Construction complete
After the Night Ghost's spirit completely dissipated, the dark forest remained completely still and undisturbed. There were no physical remains on the ground, only a thin layer of fine, dark gray Spirit Ash, as light as dust, which would scatter and fly away at the slightest disturbance. This was the only trace left in the world by this Paranormal Creature.
Lu Heng walked forward slowly, his movements extremely gentle, as if afraid of scattering this special supply. He took out an empty mineral water bottle from the side pocket of his backpack, unscrewed the plastic cap, bent down close to the ground, and carefully swept the scattered Spirit Ash with his palm, gathering it little by little.
All the Spirit Ash from the entire area was collected into the bottle, leaving nothing behind. He tightened the cap, carefully put the bottle close to his body, and stored it away properly. His gaze fell on the ground, where two floating lights stood out conspicuously. These were the supplies dropped by the Night Ghost after it was killed: a completely dark crystal core and a curved, condensed, jet-black claw. Their textures were completely different from the drops of flesh-and-blood beasts.
He raised his left hand, and the light blue screen on his Wristband lit up instantly. He first scanned and identified the two items one by one, and only after the system data had finished loading did he look down to examine the detailed attributes.
[Soul Crystal]
Category: Paranormal Type Energy Core
Note: Unlike the energy crystals of regular flesh-and-blood beasts, the energy contained in the supernatural core is more abundant and pure, with energy density and utilization rate far exceeding that of beast cores of the same level. It is suitable for multiple uses such as absorption, tempering, and item forging.
[Night Ghost Claw]
Category: Rare Forging Materials
Characteristics: Spirit-infused, tough, and dense.
Note: Top-grade special forging material, extremely malleable, can be used to forge grappling hooks, grappling ropes, and melee grappling weapons, adaptable to various tactical modifications, and has extremely high practical value.
After reading through each entry, Lu Heng raised his hand and stored the spirit crystals and Night Ghost Claw into his Storage Space.
He stood still, his gaze sweeping across the desolate depths of the dense forest, his mind exceptionally clear.
The reason he was able to kill this Night Ghost tonight was through psychological warfare, feigning an attack, and the advantage of his exclusive Spirit-Breaking weapon, not through sheer strength. He had almost no experience fighting Paranormal Creature; even in a one-on-one fight, he needed to take every risky step and maneuver cautiously. If he were to encounter two or more Paranormal Entity at the same time, he would have no room to maneuver and would only perish in the darkness.
Greed leads to danger.
Lu Heng no longer lingered on nighttime exploration. He immediately turned around and retraced his familiar route back to the Shelter. He slowly pushed the heavy stone slab back into place, sealing the entrance to the cave completely and isolating it from the boundless darkness and hidden dangers of the outside world.
His nerves, which had been taut all night, suddenly relaxed, and the fatigue from the continuous game and battle instantly swept over his body. He raised his hand to rub his eyes and couldn't help but let out a long yawn, the soreness in his limbs clearly felt. After quickly packing his equipment, he lay down on the cool stone bed. Without any extraneous thoughts, the dual exhaustion of body and mind overwhelmed him, and his consciousness quickly sank, soon entering a peaceful and undisturbed deep sleep.
Night fell, and dawn broke.
There were no birdsong, no wind, and a faint white light quietly illuminated the inside of the cave. Lu Heng suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the rough, uneven rock wall above him, his eyes showing no trace of sleepiness.
He clicked his tongue softly.
My Biological Clock is completely set.
In the cautious daily survival of the post-apocalyptic world, he had long since shed his former lazy lifestyle, and his body had developed a precise timed wake-up mechanism. No matter how late he fell asleep the night before, he would wake up on time at dawn without needing any external disturbances.
He slowly got up, moved his neck and limbs, and the slight stiffness in his joints gradually dissipated. After resting, it was time to move on to the stalled infrastructure project. As long as the drainage hazard was not eliminated, snowmelt and flash floods during the flood season would be a hidden danger hanging over the Shelter, and there was no time to delay.
