Despite the current high temperatures, the air seems extremely dry.
However, remember that the water within a thousand miles, or even a larger area, has evaporated, so the air must contain an immense amount of water vapor.
If there's a way to lower the temperature, while it might not bring rain, there's still a good chance to collect the condensed water vapor.
"I don't know, but we can try."
Yang Yuan quickly glanced around and pointed to a tree with relatively dense leaves in the distance. "Let's rest under that big tree up ahead."
"Okay."
Zhao Jiayan and Jiang Yiyi eagerly sped up.
Right now, they felt like they were sitting at home with the air conditioner on, and it was a natural air conditioner at that.
The hot wind generated by their fast movement quickly cooled within three meters, feeling even more comfortable than a real air conditioner.
This sensation was exhilarating, and even though they were tired, hungry, and thirsty, they still felt a sense of enjoyment.
Happiness comes from comparison, and compared to before, they were immensely happier now.
Soon, they reached the tree.
Jiang Yiyi quickly picked up a dry branch and cleared away the decayed leaves to avoid any poisonous insects.
Yang Yuan sat down on a protruding rock in the open area and placed the portable security zone box from his back onto the ground.
Although his physical fitness was much better than that of an ordinary person, he was still a normal human, and carrying a twenty-kilogram load for such a great distance was quite exhausting.
After all, the Power Armor currently provided minimal assistance and couldn't share much of the weight.
"Drink some water." Zhao Jiayan handed the water bag to Yang Yuan.
Yang Yuan took a small sip and returned it. "Take a sip, then we'll eat. Let's talk after we're full."
"Okay."
Zhao Jiayan and Jiang Yiyi each took a small sip of water, then Zhao Jiayan took out some jerky, and the three of them shared it.
After eating and drinking, Yang Yuan asked, "Do you know how to extract water from the air?"
"I saw a wilderness survival show before. You can collect dew in the wild, but on our way here, no dew formed. I don't know if we can make it condense with this setup."
Zhao Jiayan said, "You can also use metal sheets or other smooth objects. If water droplets form, they can slide down."
She glanced around and suddenly pushed Yang Yuan aside.
"What are you doing?" Yang Yuan was puzzled.
"This rock might be usable," Zhao Jiayan said, taking out her small knife to scrape away the moss on the rock. Then she carved a groove and shaved a layer off the surrounding stone to make it smooth.
"If we can really condense water droplets, a lot of them gathered together can flow down. Place the cooler on this rock."
"Alright. Since you know this, I'll leave this task to you."
Yang Yuan handed the cooler to Zhao Jiayan, then pondered his own level issues.
Currently, his level had already reached seven, and so had the cooler. If his level didn't increase, the cooler couldn't upgrade even if it had enough experience.
Even the level of his pistol was catching up. All these items' levels would be limited by his personal level.
Thinking of this, he took out his short knife again and picked up some branches, preparing to make a crossbow for experience farming.
Seeing this, Jiang Yiyi quickly went to gather a large batch of dry wood, thinking Yang Yuan was going to make a fire.
"Yiyi, you're a good helper, but just sit and rest nearby. Remember to keep watch; alert me if anything approaches," Yang Yuan said.
"Yes, yes, Yiyi will," Jiang Yiyi nodded earnestly with a determined expression.
"I also aim to level up the pistol soon... However, what actually limits the pistol's level is the bullets. Looks like next time, I'll need to exchange for more bullets."
Yang Yuan contemplated these issues while crafting crossbow parts.
"But bullets aren't light either. I wonder if the military has any spatial artifacts? If they do, would I have a chance to trade for one with them?"
If there were spatial artifacts, traveling or hunting would be much easier.
Meanwhile,
ten kilometers away in the safety zone, the military had thoroughly cleaned up the mutant creature corpses before preparing to relocate.
Under military protection, everyone proceeded west in an orderly manner.
Given the large number of civilians joining the safety zone, the military had more people to protect.
Except under dire circumstances, they wouldn't easily abandon these people who follow their commands.
Because future demands for various labor, even encouraging births for fresh blood if stability is achieved, require people.
Being mindful of this is crucial; humanity must not go extinct here.
However, with Drought Fiends becoming more rampant, can they truly settle down?
With their current methods, they can't kill the Drought Fiends that initially escaped from the ruins.
As the sun rose higher, temperatures soared, quickly reaching over fifty degrees Celsius.
"Thud..."
Suddenly, a woman walking in the convoy collapsed without warning.
"Sister Chen... what's wrong?" Her nearby companion was startled and hurried to help.
But as soon as she touched the fallen woman, she reflexively pulled her hand back in shock. "Oh no, Sister Chen has heatstroke..."
Several acquaintances rushed over to assist.
"Holy crap, she's burning up!"
A man touched Sister Chen's forehead, shocked. "Is this a fever? An awakening sign, or...?"
With a look of horror, he quickly shouted towards the distance, "Officer, something's wrong; someone's burning up, a woman..."
"What..."
All the military personnel who heard this turned pale.
Quickly, a group of soldiers, with medical staff, arrived and took the unconscious woman away.
The new civilians in the safety zone were stunned.
"Isn't this a bit over the top?"
"So the military actually cares that much about our lives?"
The newcomers felt flattered by such attention.
Yet an older hand with the military sneered, "Don't read too much into it. They're just looking out for their own safety."
"What do you mean?"
The newcomers didn't understand.
The veteran laughed coldly, "Do you know why when we Earthlings first came to this world, awakening was almost instant, even overnight? But recently, it's only after high fever? And for everyone... or rather, for all women, after a fever, there are only two outcomes: successful awakening or disappearing..."
Just as he finished speaking, suddenly—
An invisible wave of intense heat radiated from the woman recently moved.
The powerful wave instantly raised the surrounding temperature by twenty to thirty degrees, burning many people.
"What's going on?!"
The newcomers remained confused.
"Damn it, she's infected..."
"She's turning into a Drought Fiend!"
"Kill her!"
Those aware of the truth suddenly showed expressions of dread.
Then, in the astonished gaze of all new arrivals, the soldiers began shooting without hesitation.
"Bang bang bang!"
A dense hail of bullets turned the mutating woman into a sieve.
Soon, she turned to ashes before everyone's eyes, leaving nothing behind.
Everyone witnessing the situation, especially the newcomers, felt as if they were in an icehouse.
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[Almost in the top twenty of fantasy, about to enter the overall leaderboard. Today is the first day of recommendation; let's push for the new book chart. Please support with votes or tips, anything helps!]