Chapter 40 - 36: Day 8 Settlement
He looked at the crucian carp at the Beaked Eagle’s feet. Its gills were still pulsing—the fish was so fresh it had clearly just been caught in the river.
Qin Ziwen’s voice grew grave. "Didn’t I tell you to come straight back? Why did you go to the river to catch a fish? What if a crocodile had bitten you?"
Hearing the displeasure in its master’s voice, the Beaked Eagle ducked its head and tried to sneak away.
But a hand grabbed its neck, stopping it in its tracks.
"Stay still."
The Beaked Eagle let out a few soft squawks, trying to appeal to its master’s paternal instincts.
Qin Ziwen stared at it for a moment before his tone softened. He ruffled the feathers on its large, fluffy head. "Forget it. You just got here, so it’s normal that you didn’t understand me. The important thing is you came back safe. You did well in the fight tonight, so this fish can be your meal for tomorrow."
"Remember, ’hunt’ is for catching fish. After that, you eat it. Eat. With your beak..." Qin Ziwen said patiently, pointing to its beak, then to the fish, as he taught it the commands.
The Beaked Eagle seemed to only vaguely understand. It would cock its head, then lightly tap the fish with a talon, acting like a hyperactive child. It was impossible to tell if it had understood a thing.
He wrapped the fish in a plastic bag and put it in the cellar.
Qin Ziwen went into the living room. The Gray Sweet Potato plant he had brought back during the day was now planted in a hollow plastic stool.
He had pulled out the wild vegetables that were originally growing in it and planted the Gray Sweet Potato in their place.
He had deliberately placed it next to the Spring Eye. The balcony was too conspicuous; it was safer inside.
He planned to dig up more dirt tomorrow, find some rocks, and build a simple earthen mound for it.
As night fell, Qin Ziwen prepared for bed. The Beaked Eagle didn’t want to sleep in the living room and secretly slipped into the bedroom.
The bedroom was bare, and the floor was smooth and clean. Its talons kept slipping, making it unsteady on its feet.
It shifted through several positions, but none of them looked comfortable.
So Qin Ziwen grabbed a pile of firewood he had been saving in the kitchen and arranged it into a simple nest. Then he laid a few of his old clothes on top.
The Beaked Eagle cautiously stepped into it. Its talons gripped the wood as it shifted its position slightly. The atmosphere put it at ease. Slowly, it hunkered down, folded its wings, and settled into the nest, closing its eyes.
In the middle of the night, the Beaked Eagle’s eyes opened a crack.
It glanced toward the door.
A moment later, after the noise in the hallway faded, the Beaked Eagle slowly closed its eyes again.
...
「The next morning」
The first thing Qin Ziwen did after waking up was check the settlement report.
You have successfully survived in the wilderness for an eighth day. Today, you harvested two Earth Cages, caught four fish, tended to the rabbit colony, eliminated a miscreant who coveted your Earth Cages, discovered and transplanted a wild Gray Sweet Potato, and your Beaked Eagle captured a crucian carp. Overall Score: 31 points.
Rewards: [Expansion Card] Blank Expansion Card (Small) x1, [Resource Card] Level 1 Spring Eye x1, Bag of Salt x1.
’Thirty-one points!’ Qin Ziwen thought.
’So it’s true. As long as I increase the number of positive actions each day, I can get a high score even without a major event like hunting a large beast.’
’And judging by the report, the contributions from my recruited units are also factored into the score.’
Arriving in the bathroom, Qin Ziwen used the Blank Expansion Card on an empty spot. A large, new patch of open ground expanded outward.
’Just two more cards, and I’ll have enough space to build a farm.’
He took out the Level 1 Spring Eye Card. The moment the Card was in his hand, he received feedback from his Home.
He learned that two resources with the same name could be combined into a single, higher-Level one. Alternatively, he could choose to build a second Level 1 Spring Eye in another area of his Home.
Without hesitating, Qin Ziwen chose the first option.
’My Home isn’t that big yet, so there’s no need for two springs. Besides, I’m curious to see what a Level 2 Resource is like.’
The Level 1 Spring Eye Card dissolved into light and merged with the existing Spring Eye nearby.
Once the light faded, he saw that the Spring Eye’s appearance and size hadn’t changed.
He walked closer, puzzled.
