"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."
Chapter 4 Home Building Cards 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." Seeking someone to do … with in Sukkur "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.
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."
(End of Chapter)