Chapter 292 - 265: Level 3 Retrospect
Qin Ziwen said, "The boat is finished. We’ll launch it when the time is right. But I hear you three are masters of the water. Why not come with me and show me what you can do?"
The Yan Family’s Three Brothers gladly agreed.
As newcomers to this place, they naturally wanted to make a good showing of their abilities.
Following Boss Qin outside, the three of them saw the buildings in the Gated Community. Though curious, they averted their gazes after a few glances, their eyes finally settling on the sea beyond.
"This place..." Yan Da surveyed his surroundings, realizing their location was on a reef, surrounded by the sea on all sides.
They had seen the sea before. Taicang Prefecture bordered the ocean, and the three brothers had sometimes gone out fishing, so they were no strangers to it.
"Big Brother, let me go," Yan San said, eager to try.
He walked to the water’s edge and stripped off his clothes, revealing a bare torso. Clad only in a pair of shorts, his dark, tanned body glistened under the setting sun.
With a great leap, he plunged into the sea like a fish.
More than twenty breaths passed. Just as the people on shore were looking about, the surface of the sea suddenly stirred.
A drenched head poked out of the water. Yan San grinned and raised a hand from the sea. In his grasp, a fat grouper was desperately thrashing its tail.
"Haha, impressive skills," Qin Ziwen praised.
While they could move underwater after taking Deep Sea Oxygen, the water resistance still hampered them, restricting their movements compared to being on land. Spearing a grouper might have been possible, but catching one bare-handed was next to impossible.
"Big Brother, I’ll show the boss a thing or two as well!"
Before Yan Wu’s voice had even faded, he had already slipped into the sea.
Unlike Yan San’s nimble, fish-like leap, he made almost no splash as he entered the water, leaving only a rapidly spreading ripple as his figure vanished silently beneath the surface.
This time, the wait felt especially long.
The setting sun dipped lower, dyeing the sea a deeper, rust-gold.
Five minutes, six minutes...
Someone on the shore began to count in a low voice.
Just as Qin Ziwen leaned forward to get a better look, the water seventy or eighty feet away from the entry point, near a patch of dark reefs, suddenly began to churn unnaturally.
With a loud SPLASH!
Yan Wu burst from the water in a spray of white foam. His right arm bulged with muscle, his five fingers like a vise, gripping a wildly thrashing moray eel!
The moray eel was as thick as an adult’s arm, its writhing body slapping against Yan Wu.
In his left hand, he also clutched a large lobster as thick as a forearm.
He trod water, seeming to float out of the sea, and in a few bounds, he leaped up the reefs and onto the shore.
Yan Wu grinned. "Boss, the grouper Second Brother caught is fine for sashimi, but my catch has more of a kick to it when you’re drinking."
Seeing this, Yan San cursed jokingly, "You damn Yan Wu, trying to get ahead by stepping on your brother’s head, are you?"
Many residents of the Gated Community on the shore saw this and burst into applause and cheers.
Over the past few days, nearly every household had tried fishing from the shore.
Fishing with a rod or a net was one thing, but going into the sea to catch fish was beyond most of them.
For one, there was the issue of swimming ability; for another, entering the water in this area was dangerous, as it was teeming with all sorts of vicious sea creatures.
Anyone who could go into the sea and catch seafood bare-handed was a true badass.
Seeing that both his younger brothers had shown their skills, Yan Da was also preparing to enter the sea. He was just contemplating how he should make an impression when Qin Ziwen stopped him.
"Alright, I’ve seen what you can do. It’s getting late, let’s head back for now."
The sun was just about to set on the horizon.
The temperature and light over the sea were both dropping.
Although Yan Da was a little disappointed, he didn’t insist.
In any case, his second and fifth brothers had already demonstrated their skills. He was sure the boss now understood their prowess in the water.
Back at the Home, Qin Ziwen called over Du Yu, Li Tieshan, and others, introducing his new recruits so everyone could meet. They all ate dinner together.
The eel that Yan Wu had caught was cut into large pieces and roasted over a fire, sprinkled with some cane sugar or cumin powder.
Along with other side dishes to go with their drinks, everyone ate and drank merrily.
Qin Ziwen took a moment to check Jia Liangcai’s stats. Still One Star.
’Looks like he’s still a long way from breaking through to Three Stars.’
So after the meal, he called the Yan Family’s Three Brothers over to give them a grand gift.
