12. I'm rich! I'm rich!
The system has been upgraded; it's now at level two!
The space has been changed from the original 20㎡ miscellaneous storage (upgradeable) to 40㎡ storage (upgradeable)
The upgraded space features automatic zoning, dividing it into food, tool, and miscellaneous areas. It also thoughtfully includes simple shelves, with supplies neatly stacked in a very organized manner.
The temperature inside has also changed. Previously, the temperature inside was the same as the outside temperature. Now, the temperature inside can fluctuate by about 5 degrees Celsius, based on the outside temperature!
And... Fu Yunong's gaze paused for a moment before silently looking away.
On the shelf in the miscellaneous area, there was a plastic bucket with half a bucket of crystal cores lying quietly inside. There were 454 first-level crystal cores and 7 second-level crystal cores.
The level 2 crystal core is light green, and the system displays it as a "Level 2 Swift Walker Crystal Core" when redeeming it. One core can be exchanged for 100 points!
Fu Yunong told Shi Dong about this discovery, and the other party pondered for a moment, "The Swift Walker... is indeed much faster than ordinary zombies, and also much stronger."
"Haven't you encountered this before?" Fu Yunong asked, somewhat surprised.
Shi Dong swallowed the energy bar and said slowly, "The people we deal with most are level one corpses, and other than that, it's humans."
Fu Yunong's eyes lit up. Humans?
Shi Dong smiled enigmatically, "You wouldn't want to run into this."
After speaking, she frowned slightly, lost in thought. Last night's zombie attack was clearly organized; were those really the only ones present?
Fu Yunong didn't ask any more questions and turned to continue exploring the system.
To her delight, she discovered that while only the "Basic Survival" category was initially highlighted at level one, now "Food & Beverages," "Equipment & Accessories," "Hygiene & Cleaning," and "Medical Supplies" were also highlighted. Even more surprisingly, the second-level category under "Food & Beverages" included cooking equipment, which, upon clicking, listed fuels such as firewood, solid alcohol, charcoal, and honeycomb briquettes!
At this moment, she was willing to worship this system as an eternal god!
On the other side, Shi Dong was slurping down his porridge when he saw Fu Yunong frowning and smiling at the air. He couldn't help but shake his head, thinking it was such a waste to leave perfectly good food uneaten.
But the next second, she saw a bunch of things appear out of thin air next to Fu Yunong: thermal underwear, thermal boots, four sets in total; followed by gloves, socks, and even snow blindness glasses.
Fu Yunong pushed one half in front of her, "Here, I bought it in your size."
Shi Dong was stunned. She had always thought that Fu Yunong's system could only provide basic food and drink at most, but she never expected it to have such abilities.
What shocked her even more was yet to come. Next to Fu Yunong appeared a double-handled pot, two sets of bowls and chopsticks, and a packet of hot pot base. Then came packets of various fresh vegetables, bags of lively shrimp and squid, boxes of neatly arranged meat rolls and meatballs, various seasonings, and even two bottles of soda!
With a "thud," the energy bar in Shi Dong's hand fell to the ground.
This is going too far!
Last night, Fu Yunong harvested a total of 134 Level 1 Crystal Cores and 6 Level 2 Crystal Cores, which she exchanged for 1940 points. Adding what she had left over, she now has a total of 2291 points.
I just spent 1584 points to change my thermal underwear, and 386 points to buy hot pot ingredients and seasonings. I now have 321 points left.
The half-bucket of crystal cores that hadn't been redeemed could be exchanged for 5240 points. But she didn't touch them, thinking that they could both enhance Shi Dong's abilities and be kept for unforeseen circumstances.
We're rich now! We're really rich!
Fu Yunong grinned foolishly as she swished meat into the pot.
At this moment, Shi Dong didn't care about anything else and just focused on eating, even though her eyes were red from the spiciness. She never dreamed that she could eat a steaming, spicy and fragrant hot pot in the apocalypse.
When we had eaten and drunk our fill, the sky had completely darkened.
Fu Yunong rubbed her stomach, wondering how it had gotten so dark again after just waking up.
Shi Dong sat to the side, carefully wiping the sign in his hand with his head down, his eyelids drooping. He thought to himself, "You guys are just unlucky. Otherwise, you could be living the high life too."
