Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy! - Chapter 142

Chapter 142: Wintergreen Mushroom
In one of the households of a destroyed village, a mile away from the Military Base, twelve people crowded beneath the cellar, gathering around a flickering bonfire. These people hailed from the village uphill.

Due to their farmlands, they had refused the military’s aid and remained behind. Now, they regretted that decision.

The last of their reserves, the potatoes and sweet potatoes, had been consumed since last week, all their crops destroyed in the flood.

To make matters worse, their original village had been overrun by snakes and rats, driving them to flee to this place.

They had been forty people at first, but the rest had perished while fleeing or succumbed to fever and frostbite.

The cold was unbearable. At this rate, the survivors wouldn’t last much longer.

Two women began preparing dinner.

They fetched baskets from the corner and spilled their contents onto the floor.

If Nanzhi had been here, she would have been shocked by what lay before them.

The light green bioluminescent mushrooms, though smaller than usual and with less glowing spores, were scattered across the ground.

The women swiftly cleaned the mushrooms. Their movements were practiced, as though they had done this countless times before, skewering the mushrooms onto bamboo sticks.

The spores were collected separately, to be used for lamps. They provided the only light in the cellar.

Once the mushrooms were cleaned, they were roasted over the fire.

“It’s been an hour. Why isn’t Lao Tzu back yet?” the woman holding a baby murmured, her voice thick with worry. It had hailed this morning, and after the hailstorm passed, her husband had ventured out, foraging for food in case the winter worsened.

The women sighed in unison.

Once the mushrooms were grilled, they distributed the meal among the others in the cellar. Most of those remaining were children and elderly women.

The only man left was the husband of the woman holding the baby, who had taken it upon himself to provide food for them all.

“Cough… Cough…” A weak sound of coughing echoed through the cellar.

All eyes turned to the old woman lying on the mat. Her face was pale, drenched in sweat. Two children hovered by her side, wiping her sweat and calling softly, “Grandma.”

“Mother-in-law, please drink some warm water first.”

“Elder, we’ve finished grilling the mushrooms. You haven’t eaten since morning. Please have some.”

The old woman tried to speak, but only a fit of coughing came from her lips. She had been feverish since the afternoon but they no herbs or medicine to give her and only these mushrooms.

The two women quickly mashed the mushrooms into a paste, feeding it to the old woman.

She struggled to open her mouth, but the children helped her, feeding her the mushroom paste bit by bit. They followed it with a small amount of warm water.

As the paste slid down her throat, a warmth spread throughout her body, bringing her some relief.

The others continued to feed her. They weren’t sure if it was their imagination, but the old woman’s complexion appeared slightly improved.

After eating, the old woman closed her eyes. The others paused, frightened, but upon confirming that she was merely sleeping, they let out sighs of relief.

On the road, two military trucks rumbled past. It was the last rescue convoy for the winter.

The soldier in the passenger seat stretched his numb legs, glad to be heading back. This would be their last rescue operation before they retreated to the base to wait out the harsh season.

As the soldier relaxed, he suddenly noticed a faint glow on the side of the road.

“Wait, I think I saw something,” he said, rubbing his eyes. The light didn’t vanish.

He quickly alerted the driver, who stopped the truck. They both saw the glow.

Three soldiers jumped off the trucks and decided to investigate.

It could be survivors!

More survivors, more points!

About a hundred meters away from the cellar, a man was trudging through the snow, carrying an oil lamp filled with mushroom spores and wielding a sickle.

The temperature was -5 degrees Celsius, but he still had to search for mushrooms. His wife had only recently given birth, and she could not afford to starve while nursing the baby.

After more than ten minutes, he saw the familiar light-green glow in the distance. These mushrooms thrived in sharp rock formations, and he had to tread carefully through the snow.

When he finally arrived at the site, he pulled a knife from his pocket and began harvesting the mushrooms.

But as his knife grazed the mushroom stems, he noticed eight glowing red pinholes beneath the rocks. “Hiss… Hiss…”

Damn! How unlucky!

He quickly sprinted away without another thought.

Four snakes emerged from their hiding places, slithering after him.

The man tried to defend himself with his sickle, but he slipped in the snow, losing precious time. The snakes seized the opportunity to lunge.

Suddenly, gunshots rang out, followed by rapid footsteps.

The snakes were killed.

The man looked up, confused, only to see three soldiers.

Soldiers? Are they here to rescue survivors?

He scrambled to his feet, tears streaming down his face. “Sir! You’re here! My wife just gave birth, and the rest of my neighbors are waiting in the cellar for rescue…”

“Lead the way,” one of the soldiers said firmly.

The man could barely contain his relief.

Inside the cellar, the door creaked open. Everyone turned in surprise as they saw the man return, flanked by soldiers.

“Wife! Wife, we’re saved! Pack your things! These soldiers are here to take us to the base!”

“Mother… What happened to her?”

“She’s just asleep.”

Everyone smiled in unison, quickly gathering their things, including the baskets of glowing mushrooms.

The soldiers carried the old woman out and helped everyone aboard the truck.

The walkie-talkies had long since run out of batteries, so they had no knowledge of the situation at the base.

….

[1-star Glowing Wintergreen Mushroom X 99]

Nanzhi had harvested four slots worth of mushrooms from the dungeon.

Not bad.

The Glowing Wintergreen Mushroom was a delicate, translucent plant, its icy-blue cap laced with faint green veins that resembled frosty patterns. Its underside glowed with bluish-green pores that drifted like stardust. The slender stem transitioned from frosty white at the base to pale green near the cap, giving it an otherworldly appearance.

Item Appraisal.

[1-star Glowing Wintergreen Mushroom]

[A bioluminescent mushroom native to frost environments, it emits a faint greenish-blue glow, which intensifies under low temperatures. Highly sought after for crafting frost-resistant items.]

[Its spores possess medicinal properties.]