288: Chapter 288 Exchange Meeting

The automatic extraction on the glacier lasted for a full twenty-four hours.

The The Ark hovered above the bedrock area, with the glacier moving slowly beneath it—three to five meters per day—but the The Ark drifted along with it, so their relative positions remained unchanged.

Qin Lin sat in the Bridge, checking the progress bar every few hours, watching it jump notch by notch.

Harvest: high-grade crystals × 67 (special × 10), rare metals × 11 tons

Current high-grade crystals: 217 (special 15)

Current rare metals: 163 tons

Sixty-seven.

Qin Lin looked at this number, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

From the initial forty-plus to the current sixty-plus, the reserves of the ore vein seemed to be gradually increasing.

Perhaps the further north they went, the closer they were to the source of the apocalypse, and the higher the concentration of crystal stones.

The The Ark restarted. The light from the thrusters shifted from dark blue to bright blue, and the hull gave a gentle shudder as it left that blue glacier behind.

Qin Lin set the automatic navigation, adjusted the speed to cruise mode, and continued heading north.

On the holographic screen, the glacier slowly shrank behind them, eventually becoming a thin white line that disappeared into the darkness.

For the next few days, the System did not detect any new high-grade crystals reactions.

Qin Lin was not in a hurry, shortening flight time to six hours a day, and spending the rest of the time either hovering in mid-air or returning to Peach Blossom Spring for a while.

The pregnant women's bellies were getting bigger and bigger, making movement increasingly inconvenient, so long periods of travel were not suitable.

When he returned to Peach Blossom Spring, it was "evening."

Sunlight spilled down from the Observation Tower's projection System, orange-red and warm, dyeing the entire meadow a golden yellow.

The flowers in the Flower Garden were in full bloom. chinese roses hung down from the fence like a pink waterfall; lavender purple covered the ground, creating waves whenever the wind blew; daisies were as white as snow and as yellow as gold, scattered like stars.

Bees and butterflies were busy among the flowers.

The "home inside the The Ark" and the "apocalypse outside" formed a stark contrast.

Qin Lin felt that after living this kind of life for a long time, one would really not want to leave.

That afternoon, Han Qing hung a whiteboard in the Medical Room with "Expectant Mothers' Exchange Meeting" written on it.

The whiteboard was bought from the System Store; it was large and hung in the most conspicuous spot in the Medical Room.

Han Qing used a marker to write the six large characters on it, and underneath, she drew several speech bubbles containing the words "Fetal Movement," "Nutrition," "Emotions," and "Exercise."

It was clear that she was taking this very seriously.

"All pregnant women, gather in the Medical Room at 3:00 PM for check-ups."

Han Qing announced this while standing in the living room; her voice was not loud, but her tone was unquestionable.

As the due date drew closer, Han Qing was becoming busier and busier.

Su Yuran put down her book and glanced at her. "Aunt Qing, are you being this formal?"

"Of course it's formal." Han Qing put her hands on her hips. "Giving birth is not a joke; it must be treated scientifically."

Li Ying lay on the massage chair, saying lazily, "Our bodies are perfectly fine."

Han Qing glanced at her. "There are new technologies, new equipment, and new nursing methods now. What's wrong with getting a check-up every day? This is for the good of the children."

Li Ying pursed her lips but didn't argue further.

At 3:00 PM, the Medical Room was full of people.

Eleven pregnant women, with bellies of varying sizes.

Su Yuran was the one who had been pregnant the longest, and her belly was the largest; she was nearing labor.

She sat in the center seat, holding the parenting book in her hand, but her eyes were on Han Qing.

Lin Wanwan sat next to her, her belly round and bulging, as if she were carrying a large watermelon.

Her hands were more swollen than last week; her knuckles had thickened, and her ring had long been removed and placed in a small box on the bedside table.

Wang Xiulan sat beside her, holding a cup of goji berry water, occasionally handing it to Lin Wanwan for a sip.

Han Yurou sat on the other side. Her belly was smaller than Lin Wanwan's, but not by much.

She sat on a chair, swinging her legs back and forth like a restless elementary school student.

Han Qing stood beside her, pressing her hand on her shoulder to stop her from swinging.

Li Ying sat on the massage chair, adjusted the backrest to a comfortable angle, and lay semi-reclined with her hands resting on her belly.

Xu Xue and Xia Qiuyan shared a bench. Xu Xue leaned to the left, and Xia Qiuyan sat on the right. There was a distance between them, but Xia Qiuyan's hand kept resting on the back of Xu Xue's hand.

There were also the sisters Zhou Yueyue and Zhou Lingling, holding hands. Their bellies were very large; after all, they were both carrying twins.

Lin Xiaoyue and Lin Fang sat on the far edge. Lin Xiaoyue's belly was the smallest among them.

Qin Lin also arrived.

He stood at the entrance of the Medical Room, leaning against the doorframe, watching the room full of pregnant women.

Han Qing looked up at him. "Why are you here? This is an Expectant Mothers' Exchange Meeting. You are an expectant father, not an expectant mother."

Qin Lin laughed. "I'm here to audit and learn a bit."

Han Qing rolled her eyes at him but didn't chase him away. She turned, walked to the whiteboard, picked up the marker, and wrote a few words on it.

"Today's first topic: Fetal Movement."

"Fetal movement is the activity of the fetus in the uterus and is an important sign of fetal health. It generally begins to appear between the eighteenth and twentieth weeks of pregnancy; first-time mothers may experience it later, while experienced mothers may experience it earlier."

"The frequency, intensity, and rhythm of fetal movement can reflect the condition of the fetus. Under normal circumstances, there should be no fewer than three fetal movements per hour, and no fewer than thirty movements in twelve hours. If fetal movement decreases significantly or disappears, you need to seek medical attention immediately."

She turned around and looked at the pregnant women present. "Can you all feel fetal movement now?"

Su Yuran nodded. "Yes. It has become more and more obvious in the last two weeks, especially at night; it moves very vigorously."

Lin Wanwan also nodded. "I started feeling it last week. It's like little fish blowing bubbles, glug-glug."

Han Yurou raised her hand. "I felt it too! A few nights ago, he kicked me from inside—so hard!"

Han Qing looked at her. "What is the fetal movement like?"

Han Yurou thought for a moment and gestured with her hand. "It's just... thump, thump, like someone is knocking on the door from inside."

Li Ying laughed. "Knocking on the door? Is your child a delivery person?"

Han Yurou glared at her, but she didn't get angry, because Li Ying's mood had been very volatile these past few days, and she understood.

Xu Xue's voice was very soft. "I can feel it, but it's very light, like a butterfly flapping its wings."

Xia Qiuyan added in a low voice from the side, "That's a girl. Girls generally have lighter fetal movements, while boys have heavier ones."

Everyone looked at her.

Xia Qiuyan blushed and lowered her head.

Xu Xue reached out and patted the back of her hand.

Qin Lin stood at the doorway, listening to them talk, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

Fetal movement, little fish blowing bubbles, knocking on the door, butterfly flapping its wings.

These words were ones he had never thought would appear in his life before.

apocalypse, apocalypse; the hope of life.

Li Ying suddenly sat up from the massage chair and beckoned to Qin Lin. "Brother Qin Lin, come here."

Qin Lin walked over. "What's wrong?"