Ch 83: TGCIR

Li Weilan packed up all the spoils and returned to Noah Base.

Almost at the same time he returned to the base, system notifications on Shen Cheng’s side started flooding the screen:

【Added to Base Warehouse: Mutant Rat King x1】

【Added to Base Warehouse: Mutant Rats x73】

【Added to Base Warehouse: Mutant Rat Teeth x124】

One after another, notifications of various materials flooded in!

Seeing the names of materials scrolling on the screen, one could imagine just how many mutant creatures her cub had slain during the trip, and how easy or difficult it was for him to do so. Reflecting on this, Shen Cheng realized that she had unintentionally made her cub worry, and even received his help to resolve ‘small problems’ in the real world. Truly, nurturing a cub was a full-time commitment.

The moment Li Weilan set foot in the base, he heard a sweet greeting, “Li Weilan, welcome back home.”

This greeting, much like before, treated him as if he were a game character. A faint smile graced the corners of Li Weilan’s lips. Even though he knew she was waiting for him, his heart still skipped a beat upon hearing those words.

“Have you returned home too?” he asked.

“I have returned home as well,” Shen Cheng began to chatter about various topics, such as moving to a new place and renting a new house. Of course, she only focused on the solitary life she led in this world. While she shared these details, she felt both the warmth of Li Weilan’s presence and a subtle sense of possessiveness – from a certain perspective, their ‘worlds’ belonged solely to each other.

After Shen Cheng finished recounting her real-world experiences, she suddenly realized that she and cub had far exceeded the ‘game’ context in their conversation. She felt a bit embarrassed, smiled toward the screen, and switched topics as if she were enjoying the conversation, “Why do you have so many materials?”

As she finished saying that, Shen Cheng recalled that there was something she was curious about. She opened the ‘Status’ section and almost exclaimed, “Fifth order?!”

If she remembered correctly, when Li Weilan left, he was at the peak of the third rank. The last time he had returned after leaving again, wasn’t he already at the fourth rank? Was he really upgrading at such an astonishing speed? How did he manage to reach the fifth rank now?

This was impossible!

What did her cub experience?

Li Weilan hadn’t mentioned that when he returned between the two worlds—during the return trip—it seemed like he encountered some sort of barrier between the worlds. This experience enhanced his understanding of dimensional manipulation. From the moment he returned, he broke through to the peak of the fourth rank.

Though he was now at the fifth rank, it was not yet stable. However, after slaying a horde of Mutant rats that pursued him for more than ten blocks, he not only acquired a considerable amount of materials from them, but also gained Mutant energy crystals from their bodies. After processing the materials, his energy level had already stabilized at the current rank. With a bit more insight, he might be able to break through to the fifth rank.

If it were due to feeling a bottleneck in his energy advancement, he might not have come back to the base at this point, and perhaps spent some time in the wastelands or visited the J City base, which was home to a group of similar ability users.

But now, it seemed like the timing was right.

Sensing the tension within the base, Li Weilan could tell that the atmosphere wasn’t like usual. The sense of impending battle was like a taut bowstring, ready to be released at any moment.

After pausing at the door for a moment, he didn’t ask Shen Cheng why she hadn’t informed the base about the upcoming battle. Instead, he posed a fundamental question, “How much time do we have left?”

“Two days,” Shen Cheng replied.

“Two days,” Li Weilan fell silent, quickly calculating preparations and arrangements. Then he asked the most crucial question, “Can you estimate the scale of the zombie horde?”

“Can,” Shen Cheng said in a slightly embarrassed tone, “I can only say, it’s in the tens of thousands.” This estimate was based on the number of zombies she observed. However, since they were still gathering, the exact number was unknown, so she couldn’t be more precise at the moment.

“Brother Li!” The two women guarding the base entrance who saw Li Weilan return couldn’t hide their joy. According to their observations, it seemed that the movement of the zombies was getting closer to the base. Li Weilan’s return at this time reassured them.

The first thing Li Weilan did upon returning was to call for a meeting.

Apart from Fu Yanzhou, who was still holed up in his research room, the core members of the base had all gathered. Li Weilan listened to everyone as they recounted what had been happening around the base and its surroundings. With this, he had a clear picture of the situation.

“Chen Feng,” Li Weilan’s first action was to address Chen Feng, “It’s easy to make mistakes when it comes to caring for women and children. However, in this situation, since that zombie baby turned out to have an illusion ability, considering both intentional and unintentional actions, you managed to safely bring back the team and the zombie to the base. Achievements and errors balance out, so you shouldn’t blame yourself excessively.”

Chen Feng nodded, but then quickly brought up another topic, “I’d like to request a transfer to the base’s children’s department.”

“???” Others were puzzled.

Chen Feng honestly explained, “Though some of the children are still quite young, it’s actually the best age for the manifestation of their abilities. While it’s true that this time’s mistake can be overlooked by the base, I know myself well enough. I probably shouldn’t go on field missions anymore. The number of children in the base is increasing, and there should be someone responsible for allowing those who can to help. We can take the younger ones with us and gradually lay the foundation for their abilities.”

Li Weilan pondered for a moment and then agreed, “Okay.”

While it might be true that in some bases, they’d be willing to let a lightning-type ability user like him do field work, it was also a choice. Chen Feng’s reasoning made sense, so he approved it.

