Collect Building Materials 100kg
Lin Mo, feeling low-spirited, closed the search page and took a moment to compose herself.
Her heart was still heavy. She casually opened Zhihu to see what survival guides netizens had come up with.
The topic of extreme cold doomsday also firmly occupied Zhihu's top spot.
"If it really stays at minus fifty or sixty degrees Celsius, how can humanity survive? At that point, might as well give up. All crops will freeze, plus water and power outages—even if you don't freeze to death, you'll starve."
"But if it's only a drop of 10-20 degrees from current levels, then there's hope. Everyone should first prepare food, drink, and warm clothing at home, stock up for a month or so, guard against water, power, and logistics disruptions, then honestly stay home wrapped in quilts and wait for government arrangements."
The top-rated comment was wildly liked, hailed as a truly clear-headed survival guide. Worrying endlessly was useless. Don't hoard blindly; some still had canned goods from the pandemic. Someone even bought enough oil and salt for ten years—pure impulse! Better to buy a thick down comforter.
Lin Mo got up and grabbed a bottle of orange juice: She felt oddly comforted. Maybe life needed a bit of a "whatever will be will be" relaxed attitude.
Below, new comments kept refreshing, with varied opinions.
"Down comforters have gone up in price! Who's competing with me for quilts?!"
"No power is a no-go. I can't live without the internet and my phone. How can I get electricity?!"
"In rural areas, you can do photovoltaic power generation. In cities, a hand-crank generator might help in an emergency?"
"Maybe we should have a Train Conductor as a savior? Abroad, they say follow the savior, or humanity won't survive."
"Don't follow that foreign nonsense about a savior. Better urge the government to do cold-proofing upgrades and try not to cut water and power. There are actually people believing that foreign blogger with a crystal ball, sending him gasoline and diesel—like a cult."
"I've already left a comment on the government website, strongly suggesting upgrading insulation on city water and heating pipes. If there's no money, I'm willing to donate!"
"Comment +1. If the government has no money, it should issue bonds quickly, like the US does, take the money to secure our power grid and internet!"
The arguments in the comment section kept scrolling up, but Lin Mo's mind wandered. She remembered the moment the train activated, the system's cold electronic voice echoing clearly in her ears: "Establish a human shelter point—that is your ultimate mission."
If it really came to the point where all of humanity had to rely on that train to survive, wouldn't that mean this extreme cold was even more severe than imagined? Did "Snow Erosion" have some special meaning?
"Impossible!" The thought sprang out instinctively, and Lin Mo even shook her head subconsciously.
At this moment, in the national underground base hundreds of meters deep, the expert team was also discussing every piece of information the train had given, especially the term "Snow Erosion." "Snow Erosion" could be interpreted as biting cold or as erosive pollution carried in the snow.
If extreme cold came with heavy pollution, the falling snow would contaminate all surface water and even seep into groundwater, exponentially increasing the threat to human survival. That would also explain why the train emphasized "establishing a shelter point."
The chilling thought circled twice, but Lin Mo pinched her brow and pulled her mind back.
If it really came to that, she might as well give up and just lie flat.
The most practical thing now was to follow the novice task's requirements, collect 100kg of building materials, and see what subsequent prompts appeared. People should trust the country, fist pump!
Lin Mo opened Baidu and quickly typed "building materials market." Twenty minutes later, she stood in front of a brightly lit large building materials hardware store.
Lin Mo's gaze swept over the heavy security door at the entrance. Good, ready-made building material.
As soon as she entered, a young woman with a high ponytail greeted her with a smile: "Hello, miss! What do you need?"
"My neighborhood is old, the security door is too outdated. I need a new one." Lin Mo said casually: "First show me the iron doors."
"This model is the best seller this year, and the price is reasonable." The young woman enthusiastically introduced: "This one has better security, but costs a bit more."
Lin Mo pointed at three doors in turn: "What are the prices for these?"
"3188/4188/5188. The more expensive, the thicker. They're all cold-rolled steel doors. If you want, we can drop the 188 for you."
Lin Mo pointed at the 3188 one: "Two doors. Can you deliver tonight?"
The young woman's eyes lit up, surprised by such a decisive customer: "Sure, boss! I'll call the delivery guy now."
"About how heavy is one door?"
"Seventy or eighty jin for sure," the young woman said confidently. "Our door panels are solid! By the way, miss, do you want installation today? It's a bit late..."
"No need to install." Lin Mo shook her head: "Just stack them in my living room for now. I'll schedule installation later." She paced casually around the store and spotted another item: "Four air conditioner outdoor unit covers. Deliver the materials tonight too. I'll also schedule installation for next week."
The young woman now looked at Lin Mo like a living money tree: "Sis, what else do you need? Our store has the widest selection!"
Lin Mo surveyed the dazzling shelves and thought for a moment: "I also need a new shoe cabinet with a tall layer for mid-calf boots." The one at home was crushed by the train, so she needed a larger one.
"How about this one? Solid wood, very sturdy. Four layers total, with an open bottom for slippers. The interior height is adjustable, can hold up to thirty or forty pairs. The price is only 1000 yuan; we usually don't sell it below 1280."
Lin Mo reached out and touched the cabinet. The texture was solid, the wood grain clear. The black walnut with white paneling was also quite elegant, and the 1.5-meter length was suitable.
"Okay, I'll take the shoe cabinet too." She had more than twenty pairs of shoes at home, plus the new snow boots—they would fit nicely in the new cabinet.
The young woman's eyes brightened even more: "Do you need a cabinet?"
"Just shelves," Lin Mo asked: "What sizes do you have? Are there tall ones?"
The young woman quickly led her to the storage area in the back: "Several standard sizes! Up to 2 meters tall, three or four shelves. Take a look."
Lin Mo decided quickly, pointing at the three-shelf ones: "I want four, 1 meter long, 1.5 meters tall, in white."
The young woman beamed and scribbled on her order pad: "Great! What else, sis?"
Lin Mo glanced at the already full list and shook her head slightly. She should switch to another store; buying too much from one place was conspicuous.
Buying building materials like vegetables wasn't common nowadays, and she didn't haggle. The young woman pulled out her phone: "Sis, you're so straightforward! Want to add me on WeChat? Next time I'll give you wholesale prices!"
"Okay." They agreed on delivery at 9 PM with payment upon arrival. Lin Mo swiped her card for a 10,000 yuan deposit.
She continued walking, turned two corners, and found another shop. She ordered some paint, marble, and tempered glass. Then she crossed the street and found yet another store, ordering alloy shelves and a fir wood bed board.