Chapter 1 Transmigration
"Brother, brother, wake up! There seems to be something outside my window."
Qin Ziwen, exhausted from moving all day, was woken up by the noise and was furious. "You're a 187cm athletic guy, what are you afraid of?!"
"It looks like a bat, a huge bat."
"A bat scared you like this?!"
Qin Ziwen reached for the light switch on the bedside table.
"Click, click."
He pressed the switch several times, but the room remained dark.
"Brother, it seems the power's out in the neighborhood. I couldn't turn on the light earlier."
Sitting up in bed, using the moonlight from the window, he glanced at his younger brother sitting beside him and muttered, "I'll see just how powerful this bat that scared you like this is. I'll beat it to a pulp and hang it by your bedside every day." He
went to the second bedroom. "Where's the bat? Why are you putting such a big poster on your window?"
"That's not a poster. I didn't put anything on my window." Qin Ziwu's voice trembled slightly.
Qin Ziwen: ?
He stared at the dark, wriggling thing on the windowpane, which
almost completely filled the 1.2 x 1.8 meters.
Moonlight streamed in, making its outline vaguely visible; it looked a bit like a bat. A huge question mark flashed through his mind, "Is that a bat?"
But that wasn't the point. The point was that his house, which he had just bought in the city center, had suddenly become a desolate forest house, with a river winding through the distance.
He pointed out the window, "Where's my whole city center?"
"Damn! Bro, your house's worthless now." Qin Ziwu finally realized that his attention had been completely focused on the thing, and he hadn't had time to observe the outside world. "Thump!
"
A loud noise came from the glass; the sound of their conversation had attracted its attention, and its claws began to pry at the window.
Qin Ziwen took a step back, hooking his left hand on the doorknob. "Go to the kitchen and get a knife, quick."
Qin Ziwu quickly ran to the kitchen and grabbed two cleavers.
Taking the knives from his brother, Qin Ziwen felt a little relieved.
After a brief standoff, the bat perched on the window suddenly spread its wings, instantly expanding two or three times its original size, and flapped its wings towards the forest behind it.
Even through the window, the "bag-like" sound of its strong, powerful wings flapping could be heard. Only
after the bat had flown far away did Qin Ziwen's tense body relax slightly, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
He returned to his bedroom, picked up his phone from beside his pillow, and unlocked the screen; the signal was zero in the upper right corner.
When he saw the scenery outside the window, although he had been mentally prepared, he still felt a moment of disorientation as the truth became clearer.
So, my neighborhood really has time-traveled?
"Whoosh—"
He pulled back the curtains of the master bedroom.
Under the night sky, the apartment buildings were bathed in the cold moonlight. Outside the neighborhood, in every direction, stretched a vast, endless black forest.
"Chirp, chirp~"
On the trees on both sides, colorful birds, unlike any native species to Earth, curiously watched the group of uninvited guests below.
Not far from the eight buildings, a number of residents gathered in an open space, the atmosphere heavy with tension.
A middle-aged man in a suit said in a deep voice, "I've tried many times, but the phone doesn't go through. There's no signal at all. Even going to the rooftop is the same. Besides, I've looked around from the rooftop, and all I see is forest."
An older woman said worriedly, "Will the government come to rescue us?" A
younger woman next to her pointed to the two suns in the sky: "I think it's a bit doubtful. It's hard to say if we're even still on Earth."
The boy in the gray tracksuit angrily blamed his companion, "It's all your fault! You insisted on inviting us to your house. Now look what happened, we've all time-traveled! How am I supposed to go back? My mom must be worried sick."
His companion, slightly taller, also looked grim in response to his companion's accusation. "How the hell should I know? Are you the only one with a mother? How could I have predicted this? Instead of blaming me, you should think about how to survive."
Qin Ziwen and his younger brother Qin Ziwu stood to the side, exchanging a glance.
Qin Ziwu whispered, "Brother, it's a good thing we time-traveled at night, your house is still there. If we had time-traveled during the day, you would not only lose your house, but you would also have to pay off the loan."
Qin Ziwen glanced at his younger brother, "Do you think you're being funny?"
Qin Ziwu gave an awkward smile, "It's already like this, so let's be optimistic, it can't get any worse anyway."
After waking up in the middle of the night, the two brothers didn't dare to sleep all night and accepted the fact that they had time-traveled. By dawn, the residents of the community had gradually noticed the abnormality, and some people were knocking on doors one by one.
Their Yujing Jiangcheng community had a total of 10 buildings, mostly low-rise residential buildings. The area that had been time-traveled covered the entire community, including the outer wall of the community, the south gate and the east gate, and a large iron gate on the north side that was usually closed and locked.
At the same time, the underground parking garage was also intact, and the entrance and exit of the parking garage was next to the east gate.
In addition, the time travel happened at night, and most of the residents were at home. Roughly speaking, there must have been at least one or two thousand people.
In the center of the crowd, a middle-aged man in a suit looked around and said, "Our water, electricity, and gas have all been cut off. You're probably in the same boat. Food in the refrigerator won't keep for long after the power goes out. To survive, I think we should unite and find a stable food source nearby."
A bald man in a short-sleeved shirt diagonally opposite him suddenly interjected, "There's a forest right next door. Do you think we'll lack food? I think you're just trying to seize power. I've seen plenty of people like you."
The middle-aged man in the suit remained expressionless. "I'm just suggesting, not forcing anyone. I'm looking for like-minded friends. Those willing to cooperate can try to survive together.
My name is Huang Tao, I live in Building 7, I studied freestyle fighting for a few years, and I enjoy hiking and camping. I have some experience with setting up camp and making fires."
Outside the crowd, an elderly woman surnamed Li, living on the second floor of Building 8, clapped her hands. "Oh dear, the power's out! The meat in the refrigerator will spoil. I need to smoke it up quickly."
With that, she hurriedly turned and left.
Many onlookers, alerted by the warning, immediately went home.
Others, unsure how to proceed, quickly asked neighbors who knew. Many people only know that smoked meat is made by grilling it over a fire, but they don't know exactly how long to grill it, how high to place the grill, whether to rub it with salt, or whether to dry-grill it directly.
Qin Ziwen nudged his younger brother with his elbow, "Come on, let's go take a look."
Qin Ziwu was shocked, "Brother, we usually order takeout, we don't have any meat at home."
Qin Ziwen: "Just because it's not available now doesn't mean it won't be available in the future."
Grandma Li was very enthusiastic. She answered everyone who came to ask her questions. Later, she even invited others to her home to demonstrate how to marinate meat.
"This smoked meat, the technique is actually simple, just remember to marinate, smoke, and store it. We used to rub it inside and out several times with coarse salt, then press out the blood with stones, and then smoke it. Remember not to roast it directly over a fire; you have to use damp wood or sawdust—something that produces smoke but not fire—to slowly simmer it, hanging the meat to dry gradually. When the meat turns a deep red, feels firm to the touch, and is light in your hand, it's smoked enough."
"No salt? You can smoke it directly too. Cut the meat thinly, don't leave large pieces, cut it into thin strips, hang it up, and smoke it slowly. This way it will last a little longer, but without salt, it won't last very long."
Grandma Li's husband, in his wheelchair, went to the sink to wash some fruit and distributed it to the neighbors who came in.
Some ate it directly, while others put it in their pockets.
"Thank you." Qin Ziwen accepted the apple with both hands.
