The Reborn Otaku’s Code of Practice for the Apocalypse – CH141

Chapter 141 — Buying Vegetables and the Missing Crystal Core

Li Tie and the others were also helping collect the vegetables. By now, most of the vegetables growing in the rooms and hallways had matured. This time they had planted quite a lot, and even eating like crazy every day, there was no way everyone could finish them all. Some of the leftovers had been pickled, while others were still left in the planting racks without being harvested yet. A few had even been intentionally kept to flower and produce seeds. But now that communications had been restored, even these slightly overgrown, aging vegetables suddenly had people rushing to buy them… and the prices being offered were more than double what they had been before the snowstorm!

Sure enough, once the weather turned bad, vegetable prices shot through the roof.

After the baskets were filled, everything except the vegetables reserved for seeds and daily meals was packed into boxes. Just as Luo Xun was preparing to head out with Yan Fei to deliver the goods, his phone rang again.

“Ah, it’s the cafeteria.” Luo Xun raised his head toward Yan Fei with an amused look.

Yan Fei shrugged, leaving it to him to handle.

As expected, Captain Li was also calling to buy vegetables. In truth, Luo Xun’s group still had some stock in their refrigerator, supplies they had planned to slowly eat themselves. It wasn’t that they couldn’t spare some—the real issue was that, unlike those ability-user squads who could come pick up the goods nearby themselves, the military camp cafeteria was simply too far away.

So Luo Xun could only explain, “We do have some vegetables at home, but the roads outside are impossible to travel right now. There’s no way we can deliver them.”

The squads they had contacted earlier had all agreed to pick up the goods themselves. Luo Xun simply hadn’t told them the exact location of his home, instead arranging for them to meet at an intersection near a neighboring residential complex and bring the crystal cores there for the exchange. But the cafeteria… he could only apologetically say they were temporarily unable to provide delivery service.

Even the path Luo Xun and the others were currently using to reach that intersection had only been formed because nearby residents had spent the last few days trudging through the snow step by step.

Sure enough, after hearing this, the other side fell silent for a moment before saying they would contact them again later.

Yan Fei controlled a pile of metal boxes, making them “float” downstairs onto a large metal platform. The two then pulled the heavy board loaded with vegetables on foot through the snow toward the agreed meeting place with the ability-user squads.

As expected of ability-user squads—none of the people who came to pick up the goods were normal.

Two of the squads had sent wind-type ability users. They practically drifted over across the snow. Although they still couldn’t truly fly, gliding across the snow like that crazy sheep from before posed no problem at all. The last squad to arrive actually came riding a sleigh—not the cheap homemade modification Luo Xun’s group used, but a genuine, authentic sleigh! It moved incredibly fast, though unfortunately the cluttered, obstacle-filled city streets prevented it from reaching full speed. Otherwise, one careless moment and they might crash into something.

Once the transaction was completed, the two turned around and trudged laboriously back through the snow toward their residential complex. Before they even reached the entrance gate, Luo Xun’s phone rang again.

Pulling it out, he saw it was indeed Captain Li once more.

“Where exactly do you live? We have vehicles that can come pick up the vegetables.”

As expected of the military—if they said they could send a vehicle, they really could send one.

After thinking it over, Luo Xun set the delivery point at the same location where they had just traded with the ability-user squads. Captain Li then said they would dispatch someone immediately.

So Luo Xun had no choice but to call the people staying behind at home, asking Xu Mei and the others to pack up some of the vegetables currently stored in the refrigerator—the ones everyone couldn’t finish anytime soon.

When Luo Xun and Yan Fei finally dragged another box of vegetables back to the agreed location, panting heavily all the way, they were dumbfounded to discover… there was actually an armored combat vehicle parked there.

Seriously?!

Sure, they knew armored vehicles could handle all kinds of bizarre terrain, but you were only buying vegetables! Was it really necessary to send such a monstrous vehicle? Were these vegetables even worth the fuel cost?!

