuitively feel how big the water area was.
After all, they have the skills of lightness and flying, so it wouldn't take that long to travel from the deserted city to the Giant Peak Mountain.
The beach had been submerged by the tide, and the crystal stones under the water could not be seen. Fortunately, with the map, Tang Yu'an knew that he had found the right place.
They stopped just above the stone wall.
Before the sun completely set, Zhou Qi searched around and explored for a while, and finally said, "Let's build the house here."
This place is close to the crystal beach, which makes it convenient to collect crystals and find materials. It is also farther away from the edge of the forest, more than a hundred meters away, so there should be fewer insects.
"Okay, then build it here!"
They found a pile of stones, each about four or five meters high, which was just enough to surround a gap, with the area in the middle being about twenty or thirty square meters.
It's just overgrown with weeds and needs to be cleared out.
These weeds are taller than Tang Yu'an, and their leaves are sharp, which can easily cut your clothes if you are not careful.
Zhou Qi didn't let him in, but chose to clear a barrier around the pile of stones and then set fire to it.
The insects hiding inside crawled out one after another. The smallest one was as big as Tang Yu'an's foot, which made people's scalp tingle just by looking at it.
They set up a tent nearby, and Yuanbao was still on guard at night. Black Pearl had rested enough during the day, so it sneaked into the forest while Tang Yu'an and the others were sleeping.
Yuanbao watched it run out to play, but didn't care and continued to stare at the fire.
In the middle of the night, Black Pearl came back with a big rabbit in her mouth and dropped it in front of Yuanbao.
Yuanbao looked at Hei Zhenzhu in confusion, then sniffed the rabbit. Sensing its hunger, he tentatively tore off a piece of meat.
Black Pearl didn't stop it, but just looked at it with disgust, then bit the rabbit, tore off one of its legs, and threw it at the exit of the tent.
This way, the little cutie will be the first to see it when he wakes up tomorrow!
Black Pearl licked the blood off his paws, licked his fur to wash his face, and licked his body clean, then he turned back into a little kitten.
The little kitten looked at Yuanbao again, and seeing that the big stupid dog's mouth was full of blood, he showed disgust and contempt again.
Then it swaggered into the tent, curled up beside Tang Yu'an, and began to sleep soundly.
Yuanbao raised his eyebrows in confusion, then continued to gnaw on the rabbit meat, dutifully keeping watch by the fire.
When Tang Yu'an and the others got up the next day, the fire in the middle of the pile of stones had gone out.
Zhou Qi collected the plants and found out——
"Wow! That's a lot of wood crystals!"
When Tang Yu'an wiped away the ash, he found many sparkling green stones in the soil, and bubbles of identification skills also emerged.
Zhou Qi was also startled.
It seems that the concentration of spiritual energy in this place is really high. There are so many wood crystals even in the grass like this. Wouldn’t there be even more in the forest?
Tang Yu'an took out a plastic basin, collected all the wood ash on the ground, and then put it directly into his portable warehouse, and then used the item list function to retrieve it.
In the end, he actually collected 28 wood crystals!
Of course, these wood crystals are relatively small. The previous crystals were worth 200 points each, and the largest one he collected was only worth 100 points.
However, Tang Yu'an didn't mind at all. After all, crystals were needed to upgrade furniture.
He doesn't have many crystals on hand now, so this is a great replenishment.
Remembering something, Tang Yu'an quickly released the emerald from the pet compartment, threw a wood crystal stone into its small bottle, and then placed it on the stone to bask in the sun.
The emerald vines stretched out in the sunlight, and more roots grew from the end that reached into the water.
Just looking at its comfortable appearance makes people feel relaxed.
After clearing the place, Zhou Qi used the power of earth to level the ground, then took out paper and pen and began to draw the design of the house and calculate the dimensions.
Seeing this, Tang Yu'an quickly exchanged a low table for him at the furniture store.
In this way, Zhou Qi could sit on the floor and put paper and pen on the table to write and draw.