The old woman smiled kindly at Qin Ziwen, then handed Qin Ziwu an apple, which Qin Ziwu quickly accepted.
Grandma Li finished marinating the meat and shared many food preservation tips with her neighbors.
She used to live in the countryside, but after her husband broke his leg, life there became inconvenient, so her son, after their divorce, simply brought the elderly couple to live with him.
"Where's your son?" someone asked.
Grandma Li smiled and said, "He was on night shift yesterday, he's not home."
Many people in the house felt a chill, and the atmosphere in the room seemed to subtly change.
Qin Ziwen left with his younger brother.
"Crunch."
On the stairs, Qin Ziwu took a big bite, smacked his lips, and savored the taste, somewhat regretfully, "This apple is really sweet, I guess I'll have a hard time getting one like this again."
Back home, Qin Ziwen began to take stock of the house.
Actually, he had already tidied up the night before.
The household appliances were basically just for decoration now; the tables and chairs were still usable for the time being. There wasn't much food, just a box of small breads that had just arrived by express delivery the day before yesterday, a box of White Oak Turkey Noodles, half a can of protein powder in the cupboard, and half a bucket of water under the water dispenser.
Inside the drawer was a bottle of unused glue, two large buckets, a solid wood clothesline, several pieces of clothing and bedding rope, two kitchen knives, a fruit knife, and a pair of scissors.
"Some of them have gone out," the younger brother, standing by the window, pointed outside.
Outside the compound wall, a dozen adults were cautiously exploring.
The surrounding trees were sparse, about several dozen steps away.
"Ah!"
A gasp rang out from the crowd below.
Someone pointed ahead.
Faintly, Qin Ziwen heard, "Snake." "A huge snake."
Not far from the group, the grass rippled, and a dark green snake, thicker than a sewer pipe, fled in fright.
From the angle of the building, the snake was at least five or six meters long.
Qin Ziwu raised an eyebrow. "Brother, this snake could probably swallow a person whole."
Qin Ziwen's expression was grave. "A snake that long could eat a person. I have a feeling the animals around here are all quite large; we need to be careful."
The group below, after encountering the large snake, fell silent, a group of them exchanging words.
A moment later, the group dispersed, and three people turned back to the residential area.
Qin Ziwen took the blade of a fruit knife, then used a kitchen knife to sharpen it on the top of the clothesline and cut a groove to insert the blade.
He wrapped the joint with rope, dripped glue into the gap, and after the glue dried, wrapped another layer of rope around it.
This made a simple spear. He adjusted it several times to make sure it wouldn't come loose easily.
"Put it on." Qin Ziwen tossed a long-sleeved winter jacket to his younger brother. They were about the same height and build, so their clothes were basically interchangeable. Before
leaving, Qin Ziwen made sure to wear thick, high-heeled winter boots, a leather jacket and trousers, and tucked his thermal underwear into thick cotton socks, making sure it was completely covered.
After going downstairs, the two headed straight for the south gate.
In the open space in front of the south gate, people were scattered in twos and threes, mostly in family groups, somewhat like a team channel in a game. Teams with strong, adult men were more popular.
"Hey, Xiao Qin, come here." A woman waved to Qin Ziwen from a distance.
"Sister Wang?" Qin Ziwen didn't expect to run into his department head, Wang Juan, here.
Next to Wang Juan was her husband, whom Qin Ziwen had seen a few times. There was also a slightly younger woman wearing glasses, who was secretly sizing up Qin Ziwu.
"Xiao Qin, what's going on? The company had a project progress meeting today, and now everything's delayed!" Wang Juan sighed.
Qin Ziwu glanced at her, somewhat annoyed. Who does she think she is, calling my brother "Xiao Qin" like that?
The woman with glasses said, "Anyway, there aren't two suns on Earth, so we probably can't go back."
Wang Juan smiled and said, "You, and your brother, perfect, team up with my husband. More people means more safety. You men are stronger, so you can scout and provide cover."
She continued, "My sister is a nurse and has first aid training, so she can be in charge of logistics. We're just short two strong men, so you can come with us; it'll be more efficient."
Qin Ziwen's lips twitched, and he laughed angrily, saying calmly, "We have our own plans, so we won't trouble Sister Wang." He
then turned and left.
"Hey, wait a minute! Young people, how can you have no team spirit? What kind of time is this? What can you accomplish by going it alone? There are three of us, and two of you."
Qin Ziwen didn't respond anymore. Encountering such an oddball so early in the morning was unlucky.
He still thought he was at the company.
Watching their retreating figures, Wang Juan's husband frowned in displeasure: "Why is your subordinate so disobedient? She has no sense of the bigger picture."
After they'd walked a distance, Qin Ziwu complained, "Brother, your boss... does she still think she's in the company?"
"Maybe some people are just used to being bosses."
Descending a short flight of stairs to the south gate, Qin Ziwen stopped. The visual impact was striking.
One glass door was broken, while the other was wide open. Inside was a smooth floor, and outside lay a desolate wasteland overgrown with weeds.
Large patches of knee-high weeds grew haphazardly, and further on, a vast, lush forest stretched out. Several birds flew overhead.
Chapter 2 Daily Settlement
Qin Ziwen swept the clothesline pole in his hand through the grass a few times, silencing the chirping of insects.
Stepping out the gate, Qin Ziwu followed behind. "Brother, which way do we go?"
Qin Ziwen surveyed the surroundings first. Although the riverside might have more resources, to be on the safe side, "Let's look around nearby first, don't stray too far from the community."
Qin Ziwu, following behind, spotted something interesting, pointing to a large, green grasshopper crawling on a broad leaf not far away. "Is that a grasshopper? It's almost the size of my palm."
Qin Ziwen looked in the direction of the voice: "These things look really good roasted, the protein content is sixteen times that of beef."
"Then I'll catch one and try it." Qin Ziwu tiptoed closer, but before he had taken two steps, the grasshopper leaped and darted into the grass further back. Qin Ziwu ran after it, and the grasshopper disappeared into the depths of the grass with a few more leaps.
To avoid being bitten by snakes, Qin Ziwen walked slowly, sweeping the clothesline pole across the path every two steps.
A rustling sound came from beneath their feet, and a small, yellowish-brown creature darted past.
Qin Ziwen gave chase, but the bushes and weeds were too dense, and he lost track of it after only a few steps.
Qin Ziwu also spotted a similar small, yellowish-brown creature, but it was too agile to catch. "These things are too nimble,"
Qin Ziwen said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "They look a bit like mice; we'll have to set a trap. Let's look for fruit trees first."
The sun slowly rose, baking the surrounding vegetation with a faint, grassy fragrance, and the air grew increasingly hot.
Qin Ziwen and his brother had already walked around the neighborhood once, and more and more families were searching the area like them.
"Xiaowu, come and take a look. Are these mulberries?" Qin Ziwen looked up, pointing to the tree in front of them.
Qin Ziwu was certain, "It's a mulberry tree. We used to pick mulberries on the mountain back home."
Qin Ziwen said, "Okay, then you climb the tree and pick some. I'll watch over it from below."
Qin Ziwu didn't say a word, obediently climbing the tree with his schoolbag on his back.
The mulberry tree they found was in a somewhat hidden location, nestled among several surrounding trees. At first, no one noticed it, but it wasn't far from the residential area. After picking for a short while, an old man passing by saw it and quickly went back to call for help.
