Survival Guide in the Age of Cataclysm

Chapter 44 Map

The airship shot into the sky like a streak of light.

Xu Yang stared at it, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.

On the highway, a gust of wind blew by, and a familiar head slipped past the pebbles and rolled down at Xu Yang's feet.

Look down.

It was the head of the hooded man from before. Xu Yang narrowed his eyes.

Bang!

He kicked it away violently, and it rolled into the flames of the wreckage of the transport truck cab, making a sizzling sound.

"Good riddance."

He gave himself a forced smile, then looked around before picking up Newt and putting him in the seat of the SUV.

A stench of blood filled the air.

He walked over to the corpses and rummaged through various pockets and bags.

Aside from most of the useless medical supplies and food, the remaining items were either of poor or high quality weapons, as well as some potions and pills.

Two lure agents, three functional agents, and a bunch of various pills.

Xu Yang looked at the descriptions.

Both of the lure agents were mutations that altered the body, increasing the number of animal organs or limbs, and they were not enough to generate enough genetic memory, nor did they have a corresponding matching mutagen.

As for the functional potions, two of them allowed him to breathe underwater temporarily, while the rest accelerated wound healing. The basic version of Thorn Blood was useless to him.

As for the final pills, apart from a small amount of antibiotics, most were highly addictive painkillers. However, after several fierce battles, Xu Yang's pain tolerance had long since decreased to the point where he no longer needed such drugs.

A disastrous postwar cleanup.

It's not hard to understand, really. After all, they're just a group of survivors from the bottom of society. How much good stuff could they possibly have?

Xu Yang shook his head inwardly and pulled a pair of pants off a survivor.

After the battle, almost all of his equipment was destroyed.

Only the unused kite-shaped shield and the iron-hearted spikes on his wrists were still stubbornly holding on; he would have to prepare another set of transitional gear later.

But since we're going into a gathering place, even though given the freedom of dress there, walking down the street in just a pair of underwear shouldn't normally attract attention.

However, the elaborate rituals and formalities from before his time travel still affected him.

……

Change into more normal clothes.

Xu Yang picked up a bunch of "spoils of war" along with the heads of infected people and put them into the trunk and empty spaces inside the car.

The engine roared as the SUV drove onto the highway toward Settlement Nine.

Xu Yang tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, glancing at Newt's blood-red, festering body sitting in the passenger seat, his seatbelt fastened.

Along the brown leather seats, blood and small amounts of flesh accumulated on the footpads, and a foul, sweet, fishy smell filled the air.

A hint of self-mockery flashed in Xu Yang's eyes.

Before his transmigration, he had never imagined this scene: that one day he would be able to face a corpse and death so calmly.

And predictably, this will be the norm.

……

The vehicle slowly approached the gray wall. After a flash of red light, the wall opened, and two people wearing orange work uniforms stepped out.

He was holding a flamethrower.

These must be the personnel Huang Xi mentioned earlier who were responsible for the inspection and destruction. One of them took his ID card, and the other began to count and destroy the heads of the infected...

Without wasting much time, Xu Yang stepped on the gas and headed to the reconstruction area.

The first step is to sell the trash in the car.

Because there were too many items, vehicles couldn't drive into the settlement, and he didn't want to carry things back and forth, so he randomly found a buyer in the reconstruction area and sold the loot, covered in blood, flesh, and dust, along with the potions.

There was a total income of around 20,000.

It took another hour or so in the middle.

Xu Yang made some preparations before sending Newt home.

First, I bought a set of temporary clothes, which provided basic protection and was only meant to get me through this period.

He planned to get a better set of protective gear after returning to Settlement 3.

Previous bulletproof windbreakers and cushioned linings have already proven the reliability of [Composite Clothing].

Regarding weapons, the rapier is still usable. Perhaps we can wait a while and find better materials to upgrade it for free with [War Melody], instead of replacing it now.

Aside from that, he simply replenished his ammunition and bought a body bag to put Newt inside.

For the deceased, this is one of the few instances of dignified treatment...

Xu Yang parked his car in the parking lot and carefully checked the car doors several times. Only after confirming that they could not be opened from the outside did he feel relieved and leave.

After all, the old gravedigger at the settlement had mentioned that a body had been stolen not long ago, and if Newt were to return and disappear...

