Kingdom of Corrosion

Chapter 55 - 54: Night Exploration

Chapter 55: Chapter 54: Night ExplorationAt six in the evening, under the afterglow of the setting sun, Bai Ban finished work and headed home. Stone solemnly introduced the new member, Shana, to everyone in the backyard, and all members welcomed her warmly. Having seen Shana abused by Lin Wu during the day, they involuntarily shaped an image of her in their minds as a fragile and delicate sister who was exploited and oppressed.

Shana had strong social skills, and she scored points during her self-introduction and casual conversation, which increased everyone’s goodwill toward her, making it easy for them to accept the new member.

After introducing Shana, Stone took out a Skill Book on Lichenology and explained his views. Excluding Su Shi, who awaited a craftsman skill, Lin Wu the Hunter awaiting his own Skill Book, Maya waiting for the squad command Skill Book, and Shana with her chemistry, that left Snow Egg, Horse Soul, Little Knife, and Stone.

From Stone’s description, Lichenology seemed to be a purely collective skill, slightly less beneficial compared to the Hunter’s skill which offered both individual and collective benefits. However, Snow Egg and the other two expressed their willingness to learn it. After confirming everyone’s eagerness to learn, the decision of who would study it was left to Maya.

Maya said, "This is a long-term pure base enhancement skill. In my view, the learner should not undertake high-risk tasks on a daily basis. Lichenology includes at least harvesting medicinal herbs to even food, which means to maximize Lichenology’s benefits, the learner will need to frequently venture outside. I would have been the most suitable candidate." Crossbow Arrow Maya had a strong tactical awareness and remained calm in facing issues. Her steady personality and knowledge of combat data were her greatest safety guarantees.

Maya said, "For the collective benefit, I need a squad command Skill Book more. Considering the above, the next suitable learners are Little Knife and Stone, and I recommend Little Knife."

Horse Soul turned to ask Snow Egg, "What does this mean?"

Snow Egg translated, "It means Little Knife is less likely to encounter danger than us, making her the most suitable among the less suitable ones."

Horse Soul nodded and asked, "What do you want to learn?"

Snow Egg, "A skill with combat benefits. How about you?"

Horse Soul replied, "Cooking."

Snow Egg, "Doesn’t that get boring?" Horse Soul’s profession in Blue Star was a chef.

Horse Soul, "Different from you, I studied cooking because I love it."

Snow Egg, "Hmph!"

Horse Soul, "Reverse hmph."

Snow Egg, "Rebound."

Everyone gave the two Juvenile Ghosts a salute of attention, which finally put an end to their back-and-forth antics.

Lin Wu didn’t understand why the two went from being at odds to friends, and Curious Baby had no curiosity about such matters.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Little Knife immediately began learning Lichenology on the spot, and the general situation was roughly as Stone and Maya had speculated. Lichenology: Adds 1 unit of medical supplies to the base each day. In the wild, one can discover medicinal herbs, which can be processed into medicine at the base or converted into several units of medical supplies.

What Stone and Maya hadn’t anticipated about Lichenology was an additional personal skill: Basic Poison Resistance. Poison resistance increased by 20%. The skill might be somewhat insignificant, but as a bonus personal ability, it was better than nothing.

After the meeting, Lin Wu applied for supplies, and Stone agreed without even looking. Maya didn’t ask Lin Wu and Shana where they were headed, just told them to be careful. With Shana around, Maya was relatively at ease because if someone had to die, it would likely be Shana. Shana had already exhausted the base’s supplies, having been squeezed for maximal value. Because she wasn’t well-acquainted with everyone else, her death wouldn’t leave too much regret for the base.

Of course, Maya didn’t wish for Shana’s death. But if forced to choose, Maya would rather Lin Wu survived. If she had to pick a time for Shana to die, Maya hoped it would be before eight o’clock tomorrow morning, as it would save the base one food ration.

...

The place Lin Wu wanted to go was the Sentry Card. Yesterday morning, when the Shadow base attempted to take over the substation, Lin Wu had drawn away the zombies from Sentry Card to clear the road. Wandering idly around the tent area, Lin Wu discovered five Night Demons and killed all five that were hiding inside a container, using the sunlight’s reflection.

This afternoon, while playing with guns, Lin Wu suddenly remembered this incident. The zombies from Sentry Card would return to the containers after sunset, and at that time, there would only be five Night Demons active in the tent area. If someone blundered into the tent area last night, they could potentially have looted it completely.

Lin Wu hadn’t reported this to Maya or Stone; if a mistake had indeed been made, Lin Wu preferred they not know about it. It wasn’t for fear of their blame, but rather fear of them keeping it to themselves, bottling up their words. The good news was, the squad led by a man named Brother Cheng would probably have no chance of survival.

As Lin Wu was still unsure whether the Night Demons would respawn, he had Shana park the car 20 meters away from the sentry. Under the streetlight, a lone soldier zombie was respawned. Lin Wu took it out, pried open the iron gate, and entered the tent area. With a flashlight in one hand, Lin Wu

Shana was sure Lin Wu wasn’t foolish, so why had he acted a bit foolish today? There was only one explanation: Lin Wu’s brain cells were mostly occupied with things he wanted to think about and liked to think about. For example, in the Hun Dan incident, Lin Wu showed no curiosity about the reasons or processes for their reconciliation.

In plain language: In Lin Wu’s view, Shana was no different from any passerby; he didn’t care for Shana’s thoughts. On the flip side, he paid attention to Little Knife, he would cheer up a distressed Little Knife. But that was just a general concern, Lin Wu treated Little Knife as a regular friend.

Lin Wu possessed a strong characteristic: he would filter out people and things he wasn’t concerned, curious, or cared about.