After eating and drinking her fill, Sang Luoluo didn’t enter the Space. Instead, she curled up in a corner to rest for a while. Closing her eyes, she manipulated the potato field inside the Space. In the area she had cleared, she found a few potatoes with more sprouts, cut them into pieces with the Stone Knife, and replanted them.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have proper farming tools. Using the Stone Knife was slow and cumbersome, taking half an hour to finish the task. Next time she went to the Trading Point, she’d have to see if there were any metal tools available.
With the potato field in the Space now planted, she leaned against the corner to sleep at night. This also made it easier for her to listen for any movement outside, so she could leave quickly if she sensed danger.
Fortunately, it rained heavily all night. Although there were shouts outside, there was no immediate danger.
The next morning, the rain had lightened considerably. She wondered whether she should take advantage of the time today to go into the wilderness and chop down that tree. The spot wasn’t too far away, and normally the sound of sawing wood would attract nearby foragers. Going during the rain seemed more appropriate.
If the rain got too heavy, she could always take shelter in the Space.
With that thought, she locked the door, put on her raincoat and boots, and headed out.
The rainwater reached her knees. To make walking easier, she stored her backpack in the Space and slowly made her way out of the Shack.
There wasn’t a soul on the road.
Sang Luoluo covered her face tightly with the raincoat hood, so even if rain hit her face, it would slide off the fabric. She headed toward the wilderness, where rainwater on the ground formed small bubbles that quickly appeared and vanished.
Looking up at the sky, it was overcast with dark clouds. Luckily, the wind wasn’t strong. Although walking was difficult, she could still move steadily.
After walking for a full two and a half hours, she finally reached the grove. The wild grass was battered and bent by the storm, and some leaves were already showing signs of corrosion, marked with spots.
Just as she was about to arrive, the rain suddenly intensified, pelting her scalp painfully. Glancing around and seeing no one, she slipped into the potato field in the Space.
Shaking off the rainwater, the corrosive droplets fell onto the soil of the Space and were instantly absorbed, causing no discomfort to the environment.
After two hours, she went out to check. The heavy rain was still falling, but fortunately, the terrain here was higher, and the water flowed along the low-lying areas into the untouched gullies deep in the dense forest.
She returned to the Space and checked the weather forecast on her Wrist Device, which indicated that the rain would ease slightly in half an hour.
When the time came, she emerged to find the rain had indeed lightened, though the drops were still as large as beans. Moving slowly forward, she used a wooden stick to tap the grass ahead. The Mutated Animals had all hidden away. The higher terrain here was somewhat safer, but along the way, she had often seen Mutated Animals splashing in the water. Seeing that they were temporarily too preoccupied to attack her, Sang Luoluo quickened her pace and passed them by.
Finally, she reached the large tree just as the rain stopped.
She took out the Chainsaw and made a diagonal cut into the trunk at head height, then made another cut diagonally opposite. A chunk of wood was sliced off. The sound of the Chainsaw was completely drowned out by the rain. Following the same method, she gradually changed directions, slowly carving out a large concave shape in the middle of the trunk.
Sensing that the crystal core was embedded in one of the larger wooden planks, she quickly retrieved it. She didn’t discard the other planks either, tossing them into the Stasis Zone of her Space. These wooden pieces, much like stones, could serve as weapons in critical moments.
She slipped into her Space and carefully split the wooden plank with a chainsaw. Inside was a pale yellow crystal core about the size of a matchbox.
As soon as she released it, the crystal core fell to the ground and was immediately absorbed by the Space.
She sensed that the entire mansion in her Space had now been unlocked.
As she approached, a snow-white figure pounced straight at her.
She crouched down, catching it in her arms, and gave it a couple of affectionate rubs, calling out joyfully, “Chuanchuan!”
Chuanchuan was her family’s dog. The name came from the fact that the dog was brought over from her grandmother’s house—a mix of a Poodle, a Bichon Frise, and a local white dog. On the day they brought it home, the family happened to be having barbecue skewers at the farm, and the dog, being unfussy, ate a few skewers as its first meal in their home.
Later, the name “Chuanchuan” stuck, and any other names just didn’t sound right anymore. Now fully grown, it was about the size of a Poodle, with uneven white fur—some strands long, others short, especially on its ears. When it ran, its ears would flutter in the air like two little pigtails.
Chuanchuan whimpered, wriggled out of her grasp, and took a couple of steps back, barking, “Woof! Woof!”
Sang Luoluo nearly forgot—she had transmigrated, and this wasn’t her original body. Oh no, what if Chuanchuan didn’t recognize her?
Anxious, Sang Luoluo called out, “Chuanchuan! I’m your owner! Don’t you recognize me just because I’m in a different body?”
Ever since they brought it home, Sang Luoluo had always thought Chuanchuan was quite clever. It seemed to understand almost everything the family said. When she went to work in the fields, it would run ahead to clear the path and wait for her somewhere. When she sold vegetables, it would sit and watch the stall. Perhaps it was due to long-term consumption of Spirit Spring Water from the Space, or maybe it was the advantage of its mixed genes, but it was smarter than most small dogs.
