That check-up from Doctor Liu Ru forced Ye Fei to pause his consumption of flesh. As she left, she’d taken the trash from his door with her.
Helping a blind man out was a nice gesture, but damn it, that bag contained the flesh Ye Fei had set aside.
The next day, Ye Fei headed to Mine Section 0 for Cultivation as usual, and to stash some more flesh while he was at it.
As he walked through Mine Section 1, Ye Fei was able to observe everything without restraint, which allowed him to clearly sense the change in the overall atmosphere of the tunnels.
He could say with confidence that he was seeing the Shelter in its truest form, because no one bothered to put on an act in his presence.
Compared to the gloomy atmosphere of the past, the survivors in the Shelter now had much higher morale.
Furthermore, everyone greeted him. Though he was blind, his status was now much higher than when he was an engineer. Back then, aside from the few miners under his command, other people wouldn’t have gone out of their way to greet him.
Before the Sun set that afternoon, the Hunting Squad returned right on time.
The moment they got back, Luo Zai couldn’t resist sharing the squad’s shocking discovery with Ye Fei.
"Have you heard? It’s insane! We learned from the signal tower that in nearby Wuzhou City, a survivor went from awakening to the Elite Level in just three days!"
"That insane?" Ye Fei was a little surprised.
’Going from a normal person to a bulletproof Elite Level powerhouse in just three days... a growth rate that probably only Captain Qin Jiezhou could match.’
"I’m afraid Talent alone wouldn’t be enough for that, would it? That must have taken a massive amount of resources."
Ye Fei speculated.
’Even if Shelter 301 had someone with that kind of Talent, we wouldn’t have the resources to support them.’
Luo Zai nodded, his voice thick with envy. "Yeah. The Wuzhou City Shelter is the most powerful one around. Most of its people are former soldiers and armed forces personnel. They’ve gathered over ten thousand people, and they have helicopters and even some Nuclear Bombs. It’s a survivor’s paradise."
"Besides that genius, we also picked up broadcast messages from several other Shelters. More or less, they’ve all unearthed some talented individuals. These people are having resources funneled to them to become the future hope of their Shelters."
"After all, resources are limited. If we prioritize creating one powerhouse, we’ll have someone to rely on later. So, our squad also decided to cultivate such a genius. I voted for you."
"Thanks. I bet you were the only one who voted for me."
Ye Fei said.
"You’re wrong about that. Loli voted for you, too."
"Well, thank her for me. By the way, what’s your Power level now?"
"Me? I’m the man who’s going to become the strongest Handsome Guy in the whole region. What do you think?"
As he spoke, Luo Zai slammed his fist against the tunnel wall.
The whole tunnel trembled slightly. Amid a spray of shattered rock, Luo Zai said proudly, "My Fist Power is already at 2,500 pounds. One more push to hit five thousand, and breaking through to the Elite Level will be no problem."
"If you keep breaking through like that, you prick, the whole tunnel is going to collapse."
Ye Fei said irritably.
It was a good thing the Strata around here were all granite and very solid. This section was outside the main ore vein and didn’t have many fissures or Broken Belts. Otherwise, it would never withstand a Superpower User causing this much ruckus.
"Damn it! I’m a Superpower User now. I’ve gotten more handsome, okay? Call me Handsome Guy."
Luo Zai was furious.
"Do you think I can see that?"
Ye Fei said calmly.
Luo Zai: ...
He was speechless for a moment. Looking at Ye Fei’s vacant eyes, which seemed to be crying out in silent protest, the corner of his mouth twitched. "My bad. I’m a goddamn idiot."
Luo Zai’s anger dissipated, and he silently walked away.
That night, as he lay in bed trying to rest, he recalled the scene and was struck with a pang of guilt. ’I’m such a goddamn idiot!’ he thought.
Watching Luo Zai walk away in silence, Ye Fei scratched his head, completely baffled. ’No way. Is he about to cry?’
’Looks like I really took that joke too far.’
’He still subconsciously treated his blindness as a disguise, as a bit of fun. But to everyone else, he was well and truly blind.’
...
