Chapter 74: Northern Plateau
Even though she didn’t fully understand the meaning of the compressed display cabinet at first, just by looking at the blue second prize, she knew it must be a good thing!
She chose to receive it immediately, and then she felt a flash of light and shadow in the Drifting Island house. This was a unique step when the hardware in the house changed. She stood up and began to look around, and soon saw an extra cabinet against the wall on the left side of the front door.
The cabinet was unremarkable, a bit like a log-colored wooden display cabinet with a glass panel. There were five layers from top to bottom, each layer was divided into two grids on the left and right, a total of ten grids. Through the glass panel, you could see each item grid clearly, and at the moment they were all empty.
Unlike ordinary cabinets, there is no handle on the glass panel, and it does not look like a movable glass sliding door, but more like a pure display cabinet.
How do you put things in a cabinet like this?
She reached out to touch the glass, trying to find the hidden handle and switch, but as soon as her fingers touched the glass on a certain item compartment, words appeared on it: Empty (Can be displayed).
Shu Fu had a vague guess in her mind. She suppressed her excitement and picked up her mobile phone. When the phone touched her finger, the words on the glass changed immediately: Mobile phone detected, display the phone? Yes/No.
She clicked "Yes" and the phone disappeared from her hand and then appeared in the first glass cabinet in front of her.
When she touched the glass of the grid again, the words changed: Full (displayed); Take out the phone? Yes/No.
The phone didn't take up all the space in the first grid, but the fullness of the item grid was obviously not measured by size, she guessed it was based on quantity. In other words, a grid could only display and store one thing, and she immediately thought of the upper limit of the size of the item grid, because the name of this cabinet is "compressed display cabinet", does this mean that it can display things that are much larger than the item grid looks?
The bracelet vibrated at this moment, and the ninth icon appeared on it, which was a picture that looked like a cabinet.
She clicked on the new graphic on the bracelet, and an identical wooden display cabinet immediately appeared in front of her. Her mobile phone was still placed in the first compartment, but the display cabinet that appeared through the bracelet was similar to a projection simulation effect, but the operation process was the same as the physical display cabinet in the Drifting Island House.
The meaning of "portable" should be here, indicating that no matter where she is, even outside the drifting island house, she can open this display cabinet with the bracelet and store and take out items at any time.
Although storing and taking things in this way is not as convenient as using the space in a bracelet backpack, doesn't this just expand her personal space in disguise?
Shu Fu thought about it and started to do experiments one by one.
First pour a cup of hot water to store it, wait for thirty minutes and take it out, the hot water has turned into warm water. It seems that the inside of this storage cabinet is not like the space where time stops, which means that fresh food cannot be stored inside.
Tables, sofas, mattresses... even herself, she tried them one by one. As long as it was a single item, it could be put in regardless of size. However, the largest single item around her at the moment was the mattress, and there were no larger items, so she did not experiment to find the upper limit of the volume of the displayed items.
Of course, she couldn't put herself in there. No matter how she touched herself, no words appeared on the glass, probably because living things couldn't enter.
In addition, any accessories that reasonably exist on or inside a single item being stored will be counted as one item and collected together.
For example, the sheets, quilts and pillows on the mattress.
But if she puts a cup on the mattress, two questions will appear in the locker: Is the mattress on display? Yes/No; Is the cup on display? Yes/No.
Whether she puts water or coffee in the cup, both will be collected together, but if she puts a flower in the cup, two questions will appear, which means that two grids will be occupied.
But when she put the flowers into a regular vase, it returned to a question, which means that they can be put together. The identification function is extremely high-end.
She quickly tested the suitcase and it became apparent that any reasonable accessory that would fit inside it could be put away.
In this way, she can pack more things. She can pack a box of clothes, a box of books, or she can mix all kinds of food and daily necessities, and in the end they will all be counted as one thing.
But the same rule does not apply to cartons. No matter whether she puts one item in the box or many items, or whether she seals the box with tape or not, it will eventually take up multiple grids.
However, whole boxes of beverages or unopened boxes of instant noodles will be classified as one item.
