Chapter 45
The sun gradually rose higher, the cold left by the night was completely dispelled, and heat was rising.
Zhou Qi followed Old Li steadily.
Old Li did not run fast, but walked forward very steadily. Although his speed seemed slow, Zhou Qi felt that he might not be able to catch up with him without the help of the light body technique.
Tang Yu'an leaned on Zhou Qi's shoulder, opened the map and prepared to observe the situation, but he was stunned as soon as he took a look.
"In the wasteland, always remember to conserve your energy."
Old Li's voice rang out, explaining to the two teenagers the key points of traveling through the wasteland. "Running to get somewhere fast does increase your speed, but your stamina also decreases quickly, and it's easy to attract mutants."
"This speed will both preserve your strength and give you ample room to observe any unusual movements around you..."
Having said this, Old Li's expression suddenly became stern and he stopped talking.
At this time, they had entered the area where Zhou Qi had first met Grandma Guo. There were countless intricate paths here. If one was not careful, one would easily get lost and might not be able to get out even after wandering around for a long time.
Old Li grabbed Zhou Qi and pulled out a crossbow from behind.
"Something's going on."
Zhou Qi's expression was startled, but he felt something was wrong.
Old Li lowered his voice and continued, "When I count to three, you take Xiao An and run to the left. Run all the way to the ruins at the end. Find a place to hide and wait for me."
"Remember, try your best and don't look back!"
He didn't expect that his luck would be so bad today. He encountered mutant creatures as soon as he went out!
However, danger can occur at any time and anywhere in the wasteland, and Old Li has become accustomed to it, so he made the decision without any hesitation.
The most important thing right now is to escape separately, which will increase the chances of escape.
"Okay." Zhou Qi responded nervously.
"one two three!"
As the word "three" fell, the two figures quickly separated.
Old Li suddenly rushed into the path on the right, while Zhou Qi ran to the path on the left, but he did not sprint as hard as Old Li said.
"An An?"
If there really was a dangerous creature, An An should have spoken out to warn them, but he remained silent.
"Well, Brother Xiaoqi, please stop for a while." Tang Yu'an said.
Zhou Qi felt a little surprised, but still stopped as he was told, thinking to himself, could it be that Old Li made a wrong judgment?
result……
"Come out, Black Pearl." Tang Yu'an shouted towards a collapsed building in the distance.
However, as his words fell, nothing happened.
Tang Yu'an sighed and took out the invincible cat toy from his personal storage. As the crisp sound of the bell rang, a pure black figure finally emerged from the ruins.
Black Pearl ran towards Tang Yu'an.
Its golden eyes, which always looked cold, had become round and watery at this moment. It stared at the cat toy in his hand with an indescribable cuteness.
As it ran, its body became smaller and smaller, until it finally hugged the cat toy and turned into a little orange cat.
“Meow—”
Black Pearl lay on the ground holding the cat toy and bit it. Among so many animals, it was probably the only one that really liked the cat toy.
Zhou Qi looked down at the kitten, not expecting that Black Pearl would secretly follow them.
After turning into a kitten, Black Pearl's fur color turned into milky orange, and only the exposed belly was snow-white, which looked soft and felt good.
Given Black Pearl's personality, Tang Yu'an didn't dare touch her.
However, it can be seen that Black Pearl is really a clean cat. Its fur looks very new and it is not like Wangcai at all. When it first became an orange cat, its fur was black and gray.
"Why did you follow me?" Tang Yu'an touched its chin.
“Meow—”
Black Pearl couldn't resist the temptation of the cat toy and ignored him.
After Tang Yu'an put away the cat toy, Black Pearl, who was immersed in playing, came back to his senses. He climbed up and looked at his new form, seeming to be more satisfied than his puppy form.
Looking up, the kitten saw two teenagers staring at it. Its body stiffened slightly, then it turned its head and walked away as if nothing had happened.
"Do you want to go to the market town with us?" Tang Yu'an asked.
Black Pearl stopped and looked back at him.
"If you want to go, come into my pocket." Tang Yu'an opened his pocket. He had a bag on his back and it was difficult to put on the hood, so the black pearl could only be hidden in his pocket.
Black Pearl looked at him steadily.
Just when Tang Yu'an thought it was going to refuse, it ran over with its tail wagging, jumped into his pocket, and then poked out its little head.
It had never moved from such a perspective, so it looked at the scenery outside with curiosity in its eyes.
Tang Yu'an reached out and touched its little head, and it didn't refuse.
"Brother Xiaoqi, let's go find Grandpa Li."
"Okay." Zhou Qi nodded.
Old Li is indeed an experienced hunter. Black Pearl was hiding in the dark and had no hostility towards them, but he still noticed it.
Tang Yu'an looked at the map and said, "Grandpa Li is heading to the place we agreed on."
"Um."
Zhou Qi carried him on his back and quickly approached the ruins where they had agreed to meet.
With Tang Yu'an's map, they don't need to worry about dangerous creatures around them and can move forward boldly.
Now that they have the black pearl, they don’t need to be afraid if they really encounter danger.
Of course, Black Pearl is a mutant creature after all, so it is best not to show up in front of people to avoid causing conflicts. According to Old Li, there are people with special abilities in the town who specialize in hunting mutant creatures, so you still have to be careful.
Not long after, they pretended to meet by chance and reunited with Old Li.
"Grandpa Li, are you okay?" Tang Yu'an asked knowingly.
Old Li shook his head. Seeing that the two teenagers were safe and sound, he first breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned tightly.
Something is wrong. Something is so wrong today.
After he rushed into the path, he did not find any mutant creatures chasing him. Looking at the appearance of Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi, they did not look like they had encountered any danger. Could it be that... his perception was wrong?
Old Li looked around, and finally, his eyes fell on Tang Yu'an.
Tang Yu'an subconsciously stood up straight, crossed his right hands in front of him to hide his slightly bulging pockets.
Fortunately, Old Li quickly restrained the sharpness in his eyes.
"I'm glad you're okay." He turned and walked towards the intersection. "Let's go. We can't waste any more time."
The little orange cat poked its head out of his pocket, glanced at Old Li's back, and then shrank back in.
Tang Yu'an breathed a sigh of relief, climbed onto Zhou Qi's back, and started again.