"Since you call me ’Big Brother,’ I can’t let you do it for nothing. I have a Card that can increase your strength, but I only have one. You three should first decide who gets it." Qin Ziwen looked at the three of them.
Yan San and Yan Wu said in unison, "Boss, give it to Big Brother."
Qin Ziwen looked at Yan Da. Yan Da hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.
In the past, whenever the three brothers got something good, they would basically take turns according to their seniority.
Qin Ziwen took out the Human Physique Enhancement Card and used it on Yan Da.
POP~
Shattered green light merged into Yan Da’s body.
Standing to the side, Yan San and Yan Wu’s eyes were filled with curiosity and anticipation.
After a long moment, Yan Da opened his eyes, clenched his fists, and then looked at Yan San. "Second Brother, let’s test it."
With that, he extended his right arm.
The two brothers clasped palms.
They pushed at the same time.
The next second, Yan Da claimed an overwhelming victory.
Yan San and Yan Wu were shocked. Their strengths had always been roughly equal; it should have been impossible for one to so completely overpower another.
’It had to be the effect of that mysterious Card!’
At this thought, the two looked at each other, their eyes burning with fervor.
’We have to distinguish ourselves quickly and earn our lord’s reward!’
After talking with the three of them, Qin Ziwen called over Shi Hu and Zhang Meng, two Hunters he had recruited previously.
Although they were only Three Stars, they had been hardworking and uncomplaining since joining the team, giving their all whether in the Bow and Arrow Workshop or on hunts.
Qin Ziwen bestowed the two remaining Enhancement Cards on them, one for each.
This raised both of their constitutions to Four Stars.
The two of them were moved to tears of gratitude, feeling that all their recent hard work had been worthwhile.
Afterward, Qin Ziwen called over Liu San, Da Zhuang, and the others. For these non-combat personnel, he had a different kind of reward.
He gave them some fresh meat and vegetables, as well as some cane sugar.
Last was Qian Muzhen, Doctor Qian.
Qin Ziwen was surprised to find that Qian Muzhen’s physical constitution had, at some point, quietly risen to Three Stars.
Upon asking, he learned that Qian Muzhen had been going to the Martial Arts Arena to exercise in his spare time.
"My lord," Qian Muzhen straightened his back slightly, a trace of worldly detachment flashing in his eyes. "I have practiced medicine my whole life. I’ve seen wealthy men of fortune, but when sickness strikes like a collapsing mountain, all their gold is useless. A healthy body cannot be bought for all the gold in the world. This arena is truly a fine place."
"Is there anything you need?"
"Yes, my lord. When can I have my clinic?"
"..." Qin Ziwen felt a headache coming on. He really hadn’t managed to get a clinic Building Card.
In fact, others in the Gated Community had obtained one, but by the time he heard about it, they had either been snatched up by Renhe Hall or used by the people themselves.
"I’ll keep a sharp lookout," was all Qin Ziwen could say. "Anything besides the clinic?"
Qian Muzhen shook his head. "My lord can just reward me with whatever you see fit."
At his age, he had long since learned to look past many things.
Qin Ziwen thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Since a healthy body is what you want, then just wait a bit longer. We’ll talk about this again in a while."
"Thank you, my lord." Qian Muzhen cupped his hands in a bow and calmly departed.
After Qian Muzhen left, Qin Ziwen remembered the Function Card he had received during the last weekly settlement that he hadn’t used yet.
He took out the Level 1 Retrospection Card.
He crushed the Card, and the red Card transformed into a ray of light that merged with the Home’s small sphere of light.
[Function Activated: Level 3 Retrospect]
[Authority increased and leveled up. Current Authority: Level 4 Authority (2/16)]
[Level 3 Retrospect: Opens a portal to any map the Gated Community has previously traversed. Duration: 12 hours. Cooldown: 7 days. If another Gated Community is present in the target map, the portal cannot be opened.]
The cooldown time hadn’t changed, but the duration had doubled.
A full twelve hours was more than enough time to gather resources or scout the surroundings.
As night fell, the sea breeze grew wild, whipping up into a howl.
Outside the Gated Community, the waves, driven by the wind, crashed against the reefs and tidal flats with increasing force.
On the surface of the ocean, at the center of the archipelago that stood like a guard, a depression had silently and unknowingly formed.
A massive vortex was slowly taking shape, as if the deep sea had opened a giant, pupil-less eye.
...
...