234: Chapter 234 He hadn't decided what to do yet, whether or not to proceed.

Qin Lin looked at this data, his eyes lighting up.

An alternating zone of extreme cold and extreme heat; although such places were dangerous, they were rich in resources.

The RV's current defensive capabilities were sufficient to handle it.

"System, estimated harvest?"

[Estimated: 60-80 crystal stones, 20-30 tons of metal Materials]

Qin Lin took a deep breath.

Sixty to eighty crystal stones—if he got them all, he would be much closer to his goal of 200.

The RV drove into the disaster zone.

The numbers on the thermometer began to fluctuate wildly: -30°C, 10°C, 50°C, -20°C, 60°C...

It changed every few minutes without any discernible pattern.

A faint light shimmered on the surface of the protective shield, resisting the extreme temperature differences.

Qin Lin activated the auto-absorption function, and the progress bar slowly advanced.

[Auto-absorbing... Estimated time: 24 hours]

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

"We'll stay parked here for another night and leave tomorrow."

Han Yurou asked, "What kind of place is this?"

Qin Lin thought for a moment.

"An Alternating Zone of Extreme Cold and Heat. The temperature changes rapidly, but the RV can handle it."

Li Ying leaned back on the sofa.

"Anyway, we can't go out, so whatever it's like outside has nothing to do with us."

Li Ran and Su Yuling sat to the side; Li Ran looked at Qin Lin with a complex expression.

She had been growing increasingly silent lately, and no one knew what she was thinking.

That evening, Qin Lin returned to the third floor.

Han Qing was sitting on the terrace, watching the starry sky projection.

"Aunt Qing, what are you thinking about?"

Han Qing snapped out of her daze.

"Nothing much."

Qin Lin sat down beside her.

"Are you tired?"

Han Qing shook her head.

"Not tired."

The two sat in silence for a while until Han Qing suddenly asked, "Qin Lin, what do you think is wrong with your mother-in-law lately?"

Qin Lin was stunned for a moment. "What's wrong?"

Han Qing looked at him. "Haven't you noticed? She seems to have stopped talking to you altogether lately. Before, she would still chat with you occasionally."

Qin Lin thought about it; indeed, Li Ran had rarely sought him out recently.

Since he had moved to the third floor and started living alone with Han Qing, her habit of "accidentally" bumping into him in the hallway every morning had also stopped.

He didn't know if it was because of that, nor did he know what was wrong with her, but he hadn't given it much thought.

"Maybe she's just tired, or perhaps she's gotten used to the boring life on the RV."

Han Qing didn't say anything, merely leaning against his shoulder as they sat quietly, watching the starry sky projection.

The next morning, the System notification sounded.

[Auto-absorption complete]

[Harvest: Intermediate crystal stone × 72, special metal Materials × 25 tons]

[Current crystal stone quantity: 159/200]

[Current mineral reserves: 55.5/100]

Qin Lin smiled as he looked at the data.

72 crystal stones and 25 tons of metal—this trip's haul was massive.

He was only 41 stones away from the 200-stone goal and just over 40 tons short of the 100-ton metal mark.

After visiting a few more places, he would have gathered enough Materials for Level 7.

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

"We're heading out. We'll continue searching for Materials in Haicheng."

The RV started up and flew at a low altitude.

Over the next few days, Qin Lin continued to roam Haicheng. Along the way, he encountered several building shelters of various sizes and collected over a dozen crystal stones and a few tons of metal.

...

The RV left Haicheng and flew northwest. On the fifteenth day, it entered the Zang City region.

The temperature here was even higher, reaching 85°C, and a faint light shimmered on the surface of the RV's protective shield.

Qin Lin looked at the map. According to the information provided by Lin Fang, there should be a large crystal stone mineral vein nearby.

"System, scan the surrounding area."

[Scanning... Large crystal stone mineral vein detected, approximately 60 kilometers away. Estimated reserves: 100-150 stones.]

Qin Lin changed course and flew toward the target.

Half an hour later, they reached the target area.

The holographic screen showed a mountain range below. Before the apocalypse, it should have been a continuous range of snow-capped mountains, but now there was only endless darkness.

The RV hovered in mid-air as Qin Lin activated the auto-absorption function.

[Auto-absorbing... Estimated time: 18 hours]

Han Yurou leaned against the window.

"What place is this?"

Qin Lin thought for a moment.

"Zang City."

Han Yurou sighed.

"It's a pity we can't see anything."

Everyone fell silent. Su Yuran walked over and took Qin Lin's arm.

...

That evening, Qin Lin returned to the third floor. Han Qing was lying in bed reading a book; seeing him enter, she put the book down.

"Can we reach Zang City tomorrow?"

Qin Lin lay down. "We're already in Zang City, absorbing crystal stones."

Han Qing leaned in. "And after the absorption is finished?"

Qin Lin thought for a bit. "We'll continue west and check out the depths of Zang City."

Han Qing looked at him. "Aren't you afraid of getting lost?"

Qin Lin laughed. "What's there to fear with navigation?"

...

The next morning, the System notification sounded.

[Auto-absorption complete]

[Harvest: Intermediate crystal stone × 121, special metal Materials × 15 tons]

[Current crystal stone quantity: 369/200]

[Current metal Materials: 120/100 tons]

Looking at this data, Qin Lin felt at ease.

The crystal stones had exceeded 200, and the metal Materials had also surpassed the target by 20 tons.

He stepped out of the Drivers Cabin and into the living room. "The crystal stones and minerals are sufficient. We won't upgrade the RV just yet. Let's keep the momentum going and continue west to see if there are any more deposits."

The RV continued its flight westward. In the depths of Zang City, the terrain became more complex, and the energy consumption of the protective shield increased.

Qin Lin kept an eye on the System data, ensuring everything was normal.

In the afternoon, the System notification sounded.

[Special metal deposit detected, approximately 15 kilometers away.]

[Estimated reserves: 8-10 tons]

Qin Lin changed course and flew toward the target. Ten minutes later, they arrived at the target area. The holographic screen showed a basin below with a very strong energy signature.

The RV hovered in mid-air as Qin Lin activated the auto-absorption function.

[Auto-absorbing... Estimated time: 4 hours]

Four hours later, the notification sounded.

[Auto-absorption complete]

[Harvest: special metal Materials × 9 tons]

[Current metal Materials: 129/100 tons]

He turned off the System and leaned back in his chair. Next, he needed to focus on the tasks.

After all, upgrading this vehicle required 10,000 survival points and 20 blessing points.

He didn't have many blessing points to begin with—only 35—so he had to hurry and obtain more.

Currently, pregnancy was the only way to earn blessing points.

The RV hovered above Zang City, the faint light of its protective shield particularly conspicuous in the darkness.

Qin Lin sat in the Drivers Cabin and pulled up the passenger list.

[Current Passengers: 14]

[Pregnant: 8]

[Not Pregnant: 6 (Han Qing, Su Yuling, Wang Xiulan, Lin Fang, Lin Xiaoyue, Li Ran)]

Han Qing was already his, she just hadn't conceived yet.

The same went for Su Yuling and Wang Xiulan.

As for the two who had come aboard later, he had been so busy absorbing crystal stones and minerals this past month that there hadn't been any substantial progress.

However, Lin Fang's rating was insufficient, so she wasn't within the scope of the task.

"System, is there any way to improve the comprehensive rating of Lin Fang, who has an 89?"

[The Host needs to explore, excavate, and stimulate the passenger's potential to improve their comprehensive rating.]

Good, good, good. If it can be improved, there's still hope.

As for Li Ran, he hadn't decided what to do with her yet, or whether to go through with it.