Read Novel Full Chapter 205.1
Chapter 205.1
After discussing the situation with Song Yuantian and the others, they all left Bai Lixin’s dormitory.
The once crowded dormitory became barely spacious after the others left.
Though small, it was fully equipped.
Two single army-green beds were placed against the walls, with a kitchen in addition to the washroom, toilet, and separate shower area.
After the fierce battle with the zombies just now, Xia Chi was already starving. As soon as everyone left, he hurriedly dashed into the washroom and straight into the kitchen.
However, after just a minute or two, Xia Chi walked out cursing.
“Brother, the kitchen is just an empty shell with nothing to eat inside. I’m so hungry. I was worried about encountering strange situations while following you this time, and I thought of the worst-case scenario, but I never thought that I wouldn’t even be able to open my backpack.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Although he wanted to complain too, he refrained from doing so, as it would only make him unhappy.
Bai Lixin silently took out the crystal nucleus he had first picked up from his pocket. “According to Sally and the system, resources should be exchanged. How many crystal nuclei do you have?”
Xia Chi reached into his pocket and handed Bai Lixin a handful of crystal nuclei.
Bai Lixin even had to clasp his hands together to catch the crystal nuclei to avoid dropping them on the ground.
After placing a large handful of them down, Xia Chi reached in his pocket again and struggled to grab the last handful, taking out over ten crystal nuclei.
“Okay, that’s all.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
———————-
In the livestream broadcast room.
[We have to admit, the word “just” is used well.]
[Hahaha, Bai Lixin’s face is turning green. Why do I love to see Bai Lixin and Xia Chi in a copy together? It’s like bringing together two extremes in the world.]
[Xia Chi: I had such bad luck today that I only picked up one S card.]
[Bai Lixin: I had such good luck today that I actually encountered an F card.]
[We cry with Wen, and our hearts break with him. Poor Bai Lixin.]
[You guys are so bad. How could Bai Lixin have fans like you guys? I’m different. I’ll pay anything to buy back all of Bai Lixin’s related materials. Anything!]
[…You are great.]
——————————
Bai Lixin packed all the crystal nuclei into a small bag, which was bulging and heavy.
They followed the system’s guidance to the exchange center, a metal booth located in the square. When they arrived, there was already a long queue waiting.
Bai Lixin noticed that the queue consisted not only of ability users but also ordinary civilians.
With careful observation, it was easy to distinguish between ability users and civilians. The latter were mostly dressed plainly, with leaner and weaker physiques compared to the former. In addition, all civilians wore collars around their necks, which came in two colors: red and black.
Bai Lixin had seen this collar on the neck of the weak youth earlier, and it was red.
He called upon the escape system in his mind: [What does the collar’s color mean?]
The escape system replied after a brief pause, [Wait a moment while I check the background information.]
Two seconds later, the escape system beeped, [It is used to distinguish between bodies.]
[Wearing a red collar means that the body is suitable for reproduction and has the ability to conceive life. Wearing a black collar means that the body is infertile.]
Bai Lixin frowned slightly.
The escape system continued to explain, [According to scientific research, ability users may have astonishing powers, but they are infertile. On the other hand, ordinary civilians, despite being weak, bear the important responsibility of reproducing offspring.]
[After a child is born, it will be taken away for examination. If it is an ability user, they will be handed over to a special ability user administrator for training. If it is a civilian, the child will be randomly returned to an ordinary family for upbringing.]
Bai Lixin remembered the young man with the red collar. [In this apocalypse, can men also bear children?]
[Perhaps due to the drastic reduction in the number of humans, male genetic mutations have occurred, and a portion of them can bear life,] replied the escape system.
[Oh, I see] Bai Lixin continued to inquire, [Can civilians also leave the ark to search for resources?]
[Civilians are prohibited from leaving the ark, but they have no objections to this. They can watch the battles from above and know that although life on the ark may be difficult, at least they can survive. Once they leave the ark, only death awaits them. Therefore, the overall environment on the ark is still stable] explained the escape system.
Bai Lixin carefully surveyed the long queue, noticing a few children among them. “Since civilians cannot leave the ark and have no means of making a living, does the ark provide them with daily necessities for survival?”
Escape System: [Yes, that’s right. Every month, both commoners and ability users can receive their month’s supply. Commoners usually receive basic items such as grain and fabric, which are calculated on a per-head basis. It’s just enough to sustain them with a little bit of savings each day, so they can barely make it through the month. But if they happen to eat a little more one day, they’ll have to go hungry the next.]