Greatly encouraged by the information about other survivors, everyone in the Hunting Squad began to push themselves harder.
’If other Superpower Users can get that strong, so can we!’
At the same time, inspired by the other Superpower Users, the people of Shelter 301 began to change their approach. They started funneling resources toward the more Talented Superpower Users, and everyone had to work hard to secure resources for themselves.
Everyone was together every day, so it was perfectly clear how each person was performing.
The gap between people was just that wide; you could see with a single glance who had greater Talent and who was more useful to the Shelter.
And so, the Hunting Squad selected the candidates who would have resources funneled to them:
The first person was the Hunting Squad’s deputy, Lu Ziye. Seventy percent of all surplus resources would go to him, and he would also have priority on requests for all types of resources.
The second person was the equally outstandingly Talented Loli. As the only girl on the Hunting Squad, and a minor at that, her status as the team’s darling was unshakeable.
The third was Ye Fei.
Lu Ziye was already an Elite and was currently pushing for Captain Level. Using his Breathing Technique, he could now absorb Spiritual Power once every two minutes.
As for Ye Fei, he was far worse than the other two. One breathing cycle took him a full eight minutes. Fortunately, his conversion rate was considered excellent in everyone’s eyes, increasing his Fist Power by roughly 60 pounds each time.
Of course, the reason resources were being funneled his way wasn’t because everyone expected him to be a heavy hitter, but because they wanted him to continue cooking mushrooms for the group.
After all, for some unknown reason, the amount of hallucinogenic toxins in each mushroom was becoming more and more varied. Only someone like Ye Fei, with his olfactory Superpower, could accurately determine the content.
Ye Fei was to receive ten percent of the surplus resources.
This amount was about the same as the daily allotment for a regular Hunting Squad member. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough.
Ye Fei was already very content with this. After all, he didn’t have to face any danger. All he had to do was cook mushrooms inside the Shelter and, as the captain of the ’Mushroom Squad,’ oversee the mushroom cultivation.
After a full day of hard Cultivation, Ye Fei, feeling dizzy and drained, carried a bowl of mushroom soup to the entrance of Mine 301.
This spot not only had the best air circulation, but it was also the only place where one could see the Sun. These elements were comforting to Ye Fei and helped to slightly alleviate his fatigue.
Not long after Ye Fei stopped, the sound of footsteps approached from behind him.
Ye Fei tilted his head slightly, adopting the posture of someone looking out of the corner of their eye. "Who is it?"
"It’s me, Handsome Guy."
"You still have enough meat, don’t you? Aren’t you going to continue your Cultivation?"
Ye Fei asked, puzzled.
Luo Zai chuckled. "I want to tag along with you to Mine Section 1. There are a lot of girls over there."
"Holy crap. They re-evaluate our Power for resource allocation every week, and you actually have time to go pick up girls?"
"Time is like a woman’s chest—if you squeeze, you’ll always find some. Get it? Besides, what’s the point of getting stronger if not to live a better life? Other Superpower Users have girlfriends, so of course, I have to find one too. Even if I don’t, just chatting with the girls and feasting my eyes is good for the mind and body."
It is a basic instinct of the Human Race to be attracted to power, so it was incredibly easy for Superpower Users to find women in this environment. This reality made Luo Zai, who had been single for all twenty-seven years of his life, eager to make a move.
"You could totally find someone, too. Not only would it be good for your mind and body, but she could also help take care of you. Just cook her some extra mushroom soup, give her a little food, and I guarantee you’ll win her over. Xu Yi is a good choice. That girl’s been asking about you privately; she probably likes you. And then there’s Doctor Liu Ru... I’d say she’s still quite a catch..."
As Luo Zai said this, his smile faded. He narrowed his eyes, carefully watching Ye Fei’s expression for any change.
He looked as though he was genuinely trying to persuade Ye Fei.
He had been put into a funk by Ye Fei’s earlier retort from behind those vacant eyes. Aside from feeling like a complete idiot, he’d been thinking about how to help his miserable brother.
But as a grown man, what could he do? It’s not like he could help Ye Fei aim when he took a piss, right?