An idea was put forward, but whether it succeeded would require significant trials.

Su Wei was left alone to match the code in the virtual reality and study how to adapt to their requirements.

Su Mo and Ai Jianfeng exited the virtual reality and went back to the workshop to sit down.

A large laboratory for everyone’s research had not been established yet. Even the blueprints have not even begun.

The place they called the workshop was in fact a prefabricated room that was previously vacant. It was separated by a simple wooden board, giving all the scientific researchers an independent space.

Ai Jianfeng’s entire activity area added up to only 30 square meters. Except for the bed, the machines, and the bedside cabinet with books, it was merely enough for three or four people to sit down and talk.

Any more than that, and they would have to go to the larger conference room in the middle for discussion.

There was also a downside to living in close proximity to the machines.

Even without paying much attention, Su Mo could distinguish the slightly irritating smell of engine oil and the strong smell of rust because of the humidity.

“We don’t have the best conditions right now, so we will have to start all over again and explore new possibilities.”

Su Mo sighed but was also comforted.

Ai Jianfeng waved his hand indifferently, took the water bottle, and poured out two cups of hot water. He carefully took out a small packet of tea from the table drawer, pinched some tea leaves, and sprinkled it into the cup:

“It’s okay. This is nothing. When I was doing my technology research back on earth, I slept in my workshop for almost half a year.

“Our small experiments could be brought into virtual reality to find concrete data.

“As long as we had some auxiliary instruments that allow us to verify in reality, that’s more than enough.”

Blowing off the heat from the teacup and taking a sip of the slightly bitter black tea, Ai Jianfeng said emotionally, “Let’s recruit as many people as possible first. In this wasteland, no matter how advanced our technology is, people are still our top priority. I don’t know why. The more research and discussion we’ve conducted recently, the more I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of our life in the doomsday wasteland!”

“Oh? Why do you say so?”

Picking up the teacup as well, Su Mo took a sip and then gazed at Ai Jianfeng to hear his explanation.

The importance of gathering the population was not something that needed to be talked about by the mechanical expert Ai Jianfeng.

Su Mo, as the territory lord and leadership under his rule, had been speaking of the matter every single day. Everyone’s priority in their hearts was always to find more survivors.

However, if Ai Jianfeng were to bring it up, it must mean that he had made a different discovery.

“How should I put this…

“Su Mo, you know that the code name for our universe is Butterfly Universe, right? Do you know the code name for Blazeland?

“I’d like to hear more!” Su Mo sat up straight and answered.

This survival game, in which all human beings had been captured to participate, had been going on for a significant amount of time.

The virtualized and digitalized panels have brought unprecedented experience to everyone and made the earthlings living in peaceful times realize what cruelty is and the ruthlessness of natural selection.

At the same time, Su Mo also learned that humans once visited this wasteland from several parallel universes, and there was an unknown world behind the door.

The truth behind everything had begun to become extremely confusing.

“The code name of Blazeland is Forerunner Universe. They were named so because they opened a path that people on Earth could have never imagined before.”

“Do you mean the path of Old Era Technology?” asked Su Mo.

Ai Jianfeng nodded. “Yes, the old technology is the Blazelanders’ experiment. They tried to integrate the methods of foreign races to make a deeper breakthrough with technology.

“That’s the reason we call them the Forerunner Universe.

“Based on the outstanding players in each competition, we will determine the code name of the universe, pass it on, and hand it over to the players who come to the next competition.

“However, recently, with what happened to me? No, I should say that these special things that happened to you have made me see further possibilities!”

Pointing at the alchemy furnace and looking at the pile of manuals in the corner, Ai Jianfeng was at a loss for words.

A few moments of silence.

Ai Jianfeng drank all the black tea in the cup and refilled it with water, then muttered, “They should’ve reached the three-dimensional level long ago if this technology belongs to the technology developed by us humans. They would have acquired the ability to explore the truth of the universe, and they may even have the ability to go against the game.

“After all, humans might not invest too much time and energy to improve their lives, but it is not difficult to create weapons to perish together!

“But…what about them?”

Ai Jianfeng only knew about the game, not the system, so he obviously misunderstood many things.

In his eyes, whether it was the alchemy furnace that touched the edge of four-dimensional technology or the child guard version of the climbing car from the medium-distance interstellar age, they were gifts from the game.

In his eyes, this kind of human civilization, which understood quantum physics and could explore the realm of time, was still incapable of breaking through the mastery of the game.

Therefore, judging by the current level of human technology in the wasteland, it was a fool’s dream to want to resist the game.

Even if all went well, it would take at least thousands of years or even a long process of tens of thousands of years before human beings reached three-dimensional technology.

Then, this was only the “beginning.”

This kind of despair was not something he would show to outsiders.

