Apocalypse Mode: My Cheat Code Virtual Boyfriend - Chapter 28

The control panel in the cockpit showed they were still about 600 nautical miles from land. Traveling at full speed day and night, it would take three days to reach the shore.

The hull and deck of the Ark were deformed from compression, but it didn’t affect normal operation in the slightest. Anything produced by the Star Game System was guaranteed to be top quality.

Half an hour later, the whale surfaced and opened its mouth to “spit” the Ark out.

Seawater flooded into the whale’s mouth as Bai Xun steered the Ark, pushing it to full throttle and surging up to the ocean’s surface.

“You’re awake! The tsunami has passed. I was pushed really far by the waves and had to swim hard to get back to where we were.” The whale gently nudged their ship with its head, its tone almost like a playful whine.

“You’re amazing! Thank you. Without you, it would’ve been really hard for us to escape the tsunami.” Bai Xun thanked it sincerely.

“No need to thank me! You helped clean off my barnacles too. You’re good people, and I really like you.” The whale’s voice was cheerful.

“We’re heading to land now, so we have to say goodbye.” Bai Xun felt a pang of reluctance but still spoke the parting words.

“You’re leaving? That’s okay, I’ll meet more new people. Want me to give you a ride? I swim really fast!” The whale was much more easygoing than he’d expected.

“No need. We’re going to shallow waters, and you’re too big, you might get stranded. So, let’s say goodbye now.” Bai Xun smiled as he bid the whale farewell, mentally adding another entry to the memo diary on his phone.

“Bye! I’m off now!” The whale flicked its tail and quickly dove into the deep sea.

“Goodbye.” Bai Xun sat in the pilot’s seat and waved toward where the whale had disappeared.

It was time for them to set off as well.

…

Day 50 of the apocalypse, clear skies.

The Ark reached the shallow waters. Bai Xun and Cheng Wei worked together to place the inflated rubber dinghy on the sea’s surface, then everyone climbed down the rope ladder one by one and settled into the dinghy.

Once everyone was seated, Bai Xun opened the Star Game System control panel and retrieved the Ark back into the game interface.

Cheng Wei stood, steering the outboard motor’s direction as they headed toward the beach.

After half a month together, Lu Jiaoshuang had successfully integrated into the Bai family, and Bai Yu’s carefully crafted fan works finally had an appreciative audience.

The two of them often huddled together, whispering and occasionally letting out mischievous chuckles. Whenever Bai Xun glanced over, they’d immediately act normal again. This odd behavior had become an unsolved mystery in Bai Xun’s mind.

Yu Feibai was still the same as ever, somewhat quiet, with an aloof and inscrutable demeanor. But the moment his pet, Little Black, was mentioned, he’d transform into an enthusiastic fan, his vocabulary so rich it left Bai Xun in awe.

As a wounded party, he had also taken on some of the labor on the Ark, and his performance was quite commendable.

The landing plan had been discussed before the tsunami. Considering the upcoming extreme cold and polar nights, if the sea surface were covered in thick ice, the Ark would be trapped on the frozen water.

At sea, they lacked heating fuel. The only resources they could burn for warmth were the wooden planks converted from resource cubes and the household charcoal stored earlier in the kitchen simulator.

But these resources were far from enough. With food not being an issue, surviving the extreme cold would still be a struggle.

The extreme cold might lead to a shortage of fish in the sea, which could result in more frequent attacks from mutated marine creatures on the Ark. Considering all factors, they unanimously decided to head for land.

This discussion also revealed the truth to Lu Jiaoshuang and Yu Feibai, the apocalyptic survival document from the time-traveling netizen and his Star game system.

Lu Jiaoshuang was staying with them, while Yu Feibai needed another month to recover from his injuries. Bai Xun couldn’t bring himself to just leave Yu Feibai behind after they disembarked.

Hoping that Yu Feibai might join them once he recovered, Bai Xun tentatively suggested he stay.

Yu Feibai agreed without hesitation.

The reason was simple: they provided meals here, and the food was good. If he hunted alone, he’d have to eat everything raw, a truly pitiful thought.

And so, their little post-apocalyptic survival team was settled just like that.

The rubber dinghy stopped on the beach. Everyone except Grandma Bai and Yu Feibai carried a backpack filled with essential medicines, practical tools, and packaged food.

The Ark at sea, stored in Bai Xun’s Star game system, served as a temporary storage space.

Although items crafted on the Ark’s workbench couldn’t be used outside, items they brought onto the Ark could remain there indefinitely, though once taken out, they couldn’t be put back.

Cheng Wei removed the outboard motor from the rubber dinghy while the others disembarked one by one, then worked together to drag the dinghy to a spot away from the seawater.

After deflating the dinghy, it was Bai Xun’s turn to take action.

Another game in the Star game system had unlocked, this time, it was “Wilderness Hunter.”

The reason for unlocking this game was simple: it included vehicles.

[Game Name: Wilderness Hunter]

[Game Status: Unlocked (4/4)]

[Unlocked: Wilderness Vehicle]

[Description: Unlocked by Achievement II “Ride Through the Wilderness Winds Together.” Four different paint schemes of off-road vehicles are available for traversing the wilderness. Note: The fuel tank is full only on the first use; refueling is required once fuel runs out.]

[Unlocked: Resource Supply]

[Description: Unlocked by Achievement III “Resource Trading Point.” Provides unlimited bandages, anti-inflammatory medicine, and alcohol, suitable for hunters dealing with injuries in the wild.]

