Exploding God

Second floor, southeast direction, area D.

Lu Ze quickly arrived near the target location.

The purpose of my visit today is simple: since I've decided to leave the city, I need to make thorough preparations.

There weren't many people here, and the tall bookshelves were piled high with books. Fortunately, there were quite a few movable lifts next to each bookshelf.

Walking to the planetary mapping bookshelf, Lu Ze climbed onto an empty elevator, set it to move slowly at 45 degrees, and then stood with his hands behind his back, letting the elevator carry him slowly as he quietly watched the books flash by.

"no……"

"No, not exactly."

"Wait, this one is good."

The elevator suddenly stopped, and Lu Ze reached out and took the scroll from the bookshelf, then slowly pulled it out and unfolded it.

World Geographical Map (Science and Education Press, 2073, Deluxe Edition).

Lu Ze opened the well-made world map and nodded in satisfaction after studying it carefully for five minutes.

This is probably one of the best-made civilian maps available. Because it's for civilian use, it doesn't have contour lines, but it clearly marks the distribution of vegetation and minerals, which are of most importance to the mapmaker.

The fogged area was printed entirely in black and white, with subtle color distinctions between the safe and dangerous zones as marked by the Combat Association, making it easy to distinguish and creating a clear contrast with the human-controlled area.

The map's material is equally impressive. When fully unfolded, it covers an area of ​​nearly 2 square meters and is made of ultra-light nanomaterials. By weaving specific metal fibers, the map possesses waterproof, tensile, and tear-resistant properties.

The price is a bit steep; this high-quality civilian map for science and education costs 920 yuan.

Lu Ze pondered for a moment...

After deducting recent expenses and the money paid to Jin Chenghui for equipment upgrades, he still had 3500 yuan left.

This does not include the material consumption for the trial production of the halo components, since the initial material investment has already been considered as Tang Yingqi's free support.

"So, I only have 2000 yuan left in my savings?"

This was the first time Lu Ze had frowned since waking up from his sleep.

While thinking, Lu Ze rolled up the map and slung it over his shoulder.

Since there are already 2000 left, what's the difference between having 1000 left and not having 2000 left?

So Lu Ze's expression returned to calm. He still needed a map of Asia, especially East Asia. Whether it was Shangnan City in the Yangtze River Basin or Shanghai, the first coastal city he was going to visit next, he would probably have to bring this map with him.

In the true fog-covered zone, electronic devices are no different from junk.

The bookshelf in front of us isn't there. Based on the layout of the area map we just saw, it should be the bookshelf in the side corridor.

Based on his speculation, Lu Ze controlled the elevator to extend its folding arm and reach to the side.

【really.】

The two entire bookshelves were filled with maps of East Asia, but many of the versions required careful identification.

When he saw the corner of the upper bookshelf, Lu Ze's eyes lit up, and he immediately grabbed the "book".

This time, Lu Ze chose a bound map instead of a roll map.

As for the publishing house, it was neither the Science and Education Press that had just been incorporated into Longmu Academy, nor the Bright Press that was incorporated into the Combat Association, but rather a product from Xingwutu Society. The book had exquisite biomimetic fiber coated paper inner pages, and it was a thick, heavy book with a very high-quality feel.

Lu Ze was genuinely pleasantly surprised.

At this time, Xingwu Publishing House was just an unknown small publishing company, seemingly on the verge of bankruptcy.

However, Lu Ze knew clearly that this publishing house was a geographical and graphic institution that would have a place in the future. They were the first team to propose and prove the structure of the Misty Tower.

They will absolutely not go bankrupt. Who would think that a huge national organization would shut down an observation post that has finally taken root in the front line of the fog?

Is that possible?

It's impossible!

After casually flipping through a few pages, Lu Ze nodded in satisfaction. The level of detail in the local map annotations was not as good as the Science and Education Edition or the Guangming Edition; the difference was clearly visible to the naked eye.

However, the focus of the maps published by Xingwu Map Publishing House has never been on these conventional data. Their annotations on hydrology and vegetation take up far more space than the introduction of conventional geographical features, and the entire book is waterproofed and protected against insects.

In other words, this is a map that looks very professional but is actually not very serious.

Unfortunately, the price is as high as... 1340 yuan!

Lu Ze saw from the book label that the book was added to the warehouse 4 months ago, while the other map books were added to the warehouse within 1 month.

Therefore, the truth is that this picture book has received very little attention since it was put on the shelves.

This aligns well with the development strategy of Xingwu Pictures.

They do things professionally without being ostentatious, perfectly combining the task of monitoring the fog with a disguised job of loafing around and waiting to die.

Lu Ze was satisfied. He closed the book he was reading and prepared to call it a day and head home.

But just then, a soft exclamation rang out from the side, carrying a familiar feeling and pleasant to the ear.

"Where was that star atlas just a moment ago?"

Her voice was as clear and sweet as spring water, and her slender profile carried the fragrance of a young girl. Her questioning gaze unconsciously turned to the dark figure in the corner of her eye, but just as her eyes had swept halfway over, she caught sight of the unique parchment cover of the Starry Mist Atlas, printed with brown mountains.

"You took it...wait, oh?"

The pleasant voice suddenly rose slightly when she was about halfway through the sentence, revealing the girl's undisguised surprise.

"It's you!"

"Is it you?"

Lu Ze smiled and spoke at the same time as Lin Yunxue, saying the same word in perfect unison. However, the girl's expression was one of surprise, while the boy's was one of curiosity.

Just as Lin Yunxue was unaware that Lu Ze would also appear here, searching for books that matched her needs, Lu Ze was equally surprised that the academic goddess of Shangnan High School would skip class and come to the same place.

At school, Lin Yunxue always treated everyone with a calm and composed attitude. She didn't discriminate based on their background or social status, nor did she get overly close to anyone. She gave off a generous yet somewhat distant vibe, and her classmates rarely saw any expression beyond her composure.

But at this moment, Lin Yunxue narrowed her eyes slightly, and her originally somewhat cold eyes now revealed a hidden charm.

"Good morning," Lu Ze greeted with a smile.

"Good morning." Lin Yunxue glanced at the time and didn't respond, but she quickly perked up.

"I need it, can you part with it?" the girl asked, pointing a finger at the Starry Night Atlas.

"No," Lu Ze said with a slight smile.

Lin Yunxue's fair and rosy cheeks trembled slightly. She took a deep breath and continued in a calm tone, "I noticed this picture book a long time ago."

"But you didn't take it." Lu Ze waved the map in his hand.

Lin Yunxue took a deep breath. She felt that the mental state she had cultivated through self-discipline and tempering seemed to be on the verge of collapse in front of Lu Ze.

At this moment, on the second floor, in section D of the book center, next to the tall bookshelves, two elevators faced each other across the void, and an invisible current seemed to be generated in the air.

Lin Yunxue initially thought that Lu Ze was deliberately going against her, but when she saw the map roll slung over his shoulder, she quickly dismissed that idea.

She hadn't expected that Lu Ze actually came here because he needed a map.

So what was Lu Ze's purpose in taking this map?

In the blink of an eye, Lin Yunxue regained the confidence she possessed as a Moonlight Knight and a top student in Shangnan.