There was shock, and there was also envy.
The Chuanchuan noticed something was wrong and started barking in one direction.
The three of them immediately looked over warily, but didn't react. The little Chuanchuan but not daring to approach.
Qi Feng told the two of them to step back, then stepped forward a few paces, parted the grass, and saw a mutated squirrel twice the size of its normal size crawling back and forth on a tree trunk. It was because Chuanchuan had discovered it that it had been so startled.
The mutated squirrel clearly spotted them, bared its fierce fangs, and sprinted down from the tree, pouncing towards Chuanchuan.
When Chuanchuan saw the other party rushing towards it, it was so frightened that it quickly retreated. Qi Feng fired several shots in succession, killing the mutated squirrel.
Sang Luoluo discovered several points of attraction nearby, all concentrated in the trunk of a large tree, suggesting there was more than one Crystal Core there.
Sang Luoluo pointed to the large tree in front of her, "There are Crystal Core inside the trunk."
Sang Luoluo took out the chainsaw she had been using for work these past few days. She started the chainsaw and began chopping at the base of the tree trunk. The tree had already lost all its leaves, and a bunch of things were gushing out of the trunk with a whooshing sound.
These were all winter food collected by the mutated squirrel earlier. There were corn kernels the size of a finger, as well as various nuts, mutated peanuts, and mutated walnuts. Qi Feng was busy testing whether the food was edible, while Sang Luoluo decisively pulled out eight Crystal Core the size of pebbles. They were red, brown, and green. Sang Yunpu had never seen so many Crystal Core before.
Sang Luoluo held it in her hand, and it was instantly absorbed.
Sang Yunpu asked eagerly, "What changes have occurred?"
"The spatial area has expanded slightly. The energy of these Crystal Core is still too low."
Of course, I can't tell the truth. This pile of Crystal Core just now unlocked more than ten acres of land.
The gains from this trip have been enormous.
The Chuanchuan burrowed into the tree trunk, and at the other end, it pulled out a Crystal Core, about the size of a peanut, pale yellow, and placed it in Sang Luoluo's hand.
Sang Luoluo the dog into her spatial storage, then reached out and ruffled the Chuanchuan's head. "Well done."
Here, Qi Feng tested all the food he had sifted out, and only found one piece of edible food with moderate radiation inside a thick-shelled walnut; the rest were all highly radioactive.
Qi Feng didn't leave the squirrel's carcass untouched either; he skinned it, removed its claws, fur, and teeth, and took them back to exchange for some supplies.
Chuanchuan led the way, Qi Feng walked ahead, and Sang Yunpu followed behind, each holding a laser gun, ready to fire at the slightest sign of trouble.
Chuanchuan lunged in one direction and immediately let out a sharp bark. Sang Luoluo rushed over anxiously.
Qi Feng had already gone over there. He parted the dry grass and found that Chuanchuan had jumped out and landed on a large spider web, where it was entangled.
Qi Feng couldn't help but chuckle.
"What's wrong?"
Sang Luoluo ran over.
Sang Yunpu followed as well.
Qi Feng gestured for them to see for themselves.
Sang Luoluo: "..."
Sang Yunpu was speechless. "Idiot!"
As they spoke, they helped Qi Feng pull the dog out and clean the spider webs off its body.
Sang Luoluo discovered a familiar attraction again, in several places just two meters underground.
"I've found... Crystal Core again." There are so many Crystal Core this time! I've never been this lucky before.
Sang Luoluo took out an excavator, went up herself, marked several locations, and then started digging.
"Woof woof woof~"
The Chuanchuan started chirping at the spot that had been dug out of the ground.
Qi Feng immediately looked over and fired several shots, accurately killing two giant mutated rats.
I accidentally dug up a mouse hole.
I also dug up an earthworm, but unfortunately it was highly radioactive and useless.
After digging out several areas around her, Sang Luoluo pulled out more than a dozen Crystal Core.
"Are wristwatches this powerful now? They can even detect things underground." Sang Yunpu exclaimed in surprise.
A gust of wind blew by, Qi Feng sensed something was wrong. He said, "Let's retreat. That's enough for today. I feel something's not right."
Sang Luoluo quickly took out the car, and the three of them got in. Qi Feng immediately sped up and drove towards the base. In no time, a dense swarm of mutated rats darted out from the dry grass in the distance, sniffing around and looking at something.
The Chuanchuan wanted to bark, but Sang Luoluo covered its mouth, "Shh."
"Mmm~" Chuanchuan whimpered and then stopped barking, obediently lying on the car seat.