·
Gradually, the abandoned and collapsed high-rise buildings around were replaced by relatively low-rise houses. The condition of these houses was much worse than the high-rise buildings, and it was almost difficult to see a complete house.
Wild grass sprouted from the cracks in the ruins, struggling to grow under the scorching sun.
Tang Yu'an looked at the wilderness, and a feeling of desolation and sadness came over him.
However, as Old Li said before, this is the only road connecting Jufeng Town and the center of Huangcheng, and it is indeed not only for them to pass through.
In the distance, he saw a small black dot appear at the end of the road.
About two minutes later, a tall figure appeared in front of them.
He was a tall and strong man, probably a little shorter than Tiejin, with messy brown hair. He was only wearing clothes made of animal skin, looking like a savage.
Tang Yu'an lowered his head and covered his face with his hat to avoid attracting attention.
Both sides were in a hurry and passed each other without any interaction.
Watching the green dot on the map intersect with them and then move away, Tang Yu'an couldn't help feeling regretful, just like watching experience points fly away.
"That's Bashi." Old Li suddenly spoke up, "He's also a resident of the deserted city, and he has a brother named Batu."
Tang Yu'an quickly marked the green dot with a name.
After he completely disappeared, he said happily: "Could he be an earth-type ability user?"
"You guessed it right." Old Li said, "In the wasteland, many people name themselves after their abilities."
"What was your childhood name?" Tang Yu'an asked.
"When I was little?" Old Li smiled. "I didn't have a name when I was little."
People in the wasteland rarely give their children names because it is difficult to raise them. Those who can survive will naturally have their own names, and for those who cannot... it will only add to the pain when they die young.
Tang Yu'an couldn't help but fall silent.
He hadn't expected that life at the end of the world would be so cruel... People like Jin Lili who met Uncle Tiejin, who not only provided them with food and clothing but also treated them with care, were truly the lucky few.
The atmosphere at the scene quieted down and they continued on their journey in silence.
Tang Yu'an couldn't stand such dead silence, especially when he was walking among the desolate ruins and didn't see a single person for a long time. It was really suffocating.
"Grandpa Li, what is your special ability?" Tang Yu'an spoke to break the silence.
"Me?" Old Li didn't explain immediately. "You'll know during the lunch break."
"Oh well……"
Tang Yu'an thought for a moment and then said, "Didn't you know that Bashi just now? Why did he leave without saying anything?"
"The wilderness isn't a good place to talk or exchange greetings." Old Li kept his pace, always keeping an eye on the surroundings. "But I'm not familiar with those two brothers."
Tang Yu'an couldn't help but prick up his ears. Could it be because the other party had a bad character?
"Why?"
"There was a small conflict," said Old Li. "Batu has a bad temper and is quite aggressive. Bashi is a bit better, but if you meet them next time, it's best to stay away from them."
Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi nodded and took note of it silently.
The customers they have met in the deserted city are all good people, and this is largely due to the introductions from Granny Guo and Old Li.
But they also knew that they couldn't always be so lucky, which was why they didn't dare to expose the grocery store.
The journey was tedious and nerve-wracking.
Fortunately, there was a map, and Tang Yu'an did not find any mutant creatures along the way - probably because there were many people with special abilities coming and going, so they were all cleared out.
As for some ordinary small animals, they naturally pose no threat to them.
At a fork in the road, Old Li suddenly stopped.
The fork in the road splits into three roads. One is the road to the center of the deserted city where they came from, one should lead to Jufeng Town, and no one knows where the other one leads to.
“Remember that sign.”
Old Li raised his hand and pointed to the intersection on the left. He saw a big X drawn on a big rock next to it.
"If you don't want to die, don't take this road." He said with an extremely serious expression.
"Why?" Zhou Qi frowned and asked, "Are there so many mutant creatures?"
However, Old Li shook his head and said, "There are things on this road that are more terrifying than mutant creatures."
"What is that?" Tang Yu'an asked.
Old Li's expression was filled with a hint of sadness. "Go straight along this road. At the end, there was a chemical plant before the disaster."
After hearing this, Zhou Qi suddenly understood, but Tang Yu'an still had a bit of confusion on his face.
"After the catastrophe, the chemical plant exploded, and the chemicals stored inside spread outward from the center, turning the area into a veritable living hell. Now... it's a truly barren wasteland."
Old Li's tone was extremely serious.
"That road has been covered in thick miasma since its middle section. Even a person with special abilities would die if they got too close, let alone an ordinary person."
He emphasized again, "If you encounter mutant creatures, you might still be able to escape unscathed, but there... that's impossible."
Tang Yu'an couldn't help swallowing, and nodded seriously under the pressure of the old man's gaze.
Afterwards, Old Li took them on another road.
Tang Yu'an lay on Zhou Qi's shoulder, and couldn't help but look back at the big stone with a cross on it, and then marked the location.
He looked at the area behind the mark, which was covered by a large area of fog, and his mood became a little solemn.
It turns out that having a map is not absolutely safe.
The only things on the map that remind them are the red dots of dangerous creatures, but in fact, in the wasteland, it is not only the mutant creatures that can bring danger to them, but also the environment.
The environment alone might have been enough to kill them.
If they hadn't had Old Li to lead the way, and had explored the road to the market town on their own, they would probably have been on a path of no return...
Tang Yuan felt sad and didn't dare to say anything more on the rest of the journey.
Like Zhou Qi, he was concentrating on learning survival experience in the wilderness from Old Li, and his nerves were always tense.
It was not until noon that Old Li found a relatively intact house and took them to hide in it.
"Let's take a rest first and then set off in the afternoon."
It was now past noon, and the effect of Zhou Qi's light body technique had long since disappeared. He did not ask Tang Yu'an to give him more blessings in the middle.
After traveling for two or three hours, Old Li's physical strength decreased. In addition, the weather was hot, so his speed slowed down. There was no need to waste his light body skills.
At first, Zhou Qi carried Tang Yu'an on his back, but later he couldn't walk anymore, so Tang Yu'an struggled to get down and walked by himself.
Now it was finally time to rest. Tang Yu'an sat down and didn't want to move anymore.
Actually, if it's just walking, it's nothing, but really...
