33.Lengwodong
As the fleet grew, the originally spacious SUVs became cramped.
Lin Songsong was tall and large, so when she sat in the passenger seat, the seat had to be adjusted all the way back. Hua Hua was also much stronger than before, curled up on Lin Songsong's lap, her furry body squeezing in completely. The air conditioning in the car was always on, and the air in the enclosed space was not circulating, so Huangfu Jinrang in the back seat had a flushed face from feeling stuffy.
Fu Yunong saw this and thought to herself: I need to hurry up and make money to buy a bigger car, preferably a motorhome, otherwise it's too uncomfortable for all of us to be crammed in here.
"Songsong, can you ride a motorcycle?" Shi Dong suddenly asked, turning his head to look at Lin Songsong.
Lin Songsong's eyes lit up and he immediately nodded, "Yes! When I wasn't competing, I would occasionally go to the club with my teammates to race cars. I've learned a bit about off-roading and drifting!"
Shi Dong smiled slightly, parked the car on the side of the road, and said to Fu Yunong through the rearview mirror, "Let the motorcycle out."
Fu Yunong got off the car as instructed and took the motorcycle out of her spatial storage. She stared at the motorcycle for a few seconds, then used the system's modification function to raise the seat and widen the handlebars, making them just the right height for Lin Songsong.
"Try it." Fu Yunong handed over the helmet.
Lin Songsong took the helmet, excitedly hopped on the motorcycle, and twisted the throttle, the engine emitting a deep roar. She circled around on the snow a few times, braking and turning with great agility, returning with a beaming smile, "Riding a motorcycle is so much more comfortable!"
Shi Dong had already anticipated this. Seeing that Lin Songsong was uncomfortable huddled in the car, and besides, she was more resistant to the cold than most people, she said, "Then you should ride your bike. Wear something warmer."
Fu Yunong then found her a pair of thick gloves and repeatedly told her, "Be careful and don't stray too far from us."
As soon as Lin Songsong nodded, Huahua jumped out of the car, rubbed against her leg, and stood up straight with its tail held high.
"Hua Hua, come with me!" Lin Songsong chuckled and picked it up.
Hua Hua wasn't afraid of the cold, so none of them objected.
And so, the group split into two groups—Fu Yunong, Shi Dong, Xiao Linfang, and Huangfu Jinrang rode in cars, while Lin Songsong rode a motorcycle with Huahua.
Hua Hua squatted at the back of the car, its front paws resting on Lin Songsong's shoulders. Its fur was blown backward by the wind, giving it a rather majestic appearance.
After setting off again, Fu Yunong took out small cakes and dried meat from her spatial storage, along with everyone's thermos flasks, and then pulled out a few snacks. Huangfu Jinrang was young and at the age where he loved to eat snacks.
Seventeen-year-old Huangfu Jinrang: "..."
But she still accepted it, her fingertips touching the warm packaging, feeling a warmth in her heart. "Thank you, Sister Yu Nong."
Xiao Linfang looked at her hands and saw that the chilblains had healed considerably, and couldn't help but smile with relief. This girl was pitiful. She had offered to use her special abilities to try and fade the scars on her face, but she had politely declined, saying she wanted to keep them—a wake-up call and a spur to herself. Instead, she had asked her to try and heal her ears.
Xiao Linfang knew that she didn't want to be a burden to them.
Huangfu Jinrang noticed her gaze, looked up and smiled at her, his eyes filled with tenderness, like a little animal that had found its refuge. After the apocalypse, most of the people who were kind to her were older women, like Sister Hong, Fu Yunong, and Xiao Linfang, and she couldn't help but want to get closer to them.
Seeing that they were not affected by the people in the prison, Shi Dong felt relieved. The survivors in the north were not much better off than the people in the prison. It was better to adapt in advance than to be caught off guard.
Without Lin Songsong and Huahua, the two big guys, the car felt much more spacious. Fu Yunong adjusted the seat and lay down to catch up on sleep, planning to relieve Shi Dong when she woke up. Not only her, Xiao Linfang and Huangfu Jinrang also began to hone their driving skills. In the apocalypse, mastering more skills meant more confidence.
During the two days of heading north, the group made frequent stops and starts, and the car even broke down once. Fu Yunong spent 3,000 points to repair it, and she was heartbroken. She then cooked several meals of mushroom and vegetable porridge with scallion pancakes for everyone.
During this time, she won a ring in the system that increased mental shock resistance by 20%, and gave it directly to Huangfu Jinrang.
As for Xiao Linfang, she already had one; it was the wristband that Fu Yunong had previously drawn that reduced the consumption of supernatural abilities by 15%.
Now that everyone in the team has a piece of buffing equipment, they feel even more confident.
They had just finished lunch and were preparing to set off when the sky above them suddenly darkened.
When Shi Dong looked up, the clouds that had been tinged with light were now churning and gathering as if they had been splashed with ink. A strong wind swept in, carrying snowflakes, and large snowflakes followed closely behind.
"Get in the car quickly!" Shi Dong shouted. Lin Songsong immediately grabbed Huahua and climbed into the passenger seat, and the others quickly followed suit. Shi Dong stepped on the gas, and the car sped through the snow. However, the wind and snow grew stronger, visibility decreased, and the road ahead gradually turned into a vast expanse of white.
Shi Dong gripped the steering wheel tighter, her heart pounding: if they couldn't find a place to hide, they might be buried in the snow along with their car.
