She hit her head, and the sour jujubes in her pocket scattered all over the ground...

Only after walking for a full two and a half hours did she reach the woods. The storm had battered the weeds in every direction, and some leaves had already begun to corrode, developing blotches.

Just as she was about to arrive, the rain suddenly intensified, pounding her scalp until it tingled. She looked around, found no one nearby, and slipped into the potato field in her space.

She shook the rainwater off herself. The corrosive rain fell onto the soil in her space and was instantly absorbed, causing no adverse effects.

Two hours later, she went out to check. The downpour continued, but fortunately, the ground here was higher. The water flowed downhill into a river channel deep in the dense forest, somewhere she had never ventured.

She returned to her space and checked the weather forecast on her wristwatch. It indicated that the rain would ease somewhat in half an hour.

When she came out at the appointed time, the rain had indeed eased, though the drops were still bean-sized. She moved forward slowly, tapping the grass ahead with a wooden stick. The mutated animals had all taken cover. Things were a little better on this higher ground, but on her way here, she had often seen mutated animals floundering in the water. Seeing that they were too occupied to attack her for the moment, Sang Luoluo had quickened her pace and passed them.

At last, she reached the great tree, just as the rain stopped.

She took out her chainsaw and began cutting a slanted notch into the trunk at head height, then made another cut diagonally opposite it, slicing off a chunk of wood. The rain could not drown out the chainsaw at all. Repeating the process and slowly changing directions, she gradually hollowed out a large concavity in the middle of the trunk.

Sensing that the Crystal Core was inside one of her larger chunks of wood, she hurriedly put it away. She did not throw away the other pieces either, tossing them into the Stasis Zone in her space. These slices of wood served the same purpose as stones; at a critical moment, they could be used as weapons.

She slipped into her space and carefully split open the chunk of wood with the chainsaw. Inside was a pale yellow Crystal Core the size of a matchbox.

She loosened her grip and dropped it into the ground, where her space immediately absorbed it.

She sensed that the entire large villa in her space had been unlocked.

As soon as she approached, a snow-white figure lunged straight at her.

She crouched and gathered the figure into her arms, giving the dog a couple of rubs as she called out joyfully, "Chuanchuan!"

Chuanchuan was her family's dog. The name came from the fact that the dog, brought home from her grandmother's house, was said to be a cross between a toy poodle, a bichon frise, and a little white native dog. Besides, on the day they brought the dog home, the family happened to be eating grilled skewers at the farm. The dog was not picky either, eating several skewers for that first meal at her house.

Later, they grew so used to calling the dog Chuanchuan that no other name sounded good. Now just fully grown, the dog was about the size of a toy poodle, with white fur of uneven lengths, especially on the ears. When the dog ran, both ears flew up like two little pigtails.

Chuanchuan whined, wriggled free of her hands, and backed away two steps. "Woof, woof!"

Sang Luoluo had nearly forgotten that she had transmigrated and was no longer in her old body. This was bad. Would Chuanchuan fail to recognize her?

Sang Luoluo grew a little anxious. "Chuanchuan! I'm your owner! Don't you recognize me just because I changed bodies?"

Ever since they had brought the dog home, Sang Luoluo had thought Chuanchuan was quite clever, able to understand practically everything the family said. When she went out to the fields, the dog would run ahead to lead the way, then find somewhere to wait for her. When she went to sell vegetables, the dog would sit there watching the stall. Perhaps it was from drinking Spirit Spring water from her space for so long, or perhaps it was hybrid vigor, but Chuanchuan was smarter than ordinary little dogs.

"Chuanchuan! It's me!" Sang Luoluo spoke again.

Chuanchuan tilted a head at her, then sniffed toward her and took two steps closer, checking again and again.

Sang Luoluo pulled the dog over and rubbed that furry head. Seeing Chuanchuan tuck that tail in fear, she stroked beneath the dog's chin. Feeling the familiar touch and hearing the familiar tone, Chuanchuan lifted that chin slightly and relaxed.

"Thank goodness I have you with me. Here, you're all I have." Sang Luoluo felt a little sad as she said this. She had no idea how her family three hundred years ago was doing. What had happened to everyone after that meteor shower? Had her family been lucky enough to survive?

She walked into the large villa in her space. This was her mobile home. She had never expected that a Crystal Core of that size could unlock the entire villa.

The villa had two large floors, each with many rooms that could hold plenty of things. There were several large beds here alone. Each floor was equipped with a complete sofa set, a hundred-inch television, air conditioning, storage batteries, speakers, a refrigerator, a washing machine, and so on. There were also large walk-in closets containing all sorts of clothes she often wore, from fashionable outfits to clothes for the various kinds of farmwork.

