62: You must choose to play freely.

Qin Lin's finger hovered over Option C.

Reason told him he should choose this one; now was not the time to develop complex relationships.

Han Qing had only been on the RV for three days, her foot injury hadn't healed, and they were still in the stage of building trust.

Not to mention Han Yurou.

But Options A and B... Qin Lin shook his head, suppressing those thoughts that shouldn't be there.

Finally, his finger clicked on Option C.

Of course, he had to choose free play.

After all, it left much more room for maneuvering.

Since the System wanted to test him, he had to take the initiative for once.

He looked at the second task.

【Task 2: The Urgency of Reproduction】

【Task Content: No passengers are currently pregnant for the Many Children, Many Blessings task. It has been detected that the Host's living environment is stabilizing and the team size is expanding, meeting the conditions to activate reproduction acceleration.】

【Task Requirement: Please successfully impregnate a female passenger with a comprehensive score of ≥90 within 10 days.】

【Task Reward 1: supermarket space unlock progress +15%, plus an Advanced survival supply pack.】

【Task Reward 2: RV Medical Room function upgrade (adds pregnancy monitoring module).】

【Task Reward 3: Host obtains 'Elementary Life Blessing' status (slightly increases all of the Host's attributes).】

【Failure Penalty 1: supermarket space unlock progress -20% (if current progress is less than 20%, it will be reset to zero).】

【Failure Penalty 2: System Store purchase permissions reduced (some items locked).】

【Failure Penalty 3: ecological box production efficiency -30%.】

【Failure Penalty 4: RV heat conversion efficiency -15%, the upper and lower limits of the RV's adjustable temperature will be narrowed.】

【Task Time Limit: 10 days (Countdown started: 9 days 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds).】

Qin Lin's breath hitched.

The second task... was completely beyond his expectations.

It wasn't a simple intimate relationship.

Instead, it directly accelerated the permanent task.

It required pregnancy, and there was a time limit.

Ten days, only ten days.

What was even more terrifying were the failure penalties.

supermarket space reduced by 20%?

The current unlock progress was 30%; if he failed, it would drop to 10%.

That meant a massive amount of supplies would vanish, and the team's survival capability would drop significantly.

System Store permissions reduced?

He was already very dependent on the System Store; if more items were locked, he might not even be able to buy basic supplies.

ecological box production efficiency reduced by 30%?

That was their source of fresh vegetables; a reduction meant a decrease in food diversity.

The most fatal was the last one: RV heat conversion efficiency reduced by 15%, and the temperature range narrowed.

The outside temperature was currently minus forty degrees; the RV relied on the heat conversion System to maintain a constant internal temperature.

A 15% reduction in efficiency meant increased energy consumption.

Or... the internal temperature would be unable to stay at twenty-three degrees.

It might drop to the teens or even lower.

In an extreme cold environment, this was lethal.

"System," Qin Lin asked in a low voice, "can the penalties be avoided?"

【No exemption mechanism.】

A cold voice, leaving no room for negotiation.

Qin Lin leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes.

Ten days.

Make one female passenger pregnant.

Su Yuran, Lin Wanwan, Han Qing, or Han Yurou... all the women currently on the vehicle met the criteria.

Qin Lin remembered what Su Yuran had said.

Su Yuran had said she wanted to be the first to get pregnant, and she was also the most willing to cooperate.

Lin Wanwan had a gentle personality and wouldn't refuse either.

Han Qing, Han Yurou... they had just boarded, and their relationship hadn't reached that stage yet.

Moreover, she was a doctor—the rational type—and might not necessarily agree to get pregnant just for a task.

So there weren't actually many choices.

The key was, was Qin Lin himself ready?

To become a father, in the apocalypse?

In his past life, he had struggled just to survive, unable to even feed himself, let alone raise a child.

In this life, he had the RV and a team; conditions seemed better, but was it really suitable for raising a newborn?

Outside was an eternal night blizzard, with temperatures at minus forty degrees.

And they still had to face unknown threats.

They might encounter combat, get injured, or even die.

Was bringing a child into such an environment being responsible for a life?

But if he didn't do it... they couldn't afford the consequences of the penalties.

Qin Lin opened his eyes and looked at the door of Room 001.

Su Yuran was inside.

She had said: "I want to be the first to carry your child."

He stood up and walked to the door of Room 001.

His fingers lingered on the door for a few seconds before he finally knocked gently.

The door slid open.

Su Yuran wasn't asleep yet; wearing those light gray pajamas, she sat by the bed reading a book—an e-reader.

It stored thousands of books and was part of the RV's entertainment System.

"What's wrong?" She put down the reader.

Qin Lin walked into the room, and the door closed behind him.

The space wasn't large, but it was decorated very cozily.

Su Yuran liked tidiness; a small vase sat on the nightstand.

It held a few small flowers picked from the ecological box.

They were the blossoms of some edible plant; though small, they added vitality to the room.

"A task has come out," Qin Lin said.

Su Yuran's expression turned serious:

"Is it about Dr. Han and Yu Rou?"

"There are two tasks."

Qin Lin sat down beside her.

"The first is about them. The System gave options: I can choose to establish a relationship with one of them, or choose not to for now."

He didn't mention the part about leaving it to his own free play.

"That's not so bad then." Su Yuran breathed a sigh of relief. "What about the second one?"

Qin Lin told her the details of the second task.

The room fell silent for a long time.

Su Yuran looked down at her hands, then looked up, her gaze firm:

"Then let's do it."

"Yuran, you need to think this through."

Qin Lin said seriously, "You know what pregnancy means. The environment is so harsh now, what if..."

"What if what? What if you can't protect us?"

Su Yuran smiled.

"Qin Lin, I believe in you. From the day you rescued me and brought me onto the vehicle, I've believed you can lead us to survival."

She took Qin Lin's hand:

"Besides, this isn't just your business."

"We are a team; a System task is a challenge for everyone."

"Since the penalties would affect the whole team, we'll face it together."

She paused, her voice softening:

"Qin Lin, I've thought about it. In the apocalypse, a new life isn't a burden, it's hope."

Qin Lin looked at her.

A twenty-year-old girl, once a pampered Young Miss, had grown up rapidly in the apocalypse.

The current Su Yuran had a maturity and resilience in her eyes that transcended her age.

"Besides," she suddenly smiled with a hint of mischief.

"The System rewards are very generous. If the supermarket space unlocks another 15%, we'll have half of the supplies available."

"Upgrading the Medical Room can monitor the pregnancy status, which is a guarantee for both me and the child."

"And that 'Blessing' status—though I don't know the specific effects, things given by the System won't be bad."

She leaned closer to Qin Lin and whispered in his ear:

"So, Brother Lin, are you willing to complete this task with me?"

Qin Lin's heart rate accelerated.

Of course he was willing.

Su Yuran was his first passenger.

She was the first person he wanted to protect after his Rebirth.

And she was the one he had the deepest feelings for.

Su Yuran placed her hand on Qin Lin's chest, feeling his racing heart.

Su Yuran spoke with great certainty.

"In the apocalypse, every moment could be the last."

"I don't want to wait until I'm dying to regret not doing what I should have. I want your child; I want our future."