Chapter 225
Tang Yu'an looked at the spirit insect in Zhou Qi's hand and continued to fantasize.
"After the superpower is stimulated, we can extract it and give it to the second person. Then, won't all our people become superpowers?"
Although superpowers are most likely the result of the invasion of alien rules, since it cannot be stopped, we can only try to adapt to it.
And stimulating superpowers and becoming a superpower is an effective way to adapt to the new world.
In a sense, people with superpowers can be considered new humans. After all, people who are invaded by spiritual insects are much stronger than ordinary people in terms of physique.
Even those with naturally awakened abilities cannot compare to him.
Of course, this requires taking the risk of being devoured by spiritual insects and turning into monsters, but now... they have found a way to reduce the risk!
Zhou Qi paused slightly when he heard Tang Yu'an's question.
He looked at the obedient fire spirit insect in his hand, thought carefully, and said, "It's feasible in theory, but in practice, there are many uncertainties."
First of all, he can currently only extract spirit insects in the engulfing state.
If the spirit insect is in a calm state, he cannot sense its specific location, just like the special spirit insect in his body, he has no way to pull it out.
"So, once this spirit insect enters its new host, it will definitely not be recovered in the short term."
Only when the new host's superpowers are truly stimulated, and through his own practice and understanding, the level of superpowers is raised to a certain level and is devoured by the spirit insect, can he recover the spirit insect.
"Although I have absorbed most of the energy of this spirit insect, I am not sure whether the remaining energy will pose a danger to ordinary people."
"Also...spiritual insects should have certain requirements for their hosts when choosing one."
Zhou Qi looked at Tang Yu'an and said, "I can feel that it is not suitable for you."
Tang Yu'an couldn't help but move closer to the spirit insect, but he could also feel that he didn't like it, so he quickly backed away.
He thought for a moment and asked, "Is it because I don't have a talent for fire?"
"It's possible." Zhou Qi said.
"That means we need to conduct experiments, and that person must also have a talent for fire?" Tang Yu'an stared at the spirit insect, feeling a little conflicted.
He didn't want to give up, because if he succeeded, the benefits would be huge.
It’s not that he wants to earn points by selling spirit insects, but if this method can be used to turn ordinary people into superpowers, it will undoubtedly increase their strength.
Not to mention the residents of the home, many of his employees alone are not psychics.
Haijing, Lao Mo, Xiaocao, Shitou, Sister Lin, Alian... If they can awaken their special powers, they can increase their ability to survive in the wasteland, and naturally they can earn more points for him.
Grandpa Li and Grandma Guo are so old, but they are still very strong. This must be related to the awakening of their special powers.
If this method is feasible, Tang Yu'an will definitely arrange it for the employees first.
But what Xiaoqi said is right, the risks that may arise from this matter are also very great...
Tang Yu'an hesitated for a while, then decided not to think about it for the time being. "I'll discuss it with Grandpa Li when I have time. He's knowledgeable and might be able to give us some inspiration."
Zhou Qi nodded, put the spirit insect back into his body, and then looked at the red carp in the distance.
"Has the recruitment invitation been sent out?" he asked.
"Not yet, I'll send it to Sister Hongli." Because he was worried about being exposed, Tang Yu'an did not recruit Hongli right away.
Xie Chaori and Hongli are smart people, and he thinks they need to be cautious.
At this moment, he finally opened the interface and started operating, and quickly sent out the recruitment information.
In the distance, Hongli, who was standing on the cement road checking, was obviously stunned for a moment, and then Tang Yu'an received a system message that she had accepted the job.
At this time, Xie Chaori also hurried out of his home in the deserted city.
Tang Yu'an watched him rush towards Hongli, tilted his head and said, "Sister Hongli seemed to have teleported out just now?"
Zhou Qi also noticed this. He opened the overnight stay rules and took a look, speculating, "Maybe she violated the overnight stay rules and triggered the bad guest aura?"
In other words, violating the overnight stay rules is also considered malicious towards An An?
"Can this halo be used like this?" Tang Yu'an was a little surprised, "But why doesn't Brother Xie use it?"
"Maybe he's not a customer."
Tang Yu'an glanced at the halo description and found that it was indeed only effective for customers.
Although it was a bit of a pity, he felt it was okay when he thought about the fact that the employees were also bound by the employee code of conduct.
After all, the "mysterious businessman" is just a pseudonym. Even if the employees have ill intentions towards the "mysterious businessman", it is not directed at him, Tang Yu'an.
Even he himself cannot make everyone like him.
"This transmission method is good. It can be used by the patrol team." Tang Yu'an decided to go back and tell Grandpa Li about this method.
At this time, the residents carried materials and walked out of their homes in the deserted city.
After finishing the construction of the wall and the new store, the construction team had a new task - to build fences on both sides along the newly built cement road.
In this way, the cement road can also be included in the protection of the protective barrier.
Because during the day, guests who are not included in the overnight stay list can use long-range attacks to destroy the fence, so at Zhou Qi's suggestion, the construction team will use metal for pouring.
They wanted to remove a section of fence more than 20 meters long to enclose the road in front of the main gate of their home.
The moment the fence closes, a protective barrier is created.
