Su Tongxi held the short bow, staring dazedly at the scene in front of her.
The number of Shadow Beasts had increased...
But... it seemed she didn't really need to take action?
The tension in her heart abruptly relaxed, and her petite body softened, leaning into Su Lin's arms.
Her small face still carried remnants of fear, almost losing her soul to the surging beast tide...
In the early days of the apocalypse, Su Tongxi wandered turbulently with her parents as drifters, until, by chance, after her parents died, she was taken in by Mr. Su and Mrs. Su when Su Lin's family was already in a Level 2 Safe House.
She had never experienced the initial assaults of Shadow Beasts at a Level 1 Safe House, only noting a few scattered ones in the past two nights as the norm.
As for Su Lin's predecessor?
He would just hide in his room, leaving everything to his parents.
...
The first wave of attack, upon contact, concluded neatly within two minutes.
The pile of Shadow Beast corpses at the entrance was slowly sinking into flowing shadows.
From the neighboring house came faint sounds of clashing blades and calls.
And Su Lin's side?
Dust settled.
"Brother Kirin!"
Su Tongxi suddenly came back to her senses, her small face bursting with surprise and immediately grabbed Su Lin's arm urgently, "Quick! Gather the Shadow Cores! They'll vanish if we're late!"
Shadow Core?
Su Lin's thoughts raced; his predecessor had known about this.
Shadow Cores are the essence left behind after monsters disappear, lasting only half an hour, just coinciding with the interval between waves of monster attacks.
If this wave of beast tide wasn't cleared within thirty minutes, failing to gather the Shadow Cores, when the next wave of monsters comes, amid chaotic combat, it would be hard to find an opportunity to collect them.
This stuff is essential nourishment for upgrading Safe Houses and various buildings!
He held the House Title Deed, took a few steps out, stepping on the Earth Spike that had done countless meritorious deeds just now, bending over to pick up.
The Shadow Cores, as cool as black crystals and the size of quail eggs, were slightly cold to the touch. Once Su Lin placed a few Shadow Cores on the cover of the House Title Deed, they were silently absorbed as if water into a sponge.
The House Title Deed automatically turned silent, opening to the Safe House information page.
[Safe House Level: 1 (8/100)]
Su Lin and Su Tongxi, with quick hands and feet, soon collected all the scattered Shadow Cores.
Figures changed: [20/100].
Twenty Shadow Beasts, without merit, all transformed into the foundational stones for his Safe House construction.
"It seems tonight... we can really act like idle bosses."
Su Lin couldn't help but curl his lips, carrying a trace of lazy arrogance, suddenly remembered something, and tilted his head to ask the person in his embrace:
"By the way, is there any trick to upgrading the Safe House? Just building a couple more mechanisms? Surely I won't have to spend money to boost monster health?"
Su Lin's display of ignorance didn't strike Su Tongxi as strange.
Her soft voice explained patiently:
"Upgrading is up to the homeowner's choice. If not upgrading, and other buildings have reached the current limit, the excess Shadow Cores can only be watched as they dissipate, unable to be retained.
"The primary benefit of upgrading the Safe House is that it can enhance the levels of Construction Platforms and Breakdown Platforms.
"For example, our Level 1 Construction Platform, at most, can create the wooden bow I'm holding. If upgraded to Level 2, it can make a hand crossbow. As for more advanced ones, it can even create firearms, though we don't have those in our village.
"Moreover, the higher the level of the Construction Platform, the faster the crafting speed and the lesser the effort. Currently, to create one bullet, it takes a full day and night, 24 hours! If it's a Level 2 platform, half a day would suffice."
One bullet takes twenty-four hours?!
Su Lin inwardly clicked his tongue.
No wonder this thing is precious, worth 20 Copper Coins.
He suddenly had a brainwave, his thoughts shifting actively as he asked:
"Using only low-grade materials, can a hand crossbow be made?"
Su Tongxi, holding the short bow, had the bowstring deeply sunk between those full curves, leaving striking marks without realizing it, seriously nodded:
"To make a hand crossbow, you only need metal, ordinary wood, and resin—all low-grade materials."
Su Lin felt a surge of joy; it seemed the "King of the Garbage Can" description could shine brightly on the hand crossbow!
Although a wooden bow could be made, he couldn't shoot arrows.
The two finished their conversation.
