Chapter 84
After organizing her Smart Bag, Su Cheng ate a single meal, watched TV for a while, and then washed up.
While lying in bed, I opened my phone and told her in the group chat that I planned to go to a dungeon the next day, spreading the spirit of "King of Rolls".
After putting down her phone, she quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Her biological clock still woke Su Cheng up at 6 a. m.
After getting up and tidying up, she put on sunglasses, opened the door, and walked towards the elevator lobby.
It was still early, and all four elevators were empty.
Su Cheng chose elevator number 1 and randomly pressed the button for the 6th floor.
"Bite"
The elevator doors opened.
After stepping into darkness, the surrounding environment suddenly changed to a dense forest.
It was very quiet around us; there were no birds chirping or insects buzzing.
The towering trees beside her stretched towards the sky, their branches and leaves blocking out the sun. Beams of light pierced through the gaps and fell to the ground, with tiny dust particles floating within the beams.
The air was chilly, and the breath exhaled formed a white mist in the air.
The system's mechanical tone sounded precisely on time:
Welcome to the normal instance: Civilization Rebuilding.
[Basic mission: Survive for 5 days. Completing the mission will earn you 500 points and allow you to return to your apartment.]
A cold wind swept by, Su Cheng, already bundled up in a thick down jacket, glanced down at her bracelet; the dungeon time was 3 PM.
It's afternoon but the temperature is cold. Does this instance seem to be set in winter? Or is the temperature itself abnormal?
Su Cheng scanned her surroundings, then glanced at the gloomy sky, still unsure of the weather conditions in this instance.
Her gaze fell on the large trees to the side. These trees were exceptionally tall and thick, comparable to three adults, each one looking as if it had been injected with growth hormones.
The grass blades on the ground were also exceptionally large, resembling ferns with dark green leaves, clear veins, and a height that reached Su Cheng's knees.
Several fat, red ladybugs crawled across the fern leaves.
"Can it grow this well even at such a low temperature?" Su Cheng asked, somewhat puzzled. "This ladybug is so fat, it's almost the size of three fingers."
She remembered that the ladybugs she had seen before were only about the size of a soybean.
The plants in this forest, and the insects that feed on them, all seem to be growing exceptionally well.
Su Cheng frowned, took out insect repellent spray and sprayed it all over herself, especially her legs and feet, spraying them with extra spray.
I wonder if the insects in this forest bite.
She took out her entrenching tool and walked towards the direction where the grass was sparse, clearing away any grass that blocked her way with the tool.
"What kind of dungeon is this?" Mu Ling floated out of the bracelet.
"It's a normal instance, but the plants are exceptionally tall. Other details are still unclear." After answering, Su Cheng took out Tribute from her bag, "This is for you."
"Food?!" Mu Ling was surprised for a moment, then immediately took it and put it in her mouth, her cheeks puffing out.
Since becoming a demon, human food has lost its appeal to Mu Ling, but the fragrance of the white candle is particularly special, just like the smell of food cooking when she was still human.
The white candle reminded Mu Ling of the satisfying feeling of eating delicious meals when she was still human, which brought her immense joy.
A 30-centimeter-long white candle was reduced to half its original size in just one minute.
Seeing her eat with such satisfaction, Su Cheng knew the Tribute were indeed effective; they were truly delicacies in the eyes of the supernatural.
But at the same time, Su Cheng was also a little curious. "Is it delicious? Besides the taste, will it bring you any other benefits?"
Mu Ling answered vaguely, "It tastes good, like a person eating their favorite food. As for the benefits, apart from the feeling of comfort in my soul, I don't seem to feel anything else."
Su Cheng nodded; it seemed to be just supernatural food.
I'll buy you some more next time.
"Good!"
After finishing her meal, Mu Ling put her bracelet back in and went to sleep. Su Cheng continued walking through the woods, searching for a suitable place to spend the night.
It took more than half an hour of walking before we finally saw a small wooden house in the distance.
This wooden house is clearly the work of human hands, with walls made of stacked wood. Two large trees that used for shade have been cut down and are now only half-cut off for use as firewood.
The weeds around the wooden house had been cleared away, leaving only scattered red and yellow withered leaves.
There was no sound coming from inside, indicating that no one was there at the moment.
Su Cheng carefully observed the ground and faintly saw a metallic object beneath the fallen leaves; it was probably something like a bear trap.
She avoided two or three small traps hidden among the fallen leaves and arrived at the door of the wooden house.
To prevent moisture damage, the wooden house has a gap of about 10 centimeters between its bottom and the ground.
Two wooden steps were built from the ground to the threshold.
Su Cheng stepped onto the wooden plank and pushed open the unlocked wooden door.
The interior was laid out clearly, as simple as a temporary dwelling, with only a wooden bed and a stone fireplace.
The quilt on the wooden bed was dusty and looked very old. The stone fireplace was crudely made, and there were two half-burnt sticks inside.
Su Cheng walked to the fireplace, bent down, and touched the end of the firewood stick. It was very cold, indicating that the homeowner had not visited that morning or the previous night.