Xu Yang felt a strange sense of unease when he thought about the scene.

He put his hands behind his back and walked into the settlement.

Since he was going to take Newt home, he needed to know the route from Settlement Nine to Settlement Sixteen. That broken bracelet didn't have a built-in map function, even though it was indeed broken now.

Thinking about this, Xu Yang felt somewhat annoyed.

"This is such a hassle."

After buying the map, I'll need to buy the smart bracelet too...

Following the gradually brightening streetlights in the reconstruction area, we arrived at the metal interior of the mountain.

He walked into the white light curtain.

……

Inside the settlement.

The artificial sky radiates the magnificence of the night, with numerous stars shining brightly, and the phantoms of several enormous celestial bodies embedded among the stars.

Gorgeous.

After asking passersby for directions, Xu Yang entered a bookstore.

Perhaps because it was nighttime, there weren't many customers in the bookstore. A little girl wearing red-rimmed glasses was sitting at the front counter reading a book.

She appears quiet and reserved.

Directly opposite are rows of dark wood bookshelves, neatly arranged with various books. Against the backdrop of the room's unpainted cobalt blue metal walls, they create an incongruous atmosphere.

Xu Yang strode towards the counter.

The little girl was so engrossed in the world of the book that she didn't notice the person approaching her.

Xu Yang glanced at the cover—"Travels in Cortado, Part Two," was it a travel story of one person or a travel story of a place?

Seeing that the shop assistant didn't react, he tapped the table with his finger and said, "Excuse me."

"..."

The little girl finally came to her senses, immediately covered the book on the counter, and blushed deeply.

"Ah, no... I'm sorry, I just..."

"It's nothing." Xu Yang interrupted her and went straight to the point, "I need a map, it has to show the route from Settlement 9 to Settlement 16 in the Black Mountain area, could you please help me find it?"

"Oh, okay, I'll go find it for you right away," the young girl said quickly as she stepped out from behind the counter. "Please wait a moment."

As she spoke, she walked deeper into the bookshelf, but her steps seemed somewhat hurried.

The clattering sound faded into the distance.

Xu Yang stretched and leaned against the counter, glancing at the books on it.

Cortado, an unfamiliar name, but since this is a travelogue, it should be a good reference for someone who knows nothing about the world.

Perhaps you could even take this opportunity to buy more travelogues, books on local customs, and history, so you can browse through them in your spare time later.

It would be even better if their stories could be written in a more interesting way.

Xu Yang couldn't help but smile and casually opened the book.

The first thing that catches his eye is a series of exquisite and captivating illustrations, paired with neat and beautiful text. Thanks to the enhancement of his attribute points, he is able to scan the illustrations and text at a glance.

After about ten seconds, he gently put the book back in the same position as when it was closed.

It is enough.

Xu Yang tapped his fingertips on the table, his brows furrowed.

Instead of those exquisite and detailed images or incredibly moving words, I felt a sense of bewilderment.

Coltamo Travelogue, Part Two

A man named Cortamo reminisced about his various shop visits during his past travels and wrote this book, which is written in a style that is straightforward and explicit enough.

As if worried that readers' imaginations were not enough, he also thoughtfully provided detailed and vivid pictures for every action and every detail.

What travelogue?

This is fucking porn!

Xu Yang's lips twitched involuntarily.

You can't judge a book by its cover. Who would have thought that a quiet little girl who seemed to be engrossed in a book was actually engrossed in a memoir of a ladybug?

Yes, interstellar.

This is also what puzzled him.

I just glanced at it briefly, and it seems that the female protagonist in the author's illustrations is not entirely human, and the text describes a story about traveling to a certain planet.

"The interstellar era."

Xu Yang felt a pang of sadness; the story described in the text was not set in the present time, but rather over a thousand years ago.

It seems that civilization has regressed.

Unable to figure it out, he started browsing in the bookstore.

The rows of books were mostly popular novels and eye-catching magazines. I hardly saw any travelogues or memoirs like the ones I just mentioned. Even the ones that were there were alternative stories about other planets.

He had hoped to find a history book to read here, but ultimately failed to do so.

This bookstore seems to primarily cater to customers who read purely for entertainment.

Perhaps I should go to the library next time.

However, it wasn't a complete loss. Xu Yang found a novel on a bookshelf in the corner with a somewhat familiar title—"Dreaming Back to Taminis".

