The Rich Rely on Technology

"Medicine... please, give me some medicine..." Ling Shaomei said in a tiny voice.

"For the tropical vegetation in Zone A, go pick some Triangle Maple yourself. Applying it topically will stop the bleeding. Then, boil this Chinese medicine into a soup and drink it; it can expel the insect eggs inside your bodies." Wu Hen still had a bit of Chinese medicine left in his pocket, which he tossed to Ling Shaomei.

Old Man Ling mostly had external injuries; stopping the bleeding would be enough.

He wouldn't die.

The biggest concern was whether there were insect eggs inside them. Once the eggs were expelled, they would basically survive.

"Oh, oh... thank you, Wu Hen," Ling Shaomei said, sounding moved.

"See how many of your relatives are still alive. If there's nothing else, clean up this Tropical Pavilion. Then, place fresh vegetables in the dual-control door every week. Check the surrounding environment at fixed times every day. If you discover any hidden dangers or changes, report them immediately." Wu Hen promptly instructed Ling Shaomei on what she needed to do next.

Ling Shaomei noted each point down. Although she had worked at Wu Hen's place for a few years, it felt as if she had only now fully committed to the role of a housekeeper, engraving every word of Wu Hen's into her heart.

"Finally, put away your saintly heart. Otherwise, someone like you won't last past the opening credits in the Otherworld Desolate Dust." After saying this, Wu Hen turned and left.

Ling Shaomei stood there blankly. Only now did she realize how irrational she had been due to her unwillingness to submit to this housekeeper job, actually believing that the man before her was just a spoiled rich kid waiting to die.

What Ling Shaomei found hardest to accept was that the young master, who usually spoke to her without restraint and seemed full of lecherous intent, had never actually looked at her that way at all. Whether before or now, what right did she have to be so defiant?

After dealing with the hidden dangers around the safe house, Wu Hen could finally go back and rest.

There was still hot water in the safe house. Soaking in a pool of warm water, Wu Hen felt his entire body relax.

He narrowed his eyes and subconsciously raised his right arm. On his right forearm, patterns of dark gold skin resembling python scales slowly emerged, like a miniature dragon-serpent lying on his arm, breathing rhythmically.

Steam rose in the water, swirling like mist around Wu Hen's cheeks. Strangely, the water vapor condensed into droplets exactly one inch from his face. These tiny droplets eventually outlined another face, as if an invisible mask were gently covering his cheeks, exuding a sense of mystery and nobility.

"Now, even if Mei Qingxiu came, she'd have to scrub my back, right?" Wu Hen muttered to himself.

The Otherworld Desolate Dust was grotesque and terrifying; one's strength had to be solid enough.

Wu Hen felt he was quite solid now.

But when he thought of Zai Wu, and the existence that could obscure Zai Wu's radiance to create a solar eclipse, Wu Hen quickly tucked away this small bit of complacency.

He still had to work hard. Humanity was like a bird in the woods, released back into a true primeval forest, and he had only glimpsed an extremely insignificant corner of the Otherworld Desolate Dust. How much power and unknown lay ahead...

One had to know that humanity's current situation was because the Nuwa Divine Terminal had been damaged.

And whatever could cause the Nuwa Divine Terminal to collapse must be a great terror that transcended humanity's meager understanding. He had to consider that on the day the Nuwa Divine Terminal truly collapsed, he and his family needed to have a place of peace!

"Ming Yi's team is indeed very strong. After reaching the Nuwa Divine Terminal, I should join them if possible." Wu Hen confirmed a direction for his journey forward.

This time, he returned to the homeland directly through Yuan You, so there were no time restrictions.

Wu Hen was also taking precautions, collecting as many surrounding supplies as possible to ensure his family could hide in the safe house for a long time.

On the tenth day after returning to the homeland, an extremely terrifying piece of news arrived.

"Wu Hen, come take a look." Wu Yingting walked over and said to Wu Hen, who was practicing with his weapon.

Wu Hen immediately sat down in a chair, and the family turned on the television, which had finally received a signal.

On the television, a doomsday report was being broadcast: Qiucheng, a city neighboring their Licheng, had been wiped out!

Yes, completely wiped out!

Every person in the city was dead!

"We discovered that Qiucheng had been entirely occupied by Otherworld Desolate Dust parasites. They were gathering into a parasitic army, attempting to breach our Silver Dome Project, so we had no choice but to dispatch the human Order Guardian, Ice Phoenix, along with ten Cryo-Fighters, to freeze Qiucheng!"

On the screen, a live feed from one of the Cryo-Fighters appeared.

It was an aerial view. Although Qiucheng was not as large as Licheng, it was still an important energy city. Yet, at this moment, it looked like it was shrouded in a massive alien nest, its appearance already unrecognizable.

High above, there was a rather extraordinary man. His body was covered in a layer of exquisite ice feathers, and he wore a crest resembling a white phoenix. He stood above the entire city of Qiucheng, noble and unlike any mortal!

Massive amounts of ice down fell from a giant wind eye above him, sweeping across the entire city.

And the vast city of Qiucheng, regardless of how many parasitic half-humans were inside, had all been frozen within this massive ice city. From a distance, it looked like a spectacular glacier in the polar regions!

"Everyone, please do not give up hope. Believe that we will surely protect the Nuwa Divine Terminal!"

Facing the camera, the Order Guardian known as Ice Phoenix clenched his fist, offering hope to the vast majority of people across the country who were suffering.

One had to admit that the divine power displayed by this person overturned many people's perceptions. Those who had been slow to realize it finally understood that if one could survive after entering the Otherworld Desolate Dust, a human could undergo such a transformation!

That was an entire city. Although he had the assistance of ten Cryo-Fighters, the ability he displayed seemed as dazzling and brilliant as a god in the eyes of the world!

