Fang Yuerong, no longer the ravenous wolf, finally returned to normal, her demeanor shifting from one that sought to devour people to a more composed one.
Leading the way, she explained, "That turtle was three to four meters large. Little Huang fought it twice and both times returned without success."
That meant it was about the same strength as the leeches, Qin Shilei thought, instantly gaining a better understanding of the situation.
The group soon arrived at the bank of the Chiyuan River. There, a massive turtle lay basking lazily in the sun.
Qin Shilei teleported in front of the turtle. With a wave of his right hand, the Blood Soul transformed into a red light, slashing towards the turtle's neck.
However, the turtle, which had its eyes closed, swiftly retracted its head into its shell at the critical moment.
Immediately after, its four thick legs also retreated.
Qin Shilei waved his hand again, a sharp sword energy aimed at its back.
A yellowish-brown light flickered. The hard turtle shell surprisingly blocked the sword energy, leaving Qin Shilei's attack in vain.
Seven Stars Fall From the Sky!
After delivering six consecutive strikes, Qin Shilei raised the Blood Soul high and brought it down forcefully onto the turtle's back.
A sword energy nearly five meters long flashed from the Blood Soul sword, cleaving towards the turtle with destructive force.
This time, even the turtle, renowned for its defense, could not withstand Qin Shilei's combat skill.
It was split in two, irrevocably dead.
Witnessing Qin Shilei's unstoppable sword strike, the lingering thoughts in Fang Yuerong's heart vanished completely.
"The turtle is gone. Can we proceed with the repairs now?" Qin Shilei asked, collecting the turtle.
Hearing this, Fang Yuerong immediately instructed, "What are you all standing around for? Get to work."
The more than ten youths replied with bitter expressions, "Our hands and feet are weak. We have no strength to work."
Fang Yuerong scoffed, "Useless soft-footed shrimps. Over ten of you couldn't even handle one old me."
Qin Shilei tossed out a thick turtle leg. "Eat this to recover your strength, then quickly fix the generator for me."
He paused, then added, "Fang Yuerong, you can play as you wish, but you're not allowed to force others, nor let your pets suck their blood. If anyone dies, you'll be held responsible. I'll go back and get more people. You start the repairs."
Qin Shilei rode on Little Qiang and returned to Hope City. He had a sub-captain of the Rock Armor Battalion lead a hundred warriors and dozens of technical personnel to the hydropower station.
The sub-captain, named Lu Fenghua, possessed Black Iron three-star cultivation and was in his thirties. Upon seeing Fang Yuerong, he was instantly captivated and persistently pursued her with solicitous attention.
Fang Yuerong seemed to also take a liking to Lu Fenghua, exchanging flirtatious glances. The two quickly became entangled.
"I hope Lu Fenghua can subdue this Fang Yuerong," Qin Shilei mused inwardly.
After a full day of repairs, the hydropower station finally resumed power generation.
Qin Shilei ordered other lines to be disconnected, leaving only the one leading to Hope City.
The moment the circuit breaker was closed, Hope City lit up.
Immediately, thunderous cheers erupted from Hope City.
Having electricity meant no more dismantling wooden furniture to cook; it meant no more sitting in the dark at night with nothing to do but sleep early; it meant old appliances could be used again, single-player mobile games could be played, and novels could be read.
Everyone was shouting, cheering, and releasing their excitement.
At the dinner table.
Zhang Cheng spoke, "Shilei, today five to six thousand survivors came to the outskirts of Hope City, requesting to join us. What are your thoughts?"
Qin Shilei said indifferently, "If they have enough crystal cores to purchase entry qualifications, we naturally welcome them to join."
Zhang Cheng replied, "They don't have that many crystal cores, but they offered to exchange a piece of news for entry qualifications."
"Oh," Qin Shilei said, suddenly interested. "What news is worth ten thousand crystal cores?"
"A mutated corn that fills you up after one bite."
Zhang Cheng took out a cob of corn, peeled it, and broke off an unripe kernel, handing it to Qin Shilei.
Qin Shilei took the kernel and ate it directly.
Although the corn was unripe, a gentle bite released a burst of sweet flavor that filled his mouth, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
After swallowing, he felt half-full.
If this corn were truly ripe, perhaps one kernel would suffice for a meal.
Qin Shilei nodded, "Not bad. If they have the seeds for this corn and can successfully cultivate it, then ten thousand crystal cores wouldn't be unreasonable."
Zhang Cheng shook his head, "They only have this unripe corn, which cannot be used as seeds. They just said they picked this corn from a field, where there are hundreds of acres of mutated corn that will mature soon."
Qin Shilei asked, "Their intention is to trade the location of that field for residential qualifications worth ten thousand crystal cores?"
Zhang Cheng nodded, "Precisely. How to finalize the exchange, you'll need to negotiate with them."
Qin Shilei readily agreed, "Alright, I'll meet with them tomorrow."
After dinner, Qin Shilei, An Qian, and Zhang Xiaoli entered the small space.
They first underwent their usual round of lightning baptism.
Then, they arrived at the foot of a large mountain, next to a colossal rock.
Qin Shilei took out the Spiritual Spring Eye and placed it in the soil beneath the rock.
Instantly, a stream of clear spring water gushed out and flowed into a dug-out pit of about ten mu in front of them.
Outside the pit, a river channel, dug by Qin Shilei's people in recent days, extended far into the distance.
An Qian cupped her hands, scooped up some spring water, and took a sip. "It's so sweet! One sip and I feel completely invigorated," she said joyfully.
Zhang Xiaoli also bent down, scooped up spring water, and took a large gulp. "It tastes better than any drink. We'll use this spring water to cook from now on."
Qin Shilei also drank a few mouthfuls of spring water, then said, "Alright, it's time to start building our little home."
The three cleared a large open space nearby and began constructing a bamboo house using the cut bamboo.
The bamboo here was incredibly tough, making it ideal for building houses.
Before entering, the three had consulted relevant construction experts on building requirements and obtained satisfactory blueprints.
With their high strength and excellent coordination, along with their divine weapons, their house-building speed was no slower than skilled craftsmen.
A few hours later.
A bamboo house with three bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom took shape.
The entire bamboo house was elevated eighty centimeters off the ground, appearing natural and aesthetically pleasing.
"This is our home. It's wonderful!" An Qian exclaimed with delight, looking at their completed labor.
"Tomorrow, we'll gather more bamboo to enclose the area, create a small courtyard, and plant some flowers. That should be good," Zhang Xiaoli imagined the beautiful scene of opening the door to a garden.
"One more step. Let's get electricity connected first." Qin Shilei activated the generator placed in a hidden location.
The small space, like the outside world, had a distinction between day and night.
They had been using battery-powered lights for illumination earlier.
As the generator started up, a huge roar echoed, instantly souring Qin Shilei's mood.
[Perform attribute refresh?]
[Refresh.]
Energy Saving (Blue): Halves the oil consumption for power generation.
Silent (Green): I am the silent prince, remember to give me a five-star review!
Abundant Electricity (Green): Power generated can support the use of more electrical appliances.
With a gentle click from Qin Shilei, the entire world suddenly fell silent.
"Alright, after working hard all day, let's take a bath first."
With that said, he scooped up the two women and teleported into the small lake, which had already been filled with water.