Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 52 - 51 Clues

Chapter 52: Chapter 51 Clues

Angered by Dawn, Lin Wu lost his leisurely refinement. He searched the bookshelf but, finding no Skill Books, he gave up on the bookshelf. After scouring the entire house, there were plenty of things: clothes, blankets... However, these were not System Items. To get system bonuses, they must be disassembled and then reassembled through the system.

At this thought, Lin Wu began to doubt whether his actions carrying televisions and air conditioners were correct or not. According to the system’s whims, Lin Wu believed that these appliances, once brought back, could either serve as decorations or would need to be taken apart. It didn’t matter anyway, since he was not the one carrying the load. What if, right? People should always be hopeful for the future.

After searching the second and third floors for two and a half hours, Lin Wu had yet to find the address clue left by the father mentioned in the diary.

As he descended to the first floor, Lin Wu called out, "Hi."

Shana squeezed out a sweet smile, "Hi, can we leave now?"

Lin Wu shook his head, "There’s an important clue we haven’t found yet."

Shana kept smiling, "Given that we’ve searched for two and a half hours without finding it, it suggests that searching for another two and a half hours may not yield any results either."

"Found it," Lin Wu said, reaching to take a photo from the fridge. It was a photo of the river under the bridge. The bridge was an overpass with a large space in the middle. Setting up a tent there would put one out of zombies’ reach in the elevated layer. Moreover, the shelter was by the river, allowing access to water, collection of driftwood, and fishing. It was a suitable temporary shelter, and, with some luck, it might even be possible to survive there long-term.

Lin Wu knew this bridge. Yesterday, when Maya and others went to secure the power outpost, Lin Wu had strolled around and seen it in the wilderness. There was a river near the mountain top base that meandered towards Left County, and the bridge was built near the rail line.

Shana craned her neck to take a look for a while, "Where is this?"

"The bridge," Lin Wu said, holding the photo and recalling the specific location of the bridge, "Let’s go."

Shana stood up and asked, "Can you help carry some things?"

Lin Wu looked back and said, "No, I’m in charge of leading the way."

Outmatched, unable to retort, Shana followed Lin Wu out the door, reminding him, "The garage hasn’t been searched."

"We’ll see about that later, we’ve got other things to do," Lin Wu had forgotten the garage, but as a veteran, how could he admit that he’d forgotten about it? With stubborn pride, he directed the newcomer: do your job well and don’t worry too much.

Shana was still trying to make her case, "Usually, the stuff in the garage is pretty good."

"Really?" Lin Wu was torn, as he couldn’t ride a motorcycle.

Shana said, "Aren’t you going to ask where I got my Chemistry Skill Book from?"

While Lin Wu was thinking about transportation and watching for zombies, he was annoyed by Shana’s incessant chatter. Turning back, he said, "Why are you spouting so much nonsense? Just hold onto your things."

Shana immediately let out an inward cry of frustration, clenching her fists. This was her first encounter with such a peculiar person in her life. A newcomer, tolerating you. Remember this, vengeance unsought is unworthy of a lady.

...

The four people assigned to daylight scavenging on the commercial street were gathering loot from stores, but the abundance of junk was still insufficient to meet the base’s needs. Although they’d gained electricity at home, just making a single charger required five electronic components and ten small wires. To lay an additional wire, not only wiring but special connectors were needed, which had to be made by themselves. Fortunately, Dawn still had basic decency; standard light bulbs could be used directly. But the church was tall – didn’t changing a light bulb necessitate a ladder? Four-meter-tall ladders were hard to find on the market, so they had to make their own. As long as they had materials, they could make a ladder fifty meters high.

When humanity’s basic needs are met, various other needs begin to emerge.

The base had not yet resolved its food and warmth issues, current food storage was only enough for eight people for four days. In a typical online game, more people meant more power, and as many people as required could be summoned. In the Homeland game, it didn’t work that way – the more people there were, the more food was consumed. The only outcome of not controlling the base population was everyone starving to death. With eight people at Shadow Base, nine food units were needed daily, which amounted to more than two food packages.

