Chapter 12

The private chat channel fell silent for a moment before Li Feifei's message arrived: 'To my northeast there is a low hill, about twenty to thirty kilometers away, and two kilometers east of my cabin there is a thicket.'

Li Qingxuan's spirits lifted, a glimmer of hope rose in his heart; the low hill must be the mountain behind his house. He immediately sketched a simple map in his mind, based on Li Feifei's description, roughly marking the positions of the low hill, the cabin, and the thicket.

Although twenty to thirty kilometers is not close in this vast forest, and the direction might be slightly off, it's still far better than blindly searching without any clue.

Okay, I got it. Stay in the cabin and don't come out; after dawn, I'll go find you following the direction you said. Li Qingxuan quickly replied.

Seeing Li Qingxuan's reply, Li Feifei felt somewhat relieved, her reply carrying more gratitude: 'Thank you, Li Qingxuan. You should rest quickly; be careful on the way.'

Don't worry, I will. Li Qingxuan replied, then gave her a few more reminders to stay safe before closing the panel.

At this moment, the darkness outside the window had completely subsided; the unsettling 'shasha... gulu...' sound had vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

He glanced at the time on the panel; it was late at night. Tomorrow he would need to set out to meet Li Feifei, so he must rest fully to be able to handle whatever might happen next.

He walked to the campfire, added a few sticks of firewood to make the flames burn brighter, then carefully inspected the stone house, ensuring everything was secure before lying back on the bed, closing his eyes, and forcing himself to sleep.

However, although his body was exhausted to the extreme, Li Qingxuan's mind kept replaying the thrilling scenes from just before, causing him to toss and turn, unable to fall asleep.

He kept murmuring to himself, 'Go to sleep, go to sleep, I still have to go out tomorrow.'

I don't know how long passed, but Li Qingxuan finally fell into a deep sleep.

In his dream, he seemed to return to that incredibly familiar world, where the sunlight was gentle and warm, the streets bustling and prosperous, the laughter of his mother and sister echoing in his ears… but when the dream shattered and he woke again, he was still faced with this strange, unknown-filled forest.

The horizon gradually turned a pale dawn, the first ray of sunlight pierced the heavy clouds and fell upon this land that had long been shrouded in darkness.

Li Qingxuan opened his eyes, took a deep breath of the morning air, and stopped thinking about what had happened in his dream.

He slowly rose, walked to the window, gently pushed it open, and looked outside through the protective rail. Although the air still reeked of nauseating blood, the cool breeze felt like a gentle caress, giving him an unprecedented sense of comfort.

Outside, the sky had fully brightened; the forest remained deathly silent, the suffocating darkness had receded, as if even last night's fear had been dispersed by the warm sunlight.

Li Qingxuan checked the time; it was already past eleven, the night countdown showed six hours left, so he hurriedly ate something and drank some water.

He opened the regional channel, saw that it had already exploded, the number of people had dropped to, but the channel's messages were scrolling rapidly, not at all quiet; Li Qingxuan saw someone cursing the material sellers as black-hearted dogs, and he couldn't help but be curious.

【Regional channel, number of people: /】

【Wang Yu: 50 units of stone for 300 units of wood, are you crazy or am I?】

【Zhang Yiyi: You guys are really dogs, or rather black-hearted dogs】

【Liu Ming: These people have truly blackened hearts; they should all be arrested and shot】

【Wang Dalí: You bunch of little brats, don't fall into my hands, otherwise I'll chop you into meat paste!】

【Zhang Difei: Who forced you to trade? If you can't afford it, don't bark here】

Seeing they were talking about the trading center, Li Qingxuan opened it, his fingertip scrolling through the rolling messages, his heart sinking bit by bit.

After the disaster, survivors were like startled birds, their demand for basic supplies peaked, panic buying drove up prices, and black-hearted merchants took advantage to profiteer.

【Trading Center】

【Wanted to buy: 100 units of wood, exchange for 500 units of stone or 300 units of iron (stone preferred)】

【For sale: 50 units of stone, exchange for 300 units of wood or 100 units of iron】

【Wanted to buy: any materials that can repair the wooden house, price negotiable! Help!】

【For sale: 2 units of iron, exchange for 50 units of stone】

Li Qingxuan looked at his remaining 140 units of stone and 40 units of iron, and began to think.

The wall he plans to build must enclose all the open ground in front of the mountain; thus he needs to construct a wall 40 meters east-west and 70 meters north-south, connected to the mountain; just these walls would require units of stone, and if he builds the wall first, the upgrade materials for the shelter will be far off.

Thinking about the huge resources needed for the wall, a deep sense of helplessness welled up; his meager savings make self-sufficiency difficult, let alone having to also accommodate Li Feifei's cabin upgrade when she arrives.

Li Qingxuan sighed; at times like this, human hearts are scarier than monsters; he hopes he can reach an agreement with Li Feifei.

He closed the trading center, decided not to worry about those supplies for now; the most important thing right now is to find Li Feifei, bring her back, then figure out how to get more resources.

Li Qingxuan simply packed up, putting some bread and water in his backpack.

Before leaving, he put on his armor, took his weapon, confirmed everything was correct, then opened the iron door and stepped out.

"It feels a bit like meeting an online friend; I hope the panel won't pull any catfishing."

The forest outside remained deathly silent, but the unsettling darkness had receded; sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Li Qingxuan took a deep breath, embarked on the journey to find Li Feifei, heading southwest along the direction she described, encountering some destroyed cabins and a few scattered strange creatures along the way.

Because he was worried about time, Li Qingxuan did not go explore or get entangled with those strange creatures; instead, he flexibly avoided them.

After walking about two hours, taking many detours, Li Qingxuan finally saw a thicket; he couldn't help but feel glad, meaning he was getting closer to Li Feifei.

He went around the thicket heading west, and saw a sturdy cabin not far ahead; that should be Li Feifei's hiding place.

Li Qingxuan walked slowly to the cabin, lightly tapped the door with his fingertip, producing a few clear sounds; from inside came Li Feifei's voice, tinged with caution.

"Who? Is it Li Qingxuan?" Li Feifei's wary voice came through.

"It's me." Li Qingxuan feigned calm, though his tone carried a subtle hint of playfulness.

The door slowly opened with a slight creak; Li Feifei stood in the doorway, her face pale but her eyes sparkling with surprise and gratitude; catching sight of this handsome young man, her heart fluttered.

Li Qingxuan's gaze wandered between Li Feifei's pure face and her lovely figure; his eyes widened slightly, he unconsciously wiped his mouth at nonexistent saliva, and his pretended aloof image instantly collapsed.

"Come in quickly!" Li Feifei, decisive, stepped aside to make a path, smiling as she invited Li Qingxuan inside.

Li Qingxuan stepped inside, Li Feifei gently closed the door. He looked around; the cabin's facilities were simple but tidy and spotless, increasing his fondness for her.

The two sat opposite each other, silent for a moment, then Li Feifei was the first to break the silence.

"Thank you, Li Qingxuan. If it weren't for you, I might have already..." She thanked him sincerely.

Li Qingxuan replied gently: "Don't say that; we're both survivors, helping each other is only natural."

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