It's too hot!
When I stepped on the road, I felt like I was going to get blisters through the soles of my shoes. Even though I was wearing a hat, I felt like my head was smoking.
When had Tang Yu'an ever suffered such hardship?
Even after coming to this doomsday world, he had not really suffered much.
At one point he felt like he was going to faint, but when he saw Zhou Qi and Old Li standing silently and persistently out of the corner of his eye, he couldn't say anything willful.
Why can Xiaoqi do it but he can't?
Sister Lin Zhen is also an ordinary person. She can also develop such skills and live happily in the wasteland. Why can't he do the same?
Isn’t it just walking?
Tang Yu'an relied on his faith to hold on until now.
Zhou Qi was also very tired. After Tang Yu'an settled down and started walking, he took over carrying the luggage - because Old Li was there, they couldn't put all the things in the portable warehouse.
After he sat down, he drank half a bottle of water and finally calmed down.
Perhaps because he had just awakened, his body had not yet fully transformed, and he could not withstand prolonged exposure to high temperatures.
But he recovered quickly. After drinking some water and wiping off the sweat, he felt much better.
Seeing that Tang Yu'an looked like he was about to ascend to heaven, he did not care that Old Li was present, and quickly reached out and pressed his hand on his head, recalling the feeling before, and absorbed the heat from Tang Yu'an's body.
Tang Yu'an couldn't help but sigh.
Old Li across from him was stunned. "Ice?"
Then he shook his head and denied it himself: "No, it's not ice-type."
Zhou Qi withdrew his hand. His supernatural power could only last for a short while, but it was enough to make Tang Yu'an feel comfortable for a while.
He looked at Old Li, and thinking about the days they had spent together and the old man's care and love, he finally told him, "It's fire."
Old Li opened his eyes wide in surprise.
It's fire?
"Ah... absorbing heat?"
Old Li was stunned for a moment, but he quickly realized, "That's an interesting idea."
Most fire-type mutants use flames to fight, and even if they use them for survival, they only use them to make fire or release heat.
But absorbing heat to cool others down...this is the first time Old Li has heard of this in his long life.
He looked at Zhou Qi and nodded with satisfaction: "Fire Element, this is a very powerful ability with a very high upper limit. If you practice well, you will have a promising future."
Among all natural powers, fire is undoubtedly one of the most offensive.
Perhaps due to the high temperature during the day, in the area of the deserted city, the proportion of fire-type ability users among combat-type ability users is also high, just like the managers of Jufeng Town.
Old Li has also seen many fire-type mutants, and they undoubtedly have a very high advantage when fighting against mutant creatures.
"What about grandpa's special abilities?" Tang Yu'an asked curiously again.
Old Li didn't keep the secret any longer. He took out a wooden bowl from his bag and pointed it at the corner of the wall.
There should have been a pool of water at that location, but it is now almost dry, and green moss has grown on the moist soil.
Then, under the gaze of Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi, the soil, which was originally a little moist, quickly dried up.
The moss that was growing well soon turned dry and yellow.
At the same time, a small irregular ball of transparent liquid appeared in the palm of Old Li's hand, slowly growing from a small drop.
By the time Old Li transferred it into the wooden bowl, there was already half a bowl.
So Old Li’s ability is water-related?
Yes, the crystal he gave them as a reward was of the water element!
Tang Yu'an quickly used a basic identification skill on the liquid in the wooden bowl, and finally spent 1 point to obtain the information.
This is pure water! Pure water without any impurities.
Old Li took a sip from the bowl, then looked at the two teenagers: "Do you see it now?"
Tang Yu'an looked into his black eyes and couldn't help asking, "Your ability is water? Then why didn't your eyes turn blue?"
"Because my ability isn't very strong," Old Li said frankly, "and it's not very practical either."
"How could that be? In the wasteland, pure water sources are almost impossible to find." Tang Yu'an said, "Drinking too much of that dirty water will make you sick."
"Once you get used to it, it's fine. Although there's a chance of getting sick, the risk is relatively small."
There is enough water available in the natural environment, so who would be willing to exchange precious materials for pure water?
What's more, his ability is quite limited. He cannot generate water directly and needs to be in a place with sufficient water to extract pure water, so this ability can only be used by himself.
The reason why Old Li can gain a foothold in the wasteland is largely due to his own original abilities.
"Okay, you guys should be hungry too, let's eat something first." He handed the bowl of purified water to Tang Yu'an, "Would you like some?"
"Yes!" Tang Yu'an thought for a moment and said, "Can you decorate more? I'll trade this with you."
He took out a whole-wheat steamed bun, broke it in half and handed it over.
Old Li looked at the half steamed bun with some surprise, but did not refuse it.
He filled the bowl with water and completed the transaction with Tang Yu'an.
A bowl of water was worth 2 points, and half a steamed bun was worth 1 point, so he managed to complete a profitable transaction.
Congratulations! You've profited from trading for 7 consecutive days and earned the "Business Newbie" title, plus 100 points.
Yay!
Got the first achievement combo!
Tang Yu'an was very happy. Although his points had reached 3700+, 100 points was still a lot for him.
I remember when I first came to this world, Brother Xiaoqi went out on an adventure for these 100 points and almost died outside.
Looking back now, Tang Yu'an still feels heartbroken.
So you must cherish every point and don’t waste it just because you have a lot of points now!
Old Li took the whole wheat steamed bun and took a bite, his eyes lit up slightly. He looked at the two teenagers again, but ultimately did not ask anything.
These two teenagers must have some secrets, but Old Li doesn't want to find out what they are.
Their current relationship is good enough, there's no need to ruin it.
Life is full of confusion.
Old Li withdrew his gaze and continued to eat his steamed bun.
Seeing that he didn't ask any more questions, Tang Yu'an breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, half a steamed bun wasn't enough to fill him up, so he traded half a whole-wheat steamed bun for a bowl of purified water.
Purified water is different from the water used in grocery stores. It can be drunk directly, so it is more valuable. A bowl costs 2 points. In the future, this will be another way to earn points with Lao Li.
After making two profits and completing today's daily tasks, Tang Yu'an found an excuse to make a loss-making deal and get the last bit of experience points.
