Chapter 457: Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Sword Dragon Bow

Chapter 457: Chapter 457: Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Sword Dragon Bow

In the frozen laboratory, tense yet orderly preparations began.

Chet Lucius occupied a corner of the lab bench.

He laid out various tools, metal materials, and small processing devices that he had either just happened to find or "reasonably" retrieved from his own Space.

His expression was focused, his gaze sharp.

He began to "hand-craft" the special bullet that carried all their hopes.

He needed to stably encase the Barrier Breaker Type I agent within a specially made warhead.

He also had to design a delayed or impact-triggered mechanism, while ensuring the bullet could be fired stably from Seraphina Sullivan’s sniper rifle and effectively hit its target.

It was an extremely delicate and complex task that allowed for no margin of error.

Seraphina Sullivan and Dr. Ford, meanwhile, were responsible for maintaining their living environment.

They gathered more wreckage from wooden desks and chairs, as well as abandoned bookshelves, from other classrooms and hallways.

They even dismantled some non-load-bearing wooden partitions, piling the fuel next to the fire.

This was to ensure the flame could keep burning, maintaining the room’s temperature so that Dr. Ford and Sharon Lynn wouldn’t freeze.

"GRUMBLE..."

A faint but clear sound broke the quiet of the lab, which had until then been filled only with the crackling of the flame and the tapping of Chet Lucius’s tools.

Sharon Lynn clutched her little stomach, her face flushing red as she lowered her head in embarrassment.

Seraphina Sullivan looked over, her expression knowing. "Hungry?"

Face still red, Sharon Lynn let out a quiet "mhm."

The cold already consumed a lot of energy, and combined with the fright and exertion, she had been famished for a while.

Flora Sullivan had earlier stripped the thick curtains from several other classrooms to keep everyone warm. Now, everyone was wrapped in thick, rather unappealing, but reasonably warm "curtain blankets."

"The snow outside... it seems to be getting heavier," Flora said worriedly, peeking out the window.

Seraphina Sullivan nodded, using the motion of taking something from her backpack as cover.

She retrieved several uniformly sized, clean-skinned sweet potatoes from her Space.

To avoid arousing suspicion, she had deliberately chosen a food that was relatively common and easy to store in a post-apocalyptic environment.

"Here, let’s get something in our stomachs and replenish our energy."

As she spoke, she used a sharpened wooden stick she had found to skewer one sweet potato each for Sharon Lynn, Dr. Ford, and herself, then held them out to roast by the fire.

"Roasted sweet potatoes. They’re warm and filling."

Dr. Ford thanked her gratefully, took the stick, and carefully held the sweet potato near the flame.

Sharon Lynn copied him, a hint of anticipation finally appearing on her small face.

After getting them settled, Seraphina also took a sweet potato and walked to the window, roasting it while vigilantly observing the situation outside.

The blizzard had indeed intensified. Snowflakes as large as goose feathers nearly obscured her vision, and visibility was extremely low.

The silhouette of the giant white moth flickered in and out of view amidst the storm, still circling unhurriedly as if admiring its "masterpiece."

The frozen world was deathly silent, save for the howling wind and snow.

She glanced over at Chet Lucius, who was hunched over his work, completely absorbed, manipulating his tools with precision.

Tiny beads of sweat had even formed on his forehead.

’His focus and that seemingly innate "master craftsman" aura... he’s playing the part quite convincingly.’

While Dr. Ford and Sharon Lynn were focused on their roasting sweet potatoes, a thought crossed Seraphina’s mind.

She took the [Monster Weapon]—her reward from the hidden quest—out of her personal Space and, using the curtain and her body as cover, quickly examined it.

A Longbow with a classic design and smooth lines appeared in her hands. Its body had a dark metallic sheen, and its ends were carved with a stylized Stegosaurus skull motif.

The bowstring seemed to be made from the sinew of some monster, emitting a faint but resilient fluctuation of Energy.

[Item: Sword Dragon Bow]

[Effect One: Absolute Penetration] Any arrow fired from this bow will automatically be imbued with the "Strong Penetration" trait, granting it extra destructive power against high-density armor, Energy Shields, and the like, significantly boosting its piercing capability.

[Effect Two: Monster Transformation (Active Skill, once per month)] You can activate an arrow, causing it to briefly transform into a "Back Armor Sword Dragon Projection" upon hitting a target or a designated area. The projection is vaguely controlled by your will. Its duration is dependent on the arrow’s Quality and your spiritual power. The projection possesses some of the defensive and offensive traits of the original monster, but its power is far inferior to the real thing.

’A bow?’ Seraphina’s eyes lit up.

’Combined with my own [Hundred Shots Hundred Hits], a ranged weapon in my hands can unleash 200% of its power!’

’The "Absolute Penetration" effect of this [Sword Dragon Bow] is tailor-made for dealing with those heavily armored monsters or ones with Energy Shields!’

’And the "Monster Transformation" skill provides tactical versatility and immense burst power. Even though it can only be used once a month, it’s definitely a trump card for critical moments!’

’Excellent, a very practical weapon!’ Seraphina praised inwardly, satisfied as she returned the [Sword Dragon Bow] to her Space.

With this, even if Chet Lucius’s "Special Bullet" didn’t perform well or something else went wrong, she had another ace up her sleeve.

"Seraphina! It’s ready! Come and eat!" Sharon Lynn’s clear voice rang out, interrupting Seraphina’s thoughts.

Flora was holding two sticks, the sweet potatoes on them roasted until their skins were browned and crisp, emitting a tempting, sweet aroma.

Seraphina walked over and took the one that was hers.

The fragrance of roasted sweet potatoes filled the cold air, carrying with it a comforting warmth.

"It smells wonderful!" Dr. Ford couldn’t help but exclaim. His was almost done roasting as well.

The four of them gathered around the fire, carefully peeling the piping-hot skins off the sweet potatoes to reveal the steaming, soft, golden flesh inside. They began to eat in small bites.

The sweet, warm food in their stomachs drove away some of the chill and allowed their tense nerves to relax a little.

Over on his side, Chet Lucius remained immersed in his world of "hand-crafting," seemingly oblivious to the aroma of the food.

Dr. Ford had wanted to roast one for him too, but seeing his intense focus, he decided not to disturb him, leaving Chet to toil on alone.

An unknown amount of time passed. The blizzard outside seemed to have lessened slightly, but the sky had also grown darker.

Just as Seraphina was beginning to consider if they needed to set up a rotating watch and how much longer their fuel would last...

"It’s done!"

Chet Lucius shot his head up, his eyes shining with a mixture of exhaustion and excitement. His voice was filled with irrepressible thrill!

He carefully picked up a... or rather, "a single" peculiar bullet with a pair of tweezers.

Its warhead was a size larger than a standard sniper round, appearing as a translucent, dark gold. A faint, flowing, ghostly blue liquid was visible inside.

The body of the bullet was complex, covered in fine etchings and several ports for micro-devices.

The entire bullet exuded a strange Aura—a mixture of metal, chemical agents, and faint Energy.

He solemnly handed this custom-made "Breakthrough Barrier" bullet—a creation that had cost him a great deal of effort and into which he had cleverly integrated some kind of "Manufacturing" type Skill or item Effect—to Seraphina Sullivan.

"In theory... it should be ready to use. Now... it’s all up to you."