However, in front of Su Mo, Ai Jianfeng expressed his worries in order to dispel his confusion and fear about the future.

Su Mo, who sat across him, continued to act as a listener and neither spoke nor explained anything.

Ai Jianfeng’s curiosity did not come as a surprise to Su Mo.

For ordinary human beings, the game had a strong sense of oppression but did not instill extreme fear into them.

After all, living on earth, everyone had fantasies about parallel universes and the mysteries of the end of the seas.

Subconsciously, one would only need to think of the game as mysterious aliens or a group of monsters with bad tastes who wanted to watch humans struggle for survival.

Then, their goal would be to work hard to survive, slowly accumulate strength, and finally resist these monsters and be the final victors.

Ordinary people could run around in the wasteland to their fullest and live their days well.

However, this was limited to ordinary humans who knew very little about the truth!

The more you understood, the closer you got to the cliff.

When you stared into the abyss, the abyss would stare back at you.

For these researchers, when they suddenly learned that human beings might need hundreds of generations, even thousands of generations, to touch the technological upper limit…

In their eyes, this would merely be the beginning.

It was so shocking that it was impossible to accept!

Of course, if you let him know that there was a mysterious system that was far superior to the game, his belief in science would undoubtedly collapse more thoroughly.

“Let’s take it step-by-step. There are too many mysteries that we’ve encountered now. It won’t necessarily be a bad thing for us to know more!

“In short, it’s better for us to have less contact with this mysterious technology. Otherwise, the deeper we get into it, the harder it will be to figure it out!”

Ai Jianfeng misunderstood Su Mo’s dilemma and thought that it was the game that prevented him from telling him, so he did not pursue the issue any further. He suddenly changed the topic back to the manufacturing of the climbing car.

Meanwhile, Su Mo did not think too much about it since he had already made up his mind that we would not share about the system even with his family.

It was as Ai Jianfeng suggested. The best route for them was to take one step at a time.

The territory took the road of technology and would try to fight back the game with human means.

Su Mo, the territory lord, would take the path of authority and try to use the game rules to counteract their opponent.

Additionally, he had the system to help, so it was not impossible to win the game.

Both of them had things in their hearts, but they did not show it on their faces. After being influenced by Su Mo’s confidence, Ai Jianfeng finally adjusted and calmed down slowly.

He continued working on a plan to shrink the vehicle material.

Time flew, and the already gloomy sky gradually darkened.

…

Day 19 of the Doomsday Calander marked the 125th day of humanity’s journey to the wasteland.

For people in the Deep Sea, this was only the fourth month humans have spent in the wasteland, and they did not have much of a concept of time.

However, it was a memorable day for the players running around in the New World.

On this day, the most powerful snowfall in winter ushered in its peak.

From the terrifying 500mm of snowfall on the first day, it dropped to 400mm, and the total snow of the two days almost exceeded one meter.

It was a commemoration because as long as they persisted until nine in the evening, it signified that they were halfway through the disaster!

The remaining three days of snowfall added up to only 600mm.

The threats were greatly reduced!

Everyone was busy as the sky got darker and darker. When the movement of the black clouds accumulated in the sky stopped, the pause button of the falling snow also seemed to have been pressed.

Nine o’clock…

The time finally arrived!

At this moment, countless disaster-resisting personnel on duty at the front line seemed to have been exhausted by the disaster and fell into the snow in a daze.

Some players who were unable to resist the disaster and could only lose their territory also felt fortunate to survive as they sat in the snow and sighed at the disaster.

Although this time, they lost countless resources and lost their territory built earlier on in Month 1.

In the end, what mattered most was they were still alive!

From now on, the disaster pressed on their hearts was no longer the heavy snowfall but the next phase of the extreme cold temperatures.

Su Mo’s line of sight turned back to the basin.

It was the same as other territories but not exactly the same.

Although the villagers on the front line were exhausted, they still maintained a little stamina when the assembly whistle sounded at nine o’clock and returned to Hope Village in groups of three or five.

Along the way, they curiously looked around the village where the snow had disappeared entirely and was amazed.

“Good gracious! There’s really no snow left within two kilometers around the village. I would’ve thought it was just rain!”

“The snow over there has already become a city wall! It kind of looks like the snow protects us! Haha!”

“Hurry up, hurry up, I can already smell the meat buns! How can we resist such temptation!”

“When I’m back tonight, I’ll have to soak my feet and open a package of spicy chicken feet to treat myself! I’ll take a half-day rest tomorrow~”

“Break? What break? Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, I’ll be working for two days straight so I can rent 200 square meters of land around the village! Then, when I acquire enough money for materials, I’m going to build myself a house!”

“D*mn, Tu Tu! You’re usually quiet but very diligent at times like this! We need to talk. Which girl are you interested in? Are you trying to get married soon?!”

