Chapter 123 - 115: Second Enhancement
Zhao Pu sighed. "In the end, it’s never the organization that’s bad, but some of the people in it. The Alliance Association is made up of people, after all. It’s inevitable that there will be a mix of good and bad."
Qin Ziwen then turned to ask Zhao Pu, "Dr. Zhao, you’ve been in the Gated Community for a while recently. If our team were to expand, do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"
Zhao Pu pondered for a moment, then clapped his hands together. "Actually, there is one. Didn’t I just mention that a team had a conflict with people from the Alliance Association?
"At first, the Alliance Association suffered a major loss. They tried to snatch someone else’s kill but ended up getting several of their own people shot dead instead. The rumor is that the other team had a recruited Hunter who sets all sorts of traps in the forest and has excellent Archery Skill."
Qin Ziwu wanted to hear the rest. "And then?"
"Then the Alliance Association, unwilling to take the loss, ambushed them at the Gated Community entrance. A lot of people died on both sides. After word got out, Zou Jianghe had to personally handle it. After all, if it blew up, it would be bad for the Alliance Association’s reputation."
Deng Guang asked curiously, "How did he handle it?"
"He just ended it." Zhao Pu gave a bitter smile. "He’s the leader of the Alliance Association, after all. He couldn’t very well side with the other party, could he? That team suffered heavy casualties, but their leader is still alive. I heard the Hunter was recruited by that leader."
The more Qin Ziwen listened, the more familiar it sounded.
"What’s that person’s name?"
"I don’t know. I only know they live over in Building One."
’Building One, and they recruited a Hunter.’
Qin Ziwen had a good idea who it was.
’No wonder I haven’t seen Wang Yun lately.’
...
As they spoke, the six of them arrived near the stream.
Li Yue kept glancing left and right, his nerves tensing at the slightest rustle.
The last encounter with the wild boar had clearly left him with some trauma.
Qin Ziwu patted Li Yue’s shoulder, signaling for him not to worry. "Don’t worry. If that boar comes back, we’ll just hunt it down and eat it."
Li Yue put on a brave face. "I’m not scared! I’m just excited... AH, FUCK!"
Li Yue nearly jumped out of his skin. In front of his feet, a viper hidden in a pile of dead leaves was raising its head, poised to strike.
A flash of a blade sliced in from the side.
The viper’s head was sliced clean off, landing on the ground.
Du Yu sheathed his blade.
Li Yue whipped his head around. ’Damn, buddy, you had to be so flashy?’
"Found the Earth Cage." Qin Ziwu walked past him, strode to the stream’s edge, and lifted the cage from the water.
The floodwaters from the storm had receded, and the stream had returned to its usual tranquility.
The gurgling stream submerged half of the Earth Cage.
With a flick of his arm, he lifted the cage.
A large number of translucent stream shrimp bounced inside, with a few stream crabs hiding in the corners of the cage.
He took out the shrimp and crabs and poured them into a bucket.
To avoid conflicts, the four Earth Cages placed in the stream were spaced some distance apart.
"I remember we placed one downstream, too." Qin Ziwen walked about forty meters along the stream bank, rounded a bend, and saw that the Earth Cage, which should have been in the stream, was overturned. Its edges showed signs of being swatted and gnawed, and a gap had been torn open where the cage was joined.
Seeing the damaged Earth Cage, Qin Ziwen frowned, feeling a pang of regret. "It’s been destroyed."
Du Yu hurried over at the sound and observed it for a moment. "Looks like a bear did this."
Qin Ziwen immediately warned the others, "There might be a bear around here. Everyone be careful."
Li Tieshan came over, looked at the broken Earth Cage, and picked it up to examine it. "Sir, this is fixable. I can patch it up when we get back."
"Alright, let’s take it back for now."
Fortunately, apart from the one that was destroyed, the other three Earth Cages were completely intact.
The remaining two Earth Cages contained a swamp eel, a Seven-Star Fish, over a dozen crabs, and two loaches.
They put everything into the bucket, folded up the Earth Cages, and the group walked back up the stream.
With the Beaked Eagle leading the way, the group took a roundabout path, ascending the mountain from a different direction this time.
At four in the afternoon, they finally reached the cave on the mountainside.
"SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK~"
Inside the cave, the Giant Toad had not yet returned, but the bats on the ceiling were screeching incessantly.
Looking from a distance, a speck of green light floated above the altar.
’An Enhancement Card?’
Qin Ziwen was a little surprised.
’Looks like Dr. Zhao’s luck was pretty good this time. The Card he chose is a relatively valuable one.’
They entered the cave and took the Card.
Coming out of the cave, Zhao Pu held the Card, turning it over and over. "This... this is amazing! There’s even a card for enhancing animals? I wonder if there are any for enhancing humans."
