As the morning sun appeared, casting its light upon the ground, people also rose to work. In the apocalypse, work was particularly important. If, two years ago, one didn't work, they could still receive some welfare. Even if they did nothing, under the protection of policies, ordinary people wouldn't starve. But in the apocalypse, survival became cruel, because if you didn't work, you definitely wouldn't eat!
Moreover, having a job meant one could still live within an ordered society. If even this last bit of order were lost, the apocalypse would truly have arrived.
Shen Feng was illuminated by the sunlight and woke up. However, he wanted to continue sleeping, so he pulled the curtains shut, blocking out the sun, and continued to slumber.
The servants dared not disturb him at this time, leaving Shen Feng to sleep. It wasn't until noon that Shen Feng slowly got up, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and prepared to leave with a large pile of meteorite slices.
Upon entering the living room, he saw Yue Hengyi asleep on the sofa. Even from a distance, he could smell alcohol, indicating Yue Hengyi was drunk.
Shen Feng frowned, walked over, shook Yue Hengyi awake, and then said, "Xiao Yue, you've been drinking? Are you still going with me to the ironworks?"
Yue Hengyi waved his hand, turned over, and with his back to Shen Feng, said, "I'm not going. You go by yourself. It's not a big deal anyway."
Shen Feng shrugged helplessly, took the meteorite, and prepared to leave. Kasahara Ranzi quickly followed.
"Lord Shen Fuyao, should I wake Lord Yi Hengyue and make him sober up?" Ranzi asked cautiously.
Shen Feng shook his head and said, "His conscience is being tormented. He can only sleep by getting drunk. Leave him be. Perhaps he'll be better in a few days. Let's go to the steel mill first!"
Shen Feng was still thinking about his twin swords. Ever since his titanium alloy longsword went missing in Yanjing, Shen Feng hadn't used weapons much. After all, he could unleash wind blades and didn't need the help of weapons. Now, by chance, he had obtained meteorite. He had long heard that mixing meteorite into the forging of swords would make them incredibly hard, and now Shen Feng wanted to test it. Perhaps it would really be effective.
When Shen Feng arrived at the ironworks, Ranzi quickly went to negotiate, and someone immediately agreed to forge weapons. Shen Feng watched as the meteorite melted in the furnace. In this way, even the extraterrestrial elements within would be evaporated by the high temperature or oxidized.
Since the meteorite had been melted, Shen Feng felt relieved. Now, besides the extraterrestrial elements on himself and Yue Hengyi, no one else could extract them from the meteorites.
"Miss Kasahara, are there any temples or similar places near Kagoshima? If not temples, then churches would do. The main thing is someone who can offer guidance!" Shen Feng suddenly asked Kasahara Ranzi.
Ranzi thought for a moment and replied, "There are temples, but they are not in the city. The city is all buildings. Near Sakurajima volcano, there is a temple. Due to the barren terrain, not many people live around it. However, this place is outside the city, and it's quite dangerous!"
"It doesn't matter, as long as there's a temple. We plan to visit in a few days. I don't care about the danger!" Shen Feng said calmly.
As far as Shen Feng was concerned, as long as the volcano didn't erupt, everything would be fine. Whether there were zombies or mutated beasts, they posed no threat to him. Going to a temple might allow the abbot to guide Yue Hengyi, preventing him from sleeping and drinking.
Ranzi hesitated for a moment and continued, "I heard there are also hot springs there. Would you two like to check them out?"
"There are hot springs? That would be best. I've never soaked in a hot spring before. I heard they contain many mineral components and can treat skin diseases. Then I must try it." Shen Feng's interest immediately deepened. He had long heard of the many benefits of hot springs, and now it seemed he could enjoy them in a few days.
Japan is a place with many volcanoes. The most famous volcano is naturally Mount Fuji, but it's not the only volcano. Many other volcanoes are also quite famous, and there are volcanoes in the Kagoshima region. Sakurajima volcano has records of eruption from over a decade ago.
With volcanoes comes the discovery of hot springs, as hot springs are always associated with volcanoes, whether active or dormant. In China, some places are called hot springs, but they are actually artificially heated water. Soaking in hot springs in China is still a luxury; generally, one can only enjoy true hot springs in Southern Yunnan.
Shen Feng heard that there were hot springs near the temple and became interested. He didn't expect there to be such a good place. First, he would take Yue Hengyi to the temple to ease his mind, at least to get some comfort from the old monk, and then they could go to the hot springs.
However, at this moment, Ranzi continued, "But because it's too far from the city, not many people live there anymore. How about I report to my superiors first and have them renovate the hot springs? It will only take a few days."
"Alright then, hurry up and fix the hot springs. I must enjoy the natural hot springs!" Shen Feng muttered to himself.
Afterward, Shen Feng left the steel mill. The meteorite had already melted, and the subsequent forging was the workers' business. Most of the extraterrestrial elements were likely removed, and he just needed to wait for the finished products.
Pure meteorite was not enough to forge two long swords and one mace, so the forging of weapons required the addition of steel. The final effect of the weapons would only be known when they were made.
Shen Feng, with nothing else to do, hid in his study and read manga. He was contemplating whether he should bring a large stack of manga back with him. Since there were many ships at the dock, taking a ferry wouldn't be a problem. However, he didn't know how to drive a ship, which was a serious issue.
