This is an embedded feature in the transparent phone. As long as several phones are placed near each other before use, the signal band can be selected and fixed, enabling a walkie-talkie function within a 10-kiloter range.
This walkie-talkie feature is sowhat similar to the WeChat app in her world. After opening it, voice ssages, pictures, and even videos can be sent, either to individuals or in groups. The only thing it can’t do is real-ti calls.
Currently, since the outside network hasn’t been cut off yet, this feature feels sowhat unnecessary. However, once the network does go down, its importance will beco imdiately clear. Not only can it allow real-ti communication, but it can also send videos. If she happens to be outside and her parents need to contact her, or if she needs to get in touch with them, this feature will be very convenient.
Additionally, this phone is completely transparent when not in use, and can be worn on the wrist, taking up no space, which is very convenient for Yu Feng and Fan Qi, who have limited space.
With the uninterrupted water, electricity, and gas in the simulated apartnt, Fan Qi and Yu Feng have relaxed a little, no longer thinking about cooking fresh food or making quick als like before.
Now, their ho is large enough and safe enough. They can eat hot pot or barbecue every day if they want, without needing to settle for dry instant food. Even if they need to go out to exercise or explore the world later, they can always find a secluded place and instantly teleport back.
For instance, if a few days later, Yu Feng and Fan Qi decide to join her in the team to search for supplies and they get lost or wander too far into dense forests, ordinary people might be forced to find a place to spend the night outside.
But their family can teleport back to Star House, and although it costs 30 star coins per person, in case of danger, this is essentially buying a life, making it very worthwhile.
If the three of them go out separately in the future, even if they don’t encounter any danger, and spend several days outside, feeling tired and not wanting to walk ho, there are two convenient ways to get back.
The first option is teleporting back ho, just like walking out, and then using a super-fast flying vehicle to reach ho in one second and go straight to bed.
The second option is if they prefer a new place, they can reset the Star House’s location and move the entire house there. In that case, they can still get ho in one second and rest imdiately.
If Yu Xi is the only one going out, it’s even easier—teleporting back to Star House costs her nothing, and she takes full advantage of it.
At her current speed, she can run to the neighboring city to exercise and search for supplies during the day, and teleport back ho in the evening to eat dinner.
Teleporting saves ti and can save lives, so her safety in this world is incredibly high. This is why she agreed to join the team without hesitation.
Thus, the protective function of Star House finally began to show its worth.
However, at the sa ti, Yu Xi realized that the remaining 290 star coins were far from enough. This made her abandon the idea of buying the ice control skill. Combining that with the type of disaster in this world, she had already decided to save up for the plant affinity skill.
Among the three existing fantasy-type star tools, plant affinity is the most expensive one, costing 800 star coins.
In the end, she spent 60 star coins to buy a powerful strength pill for each of her parents, and after they took it, she also increased their physical training. Although they couldn’t fight like her, handling one or two normal adults was no problem for them.
Aside from physical training, she also runs up and down the building every day. Starting from the fifteenth floor, she runs down to the first floor and then up to the top floor, doing five round trips each day. With her current physical strength, this routine is enough to make her feel tired.
Of course, running the stairs is also a way to check the situation outside.
One day, Yu Xi got an early notification from Xu Yan, saying that everyone would gather on the first floor at 10 a.m. to head out.
She decided to wake up early and start her daily running routine. Just as she was finishing, she passed by the 14th floor of their building and saw a middle-aged woman knocking urgently and forcefully on their neighbor’s door.
Yu Xi slowed her pace and looked outside the security door. She realized that the woman was knocking on the door of the professor couple’s apartnt. She stopped and didn’t imdiately go ho.
A mont later, the professor couple ca to open the door. Both were elderly, and recently, due to worrying, they had been sleeping poorly and woke up late. They had just put on their clothes and appeared a bit drowsy, but they still greeted the woman with their usual good-natured deanor, asking what was the matter.
“What’s the matter? You two still have the nerve to act innocent?”
The middle-aged woman, perhaps because she had been waiting so long and was building up frustration, opened her mouth like she had just eaten a firecracker. “Yesterday, you two ca to my house, said you were feeling uneasy, and asked what I was planning to do next. I felt sorry for you both, since your son and daughter-in-law aren’t around, and you’re just two lonely old people. Not only did I offer you snacks, but I also sat down and chatted with you to comfort you. And what do you do? While I went to the bathroom, you actually stole my food.”
Her accusation ca out of nowhere, leaving the elderly couple completely unprepared. They were a bit stunned, but then quickly realized that she was accusing them of being thieves, stealing food from their house, especially in such a tense situation outside.
The elderly woman quickly waved her hands, “No, no, how could that be? We don’t have any food at ho, why would we take anything from your place?”
“I knew you wouldn’t admit it!” the middle-aged woman spat. “You look so well-mannered and polite, a retired professor, who would think you’d admit to being a thief? But let
tell you sothing. You’ve ssed with the wrong person. I’m not an easy person to deal with, and now with the outside situation like this, food is precious. What you took were bags of dried goods—dried scallops, mushrooms, squid, abalone. Even in normal tis, they’re expensive, and now? I’ll tell you, if you don’t return my stuff today, I’ll make sure the whole building knows. Everyone will know you two are thieves.”
As the woman spoke, she pulled out her phone and opened the cara function, clearly planning to record a video and upload it online.
The elderly couple turned pale, constantly denying that they had taken anything, but their flimsy defense had no power compared to her accusations.
