As long as Shen Ying appears, she will know immediately and won't be caught off guard.
A note from the author:
The weather is getting colder, kids, please keep warm!
Chapter 88
Lu Heng and Song Tangqiu covered the wooden house with waterproof plastic sheeting, filled the gaps in the walls with cotton and other materials, and laid dry cardboard on the floor...
They all carried enough winter supplies, so as long as the cabins didn't leak air or water on a large scale, there wouldn't be a big problem.
Su Cheng returned to Laobo's shelter before the temperature dropped, still providing dinner as payment for the accommodation.
But Moya was unusually downcast today. Su Cheng asked her in detail and learned that Moya had smelled blood when she was drawing water from the river.
"Someone must be injured, and more than one person..."
Wild animals like wolves and bears have already seen their numbers drastically reduced after extreme weather events. Since they are not animals that have left the forest, the ones causing harm are most likely humans themselves.
Su Cheng remembered what Lu Heng had said about seeing Shen Ying slaughtering indigenous people again.
After thinking for a moment, she still subtly reminded Laobo and Moya to be wary of outsiders while they were at the dinner table.
She wasn't sure if other apartment owners would enter this instance afterward; some might be more peaceful, while others might be more violent.
Laobo and Moya understood what Su Cheng meant. They were unaware of the apartment's existence, but ten years of survival in the apocalypse had made them far from being simple-minded.
"Don't worry, after Lili left, I'll never misjudge anyone again," Laobo said solemnly.
"Thank you for reminding me. I will definitely be more careful when I go out in the future," Moya replied gently.
Seeing that they had all listened to her and hadn't taken her words lightly, Su Cheng nodded and finished her bowl of hot soup.
Today, Moya's homemade trap caught two small fish from the river. After adding them to the soup with seasonings, the mushroom and fern soup became even more flavorful.
Su Cheng isn't a picky eater; as long as it's not absolutely awful, she can eat it, especially since Moya's cooking is indeed quite good.
After dinner, Su Cheng sat in front of the fireplace, listening to Moya recount various stories that had happened during the apocalypse... Through language, she saw a world that was even more real and arduous than any apocalyptic movie could portray.
In the early hours of the morning, a heavy rain began to fall, but it didn't last long. It didn't even wake the Laobo were fast asleep after taking their medication.
As dawn broke, Su Cheng crawled out of the shelter and discovered that a large patch of new grass had grown on the open ground next to the cement slab.
Green water droplets still lingered on the trees and grass.
The rain that fell last night was the green rain that Laobo once spoke of.
"It seems that we can't just boil the water and drink it for the next three days."
After Laobo crawled out of the shelter, he went back to tell Moya what had happened, and when he came out again, he had a sickle on his back.
Overnight, the originally withered and small trees grew nearly five meters tall after being nourished.
The path leading into the forest, worn smooth by countless footsteps, was also overrun by ferns.
If you're not familiar with the forest, you'll definitely lose sight of the familiar path because of the haphazardly growing vegetation.
Laobo and Su Cheng each put on raincoats and used sickles to clear the road again.
As he approached the cabin, Laobo began to cut down trees. Ferns were inedible due to their high chlorophyll content, so he didn't need to gather food today but instead cut down the trees that were in his way.
"This green rain works better than any ripening fertilizer; this tree was as tall as me yesterday," Laobo muttered to himself.
Su Cheng's mind was sparked by his words. Wait, fertilizer for ripening?
She quickly asked, "Do you have tools to collect green rain?"
Laobo was puzzled as to why Su Cheng had suddenly become interested in Green Rain, but he still said seriously, " Moya has a habit of collecting rainwater. If you run back quickly, you might be able to get a large bucket of Green Rain from her water collection tool."
"OK, thanks."
After thanking her, Su Cheng dashed off towards the shelter.
Her speed surprised Laobo behind her, who remarked that she had the potential to become an athlete.
Su Cheng arrived before Moya emptied the green rain from the water collection tool.
Moya looked puzzled. "What do you need this for?"
Su Cheng happened to be thinking of asking, "Since Green Rain can ripen crops, why can't it be used on other crops?"
Moya shook her head regretfully, "We tried it years ago. Seeds watered with Green Rain grow quickly, but they taste incredibly bitter, even worse than bracken mushrooms."
"Is that so..." Su Cheng was still unwilling to give up the idea of collecting them.
She can take it to an auction house to have it appraised to see if it meets the requirements.
If the requirements are met, it means there is market demand, and you can sell it and earn points.
If it can no longer be treated as waste, there is no loss.
Thinking this through, Su Cheng decided not to collect too much, as the audience for this kind of rainwater might be limited, and she wanted to control the time and manpower costs she would spend.
After borrowing the water-collecting tools from Moya, Su Cheng placed them under the tree.
A punch to the tree trunk sent raindrops tumbling down, dripping into the bamboo tube – a quick and efficient method.
After pounding on more than twenty trees, Su Cheng's raincoat was covered with drops of green rain, and she collected a bucket of green rain.