“Chuanchuan! It’s me!” Sang Luoluo called out again.
Chuanchuan tilted its head, looking at her, then sniffed the air cautiously. It took a couple of steps forward, double-checking.
Sang Luoluo pulled it closer, rubbing its head gently. Seeing it tuck its tail in fear, she stroked its chin. Feeling the familiar touch and hearing the familiar tone, Chuanchuan lifted its chin slightly and relaxed.
“I’m glad I have you with me. Here, you’re all I have.” As she said this, Sang Luoluo felt a pang of sadness. She wondered how her family from three hundred years ago was doing. What happened to everyone after that meteor shower? Did any of her family members manage to survive by chance?
Walking into the mansion in her Space, she thought of it as her mobile home. She never expected that such a large crystal core could unlock the entire villa.
The mansion had two spacious floors, each with numerous rooms capable of storing plenty of items. There were several large beds alone. Each floor was equipped with a full set of sofas, a 100-inch TV, air conditioning, storage batteries, speakers, a refrigerator, a washing machine, and more. There was also a large walk-in closet filled with her everyday fashionable clothes, stylish outfits, and various work clothes for farming.
There was also an extra-large kitchen connected to the villa. Back then, in order to cook all kinds of food in the Space, she had equipped it with everything—microwave, gas stove, oven, cooking range, induction cooker, steamers, woks—all the necessary tools were there. She had personally designed and decorated it to be the most complete kitchen possible. The cabinets were filled with her collection of various pots, pans, bowls, and utensils. Some were bought simply because she liked them, while others were purchased during her travels just because they looked nice—purely driven by her collecting obsession.
Unfortunately, she usually stored everything in the Stasis Zone of the Space. The kitchen was only used when cooking. Even the refrigerator, where she occasionally stored a batch of cold drinks, was only used temporarily. Once the drinks were chilled, she would immediately transfer them to the Stasis Zone for permanent preservation, without worrying about spoilage.
But having all the cooking tools was useless without ingredients.
This time, unlocking the villa didn’t mean there was no food at all. The refrigerator contained a freshly made batch of cold drinks, fruit teas, and ice cream that she hadn’t yet moved to the Stasis Zone.
In the yard, there were edible trees she had planted—sour jujube, locust, and poplar trees, the latter specifically chosen for their edible catkins. There were also a dozen or so sparse osmanthus trees, a bamboo grove with edible bamboo shoots already sprouting, and some non-edible ornamental plants like magnolias, wisteria trellises, maple trees, crabapples, and cherry blossoms.
Chuanchuan took some time to adjust in its owner’s arms before gradually settling down.
Sang Luoluo planned to rest in the Space that night. With a bed available, she no longer had to sleep on wooden planks or in potato fields.
She flashed out of the Space and took advantage of the lighter rain to head back.
She left Chuanchuan in the Space, as the outside was filled with acid rain, making it unsuitable for the pet to come out.
Tapping her way back with a small wooden stick, she noticed more and more Mutated Animals in the water, struggling and flailing as they were swept toward low-lying areas.
She quickened her pace. If the rain grew heavier, the journey would become much more difficult.
A Mutated Animal was swept toward her by the current. She pushed it aside with her stick, avoiding it.
After half an hour of walking, the rain intensified again.
She heard the roar of engines approaching from behind.
It was a convoy from the Base. Why would a Base convoy be heading out at this time?
But now, the convoy had encountered heavy rain. The vehicles were moving slowly, with water already submerging the tires. Two of the trucks had stalled.
A few people in raincoats got out and began pushing the vehicles from behind.
Sang Luoluo’s heart sank—she had run into the Base’s Guard Corps.
Two of them were wearing waterproof armor, exerting force from behind. Moments later, the vehicles restarted and were able to move again.
Sang Luoluo, being out alone in such a heavy storm, was highly unusual. Who from the Shantytown would venture out in such torrential rain? Heavy rain could easily sweep someone away, and encountering Mutated Animals would be extremely dangerous.
Seeing how the convoy’s trucks were relatively unaffected by the water, while walking back would take her at least two hours, she decided to wave at the trucks.
The lead truck stopped, and someone glanced at her through the window. "Why are you out in such heavy rain?"
Sang Luoluo replied, "I came out to look for food. Now that the rain has gotten heavier, could you give me a ride back to the Base? I can pay for the trip."
Seeing him look over, Sang Luoluo told the truth: "There are too many mutated animals in the water. It… it would take me a long time to walk back."
The driver was a young man who said, "Get in. Two credits to go back."
Sang Luoluo nodded and immediately transferred two credits to him. The young man motioned for her to go to the back compartment and pressed a button in the control room, opening a door at the rear of the vehicle.
The compartment door suddenly opened. Everyone in the convoy was wearing a mic and had heard the young man's words. Watching Sang Luoluo struggle to climb in from the back, they saw she wasn't afraid even after seeing a whole compartment of people, and she found a corner to sit in by herself.
Someone teased, "He Fei, are you that desperate for money? Stopping in this heavy rain for just two credits—what if the vehicle stalls again?"
He Fei laughed through the mic, "Why not earn credits when you can? Two credits, that's half a nutrient solution right there."