The members of the construction team banged their shovels against the fence wall and breathed a sigh of relief when they found that they had been pushed outside by the protective barrier.
The flood has just ended, and there are more mutant creatures active in the deserted city. Yesterday, the city was almost invaded and robbed by bandits from Jufeng Town. The residents would rather die than leave their homes to work on the construction.
Now that they saw the fence was built and the protective barrier was effective, they began to work with peace of mind.
Thanks to the research of Lin Zhen and Tie Jin, Jiayuan has successfully mastered the reinforced concrete casting method.
In addition, they will use mutant metal to wrap the fence, which will greatly improve the defensiveness of the fence.
Moreover, the construction of this fence is not slow.
Because the road fence is not a wall, it only needs to be built about 20 meters high.
This is also the result of Lin Zhen's research.
When she saw Old Li enclosing his land with a fence, she noticed that the fence was only a little over 1 meter high.
However, even if a person who is 1.78 meters tall stands in the passage of the fence wall, the part above the fence wall is still protected by the protective barrier.
After repeated experiments, she found that the height of the protective barrier seemed to be determined by the tallest building within the barrier.
The tallest building in the deserted city home is Building 1, which is at least thirty meters high.
Even though the wall is very low, only as high as a brick, the protective barrier it forms is still more than 30 meters.
Therefore, the height of the fence can be built as low as possible, which not only saves materials and construction time, but also reduces the force-bearing surface when attacked.
Although this means that people standing on the road will not be protected, there will be no problem as long as they choose to travel at night.
As for the daytime... I can only be more careful.
However, with the patrol team's supernatural beings protecting them, the construction team members felt at ease and did not dare to slack off.
In addition to the fences on both sides, the part in the middle of the road that serves as a closure also needs to be studied carefully.
At this stage, we are planning to make a threshold that is only a few centimeters high, and the material will be entirely mutant metal.
After all, it will wear out if too many people step on it. Even if no one steps on it, the wheels will still roll over it when the car is used to transport goods, so it needs to be made more durable.
Once the prototype is made, we will find a way to make it into an arch later.
"The road is divided into sections. Even if there are breaches in one or two places, it won't affect the barrier of the entire road!"
Tang Yu'an couldn't help but speak as he watched the construction team working.
Zhou Qi nodded and said, "Let's go. We'll continue to build the road and try to reach Jufeng Mountain as soon as possible."
"OK!"
So the RV set off again, driving on the newly built concrete ground, at a much faster speed.
Of course, when they reached the middle section leading to Jufeng Mountain, they had to stop and start repairing the road section by section.
While building the road, they encountered a problem:
Should we avoid the original path completely?
Although the original road was dilapidated, it was still passable. If they covered the road, a problem would arise -
Once the road fence is repaired and a protective barrier is formed, customers who are not on the overnight accommodation list will be excluded at night.
Even during the day, only those who have no ill will towards the mysterious businessman and Tang Yu'an can walk on this road normally.
"If we just occupy the existing road, wouldn't that be too overbearing?" Tang Yu'an hesitated, "Why not open a new road..."
Zhou Qi had a different opinion.
He smiled and said, "Didn't you want to make the entire deserted city your home before? Why are you so nervous now?"
Tang Yu'an blinked and continued to listen to his analysis.
"Desolate City will be our base camp from now on. Although we have a protective barrier, our home is not 100% safe until we unlock the all-weather defense against all attacks."
Zhou Qi said: "So, we still need time to develop, and making it more difficult for those who are not good at us to enter the deserted city is a good idea."
At present, all customers in the Jufeng Mountain area have been added to the overnight accommodation list, and there will be no problem of customers being excluded at night for the time being.
Occupying the original road would not cause any major problems in the short term, and it would also reduce the number of people with malicious intentions entering the deserted city.
"Of course, it just increases the difficulty. They can still find another way."
Tang Yu'an was persuaded by Zhou Qi.
"Brother Xiaoqi, you're right!" He nodded and said, "We'll just repair it along the original route. We can't let those bad guys get away with it!"
So they continued along the path that Old Li had taken them.
In fact, there are two roads leading to Jufeng Mountain. The other one was taken by Chi Hao. It follows a straight line and is shorter.
However, Tang Yu'an looked at the terrain of that road and found that it required crossing mountains and ridges, which was not suitable for building a highway, so he chose a longer route.
While Zhou Qi was driving forward, Tang Yu'an kept staring at the map.
He suddenly noticed something and said, "By the way, can we go to the abandoned chemical plant to look for Green Eyes?"
When the RV is in closed state, the protective barrier is the strongest and should be able to withstand the poisonous gas.
"I don't know how he is doing now. Let's go see him?" Tang Yu'an said.
Zhou Qi thought about it and nodded: "Well, let's wait until we repair the road from Huangcheng to Jufeng Mountain before going."
Do things one by one and focus on one point to make it easier to succeed.
"good."
Tang Yu'an agreed, and then Zhou Qi got out of the car to clean the road. His system prompt suddenly popped up.