After looking around and confirming there were no other “vehicles” nearby, the two could only walk over to ask. And sure enough… this really was the vehicle Captain Li had sent to buy vegetables!

One hand exchanged crystal cores, the other handed over vegetables. In the end, Luo Xun still couldn’t resist asking, “You really drove this… vehicle here just to buy vegetables?”

One of the soldiers carrying an automatic rifle twisted his expression awkwardly before forcing out a stiff smile and lowering his voice.

“Our chief… cough cough, our leader wanted to eat them.” After saying that, he hurriedly climbed back into the vehicle.

Well then. When the big shots wanted vegetables, the little soldiers had to drive armored vehicles out to buy them. Life wasn’t easy for these troops either.

The couple once again dragged their now much smaller metal platform home step by step through the snow. The crystal cores earned from the two trades were distributed according to the proportions everyone had agreed on earlier, while the remaining portion was placed into the team’s shared funds.

By this time, Li Tie and the others had also received messages from their superiors telling them to return to work. But the roads outside still hadn’t been cleared, so they could only reply explaining how terrible the road conditions were. Even now they were still negotiating with their superiors.

Seeing Luo Xun and Yan Fei return, they hurried over.

“Brother Luo, our boss said the roads near our place probably won’t be cleared anytime soon.”

“Then what about your jobs?” Luo Xun raised an eyebrow.

The few of them exchanged worried looks. “We’re still waiting for further instructions… but from the sound of it, they still expect us to figure something out ourselves…”

Just as they were speaking, another message came through. Sure enough, the reply stated that they should do their best to think of a solution themselves, and that they absolutely had to report to the military camp no later than the day after tomorrow. The military would also try to send over technicians familiar with this sort of work to provide temporary assistance.

Staring at the message, Wang Duo nervously looked at everyone.

“Do you think… they mean that if we still don’t report in, they’ll replace us with someone else?!”

Li Tie and the others stared at each other, an increasingly ominous feeling growing in their hearts. Luo Xun, Yan Fei, and Xu Mei were already looking at them with sympathy.

Zhang Su sneered. “Isn’t that obvious? Of course they will.” The military wasn’t lacking in people. Although it would be a pity to replace experienced workers like Li Tie’s group, if there were subordinates living closer by and more obedient, it was perfectly normal for their superiors to consider swapping them out.

“But… but…” Li Tie’s face turned greenish. They had already been doing this job for over a year now. Giving it up at this point really felt unbearable. Besides, although the work required getting up early and coming home late every day, they had grown attached to it over time. And honestly, the work itself wasn’t even particularly exhausting. In today’s base, finding a stable desk job was practically a luxury among luxuries. They truly didn’t want to lose it.

“Maybe you could give this a try.” Suddenly thinking of something, Luo Xun pointed outside. “When we went to sell vegetables earlier, the military drove over in an armored vehicle…”

“Huh?!”

“They drove an armored vehicle to buy vegetables?!”

Sure enough, everyone was stunned by the news.

Luo Xun coughed twice and continued seriously, “What kind of vehicle they used isn’t the important part right now. What I mean is—armored vehicles are heavy! Since it drove directly here from the military camp, if you follow the tracks it made, the route should be much easier to walk than anywhere else. Well, relatively easier anyway.”

Li Tie and the others hesitated for a while before finally gritting their teeth and messaging their superiors, saying they would try heading over tomorrow.

While Li Tie and the others busied themselves communicating with their bosses, Xu Mei quietly spoke to Luo Xun and Yan Fei.

“Today we heard people in the hallways asking around whether anyone smelled meat cooking a few days ago.”

“Meat?” Luo Xun instantly thought about the hotpot lamb they had eaten before, and immediately became alert. “What’s going on?”

Xu Mei curled her lips into a cold sneer. “They’re saying they’re worried someone’s secretly eating human flesh at home. They’re trying to incite everyone into going door to door for inspections.”

