The next moment, she discovered that the five Crystal Cores found from the wild rose buds had unlocked a total of 10 square meters of Stasis Zone.
This amount of space might have seemed insignificant before the transmigration, but now it was life-saving.
Sang Luoluo didn’t discard the grass rope she had just woven. Seeing that no one was watching, she promptly stored it in the Stasis Zone of her Space—it might come in handy later.
Looking at the scattered buds on the ground, the wild rose bush was dense with branches and leaves, providing her with a perfect spot to hide from the Radiation.
She tested the radiation levels of the scattered buds on the ground.
"Beep! Radiation Level 89, High Radiation—not recommended for consumption!"
"Beep! Radiation Level 99, High Radiation—not recommended for consumption!"
…
"Beep! Radiation Level 74, High Radiation—not recommended for consumption!"
"Beep! Radiation Level 27, Low Radiation—recommended for consumption!"
…
"Beep! Radiation Level 57, Medium Radiation—recommended for consumption!"
Two of the buds, after peeling off the outer layers, were half-edible. Since her Wrist Device recommended consumption, it meant they were non-toxic.
She placed the two buds into her backpack.
It was already ten o’clock, so she quickly took shelter in the shade.
Some people nearby noticed the shaded area and came over to rest. Seeing the wild rose buds scattered not far away and the two buds in the frail girl’s backpack, they realized the buds were edible.
Noticing their gazes, Sang Luoluo hastily grabbed a handful of weeds to cover the buds, blocking their prying eyes.
The group turned their attention to the wild roses nearby, where many buds remained untouched. Couldn’t that mean there were still plenty of edible ones?
Greed flickered in their eyes. Once the sun passed its peak, this little girl wouldn’t stand a chance against them in a fight.
Sang Luoluo moved farther away from them. Let them covet those wild roses—she had already obtained the Crystal Cores she wanted. As for the rest, they were welcome to fight over them. Besides, no matter how good these foods were, they couldn’t compare to the taste of roasted potatoes.
She remembered from the original host’s memories that the texture of these Mutated Plants had changed. While the fruits had grown larger, so had the fibers inside. Most plant fruits now tasted worse than before the mutation. Of course, a small number of plants had evolved toward deliciousness, but such plants were even harder to find.
At noon, the temperature soared. Members of the Guard Corps patrolled outside in their Radiation Suits, weapons in hand, maintaining order at the Gathering Point.
Sang Luoluo felt unbearably hot. In areas without vegetation, the air shimmered under the scorching sun. She could only take small sips of Spirit Spring Water to replenish the moisture rapidly lost from her body.
Feeling hungry, she downed the remaining two-thirds of the Nutrient Solution she had started in the morning.
Though the Nutrient Solution didn’t taste good, it was convenient and filling.
She rinsed her mouth with a sip of Spirit Spring Water and quietly waited for the temperature to drop.
Finally, by three in the afternoon, she didn’t rush out immediately. Instead, she waited until the temperature became bearable and joined the gathering crowd at half past three.
As expected, the moment the clock struck three, the people who had been sitting near her earlier all rushed toward the wild roses. She didn’t bother watching them fight over the buds and instead turned in another direction, heading toward an area with fewer people but where most resources had already been gathered.
Walking slowly, she detected nothing unusual for the time being and continued without stopping.
On the way, she saw a knee-high stone. After a moment's thought, she bent down and placed it into the Stasis Zone of her Space. She had nothing to defend herself with, but if danger arose, she could only rely on stones to save her life.
When she came across dry branches fallen on the ground, she picked them up to take home. Her firewood had just run out after cooking two batches of green paste, and with her Space available for transport, she gathered some and stored them inside. To avoid raising suspicion, she bundled some branches with wild grass and placed them in her basket as a decoy.
Whenever she found palm-sized stones, she would also collect them and store them in her Space. These free weapons gave her a sense of security to stockpile.
This area had been traversed by others before, making it relatively safe for her to walk through without any Mutated Animals suddenly appearing.
It happened again—a familiar pull.
She stopped, took out her Stone Knife, and began digging into the ground, unearthing a palm-sized purple Crystal Core. The moment her hand touched it, she stored the Crystal Core into her Space, where it vanished.
Then she realized she could now enter her Space, though only to go inside. Everything else within the Space remained locked.
Still, this was good enough. In critical moments, she could hide inside the Space.
After scouring the entire area, she found nothing else.
Feeling somewhat disappointed, she knew it was time to gather and return by 5:30 p.m.
She was done for the day. Having walked all day, with red scratches from grass on her skin, she was exhausted and just wanted to go back and lie down.
She had only taken a few steps toward the convoy when she heard someone shouting hoarsely behind her.
"Someone fell in! Quick, call the Guard Corps!"
"Help! Someone’s trapped!"
Sang Luoluo glanced back and saw everyone rushing over to see what was happening.
Should she go and take a look too? With so many people around, it should be safe enough.
Sang Luoluo followed the others, but along the way, she found no traces of Crystal Cores. The incident occurred deep within the dense forest, where some had ventured in search of food. Three members of the Guard Corps had already gone ahead.
