Apocalypse: Hero of Potato Fields

Grate Fortress.

Lin Yi was ravaging the food.

The others were not far behind.

Lira was enjoying her meal heartily.

"This, this, this, is just... too delicious!"

"After you half-mechanical people finish digesting food, what happens to the food? Can you actually expel it?"

"Half-mechanical people? That's an interesting name. We call ourselves new humans, or simply Newmu people.

Some also call us 'Upgraders' or 'Enhancers', but as for artificial stomachs... very few possess them.

Here, enjoying food is a luxury most Newmu people cannot afford.

Because you need to significantly upgrade your entire body, including taste receptors, digestive capacity, etc., all of which are very, very expensive."

The man spoke, unabashedly enjoying the food.

"As for the food we ingest... whatever it is, it will be processed and converted into energy."

"Interesting, very practical, hold on a second."

Lin Yi activated the internal radio of his suit.

"Guys, how's it going on your side?"

"We're fine, boss!"

"Good, hang tight for a bit. Once I'm done here, I'll take you guys to get something nice to eat. Remember not to cause any trouble."

"Boss! We got Attribute Points, what happened?"

"I'll tell you when we get back. Let me deal with things here first, and then we're heading back."

Lin Yi ended the communication.

The man stopped eating. Zack had already told him what Lin Yi was doing, but he was still shocked.

"Your equipment... wasn't infected by the virus?!"

"This is a simulation signal, didn't you know?"

"Of course I know! But that doesn't explain it."

"Hold on a second..." Lin Yi said, finding an old radio in the warehouse.

"This thing's called a radio, it's old, but you can study it."

"Great!"

The man stopped eating too, his ten fingers spread open, twenty small devices resembling cables grabbed the radio and dismantled it in seconds.

"So that's how it works! Hahaha!"

The man laughed heartily, his fingers returning to normal.

He lay on the sofa, looking up at the ceiling, maintaining this posture for a good ten seconds.

"Found it! In our database, there are some devices that operate on similar principles. They're very old and primitive, and that's precisely why they can't be infected by viruses! Hahaha!"

"But they can still be intercepted."

"That's okay, a normal infector can't do that, and even an advanced infector would gain nothing unless the information contains something of strategic importance, in which case we can use encryption."

"Hmm, very clever. I think I should get going too."

Lin Yi said, waving his hand.

Fuel, water, food, and many other things appeared in the room.

"How long will you need to analyze the samples?"

"A few hours maybe."

The man said as he quickly checked these items, an inexplicable gleam flashing in his eyes.

Lin Yi nodded.

"Then let's meet again tomorrow morning."

"Great!" the man responded.

He shook Lin Yi's hand: "My people will escort you out. I'm looking forward to meeting again tomorrow."

"Oh, our mission."

Zack remembered the purpose of their visit. He had completely forgotten about their important mission after witnessing Lin Yi's divine power.

Lin Yi wasn't very interested in their conversation, so he let the guards take him downstairs.

The elevator was the same as last time.

It only went down for a second or two and then stopped.

"Boss! Catwoman! I want to see Catwoman, are we going back?!"

Piero excitedly ran up to him when he saw the boss coming out of the tower.

Lin Yi was quite exasperated.

"First, take a shower, clean yourself up, then do whatever you want."

He waved his hand and teleported the soldiers back to the Shelter, but he wasn't in a hurry to return himself.

He ducked into an alley, activated the "Chameleon" skill, and walked about half a kilometer.

Finding a hidden spot, he then returned to the Shelter.

"Home, I'm back..."

Lin Yi muttered to himself, appearing in the middle of an open space, taking a deep breath of the fresh air in the Shelter.

The sky was pitch black, which was completely different from the Tilian Planet where it was about four hours from nightfall.

"Boss! I'm so glad you're safe, I knew you could handle it."

"Siri... have you reverted back to your original form?"

"Yes, please forgive me... I'm not yet ready to face human emotions and physical form."

The Beetle Queen's voice carried a hint of embarrassment.

Clearly, she was shy about what she had said when she was in human form.

Lin Yi could totally relate, smiling wryly, Siri turning into a girl was just too much to handle.

At this moment, Annie appeared.

She excitedly shouted, "Boss... Boss!"

She ran towards Lin Yi, bursting into tears.

"Boss, ever since I lost contact with you, I've been worried sick! You're so mean!"

"Silly! As if those things could do anything to me! Am I a coward or what? Has my strength not earned your trust?"

Lin Yi glared at the tear-streaked girl.

