As the population in shelters grows, the improved quality of life also brings new problems.
The first thing to be affected was Lin Feng's private bathroom.
His bathroom, located in the main building and equipped with simple heating and a shower, used to be the most desirable spot in the entire shelter.
But now, it has almost become a public toilet.
Every day from morning till night, different women would come to use his bathroom under various pretexts—"Sir, I just finished processing animal hides and I'm so dirty," or "Brother Lin, I worked up a sweat carrying timber."
Although Lin Feng didn't say it, he was already extremely annoyed.
He couldn't stand the fact that his private space was always filled with the smell of different women's shampoo (a homemade one made with plant extracts) and wet footprints.
More importantly, having only one bathroom is far too inefficient and poses hygiene risks for a tribe that is still expanding.
It's time for a complete infrastructure upgrade.
He wanted to build a real public bathhouse for everyone.
A new landmark that can wash away fatigue, cleanse the soul, and showcase the level of civilization of the shelter.
The idea was met with enthusiastic support from everyone as soon as it was proposed.
Lin Feng then unveiled his grand plan.
What he wanted to build was not a simple bathtub, but a large bath center with complete functions and clear divisions.
It will be divided into two areas, one for men and one for women, and communication between them will be strictly prohibited.
Each area should have a huge hot water pool that can accommodate more than a dozen people bathing at the same time, several independent shower cubicles, and a sauna room for relaxation and promoting blood circulation.
Such a massive project would be extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive to undertake by manpower alone.
But Lin Feng possesses the most amazing engineering team on this planet.
He blew his specially made bone whistle, and soon a series of chirping sounds came from afar. A large group of alien monkeys, covered in brilliant golden fur, with agile bodies and lively eyes, surged towards him like a golden tide.
This is the peculiar creature that Lin Feng named the "Golden Thread Miner".
Not only are they incredibly strong and adept at digging and moving, but more importantly, they possess extremely high intelligence, enabling them to accurately understand and execute the complex commands Lin Feng issues through the mental link.
"start!"
With Lin Feng's order, a vigorous construction project was launched.
Under Lin Feng's personal planning and command, the gold miners demonstrated amazing construction talent.
They formed a long line, efficiently transporting uniformly sized bluish-gray stones quarried from the riverbed to the construction site. Several of the strongest monkeys were responsible for breaking up specific rocks, mixing them with a sticky red clay, and stirring them in water to create a high-performance alien "cement."
The entire construction process was filled with the beauty of planning and collaboration.
Humans were responsible for relatively delicate tasks, such as building wooden roof frames and polishing stone slabs.
The gold miners, on the other hand, undertook all the heavy physical labor, such as building walls, digging pits, and carrying materials. Their efficiency was more than ten times that of humans.
The core of the project is the heating system.
Lin Feng designed a huge, sealed boiler made of thick iron plates, like the heart of a steel behemoth, and placed it in the basement of the bathhouse.
Rows of thick pipes, hollowed out from a type of "copper wood" with excellent thermal conductivity, extend from the boiler and are laid out like blood vessels in the bottom of the bath and the wall cavities of the sauna.
Once the boiler is lit, a continuous supply of hot water and steam circulates through the pipes, providing the entire bathhouse with inexhaustible heat.
After nearly twenty days of intensive construction, this magnificent stone and wood structure, which embodies everyone's expectations, has finally been completed.
It stands quietly in the center of the shelter's living area, its rough bluestone walls giving a sense of solidity and reliability, and its huge log beams emitting a faint scent of pine.
When the first fire was lit and wisps of white smoke rose from the towering chimney on the roof, everyone cheered.
A new era seems to have arrived along with the rising steam.
Inside the bathhouse, warm mist rose and enveloped everything in a hazy, soft glow.
Men's bathing area.
A huge heat wave hit us, and the air was filled with humid moisture and the unique smell of heated rocks.
The huge hot water pool was built with smooth bluestone slabs, and the water was crystal clear, bubbling up. The ground around the pool was paved with non-slip wooden strips, and there was a shower head at intervals on the wall, sprinkling warm water.
Lin Feng, Li Xiangbin, and Pang Dahai were lying comfortably in the huge bathtub, shirtless, letting the warm water soak their bodies and wash away the fatigue of the past few days.
"Ah! So comfortable! It's so damn comfortable!" Li Xiangbin draped a wet towel over his forehead, lay back on the steps by the pool, only his head showing, his face showing an expression of ultimate enjoyment.
He let out a long, satisfied sigh: "Brother, to be honest, this kind of life is truly heaven! Back when I was on Earth, I never even dared to dream of such a thing!"
