152 Mystery of the End Times
Cong Xia began to focus his energy on dealing with the nine incense sticks.
Tang Yanqiu's bow was 1.5 meters long, and these nine incense sticks were connected together, fitting perfectly for use. Previously, Zhuang Yao was worried about finding a suitable bowstring for Tang Yanqiu and even considered sending someone back to the Tang family. However, before he could act, they brought back these items from the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. This coincidence couldn't have been more perfect.
As Cong Xia started sensing them, he discovered that there were extremely faint fire energies lingering in these incense sticks. Logically, after an animal dies, its energy would dissipate within a few hours. If it's been a day, the energy wouldn't have any value for absorption. However, this doesn't mean the energy completely disappears. Nonetheless, the fact that some trace of energy could linger after thousands of years was truly remarkable.
Cong Xia decided to use the fire energy to mend them. Among his numerous attempts, he found that altering the shape and molecular density of an object using energy was the most successful method. While he had also tried other modifications, none proved as adept as these two, especially when it came to molecular-level assembly. This method would restore them to their original uncut state, something he had never attempted before.
He fused two incense sticks together and carefully infused energy into them, attempting to mend them in a way similar to how he treated human injuries. After all, if it were a person's tendon that broke, his method could promote cell regeneration and allow it to heal automatically. However, after trying, he realized this approach wouldn't work because these tendons were already dead and couldn't undergo cell regeneration, thus rendering self-repair impossible.
It seemed he could only treat them as materials for splicing.
Cong Xia spent the entire day in the laboratory, constantly experimenting. Most of his time was devoted to working on the incense sticks, while he also managed to attend classes and engage in physical training.
At this moment, everyone else was also exceptionally busy.
Every day, they had two things to do: physical training and the cultivation of physical energy cores. Apart from that, Zhuang Yao began to create individual training programs for each person while simultaneously crafting suitable weapons for everyone.
For Cheng Tianbi, he set up a secluded corner in the training ground and placed a heavy iron ball weighing two tons. He instructed Cheng Tianbi to practice chopping and engraving on the iron ball every day. Cheng Tianbi's Wind Blades were undoubtedly invincible when it came to slicing meat or cutting wood. However, when faced with steel, their effectiveness significantly diminished. After all, wind itself was intangible and lacked cutting power. It was Cheng Tianbi who endowed the Wind Blades with speed and force, allowing them to break through objects. But cutting through steel was incredibly difficult.
It required a very precise angle, injecting a powerful and sharp wind, all while maintaining instantaneous cutting speed. The engraving was meant to train his precise control over wind power, while the chopping honed his speed and strength. Cheng Tianbi wasted no time and practiced with the iron ball every day. Initially, he could only leave shallow marks on the surface, which were often uneven. But as his practice deepened, the damage he inflicted on the iron ball became deeper and more pronounced.
Tang Yanqiu and Liu Fengyu were on the verge of breaking through to the second stage, so half of their time was spent in seclusion for cultivation, while the other half was dedicated to their own training.
Tang Yanqiu's daily routine included arm strength training and archery. These two aspects didn't require Zhuang Yao's instruction since he had been practicing martial arts since the age of three and never neglected to improve his physical ability and technique. However, Zhuang Yao added a training plan specifically for avian reversion individuals, allowing him to enhance his wing ability and vision. Zhuang Yao also created challenging environments for him to train his radar ability blindfolded, attempting to stimulate the reversion of his biological radar ability. This method of unlocking potential was highly effective.
The direction of biological evolution was to adapt to the environment and improve survival. When there's a specific survival need, lifeforms would naturally evolve in that direction. However, this kind of evolution typically required thousands of years and countless generations of effort. Yet, in this mad apocalypse era, all mutated creatures achieved crazier evolution in just one year in the Cambrian period than it would do in millions of years. Therefore, forcing Tang Yanqiu to rapidly evolve his biological radar ability in a short time wasn't a difficult task. Once Tang Yanqiu could unlock this extraordinary ability, he wouldn't need his eyes anymore. Every cell in his body would become his eyes, enabling him to sense any living or non-living entity around him and shoot deadly arrows faster than before.
Liu Fengyu's training was quite peculiar. He could join everyone in physical training, but for his ability-specific training, Zhuang Yao assigned him a smaller training room. After all, his digestive fluid was corrosive and emitted a stench on the level of biological weapons. If he were to train in the underground arena, everyone would be knocked out by the smell. Liu Fengyu was satisfied with this arrangement as he didn't want anyone to know about his ability. His training mainly focused on manipulating the stench and controlling the concentration of his digestive fluid.