The middle-aged woman not only recorded, but also began speaking into her phone, stating that the couple, as role models, were now thieves in their old age. Just as she was getting agitated, the phone was suddenly snatched away.
“Who took my phone?” she spun around, locking eyes with a pair of cold, indifferent eyes.
Yu Xi remained silent, directly going into the gallery to delete the video she had just recorded, then emptied the recycle bin, permanently erasing it.
She held the woman’s phone and said, “Without evidence, recording a video of soone and accusing them of a cri is illegal. Of course, maybe you don’t understand the law.”
“Who are you?” the middle-aged woman reached for the phone several tis, but each ti it slipped away. Furious, she turned to glare at her husband and asked him why he was just standing there, telling him to hurry up and grab her phone back.
“Your neighbor,” Yu Xi said, handing the phone to the husband who was standing by. “You’ve been neighbors with them for so long, and yesterday you even welcod them into your ho. That ans they must have qualities in them that you trust.
I also trust their character. They would never do sothing like this. After all, we aren’t at the end of our ropes yet. Everyone still has food at ho. Who would steal over a little food, especially when they’re guests in your ho? No one would be stupid enough to do sothing so blatantly suspicious.”
“The mont you say it’s not them, who else could it be? You’re clearly all in this together!” The middle-aged woman snapped, taking her phone back from her husband’s hand, planning to start recording a video again, this ti targeting Yu Xi.
However, before she could even turn her phone on, her wrist was struck hard by Yu Xi’s index and middle fingers, making her cry out in pain and instinctively release the phone. It fell to the ground, and Yu Xi caught it once more.
“If you don’t want the phone, just say it. I can throw it out the window,” Yu Xi said, her eyebrows furrowing. “If sothing goes missing, just search properly. Even if you can’t find it, don’t falsely accuse others unless you have evidence.”
The middle-aged woman, holding her wrist, turned pale, “You little brat, you’re so fierce. Who do you think you are? I’ll deal with you later!”
She motioned for her husband to get the phone back, intending to return ho and figure out whom to contact for help with the situation.
But Yu Xi blocked her path. “I’ll go back with you to check where you placed your things.”
Yu Xi had already realized that the middle-aged woman had indeed lost sothing, but she also believed in the professor couple’s character—they wouldn’t steal. If they were going to steal, it wouldn’t be sothing so foolish as taking food while being guests in soone else’s ho.
Where did the food really go?
The middle-aged woman, eager to prove she wasn’t lying, opened the living room’s food cabinet once Yu Xi entered her house. “The dried goods were right here. I had opened each bag to use, but we only took a little out. Now, they’re all gone.”
Yu Xi approached the cabinet. It was a wooden one, fixed to the wall, and inside were several empty bags, still slling faintly of dried seafood. But there was also a strange odor mixed in with the sll of the dry goods.
Yu Xi had never slled that scent before. Though she didn’t know exactly what it was, her intuition told her that the missing items might be connected to that strange sll.
She carefully observed the expressions of the woman’s daughter and husband. They looked worried but sincere, without signs of deceit. It didn’t seem like they were faking it.
Moreover, the items in the cabinet weren’t much—certainly not enough to sustain them through a long period of hunger—but they would last for several als. It wasn’t survival food.
So, sothing had definitely gone missing, and it had happened overnight.
“This is strange,” Yu Xi said after a pause. “But I’m leaving with the team today. The ti’s almost up, and when we co back, I’ll bring Xu Yan and a few others with . We can check the building’s surveillance footage to see who else entered your ho, and we’ll see if the professor couple took anything when they left. It’ll be clear as day.”
She looked at the middle-aged woman. “Until we get the results, don’t go next door to cause trouble. If you do, you’ll have to deal with this yourself.”
The middle-aged woman, eager to find her missing food, temporarily suppressed her anger upon hearing Yu Xi’s offer to help.
When Yu Xi stepped out, the elderly couple was waiting anxiously outside their door. When they saw her, they imdiately thanked her repeatedly and reassured her they would never steal.
“I know,” Yu Xi replied, “Don’t worry, she won’t cause trouble for now. I’m going out today, but you stay safe at ho. We’ll figure everything out when we return.”
With that, she ascended the stairs, leaving the couple to continue their thank-you.
An hour later, after breakfast, Yu Xi changed into water-resistant, sweat-wicking workout gear, put on a hat and mask, and strapped on a backpack. She t up with the others on the first floor.
There were thirteen people in total, initially more, but several had backed out at the last minute.
Xu Yan, Gou Yaoyang, Gou Mingfeng, and Chen Tong were all there, and to Yu Xi’s surprise, Chen Tong’s husband was present as well.
Most people wore full-body protective suits, while a few, like her, only wore workout gear. However, without exception, nearly everyone carried a backpack and so sort of tool that could be used as a weapon—bug spray, golf clubs, kitchen knives.
Their goal was clear: to assess the situation outside and possibly get into the supermarket across from the community to gather supplies.
Gou Yaoyang had taken the lead in organizing this action, so he was temporarily in charge. After confirming the mbers, he issued a disclair: “We’re here to assist each other, but I’m not responsible for everyone’s safety. Each person is responsible for their own security. If anything goes wrong, don’t bla ; we might as well stay ho.”
Everyone nodded in agreent. Xu Yan unlocked the elevator, and the group squeezed into it, heading down to the underground parking lot.
Xu Yan locked the elevator again, and the group turned around, staring at the dimly lit parking lot beyond the glass doors.
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