He added, “But you still need to participate in the base’s defense.”

Chen Feng nodded, surprised that this went so smoothly. “Understood!”

After discussing Chen Feng’s matter, Li Weilan began to organize the response plan. He confirmed everything from the most critical basic resources. The base’s food and water reserves were sufficient, and the power generation was adequate. However, what they lacked most were the mechanical suits and weapons that Li Weilan had taken back on his trip. Additionally, there was a need for medical supplies, emergency fuel, and gasoline or diesel for barriers.

After Li Weilan thoroughly reviewed the details, Shen Cheng’s mission was updated:

【Battle Imminent, Noah Base Lacks Mutant Armor and Medical Supplies. Please find a way to prepare ample resources for the base! Current Armor Stock: 0, Medical Supplies Stock: 0, Fuel Stock: 0】

Shen Cheng looked at these alarming numbers and the extensive list of deficiencies that Li Weilan had compiled, then quickly opened the base’s construction tree.

【Armor Manufacturing: Research conditions not met.】

“???”

Shen Cheng immediately checked the research conditions and discovered that they needed Fu Yanzhou to research at least three types of Mutant fur before the base could unlock armor manufacturing technology!

Counting the varieties of Mutant materials Li Weilan had brought back to the warehouse, it was enough!

Coincidentally, at this moment, Fu Yanzhou’s progress on researching the zombie had completed. He had just left the lab, looking fatigued, when Li Weilan knocked on the door and entered.

“???” Fu Yanzhou wondered, why did the black-hearted boss have so many materials in hand? Research materials?

The base had fought off numerous zombies and had its own self-sustaining industry. Fu Yanzhou hadn’t asked where these materials came from. He glanced at the small bundle in Li Weilan’s hands and could roughly guess its purpose: a conversation on the topic of armor.

Fu Yanzhou had just worked for twelve consecutive hours, without eating or resting in between. His stubble was showing, and exhaustion was etched across his forehead. Despite this, he didn’t refuse when Li Weilan handed over the report. He quietly handed the report to Li Weilan, avoiding direct contact. He was about to return to the research room once more to continue working when Li Weilan stopped him.

“Wait.” Li Weilan looked at the report in his hands, his forehead wrinkling slightly as he tried to comprehend the myriad of numbers. Fu Yanzhou had been able to deduce clear conclusions from these numbers, while he, with his intelligence, could only see a heap of digits! But what did these numbers represent?

Could he delay him for just five minutes to explain the report?

“…” Fu Yanzhou’s dark eyes silently met Li Weilan’s.

Observing the standoff between the two, Shen Cheng had a hard time suppressing her laughter. It seemed that Fu Yanzhou’s desire to rush back to the lab was quite evident.

She tried tapping on the report, and fortunately, it was a thick stack. Its game-like interface provided a concise conclusion: “Excellent work!”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Right now, Shen Cheng was contemplating the scientific significance of distilling this information. After a brief moment, she began to read the summarized version to Li Weilan. However, as she read on, her expression turned grim. “The average lifespan of Mutant cells has increased by 20%. Reproduction rate increased by 30%. Mobility improved by 20%. Dissection revealed that some cells emit radiation signals, possibly used for transmitting information from the central command. Suspected that a unified command system for ability users has been established. Radio frequencies couldn’t intercept the signals. The activity of cells likely increases according to their ranks, eventually exhibiting colony-like behavior. Dissections of third-level and second-level zombies have revealed that as their levels increase, their cellular activity also intensifies.”

As Shen Cheng read, her face grew more and more serious.

She poked the exhausted Li Weilan, whispering, “Does it seem like the zombies are becoming more organized?”

“But don’t worry,” Shen Cheng recalled the scene where Chen Feng had been deceived by the child zombie earlier that day and smiled faintly. “The luckiest thing is that we still have Lanlan! We can see the enemies!” The enemy detection system was super useful. It instantly differentiated the zombies. No amount of disguises could hide their health bars, making any disguise ineffective!

“Lanlan?” Li Weilan raised an eyebrow, and in an instant, his focus shifted. He repeated the name, and a glitter appeared in his eyes, hinting at a small dimple forming on the corner of his mouth.

The nickname was genuinely endearing!

Shen Cheng enjoyed the sight of Li Weilan’s adorable Q-version smile and mumbled, “Let’s call him Lanlan! Lanlan Lanlan Lanlan Lanlan Lanlan!” If she could call him ‘cub’ affectionately, then calling him ‘Lanlan’ should also feel natural. After all, when she saw his Q-version ‘cub,’ she would still remember his appearance in reality! It felt a bit strange to call him ‘cub’ now. Who knew if he would get ‘angry without saying anything.’ A change of address was good for both sides. Outwardly, she called him Lanlan, but deep inside, she’d still call him ‘cub’!

Li Weilan chuckled genuinely this time, and it was evident he enjoyed the transition from “cub” to “Lanlan.”

From “cub” to “Lanlan,” this was quite a significant step!

No matter what triggered this idea and realization of adopting a new nickname, he felt a positive trend.

Smiling, Li Weilan said to Shen Cheng, “Alright, let’s go with Lanlan.” After all, no matter what she called him, he’d be content.

“Don’t worry,” she immediately returned to the topic at hand, “there are pros and cons to having a centralized command for the ability users.”

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