Chapter 191
The Patriot led their men to the designated location, and upon seeing the hills surrounded by pine forests, they immediately understood:
"This is our new base after the relocation."
The guerrillas all knew the inside story, and since Shi Lei was keeping a low profile, they naturally wouldn't reveal it.
This quiet dedication earned them even more admiration from the guerrilla members. As infected individuals who had lived on the ice plains even earlier than the Rhodes Island, they understood all too well just how important a good base was.
Unaware of the truth, the infected entered the Stone Fortress and saw so many perfectly intact rooms. They cheered and jumped for joy, as if they had never seen anything like it before.
Wow, this place has been renovated so well!
"There are so many empty rooms, even if we squeeze in, it will be enough. I don't want to pitch a tent again, I won't be able to sleep all night if there's a strong wind."
"Strange, why are you leaving such a good place unused? It's such a waste!"
The Stone Fortress is structured somewhat like a bottle, with a vent at the top. If you feel cold while staying here, you can close the stone door to keep out the cold air.
This place not only has hundreds of rooms, but also many well-concealed sentries inside. Small holes can be used to observe the outside world, and these holes can be blocked off when not in use.
From the outside, the Stone Fortress appears to be nothing more than ordinary hills. Dense pine forests are common throughout Ursus. But once inside, one discovers a hidden world within.
More than two thousand people entered the Stone Fortress and began to divide up the living areas. The Rhodes Island had about a thousand people, so there were naturally more rooms to be divided up.
The guerrillas were very disciplined; no one went looking for rooms until the leader gave the order. They only occupied the remaining rooms after the Rhodes Island had distributed them.
Shi Lei handed over all the ingredients he brought to Chen, asking her to help distribute them to the Rhodes Island. Exusiai and the others assisted, keeping themselves busy and happy.
Shi Lei ignored the glances cast at him, both overt and covert, by the infected individuals. He found a room, settled in, and sat cross-legged on the stone bed, closing his eyes to rest.
The release of a massive Planet Befall at noon, coupled with the construction of the Stone Fortress, left Shi Lei feeling slightly fatigued. This feeling wasn't severe; it was more like Sage Time relaxation. He estimated that after a short rest, he would be fully recovered.
Half an hour later, someone knocked on the door:
"Are you there, sir? I hope I haven't disturbed you?"
Shi Lei used his mind to open the stone door and saw Alina he had rescued on the road earlier.
The other person was carrying a flower basket, which contained not only a few fresh flowers but also freshly picked red berries.
"Sir, thank you so much!"
She entered the house with a humble attitude, bowing to express her gratitude. As she stood up, she grinned, revealing a sunny smile.
"If it weren't for your rescue, Talulah would likely be in mortal danger, and the Rhodes Island would cease to exist. I have nothing of value to repay you with, these are just some freshly picked berries, I hope you won't find them offensive."
For a fleeting moment, Shi Lei felt that Alina and Lisa were very similar. Their smiles were both incredibly clean and pure, like sunshine, healing the soul.
Knowing that the Rhodes Island was facing food shortages, he reached out and picked up a few flowers, but didn't take the flower basket or berries:
"Keep the flowers, I appreciate the sentiment. Take these berries back and share them with the children."
"This..."
Seeing Alina's troubled expression, Shi Lei smiled and said:
"Take it back; you need this more. I do many things because I want to. I've never thought about how you will repay me, nor do I need to."
"But..."
"There's no 'but,' so you don't need to feel guilty about it. I want to clarify that I have absolutely no intention of showing disdain. But this food should be given to those who need it more."
Alina's expression was complicated.
Head bowed.
She gripped the flower basket tightly with both hands, as if she were going through a fierce internal struggle:
"Grown ups..."
"Um?"
"I know this is presumptuous. But I still hope to get your reply, is that alright?"
Shi Lei knew that the other party's visit this time wouldn't be as simple as bringing flowers and berries, and he replied:
"What is it? Tell me first."
Alina stepped outside the door, and seeing that no one was eavesdropping in the hallway, she went back inside and said:
"My lord, I don't know how to describe it. In short, some of Talulah's ideas are too idealistic. She might do something irrational in the future. With my current abilities, there's no way to stop her. May I know your contact information?"
That way, if the Rhodes Island goes down the wrong path later, at least I can still ask you for help.
Seeing that the other person didn't respond, she looked flustered. Her anxious expression made it seem as if she was about to cry.
"My lord, I know this is presumptuous, but I truly have no better way."
Shi Lei has never revealed his face so far.
Even when eating, she would remove the chin part of the mask and never show her true face.
In response to Alina's request, he pondered for a moment before replying:
"You don't need to look for me, look for Chen."
"Huh?"
"It's that woman with the Dragon Horn; she's a superintendent in the Lungmen Guard Department. If she feels it's necessary after receiving your message, she'll pass it on to me."
"Oh, thank you so much!"
The antler-wearing girl was overjoyed, completely surprised that Shi Lei would agree so readily. Her delight was palpable; after repeatedly thanking him, she took her leave.
"I'll go out now, so as not to disturb your rest."
Shortly after she left, another woman quietly approached the bedroom door without knocking. Sensing it was a member of the family, Shi Lei used his mind to open the stone door and asked:
What are you doing standing outside?
"I'm sorry, sir!"
To protect it from the wind, the stone house had no windows. Mudrock thought he wouldn't be discovered by tiptoeing, but when Shi Lei opened the door, he quickly apologized.
"Did I disturb your rest?"
"No, is there something you need from me?"
When Shi Lei dealt with the five Inner Guards, Mudrock was at an altitude of a thousand meters and unable to provide assistance. It wasn't until after she landed that she discovered the enormous Planet Befall that had appeared out of nowhere.