She felt that she had roughly grasped the rules of this compression display cabinet, and was prepared to find something bigger to try to put in when she had the chance.
After that, Shu Fu started to organize the space, and put the several large and time-ineffective items that now took up the most space in the bracelet backpack into it: wardrobe, desk, large dining table, unused sofa...
Then, she took out her only two suitcases and packed them with a bunch of things that she didn’t need for the time being: clothes that were out of season, books that she wasn’t reading for the time being, duplicate camping equipment, and some miscellaneous items that she bought before the end of the world…
In short, as long as it was something that would not expire and was not needed for the time being, she would pack it into the suitcase and then put the whole thing into the compression display cabinet.
After the half-person-high suitcase was put into the display cabinet, it appeared in the item compartment in a very miniature size, looking particularly funny.
Finally, she used eight out of ten slots, freeing up a lot of space inside her bracelet backpack. In this way, she could collect the 10 fruit gift packs and 10 barbecue gift packs that she had not dared to collect before.
The contents of the barbecue gift package were exactly the same as before.
A fruit gift pack also comes in a cardboard box, which contains about a dozen different kinds of fruits, one box or one bag of each. The key is that most of the fruits are cut into pieces for direct consumption!
A box of durian flesh, which contains about seven or eight dried yellow flesh of excellent quality; a box of crispy kumquats, about one kilogram; a box of blueberries, about 500 grams; a box of chopped watermelons, estimated to be 1,500 grams...
In addition, there are avocados, peaches, apples, bananas, cherries, mangoes, jackfruits, cantaloupes, lychees, passion fruit, and lemons.
It covers almost all the fruits she likes and dislikes.
After she opened the boxes and checked, she happily left a box of lychees and two peaches, and then put all ten fruit gift packs and ten barbecue gift packs into the space. After putting away 20 cartons, there was still a lot of room to spare.
After finishing all the work, Shu Fu removed the electricity card, took out a bowl of spicy pea and beef noodles, a serving of spiced duck feet, and a bowl of red bean and double skin milk from the space shelf, then took out the tablet and sat leisurely at the dining table barefoot, watching a relaxing comedy variety show while eating the first solid and comfortable dinner in so many days, or rather, midnight snack.
**
After the meal, she cleaned up the garbage, sat on the sofa with the fruit in her hands, took out the notebook where she recorded important matters, and began to analyze the records.
The second bug appeared. If she guessed correctly, there would be a third and fourth bug in the future...
Every time a BUG appears, it may mean the emergence of a new message. She can understand some of the messages, but she cannot understand some of the messages for the time being. But no matter what, these messages seem to be some kind of hints, and every time a hint appears, it will bring her one step closer to the truth of the world.
Just like unlocking the maps of different areas before, fragments of the truth were passed to her bit by bit. One day, she would be able to use these fragments to piece together the complete context.
As for Lu Zheng, there are currently two possibilities.
First, he is the same as her from beginning to end. He is not the real Lu Zheng - or rather, he is not the Lu Zheng of this world. He and she are from the same world, but traveled through time for unknown reasons. It is unknown whether he carries the golden finger.
The first possible doubt is that he knew her in his memory, but she didn't know him at all, and didn't remember seeing his face. The second doubt is that her memory recovery was instantaneous and very clear, just like waking up from a dream. But he obviously didn't, and even had a state of memory confusion and cognitive errors, making him look more like a bug, completely different from her.
So is he or she special?
The second possibility is that before this reunion, the Lu Zheng she met was indeed the Lu Zheng of this world, but after the reunion, the Lu Zheng was occupied by an unknown person from her world for some unknown reasons - this is commonly known as soul travel.
This unknown person knew her and remembered her. The reason why she couldn't recognize him was because his face was different due to his soul traveling across time and space, and he himself had a confused memory for some reason.
No matter which possibility it is, his memory of his original world is incomplete.
In addition, the white light bar that appeared above his head might represent his memory or his level of awakening.
The question is, what happens when the white light bar is full?
Finally, the same white light bar appeared above Chen Fa's head. Is it possible that she also has the same memory confusion as Lu Zheng? Is she from the same world as her?
