novelsite Chapter 217 Verification and Confirmation
Chapter 217 Verification and Confirmation
When she arrived near her small building, Xu Xiaoyan did not immediately show herself. She first checked several nearby houses for a while and confirmed that although there were sporadic packing and moving sounds coming from the surrounding alleys, no one was paying special attention to this area.
She then took out two thermos bottles from her spatial storage, quickly walked to her front door, where the doorknob and keyhole were already frozen into a hard shell of ice. She squatted down, carefully tilted the mouth of one of the thermos bottles slightly, aimed it at the ice layer where the keyhole and handle met, and slowly poured out a thin stream of hot water.
"Hiss—" The moment the scalding water came into contact with the solid ice, a white mist rose up, accompanied by a faint melting sound. The ice layer quickly melted away, and soon condensed into new, thinner water stains on the frozen ground at the doorway.
She was very patient, not pouring too much at once, but in several batches, melting the ice in the key areas little by little.
Taking advantage of the melting ice, she used her free left hand to pull out the key from her pocket. The key was icy cold, almost sticking to her skin. Once the ice around the keyhole had melted enough, she quickly inserted the key.
A soft but clear metallic click rang out, particularly distinct in the quiet alleyway. The lock turned, the latch popped open, and she grasped the icy doorknob, which had also been doused with hot water, and pulled hard.
"Squeak—" The heavy iron door opened inward, and she slipped inside, quickly closing the door behind her and locking it. The room was pitch black, with only a few slivers of light coming in through the crack in the door and the small ventilation window high up.
Xu Xiaoyan turned on the light, placed the two thermos bottles on the wooden box, and then immediately went to the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed). She skillfully pulled out a few relatively dry twigs from the woodpile in the kitchen, grabbed a handful of dry leaves, lit them with a lighter, and carefully put them into the stove. The orange-red flames leaped up, licking the firewood and making a crackling sound. She then added a few slightly larger pieces of wood, and then filled a basket with some coal and threw it onto the already burning flames.
After doing all that, she straightened up, rubbed her frozen hands, and sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed). Only then did her tense nerves relax a little.
She almost hastily pulled her phone out of her inside pocket again. The screen lit up, the cold white light reflecting on her face and illuminating her focused eyes. Her fingertips were slightly cold from tension and anticipation, and even trembled almost imperceptibly. She took a deep breath and directly opened the base's official app on the screen.
After logging in and verifying her identity, the main interface appeared. She ignored the other flashing icons and focused her attention directly on the "Personal Information" option on the side of the screen, her fingertips landing on it.
The personal information interface loaded, with her name, resident number, registered address, and other basic information at the top, and her points balance in the middle. Her gaze quickly moved down, and in the area that should have been blank or had only simple notes, she stared intently at the newly added item: Underground City Residential Qualification - Room 63, Block B.
A single line of text, without any further explanation, yet it was this line that made Xu Xiaoyan's breath catch in her throat for a moment.
She knew very well that before she went to the glacier, there was nothing here except for points and basic information.
This information was clearly updated to her personal file today, right after the base issued those emergency notices! She, Xu Xiaoyan, has gained the qualification to enter Dungeon B District, specifically Room 63!
She gripped her phone tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force. A mix of emotions—ecstasy, disbelief, relief, and even a sense of absurdity—clashed and made her feel dizzy for a moment.
She put down her phone, covered her face with her hands, and took a few slow breaths. Her cold fingertips touched her warm skin, bringing a slightly real sensation. She forced herself to calm down, slowly suppressing the surging emotions that were about to burst forth.
This wasn't a dream; the system records were right there. But that didn't mean she could rest easy. Once her heartbeat finally calmed down, she picked up her phone again. The screen had gone dark from being unused for so long. She turned it on, and her gaze became clear and calm.
Next, she needed to find out what the official statement was. She slid her finger across the screen, hovered over the "Announcements" section marked with a red exclamation mark or similar icon, paused slightly, and then tapped it.