An enormous kitchen was also connected to the villa. Back then, to make all sorts of food in her space, she had stocked every kind of kitchen equipment: a microwave, a gas stove, an oven, a cooking range, an induction cooker, steamers, and woks. She had fitted it out herself, modeling it on the most fully equipped kitchen possible. The cabinets also held the pots, bowls, ladles, and basins she had collected in various styles. Some she had ordered simply because she liked them; others she had bought after spotting attractive ones while traveling. It was purely her collecting habit at work.

Unfortunately, she usually kept her things in the Stasis Zone and only used this place when cooking. Even the refrigerator was only used occasionally to chill a batch of cold drinks she had made. Once chilled, they would go straight into the Stasis Zone, where they could be preserved forever without any worry of spoiling.

She had all the cooking tools, but no ingredients.

Unlocking the villa this time had not left her entirely without anything to eat. The refrigerator contained a fresh batch of cold drinks, along with fruit tea and ice cream bars, which she had not yet had time to put into the Stasis Zone.

There were also trees with edible parts planted in the yard: sour jujube trees, locust trees, and a variety of poplar she had specifically sought out, which produced edible poplar flowers. There were also a dozen or so scattered osmanthus trees and a bamboo grove where edible bamboo shoots had already emerged. Apart from those were inedible ornamental plants, including magnolias, a wisteria trellis, maples, crabapples, cherry blossoms, and so on.

Chuanchuan spent quite a while adjusting in her arms before gradually growing accustomed to her.

Sang Luoluo planned to rest in her space that night. There were beds here, so she no longer had to sleep on wooden planks or in the potato field.

She slipped out of her space and headed back while the rain was still light.

She left Chuanchuan in her space. Outside was nothing but acid rain, unsuitable for the dog.

Tapping her way back with her little wooden stick, she noticed more and more mutated animals in the water. They struggled and thrashed as the current swept them toward lower ground.

She quickened her pace. Once the rain grew heavier, walking would become difficult.

A mutated animal washed toward her with the current. She pushed it with her stick, diverting it away from her.

After she had walked for half an hour, the rain intensified again.

She heard the roar of engines behind her.

It was a convoy from the base. Why would a base convoy go out at a time like this?

But now the convoy had run straight into the downpour. The vehicles moved very slowly, with the water already above their tires, and two had stalled.

Several people in raincoats got out and pushed from behind.

Sang Luoluo's heart lurched. She had run into the base's Guard.

Two of them wore waterproof armor and pushed from behind. Moments later, the engines started again, and the vehicles could move once more.

It was strange for Sang Luoluo to be out alone during a torrential storm. Who from the shantytown would venture out in rain like this? If it grew heavier, they could easily be swept away. Even if that did not happen, encountering mutated animals would be dangerous.

She saw that the trucks' progress was not greatly affected by the water, while walking back herself would take at least two hours.

So she waved at the trucks.

The lead truck stopped. The person inside glanced at her through the window. "What are you doing out in rain this heavy?"

Sang Luoluo said, "I came out looking for food. Now the rain's gotten heavier. Could you give me a ride back to the base? I can pay."

Seeing him look over, Sang Luoluo told the truth. "There are too many mutated animals in the water. I... it'll take me ages to walk back."

The driver was a young man. "Get in. Two points for the ride back."

Sang Luoluo nodded and immediately transferred him two points. The young man motioned for her to go to the rear compartment, then reached out and pressed a button in the cab, opening a door at the back.

The rear door suddenly opened. Everyone in the convoy wore a microphone, so they had all heard what the young man had said. They watched Sang Luoluo laboriously climb in from the back. Even upon seeing a truckload of people, she was not afraid and found herself a corner to sit in.

Someone teased, "He Fei, have you gone money-crazy? Stopping in a downpour for two points? What if the truck stalls again?"

He Fei laughed over the microphone. "Why wouldn't I earn points when I can? Two points will get me half a tube of nutrient solution."

Chapter 9: She hit her head, and the sour jujubes in her pocket scattered all over the ground...

They often picked people up along the way. Everyone in the Guard did it, and whoever gave the ride kept the points earned. The base turned a blind eye to such things.

The Guard's wages were not high either. Ordinary members earned only 1,000 points a month, with extra bonuses when the haul was good. Even the captain and deputy captain earned only 1,500 points. It was hard-earned money.

After paying for food, clothing, daily necessities, and rent each month, they had little left. Whatever remained had to be saved for illness or other needs.

They were all eager to earn an extra two points. Unfortunately, opportunities like this were rare. Most shantytown residents struggled even to feed themselves, let alone spend points on a ride.

In a situation like today's, He Fei knew his buddies envied him when he heard their teasing. It just happened to be his turn to drive today, and by sheer coincidence, he had even landed a fare.

Not long after Sang Luoluo sat down, her gaze swept over the others in the compartment, and she spotted a familiar face: the Guard member who had killed that mantis. She had not expected to encounter them again today.

Her gaze swept over their armor, highly protective gear made from special materials. An energy indicator on the chest showed the remaining charge.

They were all sitting in the compartment now with their head coverings off, looking very tired.