Chapter 105 - 104

Words : 1139 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 105: Chapter 104Faced with the question posed by Mo Qingyan, Chen Xin was just about to say he could use a drill to help them bore holes, but he stopped himself. He could certainly come up with a suitable drill; he only needed to upgrade the hand drill on his workbench. Not to mention just boring a hole a few dozen meters deep in the permafrost, even if it were for deep drilling, Chen Xin could provide the equipment through a system upgrade. But is it really good for him to do so? Chen Xin couldn’t help but shake his head. These group members indeed faced difficulties, but they were far from the point of being unable to survive. They still had shelters to live in and stockpiled supplies to sustain life. While the temperature was indeed low, it was a problem raised and discussed before the apocalypse, and everyone had made adequate preparations. Therefore, although their shelters were indeed very cold now, it wasn’t to the point where they couldn’t survive. Using heating equipment could still maintain a sufficient temperature. However, doing so would consume a lot of reserved fuel or increase energy consumption, shortening their theoretical survival time, but it wouldn’t truly make them unable to survive. And even if it really came to that, they could, like the two who called for help from the authorities, send a distress signal and move to an official shelter, which is also a way to survive. Helping them would only allow them to continue surviving in private shelters rather than help them survive a crisis or save their lives. Since their lives were not in danger, Chen Xin did not need to rush to help them by using a large amount of survival points. The system could indeed help him make various items or equipment reasonable, but this was limited to the items themselves. It wouldn’t make people oblivious to the things Chen Xin came up with or the actions he took. Having others process materials or exchange for something was a normal thing, as everyone had needs or lacked something during the apocalypse. But proactively helping others... While unity and cooperation in apocalypse survival are crucial, proactively helping others is not the correct posture of extending a helping hand. If they were at the end of their tether, with no one to help them survive, Chen Xin would help them survive no matter what, but they were far from that point. -34℃ is indeed very dangerous and deadly, but humans can survive in such an environment. The former leader from the Sovia Alliance, Father Georgia, was once exiled to a small village near the Arctic Circle, a place not even found on maps, in Kuleika, where he spent five long years in the harsh Siberian winter, surrounded by temperatures of minus sixty degrees. Living in a rudimentary wooden hut, leading a life akin to a wild hunter, relying solely on hunting and fishing. Yet even in such harsh conditions, the Iron Father survived tenaciously, forging an iron will. Chen Xin bit his finger in silent contemplation. Helping the group members could earn him survival points, which was the greatest benefit for him. He could also use this opportunity to exchange resources he needed from them, despite the possibility that they didn’t have what he wanted. But this could reveal some issues too, like where did Chen Xin’s equipment come from, or what were his motives for helping... The human heart is deeper than we imagine. Chen Xin must consider the consequences of showing excessive enthusiasm and kindness. He finally made a decision and pressed the radio’s talk button once more, speaking in a deliberately cold voice, "I can get a drill, and I can provide ground source heat pump equipment. I can even help you install it, but nothing is free; I need you to exchange materials with me." After speaking, Chen Xin quickly released the talk button, exhaling a sigh of relief to calm his nerves, then waited for others to respond. This was the countermeasure Chen Xin came up with, adopting an attitude of "I can help, but it costs." It allowed him to justifiably help others while avoiding being perceived as foolishly generous, thus preventing unnecessary thoughts. With a bit of force deterrence, Chen Xin felt this should ensure his safety. "Xin, can you really get a drill? You wouldn’t be thinking of finding Alan..." Mo Qingyan spoke first, yet her train of thought drifted in another direction, filling in some story on her own. Chen Xin naturally understood her meaning upon hearing Mo Qingyan’s speculation and imagination, but this was precisely what he hoped to see. So Chen Xin followed her lead and continued, "Yes, I plan to ask Special Forces through Alan to get a drill. After all, even if I don’t install it for you, I need a set of such equipment for heating myself, so I must get a drill. But using it for myself and using it for you are two different concepts." Chen Xin’s response left Mo Qingyan silent. He didn’t know what Mo Qingyan intended to express, but others weren’t concerned about the peculiar atmosphere between the two of them and eagerly asked Chen Xin about the effectiveness of the ground source heat pump equipment, along with what installation conditions were required. And most crucially, what kind of exchange terms would Chen Xin agree to for making and installing a set of such equipment? Chen Xin gave a detailed explanation about the heating effectiveness of the ground source heat pump, installation conditions, and maintenance and consumption after installation. However, when everyone asked about the cost, Mo Qingyan suddenly interrupted, halting everyone’s speeches, loudly declaring, "Food supplies, install the first one for me. I’ll give you ten boxes of wine, ten boxes of luncheon meat cans, five boxes of canned pork... and my sister!" "Mo Qingyan, what are you doing?" Hearing the exchange terms proposed by Mo Qingyan, Chen Xin was utterly shocked, and it took him a while to regain his composure. Yet Mo Qingyan did not want to explain to him. She continued using a very firm tone in the radio, emphasizing, "I feel cold, so I want to be the first to install heating! Anyone with objections, bring out more than I offer, and I’ll let you install first!" Mo Qingyan’s attitude left everyone else speechless, forcing them to acquiesce to Chen Xin installing ground source heat pump equipment for her first. This created a peculiar situation where if others wanted to install a ground source heat pump, the materials they offered in exchange couldn’t be much less than what Mo Qingyan offered, but such a large volume of materials was challenging for them to provide or something they were unwilling to give up.

Chapter 105 - 104

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