[Employee "Chi Hao" completes a profitable transaction with a new customer, earning +20 points and +3 experience points]
[Experience value is full, merchant level +1]
[Merchant level reaches lv22, and the mall has added honey, chewing gum, ham, sweet tea (bottled), and tinfoil for exchange. For details, please visit the "Wholesale Market"]
[Portable storage slot +1, total slots: 26, authorized slots +1, current authorized slots: 6]
【New search function added to the forum message board】
[Hard decoration unlocks "Elevator", details can be found in the "Decoration" section]
Wow! Upgrade!
After returning to the fortress, Brother Chi Hao really started to make an effort and brought in a lot of new customers recently.
Tang Yu'an looked carefully at the upgrade rewards.
The products unlocked at this level include three new sweet foods and sausage!
Ham sausage is easy to carry and is produced by the system, so the quality is guaranteed. It should have a good market in the apocalypse.
The unlocking of the tinfoil also made Tang Yu'an's eyes light up.
Tin foil can be used to wrap fire stones. Although the heat insulation effect is average, it can prevent the fire stones from burning other things. Lao Mo and Wen Qingqing will probably need it.
He decided to unlock the tinfoil for these two capable employees next time.
Because the two fortresses with complementary resources have achieved communication, the speed at which Lao Mo and Wen Qingqing earn points has increased a lot.
Lao Mo can earn him six to seven thousand points a day, and Wen Qingqing can earn a little less, but still around five thousand.
So Tang Yu'an didn't feel particularly bad about spending 500,000 points to expand his home in the deserted city yesterday.
Because he now has more employees, he can steadily earn 40,000 to 50,000 points every day. 500,000 points can be accumulated in half a month.
Of course, now that I have a large family and a large business, and we are in a period of rapid development, I earn more points and spend more.
Tang Yu'an has gotten used to it.
He opened the mall and exchanged two chicken sausages, put one on the driver's seat for Zhou Qi, and opened the package of the other one and took a bite.
It’s salty and fragrant, especially chewy, so delicious!
He continued to look at the rewards, authorized a newly added portable warehouse slot to Zhou Qi, and then opened the decoration section of No. 1 Store.
The currently available hardware upgrades are as follows:
1. Floor
2. Walls
3. Protection
4. Elevator
Tang Yu'an clicked on the fourth option and took a look.
If your store is over 5 meters tall and has unlocked "Grocery Store Electricity," you can choose from the following options:
1. Passenger Elevator
2. Freight Elevator
3. Observation Elevator
4. Home Elevator
5. Utility Elevator
The selling price of each elevator is different, and each category is further divided into manual control and intelligent control.
Tang Yu'an took a look and found that both the intelligently controlled passenger elevator and freight elevator required 100,000 points. They were only installed on 3 floors, and each additional floor would cost an additional 5,000 points.
If you want to install it on the tenth floor, it will cost 135,000.
Although manually controlled ones are half the price, they are obviously not as good as intelligent ones.
After all, smart elevators are equipped with AI, which not only supports facial recognition and voice control, but also has functions such as self-test error reporting, monitoring alarm, etc.
After listening to Tang Yu'an's retelling, Zhou Qi also said: "Let's choose the intelligent system. It's really good."
Tang Yu'an also knew which one to choose, but he still couldn't help but mutter: "How can I save up points if I spend it this way?"
Fortunately, there is a construction team that can repair the fence. Otherwise, if he uses all his points to buy the fence wall, it will cost him at least hundreds of thousands of points to build a fence from the deserted city home to the Jufeng Mountain!
He couldn't help but look at the thousands of people in Jufeng Town.
We have to find a way to bring more people here. Whether it’s for construction or to create more points, the home is in great need of manpower!
So they hurried to pave the road, and when night fell, Tang Yu'an's system prompt popped up.
[Employee "Red Carp" completes a profitable transaction with a regular customer, earning +5 points and +1 experience point]
[Employee "Hongli" and a regular customer...]
In Wuhu, after completing the guidance mission, Sister Hongli finally started to exert her strength.
Tang Yu'an originally thought that a few dozen would be good enough, but he didn't expect that he would have to post a full 120 before stopping!
These 180 employee experience points also directly raised Hongli's level to level 4!
She is just a little bit away from reaching level 5 and unlocking the message posting function in the employee forum.
Compared to Brother Chi Hao, it is countless times faster.
Tang Yu'an quickly upgraded her and unlocked rewards that could be exchanged for goods, and also sent out her name.
Once her level reaches lv5, she can speak directly using her name.
"Sister Hongli is so amazing!" Tang Yu'an couldn't help but sigh.
Zhou Qi nodded slightly, "She must have made a deal with the guards."
Hongli brought 60 guards this time. These guards were working in the garden again today. Now that night has fallen, it should be time for the guards to receive their wages.
When receiving the salary, a transaction was made with Jiayuan, and each person had two times left, which was exactly 120 times.
"You mean Sister Hongli asked the guards to hand in their wages?" Tang Yu'an asked.
Zhou Qi hesitated and said, "Should they exchange it for something?"
Hongli did exchange things for wages with the guards, but it also seemed like forced buying and selling.
Because the wages paid by Huangcheng Home are in Ping An coins.
This kind of good thing that can keep warm in cold weather and cool in hot weather was the first time the guards had seen it, so naturally they didn't want to trade it after getting it.