[Unlocked: Forest Map]

[Description: Unlocked by Achievement V “Light Up the Entire Map.” Allows viewing of the forest area map within the forest range, highlighting locations where hunters can stay overnight.]

[Unlocked: Hunting Assistant]

[Description: Unlocked by Achievement VII “Capture 100 Prey.” Grants free use of various hunting rifles and traps in the armory.]

Unlocking “Wilderness Hunter” consumed only 1 crystal cone, leaving 3 crystal cones unused.

Bai Xun summoned two off-road vehicles from the garage. The forest map could be used in conjunction with the vehicles, enabling automatic navigation as long as the driver was in the seat.

Since the off-road vehicles were five-seaters, Bai Xun, Cheng Wei, and Bai Yu took one, while Lu Jiaoshuang, Yu Feibai, Bai Guifang, and Grandma Bai took the other.

The temporary plan was to travel during the day and set up camp at night.

Beyond the beach lay a vast, lush natural forest. It seemed to be a forest reserve, with little to no trace of human activity, not even a small path where the weeds had been flattened.

Bai Xun opened the forest map, which was viewed through the STAR game system panel. The distribution of rivers and lakes in this forest area was clearly marked on the map, along with several highlighted coordinate points.

These coordinate points were the ranger’s cabin, the animal rescue station, and the abandoned logging camp.

Considering the overall situation, the abandoned logging camp was the best choice.

When clicking on the coordinates, the map indicated that the animal rescue station was already occupied, and it was easy to guess without even clicking that the ranger’s cabin was a small, square hut that would struggle to accommodate seven people.

Another reason for choosing the abandoned logging camp was that, although it was located in the forest, there were cleared paths leading to the rivers and lakes. The nearby area showed more forest resources, making it an ideal choice for living off the land in the future.

After a quick decision, Bai Xun selected the abandoned logging camp and switched the map to navigation mode.

The forest map’s navigation was projected onto the windshield. A fluorescent blue directional cursor, combined with a mechanical voice in his ear, managed to guide them along a barely passable path through the dense forest of wild grass and trees.

Bai Xun couldn’t help but marvel, it was like having a reincarnated navigation app.

Among the seven people, those who could drive were him, Cheng Wei, Lu Jiaoshuang, Yu Feibai, and Bai Guifang. Since Yu Feibai had injured his hand, he was excluded.

The remaining four took turns driving, switching shifts during the midday break to avoid fatigue.

Bai Xun started the off-road vehicle and followed the navigation directions toward the abandoned logging camp.

After the heavy rainstorm, the temperature had stabilized between 12 and 14 degrees Celsius. It was slightly chilly, but only to the extent of late autumn. The leaves on the trees they passed were still lush and green.

For mid-January, such temperatures were a bit strange, but in a world that had already ended, nothing was surprising anymore.

They would need to camp out for six days to reach the abandoned logging camp.

The off-road vehicle moved at a decent speed, but combined with the bumpy road, even Iron Man would have been rattled to pieces after a full day of sitting.

When they set up camp for the night, everyone looked rather grim.

Bai Yu, Grandma Bai, and Yu Feibai lit alcohol stoves to prepare dinner, while the others leveled the ground and set up tents for the night.

They took out the military shovels they had purchased earlier from the Sea Ark and a few kitchen knives from the kitchen simulator, then began clearing weeds and digging up soil to pitch the tents on the leveled ground.

By the time the tents were set up, dinner was ready.

Camping conditions were rudimentary. All three alcohol stoves were lit, one for boiling vegetables and two for heating canned food. Tonight’s meal consisted of boiled broccoli, braised pork, and preserved vegetable with pork belly.

The rice was self-heating rice, which only required adding water and letting it steam.

The seven of them sat cross-legged on a fire-resistant cloth, holding their self-heating rice containers and using disposable chopsticks to make do with dinner.

Everyone was exhausted, and aside from the sound of chewing, no other noises were made.

Bai Xun took a bite of the self-heating rice and felt as if he were eating overcooked steamed rice, it lacked flavor and was soft and mushy.

The braised pork canned food, however, tasted decent, with tender and soft meat. The preserved vegetable with pork belly was a bit too salty, requiring several gulps of water after eating.

As for the boiled broccoli, no comment, it was purely for dietary fiber and could easily make one gag.

After dinner, the pots were washed with water from the Sea Ark’s water storage tank. This water had been transferred into empty mineral water bottles before disembarking, as the storage tank could no longer be used once they left the ark.

Disposable chopsticks were tossed into the large bonfire lit for night watch duty. Empty cans were rinsed with water and could still be stored in the kitchen simulator. The plastic containers from self-heating rice meals were also packed up and taken away, plastic takes a long time to degrade in the wild, so they shouldn’t litter and harm the environment carelessly.

Camping in the wilderness required utmost vigilance. Aside from Grandma Bai, everyone else was paired into two-person groups for night watch shifts, following a combination of a mutant and an ordinary person.

Bai Xun, having no combat ability himself, was grouped with the ordinary people. Holding an air rifle, he sat by the fire with Cheng Wei for the first night watch.

Cheng Wei poked at the woodpile, sending sparks flying, then leaned close to Bai Xun to teach him how to use the gun.

Those who fired without proper training either strained their arm muscles from the recoil or ended up shooting their own feet. After being taught a few standard hand positions, Bai Xun decided it was best not to fire recklessly unless in a crisis.

The night passed peacefully.

Early in the morning, they extinguished the fire, packed their belongings, and set off again.