"Okay!" The younger brother, Qin Ziwu, was full of energy, climbing the tree as nimbly as a monkey.
Qin Ziwen reminded him, "Be careful, don't climb too high."
The old man who had gone back to call for help brought four or five people with him.
Among the newcomers, an older woman with permed hair glanced at Qin Ziwen and said sarcastically, "There are mulberries over here. You two young men are being unethical, finding them without even saying anything, just secretly picking them here."
Qin Ziwen retorted without hesitation, "It's none of my business if you're slow to find them."
A thin old man next to the woman pointed at Qin Ziwen, "How can you talk like that, young man!"
A hint of impatience flashed in Qin Ziwen's eyes. He raised his spear and took a step closer, causing the group's arrogance to wane.
One of the young men quickly tried to deflect the question, "Buddy, that's not what my family meant. Mom, these things in the wild belong to whoever finds them first."
Perhaps intimidated by the "weapon" in Qin Ziwen's hand, the woman reluctantly looked away, her gaze falling on her daughter, "Zihan, you go pick them."
The high school-aged girl's eyes widened.
Me?
She glanced fearfully at the spear in Qin Ziwen's hand, clearly unwilling.
The older woman urged, "You brat, what are you standing here for? Just go! This older brother isn't unreasonable; would he bully you?"
The girl was speechless.
The older woman said to her daughter, "Besides, these mulberries don't last long. You have to eat them the same day you pick them, or they'll spoil the next day. How many can these two handsome guys eat? Hurry up." The girl
took a few hesitant steps forward, glancing timidly at Qin Ziwen.
Qin Ziwen ignored her.
The girl grew a little bolder, and wearing sweatpants, she hugged the tree trunk and slowly climbed up. The skinny old man went over and gave her a push.
At this moment, two more families arrived one after another.
Qin Ziwu jumped down from the tree and handed his schoolbag to his older brother, "The others are a bit harder to pick."
Qin Ziwen glanced at his younger brother's schoolbag, which was about half full.
This mulberry tree hadn't been picked much before; the fruit was plump and juicy, and Qin Ziwu had already searched the easy spots.
"Let's go."
They zipped up their bags, slung their schoolbags over their shoulders, and walked back.
"A crocodile!"
"Someone's been bitten by a crocodile!"
"There's a crocodile in this river!"
Shouts came from the riverbank not far away, someone crying for help.
Qin Ziwen and his younger brother exchanged a glance and walked towards the riverbank simultaneously.
When they were still dozens of meters away from the river, they heard the sound of churning water.
On the surface of the water, a huge crocodile was rolling around, splashing up large waves.
On the bank, a teenage girl was crying, "Dad! Please save my dad!"
Some people on the bank were carefully throwing stones at the crocodile, while others were hitting it with branches they had gathered.
After being attacked, the crocodile dragged the man away from the bank and swam towards deeper water, staining the water red with blood along the way. The man who had been bitten had stopped struggling, his legs dangling limply outside the river.
Qin Ziwu sighed, "What a huge crocodile! Probably at least four or five meters long. Luckily, I didn't go to the riverbank earlier; the animals here all seem quite large."
Qin Ziwen said in a low voice, "Have you forgotten about the bat from last night? Bats are usually social animals."
Hearing this, Qin Ziwu's scalp tingled. He thought of those scenes on TV where caves were teeming with bats; he couldn't even imagine them all being this size.
"Waaah!"
A girl on the bank knelt on the ground, sobbing, her mother hugging her.
An old man carrying a bucket shook his head on the bank, "Alas, this family is in trouble. The only male heir is gone."
Back home, Qin Ziwen emptied all the mulberries from his bag into an iron basin.
Having been picked for a while, the mulberries had softened.
He picked one up, smelled it, and tasted it slowly.
The taste had changed compared to when they were freshly picked.
Qin Ziwen frowned, "They spoiled so quickly."
He went outside, looking at the increasingly scorching sun.
Two suns, one on the left and one on the right, stood very close together, looking like two eyes hanging in the sky from a distance.
Gently wiping the moisture off the mulberries with tissue paper, Qin Ziwu selected the freshest and plump ones and spread them evenly on a cardboard sheet on the balcony.
Qin Ziwu squatted beside him, observing. "Brother, will this work?"
"Let's try it first. Dried mulberries have a longer shelf life, consider it an experiment."
Picking up the plate and looking at the remaining damaged and shriveled mulberries, Qin Ziwen gently wiped them with tissue paper, carefully picking out any impurities, and slowly chewed them.
The flesh was soft and juicy, with a slightly grainy texture, prominently sweet, and a perfectly balanced tartness.
The taste was quite good; he'd heard that these were rich in vitamins and could supplement many of the nutrients the body needed.
"Have some." He handed the plate to his younger brother.
Qin Ziwu took the plate, wiped off the dust, and popped it into his mouth. "Hmm, quite sweet."
It was too hot outside at noon, so Qin Ziwen didn't go out. He found a piece of paper and, based on his memory of the morning, drew a map on it.
In the middle was a residential area. About a hundred meters south of the residential area, a river
ran east to west. The river was shallow and calm, with exposed rocks visible in some areas. It was about a hundred or two meters wide. To the north, the terrain was higher, with mountains in the distance and dense forests surrounding the area. He
paused, thought for a moment, and then drew a small circle to the northwest of where he had found the mulberry tree.
Putting down his pen and paper, he felt sleepy; he hadn't slept much last night and had been up all night.
Qin Ziwen yawned, "I'm going to take a nap. It's too hot outside now, let's not go out to avoid heatstroke. We'll go out in the afternoon when it cools down." Qin Ziwu nodded
; his older brother had always been a good student, so listening to him was always a good idea.
The bed was a bit hot, so Qin Ziwen simply pulled the sheet off and spread it on the floor, quickly falling asleep.
When he woke up, it was already 4:40 PM. The temperature had dropped; the temperature difference between day and night was quite large here.
His phone battery was only 24% left; it would probably shut down automatically in a little while.
So he simply turned off his phone.
After waking his younger brother, Qin Ziwen went to the balcony. Looking down, he saw some residents setting up stalls under the trees in the community below, selling various items.
Some people were exchanging unwanted or surplus items from their homes.
Qin Ziwen squatted down and flipped the mulberries on the balcony to prevent them from sticking to the cardboard.
He wasn't sure if he could make dried fruit this way; he'd seen others do it this way in videos before.
Qin Ziwu leaned against the balcony, still yawning. After watching for a while, he became very interested in the stalls downstairs, getting more and more energetic. He leaned on the railing, elbows on his elbows, craning his neck.
"Brother, I want to go down and take a look. Do you think I can find anything good?"
Qin Ziwen flipped the mulberries in his hand. "These things are all brought out by people themselves. They're not stupid. If you want to find something good, you'll have to wait a while. I guess you won't even have to spend any money by then."
Qin Ziwu understood his older brother's meaning and chuckled.
Qin Ziwen carefully turned over the last mulberry, stood up, and looked down at the bustling crowd below. "Right now, most households have enough to eat to maintain a semblance of dignity. Things will be different once the food runs out."
After the transmigration, electricity and internet were completely cut off.
Without the internet, time seemed to slow down.
Qin Ziwen said to his younger brother, "We need to prepare more weapons, food, and water. Our advantage right now is that we are two adult men. We should try not to get sick. If we need to drink water, we must boil it first, and we should eat cooked food as much as possible."
