Chapter 52, Chapter 8: Female Supporting Character in an Apocalyptic Novel
In the days that followed, the way the two interacted remained unchanged.
She was still the same gentle, slightly lazy woman, and when she ordered him around, she was just as self-righteous.
Xu Qingzhou could vaguely sense that there was a veil between them.
It's so close, yet I can't touch it no matter what I do.
He knew the problem, but couldn't find a solution or a way to change it.
They had already safely returned to the underground city half a month ago.
Shortly after they returned to the underground city, the entire underground city was placed under martial law, all passages leading to the surface were blocked, and even Sector E was guarded by soldiers wearing breathing masks.
These changes have made the people of the underground city nervous. They are stockpiling supplies, staying at home, and avoiding going out as much as possible, for fear of causing trouble.
"Brother Zhou, tell me what exactly happened that caused such a big commotion?"
Inside the oxygen station in Zone E, a burly man sat on the steps, shaking his leg, gazing at the hazy distance.
This burly man was none other than the one Yu Wanwan had threatened with a pistol on the smuggling boat.
The direction he was looking in was the direction from Zone E to the ground passage.
Xu Qingzhou was in the shop, carefully filling the oxygen tank with gas.
Who knows!
Without even looking up, he filled the last can of gas and put it in a basket.
"Whatever they want to do, as long as it doesn't affect our business!"
The old, whirring sound of the oxygen concentrator almost drowned out his voice.
"Hahaha! You're right!"
The burly man stood up, took a money pouch from his pocket, and placed it on the counter.
"Count the money!"
Xu Qingzhou turned off the noisy oxygen concentrator, wiped his hands, and without bothering to hide from the burly man, opened his money bag and poured out the money inside.
The currency used in the dungeon has changed to gold and silver coins.
Although these currencies are inconvenient to carry, they contain the energy to power the machines and are therefore hard currency.
Of course, there are banks in the dungeon, where you can deposit these coins.
And bank cards are the passport to this world.
Unfortunately, there was no POS machine here, and no bank was set up in Zone E. There was no network connection, so online transactions were not possible.
He counted them one by one, throwing every ten silver coins into the wooden box next to him.
There are a total of 300 silver coins.
The original owner set the price at 6 silver coins per cubic meter, which is 4 silver coins cheaper than the oxygen in Zone D.
A standard oxygen cylinder holds five cubic meters, and this time ten cylinders were filled, totaling exactly 300 cubic meters.
"Okay, come to me again if you need business next time!"
The big man laughed heartily.
"Absolutely!"
He didn't linger any longer, and carefully left the oxygen station with the basket containing the oxygen tank.
He obtained these oxygen supplies secretly from District D under the guise of being in charge of smuggling people.
Xu Qingzhou sold it for 6 silver coins per cubic meter, but when he took it back to the people in District D, he sold it for 8 silver coins, raising the price a bit, but it was still cheaper than in District D, and quite a few people came to buy from him.
After seeing the burly man off, Xu Qingzhou returned to the shop and carefully wiped down the terribly old oxygen concentrator.
This machine was discarded from some district and thrown into a garbage dump on the ground.
The original owner went to scavenge on the ground and found it. Risking being discovered by monsters, it took a lot of effort to bring it back.
But he didn't know how to repair it, so he just made do with it and even used it to start a business selling oxygen.
Over the years, the machine has aged even more severely. Every time it is started, the clicking and clattering sound of metal friction can penetrate the tin roof of the shed and make the soil on the ground tremble.
But precisely because of this, the oxygen generator wasn't coveted by those above him and remained in his hands, becoming the foundation of his survival.
Xu Qingzhou sighed, took out his toolbox, and carefully replaced the screws.
His grand money-making scheme has only just begun to take shape, and he cannot yet leave this machine; it needs to persist for a while longer.
"If you keep doing it this way, this machine will be scrapped in no time."
Xu Qingzhou turned his head to look over.
Yu Wanwan had entered at some point and was now standing behind him, peering into the machine.
He paused for a moment, then, recalling what had happened on the ground, he humbly asked for advice.
"Then what should we do?"
He wasn't an expert in these things; he could only do simple repairs.
He would like to learn, but given the current situation, he doesn't have the means.
Yu Wanwan glanced at him twice.
"I'll do it."
Xu Qingzhou didn't argue with her, but voluntarily gave up her spot and handed over the tools to her.
Her repair work on machines is quite different from Xu Qingzhou's simple task of replacing a few screws.
The old machine was completely disassembled, revealing rusty internal parts. Tiny metal shavings covered the filter element, almost completely blocking the air outlet.
Yu Wanwan didn't mind the dirt at all. Without changing her expression, she disassembled the parts and cleaned away the rust, debris, and dust one by one.
Xu Qingzhou obediently squatted down beside her to help, not daring to have any questions, and carefully memorized her actions.
This machine is so old that repairing it will not be a simple matter.
Even though Yu Wanwan was skilled, it still took her the entire afternoon to finish.
Xu Qingzhou had gone out at some point. Just as she finished reassembling the machine, he came in carrying a lunchbox.
Xu Qingzhou glanced at the machine, which appeared no different from any other machine, and didn't ask any questions.