Zhuang Yao prepared hundreds of objects of varying strength, ranging from the softest sponge to the hardest steel. He also designed a precise accuracy training for puncturing the thorns on Liu Fengyu's petals. Every time Liu Fengyu left the training area, it would take a long time for anyone else to dare to enter. But strangely, as soon as he dissipated the stench, changed his clothes, there would be no odor left on him. However, he had an extreme case of cleanliness in his mind. After each training session, he would spend a long time taking a bath and spraying himself with perfume before he felt presentable to meet others.
Deng Xiao's training was more complex. As a close combat fighter, he needed excellent fighting abilities; otherwise, despite his brute strength and speed, he might not even be able to catch the enemy's tail. Therefore, his training was entirely militarized. Zhuang Yao intentionally found two special forces soldiers to serve as his trainers, taking turns to train him.
In addition to combat training, Deng Xiao also spent half of his time training as an amphibious crawler reversion individual. This aspect of training was quite demanding. For example, he had to crawl on a smooth ceiling for at least an hour every day to exercise his crawling ability, ignoring gravity. This kind of crawling was extremely physically demanding because his body weighed over three hundred jin, and only relying on the suction cups of his four legs to support such weight put tremendous strain on his limbs. As a result, everyone could see a large lizard crawling around on the ceiling every day, sometimes yelling about what he would eat for lunch and dinner.
Besides, Zhuang Yao required him to train his partial transformation abilities. For example, he needed to use partial skin reinforcement, tail, or suction cup abilities while in human form to effectively save energy. Sometimes, Deng Xiao didn't need a complete transformation to achieve a specific purpose; he had partial transformation abilities, but he had never controlled them well or trained in their use.
One training he particularly enjoyed was color-changing practice, which tapped into the reversion ability of the chameleon. He would stay in a monochromatic room and constantly suggest himself to blend into the environment. This training didn't require much physical movement, so he could be lazy. After over a week of training, he finally managed to lower the color tone of his skin by one shade. The most challenging training for him was when Zhuang Yao forced him to revert the secretion of neurotoxins.
To achieve this goal, Deng Xiao had to be injected with small doses of venom every day, making his body's cells counteract the venom, thereby stimulating the secretion of toxins within his body. Because neurotoxins had a relatively large impact on the pain sensory nerves of humans, Deng Xiao would cry out in pain every time. After enduring ten days of agony, he finally achieved the desired effect. Overall, Deng Xiao was exhausted every day and had to crawl back to his room, with his appetite doubling compared to usual.
As for Zhuang Yao himself, every day, in addition to conducting numerous experiments, supervising their training, and researching specialized weapons, he had to find time for his own cultivation. He was so busy that he could only rest for four or five hours a day, and after half a month, he had lost weight.
In the adjacent room, the Dragonblood individuals and the hired mercenaries were also constantly strengthening themselves in the underground training ground day and night. In the corners where they couldn't be seen, Yao Qianjiang, Li Dao’ai, as well as Zhou Fenglan, Wu Yu, and many other formidable individuals who were neither enemies nor friends, were all continuously striving to become stronger.
Twenty days later, after countless failures and the consumption of countless energies, Cong Xia finally succeeded in seamlessly integrating the two incense sticks together. He was afraid of forgetting how he did it, so instead of immediately celebrating, he rushed to the computer to quickly record the way he controlled the subtle energy and molecular transformation in his own language.
Then, he called Zhuang Yao to have him test whether the combination of the two incense sticks met the standard.
Zhuang Yao quickly arrived and picked up the two incense sticks. At first glance, there were no visible traces of connection between them; they looked like a single entity. He placed the incense sticks under a microscope and carefully examined them for a while before saying, "Not bad. The density at the junction reaches 80% of the rest."
Cong Xia felt a little disappointed upon hearing this. "Still not good enough, huh?"
"It's already usable, just not perfect. However, connecting them was difficult, but changing the molecular density is your strong suit. If you spend a little more time, you can definitely make them return to their original uncut state."
Cong Xia rubbed his dizzy head and nodded, "You're right, I'm feeling a bit dizzy. I want to completely connect these nine incense sticks and then strengthen the molecular density at each joint point one by one."
"Good, remember, once you reach the same molecular density as the incense sticks themselves, you can stop. The density at the junction should not be too high, as it might affect Tang Yanqiu's ability to control the force balance. Moreover, this is a one-of-a-kind item, and I'm worried about causing any damage to it."
"Don't worry, I understand. Should I inform Tang Yanqiu now?"
Zhuang Yao nodded, "Yes, everyone has been training very hard for the past 20 days. Tell him the good news, and then everyone can take half a day off. We'll go out for a picnic with Ab."
Cong Xia's tired face lit up with a happy smile. "That's great. Everyone will be thrilled." He quickly made a call to the training ground and then another to the kitchen, asking them to prepare enough ingredients and load them onto the car.
