Due to the scarcity and high cost of N92 Fuel, it was impossible to equip every person going out with it. Therefore, researchers invented a spore collector using special materials and the shape principle of a vacuum cleaner.
If explorers encounter mutant attacks, they can kill the mutants, collect the spilled spores into a container, and then burn them at a designated shelter.
Lin Xi and Li Cheng were members of the exploration team sent by the shelter, but they lost contact with their teammates after the sandstorm.
After failing to find any clues or team members and running out of supplies, they decided to return to the shelter.
They had navigation and positioning devices, which enabled them to determine their direction of travel in the desolate desert.
As for their specific mission, they were unwilling to reveal too much, since Su Cheng was a complete stranger.
"It's a pity our signal device was damaged in the sandstorm, otherwise we could be communicating with the rest of the team right now," Lin Xi sighed.
"Although I don't know how you managed to burn the spores just now, since you're willing to come back with us, you'll definitely be able to reach a safer shelter using that skill."
There are both official and private shelters.
Private shelters are generally small in size and have limited supplies. They are mostly comprised of people who were expelled from official shelters for violating regulations.
Official shelters are classified according to their safety rating.
Level 1 shelters are touted as the safest shelters, but their locations have not been released, and they only accept important personnel such as researchers.
Level 2 shelters only accept children under 14 years old, and several are built in each of the four cardinal directions.
After the disaster, parents can send their children there, where they will be cared for and protected by official personnel.
Level 3 only accepts pregnant women. Because it is uncertain whether the pregnant woman will be able to give birth to a healthy baby safely, she needs to undergo a comprehensive examination and pay for some supplies.
The newborn child is then placed under official care, and the mother is required to leave after breastfeeding for three months.
Level 4 shelters are open to all ordinary people and are managed by leaders who are responsible for coordinating with leaders of other shelters.
The shelter where Lin Xi and Li Cheng were staying was a Level 4 official shelter.
"Which shelter are you in?" Li Cheng asked.
Su Cheng began to seriously prepare the background for her story. "Before the meteorite hit, I was in a vegetative state, lying in the basement of my backyard. Recently, my family went missing, and I suddenly woke up and went out."
When you're out and about, you provide your own identity information.
Anyway, those who listen don't believe her and can't find out if what she said is true or false.
"Is that so... No wonder you seemed to know nothing," Li Cheng said, suddenly realizing.
"You're actually very lucky to have survived until now. In the apocalypse, many people who used to rely on medical equipment are now facing even more severe difficulties." Lin Xi sighed deeply.
The three chatted casually.
After encountering another bandaged mutant, Lin Xi took care of it with a gun while Su Cheng burned the spores.
Su Cheng glanced at the fallen mutant corpse; after the spores left its body, the corpse rotted at an extremely fast rate.
The rotting flesh beneath the bandage softened and slumped down, causing even more pus to ooze out, making the bandage stick to the skin, damp and clinging to it.
Are all mutants like this?
Lin Xi: "Of course not. Being parasitized by spores will cause the entire body to ulcerate. In the early stages, when the animal is still conscious, it will be covered in bandages due to the pus discharge..."
"If the mutation is caused by pollutants in the light, then physical deformities will occur..." Li Cheng added, "That kind of deformity is terrifying; even if you cut it off, it will keep growing back."
Su Cheng nodded knowingly, "The appearance of these bandaged people in the desert, is it because of that place?"
She pointed to the greenery in the distance behind her.
"That's right." Lin Xi's voice lowered slightly, "This land used to be forests, but after it became desert, new plants suddenly grew."
"Spores will enter dormancy if they do not find a host within 24 hours, but will awaken immediately if a living organism approaches. Therefore, never approach green plants, even if it is not during the flowering and fruiting period."
Su Cheng nodded. If she hadn't run into Lin Xi and the other person, she would have been heading in that direction just now.
She was incredibly lucky; otherwise, being entangled by countless spores would have drained her energy considerably.
Knowing that Su Cheng had just recovered from a serious illness and knew nothing about the outside world, Lin Xi and the other person, out of gratitude for saving her life, told her a lot about the mutants.
Without realizing it, the two of them found themselves standing on either side of Su Cheng.
Lin Xi was the first to react, "Why do I feel like it's cooler standing next to you? I don't feel so stuffy anymore."
"I think so too. No wonder I found myself standing next to you without even realizing it." Li Cheng smiled a little embarrassedly and then moved a bit further away.
Su Cheng naturally knew it was because of the Ice Stone on her body, but she certainly couldn't say it outright. After thinking for a moment, she explained, "It's probably because I'm naturally cold-sensitive."
"Is that so..."
