Chapter 348 - 149: Iron Massacre (Part 2)
The first thing that caught the eye was a thick transparent acrylic board—this was the second layer of packaging protecting the reward.
Inside the upright rectangular acrylic board was a pitch-black set of armor.
The armor was placed on a stand fixed to the bottom of the Alek board, featuring a distinct Jin Dynasty Iron Cavalry style.
From top to bottom, helmet to chest and back armor, shoulder armor, groin and arm protectors, wrist guards, and greaves, all were present.
The entire set of armor’s leather, metal plates, and the ends of the neck and shoulder armor were dyed black, with patterns branded on them, adding a further heaviness and imposing aura.
Especially notable was the helmet of the whole set, with only narrow slits for the eyes. Paired with the cold metallic sheen, just one glance at it mounted on the stand was enough to intimidate.
It’s safe to say that just a cursory look revealed that this armor was not a simple cosplay costume.
It was indeed made of metal plates, leather, and silk, a restoration armor based on ancient battle armor.
"Damn it, you had such a great thing and didn’t take it out earlier.
If I wore this to fight the indigenous people, I bet they’d disperse after the first shot."
Gazing at the armor through the transparent acrylic board, Chen Zhou was almost drooling, and his grip on the black velvet involuntarily loosened.
The ties had long been cut, and once the palm lost its hold, the entire piece of black velvet effortlessly slid off the packaging box, revealing the armor inside.
...
Duoduo Lu and Ah Tun stood outside the wooden stone wall, occasionally touching their clothing or rubbing their pants, not used to the feel of wearing clothes and somewhat nervous.
For the two who had narrowly escaped death once, the beach was undoubtedly a terrifying place.
It was on the beach on the other side of the mountain where they were almost killed and roasted.
Despite holding great reverence for Chen Zhou, the "new Celestial God," believing him to be a benevolent deity, when Chen Zhou brought them here, drawing near to the wooden stone wall, the memory of yesterday’s experience still invoked fear.
After all, the circle formed by the wooden stone wall truly resembled something created for a ceremonial purpose, and the strange black object in the middle was even more out of place with the rest of the world.
Wanting to speak but afraid of angering the Celestial God, Duoduo Lu could only keep silent.
He would glance at his companion, then the sea, and finally managed to shift his gaze to Chen Zhou standing quietly by the black object, where he saw the black velvet slide down.
The awe-inspiring jet-black armor, exuding an indescribable solemnity, appeared like a giant beast locked in a cage, baring its fangs at the two indigenous people.
Its color and unprecedented design truly frightened Duoduo Lu.
Ah Tun, by his side, was even worse, his legs went soft, and he fell to the ground directly, hurriedly prostrating on the scorching sand, disregarding the gravel sticking to him, anxiously pleading for mercy from Chen Zhou—
Even though he didn’t really understand what he had done wrong.
The already scared Duoduo Lu, affected by Ah Tun, also lay down on the beach, mimicking Ah Tun, rapidly babbling about his loyalty faster than he ever had in his life.
At this moment, he didn’t have the leisure to think about the causes or consequences, only hoping for the Celestial God’s forgiveness.
To this end, he was willing to give up the house that sheltered him from the elements, relinquish the Celestial God’s food, and abandon everything on him, living like he was back in the tribe, subsisting on a few fruits daily, barely filling his stomach.
For the rest of the time, he would work hard to catch fish, gather fruits for the Celestial God, or do whatever the Celestial God needed him to do...
As long as the Celestial God did not allow that terrifying black demon to devour him, or split his chest with thunder and lightning.
...
Chen Zhou expected a significant reaction from the two indigenous people upon seeing the armor, but didn’t anticipate it would be this extreme.
Looking at the two indigenous people trembling all over, getting their freshly cleaned sailor uniforms dirty, Chen Zhou felt slightly displeased but maintained a particularly gentle tone, beckoning the two to rise.
Although Duoduo Lu and Ah Tun couldn’t understand his words, they could discern the tone, realizing that the Celestial God wasn’t planning to kill them, and both felt a wave of relief.
Though unafraid now, the two, not knowing what "stand up" meant, still didn’t dare to get up, remaining in their prostrate position on the sand, awaiting Chen Zhou to place his foot on their heads, to accept their loyalty.