"Then why did you give me a mulberry just now!"
"Don't argue with me!" Qin Ziwen turned around and gave him a flick on the forehead.
Qin Ziwu: "Brother, do we have a lighter at home?"
"I don't smoke."
"Me neither! Then where will we get a fire?"
"You don't know how to make fire by friction?"
"I don't."
"It's okay, I'll teach you."
Coming out of the apartment building, Qin Ziwen noticed the somewhat oppressive atmosphere in the neighborhood.
People were gathered in small groups.
I overheard other people talking and learned that someone in Building 6 had been bitten by a venomous snake that afternoon. When they were brought back, their body was covered in purple bruises, and they were already cold.
Counting the resident of Building 4 who was eaten by a crocodile that morning, two people had died in the community before the day was even over, causing widespread panic.
Nearby, at a stall under a tree, an old man in a gray vest asked the stall owner, "How much is this lighter?"
The stall owner replied, "Five liters of clean water, or enough food for one meal."
The old man was startled. "Are you crazy, kid! A one-yuan lighter for such a high price!"
The stall owner sneered, "This is fire! How can you cook without fire, eating raw food? Besides, this lighter is new; if you use it sparingly, it will last you a long time."
"That's too expensive. Can you make it cheaper? How about this, I have half a bottle of mineral water at home that I haven't finished. How about I trade this for it?" Saying this, the old man squatted down and took the lighter.
The stall owner, a tall, fat man, grabbed the old man's hand. "I haven't agreed yet, are you trying to steal?"
"Ouch, you're hitting me! You're hitting me!" The old man lay down on the ground.
The tall, fat man laughed angrily, rolling up his sleeves. "There are no police around here. You really want a beating, don't you?"
Hearing this, the old man rolled to his feet. "Young man, your words are so sarcastic and disrespectful to elders."
The tall, fat man's lips moved, but no sound came out, though Qin Ziwen recognized the three words.
The tall, fat man turned to Qin Ziwen beside him. "Brother, want to buy a lighter?"
Qin Ziwen smiled and waved.
He took his younger brother for a walk around the neighborhood. The things the neighbors sold were all sorts of things.
Most were luxury goods or electronic products, and some were gold jewelry. There were very few things that could actually help with survival, and even those that were overpriced were mostly for food.
Qin Ziwen suddenly stopped. He saw a crowd gathered at a stall not far ahead.
He went over and found that someone was selling fishing rods.
Qin Ziwu lowered his voice and whispered, "Brother, this is a good thing! There's a river right here, you can fish with this rod."
Qin Ziwen listened for a while and silently shook his head, "Too expensive."
Scarcity drives up the price; several families are vying for this fishing rod, there's no way you can get a bargain.
Besides, the most important thing in fishing is never the rod, but the bait.
The bait attracts the fish; you can catch them with a twig, a thin line, and a needle tied to it.
"Brother, sell it cheaply, I really want it. There are crocodiles in this river, fishing isn't safe. If the hook falls into a crocodile's mouth, the rod is ruined."
"This is a Daiwa, a brand name product!"
A man in a suit said, "Brother, I have five packs of biscuits, I'll trade with you. You'll really get a good deal. These biscuits have a long shelf life, you can keep them for months. After a few months, you won't even be able to exchange two packs for ten."
"No, no, it's too cheap. You can add a few more packs."
Qin Ziwen recognized the man in the suit as Huang Tao, the resident of Building 7 who had called everyone to cooperate.
Leading his younger brother out of the crowd, Qin Ziwen continued searching the area around the neighborhood.
Unfortunately, they couldn't find any fruit trees resembling mulberry trees, but they did find a mousetrap next to the entrance of what looked like a rat hole, likely hidden there by a resident.
Remembering the location, Qin Ziwen returned home, drew all the curtains, and closed all the doors and windows.
After eating four small bread rolls and half a bottle of water for dinner, Qin Ziwen was still a little hungry. He lay flat on the bed, conserving food as much as possible until he found a new source.
It was getting dark outside.
Without the internet, it felt a little strange to be sleeping so early for the first time.
But after walking around all day, he was exhausted and soon fell asleep.
In his sleep, he vaguely heard a voice.
"You have successfully survived the first day in the wilderness, collected a small amount of fresh fruit, and drawn a simple map. Overall score: 3 points."
"You have received the following rewards: Flint and Steel *1, Simple Trap Crafting Blueprint (Fragment) *1"
Chapter 3 The Giant Bird
The next day, Qin Ziwen woke up to find his left hand touching something cold and hard.
He instinctively picked it up, feeling it was like an iron rod.
He sat up, his right hand touching a piece of paper.
He went to the windowsill and pulled back the curtains.
In the dim light, he could see the object in his hand clearly.
"This is... a magnesium flint? Why is there a flint on the bed all of a sudden?
Wait a minute." Qin Ziwen
's thoughts raced. He remembered the sound he heard in his dream last night. Strangely, after waking up this morning, he couldn't remember any other details of the dream, but he did remember a cold, discreet tone. The object in his hand matched that strange tone perfectly.
Daily settlement... normally, it should be divided at midnight.
He'd sleep a little later tonight, and by midnight he should be able to confirm it.
He went to his younger brother's room. Young people sleep so well; his heavy, booming voice was like thunder.
He first looked around the bed, making sure there was nothing extra on his brother's bed. Then he checked the living room and other areas of the house, making sure nothing was missed, before waking his brother. "Did you hear anything last night?"
"Huh? What? The bats came again?"
Qin Ziwu was startled awake and instinctively looked towards the window.
"No, did you hear anything last night? Like any noises in your dreams?"
Qin Ziwu shook his head blankly: "No."
Qin Ziwen pondered, "It's alright."
He walked to the balcony and spread out a diagram. It was a diagram for making a rope snare trap, with torn edges, as if it had been torn directly from a book.
The diagram detailed how to make a tripwire trap, which could capture small mammals and reptiles.
Qin Ziwu leaned closer, "This trap doesn't seem too difficult. All you need is wood and rope. Do we have any rope at home?"
"Yes."
Qin Ziwen looked up at the curtain cord above his head.
He found a stool, climbed up, and removed the curtain cord. He gripped it with both hands and pulled on it; it felt quite sturdy. The cord was a bit long, so he used a kitchen knife to cut it in two. He
also grabbed a small handful of mulberries from the balcony.
Then, he and his younger brother left the residential area together, carrying the cord.
As they went out, some residents were already leaving the area, and he even saw people fishing by the river.
The fishermen were all perched high on the rocks along the bank, so even if a crocodile came ashore, it wouldn't be able to attack them immediately.
"Brother, where should we set the trap?"
"Let me think." Qin Ziwen frowned. If the trap was set too close, it would be easily spotted by the residents, and the prey would likely be taken. If
it was set too far, it would be too dangerous; the round trip would be too risky.
So they needed to find a relatively secluded location around the residential area, and they also had to consider the possibility of animals passing by, since the purpose of setting the trap was to catch prey.
First, they ruled out areas near water sources and rivers; second, they avoided open areas; and finally, they avoided areas with overgrown vegetation or piles of rocks. Qin Ziwen remembered the large snake he had seen upstairs yesterday.
Finally, Qin Ziwen set up two rope traps: one near the bushes against the wall on the north side of the complex, and the other under a tree about eighty meters to the northwest, using mulberry berries as bait.
