Chapter 402: Bound to the Birth System, Becoming a Winner in Life Chapter 403: Wasteland Gathering Daily Life (31)

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

Day 45 of the Cold Season, the temperature outside dropped several degrees again.

Shen Yao was wrapped in thick cotton pants and a padded jacket; the bedroom had both air conditioning and a charcoal fire burning.

This was a method she and Cheng Qi came up with at the start of the house renovation, connecting water pipes to provide heating.

Metal pipes were laid along the bedroom floor and both sides of the bed, with the pipe joints connected to the kitchen. When the Cold Season arrived, they filled them with water to heat for warmth, meeting their own living needs while also saving on air conditioning costs.

However, the consecutive drops in temperature caught Cheng Qi off guard; even with the heating on, the air conditioning still could not be completely turned off.

This terrible weather where a single breath could freeze—no one knew how long it would last.

Drip drip

The wristwatch emitted a piercing sound; Shen Yao lowered her head and, with effort, pulled out her wrist to check.

It was Cheng Qi, who was out working, briefly informing her that he would be back late today and did not need dinner saved for him.

"Sigh, if the base doesn't finish building the public area soon, E District and F District really won't be able to hold on."

Shen Yao lay on her back on the bed, pulling the quilt piled to one side over herself.

The quilt was very thick, pressing on her body making it hard to breathe; Shen Yao slowed her breathing, and only after her body temperature warmed up did she slowly take off the innermost padded jacket.

"The Cold Season has more than three months left, Host, why not..." The system suggested giving up the pregnancy.

"Wait and see, you also said the Cold Season is hard to endure—are other seasons not hard to endure?"

"I worry the environment is getting worse year by year," some things cannot be delayed.

Unlike some people who can truly be carefree, Shen Yao still had missions on her shoulders—that was the premise allowing her to constantly travel to new task worlds.

No matter how cheerfully she spoke, her body was honest; Shen Yao hadn't lived enough, so she had to give birth to this child.

"Send me some more pills, System; at a time like this, don't divide yours and mine anymore—it's all for the missions and rewards."

Shen Yao continued to take the system's good things; her space was temporarily unusable, but that didn't mean the system had no treasures—hurry up and bring them to her.

System:...

The system hemmed and hawed for a long time, but in the end still couldn't dodge Shen Yao's demonic claws.

The treasures definitely had to be taken out, but the system still had some principles; its bottom line remained.

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao ignored the self-deceiving system and directly stuffed the pills she had obtained into her mouth to eat.

A feeling of warmth spreading from inside out made Shen Yao comfortably narrow her eyes, then she immediately turned off the air conditioner running at low temperature.

It wasn't that Shen Yao was stingy; it was just that air conditioning costs had risen too severely.

If this continued, even a landlord's family would have no surplus grain; Shen Yao wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, burying her whole body inside, and passed the time by the light emitted from her wristwatch.

Not only Shen Yao lived like this; most people living in the base did the same.

Reducing activity to reduce eating, thereby reducing electricity usage, striving to survive this Cold Season.

Day 50 of the Cold Season, not long after dawn, the base issued three notifications in a row, announcing the good news that several public areas could accommodate residents.

However, considering the base had a considerable population, priority was given to the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled living outside.

"That is to say, theoretically, B District will eventually have public area accommodation arrangements?"

Shen Yao tilted her head to look at Cheng Qi, who was also lying in bed without getting up.

Both were lazy; all eating, drinking, and daily needs were handled in the bedroom, and they only went downstairs to add firewood for heating in the mornings and evenings.

"It's said that this Cold Season's duration has been extended, and the temperature will be even lower."

Someone in B District couldn't cope, and B District wasn't entirely ordinary people, so the base upper echelon couldn't ignore it.

Duration extended, temperature lower? Could it possibly drop to a temperature unfit for humans?

Shen Yao looked puzzled, but because Cheng Qi was under the quilt, he couldn't see.

The two each occupied one side, playing with their wristwatches; when it's cold, it's like this—all activities are canceled, everything is just to survive the Cold Season.

Day 60 of the Cold Season, people from E District and F District successfully moved into the public areas provided by the base, and D District also received relocation notices one after another.

The forum was full of wailing; even with someone trying to persuade them, the desolate despair couldn't be stopped.

The environment of the public area wasn't very good; most people from the past brought their whole families, and within two days they had turned the originally clean public area into a place full of trash everywhere.

Moreover, quarrels, fights, and even brawls often occurred in the public area.

Members of the Patrol Team had to go there for duty; Cheng Qi was unlucky and was drawn two days in a row, and when he came back from work in the evening, he couldn't even eat.