Ten minutes later, the four people still battling in the training ground returned to Zone Three. As soon as Deng Xiao saw Cong Xia, he burst into tears and wailed, "Cong ge, I can finally take a break! Thank you so much; I'm so exhausted."
Cong Xia suppressed a laugh and patted his shoulder, saying, "Yes, you're on vacation now. Everyone has been working hard these days. Later, we'll take Abu and some delicious food and go out to have some fun."
Deng Xiao was moved to the point of almost kneeling down to thank the heavens. He hadn't seen Abu in four or five days. After training, he was so tired that he could only open his mouth to eat, and after eating, he would go straight back to his room to sleep. He didn't even have the energy to kiss Abu.
Liu Fengyu looked at his handsome face in the mirror and sighed, "Finally, a break. I've been so tired lately that I have fine lines on my face. By the way, Aqing just opened a beauty salon. I'll go for a full-body spa tonight."
Zhuang Yao scolded with a dark face, "Do you know how much money you've spent recently?"
Liu Fengyu shrugged nonchalantly, "How much?"
"I won't tell you the exact number, but you have no concept. While everyone else has been in the training ground for the past 20 days without spending a penny, you've ordered a bunch of useless stuff and even had Xiao Wang prepare a room specifically for your clothes."
Liu Fengyu smiled and said, "We're not short of money, right, Xia?" He winked at Cong Xia, his eyes filled with allure, especially seductive.
Cong Xia had a soft personality and could be tough against enemies, but he was practically helpless against his own people. He could only smile foolishly and say, "Ah, it's okay, not really short."
Zhuang Yao gave Liu Fengyu a disapproving look. "It's not about whether we're short of money or not. I won't let Cong Xia waste his energy on buying clothes, perfumes, and skincare products for you. From today onwards, everyone's discretionary expenses will be limited, including yours."
Liu Fengyu pouted, placed a hand on Zhuang Yao's head, squinted his eyes, and said, "You little rascal, are you looking for trouble?"
Zhuang Yao pushed away his hand. "It's because you have no self-control."
Liu Fengyu snorted and didn't take Zhuang Yao's threat seriously at all. Anyway, he could directly use Tang Yanqiu's discretionary money; this fool never spent any money. He could also trick Deng Xiao into getting some by buying him some tasty treats. As for Cong Xia and Cheng Tianbi, he could borrow from them and not pay them back; it should be enough to cover everything.
The group had no idea that Liu Fengyu had already calculated their discretionary expenses in his mind. They all went back to shower and change clothes, getting ready to relax for the afternoon.
Xiao Wang brought fresh ingredients to the electric car for them. He smiled and said, "Your loot from Luoyang has been transported here. It should arrive in about half a month. Just a heads-up, you'll have to pay for the fuel."
Cong Xia smiled, "Don't worry, we won't run away without paying."
They all had a deep affection for their Road Bully, even though the car was filled with the lingering smell of gasoline that might never dissipate. After all, it had been their trusty companion for almost a year, carrying them through countless journeys. They were determined to bring it back to Beijing, and Zhuang Yao planned to improve and modify it using advanced materials available in Beijing.
After meeting with Abu, who was thrilled and rolling around with excitement, they set off towards the backyard of the scientific institute. The backyard had turned into a vast grassland since there were no residents or proper maintenance. Wild grass grew unchecked, and within ten minutes, they found themselves entering a secluded and peaceful forest.
Under the shade of a large tree, they divided tasks among themselves. Zhuang Yao and Deng Xiao played with Abu, Liu Fengyu took a beauty nap, and the other three set up a barbecue grill and a large pot to prepare food for themselves and Ab.
Thirty minutes later, Cong Xia roasted a large fish for Abu and grilled various meats and vegetables for themselves. Beside the bonfire, there were two large pots: one contained Russian soup for them to drink, and the other held Abu's favorite and endlessly delicious fish soup.
Even though Cong Xia was sweating profusely while handling all the food, he felt incredibly happy. He could hear Deng Xiao's carefree laughter and Abu's endearing meowing without turning around. Cheng Tianbi and Tang Yanqiu were not far away, whispering quietly about weapon-related information. The comfortable afternoon, suitable for friends to eat, drink, chat, and take a nap on the grass, was a stark contrast to the hectic and exhausting twenty days they had just gone through. It felt like moving from hell to heaven.
"If we could always live like this," Cong Xia sighed in his heart.
Soon, all the food was cooked. Cheng Tianbi helped Cong Xia put Abu's large fish on the ground and called Abu to eat.
Abu sprang up from the ground, causing the earth to tremble slightly, almost knocking over the pot of soup.