However, under Hongli's order, they handed it over obediently.
Hongli looked at the redeemable goods unlocked for her by the mysterious merchant: brown rice, alcohol, fuel and... gas cylinders.
"Gas cylinder?" Xie Chaori's eyes lit up. "Did you unlock the gas cylinder?"
Hongli nodded. There was naturally a gas supply in the fortress, so she knew what a gas cylinder was, but it just felt a little unreal.
It just so happened that the smallest 5kg gas cylinder only cost 100 points, so she exchanged it for it.
Seeing the gas tank appear before her, Hongli looked incredulous. She asked, "If I throw this out during a battle, what do you think the effect will be?"
Xie Chaori chuckled and said, "Do you want to give it a try?"
Although Hongli was eager to try, she finally restrained herself and said, "Please help me put it on the forum trading area and sell it for 1,000 points."
"Just pull it to the top?"
"Um."
Xie Chaori hesitated and said, "How about you wait until tomorrow when you upgrade and then hang it up yourself?"
"Don't you owe Huangcheng Homeland 1 million points?" Hongli said, "I'm giving you this gas bottle as a gift to celebrate your escape from death."
Xie Chaori couldn't help but feel touched, and then he hung the gas cylinder on the trading area, and it was bought in less than a few seconds.
Before he could smile, he saw...
【Green as Blue】: Oh my god! Lao Xie, I just bought a gas canister!
Xie Zhaori: ...
He hesitated to speak, and finally decided to make this unfortunate child happy for a while before speaking.
Hongli has shifted its attention to Ping An coins.
There are 120 pieces in total, each with a face value of 10. They are very similar to the salt coins that Xiao An and the others gave her before, but not only has the design changed, but new things have also been added.
She looked at the peace coins, not knowing what was on her mind, and asked Xie Chaori, "Is that Mr. Li the one who manages the Desolate City Homestead?"
"Yes."
Xie Chaori looked away from the message board and responded, "The two young bosses rarely stay at home. If they have any questions, they usually go to see Mr. Li."
Hongli nodded and prepared to go talk to Old Li.
Seeing Xie Chaori's strange expression, he asked him what was wrong, and heard him say: "Xiao Hao bought your gas cylinder..."
Hongli was startled for a moment, then smiled: "It's deserved!"
Then she went to talk to Old Li about cooperation.
"You want to exchange for a batch of peace coins?" Old Li looked at her with some surprise. "I wonder what the Red Carp Mountain Master is planning to do?"
"Issued in Jufeng Town." Hongli said succinctly, "I want at least 10,000 copies. Of course, I don't want them for free. The materials for the transaction can be negotiated."
Old Li thought for a moment and said, "I need to ask for instructions, and I'll give you a reply at the earliest tomorrow."
"Okay." Hongli nodded. "I'll be going back to Jufeng Mountain tomorrow. I hope to hear good news from you before I leave."
After Old Li sent the red carp away, he quickly contacted Zhou Qi through the store channel, hoping that he would come back.
Tang Yu'an and his team had just finished paving the way and rushed back after receiving the message.
When they returned home, Old Li was already waiting for them in Room 901. When he saw them, he quickly explained the situation.
"Sister Hongli wants 10,000 peace coins? Does she specify the denominations?" Tang Yu'an asked.
"It costs 10 yuan."
Old Li guessed, "She probably saw the temperature-regulating effect of the Ping An Coin."
Only Xiao An and his friends would use this kind of treasure as currency.
Although he was very happy that Ping An coins could be promoted, Tang Yu'an was still wondering why Hongli wanted to exchange so many Ping An coins at one time.
10,000 10-yuan coins equal 100,000 points.
Old Li looked at him, thought for a moment, and asked, "Xiao An, has your physical condition improved a lot now?"
Tang Yu'an nodded, not understanding why.
Old Li smiled and said, "So you haven't noticed that the weather has turned cold again?"
Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi were both stunned.
"What do you mean?"
Old Li said quietly, "In a while, the cold weather will come."
"Cold disaster?" Tang Yu'an asked in surprise, "Cold?"
"Um."
Old Li looked at the dark sky outside. Even at night, he could see that the night sky was covered with thick clouds.
"After the flood comes the severe cold, and now the night temperature has reached freezing point."
"As the day progresses, the daytime temperatures will get colder and colder, gradually reaching below freezing," he said.
By that time, the temperature at night will be much lower than it is now, and people can easily freeze to death.
"We also need to stock up on some cold-weather supplies."
Although he said this, Old Li looked relaxed and didn't show much worry.
After all, he had never fought such a prosperous war. The people in Jufeng Town might be anxious, but the people in Huangcheng Homeland did not have to worry about the coming of the cold disaster.
"The blue beard seedling planted by Kang Kang has now grown into more than ten or twenty branches." Old Li said mysteriously.
At first, October's growth rate was quite slow, but since the star chain vine was planted in the home and the soil was able to supply nutrients, it has grown a branch every few days.
And it particularly likes to stay in a crowd of people. As long as there is a place where residents work, a new blue beard will grow in two days.
Of course, every time before it grows out, Kang Kang will come to Old Li to ask if it can grow.
