Chapter 206
Looking at the last piece of food in his hand, Tang Sheng sighed in his heart, then tore open the package and handed it to his 9-year-old daughter.
Tang Yuxin took a bite of his hand and then sat back.
"Dad, I'm full." She said as she chewed slowly.
How can I be full after just one bite?
Looking at his daughter's originally chubby little face, which was now not only smaller but also a little sunken, Tang Sheng couldn't help but feel sad.
"Eat a little more. It's okay. Dad will look for it after you finish eating."
He broke off another half of the sausage, forced it to his daughter, and then stuffed the rest into his wife Tang Xueyun's hands.
Tang Xueyun was in a daze. Ever since her son passed away, she seemed to have lost her soul. Except for being lucid when she was taking her daughter to escape, she was like this most of the time.
It took her a while to react and she returned half of the sausage to Tang Sheng.
"You eat it, I can't eat it." She said weakly.
Tang Sheng sighed and did not force her, for he was afraid that if he forced her to eat, she would vomit again.
There is no room for wasting food anymore.
"Then you should get some sleep." Tang Sheng said in a low voice, looking at the dark circles under her eyes.
"I can't sleep..."
"You have to sleep even if you can't. We have already lost An An and Xiao Qi. Don't you even care about Xin Xin?" Tang Sheng spoke in a rare stern tone.
He looked at his wife and whispered, "It's been three months. It's time for you to cheer up."
Three months ago, a meteor shower suddenly hit Earth.
Tang Sheng will always remember that day when he and his wife went out to purchase goods, leaving their eldest son alone at home to look after the shop.
When they hurried home after the disaster, the grocery store where they had lived for more than ten years had been destroyed by a piece of meteor debris.
Half of the surrounding streets fell into the crater. Tang Xueyun collapsed on the spot and frantically wanted to enter the crater to look for people.
Tang Sheng, who still had some sense, quickly pulled her away. Fortunately, Tang Yuxin, who had gone to a nearby park to play before the incident, came back and helped Tang Xueyun regain her composure.
Overnight, they lost the home they had run for more than a decade and their beloved first child.
They were so powerless in the face of the natural disaster that they could only temporarily settle down in a small truck. During this time, they also looked for their neighbor Zhou Qi, but unfortunately there was no news.
However, before they could recover from their grief and find a stable place to live again—
The distortion broke out.
Meteorites from the meteor shower brought a kind of alien creature they had never seen before. They parasitized the life forms on Earth and after a short incubation period, began to grow rapidly.
Infected organisms will rapidly undergo deformation, whether they are humans or other animals or plants.
Some people grew two heads, some grew countless arms, and some had bodies that expanded infinitely like balloons...
These monsters, called "deformations", are not only powerful, but also extremely aggressive.
Ordinary humans have no power to resist these mutants.
The only good thing is that they are not highly contagious.
Just like a virus, the stronger the toxicity, the lower the infectiousness. Even if you are injured by a mutant, you will not be infected.
Of course, it may still be in the incubation period, waiting for the time to break out.
Humans have done too little research on them, and it is currently impossible to conclude that these alien creatures are infertile.
In short, the world is in chaos because of them.
As one of the landing sites of the meteor shower, the town where the Tang family lived quickly became a severely affected area, and countless people fled with their families.
Tang Sheng could only put away his sadness and escape with his wife and daughter, because they still had a lot of food in the car. Although they had been hiding for three months, they managed to survive.
However, the truck ran out of gas on the way and was robbed, so they could only abandon the truck and flee with some food.
The car they are driving now was picked up by them on the way.
The car key was still in the keyhole, and the car window was smashed. Judging from the bloodstains, the car owner must have been dragged out through the window by the mutant.
You can imagine how the ending will be.
They drove the car to the next town. The once prosperous town had become deserted, and mutants could be seen appearing from time to time.
"You should have a good rest first. When you wake up, we will get off the car and find something to eat." Tang Sheng said to his wife.
Tang Xueyun looked at him, then looked at her daughter in the back seat of the car, who had become so thin that she could hardly recognize her. She was silent for a while, then nodded with red eyes.
"I understand. I'll try my best."
It’s not that she doesn’t want to rest, but as soon as she closes her eyes, her son’s voice and smile will appear in her mind, making her feel regretful every moment.
Why did she leave her son alone at home to look after the store? If she had brought An An with her, would their family still be together?
But strangely, this time she fell asleep quickly after closing her eyes.
She saw a dark blue ocean with countless bottles floating in it. She stood on the beach in a daze, not knowing what to do.
Until the waves came and washed a transparent glass bottle to her feet.
As if she was being called by some kind of destiny, Tang Xueyun bent down and picked up the bottle. When her fingertips touched the bottle, she felt a very real touch, as if she was not dreaming.