Cong Xia served their food into large bowls. "Come on, everyone, let's eat. The soup is a bit hot, so blow on it."
Deng Xiao immediately took the most favorable position near the barbecue grill, grabbing a chicken leg that was even thicker than his arm. He took a big bite, and the chicken oil immediately flowed out, filling the air with a delicious fragrance. While swallowing, he yelled, "Hot, hot, it's so hot!"
Cong Xia handed him a cold drink, "Didn't I tell you it's hot?"
Deng Xiao chugged down a big gulp of the drink and complained, "You only said the soup was hot, not the grilled skewers."
Cong Xia playfully scolded, "You blockhead."
The first batch of grilled food was quickly devoured, while the second batch was still sizzling and making tempting sounds. Deng Xiao couldn't help but salivate, and his gaze eventually fell on the fish that Abu was busy enjoying.
Abu seemed to sense Deng Xiao's eyes on him and silently shifted to the side, offering him a spot near the fish's head. Abu affectionately called out to him, his beautiful purple eyes shining with innocence and dependence.
Touched, Deng Xiao exclaimed, "Abu, you're such a sweetheart." He was about to go over.
However, Cong Xia swiftly grabbed his collar and said, "I've told you so many times, don't eat Abu's food!"
Deng Xiao retorted, "Then don't grill Abu's fish to be so tantalizing!"
Cong Xia said exasperatedly, "Have some self-control!" He handed Deng Xiao a homemade ice cream, "Eat this instead."
With his mouth filled with the delicious ice cream, Deng Xiao obediently stopped pursuing Abu's food.
Once the second batch of meat and vegetables were grilled, they all indulged in the feast. Abu had finished eating the fish, leaving only the bones, and now he was enjoying his fish soup. The six people and the cat delighted in the sumptuous food, laughing and chatting merrily.
After the meal, Abu lay on the grass, half-closed eyes taking a nap. His massive furry tail lightly tapped on the ground, and his paws occasionally swatted at the air, probably chasing after small flying insects. The others leaned against Abu's belly, drinking beverages with digestive and cooling effects, enjoying the lazy afternoon.
Tang Yanqiu asked, "Cong Xia, when will that bowstring be ready?" He had been eagerly waiting for it. For a top archer like him, the most captivating thing would be a bow and arrow that perfectly matched his abilities.
Cong Xia smiled and said, "It won't take long. Once I modify another molecular density, it should be ready in two or three days. You're impatient, aren't you?"
Tang Yanqiu sheepishly admitted, "I guess so."
Zhuang Yao asked, "Can you string it yourself?"
Tang Yanqiu replied, "Yes."
"Good, then you can adjust the bowstring according to your strength. Leave some room for further evolution. As an avian reversion, the structure of your chest bone is different from other animals because it's adapted for flight. It needs to be more robust and prominent to withstand greater pressure. I believe your chest bone has undergone some changes, even if they're not visible from the outside."
"I haven't noticed that."
Zhuang Yao said, "Because you are still a human after all. As you all should know, the chest bone of birds protrudes forward to adapt to air pressure and provide the ability to be driven by wings. From a scientific perspective, for wings to carry the weight of a human body, the chest bone needs to protrude at least over one meter. Without this prominent chest bone, avian evolvers and avian reversion individuals, despite having a human-like form, can never fly faster than birds. Avian evolvers can transform into birds completely, but it seems that, at the moment, you can only grow wings, cover your body in feathers, and have your hands and feet transformed, but you can't fully become a bird. So, your flying speed is relatively slower compared to other avian species."
Liu Fengyu clicked his tongue, "A chest bone protruding over one meter? That's so unsightly! Tang Yanqiu, if you dare to have a human form with a chest bone over one meter long, I'll definitely beat you up."
Tang Yanqiu replied, "Transforming into a bird completely is meaningless. I need to be in human form to shoot arrows."
Zhuang Yao shrugged, "I was just speaking casually. I'll think of other ways, such as using something as assistance to improve your flying speed. By mentioning your chest bone, I just wanted to tell you that it also affects your ability to draw the bow. There's still much room for improvement in the weight of the bow you can draw. Perhaps one day, you'll be able to draw a legendary six-stone bow. Although it may sound exaggerated like Hou Yi shooting down the sun, your arrows will undoubtedly surpass sniper bullets in terms of range."
Tang Yanqiu smiled faintly, "For now, I can barely draw a two-stone bow. Six stones feel too distant."
Zhuang Yao squinted, "The most fascinating thing about this era is that anything is possible."
Abu rested its head beside Zhuang Yao, licking his arm. Zhuang Yao embraced its nose, affectionately stroking its head, and Abu made a contented, soft sound.