"Brother, what do you think of this?"
Qin Ziwu broke off a branch as thick as a baby's arm from somewhere.
It was long and straight, about two meters long, and had some elasticity.
Qin Ziwen took it and twirled it a couple of times; the impact felt good. "Great, you can tie a sharp object to the end and use it as a gun."
"Screech—"
A cry suddenly came from the sky.
A dark shadow approached at an exaggerated speed overhead.
It grew closer and larger.
Qin Ziwen quickly pulled his brother under the tree.
"Something in the sky!" someone shouted from afar, but it was too late.
A boy who couldn't dodge in time was hooked by the shoulder and pulled high into the air.
The giant bird was incredibly fast; the boy it had seized looked like a struggling lamb from afar.
After flying several dozen meters into the air, the bird released its grip, and the boy plummeted like a meteorite.
*Thud!
* A muffled thud echoed from afar.
The giant bird circled once before landing, its claws once more carrying a figure towards the northern mountains.
However, unlike before, this time the figure on its claws stopped struggling.
Qin Ziwen's heart sank.
Judging by the size of the bird compared to the human, its wingspan was at least six or seven meters wide.
It felt like humanity's position on the food chain had plummeted here.
Just the dangers he'd witnessed near the neighborhood in the past two days were numerous, not to mention the unseen dangers.
"Brother, where should we go now?"
Qin Ziwen asked. "Let's go to the riverbank. Try to stay close to the trees and avoid open areas."
Qin Ziwu nodded in understanding.
Under the shade of a tree ahead, a round-faced woman wearing glasses asked an older woman squatting down digging, "Auntie, is this wild vegetable?"
The older woman quickly shook her head, "I don't know, I'm just digging."
"That's not very considerate of you! We're all neighbors, what's wrong with asking?"
the older woman said angrily. "How can you talk like that? If you're so capable, go dig it yourself, don't bother me."
Saying this, the older woman put the plant she dug up, stems and leaves included, into a cloth bag and covered it with the cloth.
The round-faced woman reached out to grab it, about to lift the cloth.
The older woman quickly covered her hand, stood up, and scolded, "Have you no shame! How old are you, touching other people's things like that? Didn't your mother teach you anything?!"
The round-faced woman paused, glancing at Qin Ziwen and his brother who were passing by.
The older woman quickly grabbed Qin Ziwen's arm, "Young man, you be the judge, is it right to touch other people's things like that?"
Qin Ziwen looked down at the old hand gripping his arm, slowly raised his head, and met the older woman's gaze.
The older woman sensed something was wrong and let go.
Qin Ziwen laughed and said, "Of course she's wrong to do that. How can you just touch other people's things?"
The round-faced woman's face turned ashen, and she hurriedly left with her head down.
Seeing the woman leave, the older woman turned to leave as well, but Qin Ziwen stopped her. "We're neighbors, helping each other is only right."
The older woman suddenly realized her mistake; she shouldn't have dragged these two into this mess. She
forced a smile. "Yes, we're neighbors, we should help each other."
Qin Ziwen glanced at the tightly wrapped bag. "My brother and I went out early this morning and haven't eaten yet. Is this food edible?"
The older woman quickly pleaded, "Young man, I have an elderly man bedridden and an eight-year-old grandson at home. If you take it, our whole family is out of food."
Qin Ziwen waved his hand. "You're overthinking it. I won't take yours. I just wanted to see what wild vegetables look like. After all, the outside world is so vast; you can't possibly dig them all by yourself. Didn't you say neighbors should help each other?"
The older woman's face froze. What did I say? Didn't you say that?
But looking at the two burly young men, she felt it was better to say something than have her things stolen.
She opened the bag and took out the wild vegetables.
"This is purslane, this is bupleurum tips, and this is bracken."
Qin Ziwen noticed that he seemed to have seen many of these wild vegetables elsewhere.
He just didn't recognize them, so he hadn't picked them.
It seemed this area was richer in resources than he had imagined. He wished he had studied agriculture or botany in college.
The aunt, thinking she had already said everything, readily agreed, "These vegetables need to be blanched before eating, boiled for a few minutes. They can be used in cold dishes, stir-fries, or even fillings." She
hesitated for a moment, then added, "Although there are many wild vegetables, they can't be picked for more than a few days. If everyone picks them, they'll be all gone in a couple of days."
Qin Ziwen nodded. "Thanks, you can continue picking here." As
the two walked away, Qin Ziwu whispered, "Brother, look over there, isn't that person picking wild vegetables too?"
Following his brother's finger, Qin Ziwen saw an old man a few dozen meters away, his hands behind his back, carrying a bag, pretending to take a walk. Then he suddenly bent down and quickly put what he had picked into the bag.
After getting up, the old man casually looked around. Seeing the two brothers watching him not far away, he smiled at them and then leisurely continued walking forward. After a few steps, he suddenly quickened his pace and bent down.
Qin Ziwen smiled.
He simply took his younger brother and joined the wild vegetable picking team.
After a busy morning, the two of them went home several times and picked about ten kilograms of wild vegetables.
So many vegetables would spoil in a few days if left outside.
So he simply took some soil back with him, turned the plastic round stool upside down, filled it with soil, and planted some wild vegetables with relatively intact roots inside.
Looking down from above, the small space inside the round stool was densely packed with wild vegetables; as long as they could live for a couple more days, that would
be fine. "I'm so hungry, brother, can I eat more for lunch today?" Qin Ziwu rubbed his stomach.
"I'll go cook some noodles." Qin Ziwen opened a packet of spicy instant noodles, took out four packets. The two of them had worked hard all morning, and one packet was definitely not enough, so he also boiled a large handful of purslane.
The water in the pot wasn't much, just enough to cover the noodles.
After cooking, about a third of the turkey noodle sauce packet was added, followed by a little soy sauce and MSG.
Water resources are scarce now, and eating too spicy food would waste a lot of water.
Although they had a flint and steel and there was a river nearby, so in a sense they weren't short of water, there were crocodiles in the river, so fetching water wasn't necessarily safe.
After lunch, Qin Ziwen felt a little hungry; he hadn't eaten enough these past two days, and his body instinctively craved more meat and protein.
"You take a nap first, and this afternoon we'll go fetch water, then check the traps and pick wild vegetables."
When he woke up, it was past the hottest part of the day. Since there was no clock, he didn't know the exact time, but judging from the sky, it was probably around two or three o'clock.
There was a large green plastic bucket at home, and the two of them, carrying bags and buckets, came out of the building.
The nearest gate was the south gate, and as soon as they arrived,
they heard arguing and shouting inside.
On one side were property management staff in white security uniforms, and on the other side were several residents. Qin Ziwen spotted Huang Tao in a suit among the security guards.
He didn't know how Huang Tao had gotten mixed up with the security guards.
A large crowd of residents had gathered to watch the commotion.
Listening to the surrounding conversations, he learned the cause and effect:
these security guards and property management staff had lived in the security guard dormitory when they time-traveled, and after arriving here, these rooms became their territory.
The property management fees for their Yujing Jiangcheng residential complex were not low; it consisted of low-rise buildings with two elevators serving two households per floor, and two units per building.
Therefore, security was usually quite good. The property management had a dedicated floor with all the necessary tools,
including fire axes, riot shields, and steel forks.
Several residents wanted to get some tools from the property management, but the security guards refused, leading to the conflict.
