Chapter 29: Subspace Pouch

The brute of a raider was not killed in the end. Xu Wang was not joking; he truly had a use for keeping this raider alive. Of course, he had no intention of letting him go. As everyone knows, Xu Wang is a seasoned scavenger. For a qualified scavenger, recycling waste is a fundamental skill. This captive raider was exactly that: a piece of waste that could be put to use.

The "Flickering Text" was Xu Wang’s greatest cheat, yet he felt his understanding of it was still far too shallow. Because of this, ever since he had acquired the ability, he had been consciously testing and exploring its functions and rules. Leaving the raider alive this time was, in part, to continue his study of the text. After all, having returned to the shelter felt just like coming home. As long as he locked the heavy blast doors, Xu Wang figured he would have plenty of time to explore his abilities and train himself into a master of the wasteland. Once he became invincible, he could finally step out and enjoy life to the fullest.

Xu Wang thought this was a brilliant plan, grinning so wide his gums were showing. Beside him, Teddy managed to steady his emotions and smiled with relief, saying, "Now that the danger in the shelter has been cleared, we must hurry and seal the blast doors."

"Right, absolutely!" Xu Wang nodded happily, as Teddy was thinking exactly what he was thinking.

Teddy continued, "We also need to release the trapped residents, hold a victory banquet for you, and mourn our fallen kin."

Xu Wang nodded again, "Correct, my oversight. A celebration is indeed important."

Teddy, pleased to be in such agreement, added, "And then we shall return to our cryo-pods and wait another two hundred years to emerge. By then, the wasteland should be over."

"Exactly! Exactly!" Xu Wang nodded reflexively, before suddenly coming to a realization. Something felt wrong. He let out a sharp cry of "Ah!"

The sudden shout startled Teddy, who jumped and turned toward him, letting out a shriek of his own.

"Why are you yelling so loudly!" Teddy clutched his chest, still shaken.

Xu Wang stared at him with intense seriousness, disbelievingly asking, "Did you just say you intend to go back into cryo-sleep for another 200 years?"

"Yes!" Teddy nodded, looking dejected. "We originally thought that after 213 years, if the wasteland hadn't ended, at least civilization would have largely recovered. But the appearance of these raiders proves us wrong. They were able to reach the tunnel between Shelter 92 and Shelter 91, which means Shelter 91 must have already fallen. Unlike ours, Shelter 91 was populated entirely by women. I dare not imagine the tragic fate of those poor ladies at the hands of those uncivilized brutes. All of this proves that the wasteland outside is far from over. It is not yet time for us to emerge and reclaim our homeland. Therefore, during the days we were held captive, we already discussed this: if we were lucky enough to drive out the danger, we would seal the shelter again and enter hibernation. Thanks to you, we finally don't have to face those uncivilized barbarians!"

Teddy was genuinely happy, chuckling as he spoke. Xu Wang, however, felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

"But, but... we’ve only just woken up! Don't you want to go out and see the world?" Xu Wang attempted to persuade him. But Teddy, clearly traumatized by the raiders, refused to listen and had made up his mind to return to the pods.

There was nothing Xu Wang could do. There were over forty people in the shelter. They had no desire to face the harsh environment of the wasteland and preferred to trust the wisdom of future generations by sleeping for another two centuries.

"Do you not intend to sleep?" Teddy seemed to read Xu Wang’s mind, looking at him in utter disbelief. "Is there truly something out there that attracts you?"

Now that Teddy realized Xu Wang’s intentions, he began to try to persuade him: "Listen, most of the shelter's supplies were looted by the raiders. If you don't sleep, you will only starve. Do you really want to be like those wastelanders out there, eating radroaches and rad-rats every day? The outside is a dead end, and there isn't even a drop of clean water. You’ll die out there soon enough!"

Teddy felt he had been as earnest as possible, but Xu Wang, upon hearing this, became excited: "That is exactly what I want!"

A silence fell over the room. Eventually, Teddy sighed and nodded in resignation, "Fine, I respect your choice." After a moment's thought, he added, "Come with me, I have something here that might help you."

*Oh?* Is this the start of a quest-reward sequence? Xu Wang felt a surge of excitement and quickly followed Teddy. As the Overseer of a shelter, he surely had to have some good items.

They reached Teddy’s private quarters. As the sliding door opened, Xu Wang looked around curiously, only to find that the Overseer’s room was no different from his own. He was surprisingly frugal for a leader.

"Have a seat, I need to look for it." Teddy gestured for Xu Wang to sit in the living area while he rummaged through the room.

Xu Wang, feeling bored on the sofa, asked, "Shouldn't we release the others first?"

"They’ve been locked up for days, a few more minutes won't hurt," Teddy’s voice drifted from the back. Then, he exclaimed excitedly, "Aha! Found it!"

Teddy emerged from the room carrying a tactical-style waist pouch, solid blue in color with a strange white emblem printed on the surface.

"This is what you wanted to give me?" Xu Wang looked at the pouch with disdain. "Even if the thought counts, for an Overseer, this is a bit stingy. Don't you have a Gauss rifle or some energy weapons? I could really use those."

"You are quite the realist, aren't you?" Teddy gave him a helpless look. "Every shelter has a different layout. Unfortunately, we don't have any heavy-duty weapons here."

Teddy pressed the pouch against his personal terminal, fiddled with it for a moment, and then handed it to Xu Wang, instructing him to touch it to his own terminal. Xu Wang did so, though he was still confused.

"I have unbound it from my terminal. Once you bind it, it will belong only to you. Don't underestimate it; although it’s not the highest tier, this pouch utilizes singularity technology. It contains an independent and stable subspace."

"It links directly to your terminal. Through your terminal's interface, you can clearly view the items stored within the subspace and access them at any time. However, there is one thing to note: the weight capacity of the subspace is directly linked to your physical constitution. In other words, the stronger you are, the more the subspace can hold."

"As for the singularity technology, I don't need to explain that to you, do I? As a researcher for Blue Light Bio, I'm sure you know that most singularities are one-of-a-kind artifacts."