Chapter 15: The End Times

After finishing up with the meat in her hands, she walked over to Lu Minli, took over his job of grilling, and let him go eat some watermelon.

Sang Chu grilled the meat while pulling out the watermelon that Lu Minli had already cut up. Mu Xue, her mouth still greasy from eating, lit up at the sight of the fruit.

""Sang Xiao Chu, you’re just too thoughtful! I’m so touched I could cry!""

She made a heart gesture with her hands, then hurriedly stuffed a piece of watermelon into her mouth, eating with wild abandon.

But as Tu You watched from the side, she suddenly remembered how Sang Chu had eaten watermelon before—it was just as ravenous. She couldn’t help but think, people in the apocalypse really are too pitiful.

[Ah Chu, you’re so kind!]

[It’s all in the past. The good days are just beginning now.]

After eating and drinking their fill, the three of them lay sprawled on the sofa. Sang Chu was doing alright—at least she didn’t have to go hungry in this mutated world. But Mu Xue and Lu Minli looked listless and lazy, unable to summon any energy.

Seeing them like this, Sang Chu simply sat down next to them and said, “Mu Xue, Lu Minli, I’ve also prepared some supplies for you. I have a building device, so I could find a place to set up my own base. But I’m afraid I can’t stay with you—I have to go look for the gold, jade, and other things I need.”

She also needed to look for her brother while searching for supplies, though she didn’t even know if he was still alive.

She didn’t mention this last part. Looking for someone in the apocalypse was like searching for a needle in a haystack, and she didn’t want to burden Mu Xue and the others.

Mu Xue said, “Oh, so you mean, in this world, you have to buy tickets to get on the train?”

“Yeah.”

Lu Minli, picking up on Mu Xue’s words, found it all rather mysterious. “So what happens if you don’t buy a ticket?”

“You die.” Sang Chu replied helplessly, “Most of my points in the mutated world have already been turned into these supplies. They’ll last for quite a while. The soil-based stuff is all renewable, so you don’t have to worry about running out after eating it.”

Mu Xue: “Huh? You die? Then what do we do? The apocalypse is all about survival, where are you supposed to find good stuff?”

Lu Minli thought for a moment and said, “Ah Chu, does your system spirit have any information about hidden locations or treasure maps?”

Sang Chu was taken aback—why hadn’t she thought of that? She quickly asked Tu You.

Tu You: [There really is one, but you’ll have to spend points. Not much, though, just a little over a hundred.]

[Alright, I’ll buy it!]

After buying it, Tu You said the map had been uploaded to the light screen, and they could access it anytime.

Mu Xue and Sang Chu were still dazed, when suddenly a huge projection of the treasure map appeared in front of them, just as Sang Chu was about to ask for it.

“I just got this map from the system spirit.”

Mu Xue’s eyes widened as she looked at Lu Minli. “There really is one? You’re so smart!”

Lu Minli replied, “I just figured, since they have a system for exchanging goods, there must be something like a treasure map, too.”

Mu Xue: “Well, you’re definitely smarter than Sang Xiao Chu. I want to go, too!”

She looked at Sang Chu with bright, eager eyes, startling her. “I can go by myself, it’s dangerous.”

Mu Xue replied, “Where in the apocalypse isn’t dangerous? Besides, I’ve already gotten so many supplies from you—what’s the harm in taking a bit more?”

Lu Minli said, “Don’t worry, Ah Chu, you don’t have to be polite with me. I can handle myself. I may only have one ability, but it’s enough to protect myself.”

Mu Xue squinted at Sang Chu, half-joking, “Sang Xiao Chu, you’re not saying I’d just slow you down, are you?”

She was teasing, but her expression said otherwise—if Sang Chu dared say yes, she’d bite her on the spot!

Sang Chu replied, “You can come if you want, but you have to listen to me and not act recklessly.”

Mu Xue: “Deal! Now hurry up and show us where the treasure map leads. I’m terrible with directions—I can’t read maps!”

Sang Chu: “...”

Lu Minli stepped forward to take a look and found that the closest marked spot wasn’t far from them, but—

“This place looks a bit strange, like it’s at the foot of a mountain?”

Mu Xue: “Why would a treasure be at the foot of a mountain?”

Sang Chu frowned, zooming in on the closest spot. She realized it really was at a mountain. “Wait... is it a tomb?”

She voiced her suspicion, and Lu Minli agreed, “It’s very possible. But I have no experience with this kind of thing—how do we go about it?”

Sang Chu took out her weapons. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. These are all laser weapons—cold light, fire, all high-powered. They’re solar-powered, just leave them out in the sun or under orange light to charge. Just plug the energy cell into the weapon and you’re good to go.”

She gave each of them a weapon and an energy cell. They were all the same model. Sang Chu synced the map to their devices as well.

“I’ve also set up the light screens for you. Don’t worry about communication—if we get separated, just use the light screen. If you run into danger, plug in the energy cell. The defense system is top-notch. I’ll teach you how to use it—the controls are all the same.”

Mu Xue knew how dangerous tomb raiding could be. She might be young, but she wasn’t afraid of a little risk. Besides, she figured she’d been through so much already—what’s a tomb compared to that?

At worst, she’d just run into a big zombie—she’d just blast it with a laser and send it on its way!

Neither Lu Minli nor Sang Chu knew how ambitious Mu Xue was. If they did, they might have reconsidered bringing her along.

Lu Minli asked, “Ah Chu, can the light screen be used for lighting, too?”

“Of course. The light screen has lots of functions. You can think of it as a phone that doesn’t need a network.”

Lu Minli: “Great. Teach me how to use the energy cell, then let’s all get some rest tonight. Tomorrow we’ll check out the place, but let’s not go too deep. If there’s danger, we’ll pull out quickly. There are lots of marked spots on the map—no need to risk everything on just one.”

Mu Xue: “Agreed!”

“Me too. Let’s get started. I’ll show you how to use the energy cell.”

Sang Chu demonstrated the controls for them.

Lu Minli found that everything was automated, with lots of features he hadn’t even heard of.

Sang Chu said, “Actually, it’s really simple. Just watch once and you’ll get it.”

Mu Xue: “How could I get it? I can’t even figure out a self-service checkout!”

Sang Chu replied, “You don’t need to. You just need a mouth.”

She pointed at the letters on the control screen. “That’s the energy cell’s AI. Just call it before you use it. For example, ‘Xiao A, pull up the route I gave you. I want to go to the nearest spot on the map.’”

A female voice replied, “Yes, master. Please wait, pulling up the map now!”

In a moment, the map appeared on the control screen. After it finished calculating the route, it said, “Route set. Please confirm if this is correct.”

“Correct. Set the energy cell to optimal mode. I need to go into sleep mode. When we arrive, find a safe place to stop and enter standby mode.”"