But a single glance revealed the difference: ripples now spread across the water’s surface. This was clearly due to a massive increase in the spring’s flow rate—a world of difference from before.
As for the exact flow rate, he’d find out by checking how much water had accumulated by noon or when he got back in the evening.
He cupped his hands, scooping up some of the clear spring water and drinking it down. It was sweet and refreshingly cold.
He then refilled the feed and water for the rabbits in their cage.
After several days in captivity, the rabbits were no longer afraid of him.
They no longer hid when they saw Qin Ziwen approach, simply staring at him blankly.
He went to the cellar, took out the crucian carp the Beaked Eagle had caught yesterday, and tossed it to the bird.
"Eat up. When you’re done, you’ve got to work hard, understand?"
The Beaked Eagle ate with relish, letting out a few soft chirps from its throat.
Suddenly, a loud banging came from the hallway.
BANG BANG BANG!
BANG BANG BANG!
The Beaked Eagle, startled by the noise, sharply raised its head toward the door and assumed a defensive, ready-to-attack posture.
"It’s okay, keep eating. They’re not here for us." Qin Ziwen gently patted its head, signaling for it to continue its meal.
He could tell the pounding wasn’t on his door, but on the one across the hall.
"Open up! You whore, open the door! You’ve got the guts to screw around but you’re too scared to open the door, is that it?!"
"Instead of being a decent person, you had to go and be a whore."
"You stinking bitch, open this damn door for me! If you don’t, I’ll dump shit all over your doorstep! I’ll make sure everyone in the whole Gated Community knows what kind of person you are!"
The middle-aged woman’s powerful curses echoed through the hallway.
’Looks like Wang Xiaoli’s secret profession has been exposed.’
Qin Ziwen made no judgment. In the current environment, what people did was their own choice, as long as it didn’t affect him.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
His brow furrowed. This time, the knocking was on his door.
"Hey, calm down, that’s a different neighbor’s apartment," a man’s voice said from outside.
"You shut your mouth! I’ll deal with you when we get home," the middle-aged woman snapped at him, though her knocking became much lighter. "Is anyone home? Excuse me, is anyone in 502?"
His younger brother, who had been on the balcony making a fire for breakfast, stood up, a hatchet conveniently in his hand.
After the Xie Jun brothers’ break-in, Ziwu had become especially wary of strangers.
Qin Ziwen frowned. He shut the Beaked Eagle in the bedroom, then walked to the door. Looking through the peephole, he saw two people outside—a man and a woman.
The woman was tall and hefty, probably weighing 180 pounds. The man, in contrast, was short and scrawny, like a beanpole.
Qin Ziwen’s voice was cold. "What is it?"
Hearing a voice from inside, the woman said, "Oh, you’re home! Would you mind if we came in for a second? The people across the hall won’t open their door, and I’d like to use your balcony."
"It’s not convenient."
Qin Ziwen refused without a second thought.
The woman’s voice grew shrill. "Hey, what’s your problem—"
Her words were cut short.
The door was suddenly thrown open. Qin Ziwu stood there with a vicious expression, his hatchet held level and aimed at the pair. "You raise your voice at my brother again, and I’ll kill you. I’m done being nice!"
The woman’s face went pale, her eyes filled with panic.
’She had only said a few words; why did he pull out a knife? No one had ever acted like this when she argued with them before.’
The man behind her hurried forward, clasping his hands together and apologizing profusely. "I’m so sorry, so sorry. My wife is very blunt and sometimes speaks without thinking. I apologize on her behalf."
Qin Ziwen spoke coldly. "Your private affairs are none of my business. But don’t disturb the other neighbors. And you are not to dump shit in the hallway. If you do, I’ll make you lick it clean."
By now, the neighbors from 601 upstairs and the fourth floor downstairs had come out to see what the commotion was about. They started chiming in.
"You two need to solve your own problems, but dumping shit is going too far. It’ll stink up the whole building in this heat, and we’ll be the ones who have to clean it."
"Lady, if you ask me, you should keep a better eye on your husband. It takes two to tango."
The neighbors all chimed in, one after another.
The couple stood in the hallway, their faces alternating between pale and flushed with humiliation.
Finally, the woman stormed off downstairs in a huff, and the man scrambled to follow her.
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