152 Mystery of the End Times
Cong Xia began to focus his energy on dealing with the nine incense sticks.
Tang Yanqiu's bow was 1.5 meters long, and these nine incense sticks were connected together, fitting perfectly for use. Previously, Zhuang Yao was worried about finding a suitable bowstring for Tang Yanqiu and even considered sending someone back to the Tang family. However, before he could act, they brought back these items from the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. This coincidence couldn't have been more perfect.
As Cong Xia started sensing them, he discovered that there were extremely faint fire energies lingering in these incense sticks. Logically, after an animal dies, its energy would dissipate within a few hours. If it's been a day, the energy wouldn't have any value for absorption. However, this doesn't mean the energy completely disappears. Nonetheless, the fact that some trace of energy could linger after thousands of years was truly remarkable.
Cong Xia decided to use the fire energy to mend them. Among his numerous attempts, he found that altering the shape and molecular density of an object using energy was the most successful method. While he had also tried other modifications, none proved as adept as these two, especially when it came to molecular-level assembly. This method would restore them to their original uncut state, something he had never attempted before.
He fused two incense sticks together and carefully infused energy into them, attempting to mend them in a way similar to how he treated human injuries. After all, if it were a person's tendon that broke, his method could promote cell regeneration and allow it to heal automatically. However, after trying, he realized this approach wouldn't work because these tendons were already dead and couldn't undergo cell regeneration, thus rendering self-repair impossible.
It seemed he could only treat them as materials for splicing.
Cong Xia spent the entire day in the laboratory, constantly experimenting. Most of his time was devoted to working on the incense sticks, while he also managed to attend classes and engage in physical training.
At this moment, everyone else was also exceptionally busy.
Every day, they had two things to do: physical training and the cultivation of physical energy cores. Apart from that, Zhuang Yao began to create individual training programs for each person while simultaneously crafting suitable weapons for everyone.
For Cheng Tianbi, he set up a secluded corner in the training ground and placed a heavy iron ball weighing two tons. He instructed Cheng Tianbi to practice chopping and engraving on the iron ball every day. Cheng Tianbi's Wind Blades were undoubtedly invincible when it came to slicing meat or cutting wood. However, when faced with steel, their effectiveness significantly diminished. After all, wind itself was intangible and lacked cutting power. It was Cheng Tianbi who endowed the Wind Blades with speed and force, allowing them to break through objects. But cutting through steel was incredibly difficult.
It required a very precise angle, injecting a powerful and sharp wind, all while maintaining instantaneous cutting speed. The engraving was meant to train his precise control over wind power, while the chopping honed his speed and strength. Cheng Tianbi wasted no time and practiced with the iron ball every day. Initially, he could only leave shallow marks on the surface, which were often uneven. But as his practice deepened, the damage he inflicted on the iron ball became deeper and more pronounced.
Tang Yanqiu and Liu Fengyu were on the verge of breaking through to the second stage, so half of their time was spent in seclusion for cultivation, while the other half was dedicated to their own training.
Tang Yanqiu's daily routine included arm strength training and archery. These two aspects didn't require Zhuang Yao's instruction since he had been practicing martial arts since the age of three and never neglected to improve his physical ability and technique. However, Zhuang Yao added a training plan specifically for avian reversion individuals, allowing him to enhance his wing ability and vision. Zhuang Yao also created challenging environments for him to train his radar ability blindfolded, attempting to stimulate the reversion of his biological radar ability. This method of unlocking potential was highly effective.
The direction of biological evolution was to adapt to the environment and improve survival. When there's a specific survival need, lifeforms would naturally evolve in that direction. However, this kind of evolution typically required thousands of years and countless generations of effort. Yet, in this mad apocalypse era, all mutated creatures achieved crazier evolution in just one year in the Cambrian period than it would do in millions of years. Therefore, forcing Tang Yanqiu to rapidly evolve his biological radar ability in a short time wasn't a difficult task. Once Tang Yanqiu could unlock this extraordinary ability, he wouldn't need his eyes anymore. Every cell in his body would become his eyes, enabling him to sense any living or non-living entity around him and shoot deadly arrows faster than before.
Liu Fengyu's training was quite peculiar. He could join everyone in physical training, but for his ability-specific training, Zhuang Yao assigned him a smaller training room. After all, his digestive fluid was corrosive and emitted a stench on the level of biological weapons. If he were to train in the underground arena, everyone would be knocked out by the smell. Liu Fengyu was satisfied with this arrangement as he didn't want anyone to know about his ability. His training mainly focused on manipulating the stench and controlling the concentration of his digestive fluid.
