Chapter 4

The regular border troops received two unpalatable dry sweet potato and coarse grain cakes, a small piece of salted Shato beast meat, and a small bag of clear water. The formal reservists got one dry sweet potato and coarse grain cake and a piece of salted Shato beast meat, plus half a cup of clear water. The informal reservists only had half a dry sweet potato and coarse grain cake and a small half cup of water. The rough and hard texture of the dry sweet potato and coarse grain cake made Rick struggle to swallow. But the precious salted Shato beast meat, which he ate in small bites, and the clear water, which he sipped carefully, were treasured.

In the Samo Desert, no grain was produced, and only the hard and tough salted Shato beast meat was considered a local delicacy. Rick's family, before this, could not even afford such hard and rough meat, and could only eat the unpalatable dry sweet potato and coarse grain cakes every day. The salty flavor of the salted meat stimulated his numb taste buds, causing his stomach to secrete a large amount of digestive fluid, making the usually unpalatable dry sweet potato and coarse grain cakes taste better. The clear water helped him swallow the chewed meat and coarse grain cakes, and a sense of satisfaction he had never experienced before filled his body. Squinting his eyes, he slowly savored the bloody food, feeling very content. At the same time, he secretly thanked the mysterious voice that gave him hope to live.

After quickly and carefully finishing all the food, the monkey-faced man cleared his throat and looked at Rick's somewhat unappealing eating manner with disdain: "Have you never eaten meat before? Even licking your fingers? How disgusting!" Rick continued to ignore him. Just as the monkey-faced man was about to start a fight, a clear bell sound rang out. The bell was so clear that it echoed throughout the black sandstone buildings. The monkey-faced man, as if under a spell, licked his dry, cracked lips with difficulty, a trace of fear flashing in his eyes. Not only the monkey-faced man, but even the regular border troops stopped eating, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at a clean black sandstone building surrounded by a wooden fence. This was the only two-story building, originally for the company commander, but now occupied by an uninvited guest. Everyone, including Rick, looked at the two-story building with a hint of fear. Only the company commander's eyes flickered slightly, but he quickly hid his unusual expression and ordered the monkey-faced man to take a prepared meal to the superior.

The truly finely ground flour baked into a white bread, with a slightly yellow center, emitted a mouth-watering aroma. The tender and delicate Shato beast's loin was cut into a plate of shiny roasted meat. The pear juice, with added precious sugar, rippled with a light green hue in the wooden cup. Despite his lame leg, the monkey-faced man carried the meal steadily. Watching the monkey-faced man disappear into the two-story building, Rick's eyes moved, and he quickly收回了视线，沉默下来。

那清脆的铃声仿佛吸走了食物带来的欢乐，众人草草吃了些东西后，各自休息去了。躺在铺满绒草的床铺上，瑞克紧了紧怀中的短剑，再也抵挡不住困意，沉沉睡去。今天正式加入了边陲军，瑞克拥有了自己的小屋。虽然这间屋子真的很小，只有六七个平方，但比起七八个人挤在一间十个平方的破草屋中，已经强多了。怎么说这间屋子也是黑砂石建筑，遮风挡雨，还能抵御夜晚的寒冷。

……

瑞克刚睡着，几乎在同一时刻，一名黑发短发、脸色苍白的青年睁开了眼睛。“呜~！”用力捂着脑袋，脑浆几乎快要炸裂，李强本就苍白的脸上，仿佛刷了一层墙灰，更加难看了。艰难地呼吸着空气，但窒息感却越来越强。李强不得不强忍着脑中传来的剧痛，艰难地撑起身子，在床边摸索几下，找到了一个烤漆剥落严重的氧气罐。“嗤~！”大量清新的氧气涌入面罩，李强用力呼吸着，脸色渐渐恢复过来，但脑中的剧痛持续了足足半个小时才消失。脑中的剧痛渐渐消失，李强这才缓缓恢复了思考能力。习惯性地按动了手臂上的一个回放旋钮，眼前立即出现了瑞克经历的一切。艰难地做出杀人决定，杀死侍从夺得短剑，后来用撒黄沙的幸运手段杀死了二级战士学徒。当虚拟屏幕上出现那颗怪异的蜡封鹌鹑蛋一样的东西时，李强快速按下暂停键，面露沉思之色。慢慢完善着自己的想法，李强起身，缓缓活动着僵硬的身体。脚边躺着好几罐空空的氧气罐，昏暗的光线下，能够看出这间屋子的格局。比起瑞克那间黑砂石小屋，大不了多少。整体是用联邦移民通用合金铸造，桌椅和床铺，也全都是用移民合金制造。所以整间屋子充满了金属的冷硬感。除了床边滚倒在地的氧气瓶，再无其他物品。一罐正面朝上的氧气瓶，未完全剥落的纳米烤漆上，依然能够看出联邦文字的大致意思“人类联邦移民专用氧气罐”——这就是这些罐子的真正名称。走到一面硬邦邦的金属墙壁前，李强伸手擦了擦因没有足够电力供应而落满灰尘的墙镜，映照出一名青年的模样。黑短头发，显得干净利落，但眉宇间却充斥着一股难以掩饰的疲惫。五官端正，还算耐看。中等个头，属于很普通的人。只是肤色比较苍白，好似没见过太阳一样，甚至能看到苍白肌肤下的血管。一身紧紧贴着身体的丁等防护服，流线的造型和面部精巧的强塑面罩，让李强看起来充满科幻色彩。防护服整体除了有些老旧，就是双手位置磨损较严重，不少地方甚至能看出劣质修补的痕迹。在模糊的墙镜前站了一会儿，李强迈步来到床边，摸出两件非常原始的工具，锤子和凿子。那锤子和凿子，看来经常使用，把手处被磨得锃亮。目光掠过手腕上隐蔽的便携式游戏光脑，李强微微吸了口气，打开了紧闭的房门。房门只是稍稍打开，暴虐的电磁风暴夹杂着大量矿物杂质就涌了进来。李强马上关闭房门，迎着不时电弧乱闪的电磁风暴，低头快步往登记处走去。那些电弧和掺杂在其中的矿物杂质打在李强的防护服上，溅起阵阵光沫。这种好像小型铁弹打在身上一样的痛楚，对李强来说，已是家常便饭。

