10: Water production

The next morning, Qin Lin was awakened by the System notification sound.

【survival points: 45】

【Survival Mission Progress: Day 2/7】

It was the second day.

He gently pulled out his arm, which had gone numb from Su Yuran using it as a pillow, and got up to check the vehicle's status.

【Energy: 65/100】— Last night's temperature control and basic electricity consumption used 6 points.

【Clean Water Tank 1: 10/100L】

【Clean Water Tank 2: 0/200L】

【Clean Water Tank 3: 0/300L】

Water was running low.

Qin Lin walked to the window to look outside.

It was still snowing, but it had lightened up a bit.

The snow accumulation in the auto repair shop yard was very thick, at least half a meter.

If this snow melted, it would be water.

The clean water tanks had a purification function.

Melting snow to obtain water was the most direct method.

Qin Lin got out of the car, rummaged through the workshop to find a large iron bucket, and also found several empty iron buckets—they could serve as containers once cleaned.

He started a fire and packed handfuls of snow into the iron buckets, placing them over the fire to heat.

The snow melted very slowly.

A bucket of snow only yielded a small half-bucket of water, and it contained many Impurities.

But Qin Lin wasn't worried, because the clean water tank would process it.

By the time Su Yuran woke up, Qin Lin had already melted three large buckets of snow, obtaining about a hundred liters of murky snowmelt.

“What are you doing?”

She rubbed her eyes and got out of the car.

“Making water.”

Qin Lin pointed to the iron buckets.

“Pour these into the water tank, and the RV System will purify it.”

The two of them worked together, transferring the snowmelt into smaller buckets and then carrying them onto the vehicle one by one.

There was a water inlet in the living area, right next to the bathroom.

Qin Lin opened the cap and poured the water in.

【Water source injection detected】

【Clean Water Tank 1 starting purification... Purification complete】

【Current water quality: Reached direct drinking standard】

On the dashboard, the storage level of Clean Water Tank 1 slowly rose to 85 liters.

“It really works!”

Qin Lin's eyes lit up.

“Let's continue.”

For the entire morning, the two of them repeated this task:

Shoveling snow, melting it, carrying water, and injecting it.

It was monotonous and tedious, but vital.

By noon, the storage levels of the three tanks became:

【Clean Water Tank 1: 100/100L (Full)】

【Clean Water Tank 2: 200/200L (Full)】

【Clean Water Tank 3: 150/300L】

They were still short by 150 liters, but Qin Lin decided to pause.

“The fuel is almost gone.”

He looked at the few remaining wooden boards and seat fragments salvaged from other cars.

“And we need to set aside time for something else.”

“Doing what?”

Su Yuran asked.

She was so tired she sat on the ground, her face smudged with coal soot.

“Finding crystal stones,” Qin Lin said. “To upgrade the car, we must find those things.”

He took out that pure white crystal and rubbed it in his hand.

The crystal was slightly warm, as if it were alive.

“How do you know where to find them?” Su Yuran asked.

Qin Lin remained silent.

He actually didn't know.

In his past life, he had died too early and had only seen this one, which he had obtained by a stroke of luck through an Opportunity.

The System said 'any attribute crystal stone', but it didn't say where to look.

However, he could infer based on common sense.

Since they were things that accompanied the arrival of the disaster, they could appear anywhere.

Perhaps in the depths of the extreme cold, or in the center of a storm.

“We have to go out and explore,” Qin Lin said.

“We can't keep hiding here.”

“It's very dangerous outside.”

Su Yuran said softly.

“I know,” Qin Lin looked at her.

“But sitting here waiting for death is even more dangerous. Food will eventually run out, and fuel will eventually be exhausted. We must take the initiative to find resources, including crystal stones.”

Su Yuran lowered her head, looking at her hands which were red from the cold.

“I'm afraid.”

“I'm afraid too,” Qin Lin said, “but even if we're afraid, we have to do it.”

He reached out his hand and pulled her up.

“This afternoon, we'll explore within a one-kilometer radius. We won't go far and will be back before dark.”

In the afternoon, the two set off in the car.

Qin Lin chose a route they hadn't taken before, heading toward the west side of the city.

There was a small industrial zone there; perhaps they could find useful supplies.

