Shen Jin placed the Combustion Generator on the ground.
It was pure white all over, giving off a cold metallic air that perfectly suited Shen Jin's aesthetic as a low-voltage electrical engineer.
Of course, it was still cube-shaped.
Some internal components were visible through the opening in the front. The lower half was for fuel, while the small space above was a container, likely a small battery for storing electricity.
Combustion Generator Charging Slot: Empty Energy Buffer: 0/400 kW Fuel: Empty
The entire Combustion Generator looked extremely compact. Shen Jin tossed a piece of coal inside.
"Click~"
The Combustion Generator ignited at once. Coal burned beneath it, and the energy buffer gradually rose.
The temperature around it also rose considerably.
The fuel burned quickly, and the energy buffer steadily increased.
While it was burning, Shen Jin prepared to make an Energy Storage Unit.
Without one, the energy buffered inside the Combustion Generator would soon fill up.
Energy Storage Unit: Rechargeable Battery ×3, Insulated Tin Wire ×1, Wooden Plank ×5
Shen Jin went into another frenzy of crafting.
The Energy Storage Unit was complete.
After placing it on the ground, a large wooden box appeared, exactly the same color as the planks he used.
There was a cable outlet on the front, while the other sides were sealed, making its internal structure impossible to see.
Energy Storage Unit Charging Slot: Empty Equipment Charging Slots: Empty, Empty, Empty, Empty Energy Storage: 0/4000 kW Battery Slot: Empty
This Energy Storage Unit could be charged using Rechargeable Batteries, and it could also charge depleted batteries in return.
As for charging equipment, Shen Jin did not have any rechargeable equipment for the time being.
"So this little thing can store 4,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity?"
Shen Jin stared incredulously at the one-cubic-meter Energy Storage Unit before finally sighing.
"The system is freaking awesome!"
With the Energy Storage Unit, the electrical energy produced by the Combustion Generator finally had somewhere to go. Once it was full, even without fuel, he would have 4,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity for emergencies.
Shen Jin used three iron ingots to make a wrench.
Now he no longer had to worry about violently dismantling electrical appliances with a pickaxe.
After removing the two machines, Shen Jin dismantled his diesel generator and replaced it with the more energy-rich Combustion Generator, placing an Energy Storage Unit beside it.
"Hmm, I need to make two more Energy Storage Units as backups. When I go out in the future, I can bring one fully charged and have electricity wherever I go."
Nice!
To avoid constantly refueling it, Shen Jin directly tossed in an entire Coal Block.
One cubic meter of pure coal weighed a full 1.8 tons. Shen Jin wanted to see just how much electricity it could produce.
The Combustion Generator was connected to three Energy Storage Units, and all the electricity would be stored.
"Three Energy Storage Units, 12,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. That'll last me a long time."
A typical household only used four or five hundred kilowatt-hours of electricity a month for heating in winter.
"Isn't coal everywhere?"
To celebrate solving the electricity problem, Shen Jin waved his hand and flipped on the basement's main power switch.
Toward evening, Li Moxiao and Shang Qian, who had been bored out of their minds, suddenly brightened up. The lights in the house had turned on!
"Wow! So bright! I'm blind!"
Shang Qian quietly closed her eyes, savoring the long-lost light. Tears unexpectedly welled up in her eyes.
"After surviving a great catastrophe, I finally see the light."
Shen Jin walked over from behind them. "Li Moxiao, listen to those words! Then look at you—you're just uncultured."
Li Moxiao chewed on a Snickers, looking unconvinced.
"Hmph, so you really like girls with big boobs!"
Shen Jin looked completely baffled. "Hey! We were talking about cultural refinement."
"So having big boobs means you have cultural refinement?"
"It's the way she put it. It gives you a feeling. Don't you feel anything?"
Li Moxiao fell silent for a moment. "I understand now."
Shen Jin nodded approvingly.
Li Moxiao immediately added, "Sure enough, an old love can never beat a new one. Scumbag!"
"..."
Shang Qian had somehow been caught in the crossfire. Laughing helplessly, she continued preparing dinner.
Tonight would be her first attempt at conquering Shen Jin's stomach!
