"Clatter."
As the recording pen in Shen Lian's hand fell to the ground, thousands of kilometers away—
A goblet smashed onto the floor, wine splashing everywhere.
Canglan Continent, Novice Landing Zone No. 128.
Eagle Country's Seventh Base.
"Fuck!!"
A furious roar echoed through the command room.
Wearing sunglasses and built like a slab of meat, the leader Mike pounded the table, making even the cigar box atop it jump.
"What the hell is going on with this Huaxia person?!"
Mike pointed at the screen that had yet to go dark, his eyes bloodshot.
"What exactly has Huaxia Country been hiding from us?"
"Did they know about our plan all along, so they deliberately raised this monster to target us?"
"Sir..."
Jesse, the adjutant beside him, swallowed and cautiously suggested,
"I think the first thing we need to do is notify Captain Alice and the others through the Satellite Phone."
"That 'needless to say' is too terrifying. They must avoid Huaxia's team and absolutely not come into conflict with them."
"I'm worried—"
"Fuck! Shut up!"
Mike suddenly turned his head, spraying Jesse's face with spit.
"Are you teaching me how to do my job, Jesse?!"
"What is there to fear from a mere Huaxia person?!"
Mike took a deep breath.
"Use that pig brain of yours and think!"
"If this really is his normal combat power, his trump card, would he be so generous as to publicly release the video for us to see?"
"No! Absolutely not!"
Mike let out a cold laugh, his tone certain.
"He must have used some kind of one-time special item, or a sacrificial supernatural ability with an enormous price!"
"That's the only way he could have created that kind of visual effect!"
"This is Huaxia Country's Empty Fort Strategy! It was deliberately meant to scare us!"
"Otherwise, why would he display a battle recording containing such precious intelligence? Is he an idiot?"
After hearing that analysis, Jesse was stunned for a moment, then revealed an enlightened expression and sincerely gave a thumbs up.
"Oh my god... Sir, you're too smart!"
"I never thought of that! This must be the Huaxia people's psychological warfare! They're feeling guilty!"
"What should we do next? Send assassins to eliminate that Huaxia person and expose his trick?"
"NO!"
Mike shook his finger and made an X.
"Our primary goal is to explore Weird Island, establish the first S-class Shelter, and claim the rewards!"
"There's no need to personally step in and clash with Huaxia Country at this crucial moment."
"Though I'm not afraid, there's no need to waste bullets."
"Besides..."
An extremely fake smile appeared on Mike's face.
"Didn't the President give a speech on the news saying that we love the people of Huaxia Country and Su Country most of all?"
"We're friends, aren't we?"
"However..."
Mike suddenly changed the subject, lit a cigar, and grinned wickedly.
"Friends are friends, but we wouldn't mind causing them a little trouble and testing that Huaxia person's true caliber."
"But it can't be us doing it, understand?"
Jesse instantly caught on.
"Sir, I understand."
"I'll notify Cherry Blossom Country."
"I'll tell them that the Huaxia person has an S-class item and let them test the waters."
"Very good."
The two exchanged smiles, reaching an understanding.
Jesse left with the tablet computer in his arms. Smoke swirled through the tent, concealing the conspiracy about to arrive.
"Whew!"
The car door slowly slid open.
Jiangnan stepped barefoot onto the Alloy Pedal, feeling the cool morning breeze, tinged with a trace of gunpowder smoke, brush against his face.
Though the air still carried a faint burnt smell, compared to the blood and rot stench in the cellar, this was already top-grade air.
In his hand was a silver tablet computer brimming with technological flair.
A line of tiny words was printed on its back: Produced by Sky Curtain—leader exclusive.
Jiangnan sat on the vehicle steps and lazily began fiddling with the tablet.
This had automatically materialized in his hand when the system announced that the Shelter System had been activated.
Only...
The timing had been a little awkward.
He had been in the middle of a B rush.
After using [Dragon Impact] + [Energy Pour] and successfully defeating the other side,
he had finally freed one hand, still wanting more, and hastily checked what the tablet did.
"I was too excited at the time and didn't look closely."
Jiangnan's gaze cleared.
Since he had decided to build a force in this apocalypse, this Management Terminal was of paramount importance.
He swiped open the screen. The interface was simple and clear, with only several APP icons.
[Information] [Members] [Rankings] [Map (Locked)] [Area Chat (Locked)] [Trading (Locked)]
Jiangnan opened [Information] first.
[Shelter Information] [Type]: Mobile Shelter [Level]: F-class (25 square meters) Note: The level is tied to the effective living area inside the shelter. F-class: 10–49 square meters E-class: 50–99 square meters D-class: 100–199 square meters... [Current number of people]: 6 [Defense power]: D-class (Special Alloy Armor) [Traits]: Fear Aura (S-class) [Comprehensive rating]: C-class [System suggestion]: Your territory is too small. It is not even large enough for everyone to stretch their legs. It is recommended that you expand it or upgrade the vehicle as soon as possible. [Monthly supplies]: C-class (unclaimed)
"Only 25 square meters..."