[As for ability users, ordinary food is not enough to quickly restore their physical strength. In addition to eating food, they can also take ‘nutrient solution.’ The main component of the nutrient solution is the energy inside the crystal nucleus. There are specialized researchers who convert the energy inside the crystal nucleus into a liquid form that can be easily absorbed. This way, ability users can quickly recover their abilities during battles. Moreover, some nutrient solutions can also temporarily enhance the abilities of strengthened ability users.]
[Like commoners, ability users also receive supplies every month, usually ten bottles of nutrient solution and a month’s worth of food. They generally don’t use nutrient solution when resting inside the Ark, but they save it for use during battles.]
[Of course, that’s just basic nutrient solution. If they want to exchange for higher quality and more quantity of nutrient solution, they can use the crystals and supplies they have to exchange for it.]
Bai Lixin asked, [What kind of supplies can be exchanged?]
Escape System: [There are many, such as hunting healthy animals, picking healthy plants, and some things from zombies, like hard scales and nails, can also be used as supplies. However, the latter is something that can be sought but desired. For one, these zombie parts are difficult to screen for because they may carry the zombie virus. Therefore, this type of supply is the most precious.]
[In the doomsday world, fruits are also highly valued. If you can pick fresh strawberries or apples, it’s definitely a stroke of luck.]
Bai Lixin instinctively looked at Xia Chi after hearing this.
Xia Chi was tiptoeing and looking around, and feeling Bai Lixin’s meaningful gaze, he blinked blankly, “What’s wrong, brother?”
“…,” Bai Lixin lightly patted Xia Chi’s shoulder, “hello, Xia God of Wealth.”
Xia Chi: “???”
The queue soon arrived at Bai Lixin and Xia Chi’s spot, and two indifferent ability users were in charge of the exchange.
They poured out all the crystals, and a pile of black crystals spread out on the reddish-brown wooden table.
One of them casually glanced at the crystals and said, “A pile of junk,” before turning his head to look at them, “How much nutrient solution and food do you want to exchange?”
Bai Lixin asked, “How do we exchange them specifically?”
The man replied, “Black crystals are the worst, they contain very little energy. If we exchange all of them for nutrient solution, you can get 30 bottles, and if you exchange all of them for grain, you can get enough food for 60 days.”
Bai Lixin looked at Xia Chi for advice, and Xia Chi tugged at his sleeve and said, “Brother, make a decision.”
Bai Lixin said, “Let’s exchange 20 bottles of nutrient solution and the rest for grain.”
The man dragged a cloth bag from his feet and threw all the crystals in it casually. When Bai Lixin looked over and found that the bag was filled with black crystals.
In addition to this bag, there were several other bags at the feet of the two men, each containing crystals of different colors.
The men had seen high-level crystals before, so they naturally despised the black ones of their quality.
In several of the cloth bags, the quality of the crystals was better, and the quantity was also rarer. There was only one red crystal that was carefully placed on the table.
Another man quickly packed the things that were requested and impatiently urged them, “20 bottles of nutrient solution and 20 bags of grain, there’s still a lot more people, move on.”
Back in the dormitory, Xia Chi was still lamenting.
“I didn’t expect that the crystals we obtained at the cost of so many players’ lives are so worthless in their eyes.”
“Brother, this is really the end of the world. They despise the quality of our crystals but don’t know that just these zombies with black crystals have caused us to lose so many players. If the zombies with other crystals are even scarier, and behind these terrifying zombies, there is also the existence of a zombie king. Ah, just thinking about it makes me feel short of breath.”
As he spoke, Xia Chi’s stomach growled.
Xia Chi’s expression was slightly embarrassed. He suddenly stood up from his chair, picked up the grain, and rushed into the kitchen, “Even if we feel short of breath, we still need to eat!”
Bai Lixin: “…”
He took out the nutrient solution in the bag , and carefully observed this small tube of liquid.
The nutrient solution was contained in small glass tubes, and the liquid inside was a light blue color. Bai Lixin tilted it gently and found that there was a noticeable oily feeling in the liquid, and it was not a low-concentration aqueous substance.
There was a sealed cork on top of the glass tube. Bai Lixin unscrewed the cork and placed the nutrient solution under his nose to smell it.
A faint osmanthus fragrance instantly filled his nostrils, and the scent quickly rushed straight to his brain. In that moment, he even heard his usually calm mind shouting at him to drink this liquid.
Bai Lixin hesitated for two seconds, took a tentative sip.
Just one sip, and he felt his body clear up suddenly, and his somewhat heavy body relaxed.
Since a moment ago, he had discovered that the recovery of power in this world was different.
His physical condition has always been good. Even if he is very tired, he can recover after resting for one or two hours.
Based on his physique, his energy should have fully recovered an hour ago. However, he found that only his physical strength had recovered, and his ability had not.
