22: Chapter 22 Construction Period Halved, Countdown to the Apocalypse

Western Suburbs, Cloud Top Palace.

A black off-road vehicle tore through the morning mist, its tires grinding a black mark onto the rough concrete ground.

Lin Yuan pushed the door open and stepped out.

The wind on the mountaintop was strong, carrying the roar of heavy machinery and the acrid smell of cement dust.

Three men stood beneath the unfinished semi-circular defensive wall ahead.

The one leading them was none other than Lu Yan.

He had swapped his old, faded jacket from yesterday for a black tactical vest and cargo pants, his muscle definition as sharp as if carved by a knife or axe.

That air of decadence had vanished, replaced by the sharpness of an unsheathed blade.

With hope for his daughter, this fierce tiger had truly come back to life.

Two men stood behind him.

On the left was a man nearly two meters tall, his massive physique blocking most of the light, muscles straining the camouflage short-sleeved shirt to the point of bursting.

The man on the right was lean and silent, appearing to blend into the shadows of the construction site, devoid of any presence.

Heavy weapons specialist "Tank," scout "Shadow."

Lin Yuan walked forward.

There were no pleasantries, no small talk.

Lu Yan directly slammed a blueprint covered in dense annotations onto the makeshift wooden table.

"I've looked at the blueprints."

"The explosion-proof layer casting and ventilation duct design have three fatal flaws."

He jabbed his finger heavily onto several nodes on the blueprint.

"First, the half-meter-thick C100 concrete—without pre-stressed steel mesh reinforcement, it will suffer massive internal spalling if hit by high-yield bunker-busting explosives."

"Second, the NBC filtration system—the intake pressure differential settings are wrong. According to the current design, if the external air pressure changes drastically, the ventilation pipes will instantly backflow."

"Third, the load-bearing column structure on the third basement level is missing two horizontal supports. If this is really going to be used as a doomsday fortress, it won't meet the seismic resistance requirements."

Lin Yuan nodded slightly after listening.

This was professionalism.

"Baldy." Lin Yuan turned his head and called out.

The bald, burly man in the distance, who was chewing on a cigarette, heard the voice and strode over.

Although he had taken the money to do the job, his eyes still held a hint of defiance:

"Boss, something up? The boys are rushing to meet the deadline."

Lu Yan turned his head and looked the bald man straight in the face.

"What is the initial setting time of the C100 concrete? What is the ratio of additives you are currently using?"

The bald man's expression darkened; he spat the cigarette butt onto the ground and crushed it fiercely with the sole of his shoe.

"Boss, this brother looks unfamiliar." The bald man's tone was unfriendly. "Adding more early-strength agent is to speed up the work schedule; isn't that what you asked for—speed!"

Lu Yan didn't waste words. He lunged forward, grabbed the bald man by the collar with one hand, and lifted the nearly two-hundred-pound brute off the ground.

"Urgh—!" The bald man's feet dangled in the air, his face instantly turning purple-red. An intense sense of suffocation made him struggle frantically.

"The rule is absolute solidity." Lu Yan raised his head, staring fixedly into the bald man's bloodshot eyes,

"Now that the boss has put me in charge here, if you dare to cut corners again, I'll bury you inside the load-bearing wall."

"Also, the embedded parts for the explosion-proof door hinges aren't deep enough. Drill them again!"

"The materials used for the basement waterproofing layer don't meet standards. Tear it all out and redo it!"

Seeing their boss captured, several underlings nearby cursed and reached for the wrenches at their waists, intending to rush forward.

Bang!

Tank intervened, swinging his large hand, and the few men were sent flying three meters away, crashing into a sand pile.

And Shadow, who had been completely devoid of presence, had appeared behind another minor leader, the cold blade of a dagger tapping lightly against the man's carotid artery.

No one else on the scene dared to step forward.

The bald man stopped struggling; his years of street experience told him that the three men before him had killed people, and quite a few at that.

Lu Yan released his hand.

The bald man collapsed to the ground, clutching his neck and coughing violently, not daring to make a peep.

Within ten minutes of Lu Yan taking over, the operational efficiency of the entire construction site became visibly, extremely rigorous and efficient.

Lin Yuan was very satisfied with Lu Yan's performance.

"Money is no object. The machines shouldn't stop even if the people do; I want the construction time halved again."

Lu Yan furrowed his brows, calculated the workload, and replied with one word:

"Done."

Lin Yuan turned and walked toward the edge of the cliff, looking down at the gray, hazy Jiang City.

The fact that Shen Qingyue could easily knock open the apartment door last night left him feeling extremely insecure.

Before the true chaotic times arrived, he had to possess an absolutely secure fortress.

More importantly, the butterfly effect of his rebirth had already begun to flap its wings.

That rare acidic hail was proof of that.

The doomsday could arrive early at any moment.

He had to speed things up.

...

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

Jiang City "Aoligei" Gym, VIP training room.

Bang!

A muffled thud.

Qin Yumo was holding a specialized kicking target; the tremendous impact force knocked her back five steps, and her back slammed hard against the padded wall.

Her arms went numb, and she stared at Lin Yuan opposite her in disbelief.

"Did you take drugs?" Qin Yumo blurted out.