Then... she woke up.
"Can't sleep again?" came the husband's voice beside him.
Tang Xueyun turned to look at him and heard him say, "Just take a nap for a minute. Even if you can't fall asleep, close your eyes and rest for a while. You'll collapse if you keep going like this..."
She felt something and looked down to see the bottle in her hand.
I found it in a dream...
"I seem to be still dreaming," she said.
Tang Sheng's face showed a helpless and distressed expression. He whispered, "I also hope this is a dream, and after waking up I can go back to three months ago."
Soon, Tang Xueyun noticed something was wrong.
Everything felt so real now. She reached out and took the sausage from Tang Sheng's hand and took a light bite.
The taste flowing through her taste buds finally confirmed that she was not dreaming.
"This bottle..."
She looked at the message in the bottle again. It was made of transparent glass, and inside it was a bag and three brooch-like objects.
"What bottle?"
"The bottle in my hand."
"Mom, you don't have a bottle in your hand." Tang Yuxin also came over and looked at her and said, "Why are you holding your hand empty? Are you playing a game?"
Ever since her brother passed away, her mother has been in a daze and rarely talks to her and her father.
Seeing that her mother seemed to have recovered, Tang Yuxin was very happy. She reached out to touch Tang Xueyun's palm.
"Look, there's nothing."
Tang Xueyun watched with her own eyes as her daughter's hand passed through the bottle and touched the skin of her palm. As soon as she loosened her hand, the bottle fell on her thigh.
What's going on? She stared blankly at the bottle, then at her husband and daughter.
"Can't you see this bottle?"
Tang Yuxin shook her head, while Tang Sheng showed a sad expression.
Tang Xueyun understood what her husband meant.
Was she hallucinating because she was so sad?
But if it was an illusion, why did such a bottle appear instead of asking her to look at An An again?
She really missed him...
After their home was destroyed, only the husband's mobile phone still had photos of the children, but they could no longer see them after the phone ran out of battery.
Tang Xueyun picked up the bottle again. She wanted to see what was inside and whether there was a photo of An An.
Then when she opened the bottle, she heard the voice she had missed day and night.
"Dad, Mom, Xinxin, this message in a bottle will go into one of your dreams. Don't be afraid, it's really me contacting you."
"Xiaoqi and I were brought to another world by a system called Doomsday Grocery Store. We've been here for over a year, almost two years. Xiaoqi and I miss you guys so much."
"This bottle contains some supplies we've prepared. The three brooches on top are actually three optical computers. Each of you has one, and they can communicate with each other within a thousand meters."
"There's a video of me and Brother Xiaoqi in the optical brain. Once you turn it on, tell the smart assistant you want to watch the video, and it will automatically play it."
"The message in the bottle should only be heard by the person who picked it up, but the video in the computer has no such restrictions. I hope these supplies and our news can reach you quickly..."
When Tang Xueyun heard this, she burst into tears.
It really is An An, it’s An An’s voice…
She listened to the message almost greedily, praying that it would not end, but unfortunately, no matter how much she prayed, the child's voice disappeared in the end.
"Mom, mom, what's wrong with you?"
Tang Xueyun turned her head and saw her daughter looking at her with tears in her eyes, looking frightened.
"Mom is fine."
She reached out to touch her daughter's face. "I heard your brother's voice. He said that he and Xiaoqi are still alive and have sent us supplies..."
Tang Sheng wanted to say something but stopped himself, and finally could only turn his face away, trying hard to hold back the tears that were about to burst out.
"Really? Brother and Qi are still alive?" Tang Yuxin asked, "Where are they? Why can't I hear my brother's voice?"
Tang Xueyun paused, then silently withdrew her hand and looked at the message in the bottle again.
Reason told her that everything she had just heard and the bottle she saw were probably hallucinations, but... what if?
She tipped the bottle over and pulled out a brooch.
"Wow! Mom, you can do magic!"
Tang Xueyun was startled by her daughter's voice. She waved the brooch in front of her daughter and asked tentatively, "Can you see it?"
"Sure, is this a brooch?" Tang Yuxin took the brooch.
Their conversation attracted Tang Sheng's attention.
He looked at the mother and daughter again, and saw Tang Xueyun pull out a brooch from her clenched hand.
Tang Sheng: ...?
Isn't Ayun sick? But when did she learn magic?
Then he saw Tang Xueyun look at the brooch for a few seconds, then press the center of the brooch, and a light on the brooch lit up.
"Opening, please select the optical computer mode: 1. Keep brooch mode, 2. Watch mode, 3. Follow ball mode."
A very sci-fi mechanical sound rang out, attracting the attention of Tang Sheng and Tang Yuxin.
Tang Xueyun swallowed and said softly, "Follow the ball mode."
"Received, switching modes."