Then……
[Experience value is full, merchant level +1]
[Merchant level reaches lv4, millet, hemostatic tape, and white vinegar are now available for exchange in the mall. For details, please visit the "Wholesale Market"]
[Mall "Acquisition" has been upgraded to "Plane Shop", with a new window function, which allows users to filter, view product views, collect product counts, and make bid inquiries, etc.]
[Special skill "Teleportation" level increased to level 3, details can be viewed in the skill panel]
[Portable storage slot +1, 7-day sale refresh card +1]
Hehe, another level up!
Moreover, among the upgrade rewards this time, there is also a "Seven-Day Sale Refresh Card". Tang Yu'an remembered that the last time he was given a "Daily Task Refresh Card".
He looked at the skill description of "Teleportation Level 3" again.
As Zhou Qi guessed, his delivery range has increased from 10 kilometers to 100 kilometers!
Now the grocery store is still within his straight-line range of 100 kilometers, which means that he can pick up goods from the grocery store at any time!
Tang Yu'an was just about to open the plane store to see what the new window looked like when he heard footsteps outside the house.
Old Li and Zhou Qi quickly became alert.
The footsteps came straight towards the house where they were resting and hiding. Before they could react, the owner of the footsteps pushed the door open and walked in.
The author has something to say:
Irresponsible Little Theater:
One day, Chi Hao was cleaning the grocery store warehouse, and then... a huge millstone fell down.
Bang! Chi Hao fell down.
Chi Hao: Damn, is this reasonable!
The man who pushed the door open was a tall and thin man with an unshaven beard. His bare upper body was tanned and red, and his pants were torn. Behind him followed a shorter man who was dressed similarly.
Seeing that there was someone in the room, the tall and thin man was obviously stunned.
The short man behind him pushed him and said impatiently, "Come in! It's so hot outside!"
"Damn it! There's someone in the room, don't push me!"
The short man then saw the situation in the house. He cursed softly at first, but soon noticed that the house was full of old people and children. A gleam of light suddenly flashed in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.
He smiled, pushed the tall and thin man aside and walked in, saying to Old Li and the others, "Sorry to bother you, let's just make do with each other."
Then he found a corner and sat down.
Seeing this, the tall and thin man followed him in and sat down next to him.
The room was not big to begin with, and with two more adult men squeezing in, it suddenly became much more crowded, as if the air had become much more turbid.
Old Li just stared at the two men vigilantly and did not make any noise to drive them away.
This place is a no-man's land and anyone can come in to escape the heat. Moreover, he is not sure that he can protect two children from being besieged by two adult men, so it is better to keep out of trouble.
But the originally pleasant lunch break was gone.
Before the two strangers came in, Tang Yu'an hid himself behind Zhou Qi, keeping his head down, and only secretly looked up at them when the two people were talking.
As a result, he met the short man's eyes.
While talking to his companions, he glanced at them. When he met Tang Yu'an's gaze, he smiled in a friendly manner.
only……
Seeing him showing a row of big yellow teeth, Tang Yu'an admitted that he was scared.
Although they were two new customers, he had no intention of doing business with them. He just nodded to the man and then looked away.
Tang Yu'an always remembered what Old Li told him - to hide yourself and not smile with your teeth showing!
Zhou Qi sat down in front of Tang Yu'an, blocking his prying eyes, and did not stand up to attract new customers.
They had already completed their daily tasks for the day, so there was no need to make a deal. Moreover, Old Li was present. Given his cautious nature, he probably wouldn't want them to rashly come into contact with strangers.
"Old man, are you planning to go to Jufeng Town?"
They didn't make contact, but the short man took the initiative to speak to them. His voice sounded quite friendly, "Are these two boys your sons or grandsons?"
Old Li did not remain silent any longer. He reached out and picked up his crossbow. As he inserted the arrow, he said, "Of course it's my grandson. I just took them to the center of the deserted city to broaden their horizons."
As he moved, a wild boar's head that was placed in a backpack was revealed.
These are the supplies that Old Li took to the market town to trade. After returning from the market town, he will prepare to enter the giant lizard's nest to learn how to steal eggs.
If the female lizard's mutation level was really increasing as Lin Yu had discovered, things would become much more difficult and he would have to make more preparations.
"You are quite skilled." Looking at the crossbow in the old man's hand and the ferocious wild boar head, the short man smirked.
Old Li didn't respond, but took out the dark green venom again and slowly smeared it on the metal arrow. The tip of the arrow was intentionally or unintentionally aimed at the short man. The tip was polished to a very sharp point, and it flickered slightly in the light coming in from outside the house.
His warning was obvious.
The short man who was about to say something shut up obediently. Although he was still smiling and looked as if nothing had happened, his eyes became gloomy when he turned around.
His companion frowned, but ignored him and took a sip of water from a water bottle in his bag. "This is such a rotten day! It's so hot!"
He cursed a few times, then lay down on the ground, closed his eyes and fell asleep.
After a while, there was a snoring sound like a pig being slaughtered.
Tang Yu'an, who was originally very sleepy: "..."
How can I sleep with such noise!
If we could use a shadow umbrella, we wouldn't have to squeeze into this room... Tang Yu'an thought for a moment, reached out and tugged at Zhou Qi's clothes, and whispered in his ear, "Brother Xiaoqi, let's go out."
Zhou Qi looked back at him and saw that the child was sweating again. Fortunately, the concealer on his face was waterproof, otherwise his original skin color would have been exposed.
He looked at Old Li and whispered, "Grandpa, let's go. Let them have this place."
Old Li frowned, weighed the pros and cons for a moment, and nodded.
The short man obviously had bad intentions. It would be difficult to rest well if he stayed here any longer. It would be better to leave and find another place. However... a house like this with some shade might not be easy to find.
He looked at Tang Yu'an with some worry, but he quickly felt relieved when he thought that Zhou Qi could absorb heat.
So he quickly packed up his things and left with his two children without saying a word.
"Old man, why do you want to go out when it's so hot? I'm afraid you'll get sunburned." The short man spoke quickly when he saw them about to leave.
Old Li nodded lightly and continued to leave with Tang Yu'an and the others.
