Breaking the seal!

Two weeks flew by. Life in the wilderness was simple and repetitive, and the days passed with surprising ease.

Work on reinforcing the cabin progressed steadily, and the wild grape wine in the clay jar finished fermenting.

The moment they lifted the seal from the jar, a faint wine fragrance wafted out. The sharpness of fresh fruit was gone, replaced by a richer alcoholic aroma.

Clear in color and clean in aroma, it was exactly the low-alcohol fruit wine Senku needed.

Meanwhile, Li Xiang had used their spare time to gather and stockpile a large amount of dry animal droppings. She carefully sorted them, dried them in the sun, removed impurities, and stacked them neatly, preparing all the raw materials for the improved nitric acid reagent.

This wasn't playing with poop, so watch what you say, all of you.

Everything was ready. All that remained was to mix the ingredients in the right proportions.

Inside the makeshift laboratory.

Senku crouched beside a stone cup, studying the natural nitric acid solution that had been left to settle for a long time, his expression serious.

Li Xiang stood nearby, watching the two hazardous materials they were about to mix. To be honest, she couldn't help feeling nervous.

Senku had experimented alone countless times, failing, starting over, and failing again. He had tested countless ratios and accumulated a wealth of experience, yet he had never achieved a complete success.

This was their most reliable attempt yet.

Senku took a deep breath and steadied himself. Following the precise ratio he had worked out through repeated trials, he slowly poured the fermented wild grape wine into the nitric acid solution.

The instant the two liquids mixed, the surface stirred slightly, releasing tiny bubbles.

Both held their breath, staring intently at the mixed revival fluid. They monitored it throughout the process and quietly waited for the reaction to stabilize.

A short while later, a bottle of improved, highly active revival fluid was complete.

The clear, yellowish reagent carried a faint scent of wine and a mildly acidic odor. Its oxidizing power far exceeded that of the natural solution, fully meeting the requirements for undoing petrification.

They put away the revival fluid and began their preliminary test on a Swallow that had long since been petrified.

Soon, the hard, grayish-white stone encasing the Swallow lay before them.

This was the first subject of their trial run. Everything hinged on this attempt.

Senku carefully took out the reagent, raised his hand, and poured the improved revival fluid evenly over the petrified stone's surface.

Both instantly tensed, their eyes fixed on the stone, unwilling to miss even the slightest change. The air was so quiet that only their breathing remained.

After a few seconds of silence, a faint cracking sound suddenly rang out.

Crack, crack-

Sharp, tiny cracks sounded one after another. Fine fissures rapidly spread across the hard, grayish-white petrified surface as it peeled away and broke apart layer by layer.

The petrified shell continued to crumble, more and more fragments falling away.

The next second, a nimble black shape burst free of the stone shell, spread its wings, and took flight.

It was the Swallow!

Restored to life, it circled twice through the open woodland, light and agile. Its clear birdsong broke the silence, vibrant and lively.

The experiment was ten billion percent successful!

Senku and Li Xiang exchanged a glance, delight and excitement exploding in both their eyes.

"Yes! It worked!"

They raised their hands for a resounding high five, the sharp clap echoing through the woods.

The improved revival fluid was finally perfected. It meant they now possessed the power to restart civilization and awaken humanity.

After a brief celebration, they quickly pulled themselves together, took the remaining revival solution, and hurried straight to where Taiju stood petrified.

Beyond the dense trees, a tall, imposing petrified figure stood silently in the wilderness. A thick layer of stone covered his body, which had remained motionless for thirty-seven hundred years.

Li Xiang studied him for a moment, then offered, "Let me handle this. I'll cover him up."

Before Senku could reply, Li Xiang was already moving. Working briskly with materials at hand, she gathered broad leaves and supple mountain vines, weaving them together. Within minutes, she had made a simple, thick covering.

She gently draped the woven covering over the petrified Taiju, securing it carefully and sparing him any embarrassment.

With everything ready, Senku hesitated no longer. He slowly poured the precious revival fluid onto the petrified layer atop Taiju's head.

The liquid seeped into the stone shell, quickly triggering a reaction.

The familiar cracking sounded again. A rapid series of cracks rang out as layers of hard stone split and fell away.

Time passed little by little. The thick petrified shell continued to peel off, gradually exposing warm human skin.

A moment later, Taiju's eyes snapped open, and the consciousness that had lain dormant for three thousand years fully returned.

The next instant, an earth-shaking roar erupted!

"Aaaaaah-!"

His deep, booming roar pierced the mountain forest, brimming with overwhelming joy and relief. It shook the surrounding leaves loose.

"Finally! I finally!!"

Taiju abruptly came to his senses, his gaze locking onto Senku before him and those familiar, clear eyes.

Overwhelming excitement shattered all reason. His body instinctively leaned forward, and he lunged straight at Senku, arms spread for a crushing embrace.

Tears and snot streamed freely down his face, which shone with the ecstatic joy of recovering someone he had lost. His hoarse voice kept crying, "Senku!! Senku!!"

The sheer force hurtling toward him was intimidating.

Senku had anticipated it. Reacting swiftly, he raised a foot and planted it squarely against Taiju's chest, firmly stopping the out-of-control embrace as he spoke in exasperation.

"Hey, hey, dial it back, Taiju. Calm down! Someone else is here."

The wildly excited Taiju froze, abruptly stopping.

Only then did he notice the unfamiliar figure standing beside Senku.

The girl wore clean, simple clothes made from fire felt grass. Her black hair hung loose, and her dark eyes were clear, their corners soft and calm. She had a quiet air about her.

Watching the overexcited boy, Li Xiang softened her expression and greeted him.

"Hello, Taiju. My name is Li Xiang. It's nice to meet you."

At her gentle, even voice, Taiju hurriedly reined in his excitement and enthusiastically reached out to shake her hand.

He had no control over his strength whatsoever. All his natural brute force poured out, his rough, powerful hand gripping hers hard enough to make her wrist ache.

Li Xiang endured the aching pressure and, with a tremendous effort, slowly pulled her hand free. Even her fingertips were slightly numb.

She turned and walked over to Senku, a trace of defeated exasperation on her face.

"Now I finally understand why you insisted on waking Taiju first."

"That strength isn't even within the bounds of a normal human, is it? Is that really an ordinary person's body?"

Seeing her helpless expression, Senku couldn't help laughing heartily.

"Of course. Taiju's physical abilities have always been top-tier."

Li Xiang pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed softly, utterly exasperated.

"It really is good to be young. I guess I really am getting old. You high schoolers have way too much energy."

At that, Senku reached out and lightly patted her shoulder, reassuring her.

"Come on, Li. Don't go dwelling on your age. Age has always been just a number."

He turned toward the vast wilderness, a measure of acceptance in his voice.

"Besides, we've all spent more than thirty-seven hundred years asleep in stone. A little thing like age stopped mattering long ago."

Li Xiang paused at his words, then smiled, her eyes curving.

That was true.

Beside them, Taiju was still chattering away and asking question after question. His excitement showed no sign of fading, and he talked nonstop along the way, full of joy at being alive again.

The evening breeze brushed through the mountain forest. Starlight was about to descend, and the dusk was gentle.

At last, the three walked side by side, talking noisily as they followed the woodland path, step by step, toward their little home.

The Science Kingdom's ranks were no longer just the two of them. They had officially welcomed their first new member.

From that moment on, they had taken another solid stride along the road to restarting civilization.