RITW 4: Cleaning Residential Areas

Perhaps luck wasn’t on his side. Yu Qunqing had exhausted all his stamina and only managed to pass Level 40, gaining a single additional hexagram.

After resting for a while, he decided to venture outside in search of supplies. It was true that home was safe, but what if they ran out of food?

He also needed to understand the changes in the surrounding terrain, the storage of resources, and the gathering of high-level disasters…

It would be a challenging exploration mission.

Outside, the sun shone brightly, and the temperature was moderate. However, Yu Qunqing still covered himself up tightly. He wore gloves, scarves, a large hood—after all, he didn’t know where corrosive gases might drift in from while walking outside. The clothes fit well, unlike the long pants he picked up in his previous life, which turned into capris when he wore them. His own clothes were much better.

He carried a travel bag on his back, with a flashlight, a multi-functional folding knife, and a large capacity water bottle. In his previous life, when he prepared to flee with the masses, he urgently bought some emergency supplies that could be found. He even got injured in the rush. As for water, in his previous life, he only managed to snatch a few bottles of bottled water, and later on, he relied on filtering water through improvised methods. At first, he felt burdened by it, but later, having water was a blessing. In this life, thanks to “Mediterranean Housekeeper Elimination,” the house had electricity, running water, and an electric kettle, so he could finally drink boiled and relatively clean water.

If he remembered correctly, that prolonged heatwave and drought seemed to have started in November?

Yu Qunqing couldn’t help but worry about the future. In the face of this disaster, humanity was too insignificant. They were merely alive for the sake of being alive, enduring the reality that surrounded them.

But excessive worry was futile; living well in the present was the most important. Yu Qunqing wandered around the house and set his sights on the clothes rack in the bedroom—he had dismantled a steel pipe from it last night.

Well, let’s dismantle another one… It had enough weight and was of suitable length, making it a handy weapon. Yu Qunqing weighed the new weapon in his hand and looked at the messy study. He felt like a mischievous dog tearing apart the house.

In the apocalypse, having a handy weapon was not enough; the weapon needed to be “sharpened.”

Yu Qunqing picked up a sparkling and translucent red disaster stone and rubbed it against the steel rod. The point of contact between the disaster stone and the metal instantly generated a high-temperature reaction, leaving behind a dazzling and colorful mark. After cooling down, a new chemical coating formed, faintly resembling the patterns on the wings of a fire butterfly. After several rubs, the entire steel rod became scorching hot. Yu Qunqing had already prepared a piece of cloth to hold it. With steady hands, he meticulously “sharpened” the weapon.

The principle of “sharpening” came from the hypothesis that disaster stones were the emergency reproductive mechanism of the calamities.

To protect the safety of the young ones during incubation, the calamity creatures would generate many harmful substances to defend against external enemies. Therefore, coating weapons with these substances would give an advantage against other calamities. However, the chemical coating of “sharpening” wouldn’t last long, meaning the “sharpened” attacks of the weapon had a limited number of uses.

Different disaster stones had slight differences in the effect of “sharpening,” and the degree of “sharpening” of the same type of disaster stone varied depending on its quality, as seen in the refracted light during the process. It was said that disaster stones from Level I calamities could produce a night pearl when “sharpened.” These were the experiences passed down among the survivors in the apocalypse.

Similarly, because disaster stones were in their infancy, calamities also expelled many nutrients. Without the need for further processing by humans, disaster stones were the best fertilizer in the apocalypse.

Finally, all his weapons and travel equipment were ready. Yu Qunqing played a round of the matching game, making sure not to waste a single drop of stamina, before finally setting off.

The corridor was illuminated by gentle soft light, while the display screen of the elevator showed “Error 001.” Although the residential building had electricity, many areas were still damaged.

Yu Qunqing lived on the 22nd floor. He decided to take the emergency exit while also eliminating any hidden dangers within the residential building.