The temperature dropped further and further over time, and she estimated that it was approaching minus five degrees Celsius, even though it wasn't dark yet.
If we wait any longer, it will probably get colder and colder.
Su Cheng tucked her slightly reddened face into her scarf and stuck three hand warmers inside her cotton coat to ward off the chill.
The insulation of a log cabin is limited, but it's definitely better than staying outdoors.
She planned to spend the night in the cabin.
If the owner of the cabin returns later, she can ask him about the specific situation of this world.
A note from the author:
A new dungeon has been released!
Chapter 84
Su Cheng took out an outdoor chair and placed it by the window of the wooden house.
The window was only about the size of two palms. The window frame was made of wood and rubber strips, and the window surface appeared to be a scrap of a large piece of glass, with wear and scratches on it.
By getting closer, you can observe the situation outside.
It was already dark outside, and all was quiet.
The owner of the cabin has still not returned.
After dark, the temperature drops rapidly.
Occasionally, a cold breeze would blow in through the cracks in the roof, causing the temperature inside to drop even further.
Su Cheng sat in the chair and felt that the knitted hat she was wearing was not warm enough, so she changed it into a felt hat with built-in ear flaps and a chin strap.
The black felt hat is thicker and covers the head, providing better insulation against the cold.
The scarf wrapped tightly around my neck prevented cold air from seeping into my clothes.
Su Cheng put her hands in her pockets and sensed the Smart Bag that had switched to her pockets.
[The Smart Bag has automatically switched states; users can change the state (capacity reaches 30 slots or more, and it is in a copy)]
Su Cheng was somewhat surprised and immediately tried out the new feature, switching to the large backpack.
With the backpack as a disguise, carrying various items would not arouse suspicion when interacting with indigenous people.
She and the Smart Bag are linked together, and only she can open it. If the distance exceeds 10 meters, it will switch to her body and return to its original form. No matter what form it takes, there is no need to worry about losing it.
The ability to switch modes at will, provided there is no loss of protection, is extremely convenient.
Su Cheng counted the hand warmers she brought in her bag; there were 47 left, more than enough for five nights.
Only hand warmers are consumables; other items such as clothes, hot water bottles, and heating blankets are reusable, so there's no need to worry about their consumption.
After confirming that she had enough warm clothing, Su Cheng felt relieved.
Looking up, I saw that the once clear glass window was now covered in frost.
It wasn't snowing outside, but the temperature plummeted.
It's getting colder and colder.
Su Cheng put on a mask; the mask filtered the cold air, so it wasn't too uncomfortable to inhale it into her nasal cavity.
On the first night in the instance, Su Cheng did not plan to close her eyes and go to sleep.
The weather in this instance world seems a bit unusual.
The temperature dropped too quickly in just a few hours; it changed every hour.
Even at 1 a. m., Su Cheng, fully bundled up, still felt cold. She took out a heated blanket and wrapped herself in it before she felt warm again.
The windows were covered with layers of frost, and you could vaguely see white dots flying by outside.
That wasn't snow, but dry snow crystals formed in extreme cold.
Midnight is the coldest time of day. Su Cheng was experiencing extremely cold weather for the first time. She estimated that the temperature inside the house was around -30°C, and it must be another 5°C lower outside.
Fortunately, Su Cheng had all the necessary warm clothing, so she stayed warm all over and it wasn't too bad.
She suddenly remembered the effects of the [Ice Stone], but unfortunately she didn't have the [Fire Stone]. She could only buy a substitute for a cold air conditioner, but not a hot one.
The temperature only began to rise gradually after 3 a. m.
As the temperature gradually rose, Su Cheng could no longer cover herself with the heating blanket.
This heated blanket is battery-powered; you can simply replace the batteries when they run out, so there's no need to worry about charging. It's convenient and practical.
As dawn broke on the horizon, Su Cheng became absolutely certain that something was wrong with the weather in this instance.
The temperature is still rising rapidly.
The frost on the windows melted, and a thick white fog rolled in outside, reducing visibility.
As the sun rose high in the sky, the collision of warm and cold air masses caused a sudden downpour!
"Swish swish swish"
Rain pelted the big trees and the wooden house.
The sun was not obscured by the clouds; in fact, the light was exceptionally bright.
Su Cheng dislikes this kind of sun shower weather the most; it's humid, stuffy, and hot.
She closed the door tightly to prevent the rain from soaking the inside.
This sun shower wouldn't last long, so Su Cheng wasn't worried about the house leaking.
A dozen minutes later, just as it had started, the rain stopped abruptly.
After the rain stopped, the fog dissipated somewhat.
Temperatures are still rising, already approaching 14°C.
"It really is a mix of hot and cold." Su Cheng frowned and tore off the heat pack stuck to her undershirt. She had a feeling that she would have to take off her cotton-padded coat soon.
Around 9 a. m., the temperature had reached a comfortable level for humans, between 26 and 28 degrees Celsius.
Su Cheng had already taken off her cotton-padded coat, trousers, hat, and scarf, and put on a light jacket and a summer short-sleeved shirt underneath.