Shen Yao asked about the situation, and Cheng Qi subconsciously felt nauseous, showing how bad the public area situation was—even Gene Awakeners who had suffered hardships couldn't endure it.

"It's almost time for C District and B District, right?" As for A District, closer to the center, it was mostly relatives and friends of upper and middle management; the public area wasn't as comfortable as home, so they wouldn't do something like this.

"Are we going over?" Cheng Qi hesitated, recalling the messy scenes of the previous public areas, and subconsciously shook his head.

"My parents have no ideas either; I think we can wait and see the later situation."

Where in the public area is as comfortable as staying at home? Even B District couldn't avoid having many people and mixed eyes, with mutual disputes, verbal sparring, and sharp confrontations.

"Let's wait and see; B District hasn't opened yet, and C District is still waiting ahead."

Even under ideal circumstances, it would take half a month; besides, the colder the weather, the harder it is to start work. Public areas are easy to requisition, but inside are all base properties; it's impossible to completely let people go in and run around wildly.

Cheng Qi rubbed his head, looking at the messages on his wristwatch that he had already read, and complained in his heart that he had to work again tomorrow, not knowing how he would get through it.

Day 66 of the Cold Season, the opening time of C District's public area was put on the agenda.

Song Ling and Cheng Ma expressed in the family group that they had a few old friends who were especially happy, thinking that moving into the public area provided by the base would mean someone could back them up, and they wouldn't have to struggle so hard like now.

Cheng Ma: "Thinking too simply. Eldest Brother has been going to D District recently to help maintain order. Oh my, it's so chaotic I don't know what to say."

Song Ling: "I said the same thing—I'm afraid we'll be bullied if we go over. Who doesn't have some connections and skills these days? I'm just afraid some people deliberately cause trouble."

Cheng Ma: "There are people like that everywhere. Let me tell you about Eldest Brother's side……"

Song Ling and Cheng Ma discussed the problems of the Public Area, each adding a word.

Cheng Dage and Cheng Qi were both hardworking laborers, but Cheng Dage was luckier than Cheng Qi; most of the time he stood guard maintaining dining order, unlike Cheng Qi who was responsible for mediating personnel conflicts and stayed rooted in the crowd for long periods.

Shen Yao secretly peeked at the screen, chatting with the System during her free time to listen to Base gossip.

The System recently liked to run out and watch the excitement, especially since the Public Area had a high probability of deaths; although the System wailed and complained noisily, some more important news leaked out.

Just like today, the System suddenly said someone was causing trouble and planning to fish in troubled waters, so Shen Yao directly watched the show for free as a bystander for more than half a day.

System: ……

The System realized it had been taken advantage of, puffed up in anger, and ignored Shen Yao.

"Don't be so petty; we are one body, you're fine only if I'm fine."

Let her freeload, what's the matter? The System didn't lose anything because of it.

The System was speechless, because it could never outargue Shen Yao, who loved to exploit loopholes.

"I'll tell you some good news," Shen Yao, seeing the System like this, quickly gave it a sweet date, rubbed her belly to indicate she had successfully become pregnant, and said that barring accidents, she would see the freshly born little cubs in the second mild season next year.

System: ……

The System was blown up into fireworks in the sky; it, you, just got pregnant like that?

"Otherwise, the longer it's delayed, the harder it will be, and besides, the pills you gave are exactly usable right now," Shen Yao just tried using them, and the effect was very good.

The System no longer got angry about being freeloaded, and instead took out more pills to hand over to Shen Yao.

Offspring was a preset sensitive word, and the Silly White Sweet System fell into the trap again.

Shen Yao got several pills with better effects without lifting a finger.

According to normal dosage, eat a little every day; Shen Yao continued her lying-down life at home.

On the 75th day of the Cold Season, personnel officially began moving into the Public Area of District C; fewer people spoke on the wristwatches, and the lively forum began to decline.

Song Ling and Cheng Ma were still discussing whether they should go over if the Public Area of District B opened.

Shen Yao continued lurking, occasionally inserting a sentence to pop up, and spent the rest of the time watching the show with the System.

Cheng Qi maintained a frequency of going out to work once every five to seven days.

The internal environment of the Public Areas in Districts D, E, and F continued to deteriorate, and certain people's violent emotions kept rising; if not for the Base's high-pressure policy controlling them, these several Public Areas would probably turn into hell on earth.

On the 80th day of the Cold Season, the belated move-in arrangement for the Public Area of District B was notified to the wristwatches of every person living in District B.

Shen Yao looked at the announcement issued by the Base and was not optimistic about this plan.

Rushing without budget planning, going over was just drifting with the tide.

"Don't go, stay at home."