Lu Heng stepped to the cave entrance and was about to push aside the stone slab Wristband on his wrist vibrated slightly, triggering a recording alert from the Spy Bug.
He immediately clicked on the replay, his gaze calmly fixed on the image on the screen.
The video recorded the latter half of the night after he fell asleep. In the open area outside the cave, several blurry, unfamiliar silhouettes quietly approached. These unknown creatures maintained a safe distance, neither approaching nor retreating, slowly circling the Shelter, probing and observing, as if probing the stronghold's movements and defenses. After repeatedly circling and confirming there were no openings, all the shadowy figures turned around and disappeared into the surrounding woods, completely retreating.
There were no attacks, no unusual movements, only endless probing throughout.
After watching the entire recording, Lu Heng turned off the screen, his expression calm.
He knew the reason very well: he hadn't yet established enough of a deterrent effect in this forest. Without concrete achievements to intimidate the surrounding creatures, weaker beings dared to probe and spy without restraint, trying to figure out his bottom line and the defensive weaknesses of his stronghold.
Ultimately, it comes down to a lack of personal strength.
After a brief moment of reflection, Lu Heng calmed himself down and stopped worrying about external prying eyes. The most important thing right now was to thoroughly improve the Shelter's basic defenses and drainage system, first securing the foundation of their existence, and then slowly honing their combat capabilities.
He pulled up the complete set of drainage construction blueprints that Lin Chuan had transmitted the night before, and the screen froze on the precise dimensions, ditch slopes, and drainage directions. The logs Stone prepared yesterday were all piled up on both sides of the opening, and the materials were complete, so no additional preparations were needed.
Lu Heng pushed aside the stone slab and stepped out of the Shelter, checking the terrain against the blueprints. The slightly low-lying area in front of the door was the source of the water accumulation and seepage. The slope of the trench, the diversion route, and the location of the end drainage point planned in the blueprint perfectly matched the actual terrain, addressing the potential for waterlogging in a targeted manner.
He bent down and began digging, following the marked lines on the blueprints. His movements were steady and methodical, and the depth, width, and slope of every inch of the trench were strictly aligned with the parameters, without any arbitrary changes based on subjective feelings. The soil was dug out and compacted layer by layer, and the sides were reinforced with neatly tamped hard rock. Logs were cut to uniform lengths and laid at the corners of the trenches to reinforce the edges and prevent the soil from collapsing and blocking the waterways.
There were no fancy procedures throughout the entire process, only meticulous adjustments, leveling, and compaction.
First, the main drainage channel was formed, then the branch drainage channels were gradually improved, and finally the outer submerged buffer zone and the far-end drainage outlet were constructed. The entire drainage system was implemented step by step and layer by layer.
The sunlight slowly climbed up and fell on the smooth and neat ditch. Lu Heng put down his tools and repeatedly checked the entire drainage route, his fingertips running over the compacted soil and fixed timber, verifying every slope and connection point.
The entire infrastructure project was completed without any perfunctory work or oversight.
The low-lying areas that were originally prone to accumulating rainwater and becoming damp have now formed a complete self-drainage system. The accumulated water can be quickly discharged along the slope without siltation, backflow, or seepage, and is strong enough to withstand the erosion of snowmelt and flash floods throughout the season.
Standing at the entrance of the cave and looking out, the landscape in front of the Shelter has been completely transformed. The neat and orderly trenches have clear and clean lines, completely eliminating the long-standing problem of water seepage in the foundation.
Lu Heng let out a soft breath, feeling a sense of relief.
Professional planning is far superior to figuring things out on your own. With this drainage infrastructure in place, the Shelter's safety has been significantly enhanced. With the base firmly established, the shelter can now focus on building its strength and dealing with the constant stream of unknown threats in the surrounding area.