Each floor had two households. He forcefully opened the doors of each household using electricity. Many of the residents’ homes were empty, with only a few meager pieces of furniture. Either they couldn’t sell their belongings or they bought the house but never moved in, lacking any signs of life.

The most valuable findings were the abandoned snacks in one household, while others had left behind their own pets. One resident’s fish tank was full of dead fish, and there were white bones in a cage, emitting a foul smell. Some ordinary insects had made new nests inside the house, creating a lively atmosphere. Yu Qunqing allowed them to live freely. Humans were never the masters of the Earth; insects were the most numerous creatures on the planet.

Finally, he reached the 4th floor, which was not occupied by residents but had a small garden with some children’s recreational facilities. This floor connected to the other three residential buildings within the community.

“Ding dong, Residential District – Exploration progress: 100%,” the system suddenly prompted, “Organizing and uploading data… Calculation successful. Generating a new version and starting the version upgrade. All games within this system are not allowed to be used during the upgrade. After a successful upgrade, appropriate compensation will be provided to players. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this system. “

Yu Qunqing understood that this was a scheduled maintenance update.

The factor for system version upgrade is “exploration.” If he explores more areas, what will the upgrade be like?

The system did not respond, and Yu Qunqing continued walking. The small garden on the 4th floor was filled with half-dead plants, with yellowed leaves piled thickly. Moss and weeds had become the new occupants of the area. Some bullfrogs had taken up residence in the small pond, emitting thunderous croaking sounds. Scattered bricks and broken stones could be seen everywhere, as the place gradually transformed into a haven for animals. In the middle of the garden hung a giant beehive, and black bees buzzed around it. With no humans around and far from the calamities, it was no wonder they chose this place as their paradise.

The 3rd floor was a swimming pool where the game mentioned the new home for crocodiles was established.

The 2nd floor consisted of a gym and a massage parlor, with the equipment intact and undamaged.

Yu Qunqing climbed down through the pipeline from the 2nd floor since he had boarded up the exit on the 1st floor with wooden boards.

However, he underestimated his physical condition and ended up tumbling to the ground in an emergency roll before slowly standing up, avoiding any serious injuries.

He took a deep breath, relieved that no one witnessed his ungraceful landing.

Then he tightly gripped his weapon and attentively listened to the surrounding sounds.

This residential complex consisted of only four buildings, connected by small gardens on the four floors, arranged in a “ㄇ” shape, enclosing an art garden covering an area of over 10,000 square meters. The garden had intertwining corridors, featuring both delicate and charming scenery worth pausing to admire, as well as open spaces where the river breeze could be felt. The most eye-catching feature was the music fountain, designed at great expense by the community, shaped like a crocodile stepping on a planet. Unfortunately, it was now cracked.

Yu Qunqing picked up a stone and threw it into the empty fountain pool. The thrown stone hit the walls, producing a crisp echo. Then he immediately hid next to a sculpture, waiting silently.

After a while, a hound with a cracked muzzle cautiously sniffed the air as it moved forward, keeping close to the ground. Just as its nose barely emerged from the shadows, it was struck by a steel rod that descended from above.

Yu Qunqing didn’t use his abilities; he relied solely on his physical strength. If he didn’t train his physical fitness now, he would have to make up for it in the future, so he decided to combine enemy encounters with his training.

His strikes were accurate. Even if the opponent’s tough bones made his wrist numb, he didn’t mind. The sharpened weapon made it easier to take the lives of calamities. After delivering two or three heavy blows, the hound with a cracked muzzle stopped moving.

Yu Qunqing took out a small knife and stabbed it into the hound’s brain, stirring it around. Experience told him not to consider himself victorious until the brain was thoroughly mashed. As expected, the hound struggled violently. Yu Qunqing used the steel rod to restrain it while delivering a fatal blow with the small knife.

Bumps suddenly swelled on the hound’s wound, forming transparent blisters that then burst open. Memories of past encounters with enemies had ingrained themselves in Yu Qunqing’s brain. He instinctively took a step back, avoiding the venom. After a final counterattack from the dying hound, it truly ceased to exist.

