Chapter 45: In a World of Chaos, Better a Dog in Times of Peace

Following behind Yin Hu, Chen Chong walked out of the power station and looked up at the gray, hazy sky, letting out a long breath in his heart.

Things had gone much more smoothly than he had imagined. Because of the death of that person called Heizi, the power station happened to need someone to watch the boilers at night and keep the fires from going out, and he had arrived at the perfect moment, successfully taking the job.

This night watch job was far from as easy as the day shift work at the station, because the factories stopped at night and the Territory’s electricity use dropped sharply, but it still needed to maintain the power supply for the Blood General’s manor. The five boilers had to keep burning to maintain the generators’ operation. Chen Chong’s job was to stay fully alert through the long night, monitor the condition of each boiler, and add coal constantly. It wasn’t exactly hard labor, but it was thoroughly draining.

Of course, it was still much easier than most jobs in the other factories.

“Chen Chong, after the others finish their shift tonight, you can go report to Old Xu.”

In front of him, Yin Hu stopped walking and turned his head around, speaking with a blank expression:

“But I need to warn you, don’t think this job is simple. Since you chose this job, you’d better do your best. The power station can be said to be the heart of the Territory. During the night watch, no mistakes are allowed with the boilers. If it affects the Blood General’s manor’s nighttime electricity, you won’t just be getting a whipping.”

Beyond the Blood General’s manor were the greenhouses for artificially planting Spiritual Fruits. Inside, they needed ample lighting to simulate sunlight. If a power outage happened, he’d probably face the Blood General’s punishment directly.

“Captain Yin Hu, don’t worry. Do I look like someone who goes looking for trouble?”

Chen Chong faced Yin Hu’s indifferent gaze and smiled faintly:

“The General has treated me generously, I will naturally work diligently and conscientiously.”

Yin Hu narrowed his eyes, it was unclear what he was thinking: “That’s for the best.”

“Right.”

At this moment, the feeling of hunger coming from his stomach grew more and more apparent, and Chen Chong asked casually:

“I wonder how we solve the matter of eating in the Territory? Do we eat together with the other laborers?”

“How could you eat with them? Those unlucky wretches eat chaff and swallow vegetables. If they saw what we eat, wouldn’t they rebel?”

Yin Hu let out a mocking laugh and raised a hand to point:

“Walk two hundred meters north from the warehouse and there’s a shed. That’s where we managers and the General’s soldiers eat. Meals are distributed twice a day, at 12 noon and 6 in the afternoon. It’s not time yet, so wait for now!”

Collective supply, two meals a day? In this era of extreme scarcity, that could already be considered a luxury.

The sky had just brightened not long ago, and it was still early before mealtime. Chen Chong made up his mind to go back first to cultivate and conveniently try out the effect of the Spiritual Fruit. He looked up and gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes:

“Many thanks, Captain Yin Hu. I’ll head back now then.”

Watching Chen Chong walk further and further away, Yin Hu’s eyes narrowed into slits. From afar, he waved to Wei De and Lu Kai, who were loitering outside the power station. After the two came jogging over, he gave his orders:

“This kid is a bit strange. Starting today, he’ll be on night watch at the power station. You two work a little harder and pay close attention. The moment you find him doing anything unusual, notify me immediately. Understood?”

Night watch? Didn’t that mean they’d have to stay up all night watching this kid?

Wei De and Lu Kai immediately groaned inwardly, but their mouths answered without hesitation: “Yes!”

Yin Hu could naturally see what his two subordinates were thinking. He patted their shoulders: “I’ll help you apply for an extra supplies quota. Don’t let me down.”

Wei De and Lu Kai’s faces instantly lit up with joy. They shouted: “Captain, rest assured, we’ll definitely keep a death grip on this kid!”

…

Leaving the power station, Chen Chong carried his large bundle and walked through the dilapidated buildings of the Territory, but his mind was thinking.

The job at the power station was settled, and the opportunity to come into contact with electricity was already right before his eyes. Now what he needed to solve was the usage of Electrotherapy.

Electrotherapy wasn’t just about finding two random wires and connecting them to himself. It was written very clearly; the voltage and current connected to the cultivator’s body had to be maintained within a safe range, which could be gradually increased as the cultivator’s cultivation improved. And the first things he had to figure out were two matters: adjusting the voltage and controlling the current output. Otherwise, getting directly cooked by the power station’s high-voltage current would not be a fun thing!

But these two matters clearly required a certain level of electrical and electrician knowledge. Chen Chong, to his shame, aside from barely managing to connect a light bulb, knew practically nothing about electrician work.

“On this point, I might be able to start from that Old Xu.”

Chen Chong had already formed a plan in his heart:

“That Old Xu can be the foreman of the power station, so he clearly has rich electrician experience. Solving these two problems won’t be hard for him.”

As for the danger contained in Electrotherapy, Chen Chong had some confidence in his heart that he could endure it. This was because back at the underground base, he had already suffered through the torment of Katherine’s electric shock experiments. His willpower and resistance to electric current far exceeded ordinary people. As long as he carefully controlled the voltage and current passing through his body, he could guarantee the chance of accidents occurring would be minimized.

Rustle, rustle…

Amidst his contemplation, Chen Chong, who was quickly walking through a narrow path between ruined buildings, suddenly stopped his steps.

Because in front of him and behind him, four figures had abruptly appeared, cutting off his path forward and trapping him in this cramped little alley!

Chen Chong turned his head to scan. The four people blocking him seemed to be survivors in the Territory, old and young, male and female. Without exception, their bodies were hunched, skin and bones, so thin and weak they looked like skeletons.

There were two in front and two behind. They wore filthy, tattered robes wrapped around their entire bodies. Their faces were utterly grimy, and one could clearly see they seemed to suffer from some incurable disease. Their faces and exposed arms were covered with terrifying, festering sores, looking utterly disgusting, almost unrecognizable from their original appearances!

These four people tightly gripped sharpened wooden stakes in their hands, their bodies trembling slightly, their chests rising and falling rapidly. Their horrifying faces were all fixed on the bundle on Chen Chong’s back with a look of longing, greed, and nervousness.

“So wealth shouldn’t be shown openly?”

Chen Chong sighed softly. He flipped his palm, and the tactical knife tucked at his waist was now in his hand.

Seeing Chen Chong suddenly draw a blade gleaming with cold light, the four blocking survivors clearly hesitated for a moment. Then, they gritted their teeth and, at the same time, shakily and haltingly closed in on Chen Chong at the center.

Chen Chong didn’t move a muscle, allowing the four skeleton-like survivors to approach him. His expression in the shadows seemed both cold and merciful:

“In a world of chaos, better a dog in times of peace…”

Amidst his low murmur, the four survivors seemed to squeeze the last strength from their bodies. They suddenly broke into a fast run, simultaneously letting out hoarse howls, their hands thrusting the sharpened wooden stakes fiercely towards Chen Chong!