Chapter 152 - 140: Countdown_3
When he heard the number "thirty-five pounds," Zhang Bo’s eyes flickered. He hesitated for a moment, then said reluctantly, "Alright then."
As he came down from upstairs, Zhang Bo suddenly felt like one of those ancient-era spies who illegally resold military weapons and provisions. ’If I get caught...’ ’Wait, screw that! What do you mean, "resold"? This is a fair trade.’
The residents of the Gated Community were more receptive to refined salt than coarse salt. After all, the industrial salt they used to eat had spoiled their palates, so refined salt had more purchasing power.
By Zhang Bo’s estimate, twenty-five pounds of refined salt would be enough to get the materials for ten bows. The remaining ten pounds would be his fee for the trouble.
Of course, the price couldn’t really be calculated that way. Dumping a large amount of salt on the market in a short time would also cause the price to drop.
’But new people are arriving soon, aren’t they?’
After Zhang Bo left, Qin Ziwen mulled it over. ’Right now, good wood for making bows isn’t that scarce, since it’s all in the forest.’
’But once we get to the Gobi Desert, resources will be scarce. It won’t be so easy to find good bow-making materials then.’
’So stocking up now is definitely the right move.’
Zhe Wood was harder and suitable for longbows, while Mulberry Wood was only good for shortbows. In terms of lethality, longbows were definitely more effective against beasts.
In the afternoon, Du Yu and the others who had gone up the mountain returned to the Gated Community.
Today, the cave altar on the mountainside yielded a Blank Expansion Card (Small).
After the contribution points were split evenly, Li Yue finally gathered enough—eight points—to exchange for a Blank Expansion Card (Small) and successfully activate his Home.
Now that the last member of their team had finally activated their Home, they had achieved the "all Homes activated" milestone.
Everyone took a rare moment to relax and prepare to welcome the new life that awaited them tomorrow.
At this time, the Hunting Teams, gathering teams, and various other teams large and small that usually went out had all remained in the Gated Community.
After learning they would be transported again tomorrow, many people stayed in the Gated Community, worried they might miss the departure.
Some children followed behind their parents. Over the past month, it wasn’t just the children; the adults had also become much sturdier, their skin tanning a shade darker.
"Captain!" Yuan Ming, who was walking downstairs with his parents, waved at Qin Ziwen.
Hu Huilan and Yuan Dajun looked at Qin Ziwen curiously. They had heard of him before, but this was the first time they were meeting him in person.
"Sir, Ma’am," Qin Ziwen greeted them.
Yuan Dajun extended a hand. "Hello, I’m Yuan Ming’s father. Thank you for taking care of him."
After shaking it, Qin Ziwen noticed Yuan Dajun’s hand was rough and very strong.
Hu Huilan said, "Captain Qin, we’re entrusting Yuan Ming to your care. If he gives you any trouble, don’t hesitate to discipline him."
"Yuan Ming is very capable. He’s always proactive on the team," Qin Ziwen replied with a smile.
He chatted with Yuan Ming’s parents for a while longer and was surprised to learn that Yuan Dajun had studied martial arts. When he was younger, he had even chased his dream in the film industry, but his looks weren’t quite right, so he could only work as a stunt double. Eventually, he became a professional martial arts instructor and action choreographer.
Due to his work, he often traveled and worked overtime, so raising their son fell mostly to his wife. Hu Huilan, in turn, had always been very strict with Yuan Ming.
After chatting a bit longer, he politely declined Hu Huilan’s invitation to come to their home for dinner.
However, Qin Ziwen extended an invitation of his own to Yuan Dajun. "Mr. Yuan, you look to be in great shape and in your prime. Have you considered joining my team? You and Yuan Ming could be a father-son duo fighting on the front lines."
Yuan Dajun was tempted, but he didn’t agree on the spot, saying he would go home and consider it.
Later, while walking with his brother, Qin Ziwen passed the ground floor of Building Six.
𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
He happened to see Wei Zhaohua carrying a bag of soil and pouring it into a planter.
"Teacher Wei," Qin Ziwen waved.
"Mr. Qin." Wei Zhaohua stopped, a smile spreading across his face.
"How’s your father doing?"
Wei Zhaohua expressed his gratitude. "Thanks to the Honeysuckle you gave me, he’s mostly recovered. There are some lingering effects, though. His stamina isn’t what it used to be, and he gets winded after just a short walk."
"What’s important is that he’s okay."
"Yeah, as long as he’s still with us," Wei Zhaohua sighed wistfully. "Back when I was working, I always felt so stressed. As a homeroom teacher, I wasn’t just managing students during the day; I often had a ton of things to deal with after hours, too."
"But after going through all this, I’ve realized that the greatest happiness is simply having your loved ones by your side."
"Are you trying to spruce up the greenery?"
Wei Zhaohua pointed to the soil on the ground. "Just tinkering a bit. I don’t think it’ll be much use, though. The sun is intense in the Gobi Desert, so I expect this soil will dry out quickly."
Speaking of which, Wei Zhaohua couldn’t help but ask, "By the way, how are those seeds I gave you doing?"
"They’re doing great. Almost all of them have sprouted into seedlings."
Wei Zhaohua was a little surprised. "That was fast. Congratulations."
"By the way, Teacher Wei, would you like to join my team?"
Wei Zhaohua looked troubled. "I haven’t joined any organization, but my wife... she’s joined the Alliance Association."
"That’s fine. Dr. Zhao also joined the Alliance Association, and she’s even a building leader," Qin Ziwen said, showing he wasn’t concerned about such things.
Hearing this, Wei Zhaohua felt that made sense.
"Alright. If you’ll have me, then I’m in."
"Welcome to the team, Teacher Wei."
On the way home, Qin Ziwu asked, "Brother, how many people are we planning to recruit for our team?"
"It’s not about how many people we recruit, but how many we can support. If we’re going to be hunting large beasts, it’s best to have a stable team of about twenty. Any more than that and we’d become bloated. With twenty people—spears in the front rank, bows in the back—we should be pretty much set."
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