Shang Qian had thought it through clearly. She would use her skillful hands to warm Shen Jin's stomach.
As long as she could stay here, play pitiful, and survive this period, once the authorities arrived, she would be free as a fish in the sea and a bird in the sky!
"The apocalypse won't go on forever. I believe that!"
Shen Jin scratched his foot. "Believe what? The stir-frying is too loud, I can't hear you!"
"N-Nothing!"
After a harmonious dinner, they naturally gathered around the radio and listened to that evening's broadcast.
"Crackle, crackle~"
"Dear listeners, welcome to the China authorities' exclusive channel and tonight's daily information program."
"..."
"Finally, let us welcome Director Hu Shou of the Heaven and Earth Net Bureau, who will bring everyone the latest survival knowledge."
"Ahem, I'm Hu Shou. Today, we'll continue discussing 'Superhumans.'"
"Besides opening one's Gene Lock, Superhuman power has another form of manifestation: superpowers."
"Other professors may have touched on it before, but none of them covered it comprehensively. Superpowers are a form of Superhuman power. Humans can gain some kind of power beyond common sense—it could be ice, it could be fire, or it could even be farts."
"Please don't laugh. What if those farts were poisonous? Colorless and odorless—you could suddenly collapse just by standing beside someone. Used properly, it could be an extremely powerful superpower."
"Therefore, Heavenly Net defines superpowers as a special kind of power that exceeds human limits. Those who possess such powers are called 'superpowered individuals.'"
"The authorities and Heavenly Net have conducted very little research into superpowers. If any Chinese citizens have already awakened superpowers, we hope you can assist the authorities with research. Please call the satellite phone number: 033*******. The authorities will do everything possible to ensure your safety."
"If one day we truly find a stable method of awakening superpowers, the liberation of the entire nation will be just around the corner!"
"Crackle, crackle~"
"Awakening superpowers?"
Shen Jin took out the blood crystal Sun Can had given him and examined it again.
A brick-style satellite phone appeared in his hand, and he directly dialed Heavenly Net's number.
"Beep, beep, beep~"
"This is Hu Shou."
A deep, steady middle-aged man's voice came through. Even though Shen Jin had never met him, he could still feel the overwhelming pressure carried by the man's voice.
The call had actually gone straight to Hu Shou's phone.
"Director Hu, I have a lead regarding superpowers. You can investigate it."
"Mm. Luo Min, turn on the recording."
Shen Jin did not feel uncomfortable about the important call being recorded. Instead, he felt that Hu Shou was open and aboveboard.
"There are blood-red crystal cores inside Mutated Zombie heads. I assume you know that already?"
"Yes, we've found some," Hu Shou replied, writing in his notebook at the same time: Under thirty years old, suspected superpowered individual, capable of killing Mutated Zombies.
"I suspect these blood crystals may be able to guide humans in awakening superpowers, but they can't be swallowed carelessly. The energy will make you explode."
Shen Jin recalled how Sun Can had nearly been unable to withstand the backlash of that power after absorbing a single blood crystal, despite already having awakened a superpower. Ordinary people would almost certainly die.
"Someone has already tried it. They died. Did you awaken after eating one? What superpower do you have?"
Hu Shou's expression did not change as he glanced at the technician operating the satellite positioning system.
He wrote another note in his notebook: Q City, awakened after absorbing a blood crystal.
"I didn't awaken. I saw someone else awaken, and he told me about it."
A friend? Heh. Hu Shou did not alter the notes in his notebook. He needed a great deal of data to enrich the newly emerging field of Superhuman studies.
"Then, what is your friend's name?"
Shen Jin pondered for a moment. "Lu Qiang."
Having already shared the information Sun Can had revealed, Shen Jin asked the question he cared about most. "Director Hu, how far have the authorities' rescue operations reached?"
"That is classified military information and cannot be disclosed for now."
Shen Jin sighed, roughly understanding something. "Then one final question. If someone can eat an especially large amount, does that count as awakening a superpower?"
Hu Shou froze. "How much can they eat? The kind that can... devour all things?"
"Uh, the kind that eats four or five jin of steak in one meal. Director Hu? Hello? Hello? Hello!?"
"Beep, beep, beep."
(╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴
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