People nearby were pointing and whispering, "These security guards have teamed up with a few residents, forming a small clique."
"The things in the property management warehouse are all bought with our property management fees, we can't let a few people take them all."
"Yeah, those security guards from the property management are really arrogant."
Huang Tao stepped forward, raising his hands in a calming gesture: "Neighbors, please calm down, don't be impulsive, let's communicate calmly, okay? Conflict won't solve anything."
"I'm a member of the community like everyone else. What's going on? Our whole community has been transported to this godforsaken place, there are crocodiles, poisonous snakes, and those man-eating birds outside! You are all the pillars of your families, it's very unwise for yourselves to fight at a time like this."
A man with a thick beard across from them said impatiently, "Stop babbling, just tell me if you'll give us the things or not, one word!"
Huang Tao patiently explained, "The tools in the property management warehouse belong to everyone, not just one household, and the quantity is limited, we can't give every household one. If you urgently need them, just take them out..." "But what if you take it and keep it for yourself?"
the bearded man cursed. "I paid my property management fees!"
Huang Tao said calmly, "Everyone paid theirs! Like I just said, I suggest we keep these supplies and establish a public supplies supervision group. If any household needs them, they can use them under the supervision of everyone in the community, and then return them afterward.
Our community has ten buildings in total. I suggest each building send a representative, and then the property management staff also send a representative, for a total of eleven representatives. The minority should obey the majority; as long as more than half vote in favor, the application will be approved. What do you all think?"
Huang Tao looked at the others present.
Some people looked disdainful, but others were interested, especially the elderly.
Huang Tao said to the bearded man, "Everyone here is a civilized person. If anyone really needs something, like going out to chop wood, make traps, or build weapons for self-defense, they should apply. They
should register their name, building number, apartment number, what they need, and when they
'll return it. It should be returned in its original condition after use. If it's broken or lost, we'll discuss a compensation mechanism. And everyone remembers that big bird that caught someone this morning, right? Who knows if something else will fly in or get into the community tonight? Our community can't be without guards at night. I think we can divide into groups based on apartment buildings, and then..." Taking turns on night duty makes everyone feel safer at night.
In this place, going it alone won't work. We need to stick together to survive! Anyone interested can come to the property management office to find me privately. My name is Huang Tao, and I live in Building 7.
Brother, I see you're an honest person. If you need anything, come find me later. These four security guards don't have their families around, and they're missing their loved ones, so their tone was a bit harsh—absolutely nothing more."
These last words completely shut down the bearded man opposite him. What did he mean by "not having their families around and being a bit harsh because they miss their loved ones"? This was clearly a threat! Those with nothing to lose aren't afraid of those wearing shoes!
Looking around at the others, the bearded man snorted coldly. "You're all just watching the show, aren't you?
" He simply said, "Fine, let's talk later."
Chapter 4 Home Building Card
"Brother, should we join?" Qin Ziwu frowned. He didn't like Huang Tao's personality; he thought he was too slippery.
Qin Ziwen shook his head. "The people here don't even make up a tenth of the residents in this community, and his so-called alliance is unlikely to succeed because he doesn't have enough prestige; no one will obey him." "
People in modern society generally have their own ideas. Unless there's a tangible benefit, who will follow someone based on empty promises? Besides, he can't produce that much food. In a few days, everyone will be starving, and no one will listen to him."
Qin Ziwen paused, then continued, "I feel his purpose isn't to build an alliance for the entire community, but rather to use this batch of supplies from the property management as bait to win over a group of people."
Qin Ziwu, following behind, became unusually serious: "Anyway, I only listen to you. I don't respect anyone else. After Mom and Dad's accident, it was you, brother, who supported my studies. You were good enough to get a master's degree."
Qin Ziwen kicked him in the butt. "You bark like a dog! I'm your brother. If I don't care about you, who will? If you keep babbling, I'll beat you up."
Qin Ziwu chuckled and strode forward. "Hey, damn it, brother, come quick! The trap caught something!"
"Keep your voice down, do you want everyone to hear?"
Walking over, Qin Ziwen immediately recognized the creature bound in the wall-mounted rope trap.
It looked like a yellow rat.
Sensing the human's approach, the yellow rat struggled desperately.
"It looks a bit like a field mouse, and it's quite fat."
Qin Ziwen squatted down, picked up the rope, and examined it carefully before confirming, "It's a field mouse. Okay, we'll have some meat tonight."
Hearing that they were going to eat a rat, Qin Ziwu's pupils contracted slightly.
Although he knew this wasn't the kind of rat found in city sewers—these field mice, which eat plant roots and small insects, were relatively clean—
he still felt a little uneasy. However, having not had meat for two days, and feeling a bit craving, he looked hesitantly at the field mouse Qin Ziwen was holding.
Qin Ziwen said, "The job of gutting and cleaning the internal organs is yours."
Qin Ziwu's pupils dilated again. "What!"
Qin Ziwen calmly glanced at him. "Young people should see blood. If you can't even kill a rat weighing a pound or two, how will you kill something weighing over a hundred pounds?"
Qin Ziwu: "."
Qin Ziwen picked up a stone and tapped the field mouse on the head.
The struggling field mouse fell asleep peacefully.
He lifted its tail and tossed it into Qin Ziwu's bag.
"Let's go check out the other trap."
Arriving at the second trap, this one was also triggered, but it was empty, with only some grayish-brown short hairs remaining at the scene.
After observing the surroundings, no trace of prey was found.
"What a pity." Qin Ziwu squatted down and picked up the grayish-brown short hairs from the ground.
Qin Ziwen observed the rope and found bite marks. "The prey must have been cautious. There were no signs of the surrounding vegetation being trampled, indicating it wasn't too large."
Qin Ziwen straightened the branch and rearranged the trap. "It's alright, catching even one field mouse is better than expected. As long as there's a harvest, that's fine. Let's dig for wild vegetables first."
As dusk approached, the wild vegetables around the neighborhood became increasingly scarce.
The group digging for wild vegetables grew larger and larger, and the easily found wild fruits and vegetables around the neighborhood were basically all picked clean.
To continue digging, they would have to go further afield, so out of caution, Qin Ziwen decided to go back first.
"Let's go fetch water."
By the river, the group of fishermen grew even larger.
But this also created a strange scene.
The rocky highlands by the river were crowded with people.
Those not on the rocks were mostly at a certain distance from the water, in open areas.
And most of them were in groups; there were very few fishermen fishing alone.
"There's a crocodile! A crocodile is coming!"
a fisherman shouted, pointing at the river.
"Smash it!"
Someone nearby picked up a stone and smashed it against the crocodile's head.
"Splash!"
The river churned; perhaps hurt by the blow, the crocodile flicked its tail and swam into deeper water.
Qin Ziwen, carrying a bucket, went to the riverbank and observed it closely. It was a shallow, east-west flowing river, about a hundred meters wide, with a gentle current, a rocky riverbed, and banks covered in weeds and silt, interspersed with bushes.
Qin Ziwen avoided the muddy areas, stepping on the stones to reach the riverbank. After cautiously observing for a while, and confirming that there were no crocodiles or water snakes lurking in the clear water, he bent down and filled a bucket.
He carried the bucket back to the bank.
"Let's go home."
Back home, he let the bucket sit for twenty minutes until the water on top became clear. Then, using a clean, washed garment as a filter, he slowly poured out about half the water.
Qin Ziwen took the field mouse out of his bag.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak."
