"Hello, Mr. Yang Yuan, could we trade some water with you? At the safe zone price, one ordinary Spirit Monster Core for a pound of water, how about it?"
Wu Chengxin took out ten ordinary Spirit Monster Cores.
"Sure." Yang Yuan did not refuse and asked Zhao Jiayan to put away the Spirit Monster Cores.
"Thank you very much." Wu Chengxin's face lit up with joy, then she handed a water bag over to Zhao Jiayan: "This type of water bag, when filled, is exactly ten pounds."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance into the box used for storing water and discovered hundreds of coolers inside.
Actually, that wasn't surprising, because the containers they used for storing water also had coolers. Otherwise, in the extreme heat outside, the water would immediately boil and then quickly evaporate.
What truly baffled her was that the temperature here was much lower, even a bit chilly.
It was bizarre—outside, the temperature soared over a hundred degrees Celsius, yet here it was only around ten degrees, as if they were in two different worlds.
She didn't know that all the coolers here were level seven.
Having so many level seven coolers together wouldn't stack to lower the temperature further, but it did enhance the cooling effect, making it less affected by the external environment.
"Okay." Zhao Jiayan nodded, taking the water bag to fill it with water.
Wu Chengxin stopped overthinking and took the chance to ask Yang Yuan, "Is your superpower related to mechanical alteration? I don't mean to pry, I just wanted to ask if you could help us manufacture weapons. We can trade Spirit Monster Cores or other things in exchange."
Yang Yuan raised an eyebrow, looking at the woman, "Let's talk about this later. I don't have the time right now."
Wu Chengxin was initially disappointed but then excited again, since Yang Yuan hadn't refused or denied her question.
"Alright, then I won't disturb you further." She couldn't help but act more respectfully.
If he truly was a superpower user like a mechanical alterer, then he'd definitely be a big shot.
After billions of people globally appeared in this world, only one such superpower user had emerged and was treated like a treasure by the entire Alliance.
Could they really be lucky enough to meet such a person?
At that moment, she found herself somewhat grateful that half of their team had been wiped out by this guy, otherwise, they would never have had the chance to meet such a big shot.
So, is this the sacrifices of teammates making you invincible?
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Yang Yuan shivered all over, a look of joy appearing on his face.
He discovered, through the radar terrain map of the Firepower Flying Disc, other superpower users and also noticed a large number of medium to large-sized drones suddenly flying out from a location about a hundred kilometers away.
The place where the drones emerged couldn't be scanned, possibly shielded by anti-radar systems.
But he could see the people hanging beneath those drones, and they were clearly combat superpower users from the military.
Some of those medium to large-sized drones were flying towards the Ancient Ruins, while others were headed this way.
"Could that be where the main force is stationed?"
He was overjoyed, having finally found them.
But why was he able to find them now, all of a sudden?
Previously, there hadn't been even a hint of them.
Zhao Jiayan returned the filled water bag to Wu Chengxin, and upon seeing Yang Yuan's delighted expression, she curiously asked, "What's going on?"
Wu Chengxin couldn't help but listen in, her departing footsteps instinctively slowing.
"I've found the main force, it's in that direction." Yang Yuan pointed in the direction where the drones appeared.
At that moment, he was thinking about how to rally the main force to fight the Drought Fiend. On his own, the result was uncertain, but with the main force, the success rate would increase no matter what, as the main force had more Firepower Flying Discs.
Initially, he had planned to develop slowly and take out the Drought Fiend in one go once his Firepower Flying Discs were strong enough. But being trapped here, he'd soon have to face the Drought Fiend, making slow development impossible.
However, rallying the main force together needed careful consideration. He couldn't rush it, or he might be considered insane. He had to find the right opportunity to speak up.
Main force?
Zhao Jiayan and Jiang Yiyi both looked delighted.
The past three days, they had spent at least two hours each day searching for an exit or trying to find the main force and other superpower users.
But with no progress, they even wondered if it was just the three of them trapped here.
Wu Chengxin also showed joy, instinctively quickening her pace to share this news with a few partners.
"Should we go over there?" Zhao Jiayan asked expectantly.
Even though they hadn't gone hungry during this time, with plenty of water, and had even bathed in the past few days, living much better than before.
But drinking blood all the time—no need to mention Yang Yuan, even she couldn't take it anymore, especially when other food could be purchased.
Yang Yuan, through the Firepower Flying Disc's radar, saw some large drones speeding this way and said, "Military drones are approaching; let's wait and see."
If the military valued the ability to enlarge the Firepower Flying Disc, they should contact him proactively, allowing him to make some requests, like freedom.
He wasn't too wary of joining the safe zone, mainly worried about encountering incompetent leaders.
The safe zone's drones moved quickly, reaching within thirty kilometers in just over ten minutes.
At that moment, a superpower user hanging on one of the drones discovered a massive Firepower Flying Disc in the distance and quickly reported it to the safe zone, his face changing dramatically.
...
The safe zone, shrouded in a thin mist, saw a continuous drizzle fall, with the mysterious Marvel 'Cloud Soaring' constantly consuming water to lower the temperature, keeping it at around fifty degrees here.
But that was its limit; the Marvel's level wasn't high enough to continue reducing temperature on a large scale.
At this time, in a corner of the safe zone, a massive machine was drilling underground frantically, the drill bit spinning madly, yet resulting in numerous sparks and white smoke.
Suddenly, with a loud "Bang," the drill bit broke, and the entire machine shuddered drastically.
"Damn it, broken again!"
"What kind of material is beneath that it's so hard?!"
"Is there some undetectable force protecting this weathered concrete?"
Everyone was both angry and frustrated, deeply distressed.
The person in charge immediately scolded, "What's the point in saying that? Quickly change the drill bit and keep going, or we'll all be roasted..."
They had two purposes for drilling through this layer of concrete beneath them.
One was to build a subterranean shelter to escape the terrifying surface heat.
The other was to check for underground water.
However, they couldn't even penetrate the weathered concrete layer, leaving them questioning everything.
In an office temporarily built from solidified leaf litter.
Regiment Commander Jia Weixin, hectic to the point of suffering blisters on his feet, asked his subordinates with a somber face, "How much water do we have left? How long can we hold out?"
The superpower user in charge of maintaining the Marvel's 'Cloud Soaring' answered grimly, "At most seven days, and if the temperature continues to rise, this time will shorten."
"Seven days!!"
Jia Weixin felt a wave of helplessness, because in the current situation, a temperature rise was inevitable.
By then, more water will be required to maintain Cloud Soaring.
Once the water is completely used up, except for Physique System users or some special superpower users, and those who've broken through a limit, everyone else will be roasted alive.
Such people occupy ninety percent of the safe zone's population.
Previously, he had used the Marvel to request assistance from the Alliance Headquarters, but to his despair, one of the Alliance's teams had truly encountered another civilization, and it wasn't friendly.
So now, nearly all the other teams in the Alliance had gone to support that team, leaving those trapped in the Ancient Ruins like they'd been abandoned.
He somewhat understood this, since the team that encountered the foreign civilization included a very precious Conceptual Superpower User, who couldn't afford a mishap.
On the contrary, here, there were hardly any indispensable talents. Even if they were all wiped out, it wouldn't cause much heartache.
Various feelings of anger and helplessness flashed through his mind, but Jia Weixin didn't show it, instead asking again, "Still can't dig through underground?"