If it weren't for the masks, Lin Xi and Li Cheng would definitely have shown the same bewildered expression.
But then I thought, if the end of the world is possible, what else is impossible?
After walking for about half an hour, the three finally left the desert.
The yellow sand road underfoot gradually turned into mud.
The surroundings were quiet, and traces of human habitation were visible on the ground.
The collapsed utility pole stood in the middle of the road, and various debris and garbage were cleared into triangular piles.
The abandoned car was half sunk and half above the ground, a result of a sudden crack appearing in the ground and then closing.
The houses that collapsed long ago have been reduced to piles of bricks and stone slabs, and after being battered by wind and rain day and night, they have become useless ruins.
The route Lin Xi chose had been cleared by human intervention, and there were no plants in the area.
"We're almost at the shelter entrance." Li Cheng said excitedly.
Lin Xi looked up at the sky, and her initial joy turned to a heavy feeling as she saw large, dark clouds on the horizon.
Dark clouds mean rain, providing them with water, but they also mean plants will grow rapidly after being nourished.
The mutated plants grow faster, and with the help of rainwater, they can develop from seeds into seedlings, or even transition from the growth stage to the flowering and fruiting stage...
Lin Xi shook her head, forcing herself not to think about it anymore. All she could do was try her best to live.
The underground shelter was built in an open area, and the three-meter-high walls were enough to keep outsiders away.
There is a steel gate in the middle of the wall, and an information recognition device on the side.
After Lin Xi identified herself, she successfully communicated with the people in the shelter through the identification device. She told them everything about her experience during the trip and about Su Cheng.
The steel door opened by itself, and the three people entered one by one. The sensor beeped as each person passed through.
Lin Xi looked at Su Cheng and said slowly, "After entering the shelter, my recording device will be handed over. They will verify the situation of the flames burning the spores."
"If you truly possess special abilities, you will meet with leaders; if you have the opportunity to reach a higher-level shelter, never give it up."
Lin Xi's tone was filled with envy, longing, and sincerity. She knew her abilities weren't enough to enter a higher-level shelter, so she sincerely advised Su Cheng not to miss the opportunity.
Su Cheng nodded, but didn't say anything more. They would have to wait and see how things went. If they could trigger the Recovery Mission in this shelter, there would be no need to go to other places.
Upon entering, I realized that the area enclosed by the wall was much larger than I had imagined. Various facilities were placed on the open space, such as air purifiers and water collectors connected to the underground.
Above the entrance is a hemispherical shelter and an identification scanner.
Li Cheng couldn't wait to lean in and verify his identity.
Only after successful identity verification can you push open the hemispherical bunker and see the escalator leading down.
The three of them took turns entering a small rectangular elevator via the escalator. After their identities were verified again, the elevator began to descend.
After the elevator doors opened, there was a white-walled space resembling a corridor, with infrared beams in mid-air and shooting holes evenly distributed in the corners of the walls.
"This is a transitional space. People returning from outside need to take off their protective suits here. The infrared equipment will identify their body condition, and only those who are not contaminated can enter," Lin Xi explained.
The three people crossed the red line one by one, and the lights all turned green for each of them.
Lin Xi and Li Cheng visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
After passing through the infrared beam, there is a row of cubicles formed by two walls, which looks just like the fitting rooms in a clothing store.
Su Cheng entered a cubicle, where a clothes basket was right at her feet.
Because all that's needed is to remove the outer protective suit, and you still have your own underwear underneath, the cubicle is equipped with a camera.
Su Cheng took off her protective mask and threw it into the bin along with her white medical protective suit.
Her protective suit was noticeably easier to take off than Lin Xi's and the other person's. After leaving the cubicle, she waited a while before following them into the elevator at the end of the hall.
After recognizing the person, the elevator descended quickly, and this descent led to the actual living area inside the shelter.
Lin Xi smiled. "I'll take you to the office first. Even if the camera footage is faulty, the tidying assessment will be conducted in the office. But I don't think that's likely the case."
A note from the author:
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Chapter 101
The underground shelter has eight floors, with elevators connecting each floor, and the various areas and personnel have clearly defined roles.
There are quite a few elevators to facilitate movement up and down.
Before Su Cheng could observe the massive, meticulously crafted project any further, Lin Xi led her into the elevator.
The office is on the seventh floor.
The leader's residence and the upper floors of the shelter are located on the eighth floor.
Not everyone can take the elevator to the seventh or eighth floor.
"It's all because you're so special that I was able to gain the privilege of descending to the seventh level this time," Lin Xi said.
"Let me tell you more about who we're going to meet. There are currently 358 people in the shelter. Besides the leader, there are people who assist the leader in managing various matters; we call them team leaders."