“An inspection?” Luo Xun burst out laughing. “Just because someone smelled meat cooking, they suspect somebody’s eating human flesh, and now they want to search every household?” The logic was way too far-fetched.

Song Lingling hurried over after hearing them talking. “Exactly! They were discussing it like crazy, but it’s all just talk. Nobody actually dares organize a real search. Some people even said the smell was probably hotpot lamb, but nobody believed it. They insisted there’s no way anyone could still have lamb these days, so if someone’s eating meat at home it must be human meat. Sister Xu and I ignored them completely anyway. They’re just talking big. Who’d really dare organize door-to-door inspections?”

Hearing that, even Yan Fei laughed. “Honestly, if they really had someone backing them, they might actually dare do it. Too bad all the major powers that can support people are basically over in the new city now.” Regardless of what that “meat” actually was, once people became suspicious, they could easily use it as an excuse to stir up trouble. After all, barefoot people aren’t afraid of those wearing shoes. They’d be searching other people’s homes, not their own, so they risked nothing and might even gain something in the process. Why wouldn’t they do it?

“And with the heavy snow blocking the roads now…” Xu Mei sighed and shook her head. “Still, if this were normal times, their trick actually might’ve worked. Using that excuse to search house by house, they could probably take advantage of homes with fewer people around and pocket a few benefits.”

“But honestly, we only had hotpot lamb once… their noses are ridiculously sensitive.” Song Lingling complained unhappily.

Luo Xun thought for a moment. “It was probably the day the snow stopped. There wasn’t much wind that day, so some of the smell probably drifted out.”

“So from now on, if we want to eat meat, we have to check the weather forecast too? Only eat it on windy days?” Song Lingling widened her eyes irritably.

Luo Xun spread his hands helplessly. “It’s still fine to indulge once in a while. Besides, our floor is high enough that smells normally shouldn’t drift downstairs…” Which was exactly why he’d been so nervous about people living on the rooftop in the first place.

Then his eyes suddenly lit up. Pointing at Zhang Su, who was sitting nearby with one leg crossed over the other and yawning, Luo Xun said, “Next time we cook something with a strong smell, we can just have Zhang Su act as an exhaust fan while we’re cooking, right?”

If they used wind abilities to blow all the aroma straight into the heavens, there was no way anyone could track them by smell!

Zhang Su rewarded him with a huge eye roll.

That evening, Luo Xun and Yan Fei said goodbye to everyone and returned home. The little dog trotted in after them, wagging its tail as it climbed directly onto the sofa.

Suddenly remembering something, Luo Xun glanced toward the dog bed and froze.

“Huh? Where’s the crystal core?”

“What crystal core?” Yan Fei instinctively looked toward the metal boxes where they usually stored crystal cores. Those boxes were completely sealed shut, containing all the crystal cores the two had saved up. Since Luo Xun wasn’t an ability user and the two of them didn’t spend much on a daily basis, they kept all their crystal cores there. Whenever Yan Fei needed them for leveling up abilities or Luo Xun needed them to buy things, they’d take them from those boxes.

“Not those—the duck crystal core from last time! The one the little guy used as a pillow!” Luo Xun bent over and started searching carefully behind the sofa.

“That one? Wasn’t it always in the dog bed?” Yan Fei also joined in, rummaging through everything.

It had been such a huge object. How could it just disappear? They both clearly remembered seeing the little dog resting its chin on it like a pillow before…

“Wait, when was the last time we saw it?” Maybe because it had just been lying around the house as decoration for so long, neither of them noticed right away when it vanished. After hearing Luo Xun’s question, even Yan Fei admitted… he couldn’t remember exactly either.

“…I feel like I saw it not too long ago.”

“Could the little guy have rolled it somewhere while playing with it like a ball?” Luo Xun scratched his hair. Even if someone wanted to steal that thing… it wouldn’t exactly be easy to carry off!!