The most important goal of dismantling the shops on the commercial street today was to secure an Agricultural Skills Book, a pity that even after virtually dismantling five stores, no Skill Book was found. Stone also began to broadcast trades on the radio, searching for an Agricultural Skills Book.

Maya met up with Lin Wu in the middle of the road and glanced at Shana carrying the electronics, "How did it go?"

Lin Wu praised, "She’s pretty good aside from being talkative."

Maya asked, "Did you get anything?"

Lin Wu responded, "We found a clue."

After chattering for a bit, Maya approached Shana and took the external unit of the air conditioner from her, "Let’s head back to the base."

Women have compassion for women!

Maya grabbed the walkie-talkie, "Calling Stone."

Stone replied, "Present, go ahead."

Maya said, "I need to use the motorcycle."

Stone asked, "The last set of repair tools, you want to use it on the motorcycle?"

Maya replied, "Lin Wu has clues about the guns, but he can’t ride."

Stone questioned, "What about the commercial street then?"

Maya decided, "Better to pack up early for safety."

Shana immediately stated, "I can ride."

Maya glanced at Shana, then grabbed the walkie-talkie and said, "Base, Shana can ride."

Stone hesitated, should he hand the motorcycle over to the newbie who had just joined today? Su Shi, who was nearby, heard everything clearly and remarked, "After all, it’s stolen."

"Even stealing is a skill, alright?" Stone responded, "Okay, then."

...

After delivering the electronics to the base, the garbage master Su Shi looked at Shana as if she were intellectually challenged. Considering she was a newcomer, he patiently explained the basic principles that system electronics needed to work. Shana and Maya rode to the commercial street, and an extremely irritated Shana handed the walkie-talkie to Lin Wu.

"What’s wrong?" Lin Wu was perplexed, "Base, you wanted to see me?"

Su Shi explained, "The electronics you brought back can at best be used as furniture; they don’t have system functions. Only electronics made through the system will have actual electronic functionalities."

Lin Wu argued, "But there’s a game console."

Su Shi replied, "The game console is the same."

Lin Wu insisted, "What if? It is a game console, after all."

After a long contemplation, Su Shi conceded, "You have a point, I’ll give it a try."

About five minutes later, Su Shi responded, "It doesn’t work."

Shana covered her forehead with her hand, unable to look directly. Knowing full well it wouldn’t work, yet still gambling on the off-chance, she really didn’t understand how Shadow Base managed to operate so efficiently.

"If it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work," Lin Wu signed off the conversation, returned the walkie-talkie to Maya, and told Shana, "The stuff you moved back is garbage, let’s go."

"Is that my fault?" Shana asked incredulously.

Lin Wu expressed even greater disbelief, "You moved garbage to the base, and that line was an acknowledgment of your labor. Why would you think I’m blaming you?"

Snow Egg passed by carrying a table: "We’re all moving garbage." He placed the table at the back of a roadside pickup truck.

Shana nodded and thanked Lin Wu, "Thank you."

"This... it’s just an acknowledgment of your work, not a compliment. No need to thank me." Lin Wu questioned whether her thinking was a bit off as he looked worriedly at the motorcycle. "Are you sure you can ride?"

Shana nodded, "I can."

Lin Wu inquired, "A motorcycle?"

Shana answered, "Amateur motorcyclist in antique motorcycle races."

Lin Wu got on the motorcycle, half-convinced. Shana’s pride was wounded, and she decided to show Lin Wu what a racer was capable of. Gear engaged, throttle opened, takeoff was smooth and swift. Lin Wu was thrown instantly. He flew backward in a half arc and his face firmly hit the ground. A fracture followed by intense pain and dizziness.

Shana braked quickly, turned the motorcycle around and repeatedly apologized, "Sorry, sorry."

"It’s fine." Lin Wu applied a fracture bandage and said, "Now I believe you are a racer." Whether or not it healed, the bandage seemed to relieve the pain instantly when applied. Lin Wu suddenly thought about painkillers; such items would be valuable. If he could mass-produce painkillers, the players would surely be willing to exchange anything for them.

"Why?"

"Because racers never carry passengers."

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