The short man clicked his tongue, looked at his companion sleeping soundly on the ground, then looked at the scorching sun outside. After hesitating for a moment, he got up and followed the old man and the child when they walked out of the house.
But when he stood up and walked to the door, he found that the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren had disappeared.
Running so fast?
He widened his eyes in surprise and chased out to look for the target person without giving up, but he still couldn't find him. Finally, he couldn't stand the scorching sun anymore and quickly hid back in the house.
In fact, Old Li and Tang Yu'an did not go far. They were sitting under the shadow of a broken wall.
Old Li couldn't help but feel puzzled as he watched the short man walk past without noticing them, and finally go back into the house.
Is he blind? He hasn't spotted them yet? With this level of observation, he still wants to walk in the wasteland?
Or is it that this guy is not looking for them?
Or maybe he discovered it but was just acting, trying to make them let down their guard?
-
Ten thousand scenarios popped up in Old Li's mind, but the only one that didn't exist was that the short man really couldn't see them.
Yes, Tang Yu'an used the shadow umbrella.
Long before setting off, he and Zhou Qi had thought of situations where they might need a shadow umbrella, so they did not put the shadow umbrella in their personal storage, but had Tang Yu'an carry it on his back.
When he left the hut, he took out the umbrella and included Old Li in it.
In this way, Old Li would be able to see him and Zhou Qi from beginning to end, and he would not doubt its incredible ability to disappear!
As for the temperature control function of the shadow umbrella...
"This is the latest high-tech product developed in the fortress. It can automatically adjust the temperature." Tang Yu'an said.
In fact, this function is incredible enough under the high temperature background of natural disasters, but Tang Yu'an feels that Grandpa Li will not do anything bad to them because of this.
Just like the short man, he felt uncomfortable at first sight, but when he looked at Old Li, he felt friendly, so he was willing to give him some trust.
And Old Li did not show much reaction.
He just nodded in surprise: "Has the development in the fortress become so great?"
As a person with special abilities, he was more resistant to heat and cold, so he didn't feel the temperature changes so obviously. He just felt that sitting under the umbrella was indeed a little more comfortable.
As for why the two teenagers didn't take it out at the beginning, whether they didn't trust him enough... he didn't mind.
He would be more relieved if they could hold on and not take it out.
Old Li sat quietly beside the umbrella, looking at the seemingly endless wilderness ruins scorched by the scorching sun. In a trance, he seemed to see the scenes of his childhood.
If this were before the disaster, these two children would indeed be old enough to be his grandchildren...
He slowly closed his eyes and thought quietly without thinking about anything else.
On the other side of the umbrella, Zhou Qi held Tang Yu'an and barely squeezed under the umbrella.
Fortunately, the temperature under the umbrella was just right, and he didn't feel hot even when being held like this. Tang Yu'an, who was already extremely tired, couldn't help but feel sleepy as soon as he felt the comfortable and safe environment.
Soon he leaned on Zhou Qi's shoulder and fell into a deep sleep.
Under the protection of the umbrella, no one came to disturb them, although there were one or two passers-by who hurried past during lunch break, and one of them even had a conflict with the two people in the house.
However, all this has nothing to do with them.
At around 2:30 in the afternoon, Tang Yu'an was awakened.
"Let's go and continue our journey." Old Li was ready to go and looked like he had regained his energy.
When he stood up and left the umbrella, Zhou Qi had already put away the umbrella, so Old Li did not notice the wonder of the umbrella.
Tang Yu'an rubbed his eyes and finally regained consciousness after Zhou Qi fed him a mouthful of glucose solution.
He packed his things, put on his sun-protective clothing and hat.
Then he said, "Well, let's go."
Old Li glanced at him, hesitated for a moment and said, "Actually, you can hold an umbrella."
Tang Yu'an felt the high temperature and really wanted to use the umbrella, but he knew he couldn't. As soon as he used it, Old Li would notice something was wrong.
"You can't use it all the time, it will break." He made up an excuse.
Old Li didn't doubt it. "Well, let's walk faster. It will be cooler when we reach the foot of the mountain."
"good!"
So, Tang Yu'an secretly gave Zhou Qi the Light Body Technique, then climbed onto his back and said, "Let's go."
Thanks to the good rest at noon, the boy regained his energy.
Old Li smiled, but soon restrained himself and continued to lead them on their journey.
The two people I met at noon have already left. Judging from the direction they left, they should be heading towards the center of the deserted city, so there is no need to worry about meeting them again on the road.
They set out again, but what Tang Yu'an didn't expect was that the road ahead would be so difficult.
Although they had been walking through the ruins before, there was at least a dirt road trampled by everyone. But by the afternoon, the road became bumpy and uneven.
Gradually, some gullies appeared.
It was as if the earth was torn apart, with cracks of varying sizes scattered across the area. Standing on the edge and looking down, it felt bottomless, and there was no telling whether there were any living creatures underneath.
There must have been a serious earthquake here, which left such traces.
"When it rains, these gullies will fill up, and the mutant creatures living at the bottom will float to the surface. Then we won't be able to use this road anymore."
"Are there any living creatures under the ravine?"
"Well, there's water down there, and there are a lot of amphibians."
However, the larger ones were basically captured by the psychics, leaving only some small fish and shrimps. When the temperature is high and the sun is exposed, they will hide and only come out at night and on rainy days.
Led by Old Li, they walked along the edge of the area. Soon a low slope appeared in front of them, covered with gravel of various sizes.
Thanks to his light body technique, Zhou Qi could avoid the stones by jumping, but Old Li couldn't do that.
As he moved between the gravel, his progress slowed down significantly.
Zhou Qi jumped to the front with Tang Yu'an on his back, and then was about to stop and wait for him. Fortunately, apart from these stones, there was no danger on this low slope.
"I'm old and useless."
When he saw the young man sitting in front waiting for him again, Old Li couldn't help but sigh.
Zhou Qi knew that he could do it so easily because of the light body technique, while Old Li relied on his own strength.
"No, you are in your prime." He said seriously.
Old Li smiled and shook his head, then sat down and took a sip of water. "Actually, I took you on a longer detour, but this section is safer, though there are more people walking there."
"If only before the disaster, the roads were smooth and there were cars, there wouldn't be such a hard time walking..."
