Traversing the entire neighborhood: Surviving in the wasteland with a strange auntie

Su Nian looked at the contents of the treasure chest.

The first thing that catches the eye is the neatly stacked bundles of anti-corrosion wooden planks.

There was also waterproof tarpaulin, steel nails and wire for fixing, two brand-new entrenching tools and a hammer.

There are enough building materials to construct a sturdy and windproof simple shelter.

Next to it were survival supplies: vacuum-packed compressed biscuits and beef jerky.

There were also a dozen or so sealed bottles of mineral water, several packets of coarse salt, and even three windproof lighters.

These are all things that are in short supply right now; it's like sending charcoal in snowy weather, and it couldn't be more timely.

What surprised him most was a palm-sized cell phone lying at the very bottom of the supplies.

It features a solar charging panel on the back, and the system is labeled as a "Solar-Powered Emergency Communication Phone".

It can automatically charge as long as there is visible light, will never run out of power, and can make calls and send and receive messages normally on the wasteland intranet.

Su Nian looked at the thing, his heart stirred, but then he shook his head helplessly.

This thing looks useful, but it's actually a bit of a gimmick.

His phone can last a long time, but other people's phones run out of battery quickly.

Even if he manages to call, the other party won't be able to receive the call, so it's basically useless.

At most, we'll contact the students a few more times while their phones still have battery to confirm their safety.

Just as he was about to look away, he suddenly noticed an icon flashing purple light in the corner of the treasure chest.

The icon resembled a coiled lightning bolt, shimmering with a faint purple halo; it certainly didn't look ordinary.

Su Nian's heart stirred, and he concentrated his mind, gently touching the purple icon.

A light blue notification popped up in front of me instantly, with clear and eye-catching text.

[Skill: Purple Sparrow Thunder]

[Rank: SS-level Beginner]

[Effect: Releases a group of electric arcs, capable of attacking up to 20 targets simultaneously. Deals high lightning damage to low-level mutated creatures and has a chance to paralyze targets for 3 seconds.]

Should I learn this skill?

Su Nian's eyes widened instantly, and he froze on the spot.

Skill?

This treasure chest can actually contain skills?

Or is it SSS-level?

He only knew he had talent before, and never imagined he could unlock skills that allowed him to attack proactively.

That half-human, half-spider monster had already terrified everyone; who knows what even more ferocious creatures might appear later.

With this Purple Sparrow Mine, he now has a means of proactive attack, no longer needing to rely solely on his entrenching tool for direct combat.

Without even thinking, he immediately chose "Yes" in his mind.

[Ding! Skill learning successful! You have mastered the SS-rank beginner skill, Purple Sparrow Thunder!]

The moment the notification tone ended, a warm current surged through his entire body.

It felt like something had been stuffed into my head.

He instantly grasped the release method and power exertion techniques of the Purple Sparrow Thunder.

He could even clearly feel that his fingertips could unleash that deadly purple arc of electricity at any moment.

Su Nian couldn't help but clench her fist, and her confidence instantly increased.

With building materials, food, and now SS-level attack skills, we are not entirely without the confidence to deal with tonight's attack.

He took a deep breath, concentrated his mind, and took out all the supplies from the storage space.

With a muffled crash, bundles of planks and tarpaulins, along with piles of food and water, appeared out of nowhere on the open ground, forming a small mountain that occupied a significant portion of the space.

The aunties who had been resting on the ground suddenly stood up.

Their eyes widened in disbelief as they stared at the pile of supplies before them, unable to process what they had just witnessed.

Several seconds passed before someone finally gasped in surprise, their voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"So many wooden planks? And food too? Su Nian, where did all this come from?"

"Good heavens! We have building materials! We don't have to sleep outside tonight!"

"There's still water and food! We won't go hungry anymore! Su Nian, you're amazing!"

Screams and cheers instantly filled the entire park.

The despair and panic I felt just now dissipated almost entirely.

These pampered rich ladies, who had lived a life of luxury, never imagined that one day they would be moved to tears by a few bundles of planks and a few packets of compressed biscuits.

Just then, system notifications kept ringing in Su Nian's mind.

