Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Supply
「An hour later.」
Long Ming walked onward, step by step. The crash site hadn’t looked very far, but he still hadn’t seen any sign of the fallen object.
’He was starting to wonder if he’d gone off course.’
Nevertheless, Long Ming kept moving forward. There was no turning back now.
When he crested the sand dune before him, he was met with the sight of a massive impact crater. Lying within the crater was an oval-shaped mechanical pod.
Long Ming took a deep breath and walked up to the mechanical pod, one step at a time.
The pod’s materials and craftsmanship were incredibly advanced, completely out of place in this world.
Long Ming raised his wristband and scanned it.
"Alert: Supply pod detected. Open?"
Long Ming’s face lit up at the prompt. ’A supply pod! It would be amazing if there’s food and water inside.’ He immediately tapped his confirmation.
"Yes!"
CLICK!
The entire supply pod split open, revealing a 1.5-meter-long portable weapon case and two metal boxes.
Long Ming reached out and opened the weapon case. A brand-new M24 sniper rifle and its accessories were revealed, its black metal body giving off a matte sheen that spoke of superior quality.
Taking another deep breath, Long Ming reached out and picked up the M24 sniper rifle.
A prompt immediately popped up on his wristband.
M24 Sniper Rifle
Durability: 100/100
Details: Caliber 7.62mm, Overall Length 1092mm, Unloaded Weight 5.49kg, Magazine Capacity 5 rounds, Effective Range 800m.
...
After reading the data on his wristband, Long Ming placed the gun back into its portable case.
’If I can get this weapon out of here, I’ll have hit the jackpot.’
Having done that, Long Ming picked up one of the boxes and opened it. Inside lay a single, cylindrical syringe.
Perception Stimulant
Effect: Enhances all five senses for one hour after use.
Long Ming glanced at it, then reached for the second box. Inside it was an exquisite invitation card.
Long Ming was instantly disappointed. ’An invitation, not supplies.’
However, he quickly composed himself and checked the time. There was only 1 hour and 7 minutes left.
The extraction point was still nearly 5.2 kilometers away. Under normal circumstances, that would be no problem at all. But Long Ming was hungry, exhausted, and thirsty, making the journey incredibly difficult.
At this point, Long Ming made a decision. He tossed away the single-shot rifle in his hands and the iron chains from his backpack to lighten his load as much as possible.
Though he was reluctant to part with them, his current situation demanded that he reduce his burden to the absolute minimum.
’If I can’t make it out alive, none of this stuff matters anyway.’
Then, Long Ming slung the M24 over his back, stuffed the Perception Stimulant, invitation, and accessories into his backpack, and turned to head for the extraction point.
An hour later,
Long Ming had no idea how far he had walked. His pace grew slower and slower, his feet feeling as if they were filled with lead. Every step required all of his strength.
The scorching sun beat down on him, greedily wringing every drop of moisture from his body.
Long Ming felt as though his body was no longer his own, and his consciousness began to fade.
At that moment, the screen of his wristband flashed with red warning messages.
"Warning: You have been online for over 23 hours and 53 minutes!"
"Warning: Body is in critical condition."
...
Just then, Long Ming’s body began to sway. He collapsed heavily to the ground, gasping as he lifted his head to look ahead.
A mechanical platform stood not far away, but his body had reached its limit. No matter how strong his will, it couldn’t hold out any longer. He simply couldn’t get back up.
Even so, Long Ming didn’t give up. He gritted his teeth and began to crawl toward the mechanical platform, inch by painful inch.
With only five minutes left on the 24-hour clock, Long Ming couldn’t hold on any longer. He lay sprawled on the ground, completely motionless.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
With only 30 seconds remaining, a hand suddenly pressed down on the mechanical platform. Long Ming struggled to lift his head and look.
The indicator light on the platform was green.
A faint smile appeared on Long Ming’s face. He mustered the last of his strength to crawl onto the mechanical platform and lay there, gazing up at the azure sky.
In that instant, the intricate patterns on the bottom of the platform lit up with a soft halo of light.
HUM~
His wristband vibrated, displaying a prompt.
"Extract?"
A weary smile spread across Long Ming’s face. ’I bet it all, and I won!’
With a trembling hand, he tapped "Extract."
HUM~
The mechanical platform activated instantly, and Long Ming began to float upward, bit by bit.
At that moment, he felt an unprecedented sense of relief. He let his body drift slowly toward the heavens, finally dissolving into a flash of white light as he departed.
...
「In the dim bedroom.」
Long Ming’s eyes flew open, and he immediately broke into a violent coughing fit.
COUGH! COUGH!
He reached up and pulled off the helmet.
An overwhelming wave of exhaustion washed over him. His mind felt utterly drained, and his vision was blurry.
He felt like someone who had just survived drowning.
Despite this, Long Ming forced himself out of bed and over to his desk. He picked up a bottle of cough medicine and took a swig, then twisted open a bottle of immunity pills, tipped out two, and swallowed them dry.
After doing all this, Long Ming returned to his bed, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.
...
He didn’t know how much time had passed when he groggily opened his eyes and slowly sat up.
He shook his head. It felt a little heavy, but he had at least recovered.
But just then, a sound broke the silence.
GRUMBLE~
Long Ming suddenly felt as if his body had been completely hollowed out; he was exhausted and starving.
He turned his head to look out the window. The sky was still dark; it wasn’t morning yet.
But when Long Ming pulled out his phone and glanced at the time, he froze.
It was 8:14 PM. That meant he had slept for over a dozen hours. He hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for nearly two full days.
Long Ming hurried out of his bedroom and into the kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator to find something to eat.
Unfortunately, the fridge was completely empty.
With a sigh of resignation, Long Ming closed the fridge, put on a jacket and shoes, and hastily left his apartment.
...
「Inside the 24-hour convenience store.」
DING-DONG~
"Welcome!"
As the chime sounded, a middle-aged man in a gray shirt standing behind the counter lifted his head and glanced toward the entrance.
He saw Long Ming walk in.
"Well if it isn’t Long Ming. Haven’t seen you in a while."
The convenience store owner greeted Long Ming with some surprise.
"Yeah, been busy lately," Long Ming replied to the owner, Tang Ke, as he headed for the food aisle.
He grabbed five packets of instant noodles and a pack of sausages.
He actually wanted to get the cup noodles, but they were too expensive, so he decided against it in the end.
He brought the items to the counter and said to Tang Ke.
"Ring me up."
"That’ll be 21. But since you’re a regular, we’ll call it 20."
"Thanks."
"But Long Ming, I don’t mean to lecture you, but you’re not in the best of health. You shouldn’t be eating this stuff all the time."
"Yeah, I know."
Long Ming silently paid with his phone and left with his items.
Watching him go, Tang Ke shook his head with a look of pity.
"Such a good kid. What a shame."
...
