Chapter 86: New a.s.sistance
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Day 73 of the Apocalypse Calendar, Tuesday.
When he woke up, Lu Ming felt a bit down.
Thinking that today was another day without any attributes to farm, Lu Ming could not find the motivation to do anything.
Just then, the doorbell rang, Lu Ming got out of bed and went to the door. He turned on the display screen and saw Zhang Chengcheng standing outside.
“Brother Lu, Huo Sheng is here and he wants to talk to you about something.”
Lu Ming nodded. “Tell him to wait a moment. I’ll go and freshen up.”
After washing up, Lu Ming went to the door.
Click, click, click, click, click. He unlocked the door and pushed open the door. What greeted his eyes was a row of neatly arranged large trucks.
Bai Tianyu was standing in front of the trucks. When he saw Lu Ming, he hurriedly went forward and saluted.
“Brother Lu.”
“Colonel Bai!”
After greeting them, Lu Ming raised his chin at the convoy and asked curiously, “What is all this…”
“Condiments, rice flour, oil, frozen meat, dehydrated vegetables, and canned food that can last for a long time.”
“Now, all of this belongs to Mr. Lu.”
Lu Ming was taken aback at first but quickly waved his hand, “I can’t accept this.”
Lu Ming had always adhered to one principle—never take others’ belongings.
If one accepted advantages from others, one would have to return the favor.
If he owed someone a favor, he would have to repay it with kindness. With too many obligations, he would not have time to farm his attributes.
Hearing this, and looking at Lu Ming’s reaction and expression, Bai Tianyu immediately sighed softly. “It’s exactly as Professor Huo said.”
Lu Ming, “What did you say?”
Bai Tianyu’s expression turned serious and he said, “It’s nothing.”
Before coming here, Huo Sheng had already antic.i.p.ated Lu Ming’s reaction, which was exactly as he described.
That was why Bai Tianyu already had a way to make Lu Ming accept the supplies willingly.
He said, “Brother Lu, you might be mistaken about something.”
“These supplies are not gifts; they are your well-deserved rewards.”
“Rewards?”
“Yes, rewards.” As he spoke, Bai Tianyu turned around and pointed at Lu Ming’s observation tower. “You clear the zombies near the safe zone every afternoon, and according to the shelter’s regulations, you get rewarded for your work. With your strength and the heavy tasks you undertake, it’s only natural that you receive more rewards.”
Hearing Bai Tianyu’s words, Lu Ming felt a little embarra.s.sed. “What you said makes sense, but my salary is too high.”
Bai Tianyu smiled and said, “The salary is only a small portion. The other resources are also your remuneration. However, it’s not your remuneration for guarding the tower, but the remuneration for zombie crystals and Tier 4 research materials.”
“You cleaned up so many zombies in the battle yesterday. Logically speaking, the zombie crystals should be yours, but we took a lot of them. We can’t take your things for no reason, so this food is compensation for you.”
Listening to Bai Tianyu, Lu Ming began to accept the explanation.
As he walked around the convoy, Lu Ming’s mood brightened.
There were plenty of supplies, enough to last Lu Ming and Zhang Chengcheng for at least half a year.
This would definitely alleviate Lu Ming’s immediate needs.
He stopped being pretentious and turned to thank Bai Tianyu with a smile. Then, Bai Tianyu said, “When I came this morning, Li Zitong had already built a cellar for you. Coincidentally, the official shelter has transported a batch of ice blocks and the supplies can be stored there for a short period of time without going bad. What do you think?”
Lu Ming immediately nodded. “Of course, that’s great. I appreciate your help.”
There was indeed not enough room for so many supplies in the bas.e.m.e.nt of his home.
Bai Tianyu waved his hand, “The cellar is also the reward you deserve.”
With Bai Tianyu’s help, Lu Ming moved the supplies into the cellar.