[Ding! Wen Yifan's affection level +3%, current affection level 13%]

[Ding! Liu Man's affection level +4%, current affection level 12%]

[Ding! Jiang Ruotong's favorability increased by 3%, current favorability is 14%]

[Ding! Lin Wanmu's favorability increased by 2%, current favorability is 7%]

[Ding! Liu Ruoxi's affection level +2%, current affection level 8%]

[Ding! Xu Yan's affection level +2%, current affection level 9%]

As a series of notification sounds came down, the admiration of the dozen or so aunties present all increased significantly.

Looking at the numbers on the panel, Su Nian was very satisfied, and a smile couldn't help but appear on his lips.

This batch of supplies not only solved the immediate crisis, but also deepened everyone's trust. No matter how you look at it, it's a win-win situation.

He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention, and began to speak.

"Everyone, please don't get excited. These are just the initial survival supplies provided by the system."

"It's getting dark, let's share some food to fill our stomachs, and then hurry up and build the shelter."

Everyone nodded, their eyes sparkling as they looked at him, filled with trust and reliance.

Su Nian squatted down, opened the box containing food, and began distributing the food to everyone.

He treated everyone equally, giving each auntie two packs of compressed biscuits, a bottle of mineral water, and a small piece of beef jerky.

Everyone had been starving all afternoon, their stomachs were growling loudly, and they couldn't wait to open the food and start eating.

Some of the older women took a bite of the compressed biscuit, and as they chewed, tears started falling from their eyes.

I've never thought that a dry biscuit could taste so good or make me feel so at ease.

After distributing the items, Su Nian took two extra packs of beef jerky and a bottle of energy drink from the treasure chest.

He walked into the pavilion, handed the medicine to Qin Lan who was sitting on a stone bench, and said with a smile, "Aunt Qin, your foot is injured, so please eat more."

Qin Lan looked at the things he handed her, her eyes filled with gratitude, and quickly reached out to carefully take them.

"Thank you, Su Nian, for taking such good care of me."

[Ding! Qin Lan's favorability +3%, current favorability 33%]

As the system notification faded, Su Nian smiled and waved his hand:

"It's alright, Auntie. It's only right. You have difficulty walking, so it's only right that we take care of you."

He turned to attend to other things and didn't notice that the other aunties exchanged glances, pursed their lips, and couldn't help but feel a little resentful when they saw the extra thing in Qin Lan's hand.

But no one said anything. After all, Qin Lan had injured her foot and was almost attacked by a monster just now, so giving her more food was reasonable.

Besides, all these things were provided by Su Nian, so he can distribute them however he wants. They are already grateful to have something to eat and have no right to be picky.

After eating and resting for about ten minutes, it started to get dark.

The sun had completely sunk behind the ruins, leaving only a faint afterglow on the horizon, and the wind grew increasingly cold.

Su Nian clapped his hands, gathered everyone together, and began to arrange the construction of the shelter.

He looked at Liu Man and said, "Aunt Liu, you have a talent for architecture and know how to build. Can you direct the construction?"

Liu Man nodded immediately and patted her chest:

"No problem! Auntie will take care of this little thing!"

She works out regularly, is strong, and knows a thing or two, so she's definitely more suitable to direct than Su Nian.

Next, Liu Man was responsible for planning the dimensions and directing the construction, while Su Nian was responsible for moving heavy wooden boards and nailing nails.

Several other women who were in better health also came over to help, holding up the planks, handing over nails, and laying out tarpaulins.

Everyone was busy running around, no one was slacking off, everyone knew that this shelter was their only hope for survival tonight.

Qin Lan, however, was unable to put weight on her ankle due to severe swelling and could only sit on the stone bench next to her.

She watched Su Nian bustling about, her eyes filled with gratitude and guilt, regretting that she couldn't help at all.

This busy period lasted for a full three hours.

By the time the shelter was completely set up, it was already pitch black.

It was pitch black all around, with only occasional flashes of eerie green light in the distance.

The wind whistled through the treetops.

It made your scalp tingle.

Su Nian led everyone to inspect the shelter that had been set up, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The shelter was circular in shape, with thick wooden planks nailed together to form a ring of walls, and the seams were firmly secured with wire.

It was wrapped in two thick layers of waterproof tarpaulin, which could block out the wind and sand and also block out some sound.