The two simply lay flat on the floor with flashlights, sweeping every crack and corner where something could possibly be hidden. Before long, they’d already discovered huge piles of dog fur under the sofa, and beneath one shelf there was dog fur plus a slipper…

Well, compared to before, the little guy had actually improved. At least this time they only found one slipper. Previously they’d recovered countless slippers from under there.

They started with the first-floor living room and found absolutely nothing. Then they searched the seedling room, kitchen, bathroom, storage space under the stairs, and finally the couple simply charged upstairs and gave every crack and corner in the house a complete cleaning. Dust, dog fur, and random little objects that had somehow rolled into gaps were uncovered in huge quantities, but there was still no trace whatsoever of that massive crystal core…

“So where exactly did you hide that thing?” Luo Xun felt his lower back aching. He collapsed onto the sofa to relax, grabbing the dog’s head—which had rubbed itself against him—and squishing it into strange shapes while “interrogating” the little fellow.

Unfortunately, their dog couldn’t speak human language, nor could it understand such complicated questions. It could only stare back at Luo Xun with wide innocent eyes and a silly expression.

Yan Fei also reached over and flicked the dog lightly on the head. “Did it eat it?”

“That thing was huge… how would it eat it? Lick it away? It’s not ice cream.” Luo Xun’s expression twisted as he looked up at Yan Fei. Then he suddenly frowned thoughtfully. “Wait… do you think crystal cores can actually get smaller from licking?”

Yan Fei froze mid-motion, his expression turning strange as well. “Have you ever seen a crystal core disappear from being washed with water?” Did Luo Xun seriously think crystal cores were ice cream??

Nowadays, whenever they collected crystal cores, they always had Song Lingling thoroughly rinse them clean with her water ability before anyone dared touch them, afraid they might still carry zombie viruses… Though admittedly, the crystal core from the duck’s head probably didn’t have zombie virus contamination. Still, how could anyone possibly absorb a crystal core by “licking” it?

“…Maybe dog saliva… isn’t the same as ordinary water?” Luo Xun uncertainly developed this new train of thought.

Saliva definitely wasn’t the same as plain water. The components inside it were certainly different. But the problem was, nobody had ever heard of anyone surviving after “eating a crystal core”… although perhaps mutated animal crystal cores were different from normal zombie crystal cores?

The two exchanged glances before simultaneously turning to look at the little dog again.

The little fellow suddenly became alert, its ears twitching as it instinctively stood up on its hind legs and tried to back away.

Yan Fei fetched a transparent level-one crystal core, while Luo Xun directly pried open the dog’s mouth and dabbed a small towel with a bit of dog saliva…

Well, being licked by a dog’s tongue was one thing. Even if it felt unhygienic, since it was their own dog it didn’t seem disgusting. But now that they were actually using dog saliva for an experiment, it still felt a little awkward.

After having the towel rubbed around its mouth, the little dog shook its head frantically, tucked its tail between its legs, and ran behind the quail cage to hide with a wary expression. Then it cautiously poked half its head back out to secretly observe its two owners, terrified they might shove something strange into its mouth again.

The two wrapped the crystal core in the damp towel, then covered the towel with two plastic bags… well, that was to prevent moisture loss. Though whether there would be some kind of chemical reaction when they opened it again the next morning was another matter entirely.

After finishing all that, Luo Xun once again ran over to the quail cage and grabbed the dog’s head in both hands.

“Did you really eat that thing? Or did someone steal it? And if you really ate it, shouldn’t you have abilities now?”

The silly dog merely tilted its head at Luo Xun with the same foolish expression as always.

“Sometimes I honestly feel like I raised a husky instead of an intelligent German shepherd…” Luo Xun turned to complain to Yan Fei.

Yan Fei laughed. “No matter how smart it is, there’s no way it can understand everything you’re saying. And honestly, do you really think it could answer the questions you’re asking?”

