Chapter 471 443: Allocation

Qin Ziwen, who was just about to speak, suddenly paused. He felt a warm current rising within him, and as time went on, it grew stronger and stronger.

Finally, it washed over him like a tidal wave.

This was the power flowing back to him from Black.

Qin Ziwen's eyes shone. He felt better than he ever had before!

When the last wisp of the warm current faded, Qin Ziwen looked at the twenty-meter-long Black before him. He took two steps forward, cupped one of its feet with a single hand, and with a heave, lifted the beast clean off the ground.

"AWOO! AWOO!" Lifted into the air, Black thought its master wanted to play and let out two happy cries.

Deep within the dense forest, Little White Dragon heard Black's cries, turned its head for a look, and then looked away.

Meanwhile, Black tried to imitate its master by balancing on one leg like a flamingo.

"Not bad." Qin Ziwen set Black down. A dinosaur weighing dozens of tons felt as light as a feather in his hands. 'Who would have guessed such terrifying power was hidden inside my seemingly ordinary body?'

'If an enemy were to mistake me for someone weak and helpless, someone they could easily bully, and managed to sneak up on me... I'd be sure to give them a nasty surprise.'

Afterward, he went to the nearby sandpit to check on the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle.

The Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle had now comfortably settled into its role as a full-time nanny.

Lying at the bottom of the pit, it was as relaxed and content as a king on his throne. Upon seeing Qin Ziwen, it merely raised its antennae and gave them a little wiggle by way of greeting.

The Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle was surrounded by a swarm of Abdomen Aphid Spiders. They crowded around its body, and Qin Ziwen could feel a strong sense of affinity from the little creatures.

Feeling the vibrations from Qin Ziwen's footsteps, the Abdomen Aphid Spiders swarmed toward him.

They scurried up his shoes and pant legs, quickly covering his entire body.

From the Abdomen Aphid Spiders, all he could sense was a deep-seated dependency.

'It must be because of the building,' he thought.

After playing with the Abdomen Aphid Spiders for a bit, Qin Ziwen left Giant Beast Heavy Industry. He had other things to do.

This harvest had been bountiful, especially with the Golden Apples. Each Golden Apple hanging on the tree represented a new spot for an Extraordinary.

While the Cursed Golden Apples couldn't directly allow someone to become Extraordinary, they could instantly raise an existing Extraordinary by One Star and awaken their bloodline's potential. In a way, they were a precious resource for those already at the Extraordinary level.

He needed to plan carefully how to distribute all these resources.

'Resources are only useful when they're put to use.'

As Qin Ziwen strode away, two workers who had just finished their shift at the cannery's assembly line walked out together.

Luo Dawei, wearing a brown work jacket, said, "Old Cao, are you sure you don't want to work on the assembly line anymore? The pay here at the cannery is pretty good. After paying for food, we can still save a little something. Plus, we get to shoot the breeze and chat in our downtime. What's not to like?"

Beside him, Cao Wenbin, a tall man who looked rather scholarly in his glasses, shook his head. "I've done enough shooting the breeze. It's time for a change of work."

Luo Dawei frowned. "You really want to go out there? It's dangerous. Accidents can happen at any moment. I heard that just yesterday, a guy got bit on the arm by a poisonous insect while on the job. They didn't get to him in time. He made it back alive, but they still had to amputate his arm."

"Life and death are matters of fate; wealth and honor are decided by the heavens." Cao Wenbin smiled, but his expression was bleak. He looked back at Luo Dawei. "Old Luo, I don't really have anything left to lose."

"Did you know? Before we were transported here, my dad got into a car crash, my son got accepted into college, and my wife was diagnosed with cancer. I'd just gotten lucky and made a good chunk of money investing in AI computing power with a friend. I was taking my wife to the hospital for a follow-up..." As he spoke, Cao Wenbin's lips trembled.

"My condolences," Luo Dawei said, his voice heavy.

Cao Wenbin froze for a second, then snapped, "My wife isn't dead!"

"Er..." Luo Dawei was a little embarrassed. "You made it sound so tragic, I just assumed..."

Cao Wenbin shook his head. "It's just... she can't get chemo now, and we don't have access to some of the imported medicines. My only hope is to become Extraordinary. If I can get that chance, maybe my wife's illness can be cured. Old Luo, I can't stay here any longer."

After hearing his reason, Luo Dawei gave him a thumbs-up. "Okay, then. Go for it! I hope your wife gets well soon."

"Thanks." Cao Wenbin nodded, his gaze exceptionally earnest.

...

"We've acquired a good number of Golden Apples and Cursed Golden Apples this time. Our Home doesn't have many Extraordinaries right now, so there are more than enough Cursed Golden Apples to give one to everybody. But I won't force anyone. After all, eating these things will shorten your life." Qin Ziwen was seated in a chair, with Qin Ziwu, Jia Liangcai, and Du Yu sitting across from him. Mogu was seated a short distance behind.

Qin Ziwu couldn't help but ask, "What about the Golden Apples?"

Jia Liangcai lifted his teacup and took a sip.

Qin Ziwen said, "I'll be distributing some of the Golden Apples as well, prioritizing them as rewards for those who have made significant contributions to our Home."

Jia Liangcai set down his cup. "Do you have a plan in mind, my Lord?"

Qin Ziwen shared his idea. "We can't give out all the Golden Apples. We should keep some as an incentive. Initially, I considered trading them, but on second thought, the Golden Apples are too closely tied to the Golden Apple Tree. Putting them out there would attract unwanted attention, and that might not be a good thing."

"You are absolutely right, my Lord." Upon hearing this, Jia Liangcai swallowed the words he had been preparing to say.

"Liangcai, go and summon Zhang Meng, Shi Hu, Tao Fu, Dr. Qian, and also Yan San and Yan Wu." Qin Ziwen listed their names. All six were units he had recruited for his Home, with one hundred percent loyalty. Naturally, they should be the first to break through to the Extraordinary realm.

"Yes, my Lord." Jia Liangcai stood to go and summon them.

"Wait. Bring Pangding and Pura as well," Qin Ziwen added.

Jia Liangcai bowed his head. "As you command."

Once Jia Liangcai was gone, Qin Ziwen turned to ask, "Instructor Du, will you eat a Cursed Golden Apple? I have to be clear: eating one will shave off twenty percent of your total lifespan, and we don't know if that can ever be recovered."

Du Yu laughed with abandon. "Thank you for the gift, my Lord. What's a mere twenty percent of my life in the grand scheme of things?"

Qin Ziwen then looked at his brother. "And you?"

"I'll eat it!" Qin Ziwu nodded without the slightest hesitation. "I'm only eighteen. Let's say I was going to live to be eighty. Take away twenty percent, and I'll still have forty-six years left to live. Besides, my lifespan should increase after I become Extraordinary, right? Living another fifty years after that shouldn't be a problem. And at the rate this Gated Community is moving, we'll cross through dozens more worlds at least. This is a huge win for me!"

Qin Ziwen nodded. He thought for a moment. 'But you can only eat one Cursed Golden Apple.' "What if you wait until after you've broken through to One Star on your own? Wouldn't the effect be better then?"

Mogu, who had been sitting silently behind them, finally spoke up. "My Lord, after entering the Extraordinary realm, each subsequent breakthrough takes a considerable amount of time. If one relies solely on their own training, it would take several years at a minimum."

'That long?' Qin Ziwen was inwardly surprised and immediately dismissed the idea. "In that case, forget it. Just eat them now."

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