"This won't do." Fu Yunong suddenly spoke up, taking out a crystal core and feeding it to Hua Hua. She stroked its head and said urgently, "Hua Hua, only you can help us now. Go and see if there's a place nearby where we can take shelter from the snow. Once you find one, come back to us quickly. Don't go too far, we'll wait for you!"
Hua Hua chewed up the crystal core, let out a "meow," jumped off the car, and disappeared into the snowstorm in an instant.
The people in the car fell silent. Outside the window, the wind and snow howled, and the car occasionally swayed. They stared at the road swallowed by darkness and blizzard, their hearts heavy.
The car moved slowly through the snowstorm, the sound of its wheels rolling over the snow swallowed by the gale. The car's heater was on full blast, blowing hot air from the vents, but the chill still seeped in through the cracks in the doors and windows, making one's toes ache.
Huangfu Jinrang pulled her feet further under the chair, her face growing paler and paler. She knew this feeling all too well. In prison, the cold air would seep into her bones, freezing her skin until it swelled and festered, causing both pain and itching, making it impossible to sleep at night.
Xiao Linfang noticed her unusual behavior and quietly took her hand. The warmth of her palm came through the glove, and Huangfu Jinrang looked up, meeting Xiao Linfang's gentle gaze. Only then did the panic in her heart subside a little.
Fu Yunong and Lin Songsong stared intently out the car window, but unfortunately, the wind and snow completely blocked their view.
"Why isn't Hua Hua back yet?" Lin Songsong muttered to herself, her heart pounding with anxiety.
Fu Yunong didn't speak, her fingers unconsciously tapping on the car door.
The fuel gauge on the dashboard dropped little by little, and with each drop, their hearts sank a little deeper.
Suddenly, Lin Songsong shouted, "Look! It's Huahua!"
The group immediately perked up. Fu Yunong looked up and saw a figure struggling forward in the snow, its fur plastered to its body by the wind. Hua Hua jumped onto the hood of the car, shook off the snow, then jumped back onto the snow and turned to bark twice in one direction, signaling them to follow.
Very good!
Shi Dong breathed a sigh of relief and immediately turned the steering wheel to follow Hua Hua closely. The wind and snow were too heavy, so she could only slow down and keep her eyes fixed on Hua Hua's figure, not daring to lose focus. About half an hour later, a dilapidated tin warehouse appeared ahead, half of its roof had been blown off, but fortunately the walls were still relatively intact.
The car slowly drove into the warehouse, its wheels piercing the thick snow. Lin Songsong jumped out first, rubbing his hands in the cold, but without bothering to warm himself, he immediately used his special ability to pull down the ripped sheet metal and cover the gap. Xiao Linfang flicked out vines from her fingertips, binding the sheet metal firmly to the roof beam like ropes, sealing the gap.
Shi Dong and Fu Yunong cleared the snow off the car, piled up the scattered items in the warehouse at the door, and then sealed the hole to block the cold wind from getting in. Huangfu Jin looked left and right, then went up and touched Hua Hua's back.
Fortunately, it had already shaken off the snow, otherwise it would have burned my hands if it got on them.
After sealing the gaps and closing the door, the wind and snow were finally kept out completely. However, the warehouse was too large, so a small space had to be partitioned off; otherwise, no matter how many fires were lit, it wouldn't be warm enough.
Fu Yunong took out several iron plates from her spatial storage. Lin Songsong activated his supernatural power to slowly bend the iron plates into the required shape, and used them to create a small room of about 20 square meters against the corner of the warehouse wall.
After tidying everything up, the group went into the small room and immediately lit a brazier. The orange flames ignited, and warmth gradually spread. The group sat around the brazier, rubbing their hands together to warm themselves, their breath steaming in the air.
After a while, Fu Yunong finally felt her frozen fingers return to feeling and let out a long sigh of relief.
She bought a bottle of lactose-free milk from the system, poured it into a small pot to heat it up, and then took out some jerky, tore it into small pieces, and fed it to Hua Hua. "Thanks to you, great hero." Hua Hua rubbed against her palm, happily ate the jerky, and held its tail high.
This kind of weather is perfect for hot pot, and they haven't had it for quite a while.
Fu Yunong opened the system and started buying ingredients: various meat rolls, various small seafood, various meatballs, several kinds of mushrooms, several kinds of green vegetables, a serving of frozen tofu, a serving of vermicelli, as well as her favorite beef tripe, tripe and lung slices, and a packet of hot pot base.
When the fresh ingredients were placed on the hot plate, Huangfu Jinrang's eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly, revealing the same expression as Xiao Linfang and the others had shown back then. Everyone who saw this burst into laughter.
Huangfu Jinrang blushed, smiled and lowered her head, but still couldn't help staring at the ingredients. This was... hot pot!
The broth in the pot bubbled and boiled, and the aroma instantly filled the air. Fu Yunong called out to everyone, "Let's start eating! It's too cold today, so we won't buy any drinks."
Several people sat around a brazier, chatting and eating hot pot, their laughter echoing in the small room. Outside, it was a world of ice and snow, with wind and snow raging; inside, the warmth of the heating system filled the air, and the aroma of the hot pot wafted through the room.
As Huangfu Jinrang ate the fatty beef dipped in sesame sauce, his heart almost melted.
After eating and drinking their fill, Fu Yunong took out several mattresses and thick quilts from her spatial storage and spread them out in a corner of the small room to form a spacious communal bed. All that was needed was for everyone to quickly wash up and then lie down comfortably to rest.
The charcoal in the brazier crackled occasionally, keeping the cold and darkness out of the small room.
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