The streets were even more deserted than yesterday.

The snow was too thick; many cars were completely buried, with only their roofs showing.

The few vehicles still moving were all driving very slowly, like snails wading through a sea of snow.

Qin Lin saw a few people still outside.

In this kind of weather, basically everyone was either staying at home or already dead.

A man was shoveling snow at his doorstep, trying to clear a path.

A woman was holding a child, standing by a second-floor window, staring blankly outside.

There was also a group of people—about five or six—smashing the rolling shutter door of a hardware store.

The group saw the RV, stopped what they were doing, and stared at the vehicle.

Qin Lin accelerated past them.

“Will they chase us?”

Su Yuran asked nervously.

“No,” Qin Lin said. “In this weather, chasing a car on foot is a death wish.”

But he still heightened his vigilance.

In the Early Stage of the Apocalypse, human hearts had already begun to change.

They arrived at the industrial zone.

It was even more desolate than the residential areas.

The factory gates were tightly shut, and the warehouses were locked.

Qin Lin drove around and found a food processing plant.

The door had already been pried open, and the inside was a mess.

Perhaps it was done by the people who worked here.

“We're late,” he stopped the car. “Let's go in and look; maybe there's something left over.”

The two got out of the car and walked into the factory building.

It was cold, even colder than outside.

In the massive workshop, the machines were silent, and packaging bags were scattered on the conveyor belts.

It had clearly been looted more than once.

Qin Lin found half a box of overlooked biscuits in a corner of the warehouse.

The packaging was damaged, but they hadn't gone bad.

There were also a few unopened bottles of seasoning sauce.

“Let's take them,” he said.

Just as they were about to leave, Su Yuran suddenly pulled him.

“Qin Lin, look at that.”

She pointed to an inconspicuous small door deep in the workshop.

The door was metal and had rust on it.

But there was no snow on the door handle—someone had opened it recently.

Qin Lin gripped his entrenching shovel and signaled Su Yuran to follow behind him.

He gently pushed the door open.

Behind the door was a small room, likely a quality control room.

There was a workbench, some instruments, and—two people.

A man and a woman, wrapped in thick blankets, were huddled in a corner.

Seeing Qin Lin, the two huddled together in terror.

“Don't... don't hurt us!”

The man's voice was trembling.

“We have nothing left!”

Qin Lin scanned the room.

There really was nothing, only a few empty packaging bags.

“We're just passing through,” Qin Lin said. “We're leaving now.”

He pulled Su Yuran back out and closed the door.

“Why didn't you help them?”

Su Yuran asked in a low voice.

“I can't help them,” Qin Lin said. “We don't have extra supplies, nor do we have the ability to protect others. Giving them hope and then letting them down is even more cruel.”

Qin Lin had already experienced such things in his past life.

At this time, only by choosing not to see could he make his heart feel a little better.

Su Yuran bit her lip and didn't speak again.

On the way back, both of them were very silent.

Qin Lin was thinking about the crystal stones.

If crystal stones were a product of the disaster, then they should appear in places with energy anomalies.

For example... points of sudden temperature change?

Or, places where those who died first were gathered?

He needed more information.

When they returned to the auto repair shop in the evening, Qin Lin took stock of their haul:

Half a box of biscuits, five bottles of seasoning sauce, and a bundle of iron wire and a few screwdrivers picked up from the ruins of the hardware store.

It wasn't much, but keeping them would always be useful.

Dinner was still instant noodles, but today they added sauce.

The tomato flavor made the soup a bit richer.

“It's delicious.”

Su Yuran took a sip of the soup and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.

Qin Lin looked at her.

The firelight reflected on her face—her cheeks smudged with coal soot, her nose tip red from the cold, but her eyes were very bright.

At this moment, she seemed to have temporarily forgotten the icy Hell outside.

She also forgot that she was still the Young Miss of the Su Family.

“Qin Lin,” she suddenly said, “if... if we really find many crystal stones and upgrade the car to a very Advanced level, what can we do then?”

“We can live longer,” Qin Lin said, “and we can live better.”

Su Yuran smiled.

This was the first time in these few days Qin Lin had seen her genuine smile—not a bitter one, not a forced one.

“Then I hope we find the crystal stones quickly.”

“Yeah.”