Having preemptively dealt with the beast swarm led to having nothing to do now.
Su Lin sprawled back on the sofa, propping his feet on the table, casually pulling the fragrant, soft Hanbao into his embrace tightly.
In his ears, there were faint sounds of shouting and blade clashing from the neighbor's house, while in his arms, there lay warmth and beauty.
He squinted contentedly, enjoying the first "peaceful" night after crossing over.
Unfortunately...
His body screamed with soreness, all from the debt of excessive fatigue in the morning.
Otherwise, tonight would assuredly conclude the delightful business of breaking the body!
Su Lin thought mischievously, his thoughts becoming lively, as his fingers mischievously teased Su Tongxi, causing the girl's face to flush with red, coquettishly protesting.
There wasn't much entertainment in this apocalypse, good food was out of reach, leaving him with only this little bit of amusement?
About half an hour later, the second wave of Shadow Beasts arrived as expected.
The result was still uneventful, wrapping up hastily within two minutes.
Thirty Shadow Cores were gathered.
Safe House progress bar: [50/100].
The neighbors were still engaged in intense combat; the higher the Safe House level, the more and fiercer the monsters to deal with—a wave is unresolved and another arrives, a common occurrence.
In contrast, Su Lin's Level 1 little house faced the beast tide like child's play before the "tenfold enhancement" of Earth Spike.
As for the fortifications on either side of the door, there was yet to find an opportunity to operationalize.
"A single description is so powerful, what if there were a few more..."
Su Lin's thoughts became lively.
Watching for three choices once a week, still six days to go...
There was no reason to have paid two hundred thousand in cash to cross over and hold a cheat but then endure suffering!
Though the "King of the Garbage Can" description was potent in the early days of development, ultimately, it could only reinforce items made from low-grade materials, eventually becoming roadside debris.
He must exhaust the potential of the "King of the Garbage Can" description before then, to lay a comfortable foundation for this apocalypse!
Su Lin's gaze stared into the distance.
In the deep night, a huge creature, as tall as two stories, headed towards a Safe House in the village.
Suddenly, his eyelid twitched.
"This ghostly world is rife with danger, even the predecessor's father, the vice-captain of the Search Team, fell. In the predecessor's memories, the Night of Survival was a monster indiscriminate attack! I started three years behind everyone else, I must accelerate growth, at least catch up with the main force's pace in the village." He quietly calculated.
Currently, with the three tenfold-enhanced mechanisms, dealing with the beast tide of a Level 1 Safe House was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, the damage gravely excessive.
The upgrade requires only 50 more Shadow Cores.
By pattern, the third wave of monsters should have 40.
By clearing the 10:30 wave, it would suffice for him to upgrade.
With determination set, Su Lin continued waiting for the next wave of attacks.
At ten o'clock sharp, the third wave of Shadow Beasts arrived on schedule.
The Earth Spike "fought hard" for 2 minutes and 25 seconds, "winning" with difficulty, presenting its owner Su Lin with forty Shadow Cores.
Congratulations and celebrations.
Another half-hour passed.
The fourth wave.
The Earth Spike battled fiercely for 2 minutes and 56 seconds, exhausting all efforts, finally winning.
[100/100]
The House Title Deed floating in the air suddenly shone brilliantly, silver light flowing, illuminating the entire hall as bright as day!
Su Lin weighed the remaining forty Shadow Cores in his bag; if not used immediately, these Shadow Cores would vanish in over twenty minutes.
He looked up at Su Tongxi, his expression solemn, resolutely declared:
"Hanbao, I've decided, let's upgrade the Safe House now!"
Su Tongxi heard this, her small face turned slightly pale, cherry lips opened as if to speak.
But upon meeting Brother Kirin's eyes filled with unprecedented blazing spirit, an intent burning like flames.
She lightly licked her pink lips, swallowing back the words that reached her throat.
"Alright!"
This resolute single word reflected all her trust in the revitalized Brother Kirin.
Within just one day, Su Lin's transformation had completely overturned Su Tongxi's previous perceptions.
"Heh." Su Lin chuckled softly, his large hand habitually rubbing her hair.
As for the method to upgrade the Safe House, he no longer needed to ask Su Tongxi; even if the predecessor didn't know, he himself was clear.
As his mind shifted slightly, sudden dramatic changes occurred in Su Lin's household!