Xu Yang vaguely remembered that the guy named Ron had mentioned a place called the City of Taminis.

He pulled out the novel, ready to read it.

The sound of footsteps came from beside me.

Xu Yang looked up.

The little girl wearing glasses wiped the sweat from her forehead with her arm, holding a dusty booklet in her hand, as if she had just found it in the storeroom.

"This is a map of the Black Mountain area; it contains the routes you need."

Xu Yang took the booklet and opened it. After reading a few more pages, his eyes were filled with colorful lines, and a few black lines appeared on his forehead.

Beside him, the little girl was sizing him up. Seeing his appearance, she couldn't help but remind him, "Um... if you're going to travel, you can put the map into your bracelet. It will be more convenient to look at it than this."

Xu Yang closed the map and took a deep breath.

"How do I enter the data?"

"what?"

……

The street is brightly lit.

After leaving the bookstore, Xu Yang went straight to buy a bracelet and entered the map and the novel into it.

These books have corresponding electronic numbers. After purchase and activation, you can enter the electronic version. Simply open the wristband and enter the number.

After finishing all this, Xu Yang was truly ready to set off.

Walking down the street, he felt somewhat uneasy.

It's been like this ever since I bought the bracelet.

He looked at the personal information section on the bracelet, or more accurately, the information section, specifically the item about the balance of contribution points.

At this point, it reached a new historical high—

Eighty-three thousand four hundred and twenty-six.

The majority of these are provided by infected individuals and fungal nodes.

This is obviously a good thing, but for Xu Yang, who is preparing to leave the gathering place, it inevitably brings some worries.

Although this trip was only to take Newt home, logically speaking, there shouldn't have been any expectation of fighting.

However, his previous escort missions did not involve any combat.

As a result, of the six people who set off, only he survived. This could no longer be considered an accident. Also, the time he and Lily left the quarantine zone was full of thrills and dangers.

I seem to have always had so many misfortunes.

With so many contribution points now, if something really happens on this journey, and I die before I've even spent all the money...

Having thought of this, Xu Yang quickly stopped himself, cursed his bad luck, and put the related thoughts out of his mind before hurrying to the parking lot.

……

Ground, reconstruction area.

The sky became completely overcast, a darkness as thick as ink, impossible to shake off.

Open-air parking lot.

The interior of an SUV was brightly lit.

Inside, the overhead lights were on, and Newt, wearing a body bag, was still sitting in the passenger seat. The interior was much cleaner than before, having been cleaned.

Xu Yang lay down in the driver's seat and swiped his wristband a few times.

A map appeared before my eyes, encompassing the entire territory of the Black Mountain area.

Locate the location of Settlement 9. There is a small white dot in the area, which should be its current real-time coordinates.

This map includes a location tracking function.

Starting from the white dot, there are several routes leading to Settlement 16 after leaving the current settlement, most of which detour within the safe zone.

Looking at the winding road in the picture, Xu Yang frowned slightly.

After comparing the options, it takes anywhere from seven or eight days to a month to reach the destination via these routes.

By that time, the body would have decomposed, and with such a long time involved, there's bound to be more variables.

He sighed and turned his gaze to other routes that passed through the median strip.

After some deliberation, Xu Yang looked at an extremely short route. He compared the distances and found that if he chose this route, the travel time could be reduced to about a day.

However, the route will pass through a named area within the median strip.

"The Azure Sea?"

Xu Yang blinked. He was certain that the map showed a plain, but why was it a sea?

He moved his finger and clicked on the introduction of this area.

……

The first half of the brief text is entirely about the dangers of this area, including otherworldly creatures and bizarre architecture; in short, the text emphasizes the perilous nature of this place.

It was as if entering meant certain death.

But at the end of the introduction—

[...It is recommended that survivors not targeting this area only consider routes within this region during the Red Fall period.]

During the Red Depression?

Xu Yang looked at Newt and had a strange feeling that perhaps when Newt gave his last words, he had implicitly agreed to this route.

otherwise--

"Mr. Newt, you wouldn't want your corpse to rot, would you?" Xu Yang's lips twitched, and he had already made up his mind.

Before the body began to decompose, it seemed that this was the only route that could get it back in time.

And it is currently in the red-falling period.