As Qi Feng drove, he said, "The outside environment has changed too much. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be so many mutated rats on the outskirts. Normally, the base would have already sent out the Guard to wipe them out. But now there are so many mutated rats. I'm afraid the base knows about it, but hasn't taken any action."
Sang Yunpu immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. "So many mutated animals survived the meteor shower; in fact, their numbers are increasing. If even the mutated animals have nowhere to live, won't they attack the base? I remember something like that happened at the base a few years ago."
Sang Luoluo listened from the side, but she seemed to have no recollection of it.
Qi Feng said, "If you remember correctly, that possibility cannot be ruled out. Those mutated animals are very intelligent, like the mutated rats; they might dig burrows, making them difficult to defend against."
"Doesn't the base have a way to deal with this?" Sang Luoluo asked.
"Yes, but only to a limited extent. The base's weapons and equipment can hold out for a while, but this year is special. A meteor shower has occurred, food is scarce, and the base has been damaged. It's hard to say whether something unexpected will happen."
Qi Feng continued, "Don't go out for now. You two should train more at home when you have time. Even the outer perimeter isn't safe anymore."
They returned to base close to dark, exhausted after a busy day.
I gave Qi Feng potatoes so he could go home and rest early; that would be the end of his workday.
Back home, Sang Luoluo took a nice bath. For some reason, she felt very unsafe. It seemed that the mutated animals outside could come in at any time, and the lab had been very busy lately, with more activity from the Guard.
All of this suggests that this winter may not be easy.
As night fell, the temperature plummeted, suddenly reaching minus twenty degrees Celsius. A thick layer of frost had formed on the windows, obscuring the view outside.
The indoor temperature is okay, but the battery consumption is a bit high. Sang Luoluo found the batteries she stockpiled before very useful, and she wished she had stockpiled more. Generating electricity in winter is also very difficult, with too many bad weather events.
For dinner, Sang Yunpu ate rice and stir-fried dishes. He learned to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried pork with chili peppers, and stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar.
Both of them were exhausted from a long day and starving, so they ate everything up.
He let out a loud burp.
The lab sent her a notification that it's getting colder these days, and she should wear more clothes to work.
Sang Luoluo replied to the notification, saying that sleeping in such a big bed was incredibly comfortable.
I slept until I naturally woke up.
I finished washing up early before heading to the lab.
Chuanchuan stayed at home, and followed Sang Yunpu wherever he went, wearing armor and not afraid of the cold at all.
There's still plenty of food in the fridge; the vegetables are all a bit wilted after being out all day.
It made him feel a little heartache, and he forgot to tell Sang Luoluo to put it away in her spatial storage.
Qi Feng arrived on time as usual. In the freezing cold, he sawed wood in the yard, used a machine to process the cut wood into planks, and then climbed up to the roof to start building the second floor. Sang Yunpu handed him wood from below. Another busy day had begun.
Sang Luoluo went to the laboratory in her wheelchair. The temperature had dropped sharply last night, and she saw that some people had chosen to stay in the lab instead of going home. She accidentally saw someone else's bedding roll.
this...
Soon, Sang Luoluo understood why they were doing this.
In the afternoon, it started hailing outside. Hailstones the size of fists were pounding down. It was only because the laboratory was built so solidly that it wasn't easily damaged.
Sang Luoluo was worried about her family and sent a message to Sang Yunpu through her wristwatch.
[Brother, how's things at home? I'm at the lab, but the hail is too heavy for me to go back.]
Sang Yunpu replied quickly: [Rooftop image. jpg]
Sang Yunpu: [A whole morning's work wasted]
Sang Yunpu: [You don't need to rush back. Take good care of yourself in the lab.]
Sang Luoluo: [OK]
It was broad daylight, but the sky outside was a hazy gray, so dark it was unsettling.
The hailstones shrank, but they didn't stop.
The watch kept displaying warnings, urging everyone to stay indoors and avoid going out, as the hail was expected to continue.
Evening was approaching, and the hail was still falling outside. I felt helpless, wondering when this would ever end.
Since none of the lab members could go back, they simply decided not to. Those who didn't bring bedding rolls had to make do by lying on stools in their usual clothes.
When it's time to go to work, I start working.
Sang Luoluo took out the single tent she had just packed up yesterday, sat down in it, and had her own private space without having to gather with others.
For dinner, everyone received the same nutrient solution. The lab has food reserves, and we can give everyone a bottle of water and nutrient solution, along with dried vegetables.
Sang Luoluo didn't want to eat the stuff the lab gave her, and she couldn't eat anything with a strong smell here either. So she hid in the tent, drank a glass of milk, and ate a hot steamed bun.