When Kang Kang first came to see him, Old Li was very surprised. It was the first time in his life that he had seen such a spiritual tree.
In general, October is a mutant tree that loves to join in the fun, but is also very well-behaved.
When the number of blue beech trees increased and their crowns grew, Old Li could gradually feel its function of regulating temperature.
Now you can feel a clear temperature difference inside and outside your home.
This feeling will probably become stronger when the bluebeard trees grow more lush.
"Next, I plan to have the growers stop production and focus on promoting the growth of blue beech branches."
"As long as the blueberry trees can grow in large numbers in our home, we can maintain our current production activities even during the cold weather, and it won't be too late to continue planting then."
Old Li said with a smile, his face full of confidence.
Tang Yu'an couldn't help but nod his head. Yes, they have blue Hu Lin to regulate the temperature, so they don't have to worry about the cold disaster!
that is……
"Won't October exclude the growth of other plants?" Tang Yu'an thought of the situation in Lanhu Town.
The mother tree of blue beech is very domineering, and no other plants can grow in the blue beech forest.
Hearing this, Old Li asked in surprise, "Does Lan Hulin have this characteristic?"
He really didn't know this before, after all...
“October is quite enthusiastic about other plants,” he said.
Some were even a little too enthusiastic - even in the dark room in Building 1 where the mutant lantern grass was grown, a blue beard seedling had grown.
"Ah? There's one growing on Liangliang's place too?"
This was the first time Tang Yu'an had heard of this. If he remembered correctly, the mutant lantern plant seemed to be quite socially anxious. That was really hard for it.
"Yeah." Old Li nodded. "The one in the darkroom is smaller. Maybe because it doesn't get much sunlight, it's not growing very well."
But it didn't wither and die.
It is worth mentioning that after this period of rest, the mutant lantern grass that was injured in the giant bear attack has recovered and produced a lot of lantern fruits.
These lantern fruits were sold to the residents of the deserted city homes.
Now almost every household has one, which can be used for lighting at night, so you don’t have to worry about hitting your head when getting up at night.
When the production increases in the future, it can be hung in the yard to provide lighting in the evening and save electricity.
"Then let's do as you said, Grandpa, and start by promoting the growth of the blue beard tree."
Tang Yu'an said, "But there should be more people from Jufeng Town coming later, so we have to build more houses."
Although there are still empty rooms in Building 1, it can only accommodate one or two hundred people at most.
When the news of the deserted city home gets back, the number of people coming to seek refuge will definitely be more than this - after all, there are 60 guards brought by Hongli alone.
Even if they leave with Hongli tomorrow, they should move their families here after returning. Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi are quite confident about this.
Old Li nodded and said, "I see. It's Granny Guo's house... I'm afraid it will be put on hold again."
Because Granny Guo had limited mobility and lived on the eighth floor, we had previously planned to build a bungalow for her. However, due to the construction of the reservoir, the wall, and the new grocery store, the plan was temporarily postponed.
Now the construction team is repairing the fence, and then they will build houses for the new residents, so I'm afraid it will be delayed again.
Hearing this, Tang Yu'an chuckled, "Don't worry about that. We have other ways to solve the problem of mobility problems!"
"Oh? What is it?"
"We just received a new reward from the Lord God's Messenger. You will know tomorrow."
Seeing Tang Yu'an acting mysteriously, Old Li didn't ask any further questions. He smiled and nodded: "Then I'll wait and see."
Then they returned to the subject.
"We can provide 10,000 10-yuan Ping An coins." Zhou Qi said, "We'll personally deliver them to Sister Hongli when she returns to Jufeng Mountain."
Hongli had to go back, so it would be better for them to send him over to avoid any accidents.
"Now that Hongli has become an employee, do you plan to open the teleportation array to her in the future?" asked Old Li.
"Let's continue observing." Zhou Qi said.
Although Hongli is also a manager, the situation in Jufeng Town is much more complicated than that in Lanhu Town. Even if they intend to train her to be a branch manager, they need to adopt different plans.
For example, guide Hongli to build a new branch.
This is the plan they temporarily decided after discussing today. After all, Jufeng Grocery Store and Lanhu Grocery Store are different.
Lanhu Grocery Store is just an empty shell, while Jufeng Grocery Store is closely related to Huangcheng Home, and it can almost be said that it is the incarnation of Huangcheng Home.
After all, they sent employees there to sell salt, and the sign has been put up, which can bring a lot of store popularity and points to the home every day.
Under such circumstances, it is impossible to parachute Hongli into the position of branch manager.
Therefore, letting Hongli build a new branch is a good choice, but whether to do so depends on Hongli's business capabilities.
"Well, then you guys can do whatever you want." Seeing that they had a plan, Old Li nodded.
Afterwards, Tang Yu'an told him that residents could take advantage of the overnight stay rules and teleport quickly.
Old Li's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said with a smile, "That's a good idea."
Unfortunately, the staff can’t use it.
But he has an electric tricycle, so it is very convenient for him to go out now.
"And..." Tang Yu'an looked at Zhou Qi.
Zhou Qi understood and reached out to release the spirit insect trapped in his palm.
"Grandpa, do you know what this is?" Tang Yu'an asked.