Lin Yuan's strength had already been terrifying yesterday.

But today, that strength had surged by another huge margin!

Lin Yuan did not explain.

The 50% attribute bonus provided by Wang Ya had brought his muscle density and neural reaction speed to a new height.

"Continue."

Lin Yuan assumed a fighting stance.

Qin Yumo gritted her teeth, her competitive spirit stirred from the depths of her bones.

She threw away the kicking target, deciding to use technique to suppress him.

"Your force distribution is too scattered! Watch your waist and hips!" Qin Yumo shouted, delivering a sharp whip kick straight at Lin Yuan's waist.

Lin Yuan didn't dodge. Instead, he slid half a step to the side, dropped his shoulder, tightened his abdomen, and took the heavy blow head-on with his side waist muscles.

Snap!

A dull sound of flesh impacting flesh.

Lin Yuan's body swayed slightly, his right hand as precise as an eagle's claw, locking onto Qin Yumo's ankle the moment the skin rebounded.

Qin Yumo's breathing hitched.

Her reaction was extremely fast; her supporting leg exerted force to jump, her body twisted in mid-air, and her left knee used the momentum to slam hard toward Lin Yuan's face.

Lin Yuan still didn't dodge. The hand gripping her ankle pulled down sharply, while his other hand pressed toward her knee, forcing them down together.

Qin Yumo lost her center of gravity and was forcibly pressed back to the ground.

Lin Yuan took the opportunity to step between her legs, pressing the weight of half his body directly onto her...

The next hour was the most desperate and humiliating moment of Qin Yumo's life.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Fists whistled, and the hand-to-hand combat continued relentlessly.

Qin Yumo went from actively attacking to completely falling into passive defense.

Her prized armbar was forcibly pried open by Lin Yuan with a single arm.

The rear-naked choke she used to lock onto Lin Yuan's neck was countered by Lin Yuan leaning back and slamming into the ground, shaking her so hard she nearly passed out.

In the face of Lin Yuan's absolute strength and terrifying learning ability, all techniques were crushed to pieces.

Ten minutes later.

Lin Yuan delivered a precise one-inch punch, stopping abruptly one centimeter in front of Qin Yumo's face.

The wind from the punch made Qin Yumo's cheeks sting.

A few strands of red hair soaked with sweat were blown up violently.

The high-intensity pressure and physical exhaustion left this future "Valkyrie" completely drained.

Her legs went weak, and she collapsed onto the yoga mat, gasping for breath.

Sweat soaked through her tight sportswear, outlining breathtaking curves.

She raised her head, looking at Lin Yuan, who was meeting her gaze, with a bit more awe.

This was a monster that was rapidly evolving.

[Ding! Target Qin Yumo (Attractiveness 85), Favorability +2%, Current Favorability: 11%.]

"How did you do it? Your strength grew so fast?!"

Qin Yumo, lying on the floor and gasping for air, spoke up.

Lin Yuan grabbed a towel from the side to wipe his hands.

He looked at Qin Yumo, drenched in fragrant sweat on the floor, the image of Shen Qingyue pounding on his door last night flashing through his mind.

Rose Garden Apartment was now home to Su Xiaonuan, Wang Ya, and Lin Motong.

Among the three women, apart from Lin Motong having a bit of ruthlessness, the other two had zero combat ability.

It would be better to bring this top-tier martial artist back to serve as temporary security.

It would also help close the distance, making it easier to conquer her later.

"Want to learn?"

Lin Yuan threw away the towel and walked over to Qin Yumo.

He knelt on one knee, one hand propped on the yoga mat beside Qin Yumo's ear.

The two were extremely close.

The strong scent of male hormones on Lin Yuan, mixed with sweat, directly enveloped Qin Yumo.

Qin Yumo's breathing hitched, her heart pounding wildly.

Instinctively, she wanted to lift her knee to attack, but her legs were too weak and sore to muster any strength.

"You... what do you want to do?"

Lin Yuan stared into her eyes and said, "Move in with me tonight."

Qin Yumo's brain instantly crashed.

Move in? What was this? Being kept?

"Impossible! I have a girlfriend! I can't be with you..."

Qin Yumo's mind was in a mess.

She was a pure lesbian and had only physiological repulsion toward men.

But the inhuman strength Lin Yuan displayed was firmly hooking her, this top-tier martial artist.

Lin Yuan directly interrupted her train of thought:

"Move in and be my security."

His voice was flat, yet it carried an air of irrefutable confidence.

"In exchange, three months from now, I will teach you how to break through the limits of human strength."

After saying this, Lin Yuan decisively withdrew his hand and stood up.

The intense pressure dissipated along with him.

Qin Yumo lay limp on the floor, watching Lin Yuan's tall, straight back, her heart caught in an inner struggle.

Strength.

Strength that breaks limits.

This temptation was more lethal to her than any amount of money.

Just then, the screen of the phone Lin Yuan had placed on the bench lit up.

He turned and picked up the phone.

It was a WeChat message from Su Muxue.

[Tomorrow night at seven, top floor restaurant of the River View InterContinental Hotel.]

A location followed immediately below.

Jiang City was destined to be bustling with excitement tomorrow night.