Sang Luoluo immediately recognized two familiar faces—one was the man who had fought the Mutated Mantis, and the other was the man who had killed the Red Flower Snake. They were her saviors.
As she approached, she saw a dilapidated building in the forest, now reduced to crumbling walls and ruins. Vines and tall, unknown wild grasses grew from within the structure.
Sang Luoluo scanned the scene and thought, "Wow, how did they end up falling into an elevator?"
The building must have once been a large shopping mall. Someone had stepped on an escalator, which suddenly collapsed under their weight, trapping them inside. The escalator steps were covered in dirt, wild grass, and vines, and the entire mall had sunk partially into the ground. It was hard to imagine what had happened to this structure in the past.
Sang Luoluo and the others watched as the mall’s interior remained pitch black, hiding whatever lay inside. Only frightened cries could be heard from within. Meanwhile, others realized that people had been here before and might have left food behind, so they began searching the area.
"Lei Qi! Use the Electromagnetic Blade."
"Yes, Captain."
Sang Luoluo witnessed the Guard Corps' advanced technology firsthand. That man named Lei Qi was wearing a silver-white, skeleton-shaped lightweight armor. With a simple operation, a slender light blade extended from his wrist, and he began physically cutting through the elevator on the ground, straightforwardly slicing open an opening.
Then he pulled the person out from inside.
The person who had fallen in was covered in blood. The captain scanned him with another machine, confirming that the wounds were not infected with any unfamiliar viruses, before allowing him to leave.
The smell of blood attracted nearby Mutated Animals.
There were Mutated Bats living near the mall, each as large as a goose, their eyes glowing red as they flew out from underground, heading straight for the Guard Corps and the ordinary people.
Lei Qi was knocked down once, but fortunately, his Exoskeleton protected his body. After blocking the attack, he began using his weapon.
Three people with three Laser Guns continuously fired into the air, shooting down one Mutated Bat after another. Some bats were more agile, dodging the attacks and pouncing on weaker humans.
Seeing this, Sang Luoluo quickly hid behind a tree trunk. When a bat approached, she picked up a stone and threw it, slightly deflecting the bat flying toward her.
Over a dozen people were bitten, but fortunately, other members of the Guard Corps soon arrived for support. With a barrage of concentrated firepower, most of the bats were taken down.
The captain ordered everyone, "Retreat quickly!"
Sang Luoluo also hurriedly followed the crowd, but suddenly noticed a Crystal Core inside the belly of a dead bat on the ground. After a moment's thought, she stopped, and while no one was paying attention, she quickly touched the bat's corpse and stored it in her Space, planning to examine it later at home.
Returning to the convoy, Sang Luoluo, utterly exhausted, climbed onto the truck and found a corner to hide in.
Unlike the abundant supplies in others' back baskets, hers contained only a morning glory flower and two buds. The firewood she had gathered had fallen out during the frantic run, and with bats chasing her, she hadn't had time to retrieve it.
The firewood didn't matter anymore. She was so tired she just wanted to rest in the corner.
After an hour of bumpy travel, the truck arrived at the Base gate.
She got off and headed toward the Shack.
It had been a long and thrilling day.
"Look, it's her. Her brother is gone, probably dead outside. The food she brought back is so little—she won't last long."
"I haven't seen her brother for half a month. Without him, how can she survive?"
"Why bother about her? Our own families are almost out of food."
"…"
The voices of nearby neighbors drifted into her ears. Sang Luoluo sighed softly at these remarks. The original owner's brother still hadn't returned, and there was no news of whether he was alive or dead. What a pitiful pair of siblings.
On the other hand, the equipment worn by the Guard Corps she saw at the Gathering Point today was truly advanced. The world she lived in three hundred years ago had nothing like this. When would she ever have such equipment? Then, even when Scavenging outside, she wouldn't end up with red marks all over her arms and legs from being scratched by wild grass.
Today had been utterly exhausting. She had originally planned to take the morning glory flower and buds from her back basket to the Trading Point to exchange for some Credits, but it had already been dark for a while. She was too tired to walk any further. She'd just go after finishing her gathering.
Worried that the food might spoil, she placed the morning glory flowers and buds into the Stasis Zone of her Space to keep them fresh. This brought her some comfort—at least she wouldn’t have to worry about starving to death.
As soon as she returned to the shack, her brows furrowed. Something was off. When she had left, the door had been latched shut, so why was it open now?
A sudden sense of foreboding washed over her. She pushed the door open and rushed inside—her home had been burgled!!!!
Her pots, pans, bowls, and utensils were all gone!!!
Even the tattered quilt on the bed had disappeared. All that remained in the shack was a wooden frame bed, a toppled table, and a stove without its pot. She turned and checked the inner room, where some miscellaneous items had been stored, only to find it completely empty.
The thief had cleaned the place out thoroughly—not a single thing was left behind. Among those miscellaneous items were the winter supplies that the original owner’s brother, Sang Yunpu, had prepared, along with his clothes and shoes. Gone, all of it was gone.
A surge of anger flared up within her.
For the first time, Sang Luoluo cursed with such venom: “%#@…”