When Jing Shu woke up this time, she still felt an overwhelming exhaustion, but it was definitely better than before. Once she confirmed that everything around her was fine, she immediately began examining her newly upgraded Cube Space.
Her excitement surged. If her guess was right, the Cube Space had advanced from its second form to the third!
The first form had been simple. After the Cube's initial unsealing, her consciousness could appear inside the space. She could see everything within, use her mind to control it, plant crops, and organize supplies. But she couldn't see herself in it.
In that form, she had absolute control over everything inside, like a ruler in her own little world.
The second form was semi-realistic, almost overlapping with reality. Every cube could combine into any shape and instantly appear before her. She could manipulate the Cube Space's contents in the real world, even multitask while talking to others. That made daily management effortless.
Ever since that upgrade, she could control the space anytime, anywhere. It became more intuitive, more visual—almost like the space hovered right in front of her eyes.
She could freely switch between the first and second forms.
Jing Shu had always assumed the third form would be complete materialization, fully real, no longer just a projection overlapping reality. But she never expected what came next.
One second she was lying inside her tent, the next she was suddenly standing inside the Cube Space itself!
Hundreds of glowing cubes floated neatly in front of her, their white light soft and steady. Around her stretched an endless darkness, deep and quiet, with no visible end. Beyond that darkness lay rows upon rows of supplies.
At the center stood the farmland, now doubled in size. The new half remained empty, neatly arranged beside the Spirit Spring, while the other half was full of vegetables, fruits, and grains.
Jing Shu stood by the edge of the field, staring at her own muddy cotton jacket in disbelief. She'd just crushed a few chili peppers underfoot. Crouching, she grabbed a handful of dirt—she could feel it. It was real.
Cautiously, she walked toward a cherry tree heavy with fruit. She plucked a few dark-red cherries and popped them into her mouth. Sweet juice burst across her tongue, lingering long after she swallowed.
Cherries, also known as big cherries, originally came from Chile. A few days ago, when she'd been inspecting seeds with Wang Dan, she'd stolen one to plant, thinking it'd be nice to have a treat later. Ten or so days had passed since then, and the cherries in her Cube Space had ripened perfectly.
Wait, that wasn't the main point.
The real shock was that she was inside the Cube Space—not as a spirit, not as a consciousness—but her entire body was actually there.
"The Cube Space can be entered now?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.
If that were true, then the apocalypse wouldn't be nearly as dangerous anymore. Whenever she was in trouble, she could hide inside the Cube Space. It could simulate perfect environments for plants and animals, so maybe it could also replicate conditions for human survival. Maybe she could even live inside it permanently someday!
But her joy was short-lived.
When she opened her eyes again, she was back inside the tent, still in the same raised-hand position as before. Nothing had changed. Even the taste of cherries lingered in her mouth, proof that it hadn't been a dream.
Had she really entered the Cube Space just now?
To confirm, she set her phone in front of her, turned on the camera, and started recording. Then she activated the third form again. The world around her shifted instantly, and she was back inside the Cube Space.
This time, she plucked peaches, pears, and apples, eating several of each. Then she stuffed a handful of cherries into her mouth and exited the space while still chewing.
When she opened her eyes, she quickly swallowed the cherries and grabbed her phone. Watching the video made her heart sink—while her consciousness was in the Cube Space, her body had stayed completely still in the tent.
"So what, this third form lets my consciousness fully enter the Cube Space? The 'me' inside it isn't my real body? What the hell is that supposed to be, some kind of conscious manifestation?" she muttered, frowning.
She ran several more tests, but still couldn't figure out the true function of this third form.
Was it just... for sneaking food?
Honestly, it fit the situation. Every time she entered the space through the third form to eat something, there were no traces or smells left outside. She could eat whatever she wanted, anytime, anywhere, just by closing her eyes.
Still, there was no way the third form existed solely for snacking convenience, right?
Jing Shu couldn't wrap her head around it. There had to be something more.
Wait—
She scanned the Cube Space again and froze. The black liquid she'd traded almost all her bugs to obtain before fainting... was gone. Completely gone.
Before the upgrade, she'd stored nearly a cubic meter of that stuff, and now there wasn't a drop left!
Then it hit her. Normally, Cube Space upgrades only took a few hours, but this time she'd been unconscious for days, and even now her mind still felt foggy and heavy, like someone had stuffed her brain full of something. Maybe the Cube Space had absorbed all the black liquid to evolve, and that's why she'd been out for so long.
The upgraded Cube Space also felt... different somehow. She couldn't tell exactly how, but there was a subtle change she couldn't explain. Maybe it had mutated.
Since she'd poured all her attention into the upgraded space—and could barely stay awake for more than two hours before passing out again—she hadn't taken part in much of the rescue mission's aftermath. Luckily, everything had gone smoothly without her.
What did surprise her, though, was hearing that Jun Bao had left with Hong Bin, Lǚ Liu, and Yang Yang. Apparently, they'd gone to search for areas rich in black liquid, since it had huge research value.
When she heard that, Jing Shu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She'd promised Jun Bao she'd handle the black liquid and even talked about joining his research company's shares. Now her Cube Space didn't have a single drop left.
Meanwhile, Li Dayou and his crew were transporting the seeds toward Wu City. The local villagers had been handed over to the rescue teams, traveling along with the seed convoy.
In the minibus, the only familiar face left was Hao Yunlai, who looked heartbroken every time she stayed asleep. Everyone else was new—a completely different rescue team.
Not long after, she dozed off again.
The next thing she knew, she was back inside the Cube Space, holding a tenth-tier Rubik's Cube. She twisted it absentmindedly, then suddenly noticed something. Practicing with the cube here made her mind sharper, her thoughts faster, even her hands more nimble.
Maybe that was the real secret behind the third form.