As soon as the spirit insect appeared, Old Li stared at it intently. When he heard Tang Yu'an's question, hesitation appeared on his face.
"I don't know him, but... I have a vague feeling in my heart... I can't explain what it is... It just feels a little familiar..."
Tang Yu'an then said, "Grandpa, have you heard of spirit insects?"
Old Li recalled for a moment and said, "I seem to have heard a similar term before, but it's probably not the same thing as what you're talking about."
"You may feel familiar with it because... most people's superpowers are related to spiritual insects." Zhou Qi said.
Old Li was stunned. "Superpower?"
"That's right." Zhou Qi said, "The origin of supernatural powers should be these spirit insects, which means..."
"There should also be a spirit insect in your body, but it should be a water-type one."
It was the first time that Old Li heard this, and he was inevitably shocked. His eyes fell on the spiritual insect again.
Zhou Qi continued, "I pulled this one out from the giant lizard."
Old Li is still shocked when he thinks back to what happened yesterday.
"Yes, that one was obviously a mutant who lost control and was attacked by the backlash and turned into a beast. You can actually change him back..."
His psychic abilities were low, perhaps because the spirit insects within him were weak. But his physique had indeed been transformed, giving him the capital to survive in the wasteland.
"So you have caught this spiritual insect. What are your plans now?" Old Li looked at the two young men and had a vague guess in his mind.
Sure enough, he heard Tang Yu'an say, "Grandpa, do you think we can use this spirit insect to help our employees activate their superpowers?"
A glimmer of light flashed in Old Li's eyes.
He looked at the spirit insect again, nodded and said, "That's indeed a good idea."
When hearing Tang Yu'an mention that he didn't know if the spirit insects would have any side effects, Old Li sneered and said, "Risks and opportunities coexist. If it can stimulate superpowers, many people are willing to take the risk."
"But we still want to minimize the risks," said Tang Yu'an.
Old Li understood their kindness, but in his opinion, there was basically no risk in this matter.
He recalled, "Among those who first awakened their superpowers, many did die from backlash. The manifestations of backlash can be roughly divided into death by body explosion and death by beast transformation and madness."
"The former... I guess it's because the body can't withstand the power of the spirit insect?"
Old Li looked at the spiritual insect in Zhou Qi's hand and said, "But from my perception, this spiritual insect is very weak, far from being able to burst a human body."
"Don't underestimate the wastelanders. Anyone who can survive in the wasteland, even an ordinary person, is much stronger than the humans before the disaster."
Tang Yu'an couldn't help but nod, he agreed with this point.
Like Fireball's father, Tree Root, he doesn't have any special powers, but his physique is indeed excellent. Now that his living conditions are better, his body has become visibly stronger.
Old Li continued, "As for the beast transformation and madness... doesn't Xiaoqi already have a way to deal with it?"
If the new host can't withstand the beastification, then let Zhou Qi extract the spirit insect again, right? So the risk of this matter is very small.
but……
"Have you really thought this through?" Old Li said, "If everything goes well, it will probably take a long time to retrieve this spirit insect."
The cultivation of supernatural powers also depends a lot on talent. People with low talent may not make any progress for several years.
"It doesn't matter. It's useless to keep it in your hands anyway."
The information identified by the system is all garbled, and the value of points has not been identified, so this spirit insect cannot be put up for sale in the plane store.
Zhou Qi tried to upload it to the forum trading area, but was rejected by the system, indicating that this was a prohibited item.
All these seem to indicate that the spirit insects may not be used for transactions, and even if they are traded to customers, no points will be earned.
In this case, it is better to use it to improve the strength of employees.
At least the employees in the Deserted City Home don’t need to worry about them leaving.
Seeing that the two young men had made up their minds, Old Li stopped trying to persuade them. He said, "Do you have a choice?"
"It depends on who has the fire talent." Zhou Qi said.
If you don't have any of these, there is nothing you can do.
Old Li nodded and said, "Then I'll call someone to get tested first."
As for how to distribute this benefit, we will have to wait until the talents are tested.
Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi had no objection, so Old Li shouted in the store channel.
Soon, all the non-superpowered employees of Store No. 1 gathered in Room 501.
First came Lin Zhen, then the grass, the stone, and then A Lian.
Lan Lin and Mo Ke were both psychics, so they were excluded.
Selfishly speaking, Old Li hoped it was Lin Zhen.
But unfortunately, she did not have the talent for fire, and the grass and stones that followed did not react.
After seeing Zhou Qi shaking his head, Old Li gave each of them a meat pancake and then sent them away.
Waiting for the last Alian...
The extremely obedient spirit insect in Zhou Qi's palm suddenly reacted.
He couldn't help but look at A Lian.
This thin woman with red hair gradually regained her health and well-proportion after arriving at her home in the deserted city. Her thin face gained flesh, and her original beauty could be seen again.
But compared to her beauty, the scar on her neck left by the fire poison seemed even more shocking.
However, since becoming an employee and helping Old Li deal with the residents every day, she has shed her original numbness and cowardice.
Now, even facing Zhou Qi's gaze, she can look back at him calmly.
"Manager, is there anything wrong?" she asked softly.
