CHAPTER 21

The morning sun painted the sky with hues of gold as Shen Tian's eyes blinked open. He stretched, feeling the remnants of a good night's sleep lingering in his muscles. Another day dawned in his safe zone, a place of burgeoning possibilities and newfound alliances.

With a contented sigh, Shen Tian rose from his bed and made his way to the front porch. The cool breeze carried the promise of a fresh day, and he couldn't help but take a moment to bask in the serene atmosphere of his sanctuary.

"Hey system, why didn't you wake me up with an alarm today?"

[[ Notification: The system has determined that the host's mindset has adapted to his role as the safe zone owner. The system estimated that the host will wake up and do the quest voluntarily without the system's prompting. ]]

Shen Tian grinned after knowing the reason. At last, he can escape the sharp ringing of the alarm! He can wake up naturally now!

[[ Notification: The system can also continue waking the host up every morning. Do you wish to set an alarm for morning wake up call? ]]

"No!!", Shen Tian's frantic voice rang.

[[ Notification: ... ]]

Seeing that he had made the system speechless, Shen Tian chuckled nervously and coughed to clear his throat.

"There's no need. I, as a host, already have a sense of responsibility to this safe zone. No need for you to worry about waking me up!"

Shen Tian bluffed his way out of a sharp morning alarm. He wiped his invisible sweat when he successfully stopped the system from setting up an alarm.

After freshening up, Shen Tian settled onto the porch steps and took a breath of the fresh air in his safe zone. He realized that this safe zone is like an isolated piece of land that's sanitized from the zombie virus, considering that the air here inside is purer compared to the putrid air outside of the safe zone.

In a bit, a familiar holographic interface flickered to life before him, alerting him to a new quest.

[[ Notification: The host has taken the first step towards having a stable food supply. Quest triggered. ]]

[[ Quest Information: With stable food supply in sight, the host should turn his focus on setting up a stable water supply for the safe zone. Currently, the limited volume of drinkable water in the safe zone is enough for several days for the host alone. It will be too late to think about drinkable water once the survivor arrives. The host must prepare! Within the next five day, the host must set up a stable water supply.

Quest Requirement: 7 crystal cores, shovel 1000 kg of sand to the designated area, 1000 kg of pebbles to the designated area, 1000 kg of soil to the designated area

Building rewards: Water reservoir (1 unit - can supply the base building only) - level 1, Waste sanitation area (1 unit - can sanitize waste from base building only) - level 1

Other rewards: 100 Water purifying tablets, 10 empty gallon containers ]]

A spark of excitement danced in Shen Tian's eyes as he read through the quest details. Aside from this quest solving his urgent problem of safe drinking water, the prospect of unlocking new buildings and resources filled him with a sense of purpose.

Of course, while excited, Shen Tian can't help but complain to the system as well.

"Physical labor again?? I guess you really want me to stay fit, huh?"

He couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, the laborious quest requirement adding a touch of humor to his determination. The quest's demands might be substantial, but Shen Tian was ready to roll up his sleeves and embrace the task.

As he glanced at the designated areas, Shen Tian had to scratch his head as the sheer magnitude of the effort required became apparent. Shoveling sand, moving pebbles, and hauling soil – it was no small feat. He even started doubting whether or not he can fulfill the quest requirement within the time limit.

But the promise of a water reservoir and waste sanitation area spurred his excitement.

"Shao Haoran could've been a great help," Shen Tian mused aloud, a hint of regret tugging at his thoughts. "Just a bit more manpower would've made this easier."

He shrugged off the momentary regret.

"You can do this, Shen Tian!", Shen Tian hyped himself up after slapping his face. You're fully capable of meeting the challenge head-on. You just have to be determined and resourceful!"

The thought of his dwindling drinkable water also contributed to his determination to complete the task.

"Well, I can't afford to waste time," he muttered. "Fresh water and new buildings await!"

With a sense of purpose, Shen Tian rose from his perch and set off to start on the task. Luckily, he doesn't have to go out of the safe zone to gather crystal cores since he still have some left over from Shao Haoran's rental fee.

And so, Shen Tian headed to the shed to bring out the hoe and shovel. If he wants to complete the task soon, then he needs to start now.