I saw that the brooch on her hand really began to change, and soon it turned into a small ball the size of a fist and flew in the air.
The three members of the Tang family looked at this scene in disbelief.
Tang Sheng opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by Tang Xueyun who raised her hand. She stared at the flying ball on the brain, recalling what An An had just said to her.
"I want to see the video, intelligent system, I want to see the video!" she said anxiously.
"Received, retrieving the video..."
"This device has only recorded one video. Do you want to play it now?"
"Yes, play!"
Following Tang Xueyun's command, a 3D image was projected from the optical brain and appeared in front of Tang Xueyun and the other two with incredible clarity.
"It's my brother and Brother Zhou Qi!" Tang Yuxin blurted out.
Tang Sheng also widened his eyes.
Is it really his son? Is he really dreaming?
Tang Sheng couldn't help but pinch his thigh, then he cried out in pain, and his facial features twisted.
It's real! It's not a dream!
"Dad, Mom, Xinxin, Xiaoqi and I are recording you at home..."
As his son's voice rang out, Tang Sheng's attention was drawn again. He stared at his son's face intently, and the tears he had been holding back finally flowed down his cheeks.
Because the projection of the optical computer is 3D, it can be seen clearly from different angles.
Tang Xueyun looked at her son deeply. Just as she was about to reach out to touch him, she suddenly heard her daughter's scream.
She subconsciously turned her head and saw a mutant lying on the glass of the rear compartment, with two bulging eyes on its black and blue face.
Tang Yuxin was already shouting, "Dad, drive! The monster is coming!"
Tang Xueyun suddenly sensed something and looked away, only to see a hairy hand reaching in from the broken car window and grabbing the light brain flying ball.
After being caught, the image played by the flying ball on the light brain naturally disappeared, and was caught out of the car by the hairy hand.
Tang Xueyun's eyes instantly turned red.
"Give it back to me! Give my child back to me!" She opened the car door and chased after him like crazy.
"Ayun!"
"Mother!"
Tang Xueyun couldn't hear her husband and daughter's voices at all, she had already gotten out of the car.
The hairy mutant just wanted to lure her down, and after seeing her leave the car, he threw the light brain flying ball away.
It lunged at the frail human woman with its fang-filled mouth, and then...
Tang Xueyun raised her leg and kicked.
This mutant, which was only about one meter tall, flew out and finally rolled to the ground and fell flat on its face.
Tang Xueyun didn't care about it at all. She just wanted to pick up the laptop on the ground. As a result, the mutant that had just been lying on the car window was also attracted over.
"Ayun, be careful!"
Tang Xueyun picked up the laptop and when she saw the scratches on it, her eyes turned red with anger.
Seeing two mutants coming towards her, one in front and one behind, she grabbed a taxi on the side of the road and swung it at the hairy mutant.
“Bang, bang, bang!”
She smashed it several times in a rage, turning the short mutant into a meat patty. Then she looked at the black-blue mutant fiercely.
The monster was frozen in place.
When Tang Xueyun looked over, it suddenly turned around and ran away.
However, Tang Xueyun, who was angry, had no intention of letting it go. She let go of the taxi that was severely damaged and could no longer be used, picked up another pickup truck and threw it out.
Accurate hit.
The mutant fell directly into the deep pit created by the pickup truck and could never climb out.
The dust settled and the street corner finally returned to peace.
The father and daughter in the car couldn't help swallowing.
They were able to survive for three months in the monster-ridden apocalypse, thanks in large part to Tang Xueyun's awakened powers.
However, noticing something, Tang Sheng quickly got out of the car and supported Tang Xueyun before she fell due to dizziness.
Tang Xueyun, who had calmed down, became weak again.
After being carried back to the car by Tang Sheng, she drank the mineral water her husband fed her, and then looked at the laptop in his hand.
"Intelligent system, play the video."
"Received, retrieving..." Fortunately, although it was dropped and had some scratches, the optical computer was not damaged.
Tang Sheng looked at his wife's focused expression, sighed, and did not drive away.
Two mutants have just died here, and no more mutants will come here in the short term - of course they still need to leave here within two hours.
Because the dead mutants will quickly decay and eventually turn into a pool of sticky, foul-smelling liquid.
The smell is very pungent and anyone who has smelled it will definitely not want to smell it a second time.
The video of Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi was quickly finished.
The family of three was very happy to hear about their adventure.
Of course, because of the appearance of the two deformed species just now, the emotions of the three of them were interrupted and they felt much calmer.
Tang Sheng was watching the video while paying attention to any movement around him, not daring to be careless anymore.
"My brother and Brother Zhou Qi seem to have become different..." Tang Yuxin said.
"Yeah, they've grown up."
Tang Xueyun stared at the frozen image on the video, tears flashing in her eyes.