Annie, full of confusion, stared back, not quite believing the boss's emotional intelligence was this low.

Isn't it necessary to come over and give her a hug, comfort her a bit?

"But boss!" Annie shouted stubbornly, puffing up her cheeks, stomping her feet.

She's not stupid, she knows the boss is just teasing her, but she's still angry.

Lin Yi held back his laughter and walked over.

"Alright, I'm back. While I was gone, you didn't spend all my money, did you?"

"Of course not!"

"Are you sure? Hmm, I need to check. You women are such trouble... By the way, your legs really do look nice!"

He noticed Annie was wearing fashionable white shorts and a sleeveless top, with a pink Pikachu shirt underneath.

Annie burst into laughter, though she had been crying just a moment ago... now she's jumping around showing off her new clothes.

"Do you like it? This is a sample of our new uniforms! These clothes can even increase Attributes, hehe."

"It's really not bad! But it doesn't look quite like a formal uniform; it's a bit too revealing..."

"It's too hot here, boss! You can pair it with pants or a skirt too..."

"Did you also make men's uniforms?"

"Of course we did! And your exclusive uniform is also ready! You're definitely going to like it!"

"Oh, really? I just hope I won't look like... uh, never mind, where is everyone?"

"Most people are either wandering around or just hanging out. You know, it's already pretty late."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I... came to change into my uniform and then... um... attend a party..."

Annie made an excuse; she didn't want to say she quickly changed into her new uniform upon hearing the boss was back.

Lin Yi couldn't guess what she was thinking.

"You want to show off your new outfit, right? You women really love these things."

"Well... I'll go tell everyone you're back!"

"Wait... sigh!"

Before Lin Yi could say a word, the energetic Annie had already run off, disappearing from sight.

He had no choice but to sit in a chair, focusing on checking the Shelter's condition.

The city was already rebuilt and even had space for future expansion.

The roads widened, now with built-in bus stops, pedestrian crossings, and traffic lights.

There were no vehicles on the road because they actually hadn't expanded the Shelter's size yet.

The number of farms increased several times, now covering the entire southwestern part of the Shelter.

The military base was also expanded, now quite impressive.

The Shelter was starting to feel a bit crowded...

"What the heck?"

Lin Yi muttered to himself upon seeing the fragment with an entire small town built with rammed earth.

Looking closer, he saw the "Children of the Sun" wandering around or heading home.

Their homes were all small one-room houses, with one or two windows and a doorway, but without doors.

They had no beds, using rammed earth instead...

All the furniture was also made of earth.

"I get it, it's cheap and... unique, certainly better than camping out in the wild..."

Before heading to the Tilian Planet Fragment, he had temporarily transferred some Shelter rights to Chen Youyou.

Including purchasing new farmland, he asked other core members to help her.

Apparently, they hadn't been idle this week.

Once he confirmed everything was progressing well with no obvious mistakes, he decided to see the World Heart Snake.

As soon as he arrived at the open space, the snake immediately appeared before him.

Lin Yi glared at the Heart of the World.

"What else do you have to say?"

"I don't understand..."

The large snake hissed, flicking its forked tongue.

Lin Yi was even angrier.

"You didn't mention beforehand that I couldn't return to the Shelter or transport things!"

"But you've successfully formed an alliance, and I'm trying to suppress the Sea of Space-Time, but it takes time."

"Can I leave the planetary area? If we leave, can we go back later?"

"Not yet. When new functions become available, we can leave, hiss hiss."

"Alright, tomorrow then... is there anything else I need to know? Speak clearly!"

"There's nothing to add except to remind you to develop the Shelter as quickly as possible... the stronger the Shelter, the stronger I'll become."

"Alright, goodbye!"

Lin Yi waved his hand and headed home.

He had already eaten on the Tilian Planet and had nothing urgent to handle, so he decided to get a good night's sleep.

However...

A few minutes later, someone knocked on his door.

Lin Yi grumbled, still half-asleep.

"Who is it?"

"Boss! It's me, Solomon. I just heard you came back and there's some very important stuff to discuss with you."

His voice was both joyful and anxious.

Lin Yi realized he couldn't rest just yet.

"Come in..."

"Boss! Lille is under attack by red zombies!"

"Right, red zombies! I totally forgot about them! So... are they in trouble or what?"

His sleepiness instantly vanished.

Lille is his main source of Coins!

Solomon took out a notebook and quickly started reporting.

"These red zombies haven't learned how to use corpses to build ladders yet, so they can't enter the city for now, but they continue to siege...

Lille's people haven't launched an attack either, their King stated—waiting for your return!"