The cellar was about ten meters away from Lu Ming’s home and had a st.u.r.dy door lock. After finishing the task, Bai Tianyu handed the key to Lu Ming, completing the handover.
The replenished supplies gave Lu Ming a great sense of security.
But, when he thought about how he might not be able to farm attributes anymore, Lu Ming could not help but feel depressed.
Seeing this, Bai Tianyu coughed lightly and said, “Professor Huo would like to meet you. He’s in your dining room. Are you available?”
Lu Ming nodded, “Yes, I am available.”
Since Zhang Chengcheng was not too helpful in enhancing his attributes, his daily farming of attributes was forced to stop.
Now, Lu Ming was feeling a bit idle.
He went to the outdoor dining room and found Zhang Chengcheng had already prepared breakfast.
Buns filled with canned meat.
A total of 300 big buns in five pots were placed on the dining table, steaming hot and appetizing.
Sitting at his usual spot, Lu Ming ate while looking at Huo Sheng and another woman in military uniform sitting opposite him.
When Lu Ming’s gaze swept over, Huo Sheng smiled gently, “Let me introduce her. This is an Awakened person from the official shelter, Wei Lan.”
The woman named Wei Lan was about 20 years old, with ordinary features but an excellent figure.
When she noticed Lu Ming’s gaze, Wei Lan immediately stood up and saluted him, “h.e.l.lo, Mr. Lu. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Lu Ming swallowed the bun and nodded with a smile, “h.e.l.lo, Ms. Wei.”
Then, he looked at Huo Sheng.
It was fine if he came alone, but what did he mean by bringing a woman?
Facing Lu Ming’s puzzled gaze, Huo Sheng smiled and said, “I heard that Mr. Lu encountered some trouble yesterday. I’m here today to resolve this matter.”
Before Lu Ming could ask further, Huo Sheng said, “Ms. Wei Lan is a Level 2 Awakened. Her superpower is quite interesting. It’s called the Weakening Curse.”
“As for the effect, it can make people fall into a weak state.”
Lu Ming was slightly stunned. He looked at Wei Lan again, his gaze much more serious.
He was not stupid.
Naturally, he knew what his problem was.
He could also guess that the Weakening Curse ability might be of help to him.
After finishing a fist-sized bun in two bites, Lu Ming wiped his mouth and said excitedly, “Let’s try it!”
The experiment took place in the dining room.
When Lu Ming was ready, Wei Lan raised her hands and aimed at Lu Ming.
A dim black light shot out from her hands and landed on Lu Ming’s body. Lu Ming immediately felt his body grow heavy.
He opened the attribute panel and saw that his attributes had changed.
Name: Lu Ming
Level: Level 1
Strength: 450.8 (225.4).
Physique: 462.2 (231.1) f.
Agility: 445-7 (222.8) J
Attributes were halved!
This superpower was truly terrifying!
However, when Lu Ming exerted a little strength, he immediately felt the weakness quickly dissipate. Meanwhile, Wei Lan, who was opposite him, trembled and screamed as if she had suffered a heavy blow, immediately falling to the ground.
“Blargh.”
Wei Lan spat out a mouthful of sour gastric liquid.
Her face was pale, and she was dizzy and could not get up for a long time.
Lu Ming scratched his head awkwardly. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Zhang Chengcheng helped Wei Lan up. Huo Sheng observed Wei Lan’s condition and said, “It’s not your fault. You’re too strong and she’s too weak. It’s only natural that her superpower can’t affect you.”
Unlike Zhang Chengcheng’s Gravity superpower, Wei Lan’s Weakening Curse was a targeted ability and its effectiveness depended on the relative strength between the two parties.
From this perspective, Zhang Chengcheng’s superpower was indeed very powerful.
Lu Ming sighed in disappointment, “So, Ms. Wei is not the right answer.”
However, Huo Sheng shook his head. “Not necessarily. If your superpower is not strong, you can advance. If you can’t advance to Level 2, it does not mean you can’t advance to Level 4..”