Zhuang Yao prepared hundreds of objects of varying strength, ranging from the softest sponge to the hardest steel. He also designed a precise accuracy training for puncturing the thorns on Liu Fengyu's petals. Every time Liu Fengyu left the training area, it would take a long time for anyone else to dare to enter. But strangely, as soon as he dissipated the stench, changed his clothes, there would be no odor left on him. However, he had an extreme case of cleanliness in his mind. After each training session, he would spend a long time taking a bath and spraying himself with perfume before he felt presentable to meet others.
Deng Xiao's training was more complex. As a close combat fighter, he needed excellent fighting abilities; otherwise, despite his brute strength and speed, he might not even be able to catch the enemy's tail. Therefore, his training was entirely militarized. Zhuang Yao intentionally found two special forces soldiers to serve as his trainers, taking turns to train him.
In addition to combat training, Deng Xiao also spent half of his time training as an amphibious crawler reversion individual. This aspect of training was quite demanding. For example, he had to crawl on a smooth ceiling for at least an hour every day to exercise his crawling ability, ignoring gravity. This kind of crawling was extremely physically demanding because his body weighed over three hundred jin, and only relying on the suction cups of his four legs to support such weight put tremendous strain on his limbs. As a result, everyone could see a large lizard crawling around on the ceiling every day, sometimes yelling about what he would eat for lunch and dinner.
Besides, Zhuang Yao required him to train his partial transformation abilities. For example, he needed to use partial skin reinforcement, tail, or suction cup abilities while in human form to effectively save energy. Sometimes, Deng Xiao didn't need a complete transformation to achieve a specific purpose; he had partial transformation abilities, but he had never controlled them well or trained in their use.
One training he particularly enjoyed was color-changing practice, which tapped into the reversion ability of the chameleon. He would stay in a monochromatic room and constantly suggest himself to blend into the environment. This training didn't require much physical movement, so he could be lazy. After over a week of training, he finally managed to lower the color tone of his skin by one shade. The most challenging training for him was when Zhuang Yao forced him to revert the secretion of neurotoxins.
To achieve this goal, Deng Xiao had to be injected with small doses of venom every day, making his body's cells counteract the venom, thereby stimulating the secretion of toxins within his body. Because neurotoxins had a relatively large impact on the pain sensory nerves of humans, Deng Xiao would cry out in pain every time. After enduring ten days of agony, he finally achieved the desired effect. Overall, Deng Xiao was exhausted every day and had to crawl back to his room, with his appetite doubling compared to usual.
As for Zhuang Yao himself, every day, in addition to conducting numerous experiments, supervising their training, and researching specialized weapons, he had to find time for his own cultivation. He was so busy that he could only rest for four or five hours a day, and after half a month, he had lost weight.
In the adjacent room, the Dragonblood individuals and the hired mercenaries were also constantly strengthening themselves in the underground training ground day and night. In the corners where they couldn't be seen, Yao Qianjiang, Li Dao’ai, as well as Zhou Fenglan, Wu Yu, and many other formidable individuals who were neither enemies nor friends, were all continuously striving to become stronger.
Twenty days later, after countless failures and the consumption of countless energies, Cong Xia finally succeeded in seamlessly integrating the two incense sticks together. He was afraid of forgetting how he did it, so instead of immediately celebrating, he rushed to the computer to quickly record the way he controlled the subtle energy and molecular transformation in his own language.
Then, he called Zhuang Yao to have him test whether the combination of the two incense sticks met the standard.
Zhuang Yao quickly arrived and picked up the two incense sticks. At first glance, there were no visible traces of connection between them; they looked like a single entity. He placed the incense sticks under a microscope and carefully examined them for a while before saying, "Not bad. The density at the junction reaches 80% of the rest."
Cong Xia felt a little disappointed upon hearing this. "Still not good enough, huh?"
"It's already usable, just not perfect. However, connecting them was difficult, but changing the molecular density is your strong suit. If you spend a little more time, you can definitely make them return to their original uncut state."
Cong Xia rubbed his dizzy head and nodded, "You're right, I'm feeling a bit dizzy. I want to completely connect these nine incense sticks and then strengthen the molecular density at each joint point one by one."
"Good, remember, once you reach the same molecular density as the incense sticks themselves, you can stop. The density at the junction should not be too high, as it might affect Tang Yanqiu's ability to control the force balance. Moreover, this is a one-of-a-kind item, and I'm worried about causing any damage to it."
"Don't worry, I understand. Should I inform Tang Yanqiu now?"
Zhuang Yao nodded, "Yes, everyone has been training very hard for the past 20 days. Tell him the good news, and then everyone can take half a day off. We'll go out for a picnic with Ab."
Cong Xia's tired face lit up with a happy smile. "That's great. Everyone will be thrilled." He quickly made a call to the training ground and then another to the kitchen, asking them to prepare enough ingredients and load them onto the car.