Zhou Qi did not answer immediately, but looked at Old Li, who then understood what he meant.
The old man couldn't help but look at A Lian, his eyes swept over the scar on her neck, and he remembered what she had experienced in Jufeng Mountain before, and suddenly he understood something.
As an ordinary person, the fact that A-Lian was able to withstand the fire poison and wait until Hongli cured it for her is actually very telling.
It's not surprising that she has a talent for fire.
Old Li waved to her and took her to the corner of the living room. He then said, "I called you here because the great God of Commerce has bestowed blessings upon us."
Upon hearing this, A Lian quickly showed a pious look.
After becoming an employee, she read the message board and posts every day, and believed in everything about the Shangshen Religion. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she was a fanatic.
Old Li was very satisfied with her attitude, so he continued, "You are very lucky. Because you have a talent for fire, you have been given this opportunity to activate your supernatural power."
No matter how mentally prepared A-Lian was, she couldn't help but look shocked when she heard what Old Li said.
"Inspire superpowers?" A Lian covered her mouth.
"That's right." Old Li nodded, "But I must tell you that activating superpowers doesn't guarantee success. There are certain risks involved."
"Besides, the God of Business hates anything that comes without work, so this opportunity is not free."
A-Lian nodded and listened attentively.
"If you choose to accept this opportunity, then 200,000 points is the price you need to pay." Old Li said seriously.
Hearing this number, Tang Yu'an couldn't help but open his mouth.
Is 200,000 points too much for A-Lian?
Based on her current performance, her personal points commission is only about 5,000 points per month. If she doesn't spend anything, it will take her three or four years to save enough?
But he didn't say anything in the end because Old Li stopped him with his eyes.
A-Lian was obviously also shocked by this number.
She frowned and thought for a moment, then asked, "Can I pay back these 200,000 points slowly?"
"Okay." Old Li nodded. "Aside from repaying your points in installments, the benefits you enjoy in the Deserted City Homestead will remain the same."
A-Lian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, then she gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, I accept!"
Even Old Li was a little surprised by her decisiveness. "Don't you want to think about it again? After all, there are still risks."
A-Lian paused, then shook her head.
"I want super powers." She looked at Old Li with a firm gaze.
If she were alone, she might hesitate because her daughter still needed her, but now she also had Tiejin.
Even if something happened to her, Tiejin could take care of Lily, so she would have no worries. So she would try her best no matter what.
Only those who have faced the fire snake can understand that kind of despair.
A-Lian didn't want to experience that kind of despair again. Although she was safe in her home in the deserted city, she would occasionally dream of fire snakes chasing her at night.
That kind of fear and despair often appeared in her dreams.
And now, she finally got a chance to gain superpowers and power!
A-Lian felt that it would be a mistake if she didn't try harder to catch it.
"In that case..." Old Li took out a notebook and wrote an IOU for her to sign on the spot.
Then he looked at Zhou Qi and Tang Yu'an.
Tang Yu'an scratched his head. A-Lian actually agreed to the 200,000 points offer without any hesitation, which was really beyond his expectation.
However, Grandpa Li had already talked to her, so he couldn't say anything more.
Tang Yu'an looked at Zhou Qi and whispered something into his ear. Zhou Qi nodded and took something out of his arms and handed it to him.
After Tang Yu'an took it, he came to A Lian and said to her, "Take this bead first."
A-Lian hurriedly caught it with both hands.
What Tang Yu'an gave her was naturally the lucky marble. He hoped that this marble could increase her chances of awakening her superpowers.
After all, A-Lian has already spent 200,000 points, and it would be a huge loss if the awakening fails.
Yes, he had heard from the previous conversation that according to Grandpa Li, even if the awakening was not successful, he still had to pay.
"I wish you success!" Tang Yu'an patted A Lian's shoulder and made way.
A Lian's gaze naturally fell on Zhou Qi.
"Next, I will try to awaken your superpowers for you." Zhou Qi said seriously, "Are you ready?"
A-Lian nodded.
So Zhou Qi asked her to stretch out one hand, then made a tiny cut on the palm of her hand, and then he placed his palm on hers.
Before their palms touched, the spirit insect trapped in Zhou Qi's palm couldn't wait to crawl out.
The end of that rule went through the wound on A-Lian's hand and entered her body.
A-Lian felt a tingling sensation and subconsciously clenched the marble in her other hand. She didn't know the function of the marble, but she just held it tightly instinctively.
Zhou Qi could clearly feel that the fire energy was gathering towards A Lian.
He withdrew his hand and stood aside to observe carefully, while Tang Yu'an had already called up the computer and recorded the entire process.
But the amazing thing is that the spirit insects that are visible to the naked eye are invisible in the images recorded by the optical computer.
They nervously observed A-Lian's changes so that they could rescue her in time if something unexpected happened.
The fire stone in the room continuously released fire energy, which slowly gathered around Alian, causing the temperature around Alian to rise.
A-Lian has closed her eyes.
About an hour later, the pain on her face gradually eased and she slowly became calm.
Fortunately, she did not show any symptoms of backlash.
Tang Yu'an glanced at her employee status bar and found that there was a new word "parasitic ecology" in her status bar.