"Perfect timing, come and have some dinner."
"Um."
Yu Wanwan responded and got up to go to the back to wash her hands.
Taking advantage of this time, Xu Qingzhou went over and turned on the machine.
There's still a clicking sound, but it's much quieter than before.
He then retrieved the oxygen meter and filled it with some oxygen.
Yu Wanwan wiped the water off her hands and walked inside. As soon as she entered, she saw a small copper box placed in front of her.
The front of the box has a cracked piece of glass embedded in it, and inside are test strips in three colors: red, yellow, and blue.
This is a simple oxygen analyzer.
If the red test paper does not change color, the oxygen purity is less than 50%, which is almost impossible to breathe.
The red test strip turns light pink, and the yellow test strip turns slightly orange. The purity is between 60% and 70%. Although it is breathable, prolonged inhalation is not good for the human body and is considered waste oxygen.
The oxygen that people in Zone E usually breathe is almost all of this type.
The yellow test strip is completely orange, and the blue test strip is bluish, indicating a purity of over 80%. Only oxygen of this quality meets the needs of the human body.
Yu Wanwan raised an eyebrow and sat down next to him.
"How about it?"
Xu Qingzhou silently turned the oxygen meter so she could see it clearly.
The yellow test strip has turned orange, not completely orange, but it's a bit darker than a light orange.
This concentration is not quite 80%, but it's not far off either.
"It's a pity. If there were replacement parts, it could be even purer."
After saying that, she absentmindedly looked away and began to eat.
Xu Qingzhou was at a loss for words.
Previously, the oxygen produced by this machine had a purity of only around 60. Now, after she repaired it, the purity has jumped to around 70, even though it's still the same machine.
Don't underestimate the difference of only 10 percent; that 10 percent represents a qualitative leap.
But she seemed completely unconcerned, even a little regretful.
Xu Qingzhou covered his forehead, feeling somewhat dejected.
Did she really not regain her memory?
If she's this powerful even without regaining her memories, imagine how amazing she would be once she did!
Xu Qingzhou clutched his wounded heart, channeling his grief and anger into his appetite.
After finishing their meal, Xu Qingzhou tidied the table and looked at Yu Wanwan, who was dozing off by the door.
"Xiaoman, can you teach me how to fix this machine?"
Yu Wanwan opened her eyes and glanced at him with a hint of surprise.
He was very sincere and composed, showing no embarrassment or awkwardness at having to ask her for advice.
Without much thought, Yu Wanwan agreed.
Anyway, it's not a big deal.
From that day on, Xu Qingzhou was busy.
Having agreed, Yu Wanwan wasn't going to be perfunctory; she took it very seriously.
She first went to the black market and brought back quite a few books about this topic from this world.
Looking at the drawer full of books and listening to her gentle request that he must memorize them all, Xu Qingzhou didn't feel suffocated; instead, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.
After Yu Wanwan finished speaking, she went out to tend to her vegetable garden. Xu Qingzhou sat in the house, touched his heart which had skipped a beat, and felt somewhat lost.
How strange, why does it feel so familiar? Why is my heart beating so fast?
He couldn't figure it out, so he sat for a while until his heartbeat calmed down before taking out a book and starting to read.
For three months straight, Xu Qingzhou was busy studying and memorizing texts, and his original business plans were temporarily put on hold.
Yu Wanwan was very strict in her teaching. Sometimes, if he couldn't memorize the knowledge in the book perfectly within the allotted time, she would not allow him to go out and would go to the shop in his place, leaving him in the courtyard to continue memorizing.
Under her strict guidance, Xu Qingzhou made rapid progress in just three months.
Now he can disassemble the machine and repair and clean it on his own. Although he is not as skilled as she is, at least he has not made any mistakes.
Not only that, he can even select suitable parts to replace the machine.
Three months is neither a long nor a short time, but it's enough for a lot to change.
The vine they brought back from the ground had already climbed all over the wooden fence that had been built around the small courtyard.
It heeded his instructions and stayed within the courtyard, without extending its branches beyond the wall.
And the oxygen-releasing moss, which started as a small glass bottle, has grown into a full water tank.
Now, in the courtyard, he no longer needs to wear an oxygen tank and can breathe fresh air on his own.
Because of these mosses, the vegetables planted in the courtyard garden have all changed from being withered and yellow to being vibrant green plants full of life.
Vegetables of this quality could fetch a good price even if sold in Zone B.
Xu Qingzhou had once inquired about the Pure Breath Moss in the black market.
Just as she said before, the Pure Breath Moss is difficult to cultivate, and there are not many even in Zone A.
To date, only Zone A has a space built of pure moss, a place where one can breathe freely.
Even Zone B, which is only one level below Zone A, still uses large machines to provide oxygen and air circulation.
As for Zones C and D, it goes without saying that Zone C is close to Zone B and can breathe some of the oxygen leaked from Zone B, so it is not so dependent on oxygen tanks. However, Zone D, like Zone E, also requires wearing oxygen tanks to breathe.
Looking at the moss that was almost overflowing the water tank, and then at the dark moss that was winding and crawling on the vines, Xu Qingzhou fell silent.
Pure Breath Moss?
Difficult to cultivate?
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