After cleaning the water collection tools and placing them in the shelter, she returned to the cabin.
Laobo was chopping wood, and Lu Heng was chatting with him about the virus.
Song Tangqiu was repairing the leaky parts of the wooden house.
Upon seeing Su Cheng appear, Lu Heng walked over and handed her the potions that had been developed.
The effects of the five catties of poisonous mushrooms varied, but after Lu Heng extracted them, their effects doubled.
A total of 190ml of deadly poison and 200ml of hallucinogenic poison were extracted, each labeled and placed in a glass tube.
"Thank you." Su Cheng happily accepted it, planning to inject the poison into the empty needle later and then replenish it into the Thousand-Machine Umbrella.
When using the Thousand-Machine Umbrella in the future, switch between ammunition and poison needles as needed!
"I extracted some of your pills earlier, and I'll distribute them to you according to the prescribed ratio." Lu Heng then took out three glass bottles.
"The effects of the pills extracted from the green tablets remain the same, but the side effects are eliminated. It is particularly effective for people with amnesia, and can enhance memory in ordinary people, but continuous use for more than a week is not recommended."
"The extract from this white tablet is a pill that can repair emotional stress. I personally feel that if you are mentally attacked in a dungeon, you can take it after leaving the dungeon to speed up the recovery."
"The extract from the red tablet is a liquid that induces a state of unconsciousness; its effects are excellent when used in conjunction with hypnosis."
Two bottles, each containing 36 pills, and one bottle containing 300ml of liquid medicine.
The effects varied, but they weren't very useful for Su Cheng. She didn't need to improve her memory or repair her emotions, and she had never studied hypnosis.
But maybe someone else needs it, so trading it would be a good idea. Su Cheng took the medicine bottles and put them into her bag.
After the temperature rose, Laobo sought refuge in the shelter to cool off, leaving only three people in the cabin.
Su Cheng agreed to the request to protect Lu Heng and the other person, and simply took out an outdoor chair and lay down again.
Just as he was about to take out the Ice Stone, he saw that Lu Heng had already taken it out and put it on display, presumably also bought from the auction house.
With nothing else to do, the three of them decided to ask each other if they had the supplies they were looking for, and made a simple trade.
Su Cheng exchanged a Spirit Talisman for 100 bullets and shooting instructions from Lu Heng.
Lu Heng, amidst Song Tangqiu's envious and jealous gaze, carefully wrapped up the talisman. "I couldn't get this Spirit Talisman at the auction house, I didn't expect it to be sold by you. Contact me if you have any more, the more the merrier."
Song Tangqiu quickly raised her hand, "Don't forget me! Maybe I'll have the supplies you need next time! Don't forget me, sis!"
Su Cheng was amused by Song Tangqiu's exaggerated expression and tone, and nodded in agreement.
As long as someone can afford the supplies she wants and isn't on her blacklist, it doesn't matter who she trades with.
For two consecutive days, except for the evenings, Su Cheng spent most of her time with the two of them. She learned a great deal about gun shooting from Lu Heng.
Although she has the Thousand-Machine Umbrella instead of a gun, she is not opposed to learning another skill!
And once she learns to shoot, her dusty pistol will finally come in handy.
Shen Ying still hadn't appeared after two days, seemingly either having left through another exit of the forest or simply not finding them.
The anomaly only occurred on the day Su Cheng left the instance.
The first to notice something was wrong was Laobo, who was nearly bitten by a snake while collecting ferns. He quickly informed Su Cheng after realizing something was amiss.
"I haven't seen a snake on the outskirts of the forest in years, how could it suddenly appear here? This is strange, you and I need to find a safe place right away!"
"Go back and tell Moya not to go out and not to worry about me. I'll stay with them."
Seeing that he couldn't persuade Su Cheng, Laobo could only remind her and then quicken his pace to go back.
Lu Heng took out a pistol and a long stick. "Let's go take a look."
"Wait a minute, let me change my clothes and shoes first," Su Cheng said.
"If there are a lot of snakes, I'll have to change too," Song Tangqiu quickly agreed, rummaging through his bag for clothes.
Lu Heng looked at the two men and, without much thought, put down his gun and long stick.
Since everyone else is changing, he'll change too.
Once the three were fully prepared, they entered the forest.
As Laobo said, several snakes appeared on the ground and in the trees, some dark and some brightly colored, and they did not look like non-venomous species.
"Hiss"
"Hiss"
Slender, dark green snakes hung and coiled like vines on the branches, their necks raised and their tongues flicking at them.
"How come there are so many snakes?" Su Cheng keenly sensed something was wrong. She heard a slight rustling sound, and something was crawling towards them.
"Over here!"
Unsure of what was coming from, Su Cheng took out her bow and arrow and shot towards the bushes.
Seeing that it had been discovered, the "thing" that had been lurking in the grass finally peeked out.
It was a giant black python, 10 meters tall and wider than a barrel!