The field mouse, which had been playing dead, struggled violently after being caught. Qin Ziwen picked up the back of his knife and struck its head hard.
The field mouse fell silent completely. He threw it on the ground and said, "I'll go gather some firewood. You take care of this thing."
Qin Ziwu looked troubled: "I've never done this before."
"It's simple, skin it, remove the internal organs, and wash it."
Qin Ziwu's eyes darted around, and a sudden idea struck him. "By the way, brother, we don't have a fire at home."
"Are you stupid? Guess how I made a fire to cook noodles at noon?" Qin Ziwen smiled smirk as he pulled a magnesium flint and steel from his pocket.
Qin Ziwu didn't want to ask where the flint and steel came from, and his face fell. "Okay, I'll take care of it." That
evening, the two of them ate steaming hot roasted field mouse with bread.
There wasn't much meat; after removing the internal organs, bones, and head, the remaining meat was only enough for the two of them to have a taste.
At first, they felt uneasy about taking a bite, but once they actually tasted it, they found that it didn't have that strange, fishy smell.
It tasted a bit like roasted quail, but with a "wild" flavor, richer than domesticated pork, beef, or lamb.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Just as they finished eating the roasted rat, there was a knock at the door.
Qin Ziwen gave his younger brother a wink, and Qin Ziwu understood, grabbing a cleaver from the kitchen and walking behind the door.
Qin Ziwen picked up a wooden stick lying in the corner.
"Knock, knock, knock."
The knocking on the door didn't stop; it was another knock, accompanied by a voice from outside, "Is anyone home? I'm from upstairs. Were you cooking something in your house just now? The smoke is really strong. Don't let it burn down; it's very dangerous."
Qin Ziwen, hiding behind the door, said, "The gas's out. Where else would we cook if not inside?"
The person outside said, "In the stairwell, or even the rooftop."
Qin Ziwen shook his head at his brother, indicating to ignore them.
"I already told you!" the person outside cursed, then, seeing no further response, their footsteps faded away.
Qin Ziwu was annoyed, pointing to the balconies of other buildings outside the complex, where smoke was billowing from chimneys. "It's not like we're the only ones cooking on our balconies. We even cleared them out. I think this person is just looking for trouble."
Qin Ziwen calmly said, "I know. Ignore them. Don't let outsiders affect us. Just continue what you're doing. There are birds that catch people in the sky. Absolutely no rooftop, and no stairwell either; if you cook something, the whole building will smell it."
"Knock, knock, knock."
Another knock came from the hallway outside, but this time the sound was from the direction of the neighbor across the hall.
"Neighbor, are you home? Do you have any extra cups? Can I borrow a couple?"
It was the same person speaking, but this time his voice came from across the hall.
Qin Ziwen looked through the peephole.
The hallway was dimly lit, and the door to the neighbor across the hall was tightly shut, with two men standing outside!
One was knocking, while the other hid in a corner outside the door, holding something in his hand.
Qin Ziwen narrowed his eyes, beckoned to his younger brother, and simultaneously made a shushing gesture.
Qin Ziwu understood, walked over, and was first shocked, then his eyes hardened.
He placed his hand across Qin Ziwen's neck, making a pulling gesture.
Qin Ziwen shook his head.
Qin Ziwu leaned closer and whispered, "Brother, wasn't there someone hiding outside our door just now? If we opened the door, would they have attacked us?" There
was no reply from across the hall, but Qin Ziwen remembered that the neighbor across the hall had returned home that afternoon, so there must have been someone there.
The man asked several more times, and after waiting for a while, seeing no response, the two men turned and left.
"Brother, they left after asking for a short while?"
Qin Ziwen said. "They were probably scouting the place. The fact that the neighbors didn't answer means either no one's home, or they're too afraid to speak up."
Qin Ziwu understood, suddenly realizing, "Then maybe when he knocked on our door earlier, it was just a random excuse to trick us into opening it, and he was also checking if there were any adult men in our house."
Qin Ziwen nodded: "If they were going to do something, they'd most likely choose tomorrow morning. The hallway is dark then, making it easier for them to hide, and residents will most likely carry keys when they leave."
"Why not a few days later or at night?"
"Breaking down the door at night would be too noisy, and in a few days, all the food would be gone, so there'd be no point in doing it. They wouldn't do it for a few dozen pounds of flesh, would they?"
"Alright, go to sleep early, just in case. Make sure to lock the doors and windows tightly when you go to sleep. I'll wake you up early tomorrow."
As night fell, Qin Ziwen forced himself to stay awake.
As darkness deepened, the neighborhood fell into a deathly silence.
Buildings made of reinforced concrete stood in the cold forest, which seemed to come alive at night.
Occasionally, the howls of beasts echoed in the distance, and the flapping of birds' wings reverberated through the night.
After an unknown amount of time, just as Qin Ziwen was beginning to doze off, a cold, mechanical male voice reached his ears.
"You have successfully survived the second day in the wilderness, collecting a certain amount of wild vegetables, gathering a small amount of river water, and catching a small prey. Overall score: 8 points."
"You have received the following rewards: [Building Card] Level 1 Cellar Granary *1, Folded Water Filter Bag *3."
A golden screen appeared before his eyes.
At the top of the screen were the words "Daily Settlement. "
Below were many densely packed squares, but only the first two contained something: a gray card and a miniature chibi-style water filter bag image. In the upper right corner of the water filter bag image was a *3 icon.
"Automatic extraction?"
"3"
"2"
"No."
The golden screen shrank, transforming into an extremely inconspicuous golden dot hidden in the upper left corner of his vision.
With a thought, the light screen unfolded.
After trying several times, Qin Ziwen readily accepted it. No matter what, it was a good thing for him; why worry so much? He'd already transmigrated; there was nothing he couldn't accept.
"Take out the building card."
His palm sank, and a thin, gray metal card appeared.
The moment the building card appeared,
the surrounding space momentarily froze.
Then, a small ball of light lit up in the center of the bedroom,
followed by a white light screen.
[Survivor detected. Obtained building card, activated resident status, unlocked homestead function]
[You can use building cards, resource cards, expansion cards, function cards, and recruitment cards to expand and modify your homestead. Your homestead area is Unit 2, Building 8, Yujing Jiangcheng Community, Room 5-2]
A large amount of basic knowledge was transmitted into his mind from the small light screen, finally helping him understand the situation.
Before obtaining the card, they were all just survivors.
Only by obtaining the card in advance, or successfully completing a stage of survival objectives, could they activate resident status.
There are two ways to obtain cards. One is to explore resource points in the wild, but these resource points are often located in high-risk areas. The second is to kill powerful creatures in the current area, which will drop cards.
Wait a minute.
Let me sort this out.
Then what's with this daily settlement?
So you guys are two different units?
Qin Ziwen realized that the homestead is a cheat code that everyone in the community can activate, and the daily settlement is something that secretly came from somewhere.
It turns out he was playing a hacked version.
He played with the [Building Card] Level 1 Cellar and Granary in his hand.
Now the entire 98㎡ area of his house is a map that he can build and modify. He only needs to select a 1*2m square area to build a cellar in his house.
Qin Ziwen directly selected the floor next to the bedroom wall.
"Use."
The building card turned into a beam of light and merged into the ground, and the floor rippled like water. The
originally flat ground sunken into a square entrance, and the stone steps extending downwards were shrouded in a thin mist, with light and shadow distorted at the entrance.