While Zhou Qi was working hard on the design drawings, Tang Yu'an, who was a little bored, opened the system course and continued his class.
Most of the system functions can still be used normally, except for message reminders and the countdown for the seven-day sale.
Ever since they were swept into this place by the vortex, the staff's point and experience point increase notifications have never sounded again, and the point balance has not increased.
The countdown for the seven-day sale has turned into garbled characters.
It should have been refreshed today, but there has been no movement on the products on the page.
Not only that, daily tasks and weekly tasks are not updated, and the game is in a very chaotic situation.
Tang Yu'an felt unhappy when he thought about the streak that he had worked so hard to maintain being broken.
But this is how the world is, there will always be accidents. This is probably the tone of the end of the world, just as Grandpa Li said.
In addition, there is the dream bottle.
Since they couldn't get back to the main store, they couldn't get the bottle from the Dream Ocean, but the Dream Wishes were now on the right track.
They all have people around them who can exchange supplies through the mall, such as Gan Lin. If 8 cubic meters of water is only used for drinking, it will be enough for them to drink for a long time.
After all, in such a dry place, they wouldn't be willing to use precious water for bathing, right? And 8 cubic meters of water = 8,000 liters. Drinking one liter a day would be enough for the four of them for five years.
After Tang Yu'an finished his class, Zhou Qi had also finished drawing the blueprint.
Originally he wanted to build a wooden house, but after an actual investigation he gave up the idea. He had no tools, and going into the forest to cut trees was still quite dangerous for them.
Of course, the most important thing is that he has never learned carpentry and is a little worried that the house will collapse.
So, he finally decided to build a brick house.
Simply build four walls and add a roof, and it should be considered a building, right?
Tang Yu'an expressed his approval.
There is clay available near the branch location, which is why Zhou Qi chose this place.
So, they began their daily routine of making bricks in the morning, doing homework in class in the afternoon, and collecting crystals and looking for food after class.
The only advantage of coming to this place is that it is not only rich in water vapor and lush vegetation, but also has no shortage of food.
The crab that attacked Tang Yu'an before and was chopped into pieces by Black Pearl has been made into a delicacy by Zhou Qi.
The crab claws are as big as the head. After being steamed, they are so delicious and juicy. You don’t have to peel the shells carefully. Your mouth will be full of meat when you take a bite.
The taste is simply wonderful!
Of course, they were not without danger.
This world where everything is gigantic is full of dangers. Even the ordinary wind for the Black Pearls can blow them away.
Especially after Zhou Qi mastered the art of light body, he could experience the feeling of being blown away from time to time.
However, as he was blown by the wind, he actually learned how to control the power of the wind. Even without Tang Yu'an's skills, he could fly in the air.
In addition to winds comparable to hurricane force, there are also tides that rise and fall daily.
The first time they ran to the beach to pick up crystals, they encountered high tide. The power of the tide, like a tsunami, scared them.
Fortunately, they flew high into the sky before being swept away by the waves - of course, they were chased by water birds all the way.
In the end, it was rescued by Yuanbao, and the water bird was shot down by Hei Zhenzhu.
Moreover, the pile of rocks they chose was not very close to the shore, but every time the tide came in and the waves hit them, it felt like rain to them.
They had to stretch a tarp over the pile of rocks to keep their makeshift camp.
As for the huge temperature difference between day and night, they have already experienced it in the wasteland world. The difference is that the animals and plants here have fully adapted to this climate and are still thriving.
In addition, there are mutant creatures that visit every day.
Fortunately, they did not run into the forest. The animals that appeared at the edge of the forest were not of high level and their sizes were not that scary.
Yuanbao and Black Pearl are quite comfortable in this area.
If it weren't for these two loyal companions, their survival here would definitely be hellish.
So most of the time, the two teenagers chose to hide in the pile of boulders and make bricks. Even so, there were often bugs trying to take over their territory.
