Ample Preparation

"Mm, go ahead and spread the word. Anyone willing to come along can follow us. We'll set the time for when the twin suns first appear."

Lin Hao made the final call.

He didn't consider himself the leader of the upper floors of the apartment building, nor did he give these survivors any special treatment. He simply established some basic order through his own prestige.

The cost for survivors to exchange for food wasn't cheap either, which was why most of them had reluctantly entered the Teleportation Point.

But if others were willing to follow him through the checkpoint, bringing them along was something Lin Hao wouldn't refuse.

With the help of equipment auxiliary entries and Zhao Xiaowen's Unorthodox Training, his improvement this month had been truly substantial.

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In just one month, he had transformed from a skinny programmer with a sub-healthy physique into someone with the beginnings of visible muscle definition. His dumbbell flyes had gone from the starting 5kg to being able to handle 10kg.

The one-handed weight limit of his Equipment Slot had also increased to 18kg.

From below average to now exceeding the average standard, he could at least call himself an amateur fitness enthusiast.

Combined with the enhancement from his Equipment Slot, he had a much clearer sense when clearing out Madmen. The effect was quite obvious-you could even say it was a complete transformation without exaggeration!

However, at the same time, this rapid improvement phase for beginners was gradually diminishing in effectiveness. Combined with the information gathered from the broadcasts and initial contact with returning survivors, Lin Hao had gained a deeper understanding of the Great Qi World.

With plenty of information already known and preparations ample, now that a suitable opportunity had presented itself, there was naturally no reason to wait any longer!

Actually, the people at the gym didn't have much interest in those poor survivors with barely anything to their names. They'd symbolically collect a small fee and let them pass, mostly waiting for them to come back so they could continue exploiting them.

But with Lin Hao having stockpiled so many Wish Power items and the apartment building having such high personnel turnover, Lin Hao didn't think the gym would simply let him and his group pass for a small fee.

Rather than pinning his hopes on others' generosity, Lin Hao felt it was better to rely on his own strength to break through the checkpoint directly.

"Alright, I'll go notify everyone now. Actually, even our food won't last more than a few days. Without a stable way to get food from the rainforest, heading to the Teleportation Point is inevitable."

Sun Qian volunteered for the task.

Although she couldn't compare to Zhao Xiaowen, Sun Qian was still a voluptuous beauty, and she was very capable professionally and skilled at interpersonal relations. Usually, announcements were handled by her.

However, Lin Hao's impression of Sun Qian was rather neutral now. At first, she had shrewdly forced her way into this small circle, but on occasional private encounters, Lin Hao noticed she seemed to want to seduce him.

It was only thanks to Zhao Xiaowen's close training that Lin Hao remained completely unmoved.

Honestly, in this apocalyptic world, Lin Hao wasn't saying he was picky or had any hang-ups, but Sun Qian's husband was still around, and she was being so blatant about it. If it were purely for fun, that would be one thing.

But wanting to get close to him to enter the core group and be acknowledged as a companion-that wouldn't do.

If she could betray her husband today, who's to say she wouldn't betray him someday.

Later, she must have sensed something, because she deliberately maintained a dignified front in public. Plus, they were about to head to the Teleportation Point, so Lin Hao didn't specifically exclude her or anything...

"Our abilities are limited. This is all we can do for them. Those willing to come with us can come; those who aren't can pay their own way through."

The eldest, Qian Tong, also sighed. This retired veteran was probably the most upright among them. He had once protected the survivors on their floor, fighting Madmen alone and getting injured in the process.

As a result, the survivors on their floor gradually took it for granted, constantly guilt-tripping him morally, until Lin Hao cleared that floor and freed him from it.

Even now, Qian Tong felt some regret that some people in this world wouldn't be able to keep up.

"Uncle Qian, we've already done more than enough. Just look at those people at the club. In times like these, it's survival of the fittest. If we help them and they still don't dare follow, they can only blame themselves."

Wang Cheng, the delivery driver, also voiced his opinion.

Those who can't adapt will die-just like in extreme climbing expeditions. If you reach out to rescue a fallen climber on the route, you'll likely go down with them!

There was no need to actively play the villain. Just by not opening food exchanges, not dealing with the Madmen blocking the roads, and simply letting everyone upstairs starve to death or be driven insane, all the supplies in their hands would fall into Lin Hao's grasp.

It could be said that it was seeing Lin Hao's bottom line beneath his cold attitude that made Wang Cheng join without hesitation.

At least he didn't have to worry about being sold out for a tiny profit!

"Then it's settled. Everyone, change your clothes and prepare your supplies. We'll split into groups as previously decided. I hope everyone returns safely."

Lin Hao looked at the group and waved his hand casually.

"Yeah, we definitely will!"