When the light faded, a wooden-planked cellar door appeared, topped with an iron ring.
Its rugged style clashed sharply with the surrounding modern decor.
Qin Ziwen hesitated, wondering where the cellar had gone. Had it somehow ended up in his downstairs bedroom?
He reached out, hooked the iron ring, and pulled upwards.
A deep stone staircase descended, about five or six meters deep, with stone walls on both sides.
The moment he stepped into the cellar, a blast of cold air hit him. The bottom of the cellar was a large, square room made of blue bricks, even larger than the bedroom, clearly not the downstairs bedroom, and not decorated in a modern style.
He estimated the temperature here was at least ten degrees lower than in the bedroom, and the air was cool and dry, without any musty smell.
He knocked on the wall; the sound was dull and echoed, as if he were truly buried in the earth.
Qin Ziwen couldn't help but exclaim, "Awesome! This space must overlap with reality; we can store any extra food here in the future."
Chapter 5 I Believe, I Believe Everything
"Brother, you mean you spent a whole night digging such a big cellar in your bedroom?"
Qin Ziwu turned his head in shock, rubbing his face.
"Do you believe me?"
"I believe you, of course I believe you. I'd believe you even if you said you awakened your past life memories." Qin Ziwu looked at his older brother expectantly, "Brother, did you awaken something?" He nodded repeatedly.
Qin Ziwen said with a smile, "It's not that exaggerated, okay, I won't tease you anymore. Actually, I just obtained a card and activated the homestead."
Qin Ziwen explained the existence of the homestead concisely, and then summoned a small ball of light in front of him.
This homestead is not unique; other people in the community will also activate it later, but it is a secret at this stage.
Qin Ziwu understood, "So our transmigration was caused by this homestead."
Ding ding ding.
A sound came from the balcony.
The two brothers who were talking stopped at the same time and looked towards the living room balcony.
Qin Ziwu pointed to the top of his head, his eyes full of inquiry.
Qin Ziwen thought for a moment, then nodded; it was highly likely the person was upstairs.
The two grabbed their weapons and slowly approached the balcony.
The moonlight was bright, casting a silvery glow
on the balcony. The glass door leading from the living room to the balcony was locked, and the balcony was empty. The sound was coming from the right side of the balcony, like something being knocked on.
Upon reaching the end, they found a small section of a clothesline sticking out from the opposite side of the balcony, tapping on the railing.
After observing for a moment, they unlocked the door and pushed it open.
On the opposite side of the balcony, a woman in a long sundress was gently tapping the railing with the other end of the clothesline stick.
Seeing Qin Ziwen emerge, the woman visibly cheered.
She took a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and tossed it over.
Picking up the crumpled paper, Qin Ziwen unfolded it. Inside were neatly written characters: "Hello! I'm your neighbor across the hall. Please be careful of the family of three upstairs. They're not good people. The young man was sentenced to ten years for robbery and was only released last year.
This evening, when they knocked on your door, I saw someone hiding in a blind spot outside your door. They might be watching you."
Qin Ziwen thought for a moment, went back to his room, found a pen, and wrote back on the paper: "They also hid someone when they knocked on your door."
Then he threw the crumpled paper back.
The woman picked up the paper, and after reading it, her expression turned to surprise.
She quickly wrote something on the paper and tossed it back.
Qin Ziwen picked up the paper; it was still in the woman's neat handwriting. "Thank you. May I stay at your house temporarily? I'm very scared being home alone. I feel safer at your house. I can help you with anything."
Qin Ziwen was taken aback. How could you be so presumptuous? They were just complete strangers, yet you wanted to come to his house?
He had a cellar and a small sphere of light in his home; a stranger coming in would expose him.
Furthermore, Qin Ziwen didn't believe the woman was necessarily harmless just because she was a woman.
A person's goodness or evil has nothing to do with gender.
Therefore, Qin Ziwen waved his hand without hesitation and refused,
even though the woman on the other side of the balcony clasped her hands together and bowed repeatedly, looking pitiful.
Qin Ziwen simply left the balcony, locking the door behind him.
As Qin Ziwen left, the woman on the opposite balcony looked very unpleasant.
She turned and went back into the house, where two men were sitting.
One of the men had a scorpion tattooed on the back of his hand, while the other was bald, with bulging cheeks, and chewing on something.
The scorpion-man asked, "So, did he agree to let you come to his house?"
The woman rolled her eyes. "He refused."
The man sitting on the bed couldn't believe it. His cousin was so beautiful; how could the other man resist? "Is he even a man?"
The woman in the black halter-neck dress gritted her teeth. "How should I know? Does he know about our relationship?"
The scorpion-man said, "Impossible. This guy just moved in; he couldn't possibly know about our relationship."
The woman said, "Why are you making things so complicated? You want me to sneak into the other house and open the door for you in the middle of the night? Aren't you afraid I'll get taken advantage of, a lone man and woman? " "
The Scorpion Man reached out and hugged the woman, comforting her, "I believe you can protect yourself, and it'll be safer to make a move while we're asleep.
I've noticed they've come back with big bags several times these past two days, and they were even grilling meat at night; they've probably found a lot of edible things."
The woman scoffed, "You're not afraid to fight them because they're strong, are you?"
The Scorpion Man retorted angrily, "How could that be! It's just that we're all in this godforsaken place now, so even if we have to fight, we should try to keep it quiet. Otherwise, it'll ruin our reputation, and I'm doing this for us."
The Scorpion Man's hand slipped under her skirt.
"Slap!"
The woman slapped her hand, scolding, "There are other people here."
The Scorpion Man chuckled, burying his head in the woman's chest, "Dazhuang is my brother; I trust him."
The bald man stood up, "Brother, sister-in-law, I'm going back to my room to sleep."
The Scorpion Man waved without turning back.
Dazhuang and the woman's eyes met in mid-air; the woman blinked, and Dazhuang guiltily looked away.
After Dazhuang left, intimate sounds drifted from the room, lasting for about a minute.
The woman lay on the bed, her face flushed an unnatural red, her chest heaving rapidly. She pinched the arm of the man beside her hard, "Useless thing."
Not satisfied, she tried to pinch the scorpion man's waist again, but he grabbed her hand. His voice was deep and his expression serious, "Alright, stop fooling around."
"Tomorrow, try to get to know those two young men. They're full of energy. If you take the initiative a little, they definitely won't be able to resist. "
The woman was a little angry. "Take the initiative? What do you take me for?"
The scorpion man put his arm around her waist. "Of course, you're my little darling. Be good, listen to me."
The woman closed her eyes, and after a long while, she hummed in agreement.
In the early morning, Qin Ziwu, hiding behind the peephole, rubbed his legs.
"Brother, there seems to be no sound outside, and no movement at all. It seems like the people across the street aren't planning to come out."
Qin Ziwen shook his head, hinting, "They're probably worried about upstairs."
As for upstairs
, he wasn't sure either, since it was all just his guess.
Qin Ziwu asked, "Should we go out now? I saw people coming down from other buildings."
Qin Ziwen frowned in thought. "Wait a minute. There are other people in our building. We'll go out with them when others come down."
After all, they had set up rope traps outside the complex. If they went too late, the prey in the traps might be taken by others.
But if they went out too early, there might be threats in the unknown stairwells.
They needed to find a way to solve the problem once and for all, otherwise it would greatly affect their daily reward.