Old Li just sighed, but Tang Yu'an was slightly stunned because a system prompt suddenly popped up in front of him.
[Attention! Triggering side quest: "If you want to get rich, build roads first"]
[Description: In order to increase customer flow to the grocery store, road repairs are imminent]
【Task Content】
1. Build a smooth road between the deserted city and Jufeng Town to facilitate pedestrian travel (0/1)
[2. This road must pass by Ping An Grocery Store (0/1)]
[Task Rewards: Random Points (up to 5000 points), 1 Landmark Building (Signboard Flag), 1 48-Hour Traffic Drainage Card, 3 Lucky Wheel Draws]
New mission!
Just looking at the content of the task, Tang Yu'an, who was originally very happy, suddenly had a question mark in his head.
Granted, the maximum random points of 5,000 were tempting, but asking them to build roads? Seriously? That was too much of a compliment!
When Zhou Qi stopped again to wait for Old Li, Tang Yu'an shared this task with him.
Zhou Qi also frowned slightly.
"How can we possibly complete such a large project with just the two of us? The system will create difficulties for us!"
Zhou Qi thought about it and said, "I can't do it now, but that doesn't mean I can't do it in the future."
The grocery store is in the deserted city. It is their starting point and foundation. They cannot move away, and coming to the market town is too far and too troublesome.
This time, Chi Hao happened to be recruited so that someone could help with cleaning and watering, but it is unlikely that Chi Hao will stay in the grocery store forever, and the same problem will arise in the future.
Opening up a smoother road might be a good idea. Of course, it would be better to increase the number of residents in the deserted city, just like Jufeng Town.
This way, they don't have to run back and forth.
"Take your time." Zhou Qi said, "We'll figure it out later."
"Yeah, okay."
Tang Yu'an also stopped complaining and chose to cheer up. "This point reward is quite high, and there is also this landmark building. I wonder if it will have any special use."
It would be great if you could get the reward!
"Yeah." Zhou Qi nodded with a smile.
-
After a while, Old Li caught up again. After climbing over the gentle slope, they encountered a river blocking the road.
"This is probably the most dangerous area."
Old Li said, "It's dry season now, and the river is only a dozen meters wide, but the river beasts underwater are more concentrated and ferocious, so be sure not to fall into the river."
"Are there any mutant creatures in the river?" Tang Yu'an asked.
"Of course," said Old Li. "They will jump out of the river to hunt, so we must be fast."
He took the two teenagers upstream along the river and soon came to an iron lock bridge.
This iron chain bridge is dozens of meters above the river surface. Many of the wooden boards on the bridge have rotted and fallen off, leaving only empty iron locks. You can imagine how dangerous it would be if you stepped on empty air.
Old Li gave Zhou Qi a metal ring.
He pointed to a single iron cable above the bridge and said, "Put this metal ring on the upper cable and tie the other end to your body. This will prevent you from falling into the river if you miss a step."
He had asked Tiejin to make this before. Later, Tiejin found it useful and prepared two for himself. Old Li borrowed it from Tiejin yesterday.
With this equipment, it is much safer to cross the suspension bridge.
Zhou Qi took the metal ring and fastened it to the iron chain as Old Li said. The metal made a crisp sound when it collided with the other metals.
In the turbulent river below the iron chain, a fish suddenly jumped high and almost hit the iron chain bridge. However, when it was about to reach the highest point, it ran out of strength and finally turned into a parabola and fell into the river.
The fish was about seventy to eighty centimeters long, with its mouth full of sharp teeth wide open, looking particularly ferocious.
If Zhou Qi saw correctly, it seemed like...
Piranha?
It was just much bigger than he had ever seen before.
Zhou Qi glanced down at the bridge with a serious expression. If the river was full of these fish, the chances of surviving after falling in would be very small.
At this time, Old Li also frowned and said, "This fish is jumping higher and higher..."
I remember that I could only jump five or six meters before, which posed no threat to the people on the bridge. But now, with the increase in the mutation level, I am almost touching the bridge cables.
If you get hit or bitten by this thing while crossing a bridge, I'm afraid it would be difficult to guarantee your safety even with a metal ring.
Thinking about the future, a look of worry appeared on Old Li's face.
Zhou Qi tried the metal ring again.
The metal ring is indeed strong, but the iron chain that serves as a safety chain has probably not been maintained for a long time and has become rusty. The metal ring rubs against it and can scrape off a lot of powder.
He looked at the large number of mutant fish in the river again. After hesitating, Zhou Qi took off the metal ring again and returned it to Old Li.
"What's wrong?" Old Li frowned slightly.
"It's restricting my movements a bit." Zhou Qi said, "I'll take An An there first, and then come back to pick you up."
It was only a dozen meters away, and there was an iron rope in the middle for relaying. Zhou Qi felt that there was no need to put in so much effort, and it was even more dangerous.
"An An."
"Okay!"
Tang Yu'an jumped onto Zhou Qi's back. To be on the safe side, he took out a belt and tied their waists tightly together so that they would not fall off.
After making preparations, Zhou Qi stepped back a short distance, then, under the stunned gaze of Old Li, he took a run forward and jumped high.
The boy's figure drew a perfect arc in the air.
at last……
He didn't even need any leverage in the middle, and landed steadily on the other side of the river!
xueke
It was not until Zhou Qi jumped back to catch him that Old Li slowly lowered his jaw in shock. He looked down at the metal ring in his hand and couldn't help shaking his head and smiling bitterly.
"The young are truly formidable..."
Old Li sighed, but did not try to refuse Zhou Qi's help.
When he was climbing over the low slope just now, he knew that he was holding the two children back. If he didn't have the function of a guide, perhaps they wouldn't need him to accompany them?
After all, they dared to leave the fortress to gain experience at such a young age, so they might not be as weak as he thought.
Old Li put away his things and was carried on Zhou Qi's back to the other side of the river like Tang Yu'an.
The mutant creatures in the river posed no threat to them at all.
Old Li got off Zhou Qi's back and gave the seat back to Tang Yu'an. After experiencing the thrill of being an "airman", he still preferred the feeling of being down to earth.
"Let's go, and continue on our journey."
The sky gradually darkened, and the effect of Zhou Qi's light body technique ended. His speed suddenly slowed down. Old Li did not doubt it, he just thought he was tired.