Hearing this, Qin Ziwen coughed, his expression turning a bit strange.
He didn’t know whether to say Zhao Pu was lucky or unlucky.
Enhancement Cards were indeed rarer than Ordinary Building Cards.
If this had been a Human Physique Enhancement Card, he could have used it directly. But instead, it was an Animal Enhancement Card.
That meant the Card could only be held onto until he recruited an animal someday, because only a recruited animal’s loyalty could be guaranteed, ensuring the card wouldn’t be wasted.
𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
"Mr. Qin, can I trade this Card with you?" Zhao Pu looked at the Beaked Eagle. The eagle’s size had changed once before, so he could deduce that Mr. Qin must have obtained this kind of card before. Only Mr. Qin could bring out this Card’s full potential.
"I could, yes." Qin Ziwen told him honestly, "This card of yours is quite valuable, rarer than a typical Building Card. But I don’t have any cards on hand of comparable value to trade with you."
Zhao Pu said, "It’s fine. The most suitable is the best."
Level 1 Stable x1, Level 1 Farmland x1, Recruitment Card - Tamed Mongolian Horse x1, Level 1 Tailor Shop x1, Level 1 Blacksmith Shop x1, (Advanced) Lava Fortress x1, Expansion Card: Small Underground Cave x1, Level 1 Coal Mine Card x1, Level 1 Water Wheel x1
Qin Ziwen began to consider which of his spare Cards he could trade with Zhao Pu.
The Farmland and Lava Fortress were definitely unsuitable.
Even if Zhao Pu dug up his entire property, he wouldn’t have enough space.
The Stable and the Mongolian Horse went together, and the horse had a big appetite. Zhao Pu might not be able to afford to keep it.
Then there was the Water Wheel, which was meant to go with the Farmland. A lone Water Wheel would be useless.
That left only the Expansion Card: Small Underground Cave, the Tailor Shop, and the Blacksmith Shop.
He planned to keep the Blacksmith Shop Building Card for himself. With one more, he could upgrade his Level 2 Blacksmith Shop to Level 3.
Qin Ziwen asked, "I have two. One is an Expansion Card for a Small Underground Cave, and the other is a Building Card for a Tailor Shop. Which one do you want?"
Zhao Pu mulled it over for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Mr. Qin, could I have the Tailor Shop?"
Qin Ziwen said, "You can. Buildings like these have some special beneficial effects, but they’re more of a finishing touch. The real core is the person using the building. Are you sure you want the Tailor Shop?"
Zhao Pu nodded. "I’m sure. I’ll take the Tailor Shop. Skills can be practiced, and I could also hire someone to work there, like with Huang Tao’s Carpenter’s Workshop."
Qin Ziwen didn’t feel any reluctance. He had already gotten three Blacksmith Shop cards. He was sure he’d get another Tailor Shop card later, and besides, there wasn’t even a shadow of a tailor in their Home right now.
He just felt like he was taking advantage of Zhao Pu. It would be one thing if he were an outsider, but Zhao Pu was part of his team.
After a moment of thought, Qin Ziwen made up his mind. If he managed to get another Tailor Shop Building Card in the future, he would give it to Zhao Pu to help him upgrade it to Level 2.
The effects of a Level 2 building were a significant improvement over a Level 1 building.
After the two exchanged Cards, Qin Ziwen suddenly remembered that his upgraded Insight could now be used on recruited units and humans.
He immediately cast Insight on the Beaked Eagle.
[Ordinary Beaked Eagle: ☆☆☆]
’Only Three Stars?!’
’And this is after being enhanced once? Doesn’t that mean the Beaked Eagle was only Two Stars when it was first summoned?’
Qin Ziwen and the Beaked Eagle stared at each other. "You dumb bird, you’re too weak."
He silently willed the Card to be used.
It was the first time the others had seen an Enhancement Card being used, and they gathered around curiously.
As the Card shattered, it turned into green specks of light that merged into the Beaked Eagle’s body.
In an instant, the Beaked Eagle transformed into light.
Its body swelled within the light.
Everyone’s heads tilted further and further back.
Finally, when the light faded, a Beaked Eagle standing a full two meters tall was in its place.
It was now taller than anyone present.
As its wings unfurled, Qin Ziwen, who was standing closest, felt a powerful gust of wind.
With a beat of its wings, the Beaked Eagle flew overhead. Its wingspan now exceeded five meters. In terms of size, while it was still smaller than the Monkey-eating Albatrosses that had preyed on the Gated Community before, it wasn’t far off, and it was large enough to exude a powerful, oppressive aura.
The most striking feature was its talons. Already long and sharp, they had become even more exaggerated, as if eight scimitars were hanging beneath its body.
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