Just live... Just live...
"So my brother and his family went to another world with our family?" Tang Yuxin asked, "They weren't killed by the meteorite, right?"
"Well, they have been there for more than a year, almost two years." Tang Xueyun said.
"And he seems to be taking good care of himself." Tang Sheng couldn't help but interrupt.
Not only did they grow taller and stronger, their complexions also became rosy, and the baby fat on An An's face had not diminished much.
Thinking of this, the couple looked at the skinny Tang Yuxin at the same time, with heartache in their eyes.
Tang Sheng reached out and touched his daughter's head.
Tang Xueyun suddenly thought of something and quickly picked up the glass bottle again, took out the last brooch and gave it to Tang Sheng.
Then she shook it again and struggled to pull out the bag inside.
It’s not a bag, but it looks more like a large treasure bag.
"Is this the space bag in the video that contains a lot of supplies?" Tang Sheng asked curiously.
"It should be."
Tang Xueyun opened the bag and a few candies fell out. The bag was filled with supplies, and from the outside it was impossible to tell that there was an 8 cubic meter space inside.
Tang Sheng was more shocked when he looked at the supplies in the space bag than when he saw the optical computer.
He couldn't help but reach out and touch the deflated bag, muttering, "Ayun, we really aren't dreaming now, are we?"
Tang Xueyun picked up the candy, unwrapped it, fed one to her daughter, and then ate one herself.
The sweet taste melted in my mouth, soothing the psychological trauma that had not healed in the past three months.
Hearing this, she peeled a candy and fed it to her husband.
"How is it? Is it sweet?"
Tang Sheng's facial features wrinkled into a ball, "So sour!"
Tang Xueyun looked down and found that it was lemon-flavored. She paused, then couldn't help laughing out loud.
"It's right to be sour. You can't taste it in a dream."
This was the first time Tang Xueyun smiled in three months, and Tang Sheng couldn't help but grin and give a silly smile.
Tang Yuxin was also very happy. She said, "Mom, this one is sweet and tastes like milk."
Tang Xueyun touched her little face, then took out a can of beef from the space bag.
As soon as the can was opened, the aroma of meat wafted through the carriage, causing the three of them to swallow their saliva at the same time.
“Gurgle—”
The sound of my stomach rumbling came one after another.
There was a disposable fork on the lid of the can, and Tang Xueyun handed the can to her daughter.
Tang Yuxin ate one piece and was about to say that she was full, but she saw Tang Xueyun took out two more cans and gave one to Tang Sheng.
"Only when you are full will you have the strength to fight monsters." Tang Xueyun said softly.
Seeing her mother regained her energy, Tang Yuxin smiled and nodded. After saying "OK", she held the can and started eating carefully.
It’s so delicious! I haven’t eaten such delicious food in a long time!
It feels so good to have a brother!
-
MR176349 plane, deserted city.
Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi didn't know that their message in a bottle had successfully contacted their families. They returned to the RV and began to test the 100% performance improvement brought by the upgrade.
The RV's intelligent system has not been updated, and no changes can be seen inside, but from the outside, the RV's chassis has been raised and the wheels seem to have been upgraded.
When Zhou Qi was driving, he also clearly felt the increase in speed, which should be because the internal engine and parts have also been upgraded.
Tang Yu'an opened the item list function and skillfully piled all the debris outside to one side, leaving the ground on the right empty.
This time, Zhou Qi did not get out of the car to clear the roadblock, but drove the RV forward.
He wanted to try out what difference the upgrade would make, and then he discovered that the obstacles on the road that would have gotten the RV stuck before could now be easily passed.
Apart from some inevitable bumps and blockages, the RV moved forward very smoothly to the end.
After observation, Zhou Qi found that this was not only because the chassis of the RV was raised, but also because the wheels could directly crush the roadblocks.
Even if it cannot be crushed, you can still climb over it.
“I found it!”
Tang Yu'an saw the same type of wheels on the RV upgrade page. "One wheel costs 5,000 points. It's very hard and has adaptive design adjustments, making it very suitable for off-road use."
Although the average lifespan of tires is relatively short, they can be replaced directly on the upgrade page later. They are not disposable items, and 5,000 points each is not very expensive.
Zhou Qi nodded, and this greatly increased their forward speed.
Originally, they could only advance five or six hundred meters a day, but now the speed has increased to more than two thousand meters, and the speed has increased four or five times.
"Old Xie finally doesn't have to wait that long!" Tang Yu'an said.
They originally planned to reach his location in two months, but now they estimate that it will be done in less than two weeks.
“Ding ding ding—”
When they heard the set alarm, they quickly left the cab and returned to the attic of Ping An Grocery Store.
On the window of the dream bottle, the accelerator's cooldown period has ended and it can finally be used again.
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