Sealing the Air-Raid Shelter Level's Exit
The underground mine was a place of mystery and danger.
Even before the Wasteland emerged, miners had dug relentlessly here, reaching depths of several thousand meters. Its tunnels twisted and branched so extensively that anyone who entered was almost certain to get lost.
Old mining hazards were only part of the danger. Since the Wasteland emerged, plant traps and well-camouflaged underground predators had appeared. Hot springs and flowing lava made passage even harder. One wrong step could leave no trace of a person behind.
The Moss Hut Shelter stood within the mine.
Inside, someone had carefully arranged luminous moss and glowing mushrooms to light the rooms.
A figure knelt on the floor, staring intently at a rough animal hide spread before him. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
A pack of Golden Fleece Cigarettes sat in the center of the hide, with the corpse of an unidentified creature at each corner.
An eyeless fish, a big-eared rat, a long-legged spider, and a red-skinned bat.
A trail of blood ran from each creature toward the center of the hide. Something seemed to obstruct its path, forcing it into twists and turns until it formed two blurred characters.
—Fish Abyss.
The instant those characters appeared, the kneeling figure's eyes flashed. His smile spread all the way to his eyes.
"Just as I thought. Fish Abyss again. I knew there was more to that guy." Xiao Wu licked his lips, smiling like a hunter who had found his prey.
"Is this the third time or the fourth? He's traded more than forty packs of cigarettes in just three days. The supplies he has must be substantial..." Greed flashed in Xiao Wu's eyes, but reason quickly suppressed it, leaving him looking thoughtful.
"No. There's something strange about him. His Hideout jumped 501 places in the rankings after just one day in the Wasteland. He may have unlocked a Special Path like I did. I need to be careful. Better let someone else test him first."
"Too bad Cigar's so cautious. He still hasn't made a move..." Xiao Wu casually picked up the eyeless fish and tore into it.
The fish tasted as good as fatty tuna. Xiao Wu narrowed his eyes in pleasure.
"At least those others are testing him. Once the Beginner Protection Period ends, I should have a fair idea of what the Fish Abyss Shelter is hiding..." Xiao Wu's brow furrowed again.
"And there's Raging Whale. He's ruined my plans several times, but he's so slippery I can't pin him down... I need to find a way..."
At 8:34 p.m., Yu Yuan finally returned to his Hideout after taking a long detour. He dropped his backpack, hurried to the ladder exit of the Air-Raid Shelter Level, and began sealing it.
He covered the exit with the truck tarp, then fitted the bed boards he had cut earlier into the opening.
With the exit largely covered, he went back to the Hideout for a bucket of water. He mixed the Quick-Drying Cement in the right proportions, then used it to seal and fill the remaining gaps.
The Quick-Drying Cement set fast. Yu Yuan had only fifteen to twenty minutes to work with it.
Fortunately, he had already practiced once, and this time everything went smoothly.
After smoothing on the last bit of cement and carefully checking every gap, he finally let out a long breath.
He had done all he could. Whatever came next, he would deal with it.
He had brought blast-resistant sandbags back from Phoenix Tree Apartments. He kept more than twenty to weigh down the bed boards over the exit and stacked the remaining dozen or so bags in front of the Security door.
"It's already past nine. The Typhoon will be here in six hours... I hope this holds." Despite all his preparations, Yu Yuan still felt uneasy.
He had seen how dangerous the rioters' battlefield was at a [Medium] Danger Level. He did not dare underestimate a Typhoon rated [High].
"No. I need to reinforce the Hideout's facilities too."
Yu Yuan stepped inside. The Kerry Hill Sheep came over and bleated at him without stopping.
Then he saw that it had eaten every blade of grass on the floor and left little round pellets all over it.
Yu Yuan's head throbbed.
He already had more than enough to deal with, and now he had to look after this demanding creature too.
But he had no choice. With every exit sealed, the sheep was his only hope of staying alive.
He had thought that if he could capture an injured female prisoner at the Land Hotel, he might be able to get rid of the Lust Card.
Instead, he had seen only one living person, and that person was bald.
He glanced helplessly at the fire pit he had built for the occasion.
"What a waste!"
He opened Taotao Cave and discovered that, perhaps because he had repeatedly traded cigarettes for grass, others had started listing grass there.
Some still asked for one cigarette in exchange for three kilograms, but others accepted Survival Points. Prices for three kilograms ranged from twenty to ten to five points. They had started undercutting one another.
After all, grass cost almost nothing. Anyone could cut a large bundle in two minutes, so any sale was profit.
Yu Yuan could not help laughing. That suited him just fine.
Naturally, he chose the cheapest offer. He spent 100 Survival Points on 45 kilograms, then stopped.
That would feed the Kerry Hill Sheep for a while.
After tidying the Hideout a little, Yu Yuan went to the fire pit and lit the wood. He took a stainless-steel pot he had collected earlier, filled it halfway at the Water Collector, and set it on a tripod to heat.
As he waited, he considered his next steps.
Upgrading the Hideout's facilities was the priority. He would improve whatever he could before the Typhoon arrived.
He opened the Virtual Light Screen and checked the construction requirements in the Facility Management Log.
He had completed seven facilities so far:
[Security Level 2—Stainless-Steel Floodproof Door] [Rest Area Level 1—Floor Bedding] [Bathroom Level 1—Wash Area] [Ventilation Level 1—Single-Pipe Ventilation] [Water Collector Level 1—Faucet] [Lighting Level 1—Candles] [Kitchen Level 1—Fire Pit]
The Hideout's information was much more detailed than when he had started.
[Fish Abyss Shelter] (Rank: 9,499th) Owner: Yu Yuan Area: 60 m² Safety Level: 6 Comfort Level: 4 Energy Level: 1 Defense Level: 0 Hygiene Level: 2
The Warehouse and Leisure Area had also become available for construction, but neither would offer any real help against the coming Typhoon.
He was interested in the Warehouse, and he did need somewhere to store supplies.
But this was not the time to build it.
"With the fire pit and faucet, I have heat for cooking and a water supply. Three waterproof barriers should be enough to handle the stormwater surging through the city's sewers. So why do I keep feeling like I've missed something...?"
Yu Yuan could not shake his unease.
"No, wait..." He froze. "The sewers?"