-
By the time we reached the foot of the mountain, it was completely dark and the temperature had dropped sharply.
"That's all for today. We'll get up early tomorrow and continue our journey."
There were no human remains at the foot of the mountain, so they chose a place with rocks to block the wind as their camp.
Zhou Qi went to pick up wood to make a fire to keep warm, while Tang Yu'an and Old Li set up the tent together.
Tang Yu'an and his friends' tent was obviously much newer. It was bought by Tang's father so that he could take them out camping on weekends. However, because the grocery store was busy and they went there less often, the tent had not been used many times.
Fortunately, the light was dim at night and the tent was dark in color, so it was hard to tell from a distance.
When Zhou Qi came back with the wood, Old Li was just about to demonstrate how to make fire by rubbing two sticks together when he saw Tang Yu'an take out a box of matches.
With a snap, the flame suddenly started burning.
Old Li: “…”
All right, he put away his fire-drilling tools.
The fire was quickly lit and Zhou Qi began to prepare dinner for the night.
Old Li took out a piece of wild boar meat from his backpack and wanted to roast it directly on the fire, but Zhou Qi took it away.
He simply washed it with clean water and removed the hair, then placed it in tin foil and cut it a few times with a dagger. After adding seasoning, he wrapped it in tin foil and kneaded it for a while.
"Marinate it for a while before roasting it over the fire, and it will be more flavorful."
Old Li stared blankly at Zhou Qi. This kind of delicate operation was not suitable for the wild, but...
He swallowed and began to look forward to dinner.
While waiting for the pork to be marinated, Zhou Qi did not just sit there and wait. He boiled water in a pot and steamed some steamed buns while making the soup.
When Zhou Qi took out a small pot from his backpack, Old Li looked at him blankly, speechless for a moment.
In the end, he also got a big white bun.
It’s not the whole wheat steamed buns we eat at noon, but white buns made of fine flour and filled with fillings.
The old man took a bite and his eyes became moist.
It was a hot, soft and delicious bun! He thought he would never be able to eat it again in his life...
"Grandpa, it's time for soup."
Old Li quickly blinked away his tears and reached out to take the wooden bowl that Tang Yu'an handed over.
He didn't drink in a hurry. Just as he looked up and was about to say thank you, he saw the young man's smiling eyes illuminated by the firelight.
Such a clear and clean pair of eyes always made him think of the carefree world before the disaster. Every time at this moment, he would feel... very happy.
Old Li held the hot soup, looked at the bun he had taken a bite of, and then looked at the two teenagers chatting and laughing by the fire.
They are like two flames in the dark wilderness, small but warm enough.
A wrinkled smile appeared on the old face.
"Xiao An." Old Li suddenly spoke.
"Um?"
"After dinner, grandpa will teach you how to use a crossbow."
Tang Yu'an immediately exclaimed, "Great! Grandpa is the best!"
In the wilderness at night, the sound of insects could be heard everywhere and the temperature dropped rapidly.
Tang Yu'an has already put on a long-sleeved jacket.
This was the first time he had spent the night in the wild since coming to this world, and the first time he had deeply felt the huge difference in temperature between day and night in the wasteland.
He lowered his head to take a bite of the hot bun, then drank a sip of the soup made with mushrooms and wild vegetables. He felt warm and the coldness of the night was blocked out of his body.
Looking at Zhou Qi who finally stopped his busy work and started eating buns and drinking soup, Tang Yu'an couldn't help laughing.
He sat next to Zhou Qi again, right next to him.
There was silence around the fire.
After eating the steamed buns and dumplings, Zhou Qi also put the wild boar meat wrapped in tin foil into the fire to roast.
Watching Zhou Qi occasionally stirring the fire with a branch, Old Li thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have any more of those matches from earlier?"
Old Li naturally knew about matches and how to use them, but he hadn't seen them for many years. He didn't expect that the method of making them was still preserved in the fortress.
"Yes, yes."
However, Tang Yu'an did not give him the matchbox immediately. Instead, he took out a kettle and handed it to him, "You can exchange it for purified water."
I just used the water in the kettle to make soup. Now it is empty. If I could fill it up, it would be about 1 liter, which I could save for drinking tomorrow.
"OK."
Old Li took the kettle. There was heavy dew at night, so it was not difficult to collect water.
In the wilderness, matches are very practical things. Although they cannot be used after getting wet, this is not a disadvantage for him who can condense moisture.
He sat down some distance away from the fire.
As the night deepens, the dew becomes heavier, and the night wind naturally carries moisture, not to mention there is a river nearby.
Watching Old Li condense pure water, Tang Yu'an couldn't help but look at Zhou Qi and mouthed to him, "Brother Xiaoqi, do you want to learn from me?"
Zhou Qi nodded.
Just like seeing Chi Hao absorbing heat, he could sense how it worked and how to gather the fire energy.
Now, watching Old Li condense water, he had the same feeling.
However, in order to avoid being noticed by Old Li, Zhou Qi did not rush to experiment, but observed quietly and wrote down this feeling.
Tang Yu'an didn't dare to disturb them and sat quietly beside them.
-
Soon Tang Yu'an felt bored, so he got up and hid in the tent.
The little orange cat, who had drunk milk and was sleeping on the quilt, suddenly opened his eyes alertly. When he saw that it was Tang Yu'an, he closed his eyes again and continued to nap.
After leaving the fire, Tang Yu'an felt a little cold, so he squeezed over, picked up the kitten, and stuffed it into his clothes. It was like holding a hot water bottle.
Black Pearl did not resist and seemed to enjoy staying in his arms. After adjusting to a comfortable position, she fell asleep again.
Tang Yu'an sat cross-legged, holding the kitten to keep warm, while opening the system interface.
He first opened the mall to check out the new redeemable items added today.
【Xiaomi: 5 points/100g】
[Hemostatic tape: 5 points/box (10 pieces)]
【White vinegar: 10 points/100ml】
Wow, there are millet and white vinegar!
Hemostatic tape is also very practical and can be used on most minor wounds.
Tang Yu'an couldn't help but think that it would be great if he could continue to unlock soy sauce or other seasonings in the future.
