What are we having for lunch?
"What a question! With resources so scarce at the South Base right now, do we even have a choice?"
"Help! I'm going crazy if I eat canned food and compressed biscuits for a few more days!"
The conversation of several researchers around him brought Lozen back to his senses.
He glanced at the time displayed on the screen: 12:18 PM.
Several researchers left the laboratory one after another, and by 12:30, only Gu Qingqiu was left in the huge laboratory.
"Hey, why aren't you going to eat?" Although he knew Gu Qingqiu couldn't hear him, Luo Ze'en, out of boredom, still pretended to be chatting with her.
Gu Qingqiu naturally didn't answer. Instead, she seemed to have figured out something and quickly typed a command on the keyboard. Then, the progress bar that hadn't moved for a while actually increased by 0.4%.
Her body seemed to stretch a bit, and then she started flipping through the experimental data again, typing and calculating on another computer, as if she had been injected with adrenaline.
During this time, colleagues gradually returned to the lab. They weren't surprised to see Gu Qingqiu there, but greeted her, saying, "Dr. Gu, why aren't you going to eat again? Have you made new progress in your experimental research?"
"Hmm." Gu Qingqiu didn't even look up, continuing to stare intently at the screen, and gave a few perfunctory replies.
Seeing that Gu Qingqiu was busy, her colleagues did not disturb her further.
Twenty minutes later, Xiao Fang brought Gu Qingqiu several packs of compressed biscuits and a bottle of juice. "Dr. Gu, why don't you rest for a while?"
Gu Qingqiu thanked her and said, "Let's leave it for now. My hypothesis is only halfway through being verified. It'll be ready soon."
The "ready soon" Gu Qingqiu mentioned didn't last until 4 PM, when she left the lab with cookies and juice and went to the dining area to eat her "lunch".
Luo Ze'en was truly impressed. At least in some respects, Gu Qingqiu was definitely a workaholic. But why was she working so hard? What was she researching?
Just then, Lozen felt a sudden wave of dizziness wash over him. The next second, he opened his eyes, and his consciousness returned to the room.
From around 8 a.m. to a little after 4 p.m., that's about eight hours. It seems that Lozen can possess someone for quite a long time. I just don't know if there's any room for improvement.
"Gurgle—" His stomach was filled with intense hunger and made a protesting sound. He even felt his stomach cramping from hunger. He took a moment to adjust to his body and perspective before getting up, opening the cabinet that Gu Qingqiu had mentioned, and taking out a vial of nutrients to inject into his arm.
Incidentally, this nutritional supplement also seems to have been invented by the South Base. Just one vial a day is enough to replenish the body's nutritional needs and can also alleviate hunger to some extent. It's generally provided to people who need to travel for easy portability, but it shouldn't be taken long-term. It cannot completely replace food, and long-term use can lead to side effects such as muscle atrophy and emaciation.
For some reason, Luo Ze'en thought of Gu Qingqiu's thin frame and protruding belly.
Honestly, does she even realize she's pregnant?! How can she not take care of her own body? She's not even eating properly! Does she not care about the baby in her belly at all?
In fact, Gu Qingqiu was eating properly, but as a modern person, she simply couldn't get used to the meager food in the apocalypse. She often secretly bought food from the system store to cook for herself, but to avoid arousing suspicion, she had to finish the food provided by the South Base. This was also why she was saving her gold coins—if time reset, how much longer would she have to endure this apocalyptic life? The gold coins she spent wouldn't reset! She would go crazy without good food!
As someone with an extreme lack of security, Gu Qingqiu often imagines the worst-case scenario and even starts to fantasize about how the hosts who are thrown into the famine world should survive.
Fortunately, there's still some time before the zombie horde arrives, so the South Base is safe for now; it's just that her research progress...
Gu Qingqiu sighed. Today's research did make a breakthrough, but the progress bar only increased by 0.4%. Moreover, a calculation formula that she had spent a lot of effort researching had just been confirmed by her as an impractical conjecture. It was truly a mixed blessing.
After swallowing the last bite of the compressed biscuit with difficulty, Gu Qingqiu returned to the laboratory and threw herself into her serious work.
At 6 p.m., the lab colleagues left work one after another to prepare for dinner. If Luo Ze'en were still here, he would probably find the scene similar to that at noon, except that no colleagues returned to the lab this time. After all, they had left work, and even Xiao Fang did not bring anything back for Gu Qingqiu.
At nine o'clock in the evening, Gu Qingqiu was still engrossed in her research.
The male protagonist system seemed to have reached its limit and reminded him: [Host, have you forgotten something?]
Gu Qingqiu paused, thinking she had made a mistake in one of her calculations, and looked somewhat nervous: "Forgot something?"
The male protagonist system was utterly exasperated: 【…There's another living person in your room.】
Oh right! Lozen is still in her room!
Gu Qingqiu stopped what she was doing, got up and went to the place where food was supplied, but the lights were already off, and all the supplies were naturally locked in the storage warehouse.
She checked her pockets and thankfully, there was still a pack of compressed biscuits that Xiao Fang had brought her at noon. She wondered how Luo Ze'en was doing today.
After quickly reviewing the movement records on Luo Ze'en's handcuffs, Gu Qingqiu was surprised to find that Luo Ze'en seemed to have not moved at all since she left the house. He lay on her recliner as if he were dead until around 4 p.m. when he took a vial of nutrient solution to inject himself.
Something's not right! This is very strange! Even if he's sleeping, he couldn't possibly be completely still, could he?
Gu Qingqiu hurriedly walked towards her capsule, her mind filled with worry the whole way.
Could it be that he was too traumatized by being confined to his room? That can't be right. He was locked in the lab for a month before and was fine.
Or did she turn the electric shock frequency too high last night, causing an effect on Lozen's physiology? Like muscle spasms or weakness in the limbs?
After opening the door to the room, Gu Qingqiu saw Luo Ze'en lying obediently on the recliner, and even sat up straight when he heard her return.
Something just doesn't feel right...
Gu Qingqiu locked the door, stepped forward and removed Luo Ze'en's mask, revealing Luo Ze'en's deep eyes. He looked somewhat innocent and bewildered, as if he had just woken up.
Before Gu Qingqiu could even ask her question, Luo Ze'en preemptively complained, "Dr. Gu, didn't you ask me to remind you to eat on time? But I don't even have a way to contact you, how am I supposed to remind you?"
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