Lu Zheng and Chen Fa both experienced the same unrealistic BUG state. What are the similarities between the two and why them?
Could it be because—they are all task-related objects?
Shu Fu felt that he had grasped the key point.
If so, what about the order? Is it because of the mission that they are in their current BUG state? Or is it because of their existence that the mission came into being?
…
She sorted out her thoughts bit by bit. If all the previous speculations were like castles in the air, messy and abrupt, then now, Shu Fu began to feel that she had touched the door to the truth.
She closed her notebook, set an alarm for herself at six o'clock, then turned off the lights, climbed up to the small wooden split-level bed, and fell asleep on her own soft, comfortable and clean bed.
**
Against the backdrop of gloomy and rainy days, the Tianyan Salt Lake Scenic Area looks particularly pale and desolate during the day. Located between the mountains, it is an area with inconvenient transportation even in peacetime, and now it is even more desolate and dilapidated.
But before that, the main reason why Lu Zheng's fleeing team chose this place was because of its inconvenient transportation and desolation.
Supplies can be found in the urban area, but it is also full of dangers, so this is originally a dilemma, and it all depends on what the person making the choice needs most at the moment.
Shu Fu only slept for six hours and set the alarm at six so that she could return to the container house in time to prevent Chen Fa from knocking on the door in the morning. She could not hear anything at all in the Drifting Island house with the protective cover turned on.
She took a set of waterproof sportswear from the dryer and put it on, tied her hair up, put on her waterproof boots, carried her backpack and travel bag which were still unopened, got off the raft, folded up the raft first and then closed the protective cover of the drift bottle, and then returned to the dark and damp container house.
Heavy rain continued to fall on the roof, making it very noisy for people to stay in the container house. There was still some rain seepage in the corners, so she spread the camping mat that she had used to sleep on the floor on the single bed sheet that was covered in mold spots, and then sat down on it.
Sure enough, at around seven o'clock, Chen Fa came and knocked on her door, calling her to come over for breakfast.
The welcome dinner last night was just an exception. The three of them were not part of the team in Pincheng Town, so they were naturally responsible for their own meals.
Shu Fu responded, put on a raincoat and went straight over. It was just next door, just a few steps away.
Chen Yuezhen was also at Chen Fa's place. Chen Fa's room was slightly better than hers, probably because it was not on the edge, so rain didn't seep in. She also took a shower, washed her hair, and changed her clothes. There was a rusty metal bucket in the room that she had found from somewhere, and she had a fire in it, burning some cardboard and broken wood.
The cardboard fragments are the leftover scraps from repairing the bus windows yesterday, and the broken wood should have been taken from the chairs in the house. The wood is quite solid and should be able to burn for a long time.
There is a clothesline fixed to the wall with ropes, and the washed clothes are hung on it to dry.
The altitude near the salt lake is about 1,500 meters, and the indoor temperature is between 15 and 20 degrees. Therefore, even if there is a fire in the house, it does not feel hot. Instead, it makes the space drier.
The subtle sound of the burning flames mixed with the sound of rain on the roof, the double white noise makes people feel comfortable, as if they are on vacation in a mountain cabin.
For breakfast, each person had a bowl of vegetable soup, a piece of bread, some pickles, and a can of pickled mustard greens and pork, all eaten with the bread.
Shu Fu didn't eat much when she ate with them. It wasn't because she disliked them, but because she wanted to save some supplies for them.
While eating, Shu Fu glanced at Chen Fa's head from time to time. She was now looking forward to her being in a bug state, after all, that would mean that she and she were of the same kind. And some unrealistic secrets can be shared more safely between people of the same kind.
Unfortunately, the white light bar did not appear.
In the morning, the girl with braids came and knocked on the door, informing them to go to the warehouse for a meeting.
Shu Fu still carries her backpack and waist bag with her, and so do Chen Fa and the others. They carry the most important things in their backpacks. This doesn't mean that they are always on guard against others, but it is a habit they have developed in troubled times.