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The clear bell sound seemed to absorb the joy brought by the food, and after hastily eating, everyone went to rest. Lying on the bed covered with soft grass, Rick tightened the short sword in his arms, unable to resist the drowsiness, and fell into a deep sleep. Today, he officially joined the border troops and had his own small room. Although the room was really small, only six to seven square meters, it was much better than the dilapidated grass hut where eight to nine people had to squeeze into a ten-square-meter space. This room, made of black sandstone, provided shelter from the wind and rain and could withstand the cold of the night.

...

Just as Rick fell asleep, almost at the same moment, a young man with short black hair and a pale face opened his eyes. "Ugh~!" He clutched his head, feeling as if his brain was about to explode. Li Qiang's already pale face turned even paler, as if covered in wall dust. Struggling to breathe, the feeling of suffocation grew stronger. Li Qiang had to endure the intense pain in his head, struggling to get up. He felt around the bed and found an oxygen tank with severely peeling paint. "Sss~!" A large amount of fresh oxygen rushed into the mask, and Li Qiang breathed deeply, his face gradually regaining color, but the intense pain in his head lasted for a full half hour before it finally subsided. As the pain in his head gradually subsided, Li Qiang slowly regained his ability to think. He habitually pressed a replay button on his arm, and immediately, everything Rick had experienced appeared before his eyes. The difficult decision to kill, the murder of the attendant to obtain the short sword, and the lucky use of sand to kill a second-level warrior apprentice. When the virtual screen showed the strange wax-sealed quail egg-like object, Li Qiang quickly pressed the pause button, his face showing deep thought. Slowly refining his thoughts, Li Qiang got up and slowly stretched his stiff body. Several empty oxygen tanks lay at his feet, and in the dim light, the layout of the room could be seen. The room was not much larger than Rick's black sandstone hut. It was made of the general alloy used by federal immigrants, and the table, chairs, and bed were all made of the same alloy. The entire room had a cold, hard feel to it. Apart from the oxygen tanks that had rolled to the floor, there was nothing else in the room. On one of the oxygen tanks, the partially peeled nanocoating still showed the general meaning of the federal text: "Human Federal Immigrant Dedicated Oxygen Tank" — this was the true name of these tanks. Li Qiang walked to a hard metal wall and wiped the dusty wall mirror, which had no power supply, to see his reflection. He had short black hair, which looked neat and tidy, but his brows were filled with an unhidden weariness. His features were regular and somewhat attractive. He was of medium height, a very ordinary person. His skin was pale, as if he had never seen the sun, and even the veins under his pale skin were visible. He wore a tightly fitting D-class protective suit, with a streamlined design and a finely crafted reinforced face mask, giving him a sci-fi look. The protective suit was somewhat old, and the hands were heavily worn, with many places showing signs of poor repair. Standing in front of the blurry wall mirror for a moment, Li Qiang walked to the bed and took out two very primitive tools, a hammer and a chisel. The hammer and chisel, which were frequently used, had handles that were polished to a shine. His gaze swept over the hidden portable gaming light computer on his wrist, and he took a deep breath, opening the tightly closed door. The door was only slightly opened, and a violent electromagnetic storm, mixed with a large amount of mineral impurities, rushed in. Li Qiang quickly closed the door and, facing the electromagnetic storm with occasional arcs of electricity, lowered his head and quickly walked to the registration office. The arcs and mineral impurities hit his protective suit, splashing up light foam. This pain, like small iron pellets hitting his body, was a common occurrence for Li Qiang.

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