Xiang Ge’s gaze lightly swept over the group, observing them without drawing attention.
There were five people in total—four men and one woman.
All of them wore black combat uniforms. Their postures were straight, their eyes clear and alert. They looked like people who had received formal military training.
The middle-aged man standing at the center was obviously the one they had called the Legion Commander.
“You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
The middle-aged man’s appearance was stern, but his tone was gentle. He showed no sign of looking down on Xiang Ge despite her extremely high radiation level and seemingly short remaining lifespan.
“I’m okay. Thank you for saving me. My name is Xiang Ge.”
Xiang Ge smiled at them.
“Hello. I’m Lu Changting, commander of Morningstar Base’s First Legion.”
The middle-aged man introduced himself.
“I’m Su Tang.”
The only woman in the group had neat short hair and looked full of energy.
“I’m Qi Dongdong. Nice to meet you, Xiang Ge.”
The young man looked under twenty. When he smiled, he revealed a set of gleaming white teeth.
He was the one who had suggested the commander keep the Purification Fruit for himself.
“Hello, I’m Shen Jin, and this is Ao Guang.”
The bespectacled man looked refined and scholarly.
Apparently familiar with Ao Guang’s personality, he introduced him as well.
Xiang Ge matched each name to a face.
She was honestly surprised by how friendly they were toward her.
In the apocalypse she had come from, someone on the brink of death and devoid of value would never be treated this kindly.
“We still have an important mission to complete, so we can’t take you with us. But we’re staying here overnight. There’s plenty of mutated beast meat, so you can stay and have a meal with us.”
Lu Changting took the initiative to offer.
Food was precious, yet not even the perpetually grumpy Ao Guang voiced any objection to letting Xiang Ge share dinner.
Naturally, Xiang Ge gladly accepted.
Earlier, while scouting the area, Lu Changting and his team had already gathered a large pile of firewood.
Now everyone divided up the work.
Su Tang and Shen Jin were responsible for starting the fire.
Ao Guang and Qi Dongdong handled the mutated beast.
Their movements were practiced and efficient, clearly things they had done countless times before.
As far as wilderness survival went, Xiang Ge would normally have been the most capable person present.
Unfortunately, her current body’s condition left her no choice but to sit and watch.
Lu Changting was also sitting nearby, looking at his wrist device, apparently replying to messages.
Judging by its appearance alone, his wrist device was far more advanced than Xiang Ge’s.
She had already examined her own several times.
Its functions were very basic.
There were only thirteen points remaining in her account.
Presumably, that was the common currency.
The contact list contained only a few people, all listed by their full names, making it impossible to guess their relationship to the original owner.
“We’re eating here? Won’t the blood attract other mutated beasts?”
Xiang Ge asked.
“It’s fine. We’ve checked the area. There aren’t any mutated beast packs nearby.
If a lone mutated beast comes, it’ll just be delivering us dinner.”
The fire had already been lit.
Shen Jin and Su Tang sat across from Xiang Ge.
Adjusting his glasses, Shen Jin answered her question.
“Don’t worry, little sister. My laser weapon isn’t just for show.”
Su Tang raised the hilt in her hand and then pointed to the laser pistol at her waist, slightly longer than a normal handgun.
She pressed a button.
A green beam of light instantly extended from the hilt, forming a blade the same length as a regular sword.
With a few casual swings, she effortlessly sliced through a plant stem as thick as a person’s arm.
Xiang Ge was astonished.
Laser weapons, something she had only seen in movies, had become reality.
It seemed this wasteland world’s technological civilization was several levels ahead of her previous one.
Her gaze drifted toward Shen Jin’s waist.
She noticed that, aside from Su Tang, everyone else still carried cold weapons and conventional firearms.
“Our radiation levels are too high. Only people with radiation levels below sixty can use laser weapons.”
Shen Jin noticed her gaze and explained proactively.
So Su Tang’s radiation level was below sixty.
What about everyone else’s?
Asking someone directly about their radiation level was probably considered rude here, Xiang Ge thought silently.
[System Scan Results:]
[Lu Changting Radiation Level: 88]
[Ao Guang Radiation Level: 85]
[Shen Jin Radiation Level: 81]
[Qi Dongdong Radiation Level: 79]
[Su Tang Radiation Level: 56]
[Radiation levels below 60 are considered healthy.]
[Levels above 60 negatively affect the body, with greater effects as the value increases.]
[In the current world, humans with healthy radiation levels account for less than five percent of the total population.]
[May the Host join that elite five percent soon!]
Sensing Xiang Ge’s curiosity, the system helpfully provided an answer.
Not bad.
The system was actually quite useful.
As for its final sentence, Xiang Ge automatically filtered it out as manipulative motivational nonsense.
If radiation levels above ninety carried the risk of genetic collapse, then aside from Su Tang, everyone in this team was in danger.
The Purification Fruit they kept mentioning wasn’t something she could find in the original owner’s memories.
It was obviously valuable.
Perhaps it could solve her current predicament.
“With the Legion Commander personally leading the mission, it must be something important. I’m really sorry for delaying you because of me.”
Wanting to gather information, Xiang Ge deliberately took a step back and apologized first.
“It’s fine. We’re searching for Purification Fruits for the Ark Base Research Institute. Finding those things requires a bit of luck, so losing half a day doesn’t matter.”
Qi Dongdong and Ao Guang were currently roasting skewers of meat over the fire.
Hearing Xiang Ge’s words, Qi Dongdong answered casually.
“You’re too talkative. You tell everyone everything.”
Ao Guang shot him a glare.
“But every base is looking for Purification Fruits for the Ark Research Institute. It’s not exactly a secret. What’s the big deal?”
Qi Dongdong shrugged innocently.
“What exactly is a Purification Fruit?”
At last, the conversation had reached the topic Xiang Ge cared about most.
Lu Changting had already finished handling his work.
Hearing her question, he looked up at her.
The girl before him was different from the other high-radiation individuals expelled from the base.
Their eyes had been as lifeless as ashes.
The moment they left the base, they had already abandoned hope of survival.
That was precisely why he constantly argued with the Base Commander and devoted so much effort to searching for Purification Fruits.
But this girl was different.
There was no fear in her eyes.
No despair.
Only calmness and vitality.
As though surviving were something simple and natural for her.
“Purification Fruits are a crucial ingredient in making purification agents.
Currently, the basic purification agents developed by the Ark Research Institute can only reduce radiation levels by two or three points. After repeated use, they gradually lose effectiveness.
To develop advanced purification agents, the institute needs more Purification Fruits for experimentation.
Purification Fruits come in many different forms, but they all share one characteristic—their radiation level is zero.
If consumed directly, they can randomly reduce radiation levels by twenty to thirty points.
If turned in to any base, one fruit can be exchanged for ten purification agents.”
Lu Changting explained in great detail.
None of this was classified information.
However, it was information the original Xiang Ge had never had access to.
Xiang Ge listened attentively.
Then a thought suddenly struck her.
She immediately asked the system in her mind:
“The Purification Points I earn—can they only be used on myself, or can I use them on other people as well?”