Everyone else thought he was amazing, focusing on his Originium Arts and his strength. Only Mudrock, from beginning to end, focused on him as a person:
"Sir, you never rest this early. Are you feeling too tired? Actually, I..."
A little massage can help relax your muscles and joints.
Shi Lei was somewhat amused and exasperated, and politely declined:
"It's alright, I've almost recovered. If you have nothing to do, you can help them move things."
"No, compared to those trivial matters, your safety is more important! If you're sleepy, go and get some more sleep. I'll stay here and watch over you!"
Mudrock's earnest tone revealed a silly, endearing quality that warmed his heart. He didn't refuse her kindness and smiled with satisfaction.
"Okay, then rest a little longer. Call me when it's time to eat."
"OK."
Seeing his companions leave empty-handed, Shi Lei seemed thoughtful. He didn't need a weapon, but Mudrock did. He immediately began to condense Rock Element, preparing to forge a weapon.
In the Genshin Impact game world, there were no legendary weapons like hammers to reference. He forged a Rock Hammer of immense hardness based on his own design. In terms of hardness, it was definitely superior to the iron hammers used by Mudrock.
Shi Lei carefully polished the hammerhead and handle, and after confirming that there were no flaws, he got up and left the room.
Hearing the door open, Mudrock turned around. His eyes lit up when he saw the Rock Hammer in his master's hand.
Exusiai a gun, Chen uses a sword. Besides himself, who else here uses a hammer?
Is this considered a gift for adults?
Happy.
Shi Lei handed the hammer to his family member and asked with a smile:
"So, do you like it?"
I stroked the Mudrock back and forth, finding it irresistible:
"I like it very much, thank you, sir!"
"Yes, I'm glad you like it. Also, don't worry about my health, I'm fine."
After giving his instructions, Shi Lei turned and went back into the house.
As soon as the door closed, Mudrock gripped the smooth hammer handle and rubbed it back and forth, feeling the unique aura of its owner.
She even pressed the hammerhead against her face, practically using the Rock Hammer as a pillow.
Standing here guarding the goal doesn't make Mudrock feel tired. As long as she's within a certain range of Shi Lei, she can always feel full of energy.
Although Shi Lei did not publicly state how he would deal with the Rhodes Island members who knew about this, Talulah and the others were well aware of it. Entrusting the patrol work of Stone Fortress to the guerrillas was tantamount to passively accepting supervision.
After the sun set, the infected people had prepared dinner, but no one dared to come and disturb them.
In the end, it was FrostNova who stepped forward and asked Mudrock in a low voice:
"Excuse me, is the master awake now?"
She spoke softly, but Shi Lei still heard her. After resting for so long, she had fully recovered.
"I'm awake, let's go."
When he appeared in the Stone Fortress castle hall, countless infected eyes turned to him.
Come over.
The guerrillas held this extraordinary Divine Doctor, who could cure Originium-related illness and possessed exceptional skills, in utter admiration. But the Rhodes Island was a different story; their feelings were a mixture of reverence, fear, apprehension, and wariness.
The scarcity of resources meant that people couldn't indulge in lavish feasts like at a party. But now, being able to have a hot meal is enough to satisfy most people.
After the meal, Shi Lei returned to his room.
He felt that he had unknowingly formed a thick barrier with certain infected members of the Rhodes Island.
It's as if there's an invisible class caliper that divides the two into high and low, noble and base.
This feeling made Shi Lei somewhat uncomfortable, but he didn't think about dealing with it; he was leaving when it was time anyway.
In the days that followed, Shi Lei rarely went out. He spent all his time playing mahjong in his room with Mudrock and others.
Exusiai really wanted to get Chen involved, but the righteous Officer Chen resolutely refused to touch drugs or gambling. She helped the infected people every day and earned a lot of praise.
Talulah had been secretly keeping an eye on Shi Lei's movements these past few days, seemingly wanting to have a private talk with him. Unfortunately, he was always surrounded by people, and she couldn't find a suitable opportunity.
On the sixth day, members of the guerrilla team who went out to trade with caravans brought back astonishing news.
The Ursus military announced that five Inner Guards had disobeyed His Majesty the Emperor's urgent summons, amounting to treason. A reward was offered for information leading to their arrest.
Patriot learned of this, they were even less likely to allow the infected members of the Rhodes Island to go out freely.
The task of buying and selling supplies in villages and cities was entirely handled by the guerrillas.
Talulah is now living under someone else's roof and has not yet completed the alliance, so she can only accept a situation similar to imprisonment.
By the seventh day, not a single Ursus regular army unit had appeared within a 20-kilometer radius of the Stone Fortress.
That night, Shi Lei called everyone outside. After bidding farewell to Patriot and the guerrillas, he led everyone to take off from the Rock Observation Deck and begin their return journey.
He flew for less than two days, departing on the night of October 9th and entering Lungmen territory on the afternoon of October 11th.
255 This FrostNova is just lousy (3K)
October 11, 5:49 pm
Shi Lei controlled the Rock House, flying into Lungmen airspace. He didn't descend to the outpost checkpoint and follow the proper entry procedures. Instead, he flew over Lungmen city, estimated the approximate location, broke through the clouds, and rapidly descended.
Fortunately, the windows of the Rock House have bars, so you can only look straight ahead from the inside. If you could lean out and look down from thousands of meters above, it would easily make you feel dizzy. People with a fear of heights would be so frightened that they would sit up and not get up.
The Rock House descended rapidly, slowing down when it was about 500 meters from the ground. It then adjusted its position and landed on the flat ground outside the Taiheng Road warehouse, bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
"Arrive."