Although the grocery store has a lot of seasonings, they will eventually run out. If I lose these seasonings, it feels like life will lose half the fun...
Then, Tang Yu'an opened the "Plane Store" that had just been upgraded during the day in the mall.
A brand new page appeared before his eyes.
The original "Purchase" page is divided into two columns, one is the information of goods sold by merchants from other dimensions, and the other is "My Sales".
Now the columns above have become square display windows. In addition to the original product information, the windows also have pictures and collection buttons.
Click into the window to see the remaining goods.
He can only sell 1 item at a time now, and the display window will disappear after the item is sold. So as his level increases, will the number of items he can sell at a time also increase?
Unfortunately, apart from the seller's plane number and nickname, there is still no new communication function in the window.
In the upper right corner of the store homepage, Tang Yu'an also found a search box that can be used for searching and filtering.
Moreover, the goods sold in the store seemed to have increased. Originally, there were only special cold medicines, primary healing bandages and some fruits that he did not recognize.
Now there are more primary recovery potions and some mineral goods.
He filtered out the lowest price and found that the minimum price for a bottle of primary recovery potion was 700 points, while a roll of primary healing bandage still cost 1,000 points.
This is actually easy to understand. Although the primary healing bandage is cheaper in the seven-day sale, bandages can save lives after all.
In the private market, primary healing bandages are definitely more popular and naturally command higher prices.
Tang Yu'an looked at the fruits and minerals.
Very good, none of them are below 1,000, all of them are priced out of his reach.
Of course, he thinks some fruits are quite practical, such as breadfruit. This fruit tastes like butter bread, can be used as a staple food, can adapt to arid environments, and has a considerable yield.
If used simply for eating, the nutritional value is certainly not that high, but these fruits can be used for planting——
Of course, there is also a note in the window information that one breadfruit can only grow into one breadfruit tree at most, and the breadfruit that grows is not capable of reproduction.
In other words, this kind of breadfruit, which is produced in only one plane, is almost monopolized by the merchants in this plane.
There is actually such a thing!
Tang Yu'an suddenly thought of the mutated lantern fruit he sold, and felt inexplicably guilty.
Should he sell it this way?
After all, the mutant lantern fruit is considered a specialty of this plane...
However, Tang Yu'an quickly stopped the internal friction. He and Xiao Qige did not have the technology to sterilize the fruit, so they could not monopolize the sale.
Even without seeds, plants can still grow new plants through tissue culture. The fact that this breadfruit tree can produce fruit but cannot reproduce offspring is probably the result of changes at the genetic level.
Such high technology is impossible to possess in this wasteland plane.
Sure enough, the plane code of that window display is KJ58426, and KJ should be the technology side.
Tang Yu'an shook his head and ignored it.
As for breadfruit... I feel that even if it can't reproduce offspring, it seems not bad to be able to grow a fruit tree like this with 1,000 points?
He just glanced at his points balance: 3849 points.
Tang Yu'an quickly closed the page.
They have no worries about food and drink now, so there is no need to buy this breadfruit.
After all, I don’t know if it can be grown successfully, and the growth cycle of fruit trees is longer. Without the help of the fruit tree lady, it should take at least one or two years to get a return on investment, right?
Although they should take a long-term view, they are just starting out, so points should be put into more useful places.
However, Tang Yu'an still added this display window to his collection.
When I have more points, I can buy one and try it! He really wants to try the fruit that tastes like butter bread.
Tang Yu'an opened his sales window again. The number of views was only 11 and the number of collections was 0. The data looked a bit bleak. He didn't know if he could sell it by tomorrow.
But it doesn’t matter if it can’t be sold. Anyway, it can be kept fresh in a portable warehouse and there is no need to worry about it spoiling.
Then he downgraded the skill of picking up goods remotely and authorized it to Zhou Qi, and then tried it himself.
Tang Yu'an stretched out his hand, and a doll appeared out of thin air in his hand - it was a teddy bear toy he had taken from the attic, and it was his sister's pillow.
It's really comfortable to hug the fluffy one.
Of course, there's no kitten to cuddle with and keep warm.
Tang Yu'an put the stuffed toy back into the grocery store warehouse - he could take anything from the grocery store at will, but if he wanted to put anything away, he could only put it in the warehouse.
Therefore, this skill still has certain limitations. If there is not enough space in the warehouse, the goods cannot be put back.
He placed the doll on a cabinet in the warehouse, then took it back and played with it a few times before stopping and opening the lucky wheel to start the draw.
-
On the other side, Ping An Grocery Store.
After dinner, Chi Hao was cleaning the grocery store under Yuanbao's supervision.
"Seriously, didn't Xiao An and the others already clean this morning? It's only been a day, there's no need to clean it again, right?"
Yuanbao didn't say anything, just squatted there, staring at him, and then bared his teeth at him.
Chi Hao immediately became obedient.
He never expected that, in addition to owning a grocery store and being employed by a mysterious businessman, these two seemingly ordinary teenagers actually possessed such a killer weapon——
A four-eyed dog with a natural talent for speed!
It also has the mimicry of a cute puppy!
It's really bullying. It looks like an unweaned puppy, but in fact it is a ferocious mutant creature.
Even in his prime, Chi Hao would not dare to face it alone, let alone now that he is injured. He can only perform his duties honestly and clean up well.
While he was cleaning the warehouse...
When Chi Hao looked up, he saw a stuffed toy on top of the cabinet.
Things that were very common before the disaster became luxury goods that only a small number of people could afford after the disaster.
Chi Hao was just about to reach out and take it to play with it, when he saw... the plush toy disappeared out of thin air!
What's going on?
The next second, the stuffed toy that was originally placed on the top shelf of the cabinet suddenly appeared in the second shelf.
Chi Hao thought he was seeing things, so he blinked hard and found that the stuffed toy had disappeared again.
He stared at the cabinet with wide eyes, but found that the stuffed animal had not appeared again.
Chi Hao thought he must have seen it wrong, so he lowered his head and continued cleaning. However, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, turned his head, and met the round black eyes of the plush bear.
It actually appeared on the container behind him, and I wonder how long it had been watching him!
The author has something to say:
Chi Hao: What the hell, ahhhhhhhhhhh!
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