He still couldn’t use his ability.
It seems that his ability probably needs “nutrient solution” to quickly replenish. The process of waiting for it to recover on its own may be very long.
So, how much energy can this bottle of nutrient fluid provide for his ability to recover?
With this thought, Bai Lixin once again placed the nutrient fluid to his lips and drank it all in one gulp.
The nutrient fluid tasted a bit like soda, but slightly sweeter than soda.
As the nutrient solution entered his body, Bai Lixin could feel a warm and surging force rushing towards his mind.
His previously sluggish brain instantly became clear, and he felt a satisfying and refreshing sensation.
He could confirm that his ability was now more abundant than when he first entered the copy and used the charm ability on the zonbie.
Bai Lixin squeezed the transparent nutrient fluid tube in his palm, and his gaze gradually became deep. [s419.]
S419: [Ah! Lord Host, you finally thought of me! I thought you didn’t need me anymore after you took over Sister System. Woo woo.]
Bai Lixin: [I dare not have you compete with each other. Check my brain and see if there is anything extra in there.]
S419: [What do you mean?]
Bai Lixin: [Most of the zombie crystals are in the head, and I found that the power also rushed into my brain when I took the nutrient fluid. I have a small guess. Help me verify it.]
[!!] s419, [I think I understand what you mean. I’ll scan it now!]
[Ding! Next up is a brain scan!]
[Ding! The scan is complete. Reporting to the Lord Host. As you suspected, I found a diamond-shaped object in your brain during the scan.]
As s419’s voice fell, a semi-transparent brain image appeared in front of Bai Lixin.
In the rugged folds, countless nerve lines could still be seen.
The image quickly stretched and enlarged, and finally, in the center of the brain, beneath the cerebral cortex, he saw a very hidden diamond-shaped crystal, identical to the crystal nucleus they obtained from the zombie’s brain.
The escape system whispered: [How could there be a crystal nucleus in the brain of an ability user?]
Bai Lixin: [You don’t know?]
The Escape system shook its head quickly, [I don’t know. There is no description of the ability users’ skills in my data.]
Bai Lixin pursed his lips as he looked at the crystal nucleus. Through the clear image s419 transmitted to him, he could see that the crystal nucleus was a vibrant shade of blue. It’s location was particularly special, as it was in the most densely packed area of the nerves.
The nerves were intertwined like morning glories around the crystal nucleus, binding it tightly.
S419 said, [Lord Host, it’s impossible to remove this thing now. There are too many nerve fibers connecting it, and even a slight mistake could hurt you. The reason why this has appeared in your body should be due to the system’s manipulation.]
Bai Lixin nodded and said, [That’s right. The system can make my body conform to certain settings. Didn’t I grow a tail and gills before?]
[If I have a crystal nucleus in my brain, then perhaps all ability users have it in their brains.]
S419 asked, [Are you suggesting that the crystal nucleus is the source of power for all ability users? But why aren’t they like zombies where by you must extract the crystal nucleus for them to die? They just need to be hit in the right place to die.]
Bai Lixin replied, [Perhaps it is because one is the source of life, while the other is just a cherry on top.]
S419 added, [But the fact that zombies and supernatural beings have the same crystal nucleus is enough to raise suspicions.]
Bai Lixin nodded in agreement. [You’re right. Do you have any ideas on how to investigate?]
S419 replied, [If I can ‘access’ the data signal of the Ark, I should be able to find some information.]
Escape System interjected, [Ah, I know about this. The central control console of the Ark is located in the council area. In order to access the console, we need to enter that area. However, to protect the safety of council members, the Ark has added a powerful protective shield in that area. This shield can withstand trillions of tons of pressure and can only be disabled through the central control console.]
[But we can’t enter the central control console, so we’re stuck in a dead end.] S419 added.
Bai Lixin said, [Don’t worry, let’s wait a few days and observe. Once we know where it is, it will be much easier to find a way in.]
[Understood, Master Bai Lixin,] the Escape System acknowledged.
Meanwhile, Xia Chi finished cooking in the kitchen. “Brother, I’ve made dinner. Come and eat,” he called out.
A pungent smell filled the air, and Bai Lixin’s expression stiffened as he turned his head in alarm.
It couldn’t be what he was thinking, could it?
At the dinner table, Xia Chi held a large pot in his towel covered hands. He wore an apron and smiled like a shy housewife waiting for her husband to praise her cooking skills.
But the food in the pot seemed to have a mind of its own…
Xia Chi didn’t notice Bai Lixin’s reluctance and kindly served two large bowls of black, gooey porridge. Fearing that he wasn’t enthusiastic enough, he even added an extra layer for Bai Lixin.