Volume One, Chapter Six: The First Gathering Point

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It was getting late, and since this was her first time going out to gather resources, Lin Yuyu didn’t dare choose a place too far away. She decided to start with the closest gathering spot from the original owner’s memories.

The nearest point in the original owner’s mind was by a small stream not far outside the safe zone.

It was only about an hour’s walk from the safe zone.

If she had a vehicle, it would take just a few minutes.

Before leaving in the morning, she had only eaten a little dried vegetable to fool her hunger. After being out for so long, her stomach had realized the trick and began to growl loudly.

How she wished she had a car to save some effort.

Thinking of this, Lin Yuyu suddenly realized she hadn’t brought any tools with her.

But then again, the original owner hadn’t provided any tools either.

Fortunately, the basic terminal she had automatically came with a primary radiation detector. Without it, even if Lin Yuyu had tools, she would be at a loss upon reaching the gathering spot.

When she was getting the terminal earlier, Lin Yuyu learned that personal identity terminals came in many tiers—low-end, mid-end, high-end, custom, special edition, and so on.

Given Lin Yuyu’s current resources, she could only afford the basic terminal.

According to the clerk, the basic terminal was essentially given for free; the ten points charged were just a small handling fee.

It wasn’t entirely free to prevent some ill-intentioned people from abusing the system. The fee served both as a reminder to cherish and protect one’s personal terminal and to stop anyone from thinking replacement terminals were free, which could lead to illicit resale.

Therefore, the system was set up so that a person could only have one mid-end terminal; activating a new one would automatically destroy the previous.

Personal identity terminals were non-transferable and could not be reused, but the radiation detectors equipped on them were an exception.

They could be detached and used separately, or swapped out for newer or higher-grade models.

Currently, there were three kinds of detectors on the market.

The primary detector could only tell whether food was edible or not; it couldn’t specify the radiation level or identify the object.

Anything with radiation below a high level was shown as edible.

Even a handful of soil or a stone would register as edible.

The mid-level detector, on the other hand, refined this further.

It classified food into three categories: high radiation and inedible, medium radiation with limited consumption allowed, and low radiation suitable for large consumption.

As for the high-end detector, it not only showed the exact radiation value for each item but could also identify exactly what the item was.

Of course, it came with a hefty price tag.

Before Lin Yuyu left, the clerk had secretly whispered to her that if she wanted to upgrade her detector, she could come to her for a 40% discount.

When Lin Yuyu asked how many points it would cost after the discount, she quickly promised, “Definitely, definitely next time,” smiling as she hurried out of the office.

She simply couldn’t afford it! Even with the discount, it was out of reach!

That high-end detector was like a luxury car in a fleet or a high-end designer bag in a collection—far beyond Lin Yuyu’s current means.

For now, it was better to use the points for stockpiling food rather than buying a fancy tool that could see but not eat.

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Besides, the primary detector wasn’t useless.

Moreover, she still needed to save points to buy an expensive ship ticket.

As the saying goes, one step at a time, one bite at a time.

Right now, it was more practical to make sure she didn’t go hungry today.

She glanced down at her terminal; it was just past 8 a.m.

She still had quite a distance to the stream.

In a little over an hour, the high-temperature and high-radiation period would begin. She had to hurry.

Half an hour later, Lin Yuyu finally arrived at the first gathering spot—the stream.

Yes, it had no name, simply called “the stream.”

In fact, calling it a stream was inaccurate; to Lin Yuyu, it was almost more like a river, as seawater had intruded far inland.

She peeked around cautiously.

Lin Yuyu discovered that the stream contained not only freshwater fish but also seafood.

And they were huge.

The sight made the starving Lin Yuyu swallow hard.

Bass, grass carp, yellow croaker...

Hairy crabs, stone crabs, red flower crabs...

Shrimp, lobsters, mantis shrimp...

Everything imaginable was there, dazzling her eyes.

Only the size was several times larger than the same species she had seen on Blue Star. She wondered if they were still edible after growing so big.

The original owner’s memories held no answer—how frustrating.

Forget it, why overthink? Just catch some and test them.

Yesterday, she had eaten a wild-caught sea fish without knowing anything—nothing had happened.

Today, with a primary detector to check if the food was edible, what could go wrong?

Oh wait, there was one problem—she had no catching tools.

When the fish were small, she could handle them by hand. Now that they were huge, she dared not try catching them barehanded; one pinch or bite could be fatal.

Fortunately...

Back on Blue Star, Lin Yuyu had tried many kinds of handmade crafts—whittling fish spears, weaving fishing nets, making fish baskets—it was all easy for her.

Though the results were ugly.

But here, who cared about appearances? As long as it worked.

With that in mind, Lin Yuyu started surveying the surroundings, hoping to find vines or ramie fibers suitable for weaving.

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Then, Lin Yuyu froze.

What were these menacing-looking plants growing by the riverbank?

They twisted and turned, covered in thorns. She had never seen such bizarre vegetation.

Lin Yuyu sighed deeply.

Looks like she’d have to venture into the nearby forest to search for materials suitable for weaving fishing nets and baskets.

Besides, the high-temperature period was approaching; it would be good to find a place to shelter, finish making her tools, and then return.

Although she had proved yesterday that she wasn’t affected by heat or radiation, prolonged sun exposure still caused painful peeling. It was better to avoid unnecessary suffering.

Just as she turned around, Li Duocai—who had been secretly watching her from behind—finally got a clear look at her face and confirmed her identity.

He was stunned and uncertain but dared not make a sound.

He covered his mouth tightly to avoid shouting and revealing himself to this creature, who might be human or ghost.

After Lin Yuyu walked away, Li Duocai hurriedly fled in the opposite direction.

When he reached the cave where he and his brother hid and blocked the entrance, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He anxiously asked Li Duoshun, who was testing something inside the cave, “Brother, do you know who I just saw?”

“Who?”

“Lin Youyu! I saw Lin Youyu!”

Li Duoshun stopped what he was doing and looked up at his panicked younger brother. “Are you sure?”

“Sure! Absolutely sure! I watched her for quite a while in the woods. It’s really her—alive and well, hopping around in the forest!”

Seeing the sincerity in his brother’s eyes, Li Duoshun couldn’t sit still.

He stood and paced within the cave.

Previously, he had mistakenly killed Lin Youyu. Afraid of being discovered and reported, he insisted on throwing her into the sea to leave no evidence.

He clearly remembered only the two of them had returned.

They had even encountered a storm on the way back; he had been blown into the air and fallen hard, still nursing injuries that ached faintly.

If a strong, healthy man like him almost got blown away, how could a frail young girl, supposedly dead, have survived underwater and crawled back unharmed?

It made no sense.

The thought made Li Duoshun shiver uncontrollably.

An inexplicable fear flooded his heart.