"Face the Otherworld Desolate Dust bravely, and you too will be as extraordinary as I am!"

"When that time comes, join us Order Guardians in defending the homeland that belongs to us humans!"

In the past, if someone had shouted slogans like these, everyone would have turned off the television, dismissing it as typical marketing brainwashing.

But if this person was someone who could hover above a city and had single-handedly wiped out the parasitic species of an entire city, then every word he spoke was like a holy decree, pursued and revered by the world.

Currently, the entire homeland was in its most chaotic, panicked, and disorderly state. People were lost and at a loss for what to do, but as more and more such super-powered individuals appeared, there were certainly many who, in this desperate situation, craved transformation and evolution!

Rather than waiting for the whole world to fall into the Otherworld Desolate Dust, it was better to venture into it sooner. Perhaps one might find a great opportunity and transform into an existence as powerful as this Ice Phoenix!

"What a shot of adrenaline. It was supposed to be a panic bomb about the destruction of a city, but it was forcibly turned into a manifesto for fighting in the Otherworld Desolate Dust. They even crafted this 'human hero' persona for Ice Phoenix... How did Qiucheng fall? How many people died inside? Why didn't the Order Guardians discover it sooner? They're just not going to talk about any of that, are they!" After watching the report, Wu Yingting said indignantly.

Wu Hen sat there, his right arm beginning to go numb.

Xiao Yi was already getting angry.

Look at that!!

That is exactly how it's done!!

Knowing the most time-efficient and effortless way—that was an entire city-nest of Insect-Eyed Half-Humans! How much Yuanyou could be refined, how much of a power source could be squeezed out of them???

Wu Hen felt quite helpless.

He had no choice but to appease Xiao Yi, promising that the next time they entered the Otherworld Desolate Dust, he would definitely find all sorts of creative ways to court death. He would provoke those Otherworld Desolate Dust behemoths like Zai Wu as much as possible; as long as he could force them out, Xiao Yi could feast to his heart's content!

Hearing Wu Hen's guarantee, Xiao Yi finally calmed down a bit.

Fine, I'll see how you perform. Don't go crying "Foster Father, save me!" when you're still stuck at the level of minor imps and ghosts before even forcing out the Great Yama King. That would be a humiliating defeat!

"Oh, don't underestimate me. I'll sign a military pledge: before the Great Yama King appears, I will absolutely not use the power of the Holy Father!" Wu Hen swore.

Xiao Yi didn't care whether Wu Hen swore or not.

Regardless, whether he intervened or not wasn't up to Wu Hen.

A host who couldn't even handle minor imps wasn't worth keeping anyway.

A truly mature "wild daddy" had no interest in the scraps fed by humans.

"Brother, isn't this person Gao Huan?" Yu Yu, rarely using sign language, wrote a line of text instead.

"Now that you mention it, you really might be right..." Wu Hen stared at the screen, finally recognizing a hint of familiarity in that figure who appeared so dashing and detached.

"That kid from the Gao family?" Wu Yingting's tone shifted slightly.

"Honey, didn't we often visit the Gao family in the past? Wu Hen and Yu Yu used to play with the Gao siblings during summer and winter breaks all the time," Yu Yi said.

"Sigh, when I had capital, they barely looked our way. In fact, I learned about the Otherworld Desolate Dust from them, but I never imagined their goal was just to swindle my money," Wu Yingting let out a long sigh.

"What do they need so much money for?" Yu Yi asked.

"To develop Battle Suits. Our human technology is also of great use in the Desolate Dust. Perhaps the Nuwa Divine Terminal protecting us like a utopia is also giving all of humanity time to develop, hoping our technology can break through to a higher level before we have to face the real world..." Wu Yingting said.

"Oh, I have seen a Battle Suit before," Wu Hen recalled that sparrow-red figure, graceful yet heroic.

"You all know that our currency is gradually shifting toward digital currency. Before that, controlling currency meant controlling manpower and energy."

"And in fact, our currency has long been pegged to the Yuanyou Mineral Deposit."

"Yuanyou can be exchanged for the protection of the Silver Dome."

"Yuan You can be used to purchase weapons for use in the Desolate Dust."

"Yuan You is also a necessity for humans to maintain their sanity and return to their homeland..."

"At the same time, when Yuan You is brought back to our homeland and decoded, its energy is equivalent to one of our thermal power plants or photovoltaic power bases."

"This is the reason why, even though the world is in such chaos, some of our electricity and communications are still functioning."

"Indeed, our homeland is in a precarious state, but it will also undergo a transformation as humans acquire more of these mysterious mineral deposits from the Desolate Dust!"

Yu Yi and Yu Yu listened with extreme focus.

From time to time, the mother and daughter would nod in perfect synchronization.

Wu Hen sat there, glancing at his own arm, then at the magnificent and cool-looking Battle Suit on the television, before finally summarizing:

"To put it simply, the poor rely on mutation, the rich rely on technology!"

Well, he was purely on the side of mutation!

"By the way, Xiao Yi, do you eat Battle Suits?" Wu Hen suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

"Sluuurp~" Xiao Yi had already told Wu Hen through its tone that those things were delicious!

Wu Hen was overjoyed!

He could have it all!

No wonder when they were watching TV earlier, the look Xiao Yi gave the Order Guardian Ice Phoenix was like a house cat watching a white sparrow on screen—it was practically drooling!

It seemed that the more powerhouses humans produced, the more excited it became!

"Xiao Yi, be honest with me, are you playing a long game by symbioting with me?" Wu Hen expressed his deep skepticism.

Xiao Yi dismissively indicated that with the meager offerings of humanity, it wasn't worth the trouble.

It had simply capsized in the gutter!

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