At midnight, the gale that had been dormant all day raged again, whipping up heavy snow and ice pellets that pelted against the windows.
Fu Yunong wrapped herself up like a dumpling and huddled under the covers, but her hands and feet were still freezing cold, and even her breath felt like it was carrying ice crystals. Having no other choice, she spent 35 points to buy five kilograms of smokeless coal and lit another fire besides the brazier, placing them on either side of the bed.
Looking at it this way, my points suddenly seem to be running out again. If this awful weather continues, my points will be gone before winter is over, and then even heating will be a problem.
Feeling a sense of crisis, Fu Yunong dared not spend recklessly anymore. The next morning, she used the rice she had collected to cook porridge as usual, adding a whole pound of chopped greens and a whole pound of diced lean meat to the pot, making a large pot full. There were also five or six potatoes simmering in the brazier. This meal cost a total of 11.5 points, which was cheaper than a box of self-heating rice!
Indeed, cooking for yourself is definitely more cost-effective!
There were still many seasonings left over from yesterday, so Fu Yunong added cooking oil, salt, and pepper to the porridge. A bowl of it was fragrant, smooth, and warming.
Potatoes are simply dipped in salt and eaten—so delicious!
Fu Yunong drank two bowls of porridge and ate a roasted potato, which filled her up. The rest went into Shi Dong's stomach.
Fu Yunong drew a prize as usual. Unexpectedly, after the upgrade, the prize interface changed; the boxes were more exquisite, the fireworks more dazzling, and the prizes more…
"!!!"
Portable Power Bank (5500Wh)
This is a rectangular, all-black box, about the size of a microwave oven, with a handle on top. The front of the unit features green lines depicting a textured surface, and a raised, round button in the center. Pressing this button illuminates an indicator light showing the remaining battery power. Below the button are four power sockets, each compatible with both two-prong and three-prong plugs.
Fu Yunong blinked. "5500 watt-hours, what does that mean?"
Shi Dong suppressed the shock in her heart, thought for a moment and said, "If we turn on the electric blanket and the heater at the same time, it can probably last for five hours. But with the current temperature, it probably won't last for four hours."
She specifically cited these two items as examples because they are indeed found in this house.
"Ah..." Fu Yunong was a little disappointed, "Then what about just using an electric blanket?"
"It should last about 35 hours."
"That's fine, at least it'll save me money on firewood for a few nights. Besides, this is a resource that can only be unlocked at level four, and it's worth seven or eight thousand points!" Fu Yunong thought optimistically.
After discussing it, the two decided to put the power bank away and not use it for the time being. Winter had only just begun, and they felt that the temperature might get even lower later.
When it was fully light, Shi Dong planned to go to the rooftop to check the situation.
Fu Yunong spent 15 points to buy two pairs of [warm headgear]. The two of them each wore one, and then put on goggles and hats, wrapping themselves up tightly. It looked a bit ridiculous, like they were robbing a bank.
Fu Yunong watched from the side and laughed. Shi Dong glanced at her helplessly, then wrapped herself in a plastic film, picked up the shovel, and went upstairs.
You can't keep throwing away clothes; no matter how many you have, they can't withstand this kind of abuse.
The snow on the roof was knee-deep. In the north, where it snows more, roofs are designed for load-bearing and insulation. But this is the south, where it rarely snows before the disaster, and roofs are usually designed primarily for waterproofing.
With such a thick layer of snow, it could cause the roof to collapse or melt and flood the stairwell.
Shi Dong shoveled snow with great effort, while Fu Yunong held up binoculars and looked around, seeing only a vast expanse of white snow as far as the eye could see.
Suddenly, she paused, quickly wiped the lens, and looked again. Then she called out to Shi Dong. The wind was too strong, and it took three calls before Shi Dong heard her.
Fu Yunong quickly handed over the binoculars and pointed downstairs. Shi Dong took them and saw two figures moving through the snow, their feet sinking into the deep snow. The footprints indicated they came from the building opposite and were heading towards their building.
Shi Dong observed for a moment longer, confirming that the other party was indeed heading this way. She nudged Fu Yunong, and the two immediately packed their things and went downstairs.
After getting ready, the two went downstairs. As they approached the lower floor, they both instinctively slowed their pace.
