Chapter 215 - 143 The Way Out
Today, Lin Wu had a restful sleep. Because of the unbearable outdoor temperature, Lin Wu and Shana headed to the library to read books together. As he read, Lin Wu discovered he had suffered frostbite again, an obvious sign that the temperature had dropped further. Hence, Lin Wu lit a campfire and added charcoal to it. They each borrowed a book and read alongside the fire, lacking chairs, they had to stand while reading.
Shana, who was more particular about the quality of life, took a knife and went out to Birch Park nearby to chop down a birch tree. She then cut it into two sections to make two makeshift stools. Meanwhile, Lin Wu fetched an aluminum pot from the warehouse, emulating the practice at Waste City’s Starlight Base, and hung the pot over the campfire. He initially intended to boil water for tea, but after discussing with Shana, she suggested having a hot pot meal. Not getting fat from eating in the game was a blessing, one not to be wasted.
Lin Wu and Shana searched the warehouse. They had a sufficient amount of seasonings but the food was rather simple, consisting only of some fish and a small amount of greens. As they ate and chatted, they decided to loot a restaurant in Left County the next morning. Eating a hot pot on a cold night was truly a delight. What was most precious wasn’t just that they wouldn’t get fat, but also that they could eat a lot and the slowly rising sense of fullness brought them both joy and comfort.
The pair took stock of their food supply, which amounted to 22 portions, enough to sustain them for 11 days. This was clearly insufficient for their needs. However, due to the snow, they were unable to scavenge using cars and could only bring back two basic packs when they went out. Shana estimated that with another night of snowfall, even the motorcycles would be immobilized by morning, making snowboards the only means of transportation.
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The next day, the snow reached knee-height, and brisk walking began to expend stamina, as the temperature dropped to minus 15 degrees Celsius. The only good news was that the sun had come out. Walking in the sunlight meant that even with insufficient Cold Resistance Value, one would not suffer frostbite. Of course, this was in relation to level 1 clothing. Stone, who had always longed for a suit, now wrapped himself in a military coat.
When mixing with Maya, the concern was where to grind for monsters. When with Shana, the first day was spent searching for food. The two used sleds to get to the county marker and targeted a restaurant. Shana waited at the county marker and noticed that zombies’ speed was significantly reduced when moving through the snow, although this did not apply to the Frenzies, who could run without sinking their limbs into the snow.
Lin Wu stealthily slaughtered his way to the restaurant, relying on drones to eliminate two hidden, frightening zombies, and everything went very smoothly. Before long, Lin Wu emerged from the restaurant and basked in the sun on the street, recharging himself and healing his frostbite, before sneaking back into the restaurant.
Shana couldn’t help but laugh as she watched Lin Wu go in and out of the restaurant. At that moment, she wondered, out of curiosity, why the brave Lin Wu didn’t upgrade his clothing? If he leveled up his clothes to tier 2, he would have easily endured the winter. As she sat, resting her chin on her hands, she figured out the reason herself. The only change was her transition to the night shift. Due to her presence, Lin Wu didn’t want to take the 33% chance risk.
On the other hand, Lin Wu didn’t care about his clothes getting damaged when he was with Maya. Even without cold-resistant clothing, he didn’t hinder Maya from going out. To put it in a nutshell, because Shana was dependant, Lin Wu couldn’t afford to lose his mobility.
Shana did not have a good way to enhance her strength and could only resort to throwing Swallowtail Darts as much as possible. However, as her aim improved, the darts’ major drawback became apparent: the need for manual retrieval.