Chapter 99 - 98 Entertainment Methods

Words : 1202 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 99: Chapter 98 Entertainment MethodsWhile having dinner, Chen Xin was also planning the work for tomorrow. There are actually quite a number of things to do in the shelter every day, so Chen Xin has developed a habit of making a plan for himself to keep things more organized. The seeds in the greenhouse have already started to germinate; in the coming days, it will only require checking the germination status. There’s no need to schedule work for the greenhouse tomorrow, just a quick look in the morning, noon, and evening will suffice. Qin Lan delivered new materials; the oxygen machines promised to the six other group members need to be made as soon as possible. Chen Xin plans to make two machines in the morning. Two oxygen machines equal two hundred survival points, and six machines equal six hundred points. Such a significant amount of survival points cannot be ignored by Chen Xin. However, Qin Lan brought quite a lot of materials, and Chen Xin reserved some to make a few more oxygen machines for himself. He plans to make four more oxygen machines this month, then use five machines to upgrade into an oxygen machine group, enhancing the overall efficiency of oxygen production and biomass generation. With sufficient biomass, the biogas fuel cell that Chen Xin was hoping for can also be put on the agenda. Once the biogas fuel cell is online, it can effectively reduce the generator’s load. When Chen Xin upgrades to a new power generation method, the gasoline generator can retire with honor, and gasoline can be used specifically for vehicles to travel. In fact, in Chen Xin’s plan, the biogas fuel cell is merely an auxiliary power source. Its main significance is to consume the biomass produced by the algae oxygen machine, while releasing heat in the reaction process to supply the planting greenhouse. The low-temperature heating issue mentioned by Qin Lan is not a concern for Chen Xin, though he still needs to consider it. After all, the shelter’s level is not high currently. Although system upgrades can solve many problems, there are still numerous issues that require Chen Xin to discover and come up with solutions before they can be solved by system upgrades. With these thoughts in mind, Chen Xin is also pondering how to conduct the shelter’s first overall upgrade. For survival points currently, as long as the six oxygen machines are delivered to the six group members, he can earn another six hundred points. Coupled with the saved ones, and at the current speed of acquiring monthly survival points, Chen Xin estimates that in about a month, he should be able to save enough survival points for the upgrade materials. As for materials, it’s easier to say as it mainly involves steel and cement, which are materials currently provided by the SWAT team. Similar to the game where players’ speed of upgrading is limited, and the store sells a limited amount of items each month, there is a limit to the supplies Chen Xin can get from the SWAT team each month. Still, the total amount of materials he needs is not large. Considering the materials he has already received from Qin Lan this month and the ones he can exchange for next month, Chen Xin calculated it and it’s almost enough to meet the upgrade needs. Being able to upgrade the shelter overall is something Chen Xin has been looking forward to ever since he got the system. After finishing his meal and tidying everything up, Chen Xin turned on the TV and the game console, planning to play a couple of games to relax and even fetched some liquor from the bedroom. But although he was drinking while playing games, Chen Xin did not intend to play for long. He doesn’t play games often, even though it’s the only form of entertainment in the shelter currently, and it’s his way to reminisce about the pre-disaster times. However, he doesn’t indulge in it and strives to restrain his desire to play games. On one hand, game consoles and TVs are known to consume a lot of power. Previously, it didn’t matter with electricity supplied—at most, it just resulted in slightly higher electricity bills at month’s end. But now, it’s a matter of life and death; Chen Xin can’t waste too much energy playing games. The electricity could better serve the greenhouse. On the other hand, Chen Xin doesn’t want to get too caught up in games, reminiscing about the past all day long. Such behavior would demoralize him and negatively impact his mindset, which does not contribute to surviving in this apocalypse. Playing some games in moderation can adjust one’s mood, relieve various pressures brought by the apocalypse, and ease tense nerves—as it did before the disaster. But being overly indulged in games would have the same adverse effects as addiction before the disaster. While fiddling with the game controller, Chen Xin suddenly thought about what people in the shelter could entertain themselves with since he had games to play. Entertainment is necessary at any time; if there’s only work without relaxation, the negative emotions in people’s minds will quickly grow, affecting an individual’s mood and making one’s personality more repressed, even turning thoughts extreme. If only one person becomes like this, it’s fine, but if many people become like this, various social problems would follow. It’s like a string: tensioning it too much results in its snapping. Even the ruffians in "Frostpunk" could enjoy drinking and boxing at minus seventy degrees to relax. However, after briefly considering this issue, Chen Xin gave up thinking about it further. It’s not that he couldn’t come up with ideas, but because the solution was too simple. The people of Flame Country have created countless entertainment methods since ancient times. Even before TV and all the dazzling electronic products, people’s entertainment life was diverse and colorful. Traditional opera may seem outdated, but card games never go out of style; a deck of cards is enough to keep a group of people entertained all day. And if you add in the traditional mahjong of Flame Country, there’s no need to say more—let’s play a few rounds first. Of course, these activities could become breeding grounds for gambling, but Chen Xin doesn’t believe the managers of the shelter would allow such a vice to flourish. And frankly, in a post-apocalyptic shelter, Chen Xin can’t think of anything worth gambling. Although the government of Flame Country hasn’t collapsed and all departments are functioning normally, it’s clear that money has become useless in the apocalypse. So, gambling for money? It would be more practical to gamble for a few mushrooms. Things might still be purchased with money in the shelter. Still, seeing how Qin Lan always trades materials with Chen Xin through barter, never mentioning money, Chen Xin had gained a clear understanding of how much purchasing power pre-disaster currency retained. Moreover, in the apocalypse, all individual allocations are distributed per capita, barely meeting survival needs. If someone is willing to take something scarce from their own "meager resources" to gamble, Chen Xin could only wish them early blessing and farewell from this world.

Chapter 99 - 98 Entertainment Methods

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