233: Chapter 233 Mining and Digging for Crystals Along the Way

The RV flew steadily at a low altitude; below it was a desolate land shrouded in extreme heat and eternal night.

However, Qin Lin could sense that they were traversing through different climatic zones.

The System constantly updated the external temperature data, which slowly dropped from 82°C to 75°C, and then rose back to 80°C.

The energy field in this area was chaotic, as if multiple climates were intertwined.

“System, analyze the current regional climatic characteristics.” Qin Lin pulled up the holographic screen.

[Analyzing...]

[Current Region: Chaotic Climate Zone]

[Characteristics: Multiple extreme climates appearing alternately]

[Temperature: Violent fluctuations between -20°C and 85°C]

[Special Phenomenon: energy turbulence forming at the boundary between extreme cold and Extreme Heat Zones]

[Recommendation: Keep the protective shield fully active, drive with caution]

Qin Lin frowned as he looked at the data.

He had encountered places where extreme cold and extreme heat met while heading south before, but it hadn't been this pronounced back then.

The energy turbulence here was much more dangerous.

Fortunately, the RV had a protective shield that could withstand it.

He slowed down and continued forward.

Han Qing walked into the Drivers Cabin and sat down beside him.

“Where have we reached?”

Qin Lin pointed at the map.

“Still in the south, almost at Haicheng.”

Han Qing looked at the marked point on the map.

“Haicheng... it used to be a very prosperous city.”

Qin Lin nodded.

“Yeah, there's probably nothing left now.”

Han Qing fell silent for a moment.

“Do you think the people in those Safe Zones will ever be able to come out?”

Qin Lin thought for a while. “I don't know. Maybe once the disaster passes, they'll be able to leave.”

Han Qing looked at him. “Will the disaster ever pass?”

Qin Lin took her hand. “Maybe one day, this world will return to normal.”

Qin Lin had a suspicion he hadn't shared with her: he believed that by taking away the energy crystal stones from these extreme climate disaster zones, the world might return to its original state.

But this still needed verification; after all, no one knew how many climate disaster zones there were.

No one knew how many crystal stones needed to be removed for Recovery to occur.

Han Qing smiled. “Let's hope so.”

“I'll go brew a cup of tea for you.”

Han Qing stood up and left the Drivers Cabin.

Outside the window, the faint light of the protective shield reflected on his face, flickering in and out.

Qin Lin set the auto-pilot and leaned back against the chair, watching the data jumping on the holographic screen.

[Current Heading: South]

[Current Altitude: 8 meters]

[Cruise Speed: 120km/h]

[Energy Consumption: Normal]

[Next Target: Haicheng Peripheral Area]

Han Qing walked back in carrying two cups of tea, placing one in front of him and holding the other herself.

“Where are we flying now?”

Qin Lin pointed at the map.

“Still in the central part of South China, quite a distance from Haicheng.”

Han Qing sat down beside him, looking out at the eternal darkness outside the window.

The two of them sat quietly for a while.

The System notification sound suddenly rang out.

[Energy fluctuation detected 120 kilometers ahead]

[Energy Type: Combination of crystal stone + special metal mineral vein]

[Scale: Small]

[Estimated Reserves: 3-6 energy crystal stones, 5-7 tons of special metal Materials]

[Recommendation: Proceed to collect]

Qin Lin's spirits lifted as he changed direction.

The RV veered off its original flight path and flew toward the source of the energy fluctuation.

About an hour later, they reached the target area.

The holographic screen showed a hilly region below; before the apocalypse, it likely would have been a place with nice scenery.

Now, there was only endless darkness and high temperatures.

The RV hovered in mid-air, and Qin Lin activated the automatic extraction function.

A progress bar popped up on the System interface, showing that the crystal stone energy was being slowly drawn in.

[automatic extraction in progress... Estimated time remaining: 45 minutes]

Qin Lin leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest.

Han Qing flipped through a magazine nearby.

Time passed minute by minute, and the progress bar slowly moved forward.

Forty-five minutes later, the notification sound rang again.

[automatic extraction complete]

[Harvest: Intermediate crystal stone ×5, special metal Materials ×6]

[Current crystal stone quantity: 37/200]

[Current mineral reserves: 27.5/100]

Qin Lin glanced at the data and nodded.

Five crystal stones and six tons of minerals weren't much compared to the harvest in that special space last time, but it was better than nothing.

The RV continued forward, flying toward Haicheng.

Over the next few days, the RV headed south all the way.

They passed multiple energy fluctuation points along the way, including crystal stone mineral veins and metal mineral deposits.

Qin Lin didn't miss a single one, extracting them all automatically.

On the third day, the System detected a large-scale crystal stone mineral vein.

The energy reaction was extremely strong, far exceeding any previous instance.

Qin Lin's eyes lit up as he turned the vehicle toward the target.

[Large-scale crystal stone mineral vein detected]

[Estimated Reserves: 30-50 energy crystal stones, no special metal minerals]

[Recommendation: Stay for 12 hours for deep extraction]

Qin Lin stopped the vehicle, landed on the ground, and activated the automatic extraction.

The progress bar Advanced slowly; this time it would take 12 hours.

He walked out of the Drivers Cabin and into the living room.

“We’re stopping for now. We'll stay here for the night while the System extracts the crystal stones, and set off again tomorrow.”

Han Yurou leaned against the window, looking out.

“You can't see anything outside. Stopping feels the same as moving.”

Lin Wanwan and Xu Xue were preparing dinner in the kitchen. The smart cooking station in the new kitchen was a huge help; many processes were completed automatically, so they didn't have much to do other than observe.

Before long, the aroma of food filled the entire living room.

After eating, everyone returned to their respective rooms.

Qin Lin returned to the third floor, where Han Qing had already showered and was lying on the bed in a nightgown.

“How was the harvest today?”

Qin Lin lay down.

“Not bad. A few crystal stones, and now we've found a large one that will be extracting until tomorrow morning.”

Han Qing leaned over and hugged his arm.

“So you'll be on the road again tomorrow?”

“Yeah, continuing south.”

Han Qing was silent for a moment.

“How much longer do you think we'll keep running like this? When will it end?”

Qin Lin thought for a while.

“I don't know. Maybe when the RV reaches the Advanced level, maybe when we find the truth behind the disaster, or maybe it will never end.”

The two of them lay quietly; outside the window was a starry sky projection, while inside it was as warm as spring.

The next morning, the System notification sound rang out.

[automatic extraction complete]

[Harvest: Intermediate crystal stone ×42]

[Current crystal stone quantity: 79/200]

Qin Lin looked at the data and nodded with satisfaction.

Forty-two crystal stones, plus the previous ones, brought the total to 79.

He was nearly halfway to the goal of 200 stones.

He walked out of the Drivers Cabin and into the living room.

“We’re moving out. Today we continue toward Haicheng.”

The RV started up, performing an extreme ultra-low altitude flight.

They passed several more energy fluctuation points along the way, and Qin Lin collected from each one.

The number of crystal stones rose steadily, and they also accumulated quite a lot of metal Materials.

On the fifth day, the RV entered the Haicheng region.

Just then, the System notification sound rang out.

[Special disaster zone detected ahead]

[Disaster Type: Extreme Cold and Extreme Heat Alternating Zone]

[Characteristics: Temperature fluctuates violently between -50°C and 80°C, alternating every 6 hours]

[Special Effect: Extremely high crystal stone yield, rich mineral reserves]

[Recommendation: Stay for 24 hours for deep collection]