Arriving soon: Glacier Research Outpost

[Chen Yu: I have food, but it's not a common category. Can you accept crayfish?]

[Yang Kexin: crayfish??? Seriously?]

[Chen Yu: It's a product of my teammate's talent. We just ate some today.]

[Yang Kexin: That's amazing! What price can you offer?]

[Chen Yu: 5 jin, for your hammer.]

The other side fell silent for a while, probably going to reply to others.

A few minutes later.

[Yang Kexin: Sorry, student, the people in our vehicle think crayfish aren't filling enough...]

[Chen Yu: 10 jin.]

[Yang Kexin: Student, sorry, crayfish are also hard to prepare. We can only roast them. Biscuits would be much more practical...]

[Chen Yu: 15 jin.]

This time, the silence on the other side lasted even longer.

It didn't seem like they were replying to others.

It was more like they were discussing it with the people in their vehicle.

A few minutes later.

[Yang Kexin: Student, 15 jin of crayfish is indeed tempting, but I talked it over with them.]

[Chen Yu: 20 jin.]

[Yang Kexin: (ｷ｀ﾟДﾟ´)!! Student, you're too generous!]

[Chen Yu: So, it's a deal, right?]

[Yang Kexin: Deal! But... wait, 20 jin... are you really giving it all to us?]

[Chen Yu: I urgently need a barrier-breaking tool. Are you trading or not?]

[Yang Kexin: Trade, trade, trade! Definitely trading! Only a fool wouldn't! Happy cooperation~~~]

[Yang Kexin: Student, you are truly a good person! Our team is almost chewing on tree bark!]

[Yang Kexin: Oh right, I'm Yang Kexin from Dance Department Class Two. How about you?]

[Chen Yu: Look at the first two characters of this sentence.]

[Student Chen Yu, I'm sending the trade invitation now!]

[Ding!]

[Received Trade Invitation (From: Yang Kexin)]

[Trade Item: Heavy Octagonal Hammer x1 [Image]]

[Requested Item: crayfish x10 kg [Image]]

[Confirm?]

Chen Yu exited the chat window and immediately selected Confirm.

The entire process was silent, without any light or shadow effects.

The next second, an empty slot quietly lit up inside Chen Yu's personal backpack space.

The heavy black Octagonal Hammer was now in his possession.

And correspondingly... the 20 jin of crayfish he had placed in the designated slot vanished instantly.

[Ding!]

[One Private Message]

[Yang Kexin: ヾ(￣▽￣)Bye~Bye~]

Chen Yu: "..."

This was only the first transaction; Chen Yu's trading journey had just begun.

Soon, he continued filtering.

He subsequently spent a full 90 jin of crayfish to trade for two down jackets and three fleece-lined pants from five people.

In the icy wilderness, these cold-weather clothes were far more valuable than weapons or food.

If they hadn't been truly desperate for supplies, they wouldn't have traded them.

Even if they could be traded, the prices were ridiculously high.

If Chen Yu hadn't received the returned 130 jin of crayfish on the first day, he really wouldn't have been able to negotiate this.

The reason Chen Yu bought cold-weather clothes was that he certainly didn't need them himself, but he was afraid some missions might require leaving the vehicle.

The girls in the vehicle didn't have ten times the constitution.

Especially addressing Deng Yuxin and the Class Monitor—these two were hot commodities. One provided water, and the other provided crayfish + 130x returns, and they couldn't afford to lose them... The night was thick as ink, spilled across the boundless wasteland.

Even with the Constant Temperature Life Support System, the steadily released warm current was slowly being eroded by the severe cold.

The temperature inside the vehicle struggled to stabilize at 15℃.

This temperature already carried a slight chill.

short for Li Mengyao tightened the thin jacket around her and focused intently on operating the interactive system.

Her eyes suddenly lit up: "Chen Yu! Chen Yu! I found it!"

Chen Yu, who was sleeping, slowly opened his eyes, rubbed his temples, and turned his head: "Found what?"

short for Li Mengyao happily said: "Hot pot seasoning! And they are willing to trade it for just two buckets of water!"