“F*ck off! This is an investment! Do you understand the term ‘investment’? Buying land in the village now will definitely make me profits in the future when the market value increases!”

They bickered and talked about the prospects for the future and the good expectations of life.

Everyone was happy, and although their mouths were arguing with each other, their hearts were warm and comfortable.

Their hands and feet were freezing cold after working in the ice and snow for most of the day.

Whoever saw the bright, warm light was also warmed in their hearts.

The thought of warm rice, warm dishes,warm water, and hot blankets that were waiting for them to return was an extremely ecstatic feeling!

Soon…

Entering the village, most people went to the shower and then fetched themselves hot water to wash away the sweat and mud.

Then, more and more people gathered in the steaming canteen and started to eat.

Resources were plentiful during disaster time.

In the evening, the meals provided to all the villagers still did not decrease, and they were portioned according to the specifications to ensure the villagers were full and well-fed.

The meat bun, which the Northerners enjoyed, was filled with real beef, and the meat’s juice was splashed with a squeeze.

The Southerners loved their clay pot rice. The vegetables and meat on top were combined together. As soon as the lid was opened, a strong aroma wafted in the air.

The meal also consisted of vegetable soup supplemented with some seasonings and salt.

Everyone ate with sweat on their heads and was sweating all over their bodies.

Due to the hard hard work, physical exertion was also high.

The man who wanted to be the first to lease the land was called Tu Tu, but his real name was Wang Tu.

After eating from nine-thirty in the night to a little past ten, after sending off all the accompanying teammates, he ended his dinner and happily walked to the designated location with a plate.

On the way, he kept turning his head sideways and listened to the conversations of the nearby villagers.

Smart people would always walk ahead of others even if they started on the same startling line.

On weekdays, through the villagers’ gossip, Wang Tu had been able to stay at the forefront of the market.

Even when he was in a position where he worked most of the time, he ensured that he had a clear judgment and awareness of changes in market prices.

During this period, through private trade fairs, he constantly purchased and sold products, buying low and selling high.

The resources hoarded in his hands gradually increased.

Relying on these, with the addition of wages during the disaster resistance period, this was the confidence he had to be the first to buy land in the village!

However, today Wang Tu was destined to hear the gossip and resource needs like in the past.

Whether it was a man or a woman, whether they were responsible for the front-line disaster resistance or responsible for internal repairs…

Tonight’s topics were unified into one.

“Disaster Rewards? Directly awarded by the shelter leader? Opportunity to take off? What are these things?

“Is it possible that even though everyone had the same duty, those that were in front were eligible to get a special reward?”

Wang Tu thought about the points awarded to everyone after work every time in the past two days.

He originally thought that it was just an honorary reward.

However, right now, it no longer sounded that simple anymore.

He put down the plate and took out a rough leaf to wipe the oils from the corner of his mouth.

Looking at the person who looked friendly, Wang Tu quickly stepped forward, full of flattery. “Ma’am, please give me a moment. I’m Wang Tu from the third disaster resistance team. You can just call me Tu Tu. I heard everyone talking about disaster resistance rewards and was wondering what is it about?”

The auntie, who looked a little over forty, was slightly displeased to be held back by Wang Tu.

However, when she heard it was Wang Tu from the third disaster resistance team, her eyes suddenly lit up.

“Wang Tu? So you are Wang Tu! You are very capable! By the way, are you married? I have a daughter who just turned 22 this year. She’s about the same age as you and just got accepted into the village’s clothing manufacturing team. Would you be…”

His original intention was to inquire about the news, but it had suddenly turned into matchmaking.

‘I see you as a village sister, but you want to be my mother-in-law?!’

Seeing the other party exaggerating her daughter’s good points here and there, Wang Tu touched his forehead helplessly and quickly changed the topic back to his main point.

“Ma’am, let’s not talk about this first. I’d like to know what exactly this disaster resistance reward is? I haven’t received any news…”

“Oh! Do you mean the reward? It’s a policy that we promulgated in the afternoon. At that time, you must have been fighting the disaster outside. I’ll explain it to you if you don’t know about it yet…

“…”

With the eyes that seemed as if she was scrutinizing her son-in-law, the old auntie pulled Wang Tu to the corner and explained it incessantly.

From the announcement of the policy and its content to the reward, and finally to her understanding, the opinions of the villagers, and so on.

The old auntie spoke with flamboyant expressions, and she had great potential to become a storyteller.

However, Wang Tu, who sat across her and listened, was not recording and taking notes like he would when he was collecting information as usual.

At that moment, his expression was blank, and his whole body trembled slightly.

Listening closely, you could hear his almost inaudible muttering,

“Rich…

“This time, I’m going to be…

“Rich!”

…