Chapter 141: Lack of Information |
Day 7, early morning.
When Katie and Sam woke up, Leon was still fast asleep on the mattress.
"Let him sleep," Bai Mu whispered. "I'll give him something to eat when he wakes up."
Katie and Sam nodded, staying quietly in the living room, trying their best not to make any noise that would disturb their older brother.
Bai Mu distributed hardtack and drinking water to the two children. He snapped a chicken sausage in two, giving them each a half.
His resources could not support daily feasts like yesterday's lavish breakfast. He only had one cup of cheese-flavored instant noodles left; hardtack was the norm.
The children had no complaints about this. In truth, the food Bai Mu shared was barely enough to keep hunger at bay.
Hunger truly was the best seasoning. When there was nothing else and starvation set in, even the most unpalatable scraps tasted like delicacies. Leon slept until one in the afternoon before finally crawling out of bed. He looked much more energetic after his rest. Bai Mu handed him his portion of the rations, then turned up the volume on the television to catch the daily news.
Bai Mu felt that today was even hotter than the previous days. Even just sitting indoors doing absolutely nothing, sweat kept oozing out. He didn't dare open the windows; the breeze outside felt exactly like the scorching air rising off a bonfire.
Even he was finding this blistering heat unbearable. He wanted nothing more than to find a pool to dive into and wash his entire body.
"Solar activity has intensified, and wildfires are raging across forested areas."
"Experts state that abnormal solar activity is the primary cause. The full scope of the disaster remains unclear, but neighboring cities have deployed emergency forces to suppress the flames." "This concludes the latest update. Please remain calm. Try to stay indoors during the daytime and avoid going outside."
The temperature had risen again. Bai Mu wiped his sweat with the towel, wondering if the heat was going to spike at regular intervals. 'Is there no limit? Will the entire earth eventually turn into an oven?'
He suddenly understood why those mushrooms had failed to spread and cause widespread infection.
The outside temperature was simply too high. Mushrooms and fungi thrived in damp, dark environments. That stuff ultimately fell under the umbrella of plant life; they would ignite and burn to ashes.
Under such extreme heat, it wouldn't take half a day for fresh mushrooms to be roasted dry. The parched, hardened earth simply couldn't support their growth.
Those mushrooms could only grow in the dark confines of an observation box. If tossed outside, they would instantly wither away, becoming exactly like the dead grass.
'Could it be that these Doppelgangers also couldn't stand the heat, so they crawled out from underground to fight humanity for territory?' An initially absurd, yet surprisingly logical thought upon deeper reflection popped into Bai Mu's mind.
The more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed. After all, the Doppelgangers had appeared alongside the extreme heat. There was an inextricable link between the two. Perhaps the soaring temperatures had also deprived them of water or destroyed their natural habitat.
But even if that were true, it offered no help for his current predicament.
He began seriously considering whether he should relocate. If the temperature was going to rise endlessly, living above ground was actually an incredibly dangerous choice.
There were still exactly 43 days until the Main Quest concluded. Although the heat was barely within the limits of human endurance for now, who knew how scorching it would become in 43 days?
This was like boiling a frog in slowly heating water. If he didn't take action now, he might not get the chance later.
"Under such blistering conditions, you really need to live in a place like a cellar to stay cool," he muttered.
Bai Mu's house didn't have a basement. The insulation of this kind of detached single-family home was actually quite average. The biggest advantage of staying here was the steady supply of electricity and water, allowing him to watch the news right away and secure a steady supply of free water.
In truth, the daily water ration was fairly generous. If used strictly for drinking, the water collected each day was enough for the four of them with a little to spare. If he really moved, it would be extremely difficult to obtain water this easily. Once he left, the Emergency Center would definitely strike his name from the registry when they didn't get a response during their next follow-up.
He certainly didn't expect the authorities to give him special treatment. These people remained completely apathetic even in the face of fires. As far as the government was concerned, the life or death of ordinary citizens was simply beyond their capacity to care about right now.
They were already overwhelmed just dealing with the Doppelgangers and the extreme heat.
Furthermore, where to move was a major issue. He had to bring along three children. He would need to secure a vehicle and enough Gasoline at the very least to make this plan feasible.
'I still have far too little information on hand,' Bai Mu thought.
He lacked a city map and was practically entirely ignorant regarding the current state of the war between the military and the Doppelgangers.
Without intelligence, he was like a blind man fumbling in the dark, unable to determine the right path. A single misstep could lead him off a cliff or straight into a brick wall.
Although his current food reserves were enough to last a while, the cash he had scrounged from searching the apartments was all spent, and he still lacked a stable source of food. 'Sitting around waiting to die is not an option. I need to make another trip outside tonight.' Bai Mu thought of the Gas Station. 'Since it serves as a military supply point, there should be other useful items there besides Gasoline.'
'At the very least, I need to get my hands on a map, and preferably some undisclosed intelligence.'
Pondering this, Bai Mu retrieved the radio sitting in front of the television.
When he first entered this Script, the batteries in this old-fashioned radio had already been completely dead.
However, during his search of the apartment the day before yesterday, he had found the correct battery model. He had just been too preoccupied over the past two days to spare much energy listening to it. The broadcasts were mostly identical to the television news—either repetitive updates or mindless emotional talk shows. But now, he had three extra assistants. Bai Mu called the children over, taught them how to tune the radio frequencies, and handed them pen and paper.
"The three of you will take turns monitoring. Keep switching the stations, and if you hear anything about the Doppelgangers or the military, write it down." The children bobbed their little heads, sitting off to the side with serious expressions as they listened closely to the radio.
Bai Mu did his utmost to conserve his stamina and hydration. The cost of acting during the daytime was simply too immense, and truthfully, he had nothing pressing to do. When evening finally arrived, after collecting the water, Bai Mu distributed the last of the daily rations and dinner to the three children.
"I need to go out for a bit to see if I can bring back anything useful."
Bai Mu instructed, "No matter who comes to the door, unless it is me, do not open it."
"Don't worry. I've reinforced the windows and the door with materials. An ordinary person won't be able to break in."
"As for the Doppelgangers, there are three of you, so it's highly unlikely they'll launch a reckless attack. Just remember, do not open the door for anyone but me."
"Understood, mister," Leon nodded.
Shouldering his backpack, Bai Mu stepped out of the apartment.
Afterward, he summoned Witch. He ordered her to stay alert, hide in the shadows, and guard the entrance. If anyone attempted to force the door open, Witch was authorized to attack. With the commands issued, Bai Mu slunk into the darkness alone, stealthily making his way toward the Gas Station.
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