Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy!

The Thorn Team's eyes flashed with admiration.

It was the right decision to side with Lan Fuyou's right-hand man! If they could deepen their connection with him, their journey and future at the base would be smooth sailing.

Without hesitation, the Thorn Team climbed out of the car, following the blue-eyed man. They eagerly began digging up the spars for him, their faces full of flattery.

"Big Brother! You're incredible! Let us do the dirty work for you!"

"Big Brother, here are your spars!"

"Brother, are you thirsty? I still have some water left!"

Their enthusiasm was disgusting to watch. Everyone saw their shameless bootlicking, but the blue-eyed man remained indifferent. Only he knew that the battle wasn't entirely his doing.

His gaze swept across the battlefield, lingering on the wounds around the buffaloes' eyes. Who was responsible for these injuries? Was it someone here, or was it that foreign presence he had sensed earlier?

Before he could ponder further, Lan Fuyou waddled over. His small eyes scanned the battlefield, and when he saw the corroded flesh and meat on the buffaloes' bodies, his face darkened.

"You useless idiot!" he snapped, his voice filled with anger. "What a waste of good meat!"

Each of these buffaloes weighed at least half a ton. If preserved properly, their meat could have lasted them for a long time. But now, with that corrosive damage, they had lost a potential feast!

Unacceptable!

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.

Without warning, Lan Fuyou raised his fat hand and delivered a loud slap across the blue-eyed man's cheek.

Slap!

"I already told you to save the alien beasts' meat if it's edible! Are you stupid?! Tsk! Do I need to repeat myself every single time?!"

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Is this fat pig insane? They all thought the same thing.

Didn't he see how that man single-handedly wiped out the buffaloes? And yet, he dared to slap him?!

To their shock, the blue-eyed man did nothing in return. He stood there, unmoving, and allowed Lan Fuyou to slap him again!

Slap!

Yu Baoyin's mouth twitched. Huh? Is he a masochist?! If she were in his shoes, she would have already taught that fat pig a lesson!

Others were thinking the same.

A man could only endure so much humiliation. Was the blue-eyed man truly a masochist, or did Lan Fuyou have something on him? Those with sharp eyes—including Nanzhi—began to piece things together.

The Thorn Team, who had initially sided with the blue-eyed man, suddenly had an epiphany.

We were wrong!

The person they should be currying favor with wasn't the blue-eyed man—it was Lan Fuyou!

Lan Fuyou snickered, enjoying the looks of shock on everyone's faces. He especially relished the blue-eyed man's darkened expression. If only that ability belonged to me… I could put it to better use than this fool!

The blue-eyed man's gaze turned cold. He didn't bother to argue. After collecting the spars and replenishing his depleted mental energy, he leaped onto the back of the truck without sparing Lan Fuyou another glance.

Lan Fuyou wanted to slap him again, but after walking that short distance, he was already panting like a pig.

"Lu Jian!" he called out.

Lu Jian immediately stepped forward, supporting Lan Fuyou as he struggled back to the vehicle. Before leaving, he ordered people to salvage what little remained of the buffaloes.

A pair of brown eyes silently watched them.

The remaining carcasses were burned.

Even though it was already past lunchtime, the various teams were still discussing the one-sided battle they had just witnessed.

Feng Ran, in particular, was intrigued. Though the blue-eyed man wasn't as monstrous as his abnormal sister-in-law, his toxic fire ability was fascinating. It was like a fusion of mage and debuff master, a perfect balance between offense and control.

The convoy continued moving forward until they encountered another obstacle—a swarm of hundreds of black herons.

These creatures must have been drawn here by the scent of the buffaloes' corpses.

Though the majority of awakeners were only at Tier 1, they had battle experience.

The metal, wood, earth, and fire awakeners launched attacks—thorns, spikes, and fire arrows rained down.

Wind awakeners followed up with strong gusts and razor-sharp wind blades.

Other wood awakeners like Zhao Lin threw seeds that instantly grew into vines, binding the herons' wings and causing them to plummet.

Strength-type awakeners, like Liu Ming, and the ordinary people in Lan Fuyou's team stepped in to finish them off.

In less than twenty minutes, half of the herons were down. But the awakeners were exhausted.

Zhao Lin wiped the sweat off her forehead. "There are too many of them!"

Dai Yun hurried over, quickly healing the deep gash on Liu Ming's arm.

The herons continued their relentless assault. Their dark silhouettes blotted out the sky, using their bodies to block the convoy's vision. Their talons scraped against the metal frames, trying to tear through the vehicles.

The blue-eyed man remained still. He was waiting, hoping that it would appear again.

But nothing happened.

Just as he was about to make his move, gunshots rang out.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Nanzhi didn't bother using her ability this time. Instead, she relied on her marksmanship. It had been a while since she last used a gun—she needed to see if her skills had rusted.

She climbed onto the Hummer's small turret and started shooting, taking down one heron at a time.

Five black herons suddenly swooped toward her back.

But she didn't even turn around.

Click! She reloaded.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

All five herons dropped, each bullet piercing their glabellas with deadly precision.

[You've earned 75 EXP.]

[You've earned 75 EXP.]

[You've earned 75 EXP.]

On another vehicle, Yu Baoyin and Hei Qian took turns manning the other turret.

Yu Baoyin had improved greatly. Killing these Tier 1 herons was no problem.

A bird lunged at her—she didn't even flinch.

She activated her ability, turning into a stone statue. The bird crashed against her rock-solid form and crumpled to the ground.

She laughed. "Hahaha! Sister Nan, I'm cool, right?"

Dai Yun couldn't take off her eyes on Nanzhi. She didn't even miss a single heron or waste a single bullet!

In just a matter of short time, the herons were wiped out.

Meanwhile, at Longmen Base

Lu Meiying couldn't sit still.

If she didn't break free from Lu Chenyu's control, she would forever be his puppet.

She secretly met with a person, handing him a bag filled with spars and water bottles.

"What is it, Madam?" the man asked.

"Find me a doctor in secret preferably someone who knows toxins and poisons. Lu Chenyu must never know. Once you succeed, report to me immediately."

After the man left, Lu Meiying clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

Lu Chenyu, once my son's toxins are cured, I'll show you no mercy!

And that damn Lan Fuyou…

Once I uncover your secret, I'll cut off those disgusting hands of yours!

Nightfall

Before sunset, the convoy reached their first jackpot—a water pump station.

After securing the area, they set up camp for the night.

Just half a mile away was their next target—the Crystal Water Facility.

Meanwhile, deep within the water reservoir near the facility, bubbles began rising to the surface.

Then, with a sickening squelch,big balls of green slime crawled out of the water reservoirs.