Chen Yu nodded: "Oh, what about the mutton?"

Wang Mengmeng leaned over: "I found the seller, but one jin of meat requires three buckets of water..."

Chen Yu slowly got up: "Then how much water do we have left?"

Wang Mengmeng counted: "We have six buckets left..."

Chen Yu asked again: "How long will those six buckets of water last us?"

short for Li Mengyao whispered: "About six or seven days?"

Chen Yu smiled slightly: "Do you know when the next station will arrive?"

short for Li Mengyao looked a bit awkward: "I... I don't know..."

Chen Yu nodded: "Oh, you don't know when the next station will arrive... yet the two of you... dare to use five buckets of water for trade. Are you really not afraid of everyone in the vehicle dying of thirst?"

Hearing this.

short for Li Mengyao and Wang Mengmeng froze in place.

Chen Yu waved his hand: "Don't be nervous, I'm not going to kill you two."

short for Li Mengyao and Wang Mengmeng quickly spoke up: "Actually, we haven't traded yet, we'll look around again..."

Chen Yu lay back down on the chair: "My point is, water resources are far more important than you think. Hot pot seasoning is only worth one bottle of water, and one jin of mutton... is only worth one bucket of water."

"Negotiate at that price; it's impossible not to succeed."

"Okay!"

short for Li Mengyao and Wang Mengmeng quickly agreed and went back to negotiate with the sellers.

The carriage became quiet again.

Zhang Wanyue took everything in through the rearview mirror.

Chen Yu's words benefited her greatly as well.

[Upgrade: Vehicle Life Power Supply Module I]

Requirements: Parts x80, Low-grade Energy Core x2

Effect: Equipped with low-voltage AC power (220V/max 1500W), two external ports, capable of powering small appliances (such as electric stoves, electric heating pots) that meet the power requirements.

Status: Materials sufficient

Without much hesitation, Chen Yu still had plenty of building materials left.

He would have to upgrade this essential item sooner or later; upgrading early simply means enjoying it sooner.

As the building materials were consumed... power sockets immediately appeared on the front end of the vehicle.

short for Li Mengyao and Wang Mengmeng also finished their discussion with the seller.

Although the other party was unhappy... they actually agreed.

This made the two girls suddenly realize the truth, and they looked at Chen Yu with a deeper meaning.

With Chen Yu's approval, Zhang Wanyue parked the bus.

Everyone happily started to cook mutton hot pot and stir-fry crayfish... [Hoo]

[Cold]

[The Glacial Outpost, like an iron coffin]

[geothermal core prototype]

[Find one and you can live]

[But]

[I can no longer walk]

[The ice behind me shatters]

[They have caught up]

[No]

[No]

[No]

[The heat source is right in front of me]

[I lie on the side]

[But I don't want to move anymore]

[Let the light shine on my face]

[Like a dying person, greedy for the last bit of candlelight]

...

The voice stopped abruptly, and the carriage fell into dead silence.

Only the "gurgling" sound of the hot pot boiling, which now sounded somewhat jarring.

Those words just now... were all read out vividly by a sad male voice.

It gave everyone in the carriage goosebumps.

Keep in mind, everyone was already in the pitch-black icy wilderness, and they heard such suffocating words.

Wang Mengmeng stammered: "Uh... it shouldn't... be just me who can hear this, right?"

Zhang Wanyue's expression was grim: "Of course not, everyone heard it. If you don't believe me, look at the chat window."

short for Li Mengyao and addressing Deng Yuxin quickly looked.

The area channel, which was originally filled with various trades, haggling, and bragging... had now returned to the main theme of the apocalypse.

[What sound?! Who is talking? You scared me to death!]

[Damn it, eating compressed biscuits frozen into ice cubes, and then this segment suddenly plays. My appetite is gone!]

[I heard it too! Could it be someone who died in the nearby glacier and turned into a ghost?]

[You can't be sure; I can believe anything that happens now!]

The area channel had just started to flood with messages when the cold voice suddenly rang out.

[Imminent Arrival: Glacial Scientific Research Outpost]

(After the second station ends, new people will board, and the Assistant Instructor Senior Sister will appear)