Jiangnan stroked his chin.
Although the bus had become quite luxurious after modification, it was indeed a little crowded for six people.
Especially Wang Meng and Guo Shuai, two grown men crammed together at the front of the vehicle.
"Looks like I'll have to figure out a way to keep modifying it in the future, or else..."
Jiangnan looked into the distance, ambition gleaming in his eyes.
"Get myself a landship-class mobile city to play with."
Though the goal was distant, he had all the time in the world.
Jiangnan gave a rare crooked smile, then tapped [Claim supplies].
Buzz!
The tablet vibrated, and a list popped up.
[C-class Supply Pack Issued:] [30 jin of rice, 18 jin of creeping spinach, 6 jin of mutton, 6 crucian carp, 30 packs of compressed biscuits, 30 packs of pickled mustard, 60 L of drinking water] [Prompt: Fresh food has been automatically stored in your Car Refrigerator. Water resources have been injected into the water tank.]
Jiangnan raised an eyebrow at the list.
If this amount of supplies were given to six ordinary people, it would only be enough to keep them from starving to death.
But in the apocalypse, having meat, fish, and vegetables was already treatment fit for an Emperor.
"For me, it's enough."
As the leader, he ate meat while everyone else drank soup.
For Wang Meng, Guo Shuai, and the others, being able to lie down and win while following a Hacker like him was already like smoke rising from their ancestral graves.
If they still wanted lavish fish and meat at every meal, they were being ungrateful.
Next, Jiangnan opened the [Members] list.
[Leader]: Jiangnan (possesses the highest authority and Veto Power) [Administrators]: Liu Yuqing, Chen Tong, Wang Meng (possess Level 2 Authority; may open the car door and use certain facilities) [Members]: Yu Shishi, Guo Shuai (Level 3 Authority; possess Residence Right only) [Area Planning]: Not Set
This function was similar to the backend management of a smart home.
The leader could divide the shelter into areas, such as the core area (bedroom), Public Area (living room), and Lower Area (cargo hold).
Without the corresponding authority, one could not even open the doors.
Jiangnan did not set this up for now. The vehicle was so small that everyone saw one another whether they raised or lowered their heads, so there was no need to make things too complicated.
Finally, he opened [Rankings].
It was divided into four lists:
[Novice Ranking (27 days remaining)] [Shelter Rating Ranking] [Trial Points Ranking] [Global BOSS Kill Ranking (You have unclaimed rewards!)]
Only upon seeing the little red dot in the upper-right corner of the fourth ranking did Jiangnan remember this matter.
When he had been doing a B rush, that Sky Curtain voice had seemed to ask him something in his mind.
"Would you like to make the video public in exchange for greater rewards?"
He had been busy with the final sprint then, and in a moment of heat, had casually replied, "Get lost," or maybe, "Whatever."
As a result, the system had treated it as agreement by default.
"Public is public."
Jiangnan did not regret it. He even found it a little amusing.
Those who had seen the video were probably frantically researching how to counter his supernatural ability right now, weren't they?
"Heh heh."
Jiangnan let out a cold laugh in his heart.
"My Word Spirit changes every day."
"Today I'm American Iaijutsu. Tomorrow, I might be a Melee Mage."
"Your targeted strategies had better keep up with the speed of my updates."
That was the shameless part of the Word Spirit System.
It had no fixed template, only unlimited brain holes.
Without thinking further, Jiangnan tapped with his finger.
[Claim Reward] [Ding!] [Congratulations! You have successfully obtained the ranking reward for 9,527th place on the "Global BOSS Kill Ranking"!] [Item Obtained: D-class Enhancement Potion]
A flash of light appeared.
A Metal Syringe radiating an eerie blue chill appeared in Jiangnan's hand.
[D-class Enhancement Potion] [Quality]: S-class (Perfect) [Function]: After use, disregards the user's foundation and immediately raises the user's overall physical attributes to D+ class! [Side Effect]: None.
"Oh, just when I was getting sleepy, a pillow arrived."
Jiangnan looked at the syringe in his hand and nodded in satisfaction.
Though his Supernatural Ability was invincible, this body was still only a mortal body.
After last night's high-intensity battle, coupled with the exhaustion from killing Scarecrow earlier,
he truly felt a little soreness in his waist, and his spirits were somewhat listless.
"The body is the capital of revolution."
"Especially the kidneys—they're the top priority."
This potion had arrived at exactly the right time.
Without any hesitation, Jiangnan rolled up the sleeve of his robe, revealing his fair arm.
He aimed the needle at a vein and viciously plunged it in!
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