The snow outside the gate was already above the calves, a good fifty centimeters deep. A man and a woman were huddled at the door, shivering and chattering from the cold.
"Is this the place?" The man rubbed his hands impatiently and stamped his feet to warm them.
"Is this it?" the man asked impatiently, jumping up and down with his hands in his pockets. It was damn cold!
"It's this. I saw them come in..." The woman's voice was weak and trembling.
"Then hurry up and shout!" the man shoved her and growled.
The woman stumbled from the push, but could only grit her teeth and continue banging on the door, pleading, "Is anyone home? Please, have mercy on us and give us a way out..."
Fu Yunong and Shi Dong exchanged a glance and walked out from the corner of the stairs. Together, they moved the heavy object and opened the door with a creak.
The two people outside rushed in as if they had grasped at a straw, jumping and waving their arms and legs in frustration. They were so cold that their limbs were almost numb.
The two rushed in immediately, jumping and hopping on the spot; they were freezing.
"Brush the snow off your clothes first, it's corrosive," Fu Yunong reminded her.
She discreetly observed the two men: the woman's face was sunken, with high cheekbones; the man was slightly better, but still not much flesh, his facial bones clearly visible. Both had bluish-purple complexions, their lips were black from the cold, and a thin layer of frost covered their eyebrows.
The man's gaze swept over Fu Yunong and Shi Dong. Seeing that the two had rosy complexions and were dressed warmly, a deep sense of amazement flashed in his eyes. He then concluded that he had not made a mistake in choosing them.
He suddenly grabbed the woman beside him, and with a thud, knelt on the ground, kowtowing and pleading, "Please, give us something to eat! We haven't eaten for two days!"
The couple lived in building 16 across the street. At the beginning of the disaster, the community organized a unified evacuation, but the man couldn't bear to leave anything behind and kept dawdling, which delayed him and caused him to miss the evacuation bus.
Fortunately, the woman's parents lived in the suburbs and farmed the land. They would occasionally send some food to their daughter, so they had a considerable amount of supplies. In addition, the woman was alert and immediately searched the building for any fresh water she could find. The two of them managed to survive until now with this little bit of savings.
They thought that at least they wouldn't have to worry about water after the snow, but the temperature dropped drastically, and the water boiled from the snow even tasted sour. That day, the man was so thirsty that he insisted on trying it, but the woman desperately stopped him, and ended up getting slapped by him instead.
"It's all your fault, you wretched woman!" the man roared, his face contorted in rage. "If you hadn't stopped me, I would have had some water by now! Now look what's happened, I'm going to die of thirst here!"
The woman was too tired to argue with him; she was already exhausted and there was no need for pointless internal conflict. She focused all her remaining energy on figuring out how to find something to eat.
That night, an explosion suddenly rang out, followed by countless zombies surging into the neighborhood. Just when she thought she was doomed, she witnessed a thunderstorm annihilate the zombies. Afterward, she saw two figures on a motorcycle enter the building.
She was truly desperate, so she pulled the man over for help. They were both compatriots; surely they couldn't just stand by and watch someone die?
Having no other choice, she thought of begging them; they were all compatriots, surely they wouldn't just stand by and watch her die.
"Let's go back. We don't have any extra food." Fu Yunong lowered her eyes, her voice calm and indifferent.
The woman froze, her last glimmer of hope shattered.
The man suddenly sprang to his feet, taking advantage of his height to step forward and glaring fiercely at them. "How can you be so heartless! We're starving, would it kill you to give us some food?"
The woman hurriedly tried to pull him away. He always acted so recklessly. It would have been fine before, but if he continued to be so arrogant now, he would be in serious trouble!
Shi Dong kicked the man in the stomach. With a "bang," the man crashed into the door, slid to the ground, clutched his stomach, and groaned, unable to get up for a long time.
Shi Dong's eyes were icy. "Who are you talking to like that?"
Fu Yunong frowned, her face full of disgust.
The woman turned pale with fright and quickly bowed, apologizing profusely. "I'm so sorry! He didn't mean it! I... I can do your laundry, clean, and any kind of work. I just need something to eat, please!"
Shi Dong frowned, about to speak up to stop her, when Fu Yunong quietly tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "There is something that might be of help to you."
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