The loading screen spun, and the list of historical notifications unfolded in reverse chronological order. The top few items were marked with glaring red "Urgent" or "Highest Priority" labels, the titles of which were exactly what she had overheard people frantically discussing at the city gate, and which had just been confirmed by her personal file information:
Emergency Notice from the Linchuan Base Management Committee Regarding the "Extreme Cold" Weather Warning and Emergency Response
Regulations on the Open Management of Underground City Residential Areas and Detailed Rules for Qualification Assessment
Announcement Regarding the Establishment of Temporary Goods Recycling Points for Redemption
Notice Regarding the Unified Check-in Schedule and Important Notes for the Underground City
……
She first clicked on the first notification about the "extreme cold" warning. The page unfolded, revealing a densely packed, formal document format. She quickly scanned it, her eyes catching the key information:
Based on a comprehensive analysis of data from meteorological observation stations and forward outposts… the polar vortex is abnormally moving southward… a new phase of global climate change is underway… a precipitous and sustained drop in temperature is expected… the lowest temperature may reach minus 70 degrees Celsius, with a risk of further decline… the impact period may last for several months or even longer… all residents are advised to immediately begin preparations to move to underground shelters…
The wording is rigorous and austere, carrying the unquestionable authority and distance characteristic of official documents. It is largely consistent with the vendor's retelling, but with richer details, making one feel the heavy and serious tone behind it.
Exit and open the second document, which is also the longest, the "Regulations for the Open Management of Underground City Residential Areas and Qualification Recognition Details". This document details the admission conditions, residence rules, fee standards, code of conduct, rights and obligations of each of the E, D, C and B districts in detail, making it a miniature "underground city constitution".
Instead of reading it carefully from beginning to end, she quickly swiped and jumped to the part she was most interested in—the specific description of section B.
Residents of Zone B are entitled to "free central heating throughout the area" and "permanent single-person standard housing." At the same time, the regulations also emphasize that residents of Zone B are not unrestrained and must strictly abide by the general laws of the base and the more stringent management regulations specific to the underground city.
It was specifically mentioned that residents of Area B "have an obligation to cooperate with the base's unified arrangements for public services, scientific research assistance, or emergency mobilization within their own professional fields or capabilities," but promised that there would be corresponding "contribution records or reasonable compensation."
The notice also clearly lists a very detailed list of items prohibited from being brought into the dungeon, including a large number of weapons, explosives, flammable and explosive materials, unidentified chemicals, unquarantined plants and animals, certain types of electronic equipment, and "any items that may endanger public safety or the stable operation of the dungeon facilities".
The list includes a note that states, "Those who already qualify for permanent housing allocation are not subject to the aforementioned threshold for ordinary residents to move in, but the regulations on prohibited items apply equally to all individuals."
She quickly glanced at the notice about the "unified check-in" arrangements and confirmed that the official opening time for entering the city would begin at 8:1 AM on January 17th, and would be carried out in batches by area, requiring "people and goods to go together," and that "after entering the underground city passage, it is generally not allowed to return to the surface," and "those who fail to enter according to the specified time and passage will be deemed to have automatically forfeited their corresponding qualifications, and will bear the consequences themselves."
Ten days... no, from this moment on, it's already nine and a half days left.
With her qualification for Zone B confirmed, her strategy now needs a complete overhaul.
Since spending a lot of time processing most of the previously collected sea buckthorn berries into sea buckthorn paste, which is easier to store, the corner that was originally crowded due to the mountain of fresh berries has been cleared out to make room for a considerable amount of supplies.
Her original, simplest and most direct plan was simple: before leaving the ground, she would use her spatial abilities to stuff everything in the house that was still usable and might be valuable into her space and take it with her.
For the vast majority of residents who have to be frugal and even abandon their belongings, the ability to "empty the entire house" is a huge advantage.
However, when she opened her eyes and her gaze unconsciously swept across the room before finally settling on the backyard, her thoughts stalled.
coal.
