208: Chapter 208 Returning to Normal

He pulled up the detailed display.

A pin-sized hole had appeared on the left side of the protective shield.

Acid rain was seeping through that small hole, landing on the vehicle body with a sizzling sound.

[Leakage point is expanding]

[Estimated to expand to 1 centimeter within 10 minutes]

[Recommendation: Enable automatic repair function immediately]

"Enable!"

[RV automatic repair function enabled, minerals being consumed]

That small hole had already expanded to the size of a thumb, and acid rain was gushing in from there.

Soon, the small hole was plugged.

[Leakage repaired]

[protective shield energy stabilized]

Qin Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

But just then, a massive bolt of lightning struck down.

No, it wasn't lightning; it was something falling from the sky, crashing not far from them.

Boom—

The massive shockwave sent the RV tumbling a long distance.

Qin Lin looked at the object through the window.

It was a massive piece of metal wreckage, looking like part of some kind of aircraft.

The surface was pitted and corroded by the acid rain, but some text could still be faintly seen.

"This is..."

Li Ying also stared at the wreckage.

Su Yuran frowned.

"It looks like plane wreckage, but then again, it doesn't."

Qin Lin nodded.

"Exactly. In an apocalypse like this, how could there be planes flying in the sky?"

Li Ying leaned against the wall, her face pale.

"Damn, that scared the life out of me."

Su Yuran was also panting for breath.

The wreckage still lay on the ground, emitting white smoke in the acid rain.

"System, scan that wreckage."

[Scanning...]

[Special metal Materials detected: approximately 2 tons]

[Can be retrieved and absorbed, automatic absorption in progress]

Qin Lin's eyes lit up.

2 tons of special metal?

Outside, the acid rain continued.

The wreckage was large, but most of it had been corroded beyond recognition.

He pulled up the System.

[Harvested: Special metal Materials × 2 tons]

[Current metal Materials: 13.5/30 tons]

Han Yurou ran over and hugged him.

"Brother Qin Lin, you scared me to death..."

Qin Lin stroked her head.

"It's okay, it's okay."

The others also gathered around, chattering with concern.

Qin Lin looked at them, a warm feeling in his heart.

...

The RV continued forward.

Two hours later, it finally drove out of the acid rain zone.

[Exited acid rain zone]

[protective shield energy remaining: 12%]

[RV status: Multiple points of minor damage, repair required]

[Recommendation: Stop for rest and maintenance]

Qin Lin found a relatively safe spot and parked the RV.

[RV automatic repair beginning...]

[Estimated time required: 12 hours]

He leaned back on the sofa and let out a long breath.

These past few days have been truly perilous.

But the harvest was also great.

It was worth it.

He closed his eyes and soon fell asleep.

In the living room, everyone also returned to their rooms to rest.

After experiencing the dangers of this day, everyone was exhausted.

Outside the window, the sun was setting, and the sky finally cleared up.

Although the outside was still a desolate land, at least there were no disasters.

That night, the RV was very quiet.

Everyone slept very soundly.

The next morning, when Qin Lin woke up, he found someone lying beside him.

It was Su Yuling.

She had slipped into his room at some point and was looking at him with wide eyes.

"Yuling?" Qin Lin was startled for a moment.

Su Yuling looked at him, that familiar, eerie smile on the corners of her mouth.

"Brother Lin, you're awake."

Qin Lin nodded.

"Why are you here?"

Su Yuling reached out and gently stroked his face.

"I missed you."

Qin Lin took her hand.

"I'm fine."

Su Yuling looked at him with a focused gaze.

"I know."

She lowered her head and gave his shoulder a light bite.

Qin Lin hissed.

"Yuling..."

Su Yuling looked up at him.

"Leaving a mark for today."

Qin Lin smiled helplessly.

This girl is still the same.

But he didn't refuse.

Because this was also his way of enjoying the thrill.

The two embraced, enjoying this rare morning time.

The sunlight from outside spilled through the curtains, falling onto the two of them.

A new day had begun.

In the living room, everyone gradually got out of bed.

Han Yurou was the first to rush to the Drivers Cabin, finding that Qin Lin wasn't there.

She then ran to the door of Bedroom No. 000 and knocked.

"Brother Lin, time to get up!"

The door opened; Qin Lin stood at the doorway with Su Yuling behind him.

Han Yurou was stunned for a moment, then she smiled.

"Yuling is here too."

Su Yuling looked at her without saying a word.

Han Yurou didn't mind; she had already heard that Yuling had become different from before.

She took Qin Lin's hand.

"Brother Lin, breakfast is ready!"

Qin Lin nodded and followed her toward the living room.

Su Yuling followed behind, as quiet as a shadow.

At the dining table, everyone sat together.

Li Ying looked at Qin Lin and said with a smile:

"Brother Qin Lin, you must have been exhausted yesterday, right?"

Qin Lin nodded.

"It was alright."

Li Ying raised an eyebrow.

"Alright? You looked like you were on the verge of collapse."

Qin Lin laughed.

"Hardly on the verge of collapse."

Han Yurou chimed in from the side:

"Brother Lin is the most amazing!"

Everyone laughed.

Su Yuran looked at her sister and noticed she was particularly quiet today.

But her eyes were constantly fixed on Qin Lin.

That kind of focus was a bit unsettling.

But she didn't say anything.

...

After leaving the acid rain zone, the RV continued southward.

The next few days were relatively calm, and Qin Lin used this time to repair all the damage to the RV.

The System indicated they had already crossed several climate zones and were getting closer and closer to the south.

"How much further?" Su Yuran asked, standing at the door of the Drivers Cabin.

Qin Lin looked at the holographic map.

"At our current speed, about three days."

Su Yuran walked over and sat down beside him.

"Three days... and we'll reach the south."

Qin Lin heard the complexity in her tone.

"What are you thinking about?"

Su Yuran shook her head.

"Thinking about what the south will be like. The System said there are Safe Zones there, but what are they like? Like that residential complex before? Or like the RV? My parents... will they be there?"

Qin Lin took her hand.

"We'll find them."

Su Yuran leaned on his shoulder.

"Yeah."

The two sat quietly, watching the desolate land recede rapidly outside the window.

Just then, the System suddenly issued a notification sound.

[Distance to target area: 500 kilometers]

[Recommendation: Prepare in advance for the upcoming conditions]

Qin Lin pulled up the detailed data.

[Target Area Climate Analysis:]

[Type: Extreme Heat Mixed Perpetual Night]

[Daytime Temperature: 75°C-85°C]

[Nighttime Temperature: 60°C-70°C]

[Lighting Conditions: No natural light in Perpetual Night zones, reliance on special light sources for illumination]

[Special Phenomenon: Extreme heat zones and Perpetual Night zones overlap, forming a unique 'Dark High-Temperature' environment]

Qin Lin frowned.

Extreme Heat Mixed Perpetual Night?

This was the first time he'd encountered this.

He called everyone over and explained the situation.

"So, the place we're entering next is both hot and dark?" Han Yurou asked.

Qin Lin nodded.

"Pretty much, and there's no natural light, so we'll rely entirely on the RV's own lighting."

Li Ying leaned back on the sofa.

"Sounds even more troublesome than the previous Perpetual Night."

"The System says there are Safe Zones there. As long as we can find a Safe Zone, we can find survivors."