The top is a tapering pointed roof, supported by several thick wooden beams, making it less prone to collapse and also blocking out the nighttime dew.

The entire shelter is over 30 square meters, quite spacious, and could easily accommodate more than a dozen people lying down.

It was very rudimentary inside, with bare wooden walls, no furniture, not even a stool to sit on.

Su Nian spread the thick blanket she took out of the treasure chest on the ground to keep out the cold air and make it more comfortable to lie on.

He then used several thick wooden planks to make a door that could be blocked from the inside. Once the door was closed, the light inside could barely be seen from the outside.

But he wasn't sure if this shelter made of wooden planks could withstand a mysterious attack at night.

And then there are those mutated monsters hiding somewhere.

There are now less than two hours left until the first attack after dark, as the system predicted.

It was pitch black outside, like ink had been spilled on it; you couldn't see anything at all. Going out would be suicide.

They had no time to go out and look for anything else, so they had to stay in the shelter and make all the necessary preparations.

Su Nian called everyone into the shelter, closed the door, and braced it firmly from the inside with wooden planks.

He took out two lighters, lit two candles, and placed them in a corner of the shelter, finally providing a faint light.

"Everyone, don't panic, calm down. Our shelter is very sturdy and should be able to keep out anything from outside."

"Don't sleep too soundly tonight. Take turns keeping watch. If there's any noise, wake everyone up immediately. And whatever you do, don't go out alone."

The women all nodded, their faces pale, and huddled together in the middle of the blanket.

They hugged each other's arms, whispering to each other, some even secretly wiping away tears, terrified.

After all, I've never experienced anything like this before, and nobody knows if I'll make it through tonight.

Seeing how they huddled together for warmth, Su Nian didn't join in the fun and instead chose the corner closest to the door.

This position allows me to keep an eye on the doorway immediately and react quickly to any situation without disturbing others.

He took the solar-powered phone out of his pocket, turned on the screen, and the light from the screen shone on his face.

He casually edited a few messages.

But I don't know who to send it to.

In this wasteland world where all order has collapsed

He really didn't know who to contact.

I had just sent it when I heard very light footsteps beside me.

Su Nian looked up and saw Qin Lan walking towards him.

She held onto the wooden plank beside her, her steps slow and careful, as if afraid of aggravating her injured ankle, her expression somewhat hesitant.

She walked to Su Nian's side, stopped, and gently patted Su Nian's shoulder.

Su Nian turned off her phone, looked up at her, and asked in a low voice, a little puzzled:

"Aunt Qin? What's wrong? Does your foot hurt again?"

Qin Lan gently shook her head and slowly sat down beside him, her movements extremely careful.

She first turned to look at the other women huddled together in the middle of the blanket, making sure they were all talking to themselves and hadn't noticed what was going on here, before turning back around.

She looked into Su Nian's eyes, her tone tinged with trepidation, her voice low so that only the two of them could hear her.

"Su Nian, Auntie wants to ask you something."

Su Nian nodded and lowered her voice:

"Auntie, it's okay, I'm listening."

Qin Lan gently gripped the hem of her skirt, her eyes filled with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. She took a deep breath before speaking.

"I heard a system notification earlier that your SSS-level Affinity talent can be used to upgrade other people's talents through Affinity Points, right?"

Su Nian was taken aback, not expecting her to ask this, then nodded and answered truthfully.

"Yes, that's right. Once your affinity reaches 30%, you'll get an upgrade opportunity, which can upgrade your talents, skills, or sanctuary."

Qin Lan's eyes lit up, then she clenched her fists and continued to ask in a low voice.

"Has Auntie's current level of admiration reached the required standard? Auntie's talent level is too low, and she hasn't been able to help everyone. She feels really bad about it."

Su Nian was a little confused, but still nodded:

"Our favorability has reached 33%, which is just the right opportunity for a basic upgrade. Your talent can indeed be upgraded."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Lan's face showed a sincere expression, her body leaned forward slightly, and her eyes were full of expectation.

She took another deep breath, raised her head, and looked intently into Su Nian's eyes, her tone sincere and urgent.

"Su Nian, could you help Auntie upgrade her talent right now?"

"Auntie doesn't want to be a burden to the team forever. She wants to upgrade her skills to help everyone find supplies and explore dangers, so she can do more. What do you think?"