With that, everyone dispersed to begin their final preparations. Lin Hao also took Zhao Xiaowen back to their room and changed into a set of clothes they had scavenged and prepared in advance.

Lin Hao favored a ancient-style sleeping robe that looked like a scholar's outfit, with fabric as smooth as silk.

His sports vest, wrist guards, and knee pads were all concealed underneath.

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Zhao Xiaowen changed into a blue ancient-style dress. Hers came from a cosplayer's room, making it look more "authentic" compared to Lin Hao's sleeping robe.

Combined with her naturally charming features and delicate skin, she would surely have been a pampered young lady in ancient times.

In Lin Hao's backpack, there were also gold and valuables worth over a hundred thousand Wish Power. He specifically wrapped the backpack in a white bedsheet to make it look like a large bundle from the outside.

He also packed two pairs of Training Shoes with training bonus effects into the bag and switched to a pair of Zulijian shoes himself.

In this month's equipment changes, most things hadn't changed much. He had only added a pair of green heavy hiking boots, which Lin Hao kept in his Equipment Slot as his outdoor gear.

[Mount Everest Hiking Boots (Green)]

[Value: 268 Wish Power]

[Weight: 3kg]

[Additional Entry: Puncture and Cut Resistance (White)]

[Additional Entry: Cold Protection and Warmth (White)]

[Additional Entry: Ice Shatter (Green)]

[Extra Additional Entry: Brave the Summit (Green)]

[A pair of hiking boots that have conquered the highest peak, possessing excellent protection and warmth retention. The soles are sturdy enough to dig into ice layers, while granting the wearer a surge of confidence to conquer summits.]

At three kilograms, a single kick from Lin Hao was now like a sledgehammer. Although the boot material was relatively softer, absorbing and cushioning the kinetic energy through deformation, making its destructive power less than the enchanted iron pot-

If he triggered the [Ice Shatter] entry with his sole, it was no different from a sledgehammer strike. He could kick through wall tiles with one stomp.

The excellent puncture and cut resistance also meant Lin Hao didn't have to worry about stepping on caltrops or similar things-swords and blades would find it hard to hurt him.

The insulation effect of [Cold Protection and Warmth] meant he could walk on flames like flat ground in short bursts.

And beyond these basic physical effects, the [Brave the Summit] entry also gave Lin Hao a subtle mental change.

He seemed to become more confident, and his mind was easier to focus.

During his sprints with Zhao Xiaowen, Lin Hao carried this spirit, climbing to the summit again and again.

Besides equipment and backpack, he had also prepared things that might be useful in Great Qi.

Various wilderness survival supplies-canned food, compressed biscuits, mineral water, lighters, and so on-were all ready.

There was also about thirty jin of silver jewelry as initial capital, mainly from one household's silver ornament collection. Some of it had already been cut by Lin Hao into silver fragments, with the smallest unit being a qian.

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"According to the intelligence from University Town, upon returning you'll stay in a settlement space for a while to confirm the Wish Power exchange rates for various supplies. You can also observe whether the area around the Teleportation Point is safe, and you can even pay to choose a return point some short distance away. So after returning, it's generally fairly safe. However, the evacuation points on the Great Qi side do require attention..."

Lin Hao finished changing, shouldered his backpack, and tucked the cleaned ruler at his waist.

Thirty jin of silver was too heavy for one person to carry. Zhao Xiaowen, Nie Yi, and Yi Feng each carried some.

The same went for food. They also each carried Wish Power items like RTX 3060 Ti graphics cards, CPUs, and solid-state drives for easy exchange later.

Compared to Lin Hao, each of them had about twenty to thirty thousand Wish Power worth of items-together less than half of Lin Hao's. They were all bulky and inconvenient to carry, so their loads were substantial, and their backpacks were stuffed full.

"Our group has more Wish Power items this first time. To make the best use of them, we should get evacuation items and bring them back. So it might take longer. Be mentally prepared."

Back in the living room, Lin Hao saw Nie Yi and Yi Feng ready to go.

Nie Yi was also wearing clothes from that cosplayer's room, looking like a little maidservant. The few tufts of white hair on her head made her look a bit silly.

And Yi Feng, with his shifty-eyed look, combined with a deliberately drab gray robe, looked like an odd-job servant.

The four of them together barely looked like a reasonable group.

"According to the intelligence from University Town, the silver we have is enough to last a long time-enough even to learn martial arts. We just need to be careful of bandits. But with Brother Lin here, there's definitely no problem."

Yi Feng seemed quite excited. He hadn't expected Lin Hao to still be willing to team up with him.

Although he could pick locks, his greatest usefulness had already been lost. That the others-some with greater mobility-still chose him made him very grateful.

Sure enough, Brother Lin hadn't forgotten his contributions. He was someone who remembered old friendships!