Cheng Qi came back in the evening, not minding the frost all over his body, and hurriedly advised Shen Yao not to act foolishly; neither the Shen Family nor the Cheng Family would go over immediately, at least they had to wait for a period of time to confirm that staying at home really wouldn't work.

"Not going is strange; doesn't the Base know about the chaos caused by too many people in the other several Public Areas?"

How could they still dare to let people continue going over? The Patrol Team had only so many people; when the wind and waves were calm, they could suppress the many ordinary people in the Base, but once the wind and waves rose again, giving ordinary people courage, the Patrol Team was no match.

Cheng Qi pressed his lips, "The Base knows, it's just that they can't take care of the current situation anymore."

The news Cheng Qi brought back this time was not good; there were rumors that the Base Upper Echelon planned to wall off District A and District B and reinforce it with special means.

Before the Cold Season passed, the Base Upper Echelon would absolutely not come out of District A.

"Are the other several Public Areas bait?" Deliberately tricking them to shift focus and let District A off.

"Not exactly bait; the Base is transporting supplies to several Public Areas, and our task is to maintain order, and at the appropriate time we can take action to deal with unstable factors."

A carrot was dangled in front of the donkey on the journey, and meanwhile a big pie was painted to ensure the due benefits.

As for whether this method was useful? It was useful.

To put it without exaggeration, reasoning with those people in Districts D, E, and F was not as useful as directly giving food.

Without the premise of being full, saying anything was being a hooligan.

"The Base is really willing to spend a lot; once this is sent out, it won't be recovered in a few months."

The Base was not a pixiu that only took in and never gave out; the bulk of the income supplies had to be used to operate the entire Base, and the small portion was divided among the Upper Echelon.

Compared with other large bases, Dawn Base was definitely not a good thing, but compared to the worse, it was better than nothing; some small and medium bases did worse than it, which made Dawn Base somewhat famous around, and people who couldn't survive kept running to join it.

In this world of comparing who was worse, as long as it wasn't the worst, someone would defend it.

"The Base is bleeding heavily this time; next year the Planting Garden will continue to shrink."

Opening sources and throttling expenditures, the Base played this hand skillfully, yet it made people have no choice but to lower their heads and cooperate.

Otherwise, outside in the Nine Cold Days, where could they run? Even if they left the Base, they would have to choose to set out in the Mild Season.

Cheng Qi and Shen Yao sat together complaining about the Base's shady methods, while those who didn't know its true face were rejoicing and cheering that the Base hadn't ignored them.

The ordinary people who moved to the Public Area earliest had run out of food for who knew how long.

Hearing that the Base would distribute filling food according to population, the light of survival burst forth in their eyes.

Whether it was Nutrient Agent or coarse flour that could choke the throat, as long as it could go down the throat, they weren't picky.

Not being picky was fine; the Base was waiting for just this timing.

On the 85th day of the Cold Season, the Public Area of District B officially opened, leaving it up to District B residents to settle down.

At the same time, truck after truck full of grain set off from the warehouse, heading to the many inhabited Public Areas.

Cheng Qi stood by the window, looking at the hemp sacks constantly being sent in outside, and glanced at the ordinary people staring tightly at those hemp sacks, feeling something indescribable in his heart.

"Captain, we should go over."

The speaker wore a Protective Suit and had an isolation mask on his mouth.

The Patrol Team all dressed like this; the air in the Public Area wasn't good, and for warmth they wouldn't let it circulate.

Moreover, people here always got sick and even died; the Base Hospital temporarily couldn't accept them, and corpses were handled by their Patrol Team.

Out of various considerations, the Patrol Team took to wearing protective suits as part of their daily routine.

"How are the preparations? Distribute them by headcount, watch them finish eating and leave."

The cheapest nutrient agents were handed out in the morning and at noon, with staple food saved for evening, but even so, the daily food consumption in the Public Area flowed away like water, impossible to rein in.

Cheng Qi already had a headache over how to report upward; although the Base Upper Echelon had all gone into hiding, they weren't dead and brainless.

Tsk

Shen Yao was lying at home checking her wristwatch messages at this time; Song Ling couldn't sit still, taking Shen Yu to scout out the bottom of the Public Area open in B District.

The result? "Not as good as home!"

Song Ling was frozen shivering, and after returning she rested for a long time before she could start typing.

Quite a few people had gone, looking like their clothes were neat, not like they were impoverished; Song Ling was even more unable to figure out their intention of running to the Public Area—could it be to save supplies for home?

"The Public Area provides three meals a day for free; those unwilling to stay at night can still go home."

If it weren't for Cheng Dage and Cheng Ba constantly persuading, Cheng Ma would have been somewhat tempted.