Suddenly, he rolled on the ground, lodging the steel rod into the mouth of the second hound that was attacking, and then swung it, smashing it onto the other hound that was preparing to ambush him. It seemed somewhat difficult for him to face two enemies alone with his current stamina. So, after a sufficient amount of movement, a flash of electricity surged from his left hand, complementing the physical attack and ending the lives of the two hounds with a swift strike.

After waiting a while, it seemed that there were no more calamities in the residential complex.

Although the city center was the most challenging place to explore, it didn’t necessarily mean that there were many calamities there. During the initial solar eclipse, the city center was evacuated the fastest, with most residents crowding in the areas around the Third and Fourth Ring Roads. Therefore, after the solar eclipse, a large number of calamities were concentrated there, and the survivors were all the strong ones. With such a natural barrier, few people ventured to explore the city center.

Yu Qunqing remained cautious. “Is it normal for there to be so few calamities in the residential complex?”

He recalled the terrain in the vicinity. This residential complex was located in a prime area, adjacent to many bustling commercial centers. The apocalypse came swiftly, catching many people off guard, so they probably didn’t have time to evacuate completely. It was unclear how many useful supplies remained in those commercial centers that had exploded or collapsed. He would visit those places when he reached a higher level of capability.

As for the nearby areas that were likely to have supplies, the chain supermarkets outside the residential complex were the most promising.

Yu Qunqing took a few steps and then turned back to a small pavilion, where he took a shared bicycle. There was no other choice; the residential complex was just that big, and residents needed to ride shared bicycles to appreciate it.

The two wheels spun swiftly as Yu Qunqing made up for all the perks of being a homeowner that he hadn’t enjoyed before. The only challenge was getting past the entrance gate while carrying the bicycle.

Outside the residential complex, Yu Qunqing felt somewhat uncomfortable. In his memory, there were towering skyscrapers outside the complex, with a constant flow of hundreds of thousands of people. Now it looked like someone had taken a bite out of it, with buildings collapsed or leaning, revealing vast patches of sky.

The asphalt on the road was broken by tree roots, causing the bicycle to jolt with every bump. The “creatures from the sewers” before the apocalypse were rampaging through the streets.

“The Túfù Chain Supermarket, an exclusive supermarket that everyone can enjoy.”

A heavily damaged promotional poster caught his eye. The Túfù Chain Supermarket that Yu Qunqing had been longing for was partially sunken into the ground.

As he approached, he noted a sinkhole, which seemed to have been created by another explosion in the underground pipes. Underneath the broken asphalt were a network of massive pipes, likely followed by subway tunnels. The Túfù Supermarket was partially on the ground, while the other half was hanging over the sinkhole, seemingly on the verge of falling.

With such a large supermarket, his small weight shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Yu Qunqing shattered the glass door and was immediately hit by the foul smell of rotting seafood as he entered.

Upon closer inspection, he saw various household items first, followed by the rotten vegetables section, the putrid cooked food section, and the moldy bread section… but there was also the most timely staple food section!

Bags of rice and flour were left on the shelves because they were too heavy to move. Various seasonings were placed next to them, and in the distance, there was a box of truffle instant noodles, claiming to have the most unpleasant flavor… In the previous world, food was scarce in shelters, and everyone had to tighten their belts to survive. Among them, superhumans who went out on missions were always hungry. Their stomachs seemed like bottomless pits, and they dreamed of having grand feasts. It was fine if they were weak from hunger, but the most dreadful thing was when hunger clouded their minds. The slightest whiff of fragrance would make their eyes sparkle, and the terrifying appetite could devour anything and everything!

Yu Qunqing was also afraid of hunger. When he was extremely hungry, he would even bite his own hand. It was his strong willpower that had knocked down all the superhumans who had turned violent due to hunger.

And now, like a poor man confronted with sudden wealth, he was overjoyed. He felt like he had stepped into heaven!

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