As long as she is not a "spiritual insect devourer", she is safe!
Another half an hour passed before A-Lian finally opened her eyes again. The fire energy around her had dissipated somewhat, but her temperature was still higher than that of an ordinary person.
Old Li carefully observed her condition, then nodded and said, "Not bad, the awakening was very successful."
A-Lian's face was full of confusion.
"Really? I feel a little... hot?" The others didn't feel much.
"This is normal," said Old Li. "You need to adapt to your awakened body and slowly absorb the fire energy in the environment. Don't touch the fire crystals yet, otherwise there might be problems."
"Okay, okay."
A-Lian had prepared herself mentally for the worst, but she didn't expect it to go so smoothly.
"If there is nothing else, you can go back and rest first. I will talk to you in detail about the repayment tomorrow." said Old Li.
"Okay, I'll go back first."
A Lian returned the marbles in her hand to Tang Yu'an and then left Room 501.
After she left, Old Li looked at the two teenagers and said with a smile, "See, I told you the risk was low."
"Grandpa is so right!"
Tang Yu'an exclaimed in admiration, but couldn't help but ask, "It's just... 200,000 points, isn't that too much?"
"A lot? Not much."
Old Li said calmly, "She lives and eats in the Deserted City Homestead, and the materials used for trade are still produced in the Homestead. It's good that she didn't have to hand over all her points."
Moreover, the number of residents in the deserted city home will experience rapid growth in the future, and her monthly profit will definitely be more than the current amount.
It will take at most two years to pay back these 200,000 points.
"Working in such a great place for two years can earn you special abilities that will benefit you for life. Where else can you find such a good thing besides the Deserted City Home?"
Considering that this was the first implementation, the specific effect was unknown, and A-Lian also took a great risk, so Old Li lowered the price slightly.
The risk does seem low right now, so…
"If there is more in the future, the number won't be this." said Old Li.
Even if it was Lin Jue who awakened his superpowers today, he would still do the same.
The rules cannot be broken.
Tang Yu'an didn't say anything more. Since he had discussed the matter openly with Grandpa Li, he had no choice but to respect his opinion.
No matter what, he believed that his grandfather would not harm him.
After resolving this matter, Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi left Room 501.
At this time, the chat time in the communication room has ended, and the residents have returned to their rooms to sleep. Except for a few rooms, the entire home has become quiet.
So Tang Yu'an opened the decoration interface and started installing the elevator.
Building No. 1 already has an elevator shaft, so there is no need to build another one. The purchased elevator can be installed directly.
During installation, the circuit must be equipped and then connected to the electricity supply of the grocery store, and the monthly electricity bill will be automatically deducted.
["Cargo Elevator - Smart Version" has been installed. Please select maintenance mode.]
【1. Automatic maintenance: 1000 points/month】
[2. Manual maintenance: 800 points/time]
Elevators still need regular maintenance, otherwise it will be very troublesome if an accident occurs.
Tang Yu'an naturally chose automatic maintenance.
After everything was set up, an elevator appeared in the 3D image of Building 1. Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi excitedly ran to the elevator to take a look.
Building 1, with two elevators.
The elevator door on the left, which was originally broken and rusty, had become shiny. When they arrived in front of the elevator door, a light screen lit up.
"Facial recognition passed, please select a floor."
Tang Yu'an chose the 9th floor. After the elevator opened, he and Zhou Qi walked in.
Standing in the elevator, they felt as if they had returned to their original world. It was not until the elevator door reopened and they saw the gray corridor outside that they finally returned to reality.
“This elevator is pretty stable!”
Tang Yu'an sighed, and then asked Zhou Qi to try using the elevator.
Because Tang Yu'an had not given him permission, his facial recognition failed and the elevator failed to open.
"In other words, the elevator requires authorized personnel to open it, but once it's opened, anyone can enter?"
Tang Yu'an felt that this was not bad.
He is not planning to install a second elevator for the time being. The price of 135,000 yuan is still quite expensive, but if there is only one elevator, it will inevitably cause congestion, so it is necessary to restrict the number of people using it.
So he started compiling the list.
First came the employees, then the elderly over 60, minors under 16, and finally pregnant women with limited mobility.
Because the household information of the residents has been entered into the optical brain, as long as the elevator intelligent system is connected to the optical brain's network and the databases are interconnected, it can automatically screen out people who meet the requirements.
When new residents move in in the future, there is no need to re-authorize. Once the family information is entered into the database, it can be automatically synchronized. It is very convenient.
Tang Yu'an and Zhou Qi played with the elevator for a while, then returned to the attic of Ping'an Grocery Store to salvage today's dream message in a bottle.
After completing the transaction with the dream wishers, he started today's lottery.
Congratulations! You won the rare material "Phoenix Feather"!
"Great! The purple-red carpet can also be upgraded!" Tang Yu'an cheered.
The corner of Zhou Qi's mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but look back at the elf Fu Fu who was sleeping on the purple sleeping pillow.
Because Tencel was "successfully" refreshed in the morning's seven-day sale, the second sleeping pillow also began to upgrade to level 3.
Now it’s the purple carpet again…
Hopefully, the elf Fufu's dust is enough :)
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