Ten minutes later, the four people still battling in the training ground returned to Zone Three. As soon as Deng Xiao saw Cong Xia, he burst into tears and wailed, "Cong ge, I can finally take a break! Thank you so much; I'm so exhausted."
Cong Xia suppressed a laugh and patted his shoulder, saying, "Yes, you're on vacation now. Everyone has been working hard these days. Later, we'll take Abu and some delicious food and go out to have some fun."
Deng Xiao was moved to the point of almost kneeling down to thank the heavens. He hadn't seen Abu in four or five days. After training, he was so tired that he could only open his mouth to eat, and after eating, he would go straight back to his room to sleep. He didn't even have the energy to kiss Abu.
Liu Fengyu looked at his handsome face in the mirror and sighed, "Finally, a break. I've been so tired lately that I have fine lines on my face. By the way, Aqing just opened a beauty salon. I'll go for a full-body spa tonight."
Zhuang Yao scolded with a dark face, "Do you know how much money you've spent recently?"
Liu Fengyu shrugged nonchalantly, "How much?"
"I won't tell you the exact number, but you have no concept. While everyone else has been in the training ground for the past 20 days without spending a penny, you've ordered a bunch of useless stuff and even had Xiao Wang prepare a room specifically for your clothes."
Liu Fengyu smiled and said, "We're not short of money, right, Xia?" He winked at Cong Xia, his eyes filled with allure, especially seductive.
Cong Xia had a soft personality and could be tough against enemies, but he was practically helpless against his own people. He could only smile foolishly and say, "Ah, it's okay, not really short."
Zhuang Yao gave Liu Fengyu a disapproving look. "It's not about whether we're short of money or not. I won't let Cong Xia waste his energy on buying clothes, perfumes, and skincare products for you. From today onwards, everyone's discretionary expenses will be limited, including yours."
Liu Fengyu pouted, placed a hand on Zhuang Yao's head, squinted his eyes, and said, "You little rascal, are you looking for trouble?"
Zhuang Yao pushed away his hand. "It's because you have no self-control."
Liu Fengyu snorted and didn't take Zhuang Yao's threat seriously at all. Anyway, he could directly use Tang Yanqiu's discretionary money; this fool never spent any money. He could also trick Deng Xiao into getting some by buying him some tasty treats. As for Cong Xia and Cheng Tianbi, he could borrow from them and not pay them back; it should be enough to cover everything.
The group had no idea that Liu Fengyu had already calculated their discretionary expenses in his mind. They all went back to shower and change clothes, getting ready to relax for the afternoon.
Xiao Wang brought fresh ingredients to the electric car for them. He smiled and said, "Your loot from Luoyang has been transported here. It should arrive in about half a month. Just a heads-up, you'll have to pay for the fuel."
Cong Xia smiled, "Don't worry, we won't run away without paying."
They all had a deep affection for their Road Bully, even though the car was filled with the lingering smell of gasoline that might never dissipate. After all, it had been their trusty companion for almost a year, carrying them through countless journeys. They were determined to bring it back to Beijing, and Zhuang Yao planned to improve and modify it using advanced materials available in Beijing.
After meeting with Abu, who was thrilled and rolling around with excitement, they set off towards the backyard of the scientific institute. The backyard had turned into a vast grassland since there were no residents or proper maintenance. Wild grass grew unchecked, and within ten minutes, they found themselves entering a secluded and peaceful forest.
Under the shade of a large tree, they divided tasks among themselves. Zhuang Yao and Deng Xiao played with Abu, Liu Fengyu took a beauty nap, and the other three set up a barbecue grill and a large pot to prepare food for themselves and Ab.
Thirty minutes later, Cong Xia roasted a large fish for Abu and grilled various meats and vegetables for themselves. Beside the bonfire, there were two large pots: one contained Russian soup for them to drink, and the other held Abu's favorite and endlessly delicious fish soup.
Even though Cong Xia was sweating profusely while handling all the food, he felt incredibly happy. He could hear Deng Xiao's carefree laughter and Abu's endearing meowing without turning around. Cheng Tianbi and Tang Yanqiu were not far away, whispering quietly about weapon-related information. The comfortable afternoon, suitable for friends to eat, drink, chat, and take a nap on the grass, was a stark contrast to the hectic and exhausting twenty days they had just gone through. It felt like moving from hell to heaven.
"If we could always live like this," Cong Xia sighed in his heart.
Soon, all the food was cooked. Cheng Tianbi helped Cong Xia put Abu's large fish on the ground and called Abu to eat.
Abu sprang up from the ground, causing the earth to tremble slightly, almost knocking over the pot of soup.