They are used to being prepared to escape at any time, and their backpacks contain the most basic life-saving supplies.
The people attending the meeting were still the same people who had gone to Lucheng before. Lu Ce came with Lu Zheng again. He even sat next to Shu Fu holding the tabby cat in his arms. He glanced at her from time to time, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Lu Zheng didn't know if it was because of the confusion of yesterday's memory, but he looked too quiet. The white light bar above his head disappeared again, and he didn't know when it would appear again.
This time, Thin-faced Man and Xu Jiechu also came together. One of them had both legs bitten and walked with a limp, while the other one just woke up in the middle of the night yesterday and has just recovered.
There was another cat in Xu Jiechu's arms, a very beautiful cheese cat. It was very attached to its owner and kept rubbing against him in his arms. It never even looked at the tabby cat in Lu Ce's arms.
In comparison, Xu Tingfeng, who had a piece of flesh missing from his calf, was extremely strong. He was the one who organized the meeting, he was also the main speaker, and the one who planned the route according to the map was Lu Zheng.
Lu Zheng took out a marked map, and Xu Tingfeng made a supply plan overnight, with Youcheng as the destination.
Youcheng is larger than Lucheng and is farther away. It is located southwest of Pincheng and Lucheng, on the border of Lankou Province. They had seen a little bit of the situation there when they were connected to the Internet at the Lucheng trading station.
The city there is also in chaos, but due to the terrain, there is a river running from west to east that divides the entire Youcheng into two. The chaos is currently in the northern part of the city, where several gangs are entangled, but there is still a small troop in the south of the city trying to support it. It is said that they have even cut off several bridges on the river to prevent the rioters in the north from crossing the defense line to the south of the city to cause trouble and looting.
However, the forces in the north of the city should not be underestimated. Relying on the armed forces in their hands, they protected the largest bridge. Now this bridge has become the only line of defense between the north and south of the city.
The north of the city needs this bridge, so a large number of people were sent to guard the bridge to prevent people from the south of the city from coming to blow up the bridge again.
The southern part of the city cleared a large area on the south side of the bridge and set up heavy defenses to prevent forces from the north from crossing the border.
Because the defense is good, I heard that the situation in the south of the city is still okay.
I didn't plan to go there before because of car issues.
Fuel is limited, so we cannot use too many vehicles at one time. The loading capacity of the vehicles is also limited, and the things we take out and bring back are small. It is not cost-effective to go too far. After all, we can also exchange supplies in Lucheng, and the distance is short.
But now, they have a bus.
The 25-seat bus has an amazing loading capacity. They plan to overhaul it like they did with the van, and then drive it to Youcheng.
Some of the fuel they have now was brought from the town before, and some was scavenged from gas stations on provincial and national highways on the way to evacuation. There are also several roads and gas stations from Tianyan Salt Lake to Youcheng.
Even if it is very likely that it has been looted, if they look carefully, they can always piece together some bits and pieces.
After all, their requirements are not high, even 5L or 10L more is good.
However, there is a small problem here, because the bus was found by Shu Fu, it is her car. Now if they want to use it, they have to discuss it with her, such as giving them a larger share of the supplies found or exchanged, or using other methods.
Shu Fu glanced at Chen Fa.
Chen Fa had anticipated this small problem during breakfast. After all, there were only three of them, and driving such a bus would be too conspicuous and unnecessary. Moreover, the other team obviously needed the bus more than they did. In this regard, the three of them had already discussed a countermeasure.
First of all, they need a car. They also need a car. The bus can be given to them, but in exchange, they must provide them with another car - there are several cars in the warehouse. Chen Fa had already taken a fancy to a modified off-road vehicle yesterday, and she also needed them to help her inspect and reinforce it.
In addition, they must pump out the remaining fuel in the bus tank. The next time they go out to Youcheng or somewhere else to search for supplies, the three of them will drive an off-road vehicle on their own, so they will need the fuel.
When the men in the warehouse heard Chen Fa mention the SUV, they all turned their attention to Xu Tingfeng.
Coincidentally, the car that Chen Fa liked was Xu Tingfeng's.
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