At this moment, Ranzi quietly slipped out. She went directly to the government building and entered the conference room. Soon, someone was notified to call the key personnel for a meeting. The power in Kagoshima was held by large families, as it had been since ancient times. This was a disguised form of aristocratic power, with power always held by a few families and never transferred.
And Ranzi was the head of the Fujino family. Regardless, others had to show her respect. Moreover, in the eyes of the common people, Fujino-gong was a hero who died for Kagoshima's safety, and his granddaughter was even more highly regarded. Thus, people from other families all came here, ready for the meeting.
"I've asked all of you uncles to come today to discuss revenge. Now, I have discovered the weaknesses of two ability users. One is lustful, and the other likes to drink. I plan to set a trap to lure them away from Kagoshima. Once they leave the city and fall into our trap, our chances of winning will greatly increase. Furthermore, I plan to contact Tokyo and have them send ability users to assist!" Ranzi stated directly.
"Let's forget it, Ranzi. I know you really want revenge, but these two are too powerful. If we can't deal with them, we will face their retaliation. Isn't it good that they are staying quietly in the city now? Why take the risk?" Someone quickly raised an objection.
Others did not support Ranzi's suggestion but said seriously, "These two are too powerful, we cannot defeat them. Moreover, if we request support from Tokyo, Tokyo will take the opportunity to extort us, and we will have to pay a greater price. It's not worth it!"
Ranzi seemed to have anticipated the opposition from everyone. She directly said to the heads of several families, "I know you uncles are very conservative and think that the current problems should be solved with the least cost. Even if we have surrendered, even if we say nothing happened to the outside world, even if five thousand people died, it's nothing compared to the future benefits. But I want to tell you, this is the apocalypse, and only strength is eternal."
"So, if our strength is inferior to theirs, we shouldn't do anything to anger them! They will leave here once their injuries recover. This was their intention before!" someone replied.
"If we are inferior in strength now, it's all because of the existence of abilities. I admit that in the current world, only ability users are true powerhouses! But do you know? Kagoshima has no ability users right now. Who will protect us?" Ranzi continued to ask.
Matsushita spoke at this time, "You are wrong. We already have one ability user. Although he is still a child, he is a genuine ability user. We are now protecting him and observing his condition in the hospital!"
"Is that so? As far as I know, this child became an ability user because of the ability-enhancing serum carried by Shen Fuyao. This cannot be refuted, right? Then, if we can snatch the ability-enhancing serum, wouldn't we also become ability users?" Ranzi asked the most crucial question. Why not seize the ability-enhancing serum?
"Hmph, our strength is no match for them. Once we request support, the ability-enhancing serum will fall into the hands of people in Tokyo. We will be oppressed even more severely in the future. Instead of handing the ability-enhancing serum to others, it's better to do nothing!" This was the reply from others.
Ranzi looked around and found that no one from these families supported her. Although these people held high positions, they were very timid in their actions and unwilling to take any risks.
At this moment, Ranzi said earnestly, "I have more information in my hands about elements that can turn people into ability users. These elements come from outside Earth, even outside the solar system. The reason zombies appear is also because meteorites from outside the solar system fell into the Pacific Ocean, eventually leading to the emergence of the virus. And when the elements enter the human body, they can become ability users!"
"So what? Before, over two hundred ability users entered the divine realm to salvage meteorites, but they were almost wiped out. Fortunately, the Chinese commander was smart and chose a route to avoid the attacks of sea beasts, which is why they survived. It's even less possible for us to snatch meteorites from sea beasts."
"This is the most important thing I want to say. Shen Fuyao and Yi Hengyue possess over a hundred grams of elements! Enough to cultivate more than forty ability users! And only a few of us know about this, Tokyo definitely doesn't know about it!" Ranzi said slowly.
"Are you telling the truth? Do they really have so many elements?" When everyone heard this, they immediately sat up straight. They had originally planned to perfunctorily deal with this young girl, but now, upon hearing about such a large amount of extraterrestrial elements, they immediately became interested.
Matsushita even said directly, "If this is true, then we can completely request the help of Tokyo's ability users. After killing these two enemies, we will use the ability-enhancing serum as a reward. However, we can keep the over one hundred grams of elements for ourselves!"
Everyone had long heard that Shen Fuyao and the other person carried ability-enhancing serums, but the quantity would not be too large. According to the orphans at the shrine, there were only five or six bottles of green serum. Although these serums were precious, they dared not have any ideas due to the powerful strength of the enemies. If they requested Tokyo's intervention, then the ability-enhancing serums would not be theirs. Thus, everyone intended to let the matter rest.
But now, the other party had extraterrestrial elements, and others didn't know about it. As long as they hid it secretly, they could cultivate over forty ability users, and the number would directly exceed the number of ability users in Tokyo.
"For the future of Kagoshima, it seems we have to take a risk! I will contact Tokyo immediately. You all should also act quickly and prepare sufficient means to deal with the two powerful ability users. We must go all out!" Then, someone immediately made the decision. For so many extraterrestrial elements, they had to take a risk now.
Ranzi saw this scene and became excited, thinking silently, "Grandfather, it seems I will soon be able to avenge you. Those two villains who forced you to your death, I will send them to hell!"