Cong Xia served their food into large bowls. "Come on, everyone, let's eat. The soup is a bit hot, so blow on it."
Deng Xiao immediately took the most favorable position near the barbecue grill, grabbing a chicken leg that was even thicker than his arm. He took a big bite, and the chicken oil immediately flowed out, filling the air with a delicious fragrance. While swallowing, he yelled, "Hot, hot, it's so hot!"
Cong Xia handed him a cold drink, "Didn't I tell you it's hot?"
Deng Xiao chugged down a big gulp of the drink and complained, "You only said the soup was hot, not the grilled skewers."
Cong Xia playfully scolded, "You blockhead."
The first batch of grilled food was quickly devoured, while the second batch was still sizzling and making tempting sounds. Deng Xiao couldn't help but salivate, and his gaze eventually fell on the fish that Abu was busy enjoying.
Abu seemed to sense Deng Xiao's eyes on him and silently shifted to the side, offering him a spot near the fish's head. Abu affectionately called out to him, his beautiful purple eyes shining with innocence and dependence.
Touched, Deng Xiao exclaimed, "Abu, you're such a sweetheart." He was about to go over.
However, Cong Xia swiftly grabbed his collar and said, "I've told you so many times, don't eat Abu's food!"
Deng Xiao retorted, "Then don't grill Abu's fish to be so tantalizing!"
Cong Xia said exasperatedly, "Have some self-control!" He handed Deng Xiao a homemade ice cream, "Eat this instead."
With his mouth filled with the delicious ice cream, Deng Xiao obediently stopped pursuing Abu's food.
Once the second batch of meat and vegetables were grilled, they all indulged in the feast. Abu had finished eating the fish, leaving only the bones, and now he was enjoying his fish soup. The six people and the cat delighted in the sumptuous food, laughing and chatting merrily.
After the meal, Abu lay on the grass, half-closed eyes taking a nap. His massive furry tail lightly tapped on the ground, and his paws occasionally swatted at the air, probably chasing after small flying insects. The others leaned against Abu's belly, drinking beverages with digestive and cooling effects, enjoying the lazy afternoon.
Tang Yanqiu asked, "Cong Xia, when will that bowstring be ready?" He had been eagerly waiting for it. For a top archer like him, the most captivating thing would be a bow and arrow that perfectly matched his abilities.
Cong Xia smiled and said, "It won't take long. Once I modify another molecular density, it should be ready in two or three days. You're impatient, aren't you?"
Tang Yanqiu sheepishly admitted, "I guess so."
Zhuang Yao asked, "Can you string it yourself?"
Tang Yanqiu replied, "Yes."
"Good, then you can adjust the bowstring according to your strength. Leave some room for further evolution. As an avian reversion, the structure of your chest bone is different from other animals because it's adapted for flight. It needs to be more robust and prominent to withstand greater pressure. I believe your chest bone has undergone some changes, even if they're not visible from the outside."
"I haven't noticed that."
Zhuang Yao said, "Because you are still a human after all. As you all should know, the chest bone of birds protrudes forward to adapt to air pressure and provide the ability to be driven by wings. From a scientific perspective, for wings to carry the weight of a human body, the chest bone needs to protrude at least over one meter. Without this prominent chest bone, avian evolvers and avian reversion individuals, despite having a human-like form, can never fly faster than birds. Avian evolvers can transform into birds completely, but it seems that, at the moment, you can only grow wings, cover your body in feathers, and have your hands and feet transformed, but you can't fully become a bird. So, your flying speed is relatively slower compared to other avian species."
Liu Fengyu clicked his tongue, "A chest bone protruding over one meter? That's so unsightly! Tang Yanqiu, if you dare to have a human form with a chest bone over one meter long, I'll definitely beat you up."
Tang Yanqiu replied, "Transforming into a bird completely is meaningless. I need to be in human form to shoot arrows."
Zhuang Yao shrugged, "I was just speaking casually. I'll think of other ways, such as using something as assistance to improve your flying speed. By mentioning your chest bone, I just wanted to tell you that it also affects your ability to draw the bow. There's still much room for improvement in the weight of the bow you can draw. Perhaps one day, you'll be able to draw a legendary six-stone bow. Although it may sound exaggerated like Hou Yi shooting down the sun, your arrows will undoubtedly surpass sniper bullets in terms of range."
Tang Yanqiu smiled faintly, "For now, I can barely draw a two-stone bow. Six stones feel too distant."
Zhuang Yao squinted, "The most fascinating thing about this era is that anything is possible."
Abu rested its head beside Zhuang Yao, licking his arm. Zhuang Yao embraced its nose, affectionately stroking its head, and Abu made a contented, soft sound.