Lin Feng closed his eyes contentedly, leaning against the pool wall. Hearing this, he glanced at him and smiled, "Oh? But there's no internet here, no Wi-Fi, and certainly no short videos you could watch endlessly."
"What would I do with that kind of junk?" Li Xiangbin said, his face showing undisguised disdain.
He shifted his body, finding a more comfortable position, and said with a touch of emotion, "Brother, you don't know, I used to deliver food for more than ten hours a day. When I got back to that tiny rented room of just over ten square meters, I was exhausted like a dead dog, not wanting to move a finger. Back then, my only thought was to lie in bed scrolling through my phone, watching those short videos, and hours would pass by in a flash. It seemed like only that could make me forget how tiring and boring my life was."
He paused, a happy, simple smile spreading across his face: "But things are different now. The work I do every day, though tiring, gives me a sense of peace. I know I'm contributing to our home. After work, there's a hot meal, Xiaomei cares for me, and I can get a good night's sleep. Now I can even enjoy such a comfortable hot bath..."
"Brother, this is the kind of life a human being should live!"
Pang Dahai, standing to the side, nodded in agreement. His massive body floated in the water like a mountain of flesh, and ripples spread across the surface with his movements.
"Xiang Bin is right!"
He said in a deep voice, "No matter how exciting or lively the internet is, it's still virtual; it's someone else's life. Even if you laugh loudly at the screen, once you turn off your phone, the room is still cold and empty. Unlike now?"
He patted his big belly proudly, his face beaming with a greasy yet genuine sense of happiness: "My four wives, although they argue with me every day over food and give me headaches, they will massage my shoulders and fight over who can warm my bed. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I can research delicious food every day and see everyone enjoying their meals."
"This kind of life is a million times better than the days I spent lying in bed watching short videos of beautiful women and drooling with envy!"
Lin Feng listened quietly, nodded, and a complex and long-standing sense of nostalgia quietly rose in his heart.
What he misses is not the internet, nor those bizarre forms of entertainment.
Instead... it's electricity.
At that very moment, he felt a sudden tremor run through his body, as if an invisible electric current had surged from his spine into his brain. In an instant, a torrent of complex yet crystal-clear knowledge, like a river bursting its banks, flooded his mind!
Those are the mysteries of magnetic fields, coils, rotors, and stators; the precise blueprints for water power, wind power, and even steam-driven turbines; Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction; Tesla's alternating current system...
At this moment, countless treasures of wisdom belonging to another civilization were completely unlocked and instilled into him!
He suddenly opened his eyes, and a chilling, lightning-like light flashed in his deep pupils.
His lips moved slightly, and a slowly excited smile appeared on his lips.
“Don’t you think…” he began slowly, his voice echoing in the empty bathroom with a strange magic, “is it still too dark here?”
Li Xiangbin and Pang Dahai were both stunned when they heard this.
They subconsciously looked up. Indeed, although it was daytime, the bathhouse was a semi-enclosed space with only a few vents at higher levels letting in some sunlight, making the entire space appear somewhat dim, relying entirely on the faint light reflected from the rising steam in the pool.
"It's...it's a bit dark, huh, big brother." Li Xiangbin scratched his head, puzzled.
But none of them noticed that Lin Feng's gaze was no longer fixed on the bathroom, but rather pierced through the stone walls and roof, looking towards a deeper and more distant future.
A bright future illuminated by his own hands.
Meanwhile, the women's bathing area, separated by only a wall, presents a completely different and bustling scene.
The fog here is thicker, and the air is filled with a sweet and fragrant aroma of various flower and herb extracts mixed with the scent of women.
The chattering laughter and the splashing water mingled together to create a vibrant symphony.
Qin Lan, Su Wanqing, Qian Xiaoxiao, Shen Jiaqi, Tang Bao, and other core female members were lazily soaking in the pool.
They shed their usual capable or fierce demeanor, revealing their breathtakingly beautiful figures.
The warm pool water moistened their snow-white skin, adding a touch of alluring radiance to their already outstanding appearance.
Meanwhile, Xiaomei and Pang Dahai's four wives, now with rosy complexions and budding charm, stood by, both reserved and curious.
With the support of men, they feel much more confident.
As Li Xiangbin's wife, Xiaomei's position was secure, and she couldn't help but look at Tangbao and the others with a gossipy smile.
“Sister Tangbao, Sister Qinlan,” Xiaomei asked softly, “How are things going between you and Mr. Qin? Have his two brothers found partners yet?”
This question, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirred up a thousand ripples.
Tang Bao, the most straightforward and confident girl, triumphantly tossed her wet long hair, water droplets sliding down her graceful neck. She raised her snow-white chin, like a proud peacock.