These insects are not very afraid of their insect repellent, so they still need Black Pearl to take action occasionally when they sleep at night.
After all, Yuanbao fights alone, while bugs sometimes appear in groups. At this time, the metal of Black Pearl is more useful.
The water birds that attacked them before rarely appeared, probably because they were scared away by the scent of Yuanbao and Black Pearl.
It is worth mentioning that they accidentally discovered an iron mine on the edge of the river bank.
Zhou Qi collected some iron ore, went to find limestone and clay, and then used the knowledge he learned in class to successfully make cement using a traditional method.
This makes building walls much more convenient and stronger than simply using clay.
"Wow, Brother Xiaoqi, you are so awesome!" Tang Yu'an looked at Zhou Qi with starry eyes, his face full of admiration.
Zhou Qi coughed lightly and said, "I taught you in class, you will learn it later."
Tang Yu'an felt that even if he learned it, it would be difficult for him to make it successfully. However, Zhou Qi had already developed the formula, so he could definitely learn from him.
"Then can we just pour cement and build a house?"
Zhou Qi thought about it and shook his head, "Theoretically, it's possible, but it would require too much cement."
The most they could make was just enough for building a wall, and if they wanted more, it would be faster to use bricks.
"Oh well."
It took them two weeks to finally prepare all the materials and start building the house.
Building the wall was much faster, and the house they were building was not very big, so it only took a whole day to complete the wall.
Then, using their umbrellas, they ventured into the woods and gathered some wood to make a roof.
The house was finally built, and eighteen days had passed since they came into this world.
Looking at the small house in front of me, although it is very simple, even the walls are exposed, and you can see the bricks.
However, the sense of accomplishment in the hearts of the two teenagers is difficult to describe in words.
This was the first time they built a house from scratch with their own hands!
"I used to watch videos of other people building houses and it seemed so simple. I didn't expect building one myself would be so troublesome." Tang Yu'an sighed.
Zhou Qi subconsciously raised his hand to touch his head, but he stopped halfway and retracted his hand.
He looked at the house and said, "Let's see if we can build a branch?"
Originally, they didn't plan to continue after building the wall, but the system prompted that it was a semi-finished product and could not be built into a branch.
Now that we have a roof, it should be fine, right?
"Okay!" Tang Yu'an walked into the cabin, opened the panel and tried to build a branch.
You are establishing a branch
[You own the building and meet the requirements]
[Would you like to spend 2000 points to set up this building as a branch? ]
【whether】
Finally, it worked! Tang Yu'an quickly chose to set up this small house as a branch and named it "Ping An Grocery Store No. 4".
Then he spent 2,000 points to open the protective barrier, and after authorizing Zhou Qi, he quickly set the branch to closed status.
The hut they worked so hard to build must not be destroyed by mutant creatures or natural disasters!
Then he activated the teleportation array, spending another 2,000 points. However, when Tang Yu'an was about to connect the teleportation array to the main store, the system prompt popped up again -
[Connecting to the alternate plane teleportation array... The plane location stone is not in hand, so the connection failed!]
Tang Yu'an couldn't help but be stunned, huh?
An alien teleportation array?
He and Xiaoqi are in a different dimension? !
Tang Yu'an opened his mouth in surprise. He was a little flustered and quickly shared the news with Zhou Qi, "Oh no, Brother Xiaoqi, we have run away to another dimension!"
Although he had used the item identification function these days, he had not identified any items that were unique to this plane, so he had not realized this.
But when he told Zhou Qi, Zhou Qi didn't seem too surprised.
He had guessed it long ago.
Zhou Qi noticed something was wrong when the employees' profit points and experience points stopped refreshing, and all the time records on the panel turned into garbled characters.
This may be because the grocery store system calculates the time according to the plane where the store is located, and they became confused after arriving in the different plane.
"In this way, the information Xie Chaori told us makes sense."
Why do all the fortresses want to get the center of the deserted city? Of course, it is because the center of the deserted city has a passage leading to another dimension!
