After tossing and turning all night, Xu Feng still couldn't fall asleep.
His mind kept dwelling on the unknown crisis that was coming, leaving him restless and unable to sleep soundly.
When he got up in the morning with dark circles under his eyes, the first thing he did was check his qi and blood value.
[Qi and Blood: 191c]
191c!!!
Xu Feng took a deep breath, suddenly wide awake.
He had spent so many days diligently practicing the Nine Star Body Refining Art, yet all that effort couldn't compare to a single dose of this potion.
Moreover, he could still feel a faint, warm comfort lingering in his body.
That meant the potion's effects hadn't completely worn off.
In other words, 191c wasn't the full effect of a single dose.
His qi and blood value might even rise higher.
"Ah, it's good to have money." Xu Feng couldn't help but say enviously.
If only he could have taken potions like this ever since he was a child.
Forget it. There was no point thinking about it.
At least he had gotten to drink this qi and blood gene potion, even if it was more than a decade late.
But he'd gotten it for free!
Xu Feng fought the urge to immediately drink the other dose, got up, and started washing up and making breakfast.
After dropping Xiao Dan off at school, he immediately went to ask his supervisor for a week off.
The supervisor was very unhappy, but Xu Feng said he had something to take care of and couldn't work for the time being, so the man had no choice but to agree.
However, Xu Feng would forfeit all his wages for those days.
He didn't care.
A week's wages came to a little over two thousand yuan.
Compared with the preparations he needed to make, that was insignificant.
After returning home, Xu Feng practiced his saber technique five times.
When he was completely exhausted, he began practicing the Nine Star Body Refining Art.
Xu Feng had noticed something.
Whenever his body was extremely tired, practicing the Nine Star Body Refining Art worked exceptionally well.
He guessed that his body was in a state of hunger, so its "appetite" was bigger.
Sure enough, after practicing it just twice this time, his qi and blood value increased by another point.
Then, at around half past ten in the morning,
Xu Feng finally stopped practicing, took off his shirt, and entered the underground tunnel.
His goal today was to dig at least one passage leading outside, as a backup exit.
By around half past eleven, he had been digging for less than an hour
when he suddenly felt the shovel in his hand grow lighter.
Xu Feng instinctively summoned his status panel and checked.
Sure enough, the proficiency of his "Pit Digging" skill had successfully advanced to "Proficient."
Xu Feng didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Had he become a seasoned digger?
Each stroke of the shovel took less effort and got more done, and he felt increasingly motivated.
A little after four in the afternoon, he finally finished digging the tunnel. The exit was in the grass not far from the back courtyard.
Soaking with sweat, Xu Feng hurried outside and spread the small hill of soil piled in the back courtyard across the ground, digging out irrigation channels.
He shaped the area into a large "vegetable garden" and concealed the backup exit beneath it.
In an emergency, all he had to do was flip the board outward from inside the tunnel, and the exit would be revealed,
just like the exits farmers had built in their fields during the tunnel warfare of old.
Even if someone walked right across the vegetable garden, they wouldn't notice the backup exit.
Once he had the whole passage ready, Xu Feng took an exhausted shower, lay down on the bed, and slept.
He slept until six in the evening.
When the alarm rang, Xu Feng rolled over and sat up. After a quick wash, he shut the door and headed for the base.
Time to pick up his daughter!
By the time Xu Feng picked up Xiao Dan and left the base to head home, there was still no sign of any major disturbance around the military base, including the Shanty Town and Trading Zone.
People seemed completely unaware of the crisis that was about to come.
They carried on with their usual business.
Xu Feng deliberately detoured through the Trading Zone to check, and confirmed that all the canned food in the shops had indeed been bought up.
He looked down on those hoping to profit from the coming war, but he didn't want to pick a fight with them.
After buying some fruit, Xu Feng took Xiao Dan by the hand and headed home.
As they passed a stall selling maps, Xu Feng suddenly paused and crouched down.
"Boss, what kind of map is this?"
Xu Feng pointed at a USB drive on the stall.
"It's a map of areas D20, D21, and D22 in the Wumeng Mountain Region. Want it? I'll sell it cheap—five hundred each."
The stall owner was a lean man in his fifties, wearing a transport team's work uniform.
The uniform must once have been gray, but years of sweat and grime had turned it a charcoal color.
He looked like someone who'd worked in transport for years.
"Is it authentic?" Xu Feng asked, showing interest.
"Of course. Here's my work ID. I'm a map surveyor, too."
The man pulled a palm-sized black ID card from his breast pocket.
Xu Feng looked at it, then scanned the code on it with his communication wristband.
Sure enough, he was an employee of Sky Moon Martial University.
"Give me a better price." Xu Feng smiled.
"I can't lower it. It took us a lot of effort to survey and map the area."
The man shook his head.
Xu Feng argued, "You're selling a copy, not some rare item.
"And everyone living near this base moves with the base. We hardly ever need a map. If I weren't interested in this sort of thing, I wouldn't even have asked. Two hundred and fifty. If you agree, I'll take one."
The man hesitated. "Three hundred."
"Two hundred and eighty. That's my final offer." Xu Feng hesitated briefly.
The man immediately said, "Fine! Two hundred and eighty!"
Xu Feng regretted it at once. He'd offered too much.
After taking the USB drive, Xu Feng pressed it against his communication wristband.
The screen lit up, and the data transfer began.
In less than three seconds,
"Beep! File downloaded."
Only then did Xu Feng return the USB drive to the owner and examine the file carefully.
Two minutes later, Xu Feng finished pretending to check it and nodded. "It looks fine for now. I'll take it.
"But if you dare cheat me, I'll remember your name. Liu Yuxi, right? I have friends doing graduate studies at Martial University. You get what I mean?"
"Don't worry, sir. I wouldn't cheat you."
The man looked taken aback, then wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Satisfied, Xu Feng took Xiao Dan and left.
When they got home and saw the huge changes in the underground tunnel,
Xiao Dan immediately crawled around excitedly, exploring and planning out three rooms for herself.
Meanwhile, Xu Feng sat on the edge of the bed and studied the map.
The reason he'd suddenly thought to buy a map was to have a backup plan for later.
If they couldn't deal with the danger that was coming and had to flee,
at least they would know which way to go.
After studying the terrain around Sky Moon Martial University, Xu Feng decided he should also assess the situation in person.
After all, nearly a month had passed since he'd arrived in this world, and he still hadn't left the Shanty Town.
Now that he'd made some progress with his Flying Blade and saber technique, he could venture a little farther and take a look around.
At the very least, he didn't want to run in the wrong direction if they had to flee.
When Xiao Dan heard Xu Feng was going out, she immediately insisted on coming along.
"The wilderness is dangerous. What would you do coming with me? Come on, I'll take you to Sister Liu Yu's house to play."
Xu Feng took Xiao Dan by the hand and led her outside.
Xiao Dan looked up at Xu Feng. "That works too, Dad. I think Sister Liu Yu would make a good stepmother. I can start building a good relationship with her now."
Xu Feng: "...Is that what I meant? I'm warning you, don't say anything weird when you get there. Got it?"
"Oh." Xiao Dan nodded and secretly stuck out her tongue.
Before you continue