Chapter 57: Super Mold 21
It really was the last step!
Now seeing the survival zone but unable to enter, You Che couldn’t help but want to cry.
If he had known that food was so important, he shouldn’t have clamored for this and that on the road.
Thinking about the hot pots, instant noodles, canned goods, and even fruits he had eaten along the way, he regretted it so much now that he wanted to claw the food out of his throat.
Regret, he regretted it to death!
You Che even wanted to slap himself twice.
“Big Chu, what do we do now?”
He looked at Chu Yian, knowing that the food in her treasure box was definitely not enough for two people to enter the survival zone. “Why don’t you try? If it’s enough, go in first, and I’ll figure something out myself.”
Chu Yian glanced at him upon hearing this, then motioned for him to get in the car and followed the road signs all the way to the entrance of the survival zone.
The actual survival zone was underground, inside a large mountain.
Currently, only one entrance connecting the inside and outside was open, and there were even more people guarding the door.
As expected, they were stopped.
“To enter, each person needs 100 compressed biscuits or food of equivalent value.”
The old man they met on the road hadn’t lied to them; it was all true.
You Che moved his mouth but ultimately said nothing, just silently yielding his position.
Although he really wanted to ask Big Chu to take him in with her, he also understood that if there was an opportunity, she shouldn’t waste time on him.
Big Chu bringing him all the way from the original city to here was already a huge help.
“Hello, besides handing over food, is there any other way to get in?”
Chu Yian asked the soldier she was negotiating with.
“No.”
The soldier said coldly, “If you don’t have enough food, please leave immediately.
If you loiter at the entrance of the survival zone for more than five minutes after being warned, you will be shot directly if it exceeds ten minutes.”
No wonder there was no one lingering here.
Chu Yian sighed and turned back to the car.
Before leaving, she suddenly saw a badge pinned to the soldier’s chest.
She had studied the pattern on the badge for so long; although the material on the soldier’s item was plastic, she recognized it at a glance.
She hesitated for a moment, then pulled out the special metallic badge from her embrace.
“Excuse me, can this be used?”
The soldier, who had been about to shoo them away, paused.
He took two steps forward, took the badge, inspected it carefully, and then asked, “Where did you get this badge?”
“Anyway, it wasn’t stolen or picked up.”
Chu Yian looked at the other party’s reaction and said vaguely.
She also wanted to say that Teacher Lu gave it to her, but she was worried that saying so would harm Teacher Lu.
The men in black who took Teacher Lu away had explicitly stated that the survival zone could not be revealed to outsiders, and she wasn’t sure if giving the badge counted as leaking a secret.
The soldier didn’t press further.
He said something to the soldier next to him, “Watch them.”
Then he walked directly into a small room inside.
Chu Yian didn’t know that these badges were graded within the survival zone.
Each number corresponded to a person, especially high-level badges like this, which were unique.
The soldier directly found the corresponding person through the pattern and number on it.
A few minutes later…
Inside a research lab in the survival zone, the phone in Lu Qingyuan’s office rang.
He glanced at it, tidied up the items in his hand, then took off his gloves and slowly walked out of the laboratory to answer the phone, “Hello?”
“Hello, Researcher Lu, do you have a relative or family member named Chu Yian?”
“Chu Yian?”
Lu Qingyuan heard this name for the first time and had no image of this person in his mind.
“Yes.”
The soldier glanced outside, “A girl named Chu Yian is holding your badge and is currently at the entrance of the survival zone.
May I ask if your badge was obtained by her through illegal means?”
Lu Qingyuan didn’t answer him immediately upon hearing the word ‘badge’.
Instead, he turned on the computer next to him and received the surveillance feed from outside the survival zone’s main gate.
It was that girl.
He watched her through the surveillance; her familiar face instantly reminded him of when he had encountered her more than ten days ago.
She had inexplicably run up to him, crying, her lips and cheeks trembling with fright.
Although he had kindly given her the badge at the time, he never thought she would survive or even find her way here.
What he didn’t expect was… she actually came.
He looked at the screen on the monitor and couldn’t help but smile.
Since she was already here, he might as well see his good deed through.
“Let her in, she’s a relative.”
“Excuse me, is there another gentleman, is he also your relative?”
Each senior researcher had two slots for family members to enter the survival zone.
Lu Qingyuan looked at the other timid man trailing behind Chu Yian in the surveillance and said without hesitation, “No.”
He was completely benevolent, but not overly so.
Even though he was fully capable of saving another person, he remained cold to the core.
Outside the survival zone
The soldier, having successfully negotiated, told Chu Yian the result, “Miss Chu, you can enter, but the person next to you cannot.”
“Then, can I hand over supplies?”
Chu Yian hadn’t expected Teacher Lu’s badge to actually be useful.
Although it could only let one person in, the remaining supplies should still be enough for You Che to enter.
She quickly got into the car and took out the treasure box.
Then she took out all the food inside.
There were 26 compressed biscuits left.
17 packs of instant noodles, converted 1:1 to compressed biscuits, equivalent to 17 pieces.
4 boxes of self-heating hotpot, converted 1:2 to compressed biscuits, equivalent to 8 pieces.
3 boxes of self-heating rice, converted 1:2 to compressed biscuits, equivalent to 6 pieces.
2 cans of luncheon meat, converted 1:1 to compressed biscuits, 2 pieces.
2 cans of canned yellow peaches, converted 1:3 to compressed biscuits, 6 pieces.
Adding these up, it only amounted to 65 compressed biscuits, still short by a full 35 pieces.
You Che’s expression changed from excited to numb, “Big Chu, you should still go in.
I’ll figure something out outside.”
What else could he do? He finally had a chance to pass, but he was short 35 compressed biscuits!
If only he had packed a little more in his backpack when he left, or eaten a little less on the road, he wouldn’t be in this situation now.
“It’s only 35 compressed biscuits short, why are you crying? Just look for more.”
Having traveled all the way to City X, to the survival zone, many difficulties on the road had passed.
Was it not shameful to cry over 35 compressed biscuits?
Chu Yian didn’t have time to comfort his dejected mood.
Instead, she went back into the treasure box to search again.
Then she came out holding several boxes of medicine, “Big brother, can these medicines and vitamins offset a portion?”
“Vitamins?”
The soldier’s eyes lit up when he heard Chu Yian’s words, “Vitamins can replace compressed biscuits.
An unopened box of vitamin tablets can replace 10 packs of compressed biscuits.”
10 packs of compressed biscuits!
Chu Yian had bought six different kinds of vitamin tablets in one go because she didn’t know how to choose them at the time.