Moreover, although this plane is full of dangers, it also has rich resources.
"So the fact that there are so many mutant creatures in the center of the deserted city is also related to this?" Tang Yu'an guessed.
Among those mutant creatures, apart from the local mutants, are there some that have escaped from this dimension?
For example, after the flood, there were giant fish that came from nowhere.
Tang Yu'an looked towards the water area. The whirlpool should be right below the water area, and the fish might have passed through here.
This plane has so much psychic energy, and you can pick up psychic stones everywhere. Wouldn't that psychic energy also flow to another plane? Or even...
Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Did the spirit insect also escape from this plane?"
It felt like they had discovered a big secret, but the value of this secret seemed unclear to them for the time being.
"If there is no plane positioning stone, then we can't go back?" Tang Yu'an said somewhat uncomfortably.
This plane positioning stone is difficult to obtain just by hearing its name.
Zhou Qi pursed his lips slightly, "There is a way."
Tang Yu'an thought for a moment, then looked at the endless expanse of water again. He frowned and said, "You mean that whirlpool? That's too dangerous!"
These waters are dangerous.
In addition to the creatures living in it, the river water itself is also very powerful.
Tang Yu'an once saw with his own eyes a giant crab being smashed to death on the beach during high tide. Before that, when he and Xiao Qige were swept over, the emerald vines were also shattered to pieces.
This river also contains unknown power.
He really didn't have the confidence that he and Xiaoqige could dive into the water safely and return to another dimension through the whirlpool unscathed.
"Actually, it's pretty good here..." Tang Yu'an said.
They have survived these days and even built a house with their own hands. Although they have not met any customers to do business with, at least they are all alive.
Just thinking about the home he had left in another dimension, Tang Yu'an couldn't help but lower his head in frustration.
Seeing how sad he looked, Zhou Qi hesitated for a moment, but finally raised his hand and rubbed his head.
"Besides going through the vortex, there are actually other ways," he said.
Tang Yu'an was stunned and looked at him hopefully.
"There should be other passages similar to this vortex in this plane." Zhou Qi said affirmatively, "Judging from the attitudes of Xie Chaori and Chi Hao, it is very likely that a fortress controls such a passage."
Even if not, they should have known that such a channel existed before.
Tang Yu'an's eyes lit up, "So we can go back through other channels?"
Zhou Qi nodded, "But right now, the most important thing for us is to improve our strength first."
Maybe they'll have a chance to meet the people in the fortress in the future. By then, they might not be as friendly as those they met in the wasteland...
"Yeah!" Tang Yu'an nodded vigorously. After having hope, he immediately cheered up.
At this time, Zhou Qi took out a slingshot from his pocket and handed it to him.
Tang Yu'an took the slingshot and looked at it curiously in his hand. The slingshot was very light, made of wood, and inlaid with several green wind crystals.
As for the material of the elastic rope, it is a kind of plant fruit they discovered a few days ago. After the pulp solidifies, it becomes very elastic.
"An An, happy birthday." Zhou Qi looked at him and smiled slightly.
Tang Yu'an blinked and realized that today was his birthday. He had been so busy building the house that he had forgotten about it.
"Wow! Is this a birthday present for me?" Tang Yuan stroked the slingshot and said happily, "Did you make this yourself?"
"Yeah." Zhou Qi nodded.
"When did you do it? I don't even know!" Tang Yu'an said in surprise.
Zhou Qi smiled and said, of course, it was while he was sleeping at night, but An An didn't need to know that.
"Try it?" Zhou Qi said, "I collected a few wind crystals and inlaid them on it. It should allow you to mobilize the power of wind more conveniently."
"good!"
Tang Yu'an took out a happy marble, pulled the new slingshot and launched it.
Watching a caterpillar a hundred meters away being hit and then twisting wildly on the ground, Tang Yu'an couldn't help but look at Zhou Qi with a smile on his face.
"Thank you, Xiaoqi brother, I like it very much!"
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