There was also a considerable amount of coal piled up in her backyard. Area B implemented "free centralized heating throughout the area," which meant that the energy for heating was provided, managed, and distributed uniformly by the base. Each room should have a fixed radiator, underfloor heating pipe, or similar centralized heating outlet.
Temperature may be regulated by a central system, and individuals lighting fires for warmth on their own may not only be completely unnecessary, but may even be strictly prohibited. After all, in a confined underground space, unauthorized open flames pose significant safety hazards: carbon monoxide poisoning, fire, interference with the unified ventilation system, etc. The regulations on energy use restrictions and prohibited items in the regulations may very well include such items.
"Taking it with me... would only be a burden..." Xu Xiaoyan muttered to herself, her brows furrowed. Not only would it take up valuable space, but it might also violate the rules and cause unnecessary trouble.
Discard it? The thought had barely crossed her mind when she rejected it. She really couldn't bear to part with it. This coal was real material, energy. To just throw it away felt like wasting all her past hard work.
So, can it be converted into cash? After all, there are still nearly ten days left. In the ground environment, especially in these final days when the temperature is dropping and many people may not have time or be able to enter the underground city, coal is still a hard currency.
For those who can only handle affairs on the ground, or who lack the points to pay for heating in Zone E, a coal-fired stove may be the key to survival, and coal should have a market.
Her first thought was the official "points redemption center." Since it recycles all kinds of materials, from metal tools to old clothes, from batteries to medicines, would coal, an important energy source, also be included in the recycling?
If it can be converted into points, even if the price is very low, it is still a way to transform "dead objects" that cannot be taken away into "living money" that can be used and stored, which is the optimal conversion of resources.
She picked up her phone again, pulled up the detailed notification about the redemption points in the official app, found the recycling list in the appendix, and carefully examined it, her eyes following the "Energy and Chemicals" category to search meticulously: unopened batteries (all models, accepted), well-sealed fuel/alcohol/kerosene (accepted), solid fuel blocks (accepted)...
Charcoal? Her eyes lit up, but she quickly realized it was "solid fuel block," with a smaller note on the back.
However, keywords such as "coal," "fired coal," "lump coal," and "honeycomb briquettes" did not appear anywhere on the list. She scanned the list several times from beginning to end, and even read the description of "other unlisted but potentially valuable items" to confirm that "coal" was indeed not in the official publicly available recycling catalog.
"Coal... isn't on the list?" Xu Xiaoyan felt a little puzzled and surprised. Isn't the centralized heating in the underground city supposed to generate heat by burning fuel? Even if it's not coal, it could be oil, natural gas, or even geothermal energy from deeper layers.
Coal, as a relatively stable, easy-to-store, and readily extractable fossil fuel, should be an important strategic reserve in this post-apocalyptic context, unless... the base has a more efficient, cleaner, or more stable heating energy solution that has completely abandoned coal? Or perhaps the unique structure of the underground city is simply unsuitable for using coal, a fuel that produces smoke, sulfur dioxide, and ash?
She couldn't understand the technical or policy reasons behind it, but the lack of an official list was a clear signal: at least for now, the base does not recycle coal through publicly accessible recycling channels for all residents.
This may mean that, in the official plan, coal is about to become an obsolete ground fuel, and its strategic value may have been replaced by other energy sources, or it may be stored through official channels without the need for sporadic recycling from the public.
"Fine, if the government won't accept it, what about the private market?" Undeterred, she quickly exited the official app and switched to the civilian trading forum on the base's internal network. This forum was a mixed bag, filled with posts about bartering or points trading, making it an excellent window for observing civilian supply and demand and prices.
She quickly entered the keywords "coal", "selling coal", "purchasing fuel", and "lump coal" to search.
The page refreshed, and the results came out quickly. There were quite a few related posts, but after just glancing at the titles and the previews of the first few, her heart sank and her brows furrowed even more.