...
"Damn it, who invented this full-body prostration ceremony, making me feel so uncomfortable."
Chen Zhou was quite unaccustomed to this unique way the indigenous people expressed submission.
If given a choice, he would prefer them to kowtow a few times instead.
Not wanting to drag the two indigenous people up, he left them on the beach for the time being.
Chen Zhou stared at the armor within its packaging, unable to conceal his delight.
After carefully estimating the dimensions, he found that the armor seemed tailored for him; whether it be the shoulder width, waist circumference, or the length of the arm and leg guards, all perfectly matched his physique.
What boy hasn’t dreamed of donning armor and riding into battle?
Since arriving on the island, apart from the revolver kept in the safe, this armor was Chen Zhou’s favorite reward.
He eagerly wanted to put on the armor, gaze at his majestic reflection in a mirror.
However, the beach was just too hot now, with two guys lying behind him, so reason ultimately prevailed, restraining the impulse to don the armor immediately.
...
After taking one last look at the armor, he covered it with black velvet, stepped over the wooden stone wall, and helped the two indigenous people up.
Knowing full well that the two couldn’t understand his words, he still explained that it wasn’t a demon or some sort of beast, but his armor, a "Divine Artifact."
After calming the emotions of the two indigenous people, seeing them no longer so frightened, Chen Zhou immediately tried guiding them to help him carry and organize the wooden and stone boards.
...
The task was simple; they just needed to pick up the cut construction materials, move them to the edge of the woods, and stack them neatly beside the existing pile.
Possibly still shaken from the scare, the two indigenous people watched Chen Zhou’s demonstration with exceptional attentiveness and concentrated focus, quickly understanding how to complete the task.
Despite their strength being far less than Chen Zhou, their two pairs of hands made a difference.
Like two diligent little ants, they frequently traveled between the edge of the woods and the beach, taking not long at all to help Chen Zhou organize the construction materials.
Impressed with their performance, Chen Zhou promptly expressed his appreciation.
Initially, he considered giving them chocolate as a reward, encouraging the indigenous people to exhibit correct behavior, cultivating their obedience.
But being in a rush when leaving today, he happened to forget the chocolate, so he merely offered verbal praise this time.
...
After completing the task of organizing the wooden stone wall, Chen Zhou loaded the armor and packaging onto a cart, pushed it under the shade of the trees, and then began chopping trees, moving stones, teaching the two indigenous people how to construct the wooden stone wall.
While moving items was easily understandable, the indigenous people’s minds lacked any concept of the inter-dimensional cutting range, making building the wooden stone wall beyond their current capability.
However, Chen Zhou didn’t expect them to master it in one go.
Seeing their positive attitude towards carrying tasks, after chopping the trees, he assigned all the carrying work to them, focusing himself solely on trimming branches and stacking the wooden stone wall.
...
Though the indigenous youths were skinny, their endurance was outstanding. Without having eaten breakfast, they still managed to endure their fatigue and finished all the work they could for Chen Zhou, allowing him to lightly experience the joy of being a farm owner.
Previously, leaving for the beach early in the morning, it would take until sunset to finish all the work and return home.
With two extra hands, they left in the morning and finished building the new wooden stone wall just after three in the afternoon, completing the task.
Although the two indigenous people had been rescued for only over twenty hours, Chen Zhou already felt their value.
"Rescuing indigenous people carries no small risk, but the benefits are indeed substantial."
Praising himself inwardly for making a wise decision, Chen Zhou pushed the cart, calling for the two indigenous people to follow him.
...
Having just woken up in the morning, thinking the indigenous people had run away when observing the wooden house, he rushed out without even eating breakfast.
Under Chen Zhou’s influence, the two indigenous people also didn’t have breakfast.
Having worked most of the day on nearly empty stomachs, all three of them were starving, especially the indigenous people lacking fat reserves, finding it wobbly even to walk.
Estimating that the two skinny fellows would have difficulty following him back to the cave, Chen Zhou planned to take them to the camp at the foot of the mountain first.
He hadn’t gone fishing for a while and thought it would be good to catch some fish by the lake to grill and eat, also conveniently testing if the armor fit—
He truly couldn’t wait any longer.