Chapter 9: Island City #1

Shen Qingquan slowed down a bit, then quickly took items from the system warehouse: hot water, steamed buns, Sweet Potato, and the millet porridge she had boiled earlier.

"Mother, let's eat something first to replenish our stamina."

They have been soaking in the water for a long time, their stamina draining quickly, and with this bitter cold, they urgently need food and energy.

"Brother, Younger Sister, drink some hot water first…"

The hot water goes down, and soon a warm current spreads from the stomach.

She looked at their wet clothes and let her consciousness dive into the system.

She quickly searched for clothes in the mall, and many types appeared immediately.

There were cotton jackets, combat jackets, Down Jackets, as well as thermal underwear, leggings, shoes, and so on. They are also categorized according to the seasons.

The Island System, bluntly speaking, is essentially an isolated, self‑contained little world.

In this space, there is a massive island.

Within the island, there are mountains, trees, rivers, lakes, houses, factories, workshops, hospitals, ports—everything you could imagine.

It is an island‑city.

It could also be called a secluded little realm.

However, at this moment, most of the island is shrouded in white fog, making it inaccessible. Because her level is insufficient and it hasn't been unlocked, the only places she can reach are a ten‑square‑meter plot of land and, five meters away, a single‑story warehouse.

The Level‑1 warehouse, only ten square meters, is a static space that can store items but not living beings. It preserves freshness, so hot items brought in retain their temperature when taken out.

The warehouse changes as the level upgrades.

The mall offers everything for clothing, food, shelter, and travel.

She is currently Level 1, so she can only purchase the most basic items.

When she reaches Level 10, more will be unlocked again.

At Levels 20, 30, 40… every ten levels, the system randomly drops some goods.

What she looks forward to most are things that don't exist in this world.

For example, gene‑unlock serum, strength pills, massive warships, and so on.

Although she didn't encounter them in her previous life, that doesn't mean they don't exist. Choubao once said everything depends on fate. Even if the probability is infinitesimal, it's still a hope, right?

At least in this chaotic world, they could become her trump card.

…

After searching for a while, she finally chose five sets of thermal underwear for 15 Gold Coins.

Thick sweaters, five pieces, for 15 Gold Coins.

Ordinary cotton shoes, five pairs, for 5 Gold Coins.

Cotton socks, five pairs, for 2.5 Gold Coins.

Cotton pants, five pieces, for 5 Gold Coins.

Thermal gloves, five pairs, for 2.5 Gold Coins.

Cotton blankets (180×220), two beds, for 10 Gold Coins.

The items she chose are all system‑modified to fit this era, so they won't draw attention when worn.

Then come the medicines.

Although the hospital hasn't been unlocked yet, medicines can still be bought. However, medical equipment, surgical tools, convalescent pods, recovery pods, and the like are still unavailable.

What she really wants to unlock is the hospital, but it requires at least Level 17.

The hospital houses many wondrous devices; as the level rises, their efficacy improves. Choubao even said that upon reaching Level 100, one could heal without medicine, even reviving dead flesh and bone!

Unfortunately, when she died in her first life, she never witnessed such marvels.

Afterwards, she also bought hemostatic medicine, iodine tincture, and alcohol.

Eye drops, disinfectant, anti‑inflammatory medicine, plus soap and towels…

They've been soaking in filthy water for so long; the water contains silt, dirty soil, livestock, corpses… everything, with countless bacteria, making virus growth too easy.

After the flood, the real terror isn't homelessness, but the diseases and plagues spreading along with the corpses.

After buying all these, her remaining 88 Gold Coins were completely spent!

Fortunately, she harvested another plot, replanted Tomatoes, turning her from 0 Gold Coins to 5 Gold Coins.

Gold Coins are too scarce; she must quickly clear more land and reach Level 10, so she can unlock the Farmhand Assistant,

which automatically plants and harvests, eliminating the need to watch every day.

In the blink of an eye, she was holding a pile of items in her arms.

The two cotton blankets, thick and warm, though drab and patternless, are definitely insulating.

In a matter of life and death, who cares about looks? As long as it works!

She tossed one blanket to Brother, and gave a blanket to Mother and Sixth Sister—a soft, thick, ten‑kilogram cotton blanket—that wrapped their shivering bodies.

The cold wind was kept outside; the tiny space seemed to shield against countless storms.

Shen Yuhuan thought Sister was resting, but as soon as he saw her open her eyes, a suddenly falling soft object covered his head!

"Wuwu, what is this?"

He fumbled with both hands, finally pulling the thing down, and saw it was a cotton blanket!

My dear!

"Sister! You're amazing! You can conjure this out?!"

The silly brother instantly turned into a sycophant, his eyes sparkling, like a dog that sees a bone.

"There's more—not just that, also clothes, cotton shoes, gloves…"

She handed out the items one by one, and the family's expressions shifted from shock to numbness, then to worry.

"Qinger… you brought back so many things; will the immortal granny be displeased?"

Ning Shi worried.

"Mother, it won't happen; the immortal granny has already ascended and left. She left me a massive treasure vault, and it contains everything. It's just that my body is too weak now… I can only take out this little bit…"

She deliberately pretended to look lost.

By saying that, she was also giving her family a preemptive warning, so that when she later brings out more astonishing things, they won't be unable to accept them.

Since it's the immortal granny's 'treasure vault', the items inside must naturally be extraordinary, right?

"Qinger is already very capable; it's fine, Mother doesn't need that much. As long as Qinger can stay safe and smooth, Mother will be very happy."

"Yes, older sister, you're still very weak; you need to rest properly."

When met with her family's caring gazes, Shen Qingquan's nose tinged slightly.

It was heartening, yet incredibly warm.

In this bitter cold and swirling snow, their family being able to survive safely and stay by her side—nothing made her more satisfied and joyful than this moment.

"Hmm! Let's quickly change out the wet clothes, lest the cold harms us."

So they stripped off all the wet clothes, even the innermost layers.

Fortunately, beneath them were two side‑by‑side roofs; they could take shelter in the recessed area, and the front and back tiled eaves could temporarily block some wind and snow, which was better than nothing.

On this path of exile, all the scholars' lofty spirit and the aristocratic women's elegance turned to ash!

Now they have only one thought: to survive.

For that, any elegance or upbringing doesn't matter!

Shen Qingquan showed them how to wear thermal underwear, then put on a sweater, and finally a Down Jacket. However, before dressing, she still had the family do a quick cleaning.

It wasn't for comfort, but for safety.

She feared viruses might breed on their bodies, especially since they had been swept by floods and bore many wounds of various sizes; if not treated properly, bacteria could enter through the wounds, causing high fever, which would be truly dangerous.

In her previous life she had been on the road, endured hardships, and learned a great deal of medical knowledge. Moreover, in today's big‑data society, what hasn't she seen? This book's first release comes from 17K Novel Network; read the official content as soon as possible!