"Don't be fooled by Lin Feng's cold and aloof demeanor. He always looks down on everyone."
Her voice was clear and loud, full of confidence, "I just don't believe he's not restless deep down! Men are all the same! The two men beside him, one simple-minded and the other fat, now come home to a warm bed and a wife every day. I just don't believe he doesn't feel restless when he's sleeping alone at night!"
Qian Xiaoxiao chimed in, "Exactly! I think it's only a matter of time before we take him down!"
"At that time, I, Tang Bao, will be the rightful mistress of this shelter!"
Tang Bao then made a surprising statement. She looked around at everyone, her eyes gleaming with excitement: "From now on, all of you will listen to me!"
"You?"
A cold, slightly disdainful voice rang out.
It was Qin Lan. She had been resting with her eyes closed, but now she slowly opened them, looking calmly at Tang Bao, who seemed to be announcing her victory in advance.
“To be the mistress of the house, it’s not enough to just fawn over her.” Qin Lan’s voice wasn’t loud, but every word was like an ice pick: “What a shelter needs is a woman who can help the master manage the overall situation and stabilize the home front when he’s away, not a vase who’s just a pretty face who’s jealous.”
"What do you mean?!" Tang Bao's eyebrows shot up immediately. "Who are you calling a 'pretty face'?"
Su Wanqing, who was standing to the side, also joined the "battle" with a smile. She gently splashed the water and said in an intellectual and elegant tone, "Sister Qin Lan is right. However, it seems that I have always been in charge of managing the daily operation of the shelter, counting supplies, and planning development. In terms of contribution and suitability, I am the most suitable candidate."
"You?" Shen Jiaqi scoffed. "You're just a bookkeeper. What do you know about fighting side by side? Last time we hunted the Crystal Horned Snow Yak, who was covering for the master? It was me and Qian Xiaoxiao!"
"Yes!" Qian Xiaoxiao immediately chimed in, "Only a woman who can accompany Mr. Sir to the battlefield is qualified to stand by his side!"
Thus, a war of words erupted over the ownership of the "hermitage owner".
The women chatted amongst themselves, praising each other and belittling each other, from personal charm to actual contributions, from physical appearance to personality and abilities, arguing enthusiastically.
Pang Dahai's four wives were dumbfounded. They had never imagined that these women, who usually seemed united and aloof, were actually like this in private.
Xiaomei, meanwhile, stood to the side, pursing her lips and secretly smiling. Watching the arguing women, she felt a strange sense of warmth and amusement.
There were arguments, jealousy, and comparisons, which precisely proved that the shelter was full of vitality and that their lives had completely escaped the despair of the struggle against the apocalypse and returned to the real human world, full of flesh and blood, love and hate.
And all of this was brought to them by the man who was taking a bath next door at that moment.
The steam from the bathhouse still lingered in the warm air.
Li Xiangbin and Pang Dahai were still reminiscing about their heavenly days and the emptiness of the internet age, while Lin Feng was already lost in thought.
His body was immersed in the warm pool water, but his consciousness was experiencing an unprecedented, earth-shattering cosmic storm.
That forcefully instilled torrent of knowledge was not simply "I understand," but a systematic, logical "blueprint for civilization" that was perfectly adapted to this alien environment, encompassing everything from atomic structure to macroscopic applications.
He "saw" how magnetic field lines cut through the conductor, generating a weak current.
He "saw" how to use a mineral on this planet called "Black Mountain Magnet Ridge" to create permanent magnets that are far stronger than neodymium iron boron magnets on Earth.
He "saw" a plant called "copper wood," whose core contained highly pure, copper-like metallic fibers, making it an excellent material for manufacturing wires.
Complete technical drawings of the three most basic power generation methods—wind power, hydropower, and steam power—along with the corresponding material selection, processing technology, and even troubleshooting solutions, are like innate instincts, deeply imprinted in his soul.
He slowly opened his eyes, and what was reflected in those deep eyes was no longer the dim light and shadow of the bathhouse, but a brand new world made up of gears, coils, turbines and endless light.
"It's too dark..."
He murmured again, his voice low but carrying an undeniable authority.
He stood up, water droplets sliding down his body, which was as perfect as an ancient Greek sculpture. He didn't look at his two subordinates again, walked straight out of the bath, put on a fur robe, leaving Li Xiangbin and Pang Dahai looking bewildered.
"Brother... what's wrong?" Li Xiangbin scratched the back of his head, completely puzzled.
Pang Dahai surfaced from the water, his obese face filled with confusion: "I don't know... The boss's look just now... was terrifying..."
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