“But where exactly did that huge crystal core go?” Luo Xun frowned and looked around the room again. They had already searched every possible corner in the house! They’d even checked inside the quail cage—there was absolutely nothing!! “It couldn’t really have been stolen, could it?”

Yan Fei frowned and looked toward the windows. Outside were thick iron bars, the glass inside was completely intact, and there wasn’t the slightest sign of damage anywhere on the walls.

Honestly, if it really had been an outside thief… unless they possessed some kind of wall-phasing ability, how could they possibly have stolen it?

But if it was an inside job… neither of them had ever given their house keys to anyone else. The members of their squad had also always been considerate enough never to ask on their own to visit their home; they only came when Luo Xun and Yan Fei invited them. Besides, the thing had been enormous. Even if someone really had taken it, where could they possibly hide it? There was nowhere to hide something that big!

“If it really was stolen… who could possibly have taken it?” It wasn’t that Yan Fei trusted their teammates too blindly, but even if someone had stolen the thing… there was nowhere to sell it! Nobody in the entire base had ever heard of that kind of ability before. Although the crystal core looked impressive, it was basically useless—a complete chicken rib. At most, it just looked nice sitting there.

Luo Xun also lowered his head helplessly with a bitter expression, continuing to knead the dog’s head.

“So it really was you who made it disappear, huh? Tell me, did you eat it or not?”

The silly dog still looked completely dumbfounded, allowing its unscrupulous owner to squish its face into all sorts of bizarre shapes. By now it had already forgotten about Luo Xun stuffing cloth into its mouth earlier and instead happily leaned closer, thinking Luo Xun was playing with it.

After thoroughly bullying their foolish dog’s face, the couple happily headed upstairs hand in hand to sleep.

Early the next morning, still preoccupied with the matter, the two hurried downstairs and immediately went to retrieve the wrapped crystal core from where they had left it the day before. They opened it and carefully inspected the crystal core.

“I feel like the size hasn’t changed at all.” After examining the freshly washed crystal core carefully, Luo Xun finally gave his opinion.

Yan Fei nodded in agreement. “I weighed it yesterday. Let’s weigh it again.” As he spoke, he fetched a small balance scale from the house. It didn’t require batteries, was durable, and was usually perfectly reliable for weighing small objects.

The two weighed it and discovered it was exactly the same as yesterday—not the slightest difference.

The pair exchanged glances, then looked at the crystal core, and finally at the little dog, who was staring up at them with a confused expression.

“Do you think… if the thing really was somehow ‘eaten’ by the little guy, then maybe it already has abilities now?” Luo Xun asked hesitantly.

“Hard to say. But if the disappearance of that crystal core really was related to it…” After all, ever since they had brought the crystal core home, the little dog had practically clung to it whenever it was in the house. Other than mealtimes and taking it outside during the day to play with Xiao Xinran, it almost never let go of it. If someone had tried taking it away, the little dog would’ve been the first to object. So maybe it really had somehow made the thing disappear.

Luo Xun frowned as he crouched in front of the little dog again, grabbing its face in both hands.

“But… every mutated animal I’ve seen or heard about had a really strange appearance. It… should still count as unmutated, right?” But after making such a huge crystal core disappear, had this thing really not mutated?

Yan Fei also fell silent. Unlike Luo Xun, he didn’t know so many accurate details about the “future.” But among the only two mutated animals they had seen since the apocalypse, both had looked bizarre beyond belief. If the little dog suddenly grew larger after mutating, he honestly wouldn’t find it surprising at all. In fact, if it continued looking exactly the same, that would be stranger instead.

“Maybe… some mutated animals don’t change appearance?” Yan Fei suggested cautiously.

“I’m not sure either… Wait! Remember? There were a few times before when we came home at night and its eyes were glowing like light bulbs!” Luo Xun’s eyes suddenly lit up as he quickly looked up at Yan Fei for confirmation.